The Accusation

“Senior!”

Amidst a terrified cry, Ewan abruptly awoke.

The moon, the cultists, the Knights, and the Silent Watch—all had vanished. Only the pale blue curtains swayed gently with the breeze, and the familiar silver-haired girl sat by his bed, deftly peeling an apple with movements as precise as a sword master’s.

This was clearly a hospital room, and the girl beside him was Celicia.

“Want some?”

Celicia presented the perfectly peeled apple to Ewan. This time, she didn’t divide it into small pieces; she offered him the entire fruit.

Yet, Ewan did not take it. He simply stared intently into Celicia’s eyes and asked, “Where is Senior?”

“In prison.”

“Which one?”

“The Silent Watch Third Division’s dungeon.”

“I need to see her!”

“Impossible.”

Seeing Ewan refuse the apple, Celicia skillfully sliced a small piece with her fruit knife and popped it into her own mouth.

A burst of sweet juice filled her senses, and the abundant sugar softened her expression almost imperceptibly.

“That’s impossible. No one can see a cultist during their detainment, not even me.”

“Senior isn’t a cultist!”

“I know she isn’t, but she’s about to become one.”

“Why?”

“You don’t know? Or are you simply deceiving yourself?”

Celicia glanced at Ewan, then lowered her gaze, meticulously continuing to cut the apple.

“You must have seen it then, didn’t you?”

“Seen what?”

“The scales.”

“…Scales don’t mean anything. Some people with special bloodlines carry dragon blood within them. I’ve even heard there are mermaids in the southern seas, and they all have scales.”

“But those were snake scales.”

“What’s wrong with snake scales?!”

“Snake scales are certainly different.”

Celicia spoke with a hint of pity. “Snakes are the moon’s familiars.”

This single, light remark seemed to drain all strength from Ewan. He suddenly leaned back against his pillow, staring at the pale ceiling, feeling his blood slowly being siphoned away.

His entire heart gradually grew cold.

“So… was it truly the Serpent’s Blight?”

“Absolutely.”

“Is there any chance of a misdiagnosis?”

“You’d have to ask the Silent Watch, but I imagine, given their expertise, that possibility is exceedingly slim.”

“Damn it.”

Ewan cursed, though he wasn’t sure at whom he was directing his anger.

“Why did it have to be the Serpent’s Blight?”

Any other illness Senior might have contracted wouldn’t have terrified Ewan. His status as a Duke’s son allowed him to mobilize the world’s most advanced medical resources.

Under the power of formidable healing magic and sophisticated alchemical instruments, nearly a hundred percent of diseases in this world could be cured.

Only the Serpent’s Blight remained an exception.

For the origin of this disease lay with an evil god.

It was a unique form of corruption from the Silent Moon, seeking out special adaptors among the myriad living beings, then sowing seeds of calamity.

The seeds would gradually take root and sprout, until they completely consumed the host.

Its external manifestation was serpenization.

Snake scales, snake eyes—those afflicted with the Serpent’s Blight would gradually develop serpentine features. Eventually, they would transform completely into a new race, or rather, a new individual: a Serpentfolk.

And just as Celicia had stated, snakes were the moon’s familiars.

Serpentfolk were born worshippers of the moon, acting as its agents to sow disaster among humanity.

This was why, in Celicia’s words, Senior would soon become a cultist.

Serpenization was irreversible, and the disease itself was incurable.

At least, within the original storyline Ewan was familiar with, there had been no documented cases of the Serpent’s Blight being cured.

“What will happen to Senior?”

“According to the Silent Watch’s protocols, if she has never harmed anyone, she will likely be sent to an isolated island prison in the southern seas, her powers sealed, to live out the rest of her life in confinement.”

“That’s too pitiful.”

“At least she’ll still be alive, won’t she? But for Anna Campbell, that won’t be easy.”

“What do you mean?”

“That brings us to an accusation she is about to face.”

Celicia elegantly finished the entire apple. She wiped the fruit knife clean with a handkerchief, then casually tossed a stack of documents to Ewan.

Ewan opened the files and quickly scanned them. His previously cold heart was instantly engulfed in fury.

The documents detailed a single matter: as a Serpent’s Blight patient, or rather, a future Serpentfolk, Anna Campbell had been identified as the prime suspect in the murder of Tyke Rhode!

Not only that, but she was also accused of being the suspect in several heart-gouging cases from six months prior—the very entity behind the urban legend known as the Heart-Gouging Siren.

“This is impossible!”

Ewan slammed the documents down in anger. “Murder? Heart-gouging? Senior would never do such a thing!”

“I know this is hard to believe, but the truth of the matter cannot be determined by subjective conjecture alone.”

“Then what evidence do you have to prove Senior is the murderer?”

“A major characteristic of the Serpent’s Blight in its later stages is that the mind and thoughts transform towards those of a Serpentfolk. The hearts of the opposite s*x hold an almost instinctive attraction for them.”

“Hearts…”

Ewan thought of his prophetic dream again, but he quickly pushed such irrelevant thoughts from his mind, continuing to question, “That still doesn’t prove it’s Senior! She’s not the only Serpentfolk!”

