NOVPUBOn the other side of Ichrite, heavy dark clouds were about to veil the skyline of the Royal Capital.
In a café by the street, people gathered by the window, cradling hot cups of coffee in their hands, gazing dazedly at the rain curtain outside. The sound of the rain, accompanied by the faint jazz music in the café, made this indoor space, separated from the rain-swept view, seem exceptionally warm and comfortable.
The sudden downpour constantly cleansed and washed the streets. Raindrops pattered on the lampshades, trees were weighed down by the soaked leaves, and people on the street were rushing into nearby stores or hurriedly seeking shelter under their umbrellas to avoid the rain.
In the Boss Cat Restaurant, which was two streets away from Ichrite Academy, the wind chime under the eaves was wetted by the rain, swinging in the wind and issuing a mellower sound than usual.
The door of the restaurant was occasionally pushed open and closed. Everything seemed peaceful. There were only a few customers casually enjoying their breakfast in a corner.
The waitress was wiping glassware at the counter, her head down in concentration. The ancient chandelier emitted a warm yellow light, adding a warmth to the small space.
"Why isn’t boss cat back yet..."
The waitress looked up at the clock in the restaurant and murmured.
Although their restaurant was not primarily a breakfast establishment, it had more customers than usual due to the weather.
If boss cat didn’t come back soon, she, a single person, might not be able to cope with taking orders and serving meals, and she would have to go upstairs to ask Miss Tata for help.
But it seemed that Miss Tata was sleeping in today. It was already ten o’clock, and she hadn’t come downstairs yet.
Looking out the window, the waitress quickly understood why.
Raindrops beat on the eaves, tick-tocking like a rhythmically continuous background music. Water converging from the roof formed a small waterfall that dripped along the eave.
Anyone would want to just stay home and laze around all day in such weather.
If possible, the waitress didn’t want to disturb Tata, she just hoped that the cat, now drenched into a lump of black coal by the heavy rain, would hurry back.
"Order number 17 is ready."
The voice from the kitchen brought the waitress back to her senses, and she quickly headed in the direction of the kitchen window.
She gently lifted a white porcelain plate, on which lay a delicate dish: a golden fried chicken fillet paired with a bright-coloured fruit salad, adorned with a few drops of light yellow lemon juice, and each sauce served on the side allowed the customers to add various flavours to the dish.
The waitress’s steps were both light and efficient.
She walked towards a dining table near the aisle of the restaurant. A young man was quietly sipping his coffee and appreciating the view outside the window, as if waiting for something.
Although he was handsome, his unassuming temperament made him quite unnoticeable.
When the waitress approached, the young man finally raised his head and showed an expectant smile.
"Here is your chicken salad sir,"
The waitress said softly, placing the plate gently on the table.
"Thank you."
The young man nodded at the waitress in thanks, then turned his eyes to the exquisite food.
Returning to her counter, the waitress saw that this guest was not a regular, but his shoulders and the edges of his clothes were still wet from the rain. Like many others in the restaurant, he was passing by and chose to get a meal and rest here because of the weather.
The restaurant quietened down again, with only the sound of rain outside the window and the soothing music, creating a peaceful atmosphere as always.
The young man slowly opened the fabric cutlery bag on the dining table and took out a delicate silver fork and knife.
Although he seemed no different from the students from Ichrite Academy who usually came to the restaurant, the way he enjoyed his breakfast revealed an unusual care and taste, almost like conducting a delicate surgery.
He spread the napkin over his knees, then used the knife and fork to cut the chicken fillet in front of him, spearing only a small piece at a time, tasting carefully in his mouth until it was chewed to bits.
Then he delicately cut a slice of fresh croissant, spread a layer of pale yellow butter on it, and carefully put it in his mouth.
He drank his coffee the same way.
He didn’t swallow hastily, but first savoured its aroma before taking small sips.
Every move he made was calm and precise. He was fully immersed in the process, savouring the food which was both breakfast and lunch.
About ten minutes had passed, and only a third of the food in front of him had been consumed, yet no one found it odd.
