After a month of waiting, the ruler of the district was immensely pleased to hear that he had successfully captured one of Night’s apostles.
Of course, it wasn’t the cult leader—the one whose name, face, and even gender remained unknown—but capturing one of their closest aides was still a significant achievement.
It would take a little more time, but this meant that one of the long-standing nuisances that had troubled him for so long could finally be eliminated.
The man was a fair ruler. Until an official successor to the district was decided, he had given all the Shinings a chance. Yet, the only one who had delivered satisfying results was him.
Joshua had tried, but effort alone wasn’t enough. The Shining who would take over the district had to be superior to the rest. But Joshua had always been inadequate.
At this point, he wondered if he should be grateful to the elders for giving him one more chance when he was on the verge of being “disposed of.” Of course, it hadn’t been a good decision for them.
“Master of the district, may I come in?”
“Enter.”
At his permission, the aide carefully pushed open the door. Just as the aide was about to bow deeply in greeting, the man stopped him and got straight to the point.
“What brings you here?”
“Young master Vincent has just returned.”
“He said it would take a few more days, but he’s back already. So, is he on his way here now?”
“Well… it seems it will take a bit longer.”
Upon returning to the mansion, he should have reported to the ruler of the district first. But according to the aide, he had broken protocol and gone straight to his bedroom.
“Well, the investigation took longer than expected, so I suppose it’s understandable.”
Normally, he would have cited the rules and summoned him immediately. However, considering that Vincent had managed to capture an apostle of Night, someone no one else had been able to find, he decided to let it slide this time.
A mission originally planned for a week had been delayed to nearly a month. It was only natural that Vincent would want to see the omega he had hidden away in his bedroom.
“And—”
“There’s more?”
“The elders… just visited young master Vincent’s bedroom. And there, they discovered the omega he had been hiding—”
Barely any time had passed since receiving good news, and now, troublesome reports followed one after another.
Letting out a deep sigh, the man pressed his fingers against his throbbing temple.
“This is certainly… unwelcome news.”
In District 1, omegas were meant to be rejected—cast out to the outskirts the moment they were discovered. However, there was one exception: the son of Han Jae-hoon, whom Vincent had brought from District 5.
The mere thought of breathing the same air as an omega was infuriating, but this one was different. He was both a leash to keep Vincent in check and a valuable hostage to lure Han Jae-hoon out.
That was why, whether for himself or for Vincent, he had ordered the omega to be hidden away where no one would see him. At least until he summoned Han Jae-hoon—at least until Vincent officially became the next ruler of the district.
‘This is a complete mess.’
Now that the elders knew, it was only a matter of time before the entire district was flooded with rumors that Vincent Shining, the strongest candidate for the next district ruler, had deceived everyone and hidden an omega within the mansion.
The people of the district, who despised omegas, would never accept someone who had betrayed them. Of course, the choice of the next ruler was solely his decision, but unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse.
“Aide.”
“Yes, Master.”
The moment the aide responded, the man’s icy expression suddenly twisted into a smile. For a brief second, the aide thought he had calmed down—but then the man hurled the inkwell in his hand with all his strength.
Crash! The glass shattered against the wall, sending black ink splattering in every direction. The aide wiped the ink from his cheek, forcing himself to remain composed.
This wasn’t the first time the man had done something like this, and after spending enough time by his side, the aide had grown somewhat accustomed to it. The best course of action now was to remain silent and breathe as quietly as possible.
“Where are the elders now?”
“They’ve left the mansion. Also… one of the elders at the outskirts was shot by young master Vincent.”
“Is he dead?”
“Yes. He was killed instantly.”
The man’s fingers, which had been idly brushing over his desk, now curled around an ornate paperweight. The aide instinctively felt the urge to move, fearing it would be thrown next. But until he was given permission, he couldn’t budge an inch.
The man rolled the paperweight—a perfectly crafted sphere—in his palm before aiming it toward the same ink-stained wall. Yet, even after several moments, he never threw it.
