What caught my attention more than Perist was the doll she held. Its clothes, hair, and skin looked so lifelike that, except for its short limbs, it could easily pass for a human.
Maybe it's a bisque doll. Or one of those articulated ones. I think that's what they're called. Is that supposed to be cute? I wasn't trying to criticize someone's taste, but it looked like something forgotten in a gloomy, abandoned house.
The doll's outfit and accessories were finely made, clearly crafted from expensive materials, yet I felt no desire to take it home. In terms of craftsmanship and finish, the Iron-Blooded Lord and Leone puppets Alderson had created were far superior.
The doll in Perist's arms unsettled me. It looked like a crude imitation of a human being. Its eyes were open, but the black and white reversed, which made it even more disturbing.
I want to gouge out those eyes... Beyond the doll, Perist's personality was a bit much, and I hoped she would leave with Seren soon.
Without the slightest hesitation, Perist approached our table and sat across from me. She stared at me with eyes identical to Glenn's and gave a faint smile. "I heard the Badnikers are known for their rare black hair and bewitching purple eyes, but your hair is a little unusual."
"The blood from my mother's side is stronger," I replied.
"I see. I thought you dyed it, but that's not the case," she said.
Dyed it? I glanced at Perist. Her hair was pitch black. Those with imperial blood naturally had red hair.
Perhaps she caught my glance because she smiled and twirled a strand of hair. "Is it pretty?"
For a moment, the phrase unguardable move came to mind. It was one of Third Senior Brother's favorites, a term for a technique you couldn't defend against. That described my situation perfectly.
If I complimented her, it would imply the dyed black hair surpassed the red hair that symbolized the imperial family. If I didn't, it would likely come across as an insult to the imperial bloodline or something like that.
Thankfully, the merciful princess changed the subject. "What's good here?"
"The stewed chicken and grilled lamb chops are delicious," I answered.
"I see. A cup of tea, please," she requested.
Do they even serve tea in a place like this? I wondered.
The owner, perceptive as ever, nodded. "I'll be right back!"
Even if he didn't have tea leaves, he intended to grow, harvest, dry, and brew them on the spot.
Perist watched us with a casual expression. "Seren, is this some kind of secret meeting? Did I interrupt something?"
"No," Seren replied.
" Hmm. I've got afternoon classes anyway, so I won't stay long." She said it lightly, as if she hadn't just dropped in without warning.
Still, she actually drank a full cup of black tea and rose like someone who'd only stopped by to say hello. "The tea's nothing special. Anyway, I'll head out. By the way, have you found any members yet?"
"I'm sorry. I haven't made any progress," Seren admitted, shaking her head.
Perist turned to me. "What about your friend? Seems like he might work."
"If that's what you want, Princess Perist, I'll speak with him in private," Seren said, offering a slight nod.
"Good." With that, she turned and left the bar.
Seren pressed her fingers to her temple, looking drained. "Can you get me a beer?"
"Sure," I said, turning toward the counter. "Boss?"
"Here it is," the owner replied, setting down a beer as if he'd already anticipated the order. Seren downed the entire 500cc glass, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and sighed.
"Didn't peg you as a drinker," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Want something to eat?"
She glanced at the plate, her voice low and listless. "I want fried chicken."
"Have some. Aside from that, what did Princess Perist mean by finding members? " I asked.
"She was talking about the Ghost Story Club. Princess Perist is the head."
"What is a club?" I asked in confusion.
"Simply put, it is a group of students with similar hobbies."
"So it's a group that exists purely for fun."
Seren noded. "Princess Perist wants five members in total. I don't know the reason."
"I see." I picked up a piece of chicken and asked, "How many so far?"
"It is just Princess Perist and me," she replied. "If you join, that makes three."
"So we still need two more," I muttered.
"Right." Seren sounded a little anxious. "If we gather all five, we'll get invited to the clubroom. I think there's a clue hidden there."
"Are you in a hurry?"
"We don't really have time to spare. It's less than ten days until the full moon," she replied vaguely.
Why was it the full moon again? These kinds of conversations often hit a wall when key context went missing. It made cooperation difficult, especially in the long run.
I looked at Seren. Something about this moment felt like a turning point.
"I still don't fully understand what's going on. If you don't mind me asking..." I lowered my voice. "Is one of them a church member?"
