Time passed swiftly, and as the days flew by, the weather in Tivian grew increasingly cold. As people layered more and more clothing onto themselves, the year finally approached its end once again.
In the northern suburbs of Tivian, a gloomy sky hung low over Royal Crown University. Fine snowflakes drifted gently down from above. Within the campus—already beginning to display New Year decorations—students bundled in thick academic robes bustled to and fro, anxiously preparing for their final exams.
It was the height of finals week, and the university library was completely packed. One could see students occupying every visible seat in the vast hall, all of them diligently reviewing their coursework.
In one quiet corner at the edge of the library, Nephthys, wearing a brown overcoat, sat behind a desk, silently flipping through a thick tome spread open before her. Across from her, her roommate Emma had also propped open a book vertically on the table, the upright volume hiding her face. She appeared to be reading it intently.
After concentrating on her own book for quite a while, Nephthys let out a long breath. Feeling a little fatigued, she leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. Upon opening them again, she closed the book in front of her, then glanced toward her roommate across the table. After taking a look at the title of the upright book, she spoke softly.
"Emma, how much longer until you finish the second volume of A Brief History of the Conquest Sea?"
"Mm... there’s still a bit left. But if you want to read it, go ahead. I don’t mind."
From behind the vertical book, Emma replied quietly.
Hearing that, Nephthys couldn’t help but show a hint of confusion on her face.
"Aren’t you reading it right now? If I take it, what are you going to read?"
"I’m not actually reading it. Just take it, it’s fine."
Emma said this nonchalantly. Nephthys paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something. She reached forward and took the upright volume of A Brief History of the Conquest Sea (Vol. 2) from in front of Emma. With the book no longer blocking her face, Emma’s expression finally came into view.
Nephthys saw that Emma was in fact engrossed in an entirely different book on the table. The second volume of Conquest Sea had just been a decoy. The book before her was open, displaying an illustration of two characters locked in combat—clearly not a serious academic text. Emma was reading it with great interest.
“Emma! You’re rereading Bloodborne Lore again? At a time like this? Aren’t you supposed to be reviewing?!”
Upon seeing the book in front of her, Nephthys gave an expression that said I knew it and confronted her directly. Hearing her roommate’s scolding, Emma lifted her eyes lazily and responded.
"Come on… I’ve been studying for so long I was falling asleep. I was just about to doze off, so I pulled this out to refresh myself a bit."
"To refresh yourself? Are you treating novels like coffee?"
"Coffee? No no no… this story is thrilling and chilling. It works way better than coffee," Emma replied cheerfully.
Nephthys frowned slightly.
"But haven’t you already read Bloodborne Lore several times? You’re that familiar with it and it still wakes you up?"
"Huh? Bloodborne Lore? I never said I was reading Bloodborne Lore…"
Emma paused, then picked up the book in front of her and flipped the cover around for Nephthys to see.
On the cover was an illustration of a figure wearing a tall top hat, wrapped entirely in a cloak, their face bandaged, with fierce light gleaming in their eyes. Above the illustration was a grim, stylized title in gothic script—definitely not Bloodborne Lore.
"This is Fog Night Terror—Miss Eit’s newest work~"
Emma said with a hint of pride as she showed off the book to Nephthys, who blinked in surprise.
"Miss Eit’s new work? Since when? I didn’t see any serialization in the newspapers?"
Looking puzzled, Nephthys asked, and Emma grinned back.
"Of course it’s not serialized in the paper anymore~ Miss Eit’s popularity has grown so much that she doesn’t need to serialize everything now. This one went straight to print in full volume. That said, even if it wasn’t serialized, there was a huge ad for it earlier in the paper—took up half a page and everything! You didn’t see it?"
Holding up her novel, Emma teased Nephthys. The latter just shook her head and replied.
"I’ve been too busy with finals. I haven’t looked at anything beyond the serialized fiction pages. I didn’t even know a new book came out."
"You didn’t notice at all? As a fan of Miss Eit, you’ve been slacking!"
Emma said, pretending to be scolding.
"This new novel is amazing. I’m already halfway through it, and I think it’s just as good as Bloodborne Lore!"
Hearing that, Nephthys perked up slightly and asked.
“Oh? So what’s it about?”
"It’s a story about a terrifying serial killer roaming around Tivian!"
Emma said excitedly.
"Just like how Bloodborne Lore was inspired by that terrifying howl from the cathedral district, Fog Night Terror also draws from local Tivian legends. Miss Eit based a new killer—'Jack'—on the Night Demon. He’s a mysterious, terrifying hunter who stalks Tivian’s foggy nights looking for victims, then kills them in brutal fashion… Reading it really wakes you up! I was so sleepy earlier, but now I’m totally awake!”
Emma was speaking with great enthusiasm, and Nephthys’s eyes lit up as she replied.
"Is it really that good? Let me take a look!"
"Nope! I haven’t finished the second half yet—give it a few more days."
As Nephthys leaned forward, reaching toward her, Emma quickly snapped the book shut and clutched it protectively in front of her, her posture completely defensive. Nephthys protested.
"A few days… But in a few days, we’ll be on break!"
"Then come grab it from my house. It’s only about an hour’s carriage ride away anyway."
Emma replied casually, hugging her book and waving a hand. Nephthys pouted slightly, sighed, and slumped back into her chair.
