“Hey, have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“The incident in the Mipedian Duchy.”
“Wasn’t that case closed years ago?”
“That’s what I thought, but the Magic Tower recently made an official announcement. They said the monster that appeared in the duchy was unsealed on its own from a Purification Stone.”
His companion was startled and responded in shock.
“From a Purification Stone?”
“Yeah, it’s quite bizarre.”
“You never know where a Purification Stone might be found. Are we civilians safe?”
“The Magic Tower assured that a special process is needed to unseal it, so there’s no need to worry. And what’s the concern? We can always buy a Lebron ring.”
“That ring? Tsk, they’re just using it as a way to make money.”
“If it were just for profit, they’d only sell it at high prices to nobles! And so what if they sell Lebron rings? All the proceeds go to helping civilian victims.”
“…Now that you mention it, that makes sense. But why are you getting mad at me?”
“I just feel bad that his character is being questioned.”
“The real pity is for the Mipedian Duke. He finally learned why the previous Duke and Duchess died. At such a young age, he even testified that the monster had transformed into a human. The shock must have been immense.”
“And later, at an age similar to my son now, he was deployed to the Zeder Forest?”
Tsk, tsk, how ruthless. They shook their heads with bitter smiles.
Suddenly, one of them stopped walking, prompting the other to halt as well.
“Wait, what if the claim that a monster turned into a human is actually true?”
“Nonsense! What a horrifying thought! If that testimony were true, it would mean monsters are living among us, pretending to be human!”
“I suppose… that’s impossible.”
They laughed at the absurdity of the idea and walked away, completely unaware that someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
Lunox slowly straightened his posture, his blood-red eyes gleaming.
They resembled those of a nocturnal beast.
“A horrifying thought, huh?” He sneered, rubbing his lips.
Just then, a woman entered the room, trudging along with something in her hands.
Her expression was tense, her brow furrowed as if she had overheard something outside.
“The noble Duke sure has high standards for women.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rumors say he’s romantically involved with Countess Buell.”
“What’s so great about a divorced woman?” The woman scoffed, flopping onto the sofa and shaking her head.
Lunox’s eyebrow twitched. A name flashed through his mind, and he murmured it.
“…Countess Buell?”
“Yes, that’s right. The one who got rid of her ex-husband and became the new owner of the Lebron mine.”
In Lunox’s mind, scattered shards of glass pieced together an image of someone.
The sister of Verita, the daughter-in-law of Viscountess Dien, the new owner of the Lebron mine…
…and the lover of the Mipedian Duke, the one who commercialized Lebron.
Hah. Lunox’s lips curled into a cold sneer.
“Here, take this.”
The woman suddenly placed a ring in his hand. It was in a soft velvet case.
“Open it. Come on, hurry up. It’s all the rage these days.”
Huh? She was the type who wouldn’t stop nagging until she got what she wanted.
Irritated, Lunox opened the case, his face expressionless.
But just then, as the woman clung to his arm, the case tilted, and the ring slipped from his fingers.
Sizzle—!
The moment the ring brushed against his skin, it burned his flesh.
The woman gasped in horror as she saw his skin, now charred black like burnt coal.
“Your skin is burned! What the hell…? Why would a Lebron ring burn human flesh—”
She was about to yell but abruptly fell silent. Her trembling eyes flickered between the ring and her lover.
Twitch. Something was emerging from beneath the blackened skin.
Thick, rough cracks appeared, resembling dark tree bark.
Lunox’s shadow stretched ominously across the floor.
“Ah… Ah…!”
The woman realized too late what was happening. Overcome with fear, she turned to flee.
Slash!
In an instant, long, needle-sharp claws pierced her throat. Blood splattered over her shadow.
Her lifeless body collapsed to the floor.
Lunox stepped through the growing pool of blood, his boots making a soft, wet sound.
As his massive shadow passed over a patch of sunlight on the wall, it shifted back into a human form.
“Hah.”
Lunox exhaled a slow, lazy breath, staring at the ceiling. His senses were overwhelmed, as if he had reclaimed something long lost.
Regaining his composure, he glanced at the Lebron ring, now submerged in blood.
Perhaps he should have destroyed the Lebron mine after all.
With a cold, indifferent gaze, he clicked his tongue.
“What a foolish move, Countess Buell.”
She had unknowingly sealed her own fate.
Roughly wiping the blood from his cheek, Lunox immediately set off for the capital.
