Morning light coated the ancient stone streets of the City of Glory in a soft golden glow.
The crisp morning air still held the chill of night dew, mingled with the warm aroma of toasted bread and frying bacon drifting from local households.
At the corner of a modest commercial street, a fruit stall set beneath a crude canvas canopy had just opened for business.
The dark-skinned vendor deftly arranged freshly picked apples, pears, and berries into neat categories, humming a tuneless little melody to himself.
Just then, a figure quietly stopped before his stall.
The vendor reflexively looked up, fixing a professional smile on his face to greet them. "What can I get for—"
The rest of his words died in his throat.
His eyes instantly widened and his mouth parted slightly, as though he were beholding something that had no right to exist in this noisy, mundane market.
Standing before his stall was a barefoot girl.
Her slender, pale ankles and delicate feet stepped directly onto the morning's cold flagstones, yet remained utterly unsoiled by dust.
Tracing upward, she wore a simple long black dress with a hem reaching her ankles, above which cascaded waist-length hair so dark it seemed to absorb the light itself.
And then there was her face.
The vendor's meager vocabulary completely failed him in that moment.
He felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart, stealing his breath away.
It was a shock that transcended mere beauty—something bordering on the otherworldly and demonic.
Her features were as exquisitely sculpted as a master artist's lifelong masterpiece, every line harmonizing to create a breathtaking perfection.
Most striking of all were her violet eyes, which now gazed with subtle languor at him—or rather, at the vibrant fruit displayed on his stall.
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
The bustling streets, the cries of neighboring vendors, even the cool morning breeze seemed to fade far away from the little stall.
The girl tilted her head slightly, black locks cascading over her shoulders with the motion.
"Hello there~ Um... could I have an apple, please?"
The vendor snapped back to reality, his face instantly flushing bright red as he stammered in flustered panic, "O-Of course! N-No problem! J-Just a moment!"
As if given a holy decree, he threw himself at the pile of bright red apples without care for restraint, rummaging through them rapidly with both hands.
Finally, he produced a large apple of the most perfectly uniform color, carefully wiped it with his cleanest cloth, and presented it to the girl with both hands, trembling slightly in deferential respect.
"H-Here you go! This is the best one! I-I guarantee it's sweet!"
"Thank you~"
Taking the apple, the girl's violet eyes curved into crescents as she gave him a faint, spellbinding smile.
Then she tilted her head down, parted her rosy lips, and took a delicate bite of the lush red apple.
"Crunch."
The sharp sound was subtle yet distinct.
Pearly white teeth sank into juicy red flesh, and a drop of clear juice glistened along the line of her perfect lips in the morning light.
She chewed slowly, her violet eyes narrowing slightly as though savoring the flavor.
A moment later, she looked up to meet the gaze of the entranced vendor once more. Her smile deepened—innocent and pure, yet carrying an almost hypnotic enchantment:
"Mmm~ It really is delicious~"
Her tone was one of simple satisfaction and praise.
The vendor was completely petrified, staring unblinkingly at the girl's juice-stained lips and her innocently seductive expression.
His mind was a complete blank. Doing business, taking money—all of it had been cast to the winds.
He only felt that getting this girl to eat one of his apples was the proudest moment of his day—no, of his entire life!
The black-haired girl seemed blissfully unaware that buying things required money. She simply took another small bite of the apple, turned around, and walked away, her black skirt swaying gently around her ankles.
Before long, her figure merged into the growing morning crowd and vanished.
Only the fruit vendor remained, still holding his hands outward in a daze as he stared off toward where she had gone, eyes dreamy and a foolish grin plastered across his face, as if his soul had wandered off with her.
"Hey! Old John! What are you daydreaming about?!"
After an unknown length of time, a gruff voice thundered in his ear alongside the heavy thud of a hand slapping his shoulder.
The fruit vendor flinched hard, snapping back to his senses.
