Chapter 724: Inhuman

In the new suburb, Catherine the "Phantom Blade," cloaked beneath a cape, sat crookedly on a rooftop with her back against a chimney that looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

She gripped the stump of her severed arm, stroking the wound that had been sealed by dead flesh and bony growth after her anomalous ability took effect.

Amid wave after wave of phantom pain, countless fireworks burst open in the distant night sky, reflecting over the entire city in brilliant, lavish colors.

At the far end of her vision, in a narrow alley, a teenage boy in exaggerated stage clothes and clownish makeup returned with a face full of exhaustion. Against the fireworks behind him, he dragged a bag stuffed with props, moved with difficulty to the door of his home, and carefully took out a thin money pouch. He rubbed it back and forth as if it were a treasure. Only then did he muster his courage, carrying both expectation and unease, and push open the door.

Catherine narrowed her eyes and counted the beats.

One.

Two.

Three.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a lamp lit inside the house. At the same time, an old woman's scolding rang out, filled with words like "copper coins" and "what are we supposed to do?"

Catherine sneered inwardly.

Damn it. How many years has it been?

The city district keeps expanding, but the pay for odd jobs in town still has not gone up?

No wonder your Jade City is getting richer and richer.

But the smile in her heart slowly froze.

It was hard to believe that not long ago, she had still been a big sister in one corner of the capital, in that filthy underground world even the nobles pinched their noses and refused to approach. She had real reach. Connections in every direction. When she opened her mouth with a frown, even ordinary nobles and municipal officials had to be polite. Even the once-heroic director of the West City Security Hall had to fear her a little.

Even a ruthless figure like Black Sword Kincha had no choice, under pressure, but to sit down and negotiate with her, yield to her, and obediently spit out the fruits of the Night War.

But that was the point.

Because no one knew better than Catherine where the power that let her command so many people came from, where those greasy and profitable businesses were taken from, and what those honors and airs that others could hardly reach were built upon.

So when the summons of "Better because of friends" arrived, she had no choice.

No matter how unwilling she was, she could only set out through the night and return to her homeland, return to her past, return to Jade City.

Return to the place she had spent her entire life trying desperately to escape.

After all, she did not want to repeat the mistakes Turnbull and Red Viper had once made. The former had gone to the Prison River and received a free ferry ride; the latter had fled in panic and could only eat a few cold scraps.

And yet, now...

Catherine felt dull pain in both her severed arm and her lower abdomen, but her expression did not change, as if she did not feel it at all. Just like when she had been in the relief home, being whipped by the matrons with rattan canes.

Now, she had lost everything. She was wretched as a stray dog, hiding in the place she had hated most as a child and knew best, clinging to life by a thread.

Praying that she could see tomorrow's sun.

Catherine instinctively clenched her fist.

Only a few seconds later did she realize that the hand she had clenched in her mind was the one she had already lost.

But that was the point.

Was it not?

Catherine let out a breath, released the imaginary hand, and clenched her only remaining fist.

This world ran by rules like these. Everyone was hurrying along and climbing, coming and going, up and down. Those who could keep up moved forward. Those who could not fell.

Someone was always climbing up.

Someone was always falling down.

And she had long since grown used to it.

Like her grandfather, whose legs were too slow to flee, lost among chaotic soldiers. Who knew whether they were cruel rebel bandits, the kingdom's own defeated deserters, or wave after wave of loyalist troops rushing to the front? It made no difference. Wherever they passed, they left nothing behind. From that day on, no news of him ever came again.

Like her mother, in that filthy refugee camp, sold first by her father to a group of equally "starving" soldiers for the price of two loaves of bread. She had been dragged away in shock and numbness, never to return.

Like her father, who hesitated over the final price because his stomach had been filled, and so failed to sell Catherine to another "good family" before she secretly sharpened the blade in her hand. Thus he went early to the Prison River and was freed from suffering.

Like her younger brother, who did not notice the shove from his sister behind him. He fell, failed to catch the relief home's carriage carrying orphans into the city, and in the end had no blessing to enjoy the kindness and benevolence of the noble masters and ladies in the city, enough to move the Kingdom of Stars, or the generous charity of one ladle of porridge every three days.