Letting out a long sigh, he tossed the paperweight onto the desk instead. Raking his fingers through his disheveled hair, he slumped back into his chair.
“Bring me Vincent.”
“Yes, understood.”
As the aide exited to carry out the order, the man picked up the paperweight once more. Inside the transparent sphere was a meticulously engraved depiction of Earth’s moon, crafted by a master artisan. Around it swirled an intricate galaxy.
He stared at it for a long moment before finally losing control of his temper. With a sharp motion, he hurled it across the room.
Thud. It struck the floor, but instead of shattering, it only cracked slightly.
Dragging both hands down his face, the man muttered a string of curses under his breath—too quiet for anyone else to hear.
***
For several days, Vincent Shining did not leave his bedroom. Naturally, Seo-yul had no reason to step out either, which meant that Yeo-min had nothing to do.
Lingering near the tightly shut door, Yeo-min remained on alert, waiting for a summons that could come at any moment. But as expected, the door showed no sign of opening today either.
‘This should be enough.’
After gauging the situation, Yeo-min discreetly slipped away, avoiding the guards’ eyes as he made his way toward a secluded spot. Moving only through deserted paths, he eventually arrived at the entrance to the mansion’s underground—the only place where true darkness existed.
A few days ago, the apostle of Night and the cultists that Vincent Shining had captured were brought to the mansion. They had been immediately transferred to the underground prison, where they remained trapped in complete and utter darkness.
Under normal circumstances, interrogation would have begun right away. However, due to Vincent Shining’s personal circumstances, no intense questioning had taken place yet. Which meant that now was the perfect opportunity to meet the prisoners while they were still unharmed.
Descending the tightly wound spiral staircase, Yeo-min eventually reached the entrance to the prison, where a guard blocked his path, eyes wary of the unexpected visitor.
“Show me your authorization.”
Yeo-min pulled out the permit he had kept inside his coat. It bore the official seal of the district ruler and had been given to him directly by Vincent Shining. Of course, Vincent had never intended for it to be used like this.
“You may enter.”
After thoroughly examining the permit, the guard finally stepped aside and opened the door. Tucking the permit carefully back into his chest pocket, Yeo-min nodded politely before stepping inside.
Though there were scattered light fixtures along the walls, they were far too dim to banish the overwhelming darkness. Grabbing a flashlight from the entrance, he flicked it on and proceeded deeper inside.
‘He should be somewhere in here.’
Normally, the underground prison would have been empty, but now it was filled with the cultists of Night—those Vincent Shining had captured. At the movement of the flashlight’s beam, hands shot out from between the bars, reaching desperately for the untouchable light.
At the very end of the long, dark corridor, Yeo-min finally found him—a lone man, separated from the others.
Stopping in front of the cell, Yeo-min aimed the flashlight at the man’s back.
‘Found him.’
The man remained completely still, unresponsive to the sudden light. Perhaps he was asleep.
Setting the flashlight down on the floor, Yeo-min tapped lightly on the iron bars. At the small sound, the man’s shoulders flinched.
“Who’s there…”
Only then did he turn around. The moment he spotted Yeo-min beyond the bars, his eyes widened in shock.
Scrambling to his feet, the man rushed forward.
Yeo-min greeted him with a bright smile. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, we’re all unharmed.”
Yeo-min let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thankfully, as planned, the Night cultists—including this man—had surrendered without resistance, ensuring they arrived without a single injury.
They had lost one of their carefully hidden bases, but in exchange, they had gained something far greater. The impenetrable fortress had opened its gates for them and welcomed them inside.
Now, they would bring down the moon that had stolen Night from them.
“Anyway, welcome to District 1.”
Yeo-min extended his hand through the bars.
The man hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply—almost as if in worship—before pressing his cheek gently against Yeo-min’s palm.
“As you commanded, I have arrived, Yeo-min-nim.”
