In the dead of night, approximately 150 kilometers away from Dorey City, a small town lay under the cold, unforgiving moonlight. Dilapidated houses were scattered across the town, and in the very center stood a building that appeared exceptionally exquisite. This was the town's police station, the only place lit up in the entire town at night.

The graceful sounds of a harp and flute lingered in the air above the town, while the drunk patrons loudly conversed, shattering the town's usual silence.

In one of the nearby crumbling houses, young Jack irritably opened his eyes. It was already very late, yet the adults from the city were still holding their banquet. The noisy chatter made it impossible for him to fall asleep. He still had work to do with his father tomorrow, and if this continued, he would surely get scolded!

Moonlight was a forbidden realm, one that ordinary people could never reach. But for those powerful individuals who wore Nightcloaks, the moon's light had no impact on their enjoyment.

Jack remembered seeing luxurious carriages arriving at the police station as dusk fell. Driven by coachmen draped in Nightcloaks, the carriages stopped at the door of the station. Jack knew immediately that some important figures had arrived in the town.

Earlier in the day, his father had been sighing repeatedly, grumbling, "The crops are already in poor condition this year, and instead of taking care of them in the daytime, we're being forced to fix the roads! Who has time for that?"

His mother could only offer comfort, saying, "There's nothing we can do about it. The mayor has issued a notice—if anyone doesn't go, they'll be thrown into jail!"

Jack's father cursed under his breath, "Damn the mayor, his brain is full of nonsense! Even if the roads are repaired, it'll only last a month or two. It was the same last time! The materials they buy are all trash!"

His mother quickly urged him to lower his voice, fearing that others might hear. If someone reported it to the mayor, they would be in trouble.

Jack clearly remembered not understanding why a road that was repaired could only last a couple of months. He couldn't make sense of it, but he wished with all his heart that he could have a Nightcloak, or at least be able to move freely under the moonlight. That way, he could help his father with more work at night. His mother would no longer complain about him eating too much, always telling him to eat less.

But he was really hungry. Normally, once he fell asleep, he wouldn't feel the gnawing hunger in his stomach.

Tonight, however, because of the noise from those important people, he had woken up in the middle of the night.

Hunger made little Jack incredibly restless, and he couldn't help but quietly slip out of bed, planning to sneak into the kitchen to see if there was anything left to eat.

Carefully pushing open the door to his bedroom, little Jack tiptoed into the kitchen.

The kitchen curtains weren't fully drawn, and the windows were a bit old, with plenty of gaps, allowing a beam of moonlight to filter through, casting a narrow strip of light on the floor.

Looking at the moonlight on the floor, little Jack couldn't help but remember something from before. He used to have a younger brother.

But that naughty little guy always stayed out late, until one night, Jack noticed the moon was already up, and his brother still hadn't come home.

That night, little Jack remembered it very clearly. For the first time, neither his mother nor father were afraid of the moonlight.

They ran to the town's police station, begging the mayor to send someone in a Nightcloak to search for his brother.

But the mayor said there were no extra Nightcloaks left—they had all been taken by others to carry out tasks.

It wasn't until the next morning, when the sun came up, that little Jack found his brother, curled up in a ball, his body cold and pale.

It was also then that he saw the person the mayor had mentioned, coming out of a strange house.

Later, Jack heard his father say that was the town's casino.

Little Jack took a deep breath. He could no longer remember what his brother looked like.

He used to often think that if only he had a Nightcloak, he would have found his brother that night and brought him back.

But now, he no longer indulged in such fantasies.

When someone dies, they're truly gone, never to return. Those who remain must live well.

That was something his mother often said to him, and he always remembered it.

Carefully avoiding the moonlight, little Jack finally found a piece of bread in the kitchen that hadn't been eaten yet.

The bread was enough to stop his stomach from growling, allowing him to get a good night's rest, so he could help his father with more work tomorrow.

But after thinking for a moment, little Jack put the bread down. He knew it was the breakfast his mother had prepared for his father.

He turned and took a drink of cold water, gulping it down.

At that moment, he heard footsteps from the street just outside the kitchen window.

