Chapter 2215 – 2215. Dark Moon
More than ten minutes had passed since Kasing had trapped Yuria in the crack of time. In the world of the time rift, nearly twenty years had passed.
Normally, one’s mind would have collapsed and gone insane. But to Kasing’s eyes, Yuria’s mind was perfectly fine.
‘Is she really okay? Was her mind twisted from the start? …Perhaps she’s not even human.’
Kasing had given up on life.
His ability had a restriction: once used, he couldn’t stop until the opponent’s mind collapsed. Naturally, this was separate from the cost of the ability. He had no youth left.
“Becky. Run.”
“…What?”
“The operation failed. I’m going to die of old age. Go and tell him. Yuria Grace is more than a genius… she’s a monster. Embracing a monster like that is insane.”
Kasing’s voice grew rough. His hair was already white, and wrinkles covered not only his face but his entire body. The cost of aging would soon take his life.
“Okay. I’ll tell him what you said.”
Kiiiiiiiiing.
A sharp sound echoed from the center of the forest. Becky shut her mouth. An unknown sense of foreboding washed over her.
“No way…. She broke out of that space with her own power?”
Kasing stared at the center of the forest with shocked eyes.
There was a shadow.
Even though it was a dark night, a pitch-black shadow billowed like a flame. It was like a dark moon floating in the sky.
The shadow then transformed like a flower bud and slowly bloomed. Inside was a woman in a maid’s uniform. It was Yuria Grace.
The bloomed shadow spread like ink in all directions. The vast forest was covered in shadows.
Yuria stomped the ground with her right foot, shod in a shoe.
Chwarararararararak!
From within the shadows, thousands upon thousands of shadow chains shot up, piercing the forest’s wraiths.
Kkyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!
The ghosts’ death cries filled the forest.
“Becky. Run away!”
Kasing shouted. Becky tried to turn around, but… her ankle was caught by a shadow chain, and she couldn’t move.
Yuria appeared before him.
She emerged from the shadows, a natural spatial shift as smooth as flowing water. Kasing was certain. Yuria Grace was a superhuman of at least level 7. Perhaps she had been hiding her power from the start.
Yuria quickly scanned Kasing and Becky.
“We’ve met before. Was Prince William behind this? I’d like to ask more, but… you’re about to die.”
“…Do you really have no intention of serving His Highness? If he knew your abilities… you could become one of the highest authorities in Neo London.”
“I have no interest.”
Yuria swung her dagger. The pitch-black shadow became a sharp blade, beheading Kasing, who was on the verge of dying of old age.
Kasing’s head fell down the cliff. Shadow chains that shot up from below pierced the head.
Crack.
A sound like something breaking echoed in the air.
‘His fall down the cliff was unnatural, so I confirmed the kill… he was trying to move his companion with spatial movement.’
Yuria’s gaze turned to Becky, who was left alone. Becky gritted her teeth, grabbed her pistol, and aimed it at Yuria’s head.
“Don’t move! This isn’t just any bullet. It’s a cursed bullet made by a high-ranking black mage who sacrificed his own finger. It can’t kill you, but it can make you sick for months.”
“If that’s the case, you should have shot me instead of talking.”
Bang.
Becky pulled the trigger. The bullet that shot out was twice as fast as a normal one.
Yuria’s shadow reacted even faster. A small shadow, not from under her feet but from between her clothes, moved forward and swallowed the bullet whole.
Bang bang bang!
Even after pulling the trigger until the magazine was empty, the result didn’t change. Becky dropped the empty pistol to the ground and stared at Yuria in despair. She had no next move. From the start, she wasn’t a combat specialist.
Yuria approached with her dagger in hand.
“You were the maid who followed Prince William back then. I have many questions. I hope you know a lot.”
Yuria’s dagger mercilessly cut her open. Her torture, which surpassed the level of an expert, only brought pain to Becky. Becky didn’t even last three minutes before spilling information. Yuria listened to all the information and sighed.
“The information you’ve given is not connected. Each piece seems plausible on its own, but when you put the information together and look for connections, you realize there’s nothing of substance.”
“I, I only told the truth!”
“Yes. I know. That’s why I’m a little impressed. I never thought you’d use a method of controlling information by brainwashing yourself. Whose idea was it? Yours or William’s? Either way, that thoroughness is admirable.”
Yuria knew she couldn’t break Becky’s brainwashing. Brainwashing itself was the power of a demon. It couldn’t be undone by ordinary means. Yuria’s dagger pierced Becky’s forehead.
