The girl suddenly opened her eyes and let out a silent scream. She curled up, trembling uncontrollably, and clutched her right hand. Only after a long while did her convulsions stop. She loosened her grip to reveal a clearly visible patch of charred black on her soft, pale palm, like the mark of a burn.
He wasn't bewitched? Why?
The girl could not understand it, no matter how hard she tried. Why hadn't he fallen under her spell? All those other men had been the same. No matter how talented, handsome, debonair, or charming they were, the moment they saw her, they seemed to lose their souls and fall utterly at her feet.
But he hadn't...
At the thought of that handsome face, always wearing a gentle smile, her heart began to race. In the past, she would never have imagined she might have the chance to grow close to such an outstanding, handsome gentleman. But things were different now. She had been reborn...! She possessed a charm that could captivate anyone. No man would overlook her. They would treat her like a queen, bowing and scraping to please her.
But why was this man different?
At the time, she had clearly seen fascination and intoxication in his eyes. She had been certain he was infatuated with her, just like all the other men.
But why...
"Ugh..."
A sharp, agonizing pain struck. The girl looked down and saw something that filled her with terror-her once-pale hand was gradually shriveling. Her fair, delicate skin collapsed into ugly wrinkles, like the bark of a withered old tree.
No, no, no... Not this. This couldn't happen!
The girl scrambled upright on the bed, then rushed out of her room. Without even putting on shoes, she left home in her nightdress and wandered the dark, dimly lit streets. She could feel her throat growing parched and burning. The searing sensation in her right palm seemed to have spread throughout her body, making her desperate to gulp down icy water and dispel the heat.
But she knew that what she needed now was not cold water, but... blood.
Warm blood. When she drank it, she could even feel the pulse of a heart and the vitality of life. Only that could ease her thirst and restore her!
Soon, the girl spotted a figure walking toward her a short distance away, and she ran over without hesitation. She believed a frail girl like her would easily win a gentleman's sympathy.
"Sir, kind sir, please help me..."
The girl ran over, but soon stopped, staring at the figure in stunned disbelief as he stepped out of the shadows and approached her.
"What a wonderful evening."
Beneath the bright moonlight, the distant, ceaseless roar of steam sounded like background music heralding the protagonist's entrance. White mist, thick with condensed moisture, parted like a stage curtain, and Li Wei emerged from it. He removed his top hat and bowed to the girl.
"Good evening, Miss Maggie."
Maggie stared blankly at Li Wei, her face deathly pale, whether from nerves or something else.
"Why..."
"Are you asking how I knew it was you?"
Li Wei turned his top hat in his hands.
"To be honest, I don't know either. I imagine you have some sort of miraculous power that makes those men see you as a peerless beauty. But I'm sorry, Miss Maggie. In my eyes, you've always been yourself. That never changed, from beginning to end."
"Th-then that means..."
At Li Wei's answer, Maggie began to tremble.
"That's right. I watched you invite me, lead me into the room, and then try to seduce me..."
Li Wei stared at Maggie. Perhaps because he had spent every night lately running around putting out fires in his dreams, he had known he was dreaming the moment he saw her. It was also then that he had finally seen Maggie's true face. Before that, she had been nothing more than a blurry image in his eyes, as though he were looking at someone without glasses despite having an extremely severe case of nearsightedness. He could make out a vague outline, but none of her actual features.
"Th-that's impossible!"
Maggie shook her head desperately, trying to deny what Li Wei said. She was trembling like someone whose personal details had been exposed online, only to have someone turn up at her door.
"You'd clearly fallen in love with me then! You looked at me with such affection! You were no different from those other men!"
"Women aren't the only ones who can act, Miss Maggie."
Li Wei fiddled with his top hat as he spoke casually.
"Men can act too, quite often. Perhaps you overlooked that, or perhaps you were simply too confident in your own abilities."
At that, Li Wei chuckled.
"Besides, I'm quite familiar with dreams."
What Li Wei meant, of course, was the All-Seeing Eye badge. They had already tested it when they faced Rogers: the All-Seeing Eye had no such power at all. It would not emit holy light like a cross in a film or novel, shine upon a vampire, and turn them to ash.
But things were different in a dream.
Because everyone knew that vampires would be purified by the All-Seeing Eye, it naturally worked.
The truth did not matter. What mattered was collective perception-just as, if everyone believed the Courtesan Killer was a masked pervert, then the killer was a masked pervert.
