Chapter 1
Chapter 1
In the back alleys of the Central Empire, there is a rumor about a white monster that eats people. It has been spreading recently.
Of course, it was not something that could simply be dismissed as a rumor. Many people had died or gone missing in that place.
Some claimed they had seen the monster there. Others screamed that something with red eyes had looked at them.
Whether it was true or just an exaggerated story, there was no way to know for certain.
“Is it the work of a demon beast…”
The man standing at the entrance of the alley thought it might instead be connected to a large criminal organization. Either way, it still required investigation.
His name was Leon, a knight assigned to investigate the missing persons cases in this area.
Before entering the rumored alley, he stood waiting at the entrance.
According to knight order protocol, patrol missions were conducted in pairs.
His junior knight would soon arrive. So he decided to wait and took out a notebook from inside his coat.
It contained the records of his investigations in these back alleys so far.
Even after a week of patrol duty, there had been no sighting of the rumored monster.
If something was hiding in the back alleys, it would normally leave some trace behind, but there was nothing resembling a white beast.
However, people had died there.
Burnt black bloodstains were found on the collapsed walls and ground, and investigation confirmed they matched the missing persons.
While organizing his thoughts, Leon felt his head grow heavier. It was as if there were victims, but no perpetrator.
There were bloodstains, yet no bodies. Even when following the traces of blood, the path always seemed to be deliberately cut off, as though someone had erased it.
The traces of the victims were clearly there, but nothing else remained.
If everything except its own traces had been erased, did that mean it had intelligence? He even considered the possibility of a mutated demon beast.
“Um…”
“…?”
“What are you doing there?”
A faint voice rang in his ear.
Leon turned toward the direction of the voice. A woman stood there, her skin so pale it looked almost white, beyond simple pallor.
He was certain he had not sensed her presence.
He became slightly tense and observed her carefully.
First, long silver hair that flowed down to her waist. And crimson eyes that glowed faintly even in the darkness.
She gave off a mysterious impression. Leon did not lower his guard.
“Who are you? Why are you here at this hour?”
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword as he spoke.
During patrol duty, civilian access was restricted. At the very least, she was not an ordinary person.
However, what came out of her mouth was entirely unexpected. With an expressionless face, she said,
“…I live here.”
Leon’s suspicion deepened slightly.
“You… live in this alley?”
She nodded. His expression became more complicated.
“This area is no longer habitable. About a year ago, a demon beast attack destroyed the buildings, and lingering miasma still remains.”
“But it’s true.”
“I cannot believe that. State your identity.”
“Identity…”
She lowered her head as if thinking deeply. Up close, beyond her pale skin, she was quite beautiful.
Her crimson eyes were sharp and striking, yet her face was delicate enough to be described as breathtakingly beautiful.
If he had met her elsewhere, he would have assumed she was the daughter of some noble family.
While she hesitated, Leon observed her more closely.
Her clothes were a white shirt matching her hair, and a black skirt that contrasted with it. The outfit looked familiar.
Just in case, he asked,
“That uniform… are you a student of the academy?”
The white-haired woman silently nodded.
At that, Leon relaxed his guard slightly.
Perhaps it was some kind of courage test among students. Either way, she did not seem to be a threat.
He let out a small sigh, furrowing his brows as if preparing to lecture her.
“I will not hold you accountable for ignoring knight order restrictions. Leave immediately.”
“….”
She stood still, blinking her red eyes. Moonlight reflected faintly in those crimson eyes, beautiful yet unsettlingly hollow, making Leon unable to meet her gaze.
Ignoring his reaction, she pointed in one direction without expression.
“I saw someone wearing the same uniform as you rush into that direction.”
It was the deeper part of the dark alley. The place where the monster was said to appear.
Had his junior knight entered alone, ignoring orders? But for what reason?
She was not the kind of person who would recklessly disobey orders without cause.
If what the silver-haired woman said was true, there had to be a reason.
“….”
He did not know.
His thoughts became tangled, but he could not make sense of it.
“She had red hair. A female knight.”
The silver-haired woman added.
It matched his junior knight’s description.
“When she arrived, a young boy was being dragged away by a monster. The knight rushed in after seeing it.”
“What did you say!”
Leon shouted.
He wanted to deny it, to reject her words outright.
If his junior knight had truly seen such a thing, she would definitely act that way. If there really was a monster beyond the alley, then her story made sense.
But still…
“…How am I supposed to believe you?”
That was exactly why he could not trust her.
They had just met. She had not properly answered even his questions about her identity.
And yet she was speaking as if trying to lure him into the alley.
Most of all, her appearance—white hair and red eyes—overlapped with the rumored monster.
Leon suppressed his rising anger and spoke as calmly as he could.
“Answer me. What are you? And why are you here?”
He did not expect an answer. She would probably remain silent again.
Is she the monster? Or was even the academy student identity just a disguise?
Sshing.
Leon drew his sword.
He pointed the silver blade at her, breathing heavily. He was in extreme tension.
If she was the monster, she could transform and attack at any moment.
Yet his hand hesitated.
Even though he did not trust her, he was still shaken.
He was uncertain. Regardless of her suspicious nature, it was still possible.
If she was telling the truth, he had no time to waste here. His junior knight might already be fighting for her life beyond that darkness.
So Leon stood there for a moment, glancing between the alley and the woman.
As expected of a trained knight, he chose to assess the situation first.
And then.
A piercing scream echoed from deep within the alley.
“Kyahhh!”
A familiar voice.
Of course it was. It was his junior knight.
“L-Leon senior!! Ahh! Help me, please!!”
The voice was desperate, almost pitiful.
In that instant, it felt like his heart dropped.
Cold sweat soaked Leon’s forehead, and his hand trembled visibly.
“Shouldn’t you go?”
The silver-haired woman tilted her head, looking toward the alley.
Beyond the pitch-black darkness, nothing could be seen.
Leon also looked, but he saw nothing.
He had no idea what was happening beyond there.
So he took a step forward, then another.
As if drawn in, he moved forward.
When he finally reached the entrance of the alley, his junior knight’s figure came into faint view.
A female knight, covered in blood, trembling in fear as if something terrified her beyond reason.
I have to save her.
That was all he could think.
Leon tightened his grip on his sword and rushed into the darkness.
Like an insect flying into a flame, foolish and reckless, yet desperate.
“….”
And someone watched it all from beginning to end.
Her name was Iria.
A monster of the back alleys who used crimson eyes to induce hallucinations and lure humans with illusions and voices.
There was nothing beyond that alley Leon had entered.
From beginning to end, it had all been an illusion created by Iria after reading his memories.
As if it were familiar, she followed the prey that had taken the bait and stepped into the darkness.
So today, it was a knight.
On a clearly shining full moon night, another victim was added in the same alley.