Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 425 The Other Side of the Wall

Blood Duke, Mir-Bloodthorn.

When she was in Gear City, Qina had never heard of the Duke's deeds. Compared to Grand Duke Ash, who always dragged rebels into public places to torture and kill them, Mir was a low-key nobleman.

Qina spent the whole day observing Mir-Bloodthorn. The Grand Duke's life was very regular. His hobby when he had nothing to do was to stay in his study and read. Except when he was blinded by the mirror of the other side in the afternoon, he hardly left his seat. The afternoon tea snacks and midnight snacks were delivered by the maids.

He was a low-key and reserved man who spoke in a gentle and kind manner, without the haughty airs of a nobleman.

China thought about it all day, but still couldn't figure out where the title of Bloody Duke came from.

This was her fourth time observing the Duke up close. She tidied up the dinner tableware and tray, and then picked up a rag and mop to clean the study. She was very good at these things. Before her sister disappeared, their family, although not wealthy, lived happily in Gear City.

She started helping her parents with housework when she was very young. The family's dream was to save enough money to open a small shop in the city.

Then one day, she went to the market and never came back.

The once happy and harmonious family was instantly shattered by a sudden change. The mother fell seriously ill, and the father spent all the family's savings and incurred debts to treat her. However, the mother could not be saved, and the father was taken away by debt collectors because he could not repay the debts and never returned.

Their small house was quickly mortgaged.

One night, Qina heard noises in her sleep. The debt collectors had returned. She had a premonition of something, so she climbed out of the window into the backyard and ran out into the street under the cover of night. She walked aimlessly forward until she unknowingly left Gear City.

The Bloody Duke was a clue left to her by her teacher.

Thinking of this, Qina took a deep breath, her hand holding the mop trembling slightly.

She trusted her teacher, which meant she was only one step away from the truth.

Night fell, and the Bloodthorn family manor was eerily quiet. The crystal lamp on the table was still lit, and in a daze, Qina saw that the entire study was stained red.

The color of blood, or perhaps a raging fire.

The teacher hinted to her more than once, advising her not to continue the investigation.

That was over a decade ago. In those years, she transformed from a young girl into a messenger for the resistance, and she also realized what a long-term disappearance meant in the Silver Empire.

"Your Majesty the Duke."

China took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and suppressed her trembling hands, trying her best to present the most harmless side of a young girl to the Duke.

Upon hearing this, Mir-Bloodthorn, who was looking down at his book, raised his head and glanced at Qina with his indifferent eyes.

"Excuse me... have you ever heard of a girl named Serena?"

Qina knew it was abrupt to ask such a question, but that was precisely why she had come. She quickly gestured with her hands and said, "About this tall, with long, curly, wheat-colored hair, gray-green eyes, some freckles on the bridge of her nose, and a gentle smile."

This is her sister from her memories, almost all of which are beautiful.

My older sister is a gentle person, and she always brings some candy with her when she comes home.

Mir-Bloodthorn didn't even bother to answer. He just gave Qina a deep look before turning over the parchment book on the table again, his face expressionless.

"She's from Gear City. If you've met her, she'll definitely leave a very good impression on you..."

In fact, before infiltrating the Mil-Bloodthorn family's manor, a sliver of unrealistic fantasy still lingered deep in Qina's heart: perhaps her sister hadn't died; who would have the heart to kill someone as gentle and capable as her? Perhaps she had been left in the manor and become one of the many maids.

However, her hopes were ultimately dashed.

She couldn't find Serena in the manor, which was as big as a maze. The servants were all quite indifferent, and even if she greeted them warmly, she would only be met with a cold face. It was difficult to even exchange pleasantries, let alone ask them anything.

Even now, China doesn't know why the head maid took a vial of her blood.

Her intuition told her that this might be related to the origin of the title "Bloody Duke" or even her sister's disappearance.

“Mr. Bloodthorn, I think you should answer her question.”