Seren didn't answer right away, but her chin dipped ever so slightly. "I know it's hard to believe."
"No," I said. "I believe you. You looked into Laplace's New Book, didn't you?"
Seren sprang up from her seat, her eyes wary. "How do you know about the book?"
I gave a dry laugh and took a sip of my beer. I had been mulling over it for the past few days. Although I knew quite a bit about her situation, pretending to be completely clueless was starting to wear me down. Since we would keep meeting and working together, it wasn't in my nature to worry about making mistakes every time. I had decided to reveal my intentions, at least in part.
"Sit down first," I told her. "You're attracting way too much attention."
She glanced around. The bar's laid-back atmosphere meant most people weren't paying close attention to anyone else, but even so, jumping up like that mid-conversation had drawn a few eyes.
I looked at her as she settled back into her seat and said, "Just like you know things I don't, there are things I know that you're unaware of. Probably more than you expect. Listen. I don't think trust always needs full honesty. Sometimes, even between a parent and child, a few secrets have to stay hidden."
My words felt vague and unlike me, but I hoped she would pick up on what I meant. If she insisted on total transparency, I wouldn't have much to offer in return.
That'd be the end of the alliance, simple as that, I thought.
Still, the Seren Goodspring I knew wasn't the kind to cling to rigid ideals. She had enough flexibility to weigh the bigger picture. More than anything, it would be a shame for her to sever ties now.
After a brief silence, Seren gave a slow nod. "It is as you said. Thanks to Laplace's New Book, I know parts of the future."
So that settles it. We'll remain allies for now, I thought.
Apart from that, it was possible she would be more cautious around me from now on, but that no longer mattered. After all, I'd been wary of her too, once. However, I had witnessed Seren following through with her sense of justice right up until the brink of death. Watching that, I had come to a realization. What did this girl's secret matter? Therefore, there was no point in overthinking it. Whether she kept things from me or not, I trusted my own integrity.
"What did Laplace's New Book say?" I asked.
Seren spoke slowly, as if reciting from memory. "On the second full moon, the crimson Twilight River will reach the darkened sky. When despair and grief swirl and destroy the tree of knowledge, rivers of blood will stain the full moon with its true color."
I'd heard they were meant to be cryptic, but this one wasn't so obscure that it defied understanding.
"The second full moon must mean the one in February," Seren said.
"The only place in the capital called the tree of knowledge is Cartel Academy," I added.
"And if the darkened sky means night, then the disaster will happen at night?" she reasoned.
"That seems likely. Finally, it says rivers of blood will dye the full moon with its true color..."
"A blood moon," she concluded.
Only then did it click which demon king would appear at Cartel Academy. I blurted, "Hadenaihar."
Seren nodded gravely. "That's right."
The Demon King of the Blood Moon's faction was known as the Assassination Church. They were the church's most secretive force, specializing in assassination, infiltration, and covert operations. And I had history with them. It was the assassins of Hadenaihar who had tried to kill me in the Jewel Mountains. In other words, they were experts at hiding in plain sight.
Seren lowered her voice even further. "To be honest, I'm almost certain that Princess Perist is the traitor."
"Normally, when someone says something like that, Glenn will end up being the traitor," I countered.
"That's only in fiction. Reality isn't that complicated. If someone's acting suspicious, it's because they probably are. What's really strange is when people like that turn out to be innocent."
I agreed and couldn't help asking, "Do you have any proof?"
"Princess Perist is definitely suspicious. When she's not in class, she locks herself away in the research wing of the academy. And there are all kinds of strange rumors," she said.
"Research wing?" I echoed.
Seren nodded. "It's on the north side of the academy. Usually, only professors rent labs there, but on rare occasions, exceptionally gifted students can rent them."
"What kind of rumors?"
"People say they've heard screams coming from her lab. That she's been seen drenched in blood. That she carries around a leather sack, and no one knows what's inside. Things like that," she answered.
"They sound like baseless rumors..."
Seren finished my sentence. "But where there's smoke, there's fire."
"Yeah."
"Still, we can't jump to conclusions. I'll keep digging. You focus on the prince," she said.
I gave her a nod. "Got it."
***
"The research wing? I know that place!" Pam exclaimed when I ran into her at the restaurant. She launched into excited chatter. "I heard it's a creepy, gloomy place."