Like Nadja. After that girl understood just how much a certain generous, benevolent good priest, who gave the girls an extra ladle of porridge every day, cared about their "bodies," she did not have the courage to use the sharp little blade Catherine had slipped her. In the end, she hanged herself alone beneath the statue of the Sunset Goddess, fulfilling her wish and going straight to heaven.

Like that good priest, who, after Catherine expressed to him her grief at her friend's death and her fragile need for comfort, had been filled with kindness and compassion. He volunteered bravely to give her a secret "midnight confession" no one else would know about, and in the end lost his reputation and future.

And, of course, his nose.

Like the somewhat pretty little girl who shared her room when she first arrived in the Blood Bottle Gang.

Like "Dogtooth" Bote.

Like Turnbull.

Like...

Faces flashed before her eyes, hazy and yet real.

The next moment, the wound in her abdomen sent up another pulse of pain, making Catherine frown slightly.

Phantom Blade shook her head, leaving memory behind and returning to reality.

No. Someone was always climbing up, and someone was always falling down.

Catherine sniffed, forced the corner of her mouth upward, and revealed a determined smile.

If she climbed up, then she would keep climbing.

If she fell, then she would get back on the road.

Until she reached the summit, until she reached the end.

Only, could she ever climb to the summit?

Did this road truly have an end?

Or was it enough for her simply to climb with all her strength and care about nothing else?

Suddenly, Catherine sensed something. She held the chimney and slowly rose, then turned around.

At some point, a strange yet familiar figure had appeared on a nearby rooftop, silently facing her.

He flickered between brightness and darkness beneath the fireworks.

Catherine's pupils shrank. Her breath stopped. Instinctively, she moved to draw her blade.

But she soon understood something, and her movement paused.

"Fuck."

Catherine sighed, released the hilt, and lowered her hood.

"You still found this place."

The masked uninvited guest did not move at all. He only gazed at the fireworks on the horizon in a daze.

"You should run, Little Blade," he said softly.

Heavens knew how much she hated that old nickname.

Catherine snorted coldly.

"Same to you, Turnbull's wild dog."

Lausanne the Second laughed softly.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the abandoned watchtower not far ahead.

"I know this is a trap."

Catherine's expression changed.

But she was, after all, a boss in her own right. She quickly adjusted and used the momentum to burst into loud laughter.

"Of course it is!"

She waved her only arm, pounded the chimney beside her, and laughed.

"I knew you would come! Even if you knew I did it on purpose! Even if you knew I wanted to kill you! Ha!"

Phantom Blade's laughter carried through the night sky, but the surrounding homes remained quiet and still, without the slightest response.

Lausanne the Second did not speak. Behind his goggles, his eyes watched her quietly.

Damn it.

Catherine gritted her teeth.

"But do you really know who you are fighting?"

Lausanne did not speak.

"I'm not talking about his status or power! From the Blood Bottle Gang to Emerald Palace, he was like a prophet who knew everything before it happened. He calculated everything and seized the whole of Jade City in just a few days, turning it into meat on his chopping board! Do you know how terrifying he is?"

Lausanne the Second smiled and shook his head.

"I have faced worse."

Or followed worse.

Catherine's smile vanished.

"That temper of yours is still the same as back then."

Phantom Blade put away her smile and hissed viciously.

"You never did seem like a qualified killer."

Her eyes moved, deliberately or otherwise.

"More like one of those sour knights."

At the word "knights," Lausanne the Second's gaze shifted.

"You do not understand me," he said hoarsely.

"But someone does."

Hearing his answer, Phantom Blade gave a cold snort.

"Do you know who?"

This time, Lausanne the Second said nothing more. He slowly reached out and gripped the hilt of his sword.

Catherine's face changed drastically.

"Wait!"

She retreated a few steps and glanced around anxiously.

"Don't you want to know what happened back then? How Turnbull failed?"

Lausanne the Second paused, then shook his head. His smile gradually turned cold.