Yuria turned around. Rita, Princess Elsa’s head of security, was looking at Yuria with wary eyes. She had a sealed moonstone at her waist.
“You were hiding your power?”
“No. I was lucky enough to awaken my ability this time. It’s an ability to manipulate shadows.”
“You awakened your ability and immediately became level 7? You expect me to believe that?”
“You don’t have to believe it, but it’s the truth. Today is the day of the dark moon, after all.”
There’s a saying.
Anything can happen on the day of the dark moon.
“…Right. Today was the day of the dark moon. I’ve been watching you the whole time. Your combat skills are something, but your torture skills are something else. Even I wouldn’t last long under that kind of torture.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“……You didn’t come to the Duke’s mansion with the intention of harming the Princess, did you?”
“My goal is to obtain a Prime Maid certification. I have no interest in the Princess.”
“You’re too firm. The Princess will be disappointed.”
“……”
“The Prime title isn’t something you can get just with power.”
“I know.”
“Hah, fine. I’ll report this to the Princess. And these corpses…”
Fwoosh.
Kasing and Becky’s corpses turned into black ash and disappeared.
“The end of a demon contractor. They say their souls become food for demons or toys for demons. At this rate, we can’t use them as evidence.”
They couldn’t pressure Prince William with this incident. No matter how much they claimed without evidence, Prince William would scoff and deny it.
Yuria returned to the hunting grounds with Rita.
• • •
The next day.
Yuria was supposed to work, but she received a day off from Princess Elsa. After resting, Yuria returned to the Maid Academy with Lydia Metcalfe.
Lydia Metcalfe’s face was gaunt.
“Was work very hard?”
Yuria asked out of courtesy. Then, as if she had been waiting for it, Lydia poured out her complaints.
“It was hard. I don’t usually say things like this, but… the work in the secretary’s office was truly grueling. The work I did in the security office on the first day was nothing. I just had to check the CCTV and patrol. The management office was okay too. I learned how to manage servants at home before entering the academy.”
“Was the work in the secretary’s office that hard?”
“Yes. On the first day, I had to look at documents all day… On the second day, I went to check on a business, and an accident happened…”
Lydia sighed deeply.
“How was your field practice, Yuria?”
“It was hard for me too. But I think it was a good experience because I also gained something.”
“That’s right. We gained something. We can’t give up on our goals just because it’s a little hard.”
Yuria, who returned to the academy, received a perfect score on this practice.
• • •
I stared wide-eyed at the cherry tree in the center of the mansion’s garden.
Overnight, the cherry tree had suddenly grown more than 1.5 times its size. The cherry tree, as if rejoicing in its growth, bloomed cherry blossoms, showing off its beauty.
‘Is it the influence of the dark moon? It seems to be in a good mood.’
The cherry tree, a spirit beast with a will, had a personality that could not be called good, even as a euphemism. If it didn’t like something, it would shake its branches or scatter cherry blossoms to ruin the garden, which was just the tip of the iceberg. The real trouble was that, despite being a cherry tree, it would emit electricity and cause nearby electronic devices to malfunction.
Thinking about the 300 million credits that were spent on compensation for damages to the surrounding mansions, I still get annoyed.
Anyway, I approached the cherry tree today for communion. I placed my hand on the tree trunk.
-You’re here? I want a cola, so bring it.
“……”
The cherry tree had grown rapidly. Even though it had conveyed its will to me, it had never conveyed it so clearly. The dark moon mostly had negative effects… Could it be that the cherry tree, being a creature of the spirit beast realm, was different? It seemed to have benefited.
“The tree knows the taste of cola?”
-You know I’m not an ordinary tree. Give me an electric massage too.
“You’re living the high life. There’s no reason for me to listen to you.”
-The high life? I’m demanding my rightful due.
“What’s so rightful about it?”
-I’m protecting this mansion.
“Well, that’s just your claim. You haven’t done anything significant yet.”
-There’s a spy among the maids and butlers. I know because I watch the mansion every day. Aren’t you curious who it is?
“You know everything that happens in the mansion?”
-This is my territory, so I know most of it?
I was already planning to pay attention to security because of the superconductor.
“Okay. I’ll give you what you want. Who’s the traitor?”
-Bring the cola first. A case of it.
I brought the cola and poured it on the tree.
-This thrill! It’s the best!
“So, who’s the traitor?”
There were three traitors in total. They weren’t spies from the start, but they had accepted an offer from a company to find classified information about the superconductor and report my every move to the company.
The traitors were torn apart by magic and became fertilizer for the cherry tree.
