The Night the Full Moon Sets
In the outskirts of the capital, Ernes—a place where the flow of people surges at night more than during the day. Brothels line the streets, casting seductive glows, while women in vibrant attire lure the gazes of passing men. Deeper in, just shy of breaking the law, lies the core district under the heaviest influence of the Alfred family in the capital, where those who trade in the shadows have staked their claim.
“Ha… hngh…”
At the entrance to those outskirts, Laura staggered forward like a woman steeped in drugs. Blood trickled from the scrape on her leg where she had tripped over Ferzen’s foot, but in her state of extreme heightened awareness, she felt no pain. Her deeply hooded robe had long since fallen away, fully exposing her distinctive beauty to the eyes of the men passing by.
Her snow-white hair, whiter than any ordinary person could possess. The collarbone tracing her shoulder line was so pale and flawless that it stirred a sticky desire in them—to etch their marks upon that pristine skin, untouched by even a speck of dust.
“…”
The men who stopped to stare swallowed hard, mesmerized, and carefully trailed behind her like the entranced. Unaware that this was an ant hell, where a wounded lamb’s fleece masked the sweet scent of blood, drawing in starving wolves…
* * * * *
In a dank alley where foot traffic thinned, the men surrounded Laura, who had halted her steps. Looking down at her, they licked their parched lips as if dying of thirst. Her irregular breathing and dilated pupils staring up at them screamed abnormality, no matter how you sliced it.
“This bitch… looks like she’s high as fuck and lost her mind.”
Convinced they could indulge in pleasure without cost or consequence, the men glanced around before closing in on Laura. Up close, her beauty stood out even more. Her fragile frame, so delicate it seemed it might snap under a squeeze, subtly aroused protective instincts—while simultaneously boiling over with sadistic urges to crush it.
“Ah… ha… ahaha…”
Bathed in their lustful gazes, Laura let out a lascivious laugh and gently undid the front clasp of her robe.
Gulp!
Even just revealing the flimsy garments beneath, hidden by the robe, sent the watching men’s throats bobbing reflexively. Unable to hold back any longer, a few grabbed her shoulders and roughly shoved her against the wall, reaching to claim her body—but…
Thud!
A massive coffin plummeted from a suddenly opened subspace, crashing to the ground and rapidly cooling the overheated atmosphere. Yet Laura still smiled, clutching the rosario around her neck—her altar.
“…”
A drugged woman was one thing, but add “mage” to the equation, and the implications shifted entirely. Even among those born with the blessing of mana, ranks created absolute gaps… so what of the chasm between one who wielded it and one who didn’t?
Moreover, night streets were hotspots for incidents. Thus, the men who had followed her in a daze finally sensed an alarm blaring in their instincts. They scrambled back, turning to flee—but…
“Sh-shit—!”
Creak!
With the faint sound of the coffin lid opening, the earth erupted, sealing off both ends of the alley.
Splash!
“Gaaahhh!”
Hot liquids, steaming in the chilly night air, poured over them like a caress. Then…
Crack!
Ice crystals formed beside their water-soaked skin, adhering like magnets. The reason your tongue sticks to ice isn’t just the cold—it’s the contrast with your warm body heat. So, if you tried to rip off those crystals clinging to skin drenched in hot water… well, it’d probably tear away chunks of flesh.
“Hng… urgh…”
A shiver of dark pleasure washed over Laura at the mere thought. She froze their legs solid to prevent any resistance and approached.
Grip!
She seized the handle-like ring and yanked with all her might—but…
“Kk… kaaahhh!”
Her congenitally feeble body lacked the strength. So she commanded her corpse servant to step forward, grasp the ring in her stead, and at that moment when it began peeling the ice skin-deep—
——!
The earthen barriers blocking the alley entrance suddenly sank, and the ice crystals constricting the men dissolved back into rippling mana.
Soon after…
Step.
Step.