Just as Qina was wondering how to continue the conversation, a reassuring voice came from the entrance of the study. Without turning around, she knew it was Solan.

That's the charm of a hero; he always appears when people need him.

At this moment, Solan was wearing a helmet and standard light armor, with the emblem representing the Bloodthorn family—a blooming red rose—engraved on his breastplate.

“I’ve heard of your reputation; you’re not like the scum of the Simpler family.”

Solan's impassioned speech finally piqued Mil-Bloodthorn's interest. He raised an eyebrow and asked with great interest, "Oh? What's the difference between me and Ash-Simpler?"

"You are humble and low-key, never make enemies, and never attend their gatherings."

"That's it..."

Mir-Bloodthorn looked at Qina, “Wheat-colored long curly hair, gray-green pupils, a very straight nose, from Gear City, I do know such a person.”

"Her name is Serena, and she's my older sister!"

China's breathing quickened instantly. "I just want... I just want to know where she is!"

A suffocating silence followed Qina.

Solan and Qina felt as if they were living in an eternity in this room.

After an unknown amount of time, Mir-Bloodthorn spoke again, “Since Lady Solan has come in person, I will answer you—she went to the palace and met one of the most distinguished people in the country on September 12, 13 years ago.”

As the head of the Bloodthorn family, he should remember the information about each batch of sacrifices; this is the family's traditional duty.

"Does Serena... work at the royal palace?"

A glimmer of hope rekindled in Qina.

"You can interpret it that way."

"She's a capable girl who has done an excellent job," Mir-Bloodthorn said. "If you want to see her, I can arrange for you to meet, after all, you share the same blood."

I want to see her as soon as possible—

"Qina, come behind me!"

Solan suddenly raised his voice and drew his sword. Almost at the same time, hurried footsteps burst into the study. The guards who should not have been there were fully armed, and rows of muskets were pointed at the two of them.

"As for you, Lord Solan, perhaps it is time for you to come with me to meet His Majesty Henry."

"Your Grace, what do you mean by this?" Solan warily pointed his sword at Mir, covering Qina as she retreated to the window.

"Hehe, little rascal, haven't you noticed yet?"

A standard villainous laugh blocked the two from Mil-Bloodthorn, whose flamboyant fiery red hair and imposing figure became an insurmountable wall.

Solan's pupils widened in disbelief.

Despite the red-haired woman wearing a masquerade for the ball, he recognized her at a glance—this was the first person he had encountered after being transported to another world by Ilya, the hero who had truly defeated the Demon King. He couldn't understand why the great hero he respected would collude with the nobles of the Silver Empire.

Apart from the musketeers who stormed into the study, the downstairs area was already heavily surrounded by guards.

Solan finally realized that it was a trap, and their identities had been exposed from the moment they infiltrated the manor.

What exactly is the problem?
"Little girl, that trusted teacher betrayed you. It's all your fault. Why did you accidentally reveal to him that you knew the whereabouts of the hero?"

In an instant, Qina's face also turned pale, as if she could not accept the fact that she had been betrayed by her teacher.

"Let me reintroduce you. This is my little brother, Mi Zi."

The other side asked, "Miko, how much money did you give that information broker?"

Unfortunately, the atmosphere in the study didn't liven up thanks to the other side's efforts; this time, it was the manor's guards who stared wide-eyed.

Treason!
Who are you calling Mi Zi?

The sight was truly bizarre. The man on the other side, who appeared to be the same age as the Duke's children, was calling the Duke "little brother."

With a dark expression, Mir-Bloodthorn naturally ignored the other side.

"Since none of you are going to speak, I'll do the talking, so you can all die knowing the truth."

The other side looked directly into Qina's eyes. "Your sister Serena was sacrificed long ago. Haven't you heard of a folk remedy? Bathing in the blood of a virgin is the secret to eternal youth. This has been a glorious tradition of the Silver Glow Empire for a long time. If you ask me, your sister being able to become a part of this glorious tradition is already a blessing for her."