"No."

Catherine choked.

"Don't you want to know who betrayed Turnbull back then?"

The killer gave the same answer.

"No."

Catherine grew anxious and shouted, "It was them!"

She slapped her chest with her only arm, breathing fast.

"They wanted you dead! They wanted Turnbull dead! They wanted the Blood Bottle Gang obedient again! And we were only the ones beneath them, the ones doing errands, running messages, doing the dirty work!"

"I know."

Lausanne the Second remained completely unaffected and slowly drew his sword.

"I will make it quick."

Catherine began to truly feel nervous.

"But you... don't you want to ask who 'they' are? Who those big figures are?"

Lausanne the Second laughed softly.

"I came back for them."

Catherine swallowed.

"You cannot beat them."

"I know."

Lausanne the Second fully drew his longsword.

"I knew that long ago. Even before the Blood Bottle Gang."

It was a new longsword, made of excellent steel and polished with care.

Catherine panicked.

"Then why..."

The next moment, Lausanne the Second's figure blurred. He crossed a rooftop and rushed toward her.

In that instant, every hair on Catherine's body stood up.

"Black Sword!"

Lausanne the Second's footsteps paused.

Phantom Blade retreated two steps, gritted her teeth, and screamed:

"Don't you want to know? Don't you want to know why, back then, you and Turnbull lost to him..."

"Lost to Black Sword, who at the time was only super class?"

--------------------

"Your Highness is joking."

Lee's gaze was clear and calm, without the slightest fear.

"I crossed the sea from the Eastern Continent and live as a guest in a foreign land. Other than a few juniors and servants at my side, I have not a single soldier or pawn. How could I possibly stir up storms and subvert Jade City?"

On the other side, Yannik let out a mocking low snort.

In the distance, near the center of the city, bundles of fireworks shot into the sky, illuminating Emerald Palace atop the massive stone.

Between brightness and darkness, Thales stared at Lee, nodded lightly, and smiled slowly.

A second later, the prince turned around and faced the suburban homes below the tower once more.

"Wya!"

Footsteps sounded. Wya came onto the tower platform and bowed to the two foreign guests, polite yet still guarded.

"Your Highness?"

Thales did not turn his head. He only waved casually.

"Tell our two honored guests exactly what you discovered."

"Me?"

Wya was caught off guard.

"Yes, you," Thales said, bracing both arms on the tower platform and feeling the night's cold wind. "After all, you were the one who followed the threads, peeled back the cocoon, and finally found the truth."

Those words made both bloodkin turn to look at Wya, and the latter could not help being startled.

"Yes. Good evening, my lords. I... I am Wya Caso. Then, where should I begin? Right..."

Wya swallowed and hurriedly took out the notebook he carried with him.

"You are called Caso," Lee interrupted softly, cold light in his eyes. "Which means you are Gilbert Caso's son?"

Wya paused.

Yannik smiled at the sight.

"Oh, the famous 'Cunning Fox'? The one who was only a step away from becoming prime minister back then?"

Wya fell silent.

The two noble bloodkin waited for his answer beneath the moonlight, one with a cold gaze, the other with a mysterious smile.

A few seconds later, Wya drew a numb, habitual deep breath, squeezed out a smile, and replied politely:

"Yes, my lords. My father is indeed..."

"He is my attendant officer."

Thales interrupted them coldly.

"To be exact, my chief attendant officer."

Wya froze for a second and looked at Thales in surprise.

But the prince did not turn back.

He still had his back to them, staring wholeheartedly outside the tower and raising the spyglass to observe from time to time, as if nothing had happened.

The two bloodkin did not answer, but the way they looked at Wya changed.

"Please listen carefully..."

Wya, the prince's attendant officer, took a deep breath, firmly closed his notebook, and raised his head.

"We, the Star Lake Guard, have encountered and fought the target we must face tonight, also known as Lausanne the Second, very possibly the Blood Bottle Gang's former ace killer, more than once."

The moment the words left his mouth, Wya suddenly realized:

He did not need the notebook at all.