Echoing through the alley came footsteps, accompanied by a man in a luxurious suit utterly at odds with the decadent, humid air. He swept back the sweat beading on his forehead and entered slowly.
“Laura… de Charles Rosenberg.”
Yes, that man.
“There’s… much I’d like to ask you.”
Was Ferzen, who had raced through the night-shrouded streets of Ernes in pursuit of the woman who had stepped on his left foot and fled.
* * * * *
“…”
I steadied my ragged breathing, on the verge of bursting lungs, and loosened the suffocating necktie. Dissatisfied with the slack, I removed it entirely, pocketed it, and fixed my gaze on Laura before me.
This situation defied comprehension, so I neatly abandoned the effort.
“Begone.”
The night streets had an unwritten code: ignore those crossing the line. So you could deal with them immediately upon transgression. Especially here in the capital—killing those men would tangle things up badly for Laura. Jurisdiction would shift straight to the imperial family.
Besides, this was Alfred territory. I had no desire to escalate.
“Th-thank… you!”
Whether they saw it as kindness, they scrambled up and fled the alley in a panic.
But for some grudge, Laura showed no intent to let them go, conjuring rippling flames to block their path.
“…”
Laura’s rank was Keter. Even if her corpse servant had been an Euclid-rank elemental mage in life, its output couldn’t surpass the summoner’s limits. Thus, I nullified the flame-transmuted magic and closed the distance slowly.
My perception of magic wasn’t formulaic, making me twice as fast at nullifying it as other mages. To me, the spells from her Keter-equivalent servant appeared as mere single lines.
To dispel, I just infused precise mana equal to that line’s length. As a black mage, the limit was reverting it to pre-transmutation—pure mana mass.
Laura, commanding an elemental mage corpse, could reverse-engineer that dispersing mana back into her desired element.
In fact…
Crack!
The mana, swirling as blue smoke, morphed into countless ice shards hurtling toward me.
‘About ten minutes… perhaps.’
No matter how swiftly I nullified, closing too near meant the spell would strike before I parsed it. So I held my ground at a safe distance, endlessly dismantling her magic, patiently awaiting her mana depletion.
My rank was Euclid—surfaces, specifically four planes. Two more would make a solid, pushing to Apollyon.
Thus, my mana reserves dwarfed hers—a lake to an ocean. No need to open subspace for Isabel’s corpse; this sufficed.
“Hngh…!”
Soon enough, mana exhaustion hit; Laura staggered against the wall. Her servant had collapsed, control lost.
Knowing her depleted physical frailty all too well, I strode toward her confidently.
‘On drugs, perhaps…’
Her unfocused, dilated pupils. Only the underworld offered such potency, explaining her venture here—but what lack drove Rosenberg’s lady to this?
“Hng… hngh!”
Despite exhaustion, she lunged with trembling hands, clawing at my throat like she’d strangle me. Clearly deranged.
Thwack—!
I struck her solar plexus with measured force.
“Guh! Hng…! *Cough*…!”
Yet she didn’t pass out, drool trickling vilely as her bloodshot eyes fixed on my forearm—and bit down in an instant.
“Tch…!”
Unforeseen, I reflexively tensed my arm and yanked her hair back with my other hand—but…
Drip!
Crimson blood welled from the vivid teeth marks.
“…”
Withdrawal symptoms? Grimacing at the sting, I shoved my other forearm into her beastly-screaming mouth.
“Ah… hngh!”
Without hesitation, she devoured it ravenously. Permission lasted only until matching wounds.
“Laura.”
“Hng… urgh… aaagh!”
Yanking her hair again, calling her name—still no proper response. This frail girl was merely something masquerading in human skin.
“…”
Tomorrow was my lecture. Returning to the mansion seemed unwise. Sighing, I quietly extended my right foot.
Writhing desperately, Laura naturally ground her heel into my instep.
In this mad scene, the sole solace calming my mind… an utterly satisfying moment.