Chapter 130: ¹³⁰Dusk Before Red
Several hours had passed since the Sin Mana seeped into the pale skin upon the sofa.
The late afternoon sun began to tilt westward. The pale blue sky of the Astrea Capital slowly absorbed a warm, golden hue.
Inside the White Rose Room, Ethan Valen stood like a statue near the arched window. His dark, calf-length coat wrapped around his broad frame, absorbing the fading afternoon light. His dark brown eyes stared straight down at the city streets, his thoughts locked tightly behind the room’s suffocating silence.
Gasp…!
A short, panicked intake of breath suddenly shattered the silence.
Laras awoke. The teenage girl’s eyes snapped wide open, her emaciated body reflexively curling into a tight ball—bracing for the blows that usually rained down upon her.
However, the blows never came.
Laras blinked rapidly. The bone-crushing agony had vanished without a trace. Instead, upon her back, the blackish-red rose seal of the Lust Brand pulsed with warmth, pumping vitality into every inch of her veins.
Kaelia von Ashford rose from the opposite sofa. Her fiery red ponytail swayed slightly as she approached.
Kaelia held out a simple, cream-colored cotton dress.
”Wear this,” Kaelia snapped coldly. Her hand gripping the fabric stiffened for a second, masking the sympathy she refused to admit. “Your clothes are filthy. I despise having dull-looking people around me.”
Laras swallowed hard. Her tiny fingers trembled as she accepted the garment. “T-thank you, My Lady…” she whispered hoarsely.
From the corner by the window, Valera Voss let out a soft snort. The exotic-skinned knight crossed her arms, her black leather armor creaking faintly.
”You don’t need to bother teaching her your noble etiquette, Lady Ashford,” Valera mocked, her golden eyes flashing with amusement. “She’ll understand soon enough… in Lord Valen’s world, silk dresses are utterly useless.”
Ethan turned away from the window. The Horned Crown tattoo on his chest throbbed faintly beneath his black shirt.
”Get ready. We are heading out,” Ethan commanded with absolute finality.
Kaelia frowned. Valera’s hand reflexively reached for the hilt of the Zweihander on her back.
Thump.
A bizarre sensation suddenly crept through their chests simultaneously. The flaming rose Lust Brand on Kaelia’s stomach, the spiral rose on Valera’s neck, and the red rose on Laras’s back throbbed in unison. A magical surge emanated from the demonic seals, as if fortifying their bodies against something unknown.
However, because the pulsation was so subtle, none of them voiced their concerns.
Half an hour later, the four of them stepped out of The Gilded Dove, strolling down the main streets of the elite merchant district.
The late afternoon bridging into dusk showcased the sheer opulence of the Frost Flower Festival. Blue-and-white glass lanterns hung along the street corridors, casting a gentle glow.
The aroma of warm sweet bread, spiced grilled meat, and cheap wine wafted through the air. Little children ran around holding paper lanterns, accompanied by the melodies of street musicians’ flutes. The citizens exchanged joyous laughter.
Ethan walked at the very front with a calm, measured pace. Kaelia flanked his right side with her back straight, while Valera guarded his left—her golden eyes constantly sweeping the crowd like a predator.
Behind Kaelia, Laras walked with her head bowed.
The pale girl’s tiny fingers gripped the hem of Kaelia’s red tunic tightly. The bluish bruises on her neck and face were still visible, contrasting starkly with her new cream dress. She clung closely to the noble princess, too terrified of being left behind in the city that had once destroyed her.
Kaelia glanced down, staring at the gripped hem of her clothes. Her initial instinct was to swat the dirty hand away for the sake of noble pride, but seeing that frail, shivering body, Kaelia held herself back.
”Have you… ever seen a festival like this before?” Kaelia asked without turning her head.
Laras shook her head slowly. “N-never, My Lady…” she whispered hoarsely. “I’ve only ever heard the music from behind the walls of the lower district…”
Kaelia’s footsteps slowed reflexively.
As they passed a bakery puffing out sweet smoke, Kaelia stopped. She tossed a silver coin onto the vendor’s counter, then snatched up a small bag of warm, flower-shaped pastries.
Wordlessly, Kaelia shoved a piece of the warm bread in front of Laras’s face.
Laras froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the bread in Kaelia’s hand, then shifted her gaze up to the princess.
With trembling hands, she accepted it.
Her first bite was hesitant. But the moment the warm sweetness touched her tongue, Laras’s tears fell uncontrollably, dampening the edge of the pastry. She chewed between sobs—unable to even remember the last time she had eaten something that wasn’t rotting garbage.
Kaelia looked away, biting the inside of her lip to hide her softening expression.
On the left, Valera carved a very faint, thin smile before returning to a flat face full of vigilance. Ethan merely observed the interactions of his property from the front without uttering a single word.
Their steps came to a halt in the middle of a marble bridge spanning the city canal. The canal water reflected the increasingly bright glow of the lanterns.
The sun had completely set. The purplish-orange streaks on the western horizon were slowly swept away by darkness.