"But each time, other than wounds and pain, what he left us with was more questions."

The two guests exchanged a glance. Wya paused, straightening out his thoughts and logic.

"First, Lausanne the Second is extremely skilled, deep beyond measure. That is beyond doubt, otherwise he would not have given us such a headache..."

Wya discovered that everything he wanted to say had already, through countless repetitions, unknowingly surpassed paper and ink and become firmly engraved in his memory.

No prompt was needed.

Everything was self-evident.

Even if he was not the sort of genius his father was, who never forgot anything he saw.

"But in actual combat, his performance rose and fell. Sometimes strong, sometimes weak. We guessed at reasons for his unstable strength: old injuries, age, drugs, a special Power of Eradication, even anomalous abilities and so on. But we were all wrong. We missed the most important, yet also the least conspicuous point."

"What point?" Yannik asked.

But Wya did not explain too much. He continued directly.

"Second, apart from swordsmanship at the summit of the age, Lausanne the Second also has a terrifying anomalous ability. He calls it 'Demonic Murmur.' It can make people lose consciousness and fall into memories of the past. It is nearly impossible to guard against."

Yannik's eyes moved.

"An anomalous ability that affects the mind. Interesting."

Wya shook his head.

"But strangely, his control of that ability is not delicate. It could even be called extremely crude. It conflicts with and contradicts his own swordsmanship. More than once."

Yannik glanced at Lee on the other side. Thales, meanwhile, still stood with his hands behind his back and said nothing.

Wya continued.

"Third, in order to avoid his pursuit, two of my comrades once hid in an abandoned sewer that no outsider knew about. It was bottomless, and inside it was like a labyrinth. But they were still caught by Lausanne the Second.

"According to Lausanne the Second himself, the people inside the sewer were speaking too loudly, and he heard them from the surface. It sounded so absurd it was like boasting.

"We suspected there was an informer in the sewer. We also suspected the Blood Bottle Gang's tracking hounds. But later we found that the Blood Bottle Gang's kennels had already been slaughtered before that. All the guards were dead, and all the dogs in the cages had been released."

Wya sighed.

"How did he do it?"

This time, neither guest spoke.

"Fourth, Lausanne the Second's outfit is very unusual. No matter when or where, he is always dressed in black from head to toe: hood, mask, goggles, not one piece missing. Even during operations, he has to stop from time to time to tidy his clothing, put his mask back on, adjust his hood..."

Wya paused a while.

"At first, we guessed it was an assassin's habit. We also guessed that he might be covering his body characteristics and hiding his identity. But later, everyone knew exactly who he was, and he still dressed the same without fail."

Wya's gaze sharpened.

"So I suddenly thought: is it possible that outfit was never meant to hide his identity, but for another, more important reason?"

The two guests still did not move in the slightest, but Wya could no longer pay attention to them.

"Fifth, and also the most troublesome, strange, and unbelievable point: Lausanne the Second's abnormal constitution."

The attendant officer recalled what he had seen and heard, and his face filled with worry.

"The first time we fought him, he was struck by several arrows and escaped, yet the next day he was alive and active. The second time, he was surrounded and covered in wounds, but he could still fight dozens of exchanges without falling behind. The third time, he was blasted from head to toe by a considerable amount of Splendor Crystal Flame, yet by the next day he could sneak into the selection meeting and swing a sword in battle. The fourth time, he was tricked into drinking a rare and violent poisoned wine..."

Wya sighed and looked toward the darkened homes.

"Of course, what happened the fourth time, I believe we will see shortly."

The attendant officer's expression changed.

"But as far as I know, in the circles of underground gangs, only the leader of the Black Street Brotherhood enjoys such bizarre legends of blades and spears failing to enter his body, and of being impossible to kill."

Just then, Thales, who had not spoken for a long while, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Only legends."

The three were slightly surprised by the prince's interruption, but soon returned to the topic.

"All of the questions above left me unable to find an answer no matter how hard I thought. I could only ask around and gather opinions."

Wya spoke seriously.