Behind him, the Lebron ring, soaked in dark red blood, gleamed ominously.
Then, after making inquiries, he arrived at the masquerade ball where Etricia was in attendance.
Among dozens of guests, only one woman radiated a sacred light.
And he instinctively knew—this was Etricia Buell.
Etricia. Etricia Buell.
The name felt strangely familiar.
Then he remembered—he had heard it when he infiltrated the temple disguised as a priest.
A ‘Child of Dawn’ candidate.
Something deep within him stirred violently.
A slow, sinister smile spread beneath his mask.
[I’ve found you, Child of Dawn.]
Hah! He let out a low laugh, bending at the waist. Even when he covered his mouth, his laughter wouldn’t stop.
“Hah.”
After releasing his exhilaration, he straightened up, exhaling in satisfaction.
Yet, the excitement remained etched on his face.
After years of searching, he had finally found her.
His red eyes gleamed with insatiable greed as he gazed at Etricia.
The woman who would bear his offspring.
I stood in a corner of the ballroom, watching the people dancing to the soft melody.
At that moment, a noblewoman wearing a mask decorated with light purple ostrich feathers quietly approached me.
She nodded toward the knights standing at the entrance of the hall.
“Have you ever seen such tight security at a ball before? Is someone from a high-ranking family here, like the beloved daughter of an overprotective father?”
Wearing a black mask with butterfly decorations, I gave an awkward smile.
‘That person is me.’
To be exact, it’s a man who worries too much about his lover.
After returning from the Marchioness Wickely’s gathering, Edmund must have decided that he couldn’t leave me alone and assigned Tail to stay with me. It was just a social event, though.
Besides, there were rumors that Baron Kartan’s business, who had openly spoken ill of me before, had gone bankrupt. It was because investors were demanding their money back after suffering losses.
The timing made me suspicious. Could it be Edmund…? But I quickly shook my head.
‘That must be a coincidence. He’s the merciful person who forgave the day I almost killed Lilien. There’s no way he’d do that.’
I let out a short laugh and looked toward the entrance.
In fact, the number of knights guarding me was more than those escorting Lady Arote, the host of the ball.
There were five at the entrance, three on the opposite side of the hall, and six deeper inside.
At first, everyone was whispering, wondering who was so rude to show up with more guards than the host herself.
So as soon as I arrived, I had to quietly hide among the crowd.
Fortunately, the noblewoman only spoke to me once, and when I didn’t respond much, she seemed unsatisfied and left to find someone else to talk to.
Taking that chance, I signaled to the knights standing near the entrance. Please step back. Tale, who stood behind them, appeared and firmly shook his head.
‘If my master finds out, I’ll get in trouble.’
‘I’ll handle it.’
‘I can’t allow it.’
Tale was stubborn.
‘No choice, then.’
I let out a shallow sigh and walked toward the terrace connected to the hall. I just needed a moment of peace, away from all the eyes.
Leaning on the railing and taking a deep breath, the fresh scent of plants filled my lungs and cleared the tightness in my chest.
Just as I was about to take off my mask—
Tap—!
Someone lightly jumped over from the opposite terrace connected to the hall.
The distance between the terraces was about five handspans, but this was the third floor. How many people would dare cross such a dangerous height when there was an easier way?
The man wore a silver mask with white feathers that completely covered his face.
I quickly scanned his appearance.
He had black hair neatly pulled back from his forehead and amethyst-colored eyes.
He looked ordinary at first glance, but he had a great body and was well-dressed.
The way his eyes were locked onto me was not normal.
‘No way… Lunox?’
A chill ran down my spine like claws scratching my back.
I took a step back, keeping my guard up.
He looked completely different from his portrait, but it was possible that he had changed his appearance to get close.
“Who are you?”
Thankfully, the man didn’t come any closer and stopped. He raised both hands as if to show he meant no harm.
I used that moment to reach behind me, feeling around my waist.
Ha… a sigh of regret escaped my lips.
‘Oh no, I gave my communicator to Tale before entering because it was in the way.’
I groaned softly and closed my eyes for a moment.
“You look like you need help.”
The man had a soft, clear voice that didn’t sound like it belonged to this world.
I was a bit surprised, but I knew a voice even sweeter than his, so I didn’t get too shaken.
“I’m fine. I’ll be going now.”
Just as I was trying to leave the terrace without letting down my guard—