“Naturally, I too hope to see her innocent, but currently, numerous signs point to her.”

“Signs?”

“Before, I hadn’t focused my attention on the academy. It wasn’t until I heard the rumors of the Heart-Gouging Siren that I noticed certain details.”

Celicia spoke softly, “For instance, Tyke Rhode was the Count’s son. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t inexplicably go to the lower district. So, after our investigation, we found that Tyke Rhode went to the lower district because he was invited by someone. Only he, now deceased, knew who that person was. However, the invitation was for the day before Open Day.”

“What does that prove?”

“It proves that the murderer was very likely the person who invited him. And before Open Day, he couldn’t have had contact with anyone outside the academy. Therefore, the murderer is highly likely to be someone from the academy.”

“But…”

Ewan’s face paled slightly. “This still doesn’t prove anything…”

“Leaving aside the possibility of two Serpentfolk simultaneously infiltrating the academy—a probability as low as being struck by a gold bar while walking down the street—as the student council president, I also don’t want Anna to be the culprit. So, last night, I submitted an application to the Silent Watch, asking them to investigate on my behalf. This is their response to me this morning.”

Celicia handed Ewan another document. It was only then that Ewan noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes, and the bloodshot veins that even her fine, silvery-white eyelashes couldn’t conceal.

“Thank you,” Ewan said softly.

“You are in no position to thank me,” Celicia responded coldly.

Ewan gave a bitter smile and opened the file.

Then, the color that had finally returned to his face vanished once more.

“This… this is?”

“Indeed, Anna Campbell herself refused to disclose her whereabouts on the first day of Open Day,” Celicia sighed softly.

She had intended to prove Anna Campbell’s innocence, but this unexpected outcome would undoubtedly push her further into the abyss.

“But… this still doesn’t prove anything. What if she had some private matter?”

“I don’t believe any private matter could be more important than facing murder charges, let alone severe accusations like heart-gouging. Moreover, don’t you think refusing to respond under such life-or-death circumstances clearly indicates a guilty conscience?”

“But there’s no evidence, no evidence…”

Ewan murmured, his face pale. Without evidence, there could be no conviction. Senior still…

“Ewan.”

Celicia stared into Ewan’s eyes, her tone suddenly grave. “Presumption of innocence only applies to ordinary people.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Serpentfolk are generally categorized as cultists, abhorred and feared by the vast majority. Therefore, most imperial laws do not apply to them.”

Celicia lowered her gaze, a rare note of helplessness in her voice.

“Count Rhode received the news and has been waiting outside the Silent Watch Third Division all day. He demands that the cultist who murdered his son be burned immediately.”

“Count Rhode? How dare he? How dare he?!”

Ewan’s expression turned savage, consumed by rage. He clenched his fist and struck the edge of the bed. ‘You, a mere Count, how dare you…’

But then, he slumped, lowering his hand. The anger was like cold water poured over a flame, extinguished instantly.

From the documents, Count Rhode was merely a grieving father who had lost his son. What right did he have to blame him?

Just like his own anger at this moment, the Count’s actions were only natural.

“However, there’s one thing you can rest assured about. As an independent imperial agency dedicated to dealing with evil gods, the Silent Watch possesses almost unlimited authority in such matters; even I cannot interfere. So, they won’t be swayed by Count Rhode. They will surely do their best to uncover the truth, and as for the two cultists you encountered, the Silent Watch is already pursuing them. I believe there will be results soon,” Celicia reassured him.

“Thank you.”

“As I said, you are in no position to thank me for this.”

Celicia rose gracefully. She wasn’t wearing her student council uniform, but an uncharacteristically simple white dress.

The indifferent light from outside filtered through the curtains, illuminating her white dress like a hazy mist, spreading softly.

“Rest well. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Alright, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Ewan lay blankly on the bed. Although by his reckoning he had slept for a full twenty hours, he still felt utterly exhausted.

Perhaps this weariness stemmed not from his body, but from his spirit.

He did not get up to see her off, merely watching that wisp of mist gently drift out of the room.

“Your Highness!”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, making Celicia’s skirt sway as if the mist had been scattered, revealing her cool, serene face.

A knight clad in silver plate armor abruptly pushed open the room door and strode into the ward.

He was drenched in sweat, his expression anxious, having even abandoned knightly etiquette by entering without knocking. He handed a document to Celicia.

“It’s an urgent dispatch from the Silent Watch.”

“Urgent dispatch? Has there been a breakthrough in the case?”

Celicia frowned slightly as she took the document.

But as her eyes quickly scanned the page, her usually composed face revealed a rare expression of shock and bewilderment.

“Has something happened?”

Seeing Celicia’s unusual loss of composure, Ewan asked in confusion.

Celicia waved off the knight, then turned back, her gaze fixed intently on Ewan. For a long moment, she seemed to be weighing her words.

It wasn’t until Ewan also began to feel uneasy, his apprehension growing, that she finally took a deep breath and said softly, “The Silent Watch Third Division was attacked by cultists. The dungeon was breached, and Anna Campbell… was taken.”