"Until an experienced former security officer from the capital sent me the case files of a serial murder case in Eternal Star City from several decades ago."

A serial murder case.

Yannik raised his brow slightly.

The prince's attendant officer's eyes were sharp as they swept across the two guests.

"And the answer revealed by that case file almost explained every question."

The watchtower was silent for a long time.

Until Count Lee slowly turned his neck and asked one word:

"Every?"

--------------------

"You."

Lausanne the Second stopped on the nearest rooftop, only a few steps from Catherine.

One round of fireworks ended, and Jade City's night sky settled into silence.

The entire city was brightly lit. Only this place had sunk into darkness.

"Because you betrayed us," Lausanne the Second said softly.

"You and Frigg. You leaked the assassination plan. Our ambush of Black Sword became his ambush of us."

So we lost to our own people.

Catherine frowned at that.

"You knew it was Frigg? Impossible. Then why did you still..."

She soon understood the crux of it, extremely unwilling.

"Wait. So that is why that fish-raising country bumpkin betrayed me and mixed in with Red Viper!"

Frigg, that double-dealing coward.

Thinking of this, Catherine could barely suppress her anger.

One day, I will feed that bumpkin to the tank of man-eating fish he keeps.

Lausanne the Second shook his head.

"He is not you, Little Blade."

Frigg was a person.

And you.

You are only a knife.

Catherine took a deep breath.

"Fine. Even so, even if he was prepared early and ambushed you..."

She slowly raised her head and forced herself to smile.

"But do you really think Black Sword broke through on the spot that year, performed beyond himself, and defeated you fair and square? Killed Turnbull?"

Lausanne the Second frowned slightly.

What?

Catherine sneered.

"That day, when you fought Black Sword with everything you had, did you really feel nothing?"

Phantom Blade's voice became hoarse.

"That unconscious floating lightness, that confused and disordered perception, those unstable emotions, that excited and agitated spirit, and between your fingers..."

As Catherine described it, she herself began to tremble uncontrollably.

"That almost imperceptible tremor."

Behind his goggles, Lausanne the Second's pupils slowly widened.

"That tremor, which is normal enough for ordinary people, but fatal for swordsmen."

Catherine gritted her teeth and subconsciously hugged her severed arm.

Lausanne the Second lowered the tip of his sword.

He gazed faintly at the hand that held his sword. It formed a straight line with the blade, firm and steady, without the slightest tremor, as if it had frozen into the surface of a cold lake without a ripple.

But...

"'Sunlight,'" Lausanne the Second softly spoke the answer.

"Yes!"

Catherine viciously crushed a cigarette case in her hand.

"Yes, the very same 'Sunlight' that killed Boss Dogtooth back then. But don't you find it strange?"

Her tone changed, turning sinister and mysterious.

"Back then, you were disciplined. You kept to yourself. Your diet and routine were perfectly ordered. In order to maintain your killing condition, forget drugs; you did not even touch tobacco or alcohol, much less before setting out on an operation."

Catherine widened her eyes.

"So why, and from where, did you ingest 'Sunlight'?"

Lausanne the Second clenched the hilt. Beneath the mask, his expression was hard to distinguish.

"Why don't you think back? On the day you set out to kill Black Sword, even in the days, weeks, and months before it, what did you eat? What did you drink?"

Catherine continued, her voice carrying temptation.

"After all these years, have you never suspected it?"

Suspected...

Lausanne the Second repeated the word in his heart.

"First Dogtooth, then you," Catherine sneered. "Don't you find it strange?"

Strange...

Lausanne the Second's breathing grew distracted.

Catherine smiled, and there was satisfaction in that smile.

"And after you came back, did you never try to find her?"

Her...

Lausanne the Second said nothing.

Phantom Blade narrowed her eyes.

"Then do you know where she is now?"

The next second, Lausanne the Second spun around, his sword like lightning, thunder startling the heavy night.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, he used his longsword to deflect a hidden weapon.

But at the same time, several more whistling sounds rang out. More hidden weapons attacked him from the night sky.

A trap.