He turned to see his neighbor, the grocery store owner—a bearded middle-aged man who was looking at him with a puzzled scowl:
"What time do you think it is? The sun is practically burning a hole in your pants! The street is filling up with people and you're standing here like a wooden post. Are you doing business or what? Don't you want to sell your apples?"
Old John blinked, still lost in the dreamlike memory of moments ago.
He shook his head vigorously to clear his mind, yet an excited flush involuntarily spread across his face.
Grabbing the grocery store owner's arm, his voice trembled with excitement:
"O-Old Pete! Y-You didn't see her! What a waste! If only you'd come a moment earlier!"
"See what? A ghost?"
Baffled by his reaction, Old Pete snatched his arm back.
"Way rarer than a ghost!"
Old John gestured wildly, trying to explain:
"Just now! Right here! A... a girl of indescribable beauty visited my stall! My god, I've never seen anyone so gorgeous in my entire life! No, I couldn't even imagine it! Really! Even the most famous courtesans on Lantern Street couldn't match a single toe... no, a single strand of her hair!"
As an ordinary merchant who had worked this street for over a decade, Old John naturally had no chance of encountering genuine noble ladies.
In his limited worldview, the striking courtesans of Lantern Street who knew how to entice men represented the pinnacle of beauty he could conceive.
Yet just moments ago, that standard had been ruthlessly shattered.
Old Pete froze at first, but his eyes soon lit up with keen interest.
Men were always uniquely sensitive to such topics.
"Really?! That exaggerated? Hurry, tell me! What did she look like? How tall was she? What was she wearing?"
"She..."
Old John opened his mouth, but the excited expression on his face suddenly froze.
He frowned, struggling to recall, trying to picture the girl's features in his mind...
Yet there was only a haze.
The harder he tried to remember, the faster that supposedly vivid impression dissipated like mist in the sun.
From the contours of her face to the details of her figure, even the style of her hair—all of it turned hazy, as though viewed through frosted glass.
"I... I..."
Old John's face flushed deep red as he scratched his head frantically:
"I-I can't remember! I could see her crystal clear just a second ago! B-But now... it's like a layer of fog was draped over it... I can't remember what she actually looked like at all! B-But she really was insanely gorgeous! I swear!"
The anticipation and interest on Old Pete's face swiftly soured into disdain and annoyance.
He sneered and shoved away Old John's hand:
"Tch! If you're going to make up a story, make it plausible, will you? 'So beautiful I can't remember'? Who do you take me for, a three-year-old? If you don't want to tell me, fine, but who are you trying to fool with that garbage? Waste of my time!"
"No! I'm not lying! I'm telling the truth!"
Old John stomped his feet in panic, wildly gesturing to heaven and earth to prove his point:
"She even bought an apple! Took a bite and said it was delicious! That's all true!"
"Oh? Then did you get paid for the apple?" Old Pete asked coldly, crossing his arms.
"Uh..." Old John choked up, his face turning even redder. "...F-Forgot."
"Ha."
Old Pete let out an unabashed sneer and turned away, shaking his head as he walked:
"Sounds like you haven't sobered up from last night. Fine, fine, hurry up and get back to business. Stop daydreaming. A legendary beauty visiting your trashy fruit stall? Keep dreaming!"
"Hey! Old Pete! Don't go! Listen to me! I'm really not lying!"
Old John yelled after him in frustration, but the other man didn't even turn his head, clearly not believing a single word.
The dispute between two ordinary merchants was like a tiny pebble tossed into a lake, creating a slight ripple before quickly dissolving into the burgeoning din of the morning in the City of Glory, unnoticed by anyone else.
...
Meanwhile, deep inside a quiet alley cluttered with rubbish not far from the fruit stall...
The black-haired, barefoot girl, Melina, casually leaned against a wall.
The bright red, enticing apple in her hand had been reduced to a bare core.
Carelessly tossing the core aside, Melina raised her hands and stretched lazily, the black dress pulling tight around her body to outline her voluptuous, alluring curves.
