Urban Legends and a Hidden Crisis

“Heart-Ripping Siren… a bewitching enchantress who roams the Lower City. It is said that on bright moonlit nights, she uses her beauty to lure passersby and drunkards, then rips out and devours their hearts in secluded places.”

“Shadow Butcher… identity unknown, characterized by a loose black raincoat and a blood-stained cleaver.”

“Sleepless One… a grotesque wanderer of the deep night.”

“Lake Monster of the Old Rhine River… a prevalent legend around the docks. It’s rumored to be capable of fighting twenty fierce men simultaneously.”

Celicia laid out the Lower City’s urban legends she had investigated overnight, placing the blurry photographs and vague information one by one on the table before Viscount Guen.

A hint of mockery played on her lips as she spoke. “These urban legends of the Lower City are quite something, aren’t they? I merely asked you to look into the Heart-Ripping Siren, and now all these peculiar things have surfaced.”

“Viscount Guen, it seems your Lower City comes alive at night, rather than during the day.”

“Is… is that so?”

Viscount Guen wiped sweat from his brow, his body trembling uncontrollably. “These are all just rumors. Most of them stem from vague whispers and prove nothing, haha… nothing at all.”

“Is that right? Are the continuous reports of missing persons in the Lower City also just rumors?”

Celicia slapped another document onto the table. It detailed the surging numbers of kidnappings, human trafficking, and even s*ave trading reported in the Lower City over the past month.

“This…”

Viscount Guen’s face instantly paled as he stared at the document, managing only a strained, awkward smile. “There’s no concrete evidence yet…”

“People have gone missing. Of course there’s no evidence.”

“There are so many people in the Lower City…”

“Viscount Guen, you’re not trying to say that with so many people in the Lower City, a few disappearances don’t matter, are you?” Celicia’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

“No, no, no… of course not. I merely meant to say that with so many people, investigations are difficult, very difficult. And it’s only been two days. Even if Your Highness is urgent, nothing can be uncovered in just two days.”

Viscount Guen’s voice was laced with a hint of a sob. The terrifying pressure emanating from the young woman made him want to kneel immediately.

Unfortunately, the carriage was too confined; any sudden movement might be seen as disrespectful.

“Even if it’s difficult, an investigation must still be conducted, mustn’t it?”

Celicia lowered her eyes, no longer bothering with the terrified man before her, and began to peruse other documents.

She hadn’t come to accuse him, nor did she care to. The chaotic situation in the Lower City involved too many factions for a mere Viscount to resolve.

Indeed, his very position was likely a convenient scapegoat, pushed upon him by those ‘benevolent and compassionate’ higher-ups.

Otherwise, how could a mere Viscount possibly hold such an important post as the Lower City’s Administrator?

“One after another, they’re utterly useless.” Celicia sighed softly, instinctively rubbing her temples.

The untimely death of a Count’s son. The bizarre and inscrutable urban legends. The frequent missing persons cases.

The Lower City now felt as though an unimaginable darkness was slowly brewing, making even her, the Empire’s Third Princess with access to vast resources, feel quite troubled.

Most importantly, she sensed an unsettling calm from the truly powerful figures in the Empire regarding this matter.

No matter how much they disdained the Lower City, it was still Belland. Should anything erupt here, it could spread like wildfire, gradually climbing higher, leaving no one untouched.

At that point, it would truly be beyond salvation.

‘Or perhaps… something far more critical demands their attention, forcing them to neglect even what lies at their feet?’

Celicia suddenly recalled the recent invasion of the academy by an evil god. If these two events were connected… no, if they were, in fact, one and the same…

Then the horror of it might far exceed her expectations.

“How truly interesting. The death of a Count’s son has unearthed so much trouble.”

Celicia’s slender fingers unconsciously tapped the window ledge. Feeling the mental fatigue from overthinking, she couldn’t help but yearn for the heavily sugared coffee from the Student Council office.

At least it would replenish her sugar levels, and it tasted delicious. However, there was no time for such thoughts now.

Even if Belland truly faced a crisis, someone higher up would ultimately bear the burden. Since her Imperial Father had said nothing, it meant he didn’t require assistance from his daughter, who was still attending the academy.

Her immediate priority was to find the murderer of Tyke Rhode. Otherwise, the Count’s inevitable uproar would be a nuisance for both the academy and herself.

“Let’s conclude our discussion tonight, Viscount Guen.” Feeling that no more useful information could be gathered, Celicia rose, preparing to depart.

“Ah, Your Highness is leaving? Shall I escort you?”

“There’s no need.”

Celicia’s gaze silently rebuffed Viscount Guen, who had started to move. She lifted the carriage curtain herself and stepped out.