Because he did not know their nature, Lausanne the Second did not block recklessly. Instead, he shifted his steps repeatedly, leapt onto another rooftop, and dodged every hidden weapon in an instant.

Pop!

Pop, pop!

The hidden weapons struck the ground, walls, and rooftops, making crackling explosions as they shattered one after another.

But in that instant, Lausanne the Second's expression changed drastically.

Wrong.

Something was wrong.

Lausanne the Second instinctively covered his mouth and nose beneath the mask.

This smell was...

It was...

The next second, he dropped to one knee with a thud and gasped for breath.

The liquid splashed from those hidden weapons, which were actually nothing more than glass medicine bottles, spilled everywhere, washing over the roof and dripping down along the eaves.

But Lausanne the Second's breathing froze.

No.

Impossible.

Shock and fear appeared in his eyes, like a wild beast seeing its natural enemy.

Impossible!

No.

No.

No...

In that instant, every organ, tissue, structure, every unit and corner of Lausanne the Second's body began to tremble.

They struggled, roared, rioted...

Trying to break free of his control.

No!

"Hahahaha. I knew your truth long ago."

Catherine viciously kicked away a broken medicine bottle at her feet, ignoring the waves of pungent, fishy stench from the liquid inside.

"About how you went from a tough killer with iron bones..."

She gritted her teeth hatefully, looking at her opponent as he clutched his head and trembled without stop.

"Into a coward beyond saving."

A coward?

No.

No!

Lausanne the Second struggled in despair, twisting and fighting his own body to the death.

Listen to me.

Listen to me.

Listen to me...

But they, they, they had never been so powerful. One after another, they roared and scrambled to crush his will.

No.

No, no...

Deep in his heart, he almost begged them.

Please...

Not now.

Not...

The vision before the killer's eyes began to change color.

It became that hideous and terrifying scarlet.

With a ringing sound, the longsword slipped from his hand and rang alone on the rooftop.

Don't.

Please... please... you...

At last, Lausanne the Second raised his head in pain and fear.

He looked at the smiling Catherine.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

Run.

Run now!

--------------------

"For the past several weeks, what people have seen is Lausanne the Second committing several bloody cases in Jade City, such as the deaths of the wine merchant, the wool merchant, the lawyer, and even the death of the special-class security officer. These obvious major cases were even used by Federico to accuse the duke..."

Wya's expression was grave.

"But at the same time, in places beyond people's sight, in the city's gray zones and dark alleys, many other inconspicuous murders also occurred. Most of the victims were criminals among the gang crews, scattered in twos and threes, once making the Blood Bottle Gang think they were gang conflicts."

At this point, Wya changed direction.

"But precisely these inconspicuous 'gang murders' had even more suspicious points."

Yannik seemed thoughtful. Lee's gaze was cold.

Thales held the spyglass and looked out at the scenery beyond the tower, but when he heard this, he took a deep breath.

"First, most of the victims vanished when they were scattered and alone. The killer did not make a great show of it, but he also did not seem to want to conceal it too much. Their bodies were usually found at least the next day, and when found, most were unrecognizable: soaked, cut, burned, difficult to identify.

"But it was not only the Blood Bottle Gang. Here, at North Gate Bridge and the new suburb, on the Black Street Brotherhood's territory, some thugs were also attacked and vanished one after another. It was only that compared to the Blood Bottle Gang, the Brotherhood's local leaders acted more ruthlessly and suppressed the matter."

Wya finished and looked at the two guests.

"This was not ordinary gang conflict," Yannik said softly, slowly frowning.

"Of course not."

Wya nodded solemnly.

The attendant officer took a deep breath.

"Decades ago, that serial murder case in Eternal Star City once caused panic, but it was ultimately solved. After the clues were found, only two security officers, one of them still a trainee, were needed to capture the murderer in one move."

He stared carefully at Yannik Hollier from the Banquet Territory.

"Back then, the late King Aydi even sent a state letter over this, sternly questioning the Banquet Territory. Speaker Mavolo of your Noble Council immediately replied with an apology and claimed he would send people to handle the matter and hunt down the family fugitive."

