Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 416 Never Forget the Original Intention!

Something must have gone wrong.

Ilya knew her friend well, and she was certain that he would never become a good person just because of a stranger's words. In addition, the rumors that had been quietly spreading among the nobles in the capital recently made her think that there was a big problem between Ethan and that white-haired woman. However, after her previous setback at the Simpler family, she had to change her strategy.

She had already determined that these two outsiders were more formidable enemies than the Demon King.

She cannot act rashly before she has decisive evidence, otherwise the outcome could very well be the same embarrassing ending as last time.

Ilya still couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep that night and that she had coincidentally met the crew member in her dream and obtained all the truths she wanted to know from him. Looking back now, it all seemed too easy, so easy that it felt like a trap carefully set up specifically for her.

And the other party has clearly achieved its goal.

She left Cedric and her former companions with the impression of "paranoia," leaving her isolated and helpless in the subsequent investigation. This time, the commander of the Imperial Army would no longer come with her to investigate in the middle of the night, which meant that even if she did find any clues, she was very likely to be silenced during the investigation.

The thought sent chills down Ilya's spine.

The entire capital was now immersed in the joyous atmosphere of the celebration, but perhaps only she noticed the crisis lurking beneath the lively surface.

Ilya met Ethan again outside the palace. He was diligently answering the nobles' questions about the festival as their festival advisor. In reality, they were all there for the rewards promised by His Majesty Henry, and even if the hope was slim, they were willing to do everything in their power for it.

Ilya decided to approach Ethan first. She stayed nearby until the afternoon and finally got the chance to meet Ethan alone. He seemed to be returning to his residence in the palace, and Ilya quickly followed him.

"Mr. Ethan, do you have some time later?"

This time, she tried her best to show the manners of a noble lady, and even her tone of voice unconsciously returned to the way she used to disguise herself in the hero's party.

"I want to come here specifically to apologize for the misunderstanding I made about you last time."

As she spoke, Ilya felt extremely uneasy.

That's a perfect reason, provided Ethan doesn't hold a grudge against her because of it...

Well, she admitted that thinking that way was a bit unrealistic, since if her previous accusations were proven true, Ethan and the white-haired woman would face the death penalty.

She could only pray that Ethan was at least willing to maintain a semblance of harmony—just like most nobles in the capital, who, even if they hated each other to the core, would still greet each other with smiles and pleasantries at banquets.

"There's no need for that. Your suspicions are understandable. After all, the empire has been in turmoil lately, so it's always good to be cautious."

"Please accept my formal apology."

Ilya effortlessly adopted a pitiful expression, but before Ethan could speak, a familiar figure blocked their path. The white-haired woman took Ethan's arm and glanced haughtily at Ilya. "Holy Mage, may I ask what business you have with my husband?"

husband?

Ilya was taken aback.

She habitually glanced at Ethan. She knew that her sweet looks and status were her innate weapons. In the past, whenever she spoke in this way, others would readily agree to her requests. However, Ethan's expression did not change at all. He remained calm and businesslike.

"I want to come here in person to apologize to you, if you have time later..."

"No need."

Winter interrupted Ilya's act of feigning helplessness, and she showed no concern for Ethan whatsoever.

Ethan was already immune to such low-level tactics of feigning helplessness. First, her high-pitched voice needed adjustment, and her attitude of begging wasn't humble enough. More importantly, Ilya couldn't hide her little scheme at all.

The skill level is too low.

Meanwhile, her husband Ethan faces high-level challenges every day.

"Indeed."

Ethan immediately stated, "As an advisor to the celebration, it's bound to raise suspicion if I contact you privately at this time, which is also unfair to the other participants."

This answer left Ilya speechless.

fair?

In the capital, this was a word unfamiliar to everyone. From childhood to adulthood, she only used this word in some grand speeches for the public. After she became an adult, she rarely used this word even in those speeches. After all, the current state of the Silver Empire was what it was, and constantly emphasizing this word would inevitably be seen as sarcastic.

Defeat the Demon King, the battle never ends.

This was the propaganda slogan that the empire later promoted. Nobles and merchants also instilled this concept in the citizens of the empire from top to bottom: if you feel that your life is very hard now, then don't doubt it, it is all the work of the Demon King.

As long as the hero team can successfully defeat the Demon King, everything will be alright.

However, when Ethan responded to her in that way, Ilya didn't know what to say.

She could only watch helplessly as Winter affectionately linked arms with Ethan, walked up the steps, and disappeared at the other end of the palace gates.

Ilya clenched her fists in resentment. She felt lost, as even her most reliable weapon was ineffective. She truly had no idea how to deal with this stubborn man.

Somewhat disoriented, she walked in the opposite direction of the crowd, unsure of where to go. She wandered aimlessly through the streets of the capital. Cedric Thorne and Sera no longer believed her, and the Third Princess and Fabius were acting strangely, seemingly under the control of a witch.

She wanted to expose Ethan's true colors, but for a moment she didn't know where to start.

Until someone called out to her.

"Holy Mage, please wait."

Ilya looked up and was surprised to see the Imperial Chancellor, who was of equal status to the Grand Duke of Ash and even held more real power. He was the one who had been handling the conflicts within the Empire for Henry VI all these years. The improvements to the Hero Game and many other methods of diverting hatred were all proposed by the Chancellor.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the man before him as one of His Majesty Henry's most trusted men.

"I heard that you seem to have had some unpleasantness with Lord Ethan."

The prime minister took the initiative to start the conversation, "What are your thoughts on the recent rumors circulating in the capital?"

"What rumor?"

Ilya asked with a hint of wariness.