"Creepy?"
"Yes! There are all kinds of ghost stories about it. Like hearing knocking on the windows in the middle of the night. Or feeling like someone's watching you. And if you make eye contact with a woman in white standing in the window, you will lose your body..."
Her words reminded me of the strange rumors about Perist that Seren mentioned earlier.
Pam kept going with a dark smile, even though I hadn't asked for more. "The creepiest story is about Building 13. It's not supposed to exist."
"Building 13?"
"There are only twelve buildings in the research wing. But on Friday the 13th, a thirteenth one appears," she elaborated. "And if your curiosity gets the better of you and you go inside, you're already halfway into another world."
"And then what?"
"They say a game of tag begins. If you can't shake off the ghosts before morning, you're stuck there forever," she said.
I hummed in response.
"The other settings are surprisingly detailed, so it's kind of fun. Only the infirmary in the building is completely safe, or you can only fight ghosts with cleaning tools found in the supply room..." I let Pam's words wash over me without much focus.
Suddenly, she clapped her hands like she'd just remembered something. "Ah! Speaking of which, Evan went to the research wing yesterday."
"Evan?"
"Yes. He went on an errand for the swordsmanship professor—"
A scream tore through the air and cut her off.
Pam, who had been setting an eerie mood with her ghost stories, suddenly froze in shock. I did not react as strongly, but I was quite startled as I glanced instinctively toward the source. Standing at a nearby table was Evan, the very person we had just been talking about. His face was expressionless as he stared down a student who writhed on the ground.
Looking closer, I recognized him. It was the same student who had started an argument with me in Alec's class. Talis?
Blood dripped from his nose as he glared up at Evan, as if he'd just been struck. "Y-you...! How dare you do this to me?"
"Weren't you the one who insulted the Helvin family first?" Evan rebuked. "You also threw the first punch."
Instantly, all eyes turned to Talis. The bear-like fellow flushed with fury and roared, "When the hell did I do that?"
"There's a communication crystal recording everything in this restaurant. We can check it if you want. I have nothing to hide."
At that, Talis suddenly leapt to his feet and lunged at Evan. His speed was surprising, but his movements were clumsy and his attack simple—too emotional to be effective. Evan sidestepped effortlessly, then caught him, twisted his arm, and slammed his face against the table.
A plate shattered with a sharp crack, and someone nearby let out a strangled gasp. The previously rowdy restaurant turned deathly quiet.
Pam flinched. Even I started to feel that something was wrong with how this was unfolding.
"Senior, I know people like you well," Evan said softly as he looked at the blood pooling on the table. "You are the kind who clings to authority when you are in the wrong. Don't you realize? That smug authority won't save your life."
" Kuooooh! "
"You probably don't understand how to pick your battles. Let me teach you. If you act foolishly, you will pay the price." Evan tightened his grip on Talis' broken arm. At that moment, Talis's elbow bent at an unnatural angle no human joint should ever reach.
" Nrgh... nghhh...! "
Just as Talis struggled, pinned against the table, Charis rushed over and grabbed Evan's arm. "Evan! That's enough!"
Evan didn't respond.
"Hey! Can't you hear me? That hand—" Charis shuddered as he glanced at Evan's face. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it myself from where I was sitting. "You..."
" Hm. Maybe I did go a bit far." EMaybe I went a bit too far." Evan smiled faintly and released Talis's arm. With a clatter, Talis scrambled to his feet. The moment their eyes met, he bolted from the restaurant, letting out a strangled squeal.
"What's gotten into you lately?" Charis asked. "You're acting totally weird."
"There's nothing weird about it. I learned this at training camp. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"What?"
"If anything, I was holding back. If I had my sword, I would have cut off one of his limbs." Charis' expression hardened, and Evan smiled again. "Relax your face. I'm joking."
Charis was at a loss for words.
"Let's eat. I'm glad none of the lamb got blood on it." Evan sat down, wiped the mess from the table, and started eating.
"T-that really scared me," Pam said, placing her hand on her chest like a squirrel facing a predator. "Was Evan really like that? I don't think I've ever seen him angry. Ah. Of course, he was smiling, but... d-don't tell me he's been possessed by a ghost... No?"
I drank my water in silence, my eyes never leaving Evan.