Of course, before the Banquet Territory's envoy intervened, that security officer had already solved the problem. The murderer had been bound to the execution frame and left to die in the open air.

Thales did not turn around. He merely nodded.

Yannik sighed.

"At that time, I was sleeping in my tomb. After waking, I heard a little of it. Without question, it was a tragedy, both for your country and for us..."

Wya interrupted him without the slightest politeness, as if he had already forgotten their respective statuses.

"But everything recorded in that case is almost exactly what Jade City is now experiencing!"

Yannik did not grow angry. He only fell silent and bowed.

Wya took a deep breath and swung his hand toward the bright moon.

"What causes Lausanne the Second's strength to rise and fall is nothing else, but the sky!"

Thales was satisfied to see the two guests listen quietly, without saying a word.

"When the red sun hangs high, Lausanne the Second's body is unwell, and his movements are limited. Even if he exerts his full strength, he is only at the level of a super-class choice."

Wya's eyes widened in anger.

"But once the sun sets, his full constitution returns. His speed, his stamina, his strength, combined with his peerless swordsmanship, make him difficult even for the supreme class to match.

"And in so many clashes, the only time he actively fled was indoors."

Wya made a gesture as if drawing a bow.

"Our archers shot through the window from outside and brought down the curtains blocking the sun.

"This is also why he must dress like that. During the day, he needs enough protection from the sun, such as black cloth from head to toe, to protect himself from sunlight."

Wya paused.

"As for his anomalous ability... I found people in the Blood Bottle Gang who knew him back then and confirmed one point: Lausanne the Second, or at least the killer Lausanne the Second of more than ten years ago, did not have an anomalous ability."

Yannik's gaze moved.

"He did not have an anomalous ability more than ten years ago? Which means..."

Wya nodded.

"Without question, 'Demonic Murmur' is something he acquired recently. Not long ago. Or rather, relatively recently. That is why he is unfamiliar with using it in actual combat, his control is unstable, and it contradicts itself."

Yannik looked at Lee on the other side, his gaze complicated.

Just then, Thales suddenly recited a passage of scripture:

"'When trial descends, demons shall whisper, and evil gods shall murmur, in a language we cannot know.'"

The others froze together.

The prince turned toward the guests from the Nation of Night and spoke with sarcasm:

"I am simply curious. How would someone think to take a line from the sacred Book of Sunset and use it to name this sort of... this sort of person's anomalous ability? For what? Irony? Or mockery?"

Lee said nothing.

Thales laughed lightly and waved his hand, signaling Wya to continue.

"This also explains his perception beyond ordinary people," Wya said. "Lausanne the Second could track them all the way into the sewer not because of a dog's nose, but because he was sensitive to the scent of blood on his targets. As for his claim that he heard people speaking too loudly underground while he stood on the surface, that likely was not boasting, but the truth. It was a special racial talent."

Wya took a deep breath.

"In this way, why Lausanne the Second survived again and again, and the attacks and disappearances of so many people from the Blood Bottle Gang and the Brotherhood, all have an answer."

The attendant officer stared at the two guests, unable to hide the anger in his voice.

"Because after every operation, especially after every serious injury, he needs nourishment. He needs to feed. He needs to replenish energy, to make up for what was lost, and use that extremely powerful racial recovery to repair his wounds at a speed ordinary people can hardly imagine, so that he remains 'undying and ever new.'"

At the words "undying and ever new," Yannik's brow sank almost imperceptibly.

Wya only snorted coldly.

"That is why those unfortunate people who were slaughtered as 'ingredients,' whether they were venue guards or street thugs, had their bodies tampered with: soaked, cut, burned. It was to cover up how they died, especially the open wounds on important blood vessels."

"Not only them."

Thales interrupted:

"Also those key figures: the wine merchant, the wool merchant and his mistress, the retired director of the Security Hall, and Caquere who received me. In truth, they all died from being bled, did they not?"

The youth shook his head, his emotions complicated.

"I suppose, as a 'novice' who has only been initiated for a little more than ten years, Lausanne the Second is different from you. He cannot quite control his thirst."