He was indeed waiting for a lady.
However, she was his target to kill.
He was certain that Miss Duchess Hyperion was upstairs in this shop.
It seemed that after the second Shadow World, she had reaped quite a bit, finally moving out of the school.
This was normal, as some of the students at Ichrite Academy did not often live in the school dormitories and usually stayed in their own residences.
His only doubt was why the Duchess would choose to live here.
However, when he tasted the cuisine of the Boss Cat Restaurant himself at this moment, he understood that there indeed was a reason for Miss Duchess choosing this place.
"Customer, are you satisfied with our restaurant?"
The waitress delivered a dish to another customer and passed by the young man again, noticing the smile of satisfaction on his face, barely visible, she asked.
Because he was sitting in a position close to the aisle, anyone heading towards the entrance of the shop - for instance, to the counter, would pass by him.
"Very satisfied, if there is a chance in the future, I will visit again."
The young man nodded in a pleasant manner.
However, in spite of what he said.
Regrettably, there probably wouldn’t be any such opportunity in the future.
This restaurant, most likely is doing business on its last day today.
He was Phoenix, a second-year student at the Royal Arolan Academy who lived with his younger sister Felice.
But in fact, he was an elite believer who lay hidden in the modern world and was loyal to the Bishop of Destruction, and ordinarily, he would never act.
Normally, he would be in a state of deep self-hypnosis, not even remembering that he was a Resurrection Believer.
Only when he received a command or when there was an opportunity to execute a command would he awaken himself.
To want to kill Duchess Huberian, or to place her in a basically doomed situation even if unable to kill her, and muffle the relationship between the two countries, he was the only suitable person.
Duchess Huberian was in the open, and he in the hidden, Phoenix was quite certain that his Fifth-order could produce Duchess Huberian’s lifesaving cards in a near-distance sneak attack.
This time, not only did he carry a spell for blocking the terrain, equipment for seeing invisibility, but he also had two spells bestowed by the Bishop of Destruction.
[Great Puppet Theater]
[Category: Magic Card]
[Grade: Pink Divine]
[Rank: 4]
[Effect: Only for use on First-order and below targets, can control the movements of all targets within 100 meters, the more targets controlled, the longer the time, the more complex the behaviour, the more of a burden it puts on the user’s spirit and the greater the consumption of mana, cooldown time 24 hours.]
[Note: Death in peace, devoid of dramatic tension.]
In a restaurant environment, this spell, which is not much use in an average battle, but it could easily saddle Duchess Huberian with the blame for slaughtering civilians.
Moreover, Duchess Huberian who was unlikely to wantonly slaughter civilians under any circumstances, when faced with the sudden crazy attacks and interference of the civilians, her actions would become bound and restricted.
This was a little game that the Bishop of Destruction often played, each time the Bishop of Destruction could undoubtedly beat his opponent, but he liked to battle his opponent together with the civilians, and then savor the expressions of the righteous soldiers accidentally killing a civilian one after another as they collapsed and raged helplessly.
As for the second spell——
[Destruction Spark]
[Category: Magic Card]
[Grade: Pink Divine]
[Rank: 5]
[Passive effect: When the cardholder dies, triggers a massive destructive fiery explosion]
[Note: A leading role in a mass killing drama, helmed by me.]
It will ensure that today, Huberian could be killed without fail.
Similarly, it was also the Bishop of Destruction’s judgement of death for him.
The patrons of this restaurant today, and the innocent guests inside, would unfortunately all have to join Miss Duchess in death if things went as planned.
They can’t be considered completely innocent though, can they?
Phoenix chuckled, a hint of sarcasm gleaming from within his calm eyes.
Just like natural disasters that strike indiscriminately, these civilians were merely chosen by the Death God, that’s all there was to it.
If you really must blame someone, then you can only blame Miss Duchess for choosing this place.
After all, existing is a sin for her who courts disaster.
Had she died earlier by herself, she wouldn’t have dragged these unrelated people to their deaths.