”In the past, whenever this festival came around…” Kaelia murmured softly, gazing at the lanterns floating on the water. “My mother would always buy me a red hair ribbon. She said these lanterns were a symbol of hope. A light that guides the lost back home.”
Valera snorted quietly. She leaned her bandage-wrapped arm against the bridge’s stone railing.
”Tch. Hope is just a fairy tale created for those with coins in their pockets, Lady Ashford,” Valera sneered. “In my homeland, lanterns are only good for seeing where the enemy hides their daggers.”
Kaelia fell silent. The brutal reality of the knight was something she couldn’t refute.
However, right at that moment, the air above the bridge suddenly grew heavy.
The orange hues in the sky vanished in an instant, replaced by a dense, crimson red. The thin clouds slowly parted, revealing the form of a newly risen full moon.
The moon was no longer silver or a pale yellow. The giant orb in the sky was a deep, pitch-dark crimson.
Alongside the emergence of the red moon, the festival’s laughter abruptly died.
At the end of the bridge, a butcher loosened his grip. The meat cleaver in his hand slipped, clattering loudly against the marble stones.
An old woman suddenly yanked her grandson away in a panic, her eyes sweeping wildly around. The flute music ceased. Roars of laughter turned into terrified whispers.
Awooooogghh…!
The howl of wild dogs in the distance sliced through the night—the sound drawn out and filled with pure terror. Upon the marble rooftops, several cats leaped away with their fur standing on end, responding to an unseen threat.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Though his Horned Crown tattoo remained calm, he could feel the mana density around them violently distorting.
Shhk!
Valera instantly stood up straight. Her left hand moved swiftly to grip the hilt of the Zweihander on her back. Cold sweat dripped down her temples.
”My Lord…” Valera growled lowly. “Something’s wrong. The air… it feels toxic.”
At the exact same time, the Lust Brands on Kaelia, Valera, and Laras reacted violently. The demonic seals glowed with a scorching heat, forming an invisible biological shield that repelled the magical invasion from the red moonlight.
The three of them were safe, but their instincts screamed that a massive danger was swallowing the city.
”Ethan, what’s happening?” Kaelia pressed tensely.
Ethan didn’t answer. The young man stood like an obsidian statue, staring straight ahead.
Then, the madness erupted.
𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Thud!
Exactly five meters in front of the bridge, a middle-aged man dropped his shopping basket. Apples and loaves of bread scattered across the marble.
The man fell to his knees. Both of his hands clutched his own head so tightly that his fingernails dug in and drew blood.
”AAAAAARRGGHHH!”
A harrowing shriek pierced the night.
As the man looked up, Kaelia held her breath. The whites of his eyes had vanished entirely, replaced by a blazing red identical to the moon in the sky. Thick black veins bulged obscenely across his neck and temples.
In another corner, a young woman collapsed hard, thrashing as she clawed at the cobblestones until her fingernails broke. Her screams of agony mutated into the raspy growl of a feral beast.
Mass panic erupted in a split second.
Thousands of Astrean citizens who witnessed the phenomenon were gripped by absolute terror. People ran around screaming aimlessly. Merchant carts were rammed and shattered. The crowd scattered across the bridge, fleeing blindly.
A few panicked civilians crashed hard into Valera and Kaelia’s shoulders.
”H-help… My Lady…” Laras sobbed hysterically. Her body shook violently as she hugged Kaelia’s arm tightly.
Kaelia reflexively wrapped an arm around Laras’s shoulders, stepping backward to get closer to Ethan. Her eyes widened in horror at the scene unfolding before her.
The middle-aged man who had just screamed slowly stood up. His body jerked stiffly as if pulled by invisible strings. He turned his head sluggishly toward the fleeing crowd. His glowing red eyes radiated a feral emptiness.
All along the street, dozens of other citizens who had collapsed began to rise, one by one.
Amidst the storm of fleeing humans and terrified screams, Ethan Valen remained unfazed. He let a few panicked individuals bump into his coat. His dark brown eyes observed the transformations with cold calculation.
A familiar vibration suddenly pulsed at the base of his skull.
”Fufufu… finally…”
Asmodeus’s voice whispered softly, laden with satisfaction. “The night of the crimson full moon… The curse that has long slumbered in their blood finally awakens. You and your little toys are safe thanks to my seal. But those without protection?”
Shwing!
Valera drew her massive Zweihander. The female knight stepped in front of Ethan, adopting a defensive stance.
”They’re turning into monsters, My Lord,” Valera growled, locking her gaze onto the red-eyed men beginning to shamble closer. “I’m ready to strike them down!”
”Hold your blade, Valera,” Ethan commanded coldly, cutting through the panic. “Stand down.”
”But—”
”I want to observe first,” Ethan interrupted with absolute finality. “To see what is truly happening.”
Before them, the transformed humans stumbled ever closer. Their postures were unnaturally crooked, thick saliva dripping from their lips accompanied by low, guttural growls.
Their numbers swelled rapidly beneath the glow of the crimson full moon.
Ethan stood calmly on the stone bridge. He merely waited, allowing the peaceful dusk to be entirely swallowed by the bloody night.