As a Monster

"Come out, Shadow Fiend."

Iver suddenly said, "You should be able to come out openly and honestly too."

The shadow beneath her feet swayed slightly before coalescing into a solid shape around her.

However, the Shadow Fiend did not materialize into the form of Bayad. Instead, it first materialized into a black shadow, then painted over it, transforming into the appearance of the Assassin Miss Chloe.

The only thing that made her look less human was the ominous smoke that swirled around her like black tentacles. Where there should have been shadows, these shadows came alive, turning into smoke that clung to her.

This lack of shadows makes her appear less three-dimensional, creating a somewhat inexplicable sense of disharmony.

Unlike Bayard's mature, cold, and sharp appearance, Chloe possessed a beautiful and radiant youthful face. She had short, Caramel- colored curly hair, and her lovely smile exuded warmth and sweetness. She wore a light, flowing white dress, which contrasted sharply with Bayard's heavy black gown.

Chloe even had light makeup on her face, and her lips had a moist and transparent sheen.

Only her slightly murky, eerie green pupils resembled those of a wolf—black smoke flowed through them, making her eyes look like green glass billowing with black smoke.

Seeing Shadow Fiend's expression, Bayard immediately leaned closer with interest. "Wow, so sweet? Is this your type?"

"This is an assassin who once tried to kill his master."

The Shadow Fiend simply chuckled and spoke in a soft, sweet voice. "She tried to steal my shadow, so I stole her appearance and voice."

"Gab."

Bayard scoffed.

She interlaced her fingers and rested them on her chin. "This is what we consider beautiful, don't make excuses for yourself. The face we like best is one as soft and charming as our mother's... but we look more like our father, both in face and height. We were even often called 'young master' when we were little."

"I remember it all. When I grew to be as tall as my father, I even cried that night. I even thought about asking my mother if there was a medicine to make me shorter... but I felt that would be too embarrassing, so I didn't tell anyone."

"To make myself look shorter and avoid being mistaken for a man, I started growing my hair long after that. I also stopped wearing pants and started wearing skirts..."

Finally, Bayard sighed, "It's wonderful how easily you can transform into someone else. But you really only took a liking to her because of those green eyes, wasn't it?"

Chloe didn't say anything, only smiled seemingly gently. But there was a tenderness in that smile that said, "If you say that again, I'll kill you."

At that moment, three bowls of meat soup were served. Each bowl was filled with chunks of beef—the pile of meat was so high that one piece even rose above the water.

"Did you bring a friend along, Miss Bayard?"

The man, whose hair was already turning gray, laughed heartily, "I added pepper to the soup, so the flavor might have changed a bit. I don't know if you'll like it. The first batch of Imperial pepper produced by botanists in recent years has already hit the market, and the price is much lower than before..."

"Indeed, the Chamber of Commerce has recently begun planning to export pepper to Avalon."

Bayard smiled and said, "Speaking of which, is there anything else you want?"

"If I had to say something, it would be that business is getting better and better, and we're already too busy to keep up."

The boss laughed, half boasting and half complaining. "The main problem is that we can't find workers. There are superhumans everywhere these days..."

"I overheard the Demon Scholar talking about how the goblins in the south have successfully tamed a group of trolls. They can obey orders and do simple tasks, and they're very obedient as long as they're fed. They're tough, hardworking, and reliable. Why don't you see if the merchant guild can import some trolls? If there are trolls that can help with some manual labor, I can fire all those clumsy laborers who are paid to do so."

"Okay, I'll go back and look into it."

Bayard simply smiled.

After the boss left, Iver remarked, "Your chamber of commerce is quite successful and thriving."

"No matter how vast it is, it will eventually dissipate into the dust of history."

Bayard smiled and took a sip of his drink, "Indeed, nothing in this world is permanent. To pursue eternity is no different from pursuing stagnation."

Upon hearing this, both Iver and Shadow Fiend were taken aback and exchanged a glance.