"Hah… fine, forget it. I’ll go buy a copy myself later. It’s not like there’s a shortage of bookstores near campus."
"Buy? I’m afraid that’s not happening, dear Miss Boyle. All the copies of Fog Night Terror at those campus bookstores were sold out long ago. When I went to buy it, the line was out the door. If you go now, there’s no chance you’ll find any."
Emma wagged her finger, speaking seriously. Nephthys was caught off guard.
"Sold out? No way… Come on, it’s finals week—who’s wasting time on novels instead of studying?"
"And that, dear Nephthys, is exactly the charm of our brilliant horror novelist, Miss Eit~! Not everyone reads the books right away. A lot of people just buy them to enjoy after the exams. I just happen to be one of the impatient ones.
"Also, not all the buyers are students. Plenty of scalpers from the city came over to snatch up stock. The city bookstores are even worse. If you try to buy one now, the only copies left will be overpriced from scalpers. So I suggest you wait until I’m done and borrow mine, or hope the printers rush out a new batch."
Emma continued to wag her finger smugly as she spoke.
…
Time passed quickly. After finishing their study session, Nephthys and Emma packed their things and left the library, where the warmth of the fireplace gave way to the winter chill. As the two prepared to head back to the dorms, Nephthys suddenly made a suggestion.
"Huh? You want to go check if there are any copies left? Come on, there’s no way! They were all sold out days ago!"
Emma called out at the library entrance, stomping her feet in the cold. Nephthys responded breezily.
"I’ll try my luck. Maybe one was left behind in some corner and no one noticed. Anyway, you head back first—I’ll catch up later."
Waving goodbye, Nephthys headed off toward the edge of campus.
Walking through the snowfall, she moved briskly without even appearing cold. Before long, she stepped out through the university gate, crossed a wide road, and arrived in Green Shade Town—a small commercial town built to serve Royal Crown’s faculty and students.
She knew her way well. Nephthys visited several bookstores and asked about the popular new release. Just as Emma had said, Fog Night Terror had long since sold out. The only option was to wait for the next print run from the press.
Though her attempt had failed, Nephthys wasn’t ready to give up. Standing on the street, she glanced around before turning her gaze toward the residential area deeper in the town. After thinking for a moment, she set off in that direction.
Soon, she arrived at a house in Green Shade Town. Checking the number "17" on the doorplate, she knocked decisively. Before long, a familiar voice called from within.
"The door’s unlocked. Come on in."
Without hesitation, Nephthys opened the door, changed into indoor shoes, and stepped into the cozy interior. What she saw in the spacious living room surprised her.
Four or five individuals, all dressed differently, were crowded into the room. They sat before coffee tables and hastily arranged desks, each with a mechanical typewriter before them. Their expressions were blank, but their fingers moved rapidly across the keys, producing line after line of text on the pages. The room echoed with rhythmic typing, and documents and books were strewn everywhere—it felt more like a bustling office than a home.
As Nephthys curiously surveyed the scene, footsteps descended from the stairs at the far end. Dorothy, in a wool sweater and padded long skirt, wearing slippers, her long silver hair draped loosely over her shoulders, came down the ladder in full home attire.
"Well, well—Senior Nephthys. What a rare guest. What brings you here today?"
Dorothy arched a brow as she greeted her. Nephthys quickly replied.
"Um… Miss Dorothy, did you recently release a new book? I’ve been busy with exams and didn’t notice. By the time I realized it, the book was already sold out. Do you… maybe have a spare copy?"
"My new book? Hmm… I should have some left… But haven’t you been studying for finals?"
Hearing this, Dorothy tilted her head thoughtfully. Nephthys responded at once.
"I’ve pretty much finished studying. No worries there. But not having your new book in hand is making me anxious—it’s actually affecting my focus for the upcoming exams. So, if you have one… could you maybe let me have it?"
"Let me see…"
At her words, Dorothy immediately controlled two of the typing corpse marionettes, sending them around the room to search. Soon enough, they returned with a small stack of books, which they handed to Nephthys.
"Here you go… These are all I’ve got."
"Wait… this many?!"
Nephthys frowned, holding an armful of books. She placed them on a cabinet and began to inspect them carefully. In her mind, Dorothy had only released one new book recently.
She picked up one dark-covered volume and examined it. The cover displayed a pale face covered in stitches. But the title wasn’t Fog Night Terror—instead, it read “Frankenstein.”
"This… This is your new book too? But the author’s name is Mary Shelley, not your pen name, Miss Eit. Did you grab the wrong one?"
Surprised, Nephthys asked. Dorothy calmly replied.
"Nope, that’s correct. That’s one of the novels I’m preparing to release soon. I just used a different pen name. After all, to the average reader, it’s hard to believe one author could publish several books in under six months. So I decided to use multiple names and release the books under different authors. This time, I’m planning for a multi-country simultaneous release."
"Multiple new books under different pen names… Wait, does that mean all of these are your works, Miss Dorothy?"
Startled, Nephthys began examining the rest. After Frankenstein, she picked up another book with an exquisite cover illustration: a refined nobleman swirling a glass of red wine while seated in a high-backed chair, a sinister smile on his lips.
She looked to the title: Dracula, the name spelled in elegant font. The author? Bram Stoker.
Staring at the growing pile of “new books,” Nephthys swallowed hard, then continued to inspect what other so-called “new releases” Dorothy had prepared.