The voice from the other side was quite loud, sounding like a bullying villain, allowing the guards downstairs to hear the current queen's secret: "On the evening of September 12th, 13 years ago, your sister Serena, along with three other sacrifices 'invited' from all over the empire, were personally brought into the palace by Miko. He prepared for Queen Elizabeth's annual blood bath for an entire night, a very laborious process, as they had to ensure that the sacrifices remained conscious during the blood bath."

She paused briefly, "In other words, your sister Serena watched herself bleed to death... This touched the taboo of immortality, and the first head of the family obtained the title, the 'Fire Seed,' and their generations of wealth and honor in exchange for it."

The study was deathly silent.

Qina clenched her fists, tears streaming down her face.

"So, even if you know the truth, what can you do?"

Bi'an arrogantly spread his arms and looked at Solan, "Although breaking through the window and using the cover of the woods to escape through the damaged wall in the southwest corner of the manor is a good idea, do you think you can slip away under my nose?"

The other side let out a cold laugh.

She took a step forward. "Solan, the Hero Game is over. In the real world, your skills are no threat to anyone. Just like now, while you're daydreaming, my sword is already pointed at you—ouch!"

A cry of pain startled the guards in the study once again.

The red-haired woman, who was arrogant and seemed to have everything under control just a second ago, was now lying on her back on the ground, her panicked expression perfectly portraying the scene of a villain being slapped in the face.

"What?! How is this possible?! You've actually reached that level! Quick, you all need to stop the Duke! Today's heroes are not what they used to be!"

The guards were in a flurry of activity, but once they came to their senses, Solan immediately gathered his battle aura and leaped down from the third floor of the study, carrying Qina in his arms.

Although he had no idea what "that realm" referred to, he was quite certain that the other side had slipped and fallen on its own, and that it was the kind of slip that wasn't very good at acting. In addition, he also sensed the look in the other side's eyes.

As expected, the red-haired lady is a good person!

His powerful battle aura shielded him from a volley of fire from the musketeers. Following the instructions from the other side, he led Qina into the woods and fled towards the southwest wall of the manor.

The musketeers originally intended to give chase, but upon learning that the hero had reached "that level" and that even the thugs hired by the Duke had been defeated, they immediately slowed down, pretended to circle around the grove, and agreed to say that they had "lost him".

Having escaped the grove, Solan immediately spotted the southwest corner wall mentioned by the other side.

The hole was man-made; it looked like someone with superhuman strength punched the wall when the manor guards weren't looking.

Closer, closer.

It was late at night, and the people celebrating had all dispersed. As long as he and Qina hid in the darkness, they could easily evade their pursuers. Solan began to plan his next move. First, he needed to contact Lance and Zoffy to find a hiding place before making any further plans.

Solan was the first to rush out of the wall, leaving the pursuers and the noise behind.

However, the next moment, the giant sword that came hurtling through the air tore through the barrier formed by the battle aura, and the blade pierced through his left chest, pinning him to the wall.

Under the cover of night, another man with red hair stood out.

Outside the wall, a dense crowd of people, dressed in identical armor and wielding muskets and shields, blocked the way like a human wall.

Imperial Army Commander-in-Chief Cedric Thorne!

Solan struggled to sit up and looked ahead with blurry vision. Behind Thorne was another familiar figure.

The eldest prince.

"Unfortunately, it seems the rumors are true."

The eldest prince looked down at Solan from his high position, "The hero has colluded with the rebels and has now betrayed the empire... Imperial Army, fulfill your duties."

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the study.

The sounds of panic in the study abruptly ceased as footsteps approached.

Looking up from the other side, they saw a man in a black cloak walk into the study.

"Oh, what a coincidence, the man in the black cloak."

She sat on the floor and took the initiative to greet the other person.

The man in the black cloak ignored the other side and turned to Mir-Bloodthorn instead.

"You've worked hard; His Highness will remember your contributions."

(End of this chapter)