Chapter 12: Eyeballs
In the adjacent room, the layout was identical to the one where Eve was held, except there was no bed. A young girl was curled up in the corner, hugging her knees, with several bloody scratches on her face.
Su Xiao crouched in front of the girl. This was Eve’s younger sister, Yule. From her mental state, it was clear she hadn’t been treated well, even subjected to preliminary interrogation.
In truth, when he first saw Eve, Su Xiao had roughly judged that she was unlikely to be plotting the assassination of Monarch Harold. Her body was too frail—she couldn’t even hold a knife steady, yet she was supposed to be an assassin? Clearly, she was under the influence of some unknown force.
However, one thing was puzzling: where did that razor-sharp dagger come from? It wasn’t from the Parliament Hall, and the only person who had recently come into contact with Eve was her sister.
Su Xiao crouched in front of Yule, scrutinizing her from head to toe. His first impression was one of strangeness—not because of the girl’s aura, but because of how she seemed odd when compared to Eve.
Both were prisoners. While Eve gave off a gentle and calm impression, she carried a faint, foul, fishy odor. Su Xiao had smelled that same scent last night on the Wraith—it was the smell of some kind of energy.
As for Yule, she had no such smell. Yet, in recent times, only she had been in contact with Eve, making her one of the most likely sources of the dagger.
As a human, Eve had the scent of a Wraith on her, which suggested her earlier actions might have been controlled. As for Yule, aside from her contact with Eve, she had no other suspicious traits.
Just as Su Xiao was about to speak, a light knock came at the door. When it opened, it was Isevi Bonnie.
Bonnie gestured for Su Xiao to come closer. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear.
“Are you sure?”
“I swear on my life. If I’m wrong, you can hang me.”
“Mm.”
“Mm? Did you just say ‘mm’? Hey, hey, we’re partners here—have some regard for my life, okay? You harsh Legion Commander.”
Bonnie giggled, then tilted her head to look into the room at Yule. Her gaze was like she was looking at an idiot.
Bang. The iron door slammed shut, nearly hitting Bonnie, who laughed even more cheerfully. Her smile was like that of a little winged demon.
Su Xiao walked slowly to stand before Yule, pulling a pocket watch from his chest.
“Found it. Too bad it only held out for a few minutes. This is the last chance. It wanted to see you one last time. I never expected that thing to be so infatuated with you.”
“What?”
Yule looked up at Su Xiao.
“Do you want to see it? You’re still a relative of His Majesty Harold, after all. It will definitely die, but you won’t. Thank your sister for that.”
As he spoke, Su Xiao rubbed his fingers together, releasing barely visible powder into the air.
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Yule stared blankly at Su Xiao. For some reason, her forehead began to ache, and her mind grew hazy.
“Forget it. Lord Harold’s words should be more trustworthy to you, but he doesn’t seem to agree with your last meeting—after all, that dagger was thrust into his chest.”
“…”
Yule remained utterly confused. Just then, Harold pushed the door open and entered. He came to Yule’s side, saw the wounds on her face, and frowned.
“How do you do your work?”
Harold turned to look at Su Xiao, who said nothing.
“I told you, don’t hurt her.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Shut up.”
Harold ‘growled’ softly, and Su Xiao fell silent.
“Yule, you’ve suffered. I once said that no matter what mistakes you and your sister make, I will forgive you—even if you… fall in love with a Wraith. Because I believe in your goodness.”
“Really…?”
Yule looked up at Harold, her eyes full of tears.
“Oh? So you really do have something to do with a certain Wraith?”
The smile on Harold’s face gradually faded. His eyes were predatory, ready to devour.
“That should be it.”
Both Su Xiao and Harold stared at Yule. At this moment, Harold bore no resemblance to the man who had just scolded Su Xiao for incompetence.
“?!”
Yule’s mouth fell open slightly. She suddenly snapped out of her dazed state, and her first thought was: What just happened to me? How did I blurt out my true feelings?
Even if Yule lacked experience, she understood the situation now. She had been tricked. The scolding, the talk of believing in the sisters—it was all a lie.
“Capture that Wraith as soon as possible. It’s the key.”
“Yule’s capture should have already alarmed it. It’s unlikely, but worth a try.”
“Yule was secretly arrested, and it was just this morning. Her residence hasn’t even been searched yet. There might still be hope. Do your best.”
Harold left these words and strode toward the door. As he passed the red-haired man, he muttered, “Dispose of everything.”
The red-haired man was startled, then nodded. Harold seemed to think of something and stopped.
“Let Eve go with dignity.”
With that, Harold’s figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
“Harold, you’ll die a miserable death!”
Yule’s scream echoed far and wide. The next moment—
Pfft!
A hooked blade severed Yule’s head. Her headless body collapsed, blood splattering against the grime-stained wall.
Within less than a minute, the red-haired man, his blade dripping blood, walked out of the last room. He wiped the blood from his face and nodded to Su Xiao.
After the red-haired man had walked far away, Bonnie, leaning against the corner, finally dared to take a deep breath. Her legs trembled uncontrollably. She was clever, but today she had witnessed the ruthlessness of the empire’s rulers. That man who had ordered the massacre of his own wife’s family with a single sentence—was he really the same monarch who had played chess with her in the afternoon and lost twelve games in a row?
“Don’t just stand there. Let’s go.”
Su Xiao stepped toward the stairs. He had experienced similar situations countless times. This was a small scene at best; he had even seen siblings abandon their humanity for the sake of royal power.
“Oh? Oh.”
Bonnie steadied herself and followed behind Su Xiao. Her little heart was still pounding, as if it might leap out of her chest.
It was Bonnie, no one else, who had pointed out that Yule was suspicious. She had only made a suggestion to Su Xiao, never expecting it to escalate to this point.
…
Half an hour later, Yule’s former residence—a multi-story apartment building. It was hard to imagine that the sister of a monarch’s wife would live among commoners, and even rent a place.
A limping man in a hat entered the apartment and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. He pressed his ear to a wooden door. After a moment, he shook his head in disappointment, then kicked the door open. Bang~
“This is… ugh~”
The limping Awakener gagged. It was hard to believe that someone like him would be nauseated by the scene inside.
A few minutes later, Bubu Wang, looking grim, arrived at the door and stepped over the broken wooden planks.
“Ugh~”
Hearing Bubu Wang’s retching, Bonnie stopped and instinctively stepped back, but Su Xiao pushed her into the room.
“Ugh!”
Bonnie was straightforward—she bent over and vomited. Within seconds, she was heaving so hard she nearly brought up her gall bladder.
Su Xiao stopped at the doorway, frowning. The walls of the room were densely covered with eyeballs! Eyeballs of all kinds of creatures were embedded into the walls.
“Let me… out first, please.”
Bonnie grabbed Su Xiao’s clothes, her face pleading.
“No problem.”
“Phew, I didn’t expect you to be so reasonable this time. Quick, let me out to get some air.”
“You’ll get used to it in a while.”
“Waaah (crying out loud).”
Su Xiao surveyed the room. Compared to the horrifying sight on the walls, the floor was much better. On the stone floor, a red array was drawn. Judging by the color, it wasn’t blood but some kind of red dye.
A faint, rotting energy surged within the array. Su Xiao pressed one hand to the ground.
Boom!
A loud crash came from downstairs. Su Xiao rushed to the window in a few steps. Below, a three-meter-tall Wraith was locked in battle with several Awakeners. It seemed evenly matched, and after a few exchanges, it scattered the Awakeners and fled toward the eastern part of the city.
Su Xiao punched through the window and leaped straight down from the fourth floor. The moment he landed, he vanished from sight.