The night stretched across the sky like a dark veil, stars scattered above, glinting like distant gems.
Moonlight bathed the imperial palace, wrapping its spirals in a soft, silver glow.
Click.
Step.
Step.
Tiny footsteps echoed faintly through the sleeping courtyard.
"Edgar's still speaking with the emperor about the attack," William thought, his gaze sweeping toward the guards stationed along the palace perimeter.
Still.
Disciplined.
Exactly as expected.
Step.
He began to walk, calm and unhurried.
At night, the imperial guards gathered tightly around the emperor's wing.
Which meant—
The royal infirmary would be left unguarded.
[ARE YOU SURE HE'LL BE THERE?]
He nodded once, silent.
"They'll be testing his body," William whispered, almost to himself. "Trying to figure out what kind of spell was used."
His footsteps slowed as the infirmary came into view.
He stopped. Scanned the area.
Empty.
Step. Step. Click.
The door creaked open.
"Wiz… can I use the Gluttony skill?" he murmured.
[YES. ALL CONDITIONS ARE MET. YOU KILLED HIM—EVEN IF INDIRECTLY.]
The room was swallowed in darkness. The kind of dark that seemed to breathe.
"Third Eye."
Colors shifted. Outlines glowed faintly.
And there—on a stone table, under a white sheet—lay the body.
"So… you're here." His voice softened, almost tender.
He walked closer, slow and silent, until he stood beside the corpse.
"Gluttony."
A black-red aura surged from his hand, casting twisted shadows across the walls.
The air pulsed with something unnatural.
Then, from the body's mouth, nose, and eyes… the smoke began to rise.
Pale. Translucent.
Like a soul being pulled from flesh.
The corpse spasmed once.
Then went still.
Its skin hardened. Its color faded to ash.
Drained.
William didn't flinch. He opened his status window.
"A convenient method to level up," he whispered.
Crack.
A sound.
Soft. But clear in the silence.
He turned his head slightly. Eyes sharp.
"Is someone there?" he asked, voice calm—too calm—as he stepped toward the door.
Clunk.
He paused.
Nothing.
He scanned the outside once more. Still no one.
"…Empty."
He turned away, voice light.
"Probably just a wild cat."
And with that, he walked off into the quiet night.
Huff. Huff.
Behind the infirmary, hidden in the bushes, a man crouched low—
One hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
His chest heaved with each breath.
Sweat dripped from his brow, running down his neck.
He was trembling. Frozen.
His lips barely moved.
"W…What did I just see…"
His voice cracked—broken.
"W-What… was that…?"
"Young M-Master William is a… m-monster…"
He can't be human.
No… no, that wasn't a spell. That was something else.
"I… I have to tell Lord Secretary. Y-Yeah… I have to inform him…"
The guard stood, chest rising and falling like thunder in his ears.
His legs trembled beneath him—barely holding his weight.
Run.
He turned and bolted into the night.
Didn't look back.
Huff. Huff.
The courtyard was silent—unnaturally so.
Only the sound of his gasps filled the air.
And above him, the moon watched… pale and cold, like an eye carved in silver.
Slip.
He hit the ground hard.
"Kh—!"
His hands scraped stone. His knee burned.
Blood.
He glanced down. His foot twisted awkwardly beneath him.
Grind.
He clenched his teeth and forced himself up.
Run.
The pain followed him like a shadow.
His vision blurred—sweat stinging his eyes.
Bump.
"Agh—!"
He collided with something soft, collapsing backward.
"Ouch! What the—!?"
A maid sat sprawled on the ground, frowning. "You scared me, idiot!"
The guard stared at her, panting—eyes wild, unfocused.
"W-What…?"
"You okay?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're pale. You look like you've seen a ghost."
"It was worse than a ghost." He thought.
He didn't answer. Just stood there. Shaking.
She tilted her head. "Lord Secretary was asking for you, by the way."
Silence.
The words hit him like a blessing.
He dropped to his knees, gasping—half in pain, half in relief.
"…Where is he?"
His voice was hoarse.
Urgent.
"Follow me," the maid said softly.
The guard stood up, legs still trembling, but obeyed.
She moved ahead, swift and graceful—
Too graceful.
As if she hadn't been knocked down at all.
Step.
Step.
Her pace quickened.
Smooth. Almost floating.
The guard struggled to keep up, his breath still shaky.
He glanced around.
No guards.
No torches.
Just the two of them beneath the moonlight.
"Please…" he whispered.
"Tell the Lord Secretary… William is dangerous.
He's not human. H-He's something else. Something—wrong."
The maid didn't respond.
Not even a glance.
He blinked.
They weren't going toward the palace anymore.
They were moving away from it—toward the outer garden wall.
His steps faltered.
"Hey… where are we going?"
Noanswer.
"Hey."
Still nothing.
"Hey!"
Panic rising in his chest, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder—
Forcing her to turn.
She did.
And he froze.
Her eyes…
Dull. Lifeless. Empty.
As if she'd been dead long before he ever touched her.
His breath caught.
His voice broke.
His knees buckled slightly.
And then—
From somewhere in the garden—
A song began to play.
Soft. Lullaby-like.
But wrong.
Wrong in a way that made the world feel like it was tilting.
🎵
"Little stars, don't blink too bright,
Night is watching, out of sight.
Silver chains and silent screams,
Hide beneath your golden dreams."*
🎵
The melody was gentle.
But each note felt like a noose tightening around his neck.
He stumbled back.
The maid just stood there.
William stepped from the shadows.
🎵 Silver chains and silent screams,
Hide beneath your golden dreams… 🎵
The last note lingered in the air like a shiver.
His right hand rested casually in his pocket.
In his left, he held a dagger—its edge lined with a faint cyan glow that pulsed softly in the dark, like a heartbeat.
He smiled.
"Going somewhere?"
His tone was gentle. Almost kind.
"P-Please don't kill me…"
The guard was crawling backward, dragging his injured leg behind him.
His limbs shook. His voice cracked.
"I… I didn't see anything. I swear."
William chuckled. Low. Amused.
"Why so nervous? I was just lost. I was hoping you could give me directions."
The guard blinked, confused. "Y-You were… lost?"
William nodded slowly, as if the idea was perfectly reasonable.
"Then… then you won't hurt me… right?"
"Hurt you?" William tilted his head and scratched lazily at the side of his temple. "Why would I do something like that?"
The guard exhaled. A fragile breath of relief.
"Good… he didn't see me…" he thought.
But then—
A slow smile spread across William's face.
"…Unless," he said softly, "you did see something."
The guard's eyes widened.
Too late.
Slash.
The dagger moved faster than thought. One strike for the guard. One for the maid.
Neither had time to scream.
"Gluttony."
Black-red tendrils seeped from William's hand, wrapping around the corpses. Their bodies twitched… then stilled.
Smoke poured from their mouths, eyes, and wounds—pale, faint, like breath on cold glass.
Their skin grayed. Their life force drained.
Ding.
A soft chime echoed in the silence.
[ Level Up.
Current Level: 10.
]
A window appeared.
[HA HA HA. YOU ARE EVIL.]
The Wiz's voice chimed in with eerie cheer.
William exhaled slowly. Almost in peace.
Then—
He slipped his dagger back into his coat… and disappeared once more into the night..
The next day.
Rushed footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Lord Secretary, may I come in?"
"Yes," came the response from the other side.
Clunk.
The door opened.
Huff.
The man stepped in, breathless.
"Lord Secretary… we've found the vendor."
"Where is he?" Kimal asked, his voice calm and steady.
"He… he's committed suicide."