Knowing it was improper etiquette, but too terrified and weak-kneed to move, Viscount Guen could only poke half of his disheveled face out of the carriage window, forcing out an unsightly smile: “Travel safely, Your Highness. Please be careful on your way.”

Celicia ignored him.

She walked directly into the shadows.

The thin mist of the night stirred, and a man in a black trench coat appeared before Celicia, his arrival unnoticed.

His face was pale from long absence of sunlight. On the chest of his trench coat, a peculiar emblem shimmered with a cold light under the moon.

The emblem depicted a dagger-sharp finger gently placed before black lips, symbolizing absolute silence.

‘A Silent One.’

Celicia recognized the man’s identity at a glance, unsurprised by his presence.

“The analysis results are in.”

The man showed no excessive deference to Celicia, stating expressionlessly, “They were indeed Naga scales.”

“So, the one who murdered Tyke Rhode was indeed a wicked cultist worshipping the moon?”

“Without a doubt.”

The man continued, “The rumored Heart-Ripping Siren is very likely a Naga. Nagas have an instinctive craving for the hearts of the opposite s*x.”

“Can she be apprehended?”

“It’s difficult. In fact, we’ve been planning an operation to capture the Heart-Ripping Siren for six months, but she’s extremely cautious and has evaded us several times. Moreover, she suddenly ceased her activities two months ago, which further increased the difficulty of our operation.”

“Two months?”

Celicia’s eyes darkened slightly.

Perhaps she was overly sensitive, but this timeframe… it coincided precisely with the academy’s opening.

“So, in the end, there’s still no progress?”

“No, in fact, we received this…”

The man suddenly produced a sealed metal box. The box appeared very heavy and was inscribed with magical runes; Celicia recognized it as an extremely powerful sealing magic.

Seeing the man’s solemn demeanor, Celicia’s expression also grew serious.

After a complex authentication process, the box finally opened, revealing its contents… a letter.

Celicia’s smile froze. “What is this?”

“As Your Highness can see, it is a letter.”

The man donned mithril-woven gloves and picked up the envelope. “Five hours ago, it was delivered by a postman to a mailbox at one of our branch offices.”

“…Is there a problem?”

“Problem one: that branch has never sent or received any mail. Problem two: there are still no clues about the sender; the postman has no memory whatsoever of delivering mail to that branch. Problem three: Your Highness will understand once you read it.”

The man handed over the letter. Celicia paused, then, after coating her hand with a thin layer of frost, accepted the envelope.

She opened it.

Nothing happened.

Celicia quickly scanned its contents. Her delicate brows instinctively arched.

“This is a report letter? And the subject of the report is…”

“Precisely, this is why I came to Your Highness,” the man said. “As a fellow student of Saint Maria, I believe Your Highness might be able to deduce something. At the very least, we need to ascertain if this report letter is authentic.”

“Authentic or not, wouldn’t we know by finding the person?”

Celicia pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand and crooked a finger.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly came from the sky. A white dove flew from somewhere, landing on her arm.

“Help me find someone,” Celicia said coolly.

“Who?” the white dove spoke in human tongue.

“Anna Campbell.”

****

“Have we cast our bait?”

Two figures, one tall and one short, stood on a desolate, silent street, gazing up at the brilliant full moon in the night sky.

The moon, having just passed its full phase, remained perfectly round and luminous, though a slight dark shadow at its edge marred its perfection.

Yet, both figures remained entranced by the moon’s cold, serene beauty, unable to tear themselves away.

It was the shorter figure who finally broke the silence with a question.

The taller figure said nothing, appearing to be chewing something, a constant crunching sound echoing in the stillness.

“Ah, I see, it’s done then?”

The shorter figure seemed to have received an answer. She raised her hands as if to embrace the moon.

Her body, exquisitely sculpted by the tight leather attire, swayed with a captivating allure, like a serpent.

“Then… let us begin.”

The shorter figure twisted, her tone solemn and fervent, as if performing a strange dance or passionately reciting a poem.

“Ah, Moon, shine upon me.”

“I shall tear apart all falsehoods in this world and bring humanity the great truth.”

“I shall behold your descent and bring supreme gospel to this world.”

“With coldness and stillness, I shall forge your new divine body. The blood and hatred shall become the radiant jewels in your crown.”

“I shall ultimately live eternally in your divine kingdom!”

The ritual concluded, and the shorter figure bowed her head once more.

Her face was alluring, every gesture captivating hearts and souls.

“Let’s go.”

She said, “Let us welcome the return of the divine progeny.”

The taller figure smiled silently, his large hand, encased in the black raincoat, seized a struggling, twisted shadow. He tore off a piece, shoved it into his mouth, and continued to chew with a crunching sound.

“Delicious,” he replied with a grin.