Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Hello, you’re so soft!
This thought only existed for a fleeting moment before being swallowed by a deeper dizziness.
Ling Xi’s mind was in complete chaos at this moment.
Staring at Scarlet Moon across from her, that exquisite face swayed back and forth in her vision, as if several Scarlet Moons were sitting there.
"Miss..."
Her tongue got tied.
"Y-you, why do you have so many copies..."
Scarlet Moon rested her chin on her hand. "Oh? How many?"
Ling Xi raised her fingers and counted seriously.
"One, two, three."
"Eh?"
"Is this a clone technique? This is amazing, I want to learn this!
Miss, can you teach me this?"
"I’ll teach you when you sober up."
"No! I want to learn it now!"
Ling Xi’s body swayed. She tried to stand up from the chair, but her legs gave out, and her whole body fell forward.
The plates on the table were knocked into a clatter, knives and forks fell to the ground, making crisp sounds.
The restaurant, which had just regained its noise, fell silent once again.
The anticipated intimate contact with the floor did not happen.
A hand steadily supported her shoulder.
Ling Xi raised her head. Scarlet Moon’s face was right in front of her, so close that she could smell the unique fragrance on her body.
"Eh? It turned back into one again?"
Warm, soft, as if she had leaned against something.
[Scarlet Moon found your drunken state interesting, Fate Points +5]
[Current Fate Points: 38]
The system’s notification flashed through her muddled mind.
Ling Xi’s courage, along with the alcohol concentration, broke through the sky.
She stretched out a finger and poked Scarlet Moon’s cheek.
"You… you’re so soft…" She poked Scarlet Moon’s shoulder again.
"Here too."
"Here… is also very soft."
"Miss..."
Ling Xi suddenly raised her head, her gaze hazy as she looked at Scarlet Moon.
"Do you know…"
"Hm?"
"You… you’re really bad…"
As Ling Xi spoke, she reached out and poked Scarlet Moon’s cheek.
"Always bullying me…"
Scarlet Moon let her poke, the smile on her face unchanged.
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Ling Xi’s voice suddenly grew louder, drawing the attention of several nearby tables.
But after seeing Scarlet Moon’s gaze, they quickly lowered their heads again.
"You made me be a maid… and even made me wipe your shoes…"
The more Ling Xi spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded, her eyes even turning red.
"And, and you even made me wipe your socks…"
"Weren’t you wiping them very seriously though?"
There was a trace of laughter in Scarlet Moon’s voice.
"That was because… because…"
Ling Xi’s face turned even redder, whether from the alcohol or from embarrassment, no one could tell.
"Because I’m afraid of you…"
"Afraid of me?"
"Yes…"
Ling Xi nodded, like a chick pecking at rice.
"You obviously don’t look much taller than me…"
As she spoke, she even raised her hand, gesturing back and forth above her own head and Scarlet Moon’s, trying to measure the difference.
The surrounding air froze, as if even the temperature had dropped a few degrees.
The lights in the restaurant flickered.
The metal knives and forks on the table emitted a faint hum.
The other diners in the restaurant wished they could shove their heads into their plates, terrified of being swept into the storm.
From the moment Scarlet Moon stepped through the door, they had already felt something dreadful.
That gaze—just one glance from it—felt like falling into an abyss, unable to climb back out.
"Short?"
The smile on Scarlet Moon’s face did not change, only her tone grew heavier.
"Who are you calling short?"
"Y-you of course…"
Ling Xi, completely unaware of the danger, nodded drunkenly.
She tried to stand up, but the hand supporting herself on the table slipped, and her entire body tilted to the side.
This time, no hand caught her.
A shadow tentacle shot out from the darkness like a black whip, wrapping around Ling Xi’s waist in the instant before she hit the ground, forcibly suspending her in midair.
The movement was both fast and abrupt, even stirring up a gust of wind.
Ling Xi let out a muffled “ugh” from the tight constriction, sobering up by more than half.
She hung in midair, her body limp like a boneless puddle.
Subconsciously, she reached out and hugged the tentacle supporting her.
“Soft and squishy, and a little slippery.”
She even rubbed her cheek against it, the cold sensation perfectly easing the heat in her body.
“Cool… comfortable…”
A few tables away, a mercenary still had his mouth open, half a piece of bread hovering at his lips.
His mind was completely blank.
Something was wrong—very wrong.
Who exactly was this person?
In the legends, the shadow tentacles of the calamity Scarlet Moon were scythes that harvested lives, instruments that tore apart souls.
Just a few months ago, a knight order composed of several eighth-tier warriors had dared to provoke her.
The result was that they were shredded by this very thing within three breaths—reduced, armor and all, into flying metal fragments and blood mist.
Could she really be the legendary calamity Scarlet Moon?
But the one in front of them…
It moved gently, even cushioning slightly at the girl’s waist, dispersing all the impact and steadily holding her.
[Detected the holder is actively performing Energy Devotion]
[Conversion efficiency being determined… target emotional fluctuations: surprise, joy… conversion efficiency: low]
[Energy conversion begins…]
A faint but continuous warm current flowed from the shadow tentacle, following the magic circuits back into Scarlet Moon’s body.
It was a very comfortable kind of energy.
Pure and gentle, like soaking in a hot spring.
A hint of surprise rose in Scarlet Moon’s pupils.
She withdrew the tentacle, and Ling Xi’s body was steadily placed back onto the chair.
“Check.”
Scarlet Moon’s voice was not loud, but the restaurant owner instantly sprang out from behind the counter.
“N-no, no! Your presence in my humble shop is my greatest honor! How could I possibly take your money!”
Scarlet Moon ignored him, simply taking out a gold coin from the pocket of her dress and casually tossing it onto the table.
The coin bounced and spun on the wooden surface, producing a crisp sound before coming to a stop.
On its face was Scarlet Moon’s simplified demon emblem.
“It’s extra. No need for change.”
She stood up, walked to Ling Xi—who was still slumped over the table—then bent down and lifted her horizontally once more.
Ling Xi, the oversized human pendant, skillfully wrapped her arms around Scarlet Moon’s neck, tilted her head, leaned into her shoulder, and fell asleep.
Between her breaths was an even rhythm, carrying a faint berry sweetness from that drink.
[Energy Devotion has been interrupted]
Scarlet Moon carried her and walked out of the restaurant.
Leaving behind a room full of people staring at each other, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Only after the two figures completely disappeared around the street corner did the restaurant erupt like a boiling pot, bursting into long-suppressed chatter.
“That just now… was that really the legendary calamity Witch?”
“It must have been. The pressure from that gaze is not something a human could possess.”
“But she… she actually carried someone?
And so… gently?”
The mercenary whose bread had fallen into his soup pointed at the black coin on the table with a trembling hand.
“That’s a Demon King coin… only beings at the calamity level can use their own magic to brand an indelible mark onto precious metals.
Each one represents their will.”
“Then who was that girl? Her pet?”
“Shut up, do you want to die without knowing how?”