Thales looked at them.

"Inhuman indeed."

After hearing the prince's strange conclusion, the watchtower was silent for a very long time.

Until Yannik sighed.

"Us?"

Wya gave a cold snort.

"That's right. Once all the clues are brought together, they point to one and only one possibility."

His gaze was wary, and his tone was decisive.

"Lausanne the Second, who once survived a disaster and returned to Jade City more than ten years later, is no longer human."

Wya pressed one hand to the hilt of his sword.

"He long ago became a cruel, vicious, impulsive, savage..."

The attendant officer looked at the two unusual guests, took a deep breath, and at last gave up on any more polite title.

"Vam. Pire."

--------------------

Eternal Star City, Renaissance Palace.

"Do not worry. That case file was already altered by your elder brother back then."

Beneath the lamplight, Court Lady Jines lowered her head and handled the palace documents before her.

"The kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department did the work very cleanly. Including the young Caso, no one will discover that the rookie trainee security officer in that file, only a few years into the job, was actually using a false name."

Before the window, a strong figure remained silent for a long time.

"The resume."

"No problem. The Secret Intelligence Department made that up too."

Jines did not raise her head, and her tone carried teasing.

"A 'temporary assistant trainee' security officer outside the formal roster, who entered the Security Hall through a back door, repeatedly caused trouble, had no hope of promotion, and was the chief idiot of the West City Security Hall. Kai Yodel, unfortunately killed in the chaos during the Bloody Year, with no father, no mother, no..."

At this point, Jines realized something. Without changing expression, she raised her eyes.

"Not bad," the figure before the window murmured. "Truth within falsehood, falsehood hidden in truth."

Jines paused slightly, lowered her head, and her face turned faintly pale.

The room was silent for a while.

"Why?"

The court lady suddenly spoke.

The figure before the window turned back.

"When we found the lair back then, I warned you again and again. Return to the hall first and report, then wait until support was gathered before acting. But..."

Jines turned a page, seemingly casual.

"Some hotheaded fool simply would not listen."

The figure opposite her was silent for a time, as if recalling the past.

"Because then it would have been too late. The credit would only belong to someone else."

"Truly?"

"My immediate superior was very harsh," the figure opposite said dryly. "She often educated me while smoking: 'Everything for the clearance rate.'"

And with deadlines, too.

Jines fell silent at that.

A few seconds later, she could not help laughing.

"So," Jines snorted lightly, "you happened to run into that vampire waking up and nearly had your carotid artery torn apart?"

The figure paused. He slowly reached out, touching the collar at his neck.

And the scar beneath it.

"Nearly."

He said faintly:

"You later discovered something was wrong and arrived in time."

Jines's smile disappeared.

"And if I had not arrived?"

"Then a certain security officer would have had a much easier time. She would never again need to clean up after a foolish subordinate who got in through the back door."

The court lady snorted coldly and lowered her head again.

"Bastard."

"Besides," the figure said lightly, "if I had not done that, if I had not been on the verge of dying, why would that stingy, hidden, sneaky old Vitano, who only obeyed my father's orders, have been willing to act?"

Jines still did not raise her head, and her mouth was completely unforgiving.

"Serves you right."

The lamplight flickered, and the room fell into a long silence.

Until the figure's voice sounded again.

"Because of myself."

Jines's eyes moved.

"Because I wanted to do that."

The figure slowly paced to a luxurious and expensive Splendor Crystal display cabinet and gazed at the nine-pointed star crown preserved inside. Slowly, he reached out.

"Because at that time, that 'chief idiot of the West City Security Hall' who was used to looking up to his elder brother, and to relying on his superior's help..."

The figure's voice was faint and distant, as if he were in a trance.

"For the first time, no matter how foolish or dangerous it was, he wanted..."

"He wanted, by himself, and only by himself, to accomplish..."

"...something."

Anything at all.

Jines fell silent at that.

The figure also quieted and no longer spoke.

Only the nine-pointed star crown in the Splendor Crystal cabinet remained shining, its brilliance undimmed.