By the same logic, as long as everyone believed Li Wei could destroy the Courtesan Killer, he could.
After all, anything was possible in dreams.
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
Maggie shouted again, as though that alone could stop him.
"I just wanted people to notice me, like Betty! We were friends, but those men, every single one of them, only cared about Betty! Even Edwards was no exception! They always cared about Betty. No one ever spared me a glance! As though I was just something that came with her, an accessory! I only wanted to change that! I wanted to be as popular as she was!"
"There is indeed nothing wrong with that."
Li Wei nodded and put his hat back on.
"Provided you don't hurt anyone else."
"I, I..."
Li Wei's voice pierced Maggie's chest like an invisible blade. Her face went pale, and her body trembled.
"I didn't mean to. I really didn't mean to. When Mr. Edwards turned his attention to me, I was so happy. I was no longer just some insignificant little woman in his eyes. I'd truly won his favor. B-but..."
Maggie reached out with her left hand and clutched her arm.
"I grew thirstier and thirstier. That person told me it was the price I had to pay. I had to drink his blood to maintain my power... A-and Mr. Edwards agreed, too. He told me he was willing to give me even his soul! I didn't force him! He offered it to me of his own free will!"
"Who was that person?"
At Li Wei's question, Maggie suddenly froze.
"I, I don't know... No, I do? I don't know... I, I remember... That person was my... my..."
At that, Maggie seemed to remember something. Terror crept into her eyes, and her lips trembled. At that very moment, a dark shape suddenly dropped from above, stabbing toward her back!
Maggie did not react at all, but Li Wei abruptly raised his head and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
With the gunshot, the dark shape shattered completely.
At the same time, a sweet voice rang out.
"Honestly, Maggie. I told you to be a little more careful, a little more cautious."
Holding his revolver, Li Wei aimed at a nearby streetlamp. As the mist of condensed steam dispersed, a petite figure appeared atop it. She had blond hair, and her slightly chubby cheeks were adorable, brimming with innocent charm. The only difference was that her eyes were no longer azure, but blood-red.
"Betty..."
Maggie stared blankly at the figure atop the streetlamp, trembling uncontrollably. Betty looked back at her with the same pure, flawless smile as always.
"You see, Maggie? I told you that you weren't good enough. I gave you power, but in the end, you still couldn't become me. Poor Maggie, useless Maggie, cowardly Maggie. When all is said and done, an ugly duckling can never become a swan."
"Ah... ahhh..."
Hearing her friend's malicious mockery, Maggie clutched her head and curled up on the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Whatever she had remembered, her agonized moans made it clear that those memories were anything but pleasant.
Betty, however, showed no concern whatsoever for her friend. She merely glanced at her, then turned her gaze back to Li Wei.
"You don't seem very surprised, Mr. Li Wei. Had you already guessed my true identity?"
"More or less."
Li Wei tightened his grip on the gun and stared at Betty. In truth, he had harbored suspicions about her from the very beginning.
After all, it was all far too coincidental, especially that first dream: Betty, the Courtesan Killer, and him.
And the day after that dream, Li Wei had met Betty.
Calling it fate would have lent it a certain romantic quality. Unfortunately, Li Wei did not believe in fate.
The moment he saw Betty, Li Wei had grown suspicious. Afterward, he had never lowered his guard around her. The reason he had asked her to act as his investigator at school was precisely to see whether she would take the opportunity to do something.
He simply had not expected Betty to be the mastermind behind this entire string of cases. Of course, Li Wei had long suspected that Maggie was not the killer. She was too naive, too straightforward-nothing like someone capable of committing murders that left not a single trace.
"This really is rather disappointing."
Betty sighed.
"Do you know, Mr. Li Wei? I thought the title of a great detective's assistant was quite nice. I wanted things to carry on that way, too. Solving thrilling, dangerous cases with you, growing closer to each other, and perhaps taking our relationship a step further. More than just detective and assistant... Wouldn't that have been a wonderful turn of events? What a shame your suspicion ruined it all."
"I'm terribly sorry. Romance and I simply don't get along."
As he spoke, Li Wei aimed at Betty and slowly drew back the hammer.
"Ugh... aaaaah!"
Just as Li Wei was about to pull the trigger, Maggie, who had been curled up on the ground, suddenly let out a shriek and lunged at him.
At the same time, Betty leaped from the streetlamp and hurtled straight toward Li Wei like a diving eagle!
Before you continue