"Jenny was such a good child..."

  Henry lost all his strength and sat on the ground, whispering:

  "But she ended up with me, a useless man. Her mother left too soon..."

  Father Upton held the sacred book in silence, listening without a word, keeping his hand extended, without withdrawing it.

  Henry didn’t care if the priest responded or not, speaking to himself as if venting, until his throat grew hoarse and he could no longer utter a word.

  The priest’s hand finally moved, resting gently on Henry's shoulder, and a soft current entered Henry's body, like moonlight, cold and serene.

  It soothed Henry’s soul, resonating with something inherently human, filling the missing part of his spirit.

  Henry’s gaze brightened again. He raised his head and asked the priest: "Father Upton, Jenny, in the place illuminated by the red moon, she’ll be able to find happiness, right?"

  "Yes," the priest said, touching the cover of the sacred book and replying slowly:

  "Under the red moonlight, everyone finds joy. At the red moon’s banquet, Jenny will have a seat; she will rejoice."

  This time, Henry reached out toward the priest, praying and pleading like a drowning man begging for rescue:

  "Send me! So the red moon can fill the eclipsed sun, so it may shine like the sun upon the earth. Let me sacrifice myself for her banquet, for her eternal feast."

  The priest nodded, wearing a sorrowful expression, his eyes full of compassion. The sacred book opened in his hands, and, seemingly without realizing it, he tore out a page and cast it into the air.

  Henry clasped his hands in reverence, bowed his head, and knelt on the ground. The page drifted softly, landing precisely between his hands.

  In Henry's eyes, every word on the page emitted a red glow like the moonlight, and a lively melody began to play. He didn’t understand music, but his body, blood, and bones trembled to the rhythm.

  "Oh, unborn moon!"

  These words left his lips in a chorus, as if thousands of voices sang with him.

  A bearded man appeared behind a door and whispered something into the priest's ear.

  The priest nodded and pointed to Henry, saying: "Let him go. No matter who kills whom, it will benefit us."

  ..............

  Charlotte exited the alchemist guild, the light atop the clock tower was already dimming. She knew the solar eclipse would soon occur. It was better to hurry back, or Caroline would worry.

  She thought of taking the train back, but Solvellon didn’t yet have an urban rail system. As for the spider carriages, she still remembered what happened on the way there. She had no choice.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The only option left was to walk briskly on her own two feet.

  "Grr~"

  Her stomach voiced its agreement, so she quickened her pace.

  Most people on the street had their heads down, walking hurriedly, not paying attention to the girl rushing home to eat.

  Charlotte heard the sound of horse hooves coming from somewhere nearby; the ground trembled slightly with the impact on the cobblestones.

  "Move! Everyone, get out of the way!"

  A troop of knights appeared on the other side of the street, riding white horses. They wore tall hats adorned with horns, blue uniforms embroidered with gold, and waved batons, clearing a path through the crowd. If Charlotte hadn’t stepped aside in time, she would’ve been struck as well.

  Behind the team of knights came more riders escorting a man who appeared to be around forty, with a serious face and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that didn’t match his age. He wore a dark blue military uniform with a golden sword-shaped brooch.

  Charlotte observed carefully and noticed that the sword’s hilt on the brooch also had the shape of horns.

  Charlotte saw that he carried a massive sword, as did many knights around him. She deduced they were all knights and that the middle-aged man was a leader of their order.

  Charlotte had always wanted to see what kind of nobles were capable of ordering their own people to be shot. Now, she had seen one.

  Even amidst the incomprehensible noises and chaos, Charlotte managed to catch fragments of the crowd's conversation.

  The man was known as Baron Aldric.

  She memorized the name, deciding that once Wenze had full control of Solvellon, she’d prosecute him in court.

  A noble who killed his own subjects should lose his title.

  Besides, he was riding a horse! Who still used horses? They were neither faster nor stronger than knights.

  Charlotte found it incomprehensible, like a runner with crutches competing in a race, though even that was allowed in disabled sports. But knights on horseback, in Londini, it would make headlines for seven days straight.

  The knights moved away, and the crowd gathered again. Some people cursed the arrogant knights and the nobles who ignored commoners, but they were quickly silenced, warned that if the nobles overheard, they’d face lashings.

  The scene made Charlotte miss Kaihaide, where commoners also cursed nobles. The difference was that in Kaihaide, commoners dared to do it to their faces without fearing punishment.

  As Charlotte reflected on this, she heard music, a cheerful tune, typical of a celebration.

  The music lasted only a moment before vanishing.

  A bearded man disappeared around a corner, and Charlotte immediately followed.

  She knew that bearded man was the person she was looking for, the same one she had encountered upon arriving in Solvellon.

  The plan to go back and discuss things with Caroline was forgotten.

  By the time she fetched Caroline, the man would be gone.

  Rounding the corner, the number of people on the street visibly decreased. Charlotte dared not approach the bearded man directly, fearing she’d draw unnecessary attention or alert other cult members.

  She also hoped that by following him, she might find their hideout.

  Charlotte had no experience tailing people, and the street was empty. Worried about being discovered, she remembered how book characters often tailed someone.

  First, raise your coat collar to cover your face. Then, grab a newspaper. If the person looked back, you’d pretend to be reading it. Maintaining the right distance was crucial, not too close to be noticed, not too far to lose them.

  Charlotte had no newspaper, but luckily, a gust of wind caused one to land nearby. Thus, her disguise was complete.

  ..........

  Victor realized he was being followed by a silly girl.

  He was following the guidance of the red moon brooch to locate the descendants of the red moon but had encountered knights. To avoid attention, he temporarily abandoned his goal.

  While returning, he noticed a girl was following him.

  At first, he couldn’t believe she was tailing him.

  Who would follow someone so obviously, lifting her coat collar and holding a three-day-old newspaper against the wall?

  But the girl was so precise with the distance.

  No matter when he looked back, she was always twenty steps behind him. Victor suspected that even if he used a ruler, the distance would barely vary. The girl must have calculated it perfectly.

  The brooch on Victor’s chest began to heat up slightly, and he realized this girl was the target of his mission. So, he decided to use this to his advantage, planning to lure her in.

  As he entered Rat Street, Victor glanced back, but the girl had disappeared.