noveldrama
[Vol. 5] Chapter 166 - Shadow in the Night
[Vol. 5] Chapter 166 - Shadow in the Night
[Vol. 5] Chapter 166: Shadow in the Night
Since Edwina had already left, there was no point in saying more.
The lantern exhibition was nearing its end anyway, so Violet slipped through the gradually thinning crowd.
She found a quiet spot in the park, sat down on a secluded bench, and began to watch the remaining performances from a distance while occasionally glancing at Miss Holy Knight, who was busy selecting drinks from a nearby stall. She waited silently.
The term “city that never sleeps” was, after all, just a figure of speech. Even a place as grand as the Angel City couldn’t have every corner illuminated at night. It wouldn’t be reasonable or realistic.
Just like the row of shadowed public benches Violet had chosen. Or rather…
A blurred shadow flitted across the park’s shaded greenery.
By chance, it passed through the corner of Miss White Fox’s vision, catching the faint light reflected in her silver-blue eyes.
That was just now…?
Though the figure moved quickly and remained well-concealed, possibly using some kind of optical camouflage, it wasn’t enough to escape Violet’s keen eyes.
She saw it clearly. It was a girl.
If it had been just an ordinary girl passing by, Miss White Fox wouldn’t have paid much attention. But this person…
A few thoughts crossed her mind. Violet glanced at Edwina, still selecting drinks at the stall, and without hesitation, stood up and followed the shadow into the darkness.
……………………
Light and shadow are one and the same. Even in the brightest of sanctuaries, shadows will still form. This universal truth applied even in the Angel City, known as the City of Light.
The crime rate might be nearly zero, but it was never truly zero.
Wearing the ?Chameleon Cloak? she hadn’t used in a long time, Violet moved through the dim edges of the city, her figure hidden. The streetlights and market stalls blurred behind her as only the rush of wind filled her ears.
She wasn’t deliberately showing off her speed. Rather, if she didn’t move quickly, she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the figure ahead, who was darting like a phantom between the shadows of buildings, racing toward an unknown destination.
This wasn’t part of Violet’s original plan, but once she saw it, her curiosity wouldn’t let her sit idly by.
The way the girl ahead was moving was very peculiar, at least compared to the vast majority of strong individuals in this world. In fact, it stirred a sense of familiarity and nostalgia within Violet as she followed closely behind.
The girl wasn’t using any faith-based magic, nor any magic at all. Instead, she was using a more practical, straightforward method to move rapidly between buildings.
A grappling hook.
However, it wasn’t an ordinary metal hook and rope like one might expect. It was more akin to a retractable line or something of the sort.
Violet could see it clearly: whenever the girl wanted to accelerate or make a sharp turn, a rope-like device would shoot from her wrist, which was clad in a tight black suit that blended seamlessly with the night. The rope had a special disk at the end that would attach to a wall, and by retracting the rope, she executed various complex maneuvers.
To be honest, it reminded Violet of the protagonist from a movie she had once watched on Earth.
The agility and sudden, sharp turns she made, which visibly strained her body at times, even caused Violet to silently cringe. She worried the girl might dislocate a joint… or something along those lines.
But clearly, that worry was unnecessary.
The two of them, one chasing and the other unaware of her pursuer, continued their pursuit. The girl, completely clad in a black bodysuit, even her short hair blending into the night, seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that Violet was tailing her. She moved through the city, avoiding the lights, as if searching for something.
After several minutes of this pursuit…
At a certain moment, the girl leaping between the buildings suddenly and abruptly stopped. Like a spider about to pounce in the night, she spread out her limbs, clinging to the shadowed wall of a tall building, her entire presence concealed as she suppressed her aura completely.
Violet, who had been carefully keeping a safe distance while following, naturally came to a stop as well. Without needing to use any methods that might draw attention, such as SP, she immediately understood the girl’s target using just her five senses and her ability to perceive auras.
In the shadowed, inconspicuous corner beneath the building, there were “two other figures”.
Noticing them, Miss White Fox, still hidden under the ?Chameleon Cloak?, instinctively narrowed her eyes slightly, her silver-blue gaze once again flashing with curiosity.
These two were also girls, though their appearances and postures were much more peculiar.
One of them had long, dark red hair cascading down her shoulders, dressed in an elegant and regal vintage gown.
Every detail of her appearance was meticulously groomed, as she held an ornate fan, her skin pale as snow, presenting a beautiful, aristocratic figure.
Though Violet couldn’t see her face since she had her back turned, judging by her build and profile, she appeared to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, resembling the daughter of an ancient noble family.
The other girl was fairly unremarkable. Dressed like a typical hotel waitress in Angel City, she seemed to be from the same place as the girl in the tight-fitting suit who had been tailing them.
Or, to put it simply, she was a commoner in the Angel City.
Yet, despite their vastly different appearances and demeanor, these two girls, who didn’t seem like they would have any social connections, were now holding each other in an unusually intimate embrace.
The maid stood leaning against the wall, while the noble girl pressed against her, their faces close together. From Violet’s angle, she could only see the noble girl seemingly pressing her lips near the maid’s neck, as if whispering secrets, with slight, subtle movements.
From the looks and sounds of it, it resembled a scene of two young women, secretly meeting in this hidden spot, bound by affection but separated by vast differences in status, unable to be together publicly.
Violet watched the scene without blinking, yet her heart stirred with no romantic or shameful thoughts.
It wasn’t just due to the naturally cold disposition of the Celestials…
She focused on the aristocratic girl’s lips, seemingly kissing the tender neck of her companion, and on the latter’s dazed, almost blissful expression, which caused Violet to frown slightly.
The girl in the black bodysuit, who had followed and now lay hidden on the outer wall of the tavern, also remained completely still, making no unnecessary movements. Even Violet’s keen hearing couldn’t pick up any sound of breathing or heartbeat from her.
In the darkness, the scene continued—a picture of seductive intimacy.
With no one to disturb them, the two girls became more engrossed, even losing themselves. The noble girl’s luxurious dress had entirely covered the curled-up body of the other girl, hiding her completely from view. Only the maid’s pale legs, slack and draped as though she had collapsed in a duck-like posture, remained visible, leaving no doubt about who was in control.
Then, at a certain moment…
“Guh…!”
The maid, who had been pressed against the wall in an almost forceful embrace, suddenly convulsed. Her whole body went limp, and she slumped to the ground, head drooping as she collapsed into the corner, appearing to have lost consciousness.
The noble girl, seemingly satisfied, then separated from her. She took out a white silk handkerchief from her sleeve, turning her back to Violet as she wiped something unseen.
And in that instant…
“Spurt!”
A barely audible, muffled sound like something being ejected broke through the darkness.
Killing intent pierced through the aristocratic girl’s forehead, traveling straight through her skull, spilling dark red blood.
Her body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.