The smoke was scattered by the heavy rain.

The air was thick with the stench of charred flesh and blood.

Disgusting monster remains lay everywhere, the district nearly flattened, not a trace of other living things to be seen.

But the beast tamer was still alive. The black robe draped over him had already turned to ash in the violent explosion. Only half his body remained, struggling with difficulty in the ankle-deep rainwater.

“You fanatical believers of Evil Faith always surprise me with your vitality.”

Muen tilted his head as he looked at him, drawing out Elizabeth and running its edge across his body.

“What exactly does it take to make you die instantly? Cut off your head? Pierce your heart?”

“Kh-khh...”

The beast tamer coughed up several mouthfuls of black, foul blood, staring fixedly at Muen. In his eyes was not only hatred and malice but also, shockingly, a trace of pleasure.

“My... purpose... has already been achieved. Without those externals... in the end... you’re nothing more... than an ordinary man...”

“I see.” Muen nodded in realization.

“So you were just cannon fodder, meant to burn through my tools? So even the Banshee fears those things.”

“Kh-khh... Go on... Lord Priestess is waiting for you... You will... become her... food...”

The beast tamer’s eyes suddenly widened. His body twisted, and he let out a fanatical shriek.

“Kekeke... Food... all of you will be food... The Moon is eternal... The Moon will live fo—”

“The Moon is about to die.”

Expressionless, Muen thrust the pure-white short blade into the beast tamer’s heart. Watching the life swiftly collapse in his eyes, he murmured softly:

“You’re no exception...”

...

Muen followed the chill that spread completely opposite to the burning heat in his own body.

But as he turned past the corner ahead, he suddenly realized the scenery before him was somewhat familiar.

The cold aura no longer pointed to a road that could be passed through, but instead toward an inconspicuous family restaurant by the roadside.

Casting a glance at the familiar restaurant signboard, Muen calmly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

A warmth completely opposite to the chill rushed over him.

Inside the narrow yet cozy family restaurant, gentle candlelight flickered. A girl with thick braided pigtails and slightly oversized black-rimmed glasses sat at the table, propping her chin, softly humming a pleasant tune.

On the dining table, an exquisite meal had already been laid out. The girl’s face was flushed, delicate as a peach blossom, as if she were waiting for her lover’s return.

Ding-ling.

The front door opened, the bell chiming.

The girl lifted her head. Seeing the boy enter, her eyes sparkled with genuine joy.

“Muen, you... you really came.”

Muen looked at Shali’s expression of unfeigned joy but said nothing.

“Why... why aren’t you speaking, are you shy?”

Saying that, it was she herself whose face flushed first.

Like a first date with her beloved, she bashfully waved her hand.

“Come... come sit over here, Muen.”

Muen still said nothing, only obediently sitting down in the chair prepared just for him. Bowing his head, he quietly examined the lavish spread on the table.

The colors were vivid, the aroma enticing. Even Muen, long accustomed to the finest cuisine, couldn’t help but feel his appetite stir, a thought flashing through his mind to seize the utensils and dig in heartily.

“How is it, do you like it?”

Shali stared at Muen without blinking, asking with eager expectation.

“I made it just for you. Do you like it?”

The candlelight flickered, glowing on her flushed cheeks. Soft music drifted from the corner, deepening the ambiguous atmosphere.

Muen quietly gazed at the girl.

Her expression, her gestures, every detail—there was not a trace of flaw.

Sitting before him was just like a pure, adorable girl.

Wait?

No.

Why just like?

Wasn’t Shali in fact a pure, adorable girl?

In a daze, it seemed as though some invisible force was spreading. Muen felt as if he truly was having a candlelit dinner with a lovely girl, and all the blood, the monsters, and the fanatics from before had merely been a dream brought on by fatigue.

Now that he was awake, why bother with the unpleasantness of a dream?

Reality was beautiful and waiting. Shouldn’t he quickly taste the meal his sweet girlfriend had prepared for him, and enjoy this carefree, worry-free time?

Muen shook his head. The haze grew, and everything from the dream drifted away.

Yes. Shali was his girlfriend. Right now he should be focusing on enjoying this wonderful dinner with her. Why waste thought on those messy things?

After dinner, surely something even more beautiful would be waiting for him.

Unnoticed, his gaze slid downward to Shali’s smooth thighs beneath her skirt. Thinking of what might follow after this beauty, his throat bobbed, though strangely he felt no heat.

It was as if... something was missing.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing that Muen still hadn’t touched the food, Shali clutched the hem of her skirt, biting her lip, her expression pitiful.

“Is it... that what I made isn’t to Muen’s taste?”

“No, not at all.”

Muen lifted his head, staring at Shali, his eyes filled with genuine infatuation.

“It’s just that the food you made looks so beautiful, I don’t know where to start.”

“Oh my, Muen, you really know how to talk.”

Shali covered her burning cheeks, bashful beyond compare.

Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at him.

“All right, no more troublesome words. Hurry and eat.”

Her gaze swept across her rosy lips, teasing.

“After you finish, there’s still a follow-up program.”

“Follow-up?”

Muen’s eyes lit up. “Then I’d better eat faster.”

Only, just as he picked up the knife and fork, his movement halted. Annoyed, he patted his head.

“Ah, look at ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) me, I was so caught up watching you I forgot something important.”

“Important?” Shali blinked in confusion. “What is it?”

“Of course, greeting. Coming to someone’s home as a guest, how could I not properly greet them?”

Muen set down the utensils, narrowing his eyes, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, ambiguous smile.

“So, Shali—how is your father?”

The music cut off.

The romantic atmosphere shattered in an instant.

The blush on Shali’s face froze stiff.

“F-Father? He...” She stammered like a broken puppet, unable to form words.

But before she could say more, she saw Muen still wearing that eerie smile as he went on:

“Since I’ve greeted your father, then with you, Shali, we should also have a proper heart-to-heart, shouldn’t we?”

As his words fell—

It was as if the video suddenly froze.

One moment, Muen still held knife and fork, about to enjoy the feast.

The next moment, what he held was not utensils but... the pure-white short blade.

Its hilt gripped in Muen’s palm—its tip already embedded precisely in the girl’s heart.