Little Jack quickly realized it must be those important people leaving after the banquet.

Looking at the moonlight streaming through the window, he hesitated for a moment, then decided to sneak a glance. The more he knew about Nightcloaks, the better. Perhaps one day he might actually possess one, and then he could help his father more at night.

The cold moonlight made little Jack shiver, and he fought against the chill running through his body. He peered through the window, and saw a small figure walking down the street.

It was a girl, about his size, though her skin seemed unusually pale. Jack vaguely felt he had seen such skin somewhere before.

She wasn't wearing a Nightcloak, yet she was able to walk in the moonlight. She must be one of those legendary Hunters, he thought. But could there really be such a small Hunter?

Suddenly, Jack felt that perhaps becoming a Hunter might allow him to help his father with more work.

But at that moment, the little girl turned around.

As their gazes met, Jack instantly saw the image of his deceased brother flash in his mind. Fear gripped him, and he quickly pulled the curtain shut, preparing to retreat to his bedroom.

After Jack turned and left, a white serpentine creature silently slithered through the gap in the window.

...

On the street, a crow circled above, landing on a rooftop. It stared at the little girl below, then curiously spoke.

"Mr. Vil, what's going on?"

At that moment, the creature, identical in appearance to Alice, smiled slightly at the crow's question and casually responded, "Nothing, just a little unlucky kid."

The crow, seemingly thoughtful, glanced towards Jack's house and muttered, "Yes, poor thing. Let's go. The banquet is over, and our target has returned to their room. It's time to act."

Together, the man and the crow began walking slowly towards the police station in the darkness.

Inside a luxurious room at the police station, Duke Morton was lying in bed, humming a cheerful tune.

He reminisced about the banquet earlier, and couldn't help but chuckle. Everyone at the banquet had treated him like the person to please. Though his status in Dorey City was once decent, it had never been like this before.

As a member of the Morton family, he wasn't a key figure, just someone who had a bit of the Morton blood running through his veins. But even so, that was enough for him to live a life of comfort without ever needing to work again.

As long as he remained within the jurisdiction of Holy City, no one would dare to provoke him.

Thinking of the promise made by the Lord of Dorey City, that as long as he waited here for Finniel's arrival, there would be immense wealth and beautiful women, Duke Morton's humming grew louder.

The alcohol in his system was beginning to take effect, and he started feeling drowsy. He decided to get some good sleep, after all, tomorrow there would be many people competing to present him with gifts.

The next moment, a breeze passed through, causing Duke Morton, who was about to fall asleep, to suddenly feel puzzled.

Wasn't the window supposed to be closed?

Duke Morton opened his eyes, and saw a small figure standing silently by his bed, watching him.

Before he could make sense of it, the little girl suddenly opened her mouth wide, and a white serpentine creature immediately emerged from her mouth.

The horrifying scene struck Duke Morton with an indescribable terror. He instinctively opened his mouth, intending to scream.

However, the white serpent was incredibly fast, immediately slithering into his mouth and traveling down his throat into his body.

The thick, powerful body of the serpent made it impossible for him to fight back or bite.

One minute later, Duke Morton twisted his neck and looked down at the body on the floor, which looked exactly like Alice's. Without hesitation, he picked it up and casually tossed it out of the window.

Duke Morton—or rather, Vil—spoke quietly to the space outside the window:

"It's up to you, Rock."

The next moment, countless red eyes suddenly lit up in the darkness. Crows silently landed on the ground, opening their mouths to reveal human-like teeth. They began tearing apart the body, which resembled Alice.

Soon, all the flesh and bones were completely consumed by the crows.

The crow that had first spoken now flew up to the window, watching Vil, who was still lying on the bed, humming his song, and asked:

"Mr. Vil, are you sure you can pull this off? If we fail, we're finished."

Vil's voice slowly responded: "Don't worry about the Morton Family. A whole city of residents and five Gold-level Hunters. As long as we don't harm Finniel Morton, they won't go all out to hunt us down. After all, Holy City is on the verge of chaos."

"And the Moon Worship Sect will also come. This plan is foolproof."

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