She tilted her head up slightly, her violet eyes gazing at the narrow strip of sky framed between the buildings at the mouth of the alley.
"So..."
she spoke softly, her voice echoing with crystal clarity in the quiet alley, delivered in a nonchalant tone:
"What is... the situation over at the graveyard now?"
Almost the instant her words fell, a figure cloaked entirely in dark gray linen appeared like a phantom three paces behind her.
The newcomer bowed their head low in a respectful posture, their muffled voice coming from beneath the hood:
"Reporting to Your Highness the Divine Maiden. Our operatives have repeatedly confirmed that in the old graveyard outside the City of Glory, all undead creatures were completely eradicated before dusk."
Melina listened in silence, her expression showing no surprise. She simply nodded slightly, a gleam of almost playful regret flitting across her violet eyes:
"Is that so... They were a bit faster than expected. In that case, Huang Quan... died there as well, didn't she? What a pity. Though she was a bit rigid, she was still quite handy to use."
Her casual tone sounded as though she were discussing a piece of porcelain accidentally shattered.
Yet the gray-robed figure behind her shivered imperceptibly. After a moment of silence, they replied in a voice laced with obvious fear and uncertainty:
"N-No... Regarding that, Your Highness, your subordinate... cannot confirm for the time being."
"Hmm?"
Melina finally turned her head slightly, her violet eyes slanting toward the gray-robed figure behind her. For the first time, a look of genuine surprise appeared on her perfect face.
Her voice remained soft, but carried a subtle edge of inquiry:
"Pray tell... what does that mean? Whether she is currently dead or alive, there ought to be a clear result. 'Cannot confirm'... is not an answer I enjoy."
The gray-robed figure lowered their head even further, almost pressing their chin to their chest, their voice trembling with suppressed tension:
"Y-Yes, Your Highness! We deployed all our informants and repeatedly verified all intel from yesterday noon through evening. The final conclusion we reached is..."
He took a deep breath, as if delivering news he found difficult to believe himself:
"Until the entire incident reached its complete conclusion, there was no record whatsoever of Huang Quan appearing. No one witnessed, encountered, or engaged her in battle. It is as if... she never stepped foot into that graveyard."
Melina narrowed her eyes slightly.
The gray-robed figure hurried on:
"The only piece of valuable information is that a student named Greg Sass single-handedly defeated the Undead Knight inside the dungeon catacombs. However, according to the descriptions of other students who entered the catacombs later, they saw no trace of any enemy besides the Undead Knight when they arrived. Furthermore, I believe that even if a mere student got lucky and defeated the Undead Knight, he could never defeat Huang Quan!"
Finally, the gray-robed figure added with hesitation:
"So I suspect... Could Huang Quan have... caught wind of our plan and fled in advance?"
Silence descended upon the alley for a brief moment.
Only the faint clamor of the main street drifted in from afar.
Melina stood quietly in place, her bare feet touching the cold, damp flagstones, her long black hair floating gently without any wind.
Her hauntingly beautiful face remained calm and unruffled, yet deep within her violet eyes, complex shifts of light and shadow flickered rapidly.
"Given Huang Quan's personality and capabilities, there is no chance she could have perceived my intentions in advance and fled on her own. Nor is she clever enough to stage a perfect fake death to escape."
"Therefore, the only explanation is... an unexpected variable appeared in this plan that even I failed to anticipate."
With that thought, her focus refocused on a point in the empty air before her, and the corners of her rosy lips slowly curled upward into an eerily chilling smile.
After a brief silence, she turned around completely to face the gray-robed figure, who was standing tense and holding his breath.
The surprise on her face had vanished, replaced by a deeper, gentler smile.
Her violet eyes sparkled like flawless gems as she quietly watched him.
In a voice that sounded almost magical, she asked unhurriedly:
"Could you tell me in detail..."
"about this person named Greg Sass..."
"...and who he really is?"
Rate on N.U.