"It's not a test. I have indeed discovered it... I am not the real Bead after all, but merely a soul simulated by the Pillar God."

Bayard chuckled lightly, appearing quite nonchalant. "I was initially just a little skeptical. So I thought I'd go out for a stroll and see if there were too few people on the streets... When I saw how many people there were, I even doubted it for a moment."

"But upon reflection, perhaps this is a ritual of the Twin Mirrors. Only He would want to see an 'unexpected' drama, to see a reflection of history. And only the Twin Mirrors can directly construct a reflection of history, even allowing me to easily realize that this is a dream you've been having."

"If I wanted to, the Pillar God could keep me from ever realizing this. After all, even we weak Child of the Moon can easily seal the consciousness of others, preventing the Blood Slave from having any harmful thoughts towards us."

"And we are now nothing more than false, fabricated souls. The Pillar God can easily lock our minds... Even if he directly told me the identity of the Ascended and the reality of the Dream Realm, the Pillar God could make us ignore it and deny it. Of course, generally speaking, the Pillar God chooses to use it as a test of adaptability to examine the Ascended's ability to integrate into society. But judging from your reactions, I think this is not Full Moon Ritual."

Miss Bayard sighed, her mind clear and her speech fluent. "We are ultimately nothing but illusions. Not true souls, not true history, at most we are just our own 'prototypes'."

"A fake thing can never become real."

"... Miss Bayard, you're quite carefree."

Iver glanced at her with interest, then looked back at Shadow Fiend.

"Well..."

Bayard smiled helplessly, "That's how the Child of the Moon is."

"We are false things by nature, otherwise why would we fall so easily? Now we are nothing more than imitations of imitations."

The Child of the Moon possess memories of their past lives, easily replacing the identities and social relationships of the living. But they are ultimately just imposters, monsters who have stolen memories, emotions, identities, talents, and social connections.

Child of the Moon has gone through a period of time firmly believing that they were their former selves who had died and been resurrected, transformed into Child of the Moon. It's just that their talents have been slightly altered by the effects of death and resurrection, and their personalities and behaviors have been changed by the curse of the Child of the Moon.

However, they will gradually notice some loopholes in their daily lives and gradually realize that their past and present are ultimately two different existences.

At that time, the Child of the Moon will clearly realize that they are monsters. They are ultimately a different race from humans.

At that moment, they become depraved and cruel—the emotions and desires suppressed by human morality erupt in an instant, and their power rapidly grows stronger due to the unleashing of these desires. This process is known as the "adulthood" of the Child of the Moon.

They will realize one thing: they are not human at all, but monsters who have stolen other people's identities from the very beginning.

Thus, the monster came to realize its monstrous nature.

As Bayard watched Iver devour meat and soup, a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.

"There's only one thing... I can't let go of."

She once said that she wanted to acknowledge me as her master.

The girl's charming smile, the lingering taste of blood on her lips, and that dangerous yet alluring provocation.

"If only all of this were true."

Bayard murmured softly.

Her captivating allure must be due to a shared affinity with the Path of Love.

If he were to drain her blood, he could watch over her for eighty days, waiting for her to be awakened again, so that she could become his companion and lover for all eternity.

If she becomes Child of the Moon, she will surely become Child of the Moon as powerful as herself... or even more powerful.

No matter what dangers the merchant guild faces, no matter what crises the empire encounters... they can escape from here. The world is vast; there will always be a place that can accommodate them. They are all powerful and can thrive anywhere. Even without human blood, fairies of the Path of Love and demons Path of Transcendence of Love can serve as sustenance for their survival.

... But would she still be the same person she is now? She has gained an immortal partner, but has she killed the other one with her own hands? If she doesn't act, wouldn't she just watch helplessly as time ravages her, causing her to age and die? If she really encounters such a mind-controlling little succubus, she might truly fall into a state of bewildered anguish.

"Thankfully, none of this is real."

Bayard rested his chin on his hand and said softly.