In reality, she was not close to the Chancellor. Unlike the Simpler family, a prestigious clan, the Chancellor was born into a baron's family in Cogstown. His father was not famous, and his mother was not born into a noble family. This young Chancellor gained the favor of Henry VI himself through a series of actions and gradually rose to his current position.

This is why he was only superficially friendly with the vast majority of the noble families in the capital.

The nobles disliked his rapid rise in rank and often gossiped about his impure bloodline.

But Henry VI needed someone who could solve his problems, freeing them from the internal strife of the empire, allowing him to be a hands-off ruler.

The nobles, represented by the Duke of Escher, who only knew how to consolidate their rule through killing and fear, were clearly unable to meet Henry VI's expectations.

"Of course, it's about rumors about witches."

Ilya suddenly noticed that the prime minister's expression was somewhat similar to Ethan's, a half-smile that made people feel neither aloof nor able to fathom what he was thinking. Instead, being stared at by those sharp eyes made one feel as if the other was about to see right through them.

This is why Ilya dislikes dealing with the Chancellor, and it's one of the few people to whom her charm has little effect. Almost all of her past "confrontations" have ended in the Chancellor's desired outcome. Each time, Ilya feels as if she's swallowed a fly.

The prime minister was very good at assessing the situation and often showed weakness in front of nobles who deliberately made things difficult for him, making people feel like a powerful punch that had been prepared for a long time was thrown at cotton.

Often, while they are celebrating thinking they have gained the upper hand, the prime minister has already achieved his goal.

"This is a misunderstanding."

This was the only person Ilya couldn't consider a comrade-in-arms. She replied against her will, "Besides, we've already cleared up the misunderstanding at the Simpler family's manor, and this matter is over."

"In that case, please set aside your prejudices and enjoy the celebration to the fullest, Your Excellency Holy Mage."

Ilya nodded and walked towards her mansion.

She couldn't yet deduce the prime minister's stance, and she couldn't help but suspect that Ethan and Winter's arrival was related to this man, because she had overheard some gossip from the servants when she visited the third princess at the palace today.

Henry VI was initially skeptical of the celebration proposed by the third princess, but it was the prime minister's strong recommendation that changed his mind, and he even offered "fire" as a reward.

Maybe……

The prime minister should also be included in the investigation.

Balmont-Margaret.

They came from a border trading city, a family so small that almost no one had ever heard of them.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, a meeting was in full swing.

As the initiator of the meeting, Xiao An was the first to stand on the coffee table.

"I think their depravity is understandable."

Today at the registration site, she leaned on Ethan's shoulder the whole time, listening intently to his conversations with the nobles from the capital.

This wasn't because she had recently learned her lesson, but because she was deeply shocked when a nobleman who had privately inquired about the celebration's projects was willing to offer Ethan his house deed as payment. This was the first time Xiao An had faced the allure of power so closely.

Do you know what they promised Moriko?

Xiao An propped herself up and got into the speech mode.

She admitted that she was craving it.

"What was promised?"

"I asked casually in the dead of winter."

"A house, a car, family heirloom jewelry, and their beautiful daughter!"

Winter, who was not initially interested in the topic, suddenly perked up her ears. "Tell me more about their beautiful daughter, and let me hear how he refused her."

Winter was confident in Ethan's composure, but those nobles were cunning and liked to get physical, often creating accidents like "two people falling down while hugging each other," making them impossible to guard against.

She was all too familiar with women's little tricks.

Because she has tackled Ethan more than ten times, in different occasions, environments, and atmospheres.

Intentional, accidental, or intentional and accidental—in short, she tried it all in most cases.

Although Ethan is a genius in the field of elemental magic, it does not mean that Ethan is perfect. At least he has many of the common problems of elemental magicians. Although he is not physically weak, he can at least succeed in his slamming attacks every time.

This is very dangerous.

To put it another way, Ethan is like a Michelin three-star fatty, while the capital of the Silver Empire is full of dogs that have been starving for five or six days.

"Especially those who want to create an accident, how does he handle that?"

While asking Little Dark, Winter carefully sniffed Ethan.

Very good, it still tastes like cherry blossoms and hasn't been tainted with any strange wild flavors.

Cats are very sensitive to smells, and Winter believed that while the slightest movement might escape her eyes, it would never escape her nose.

"It's no different from refusing that holy mage just now... but that's not the point! The point is that if Ethan had agreed to their request, he would probably be the richest man in the Silver Glow Empire by now!"

Xiao An had no idea what the "fire seed" was all about, that it could make these nobles flock to it.

She was really curious about how Ethan managed to stand firm and not make mistakes. If it were her, she would have accepted anything given to her, whether it was a house, jewelry, or a person, and put it all into her storage space first.

"very good."

Winter crossed her arms and nodded in satisfaction. "Do you remember our previous match?"

"what match?"

"Cat Showdown"

Xiao An suddenly remembered that she had gone out to observe stray cats in order to defeat Lin Dong in the competition, but she accidentally picked up the Demon King and took him home, which led to the series of changes that followed.

"What? You want to compete now? I'm not ready yet!"

"I can give you a few more days to prepare."

Winter said, “Tomorrow you’ll lie on his shoulder. If anyone tries to touch Ethan, breathe on them and bare your teeth and claws. If they still don’t listen to the warning, scratch them. Don’t scratch their clothes, and remember to scratch the exposed parts.”

"it is good……"

Xiao An nodded, then turned to Ethan's right. A startling idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Have you finally decided on the items for the celebration?"

"We've already made progress."

"Tell me quickly!"

Why are you suddenly interested in this?

"Moriko, I think we can split up and act separately."

"How exactly will you split up and act?"

"You continue to maintain a fair and just image in front of them, and then I'll sneak into their homes at night to collect bribes. That way, I'll have both a good reputation and money, won't I?"

(End of this chapter)