Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 282 The Three-Day War
The sky is falling.

When the diplomat stormed off, the dynasty's ministers all looked ashen-faced, not only because a war was about to break out, but also because everything they had painstakingly planned over the past few months had vanished.

Regardless of the outcome of this war, they will not gain anything.

Even if this heir to the throne, who appeared out of nowhere, does win the war, they will be met with a full reckoning—their initial negotiations have already demonstrated this.

The meeting ended in discord, and the ministers, still wanting to make a final effort, secretly sent people to contact the diplomats, only to learn of an impossible request.

If they can quell the dissenting voices in the capital by assassinating Vivian and Ethan, then there will be a possibility for both sides to sit down and negotiate again. But by then, the other side will definitely make exorbitant demands regarding territorial concessions and reparations.

"Teacher, what should we do next?"

In the dead of night in the palace, Vivian asked in distress.

In truth, she couldn't quite pinpoint the source of her distress. Was it the profound disappointment she felt as a Sivaranthine witnessing the chaos and decay of the late dynasty, or the bewilderment she felt about her unknown fate?

They came for Merlin's legacy and the Golden King, but were forced into the conflict that ended the Gallog dynasty.

The only one who could guide her on her path was Ethan.

"First of all, I am not your teacher."

Ethan reminded him, "Didn't you just ask me about the Empire? As long as Julius's faction exists, there will never be a day of peace for the Empire."

"So, we should get rid of them...?"

This was way beyond Vivian's capabilities.

Before the arrival of the Golden King, the political situation in Sivarandin was relatively stable. Born into such an environment, she had no opportunity to come into contact with the bloody battles.

A single sentence can decide the life or death of many people.

"That's what they thought."

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace, torches dispelled the darkness, and approached from afar. Guards clad in silver armor marched in perfect unison, and as the two men spoke, they enveloped the entire palace.

Even without the aid of the power of electricity, Ethan could guess what the court ministers were thinking at this moment: if they couldn't achieve their goal through trickery, they would resort to plunder, launch a rebellion, and use force to sweep away all opposing forces. After the victory, the charge of "betrayal" would be erased, and the victorious side would write a new history.

Driven to the brink of despair, the dynasty's ministers were bound to choose a desperate last stand.

Vivian stood on the high platform, the evening breeze blowing through her long hair and carrying the sound of hurried footsteps behind her. She looked in the direction of the sound and was met with an unexpected person.

The last king of the Galog dynasty, according to history books, was put on the throne by his ministers at the age of 14. Less than a few years after the dynasty split, he was overthrown by his brother in a coup that broke out in Sivarandin due to his incompetence.

Vivian knew what happened next. Later generations gave the coup high praise, saying that it completely eradicated the cancer of the dynasty. Most of the criminals who caused the defeat in the war were arrested and sent to the gallows. Under the rule and reforms of the new king, Sivarandin gradually prospered.

As for the young king who only reigned for a few years and was eventually overthrown after being branded with countless insults, he disappeared from history books.

Some believe he was executed along with his ministers, while others say his brother spared his life out of brotherly affection.

And now, this puppet king, whom even historians are reluctant to mention, is standing in front of Vivian. During the meeting just now, he remained silent throughout, leaving no deep impression on her. The king himself seemed uninterested in the matters that had the ministers arguing so fiercely. His expression was wooden, and he looked like an empty shell that had lost its soul.

The one who escorted the king was the chief of the royal guard.

Nominally, only the royal family has the power to mobilize the royal guards. This power structure is very common, just like the imperial knights are only under the command of the Henry family. For this reason, Julius had to go to great lengths to get rid of such a "disobedient" knight commander.

However, the current scene does not look like an assassination.

If the young king had listened to his ministers' advice and ordered the guards to execute them, he would not have needed to be present in person.

"Vivian Garlog".

This was the only name the young king remembered during the meeting.

His tone was solemn. He was no longer a soulless puppet. His gaze was resolute as he asked, "Can you change this country?"

...........................

Three days later, in the Kingdom of Philaze, in the capital city of Emerald.

The sound of things being smashed came from the main hall of the palace, and the servants all fell silent.

This should have been a war that could have been won effortlessly, but recently a series of bad news have been coming.

The king's face was ashen. They were fighting a ghost, who was always one step ahead of them. Just now, more bad news came from the front lines. On the very day the army set out, the adjutant found the commander dead in his tent. The manner of death was exactly the same as before—a silver arrow pierced his heart, killing this extraordinary man who could fight against a hundred men before he could put up any resistance.

The messenger from the front brought back the killer's arrow, which still shimmered with a silvery light.

This was more like a warning; the soldiers on the front lines were already filled with anxiety and their morale was at its lowest point.

They always give warnings before the ghosts arrive.

A ceasefire would end the hunt.

The Gallog dynasty was also beset by bad news, and all these changes pointed to Vivian Gallog.

She possesses the blood of the Garog clan, but no one knows where she came from, like a chosen one who suddenly descends from the sky when a corrupt dynasty is about to fall.

Over the past three days, the capital has undergone a major purge. Ministers who were bribed by Philaze or who surrendered to them were all purged. Their homes were ransacked by the guards and they were imprisoned almost within a day.

As a result, no one could reveal the dynasty's troop deployment to them before the war began, and winning the war seemed like an unattainable dream.

The king glanced at the arrows brought back by the messenger; he hated the feeling.

The ghost had already hunted down more than ten officers, yet no one had ever seen its face.

He waved his hand angrily, and the messenger breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly left the hall, leaving behind the king and the woman who wore a gorgeous gold-trimmed dress and a strange gold mask. She was originally a saint of the Papacy, but not long ago she heard the Supreme King's revelation and voluntarily put on such a strange mask for herself.

She brought news of the High King.

The death of the High Guardian Merlin signifies the end of the Gallog dynasty's fortunes, making this the perfect time to launch a military campaign and annex its territory.

The king heeded the saint's suggestion, and the war initially unfolded exactly as she had described. Had it not been for the sudden appearance of Vivian Garlog, they would have already won the war.

"As you can see, the course of fate has changed."

The saintess did not need to speak; her voice reached directly into the king's mind.

"Is the elemental power master next to Vivian-Galog really Merlin?"

This was the second time the king had questioned the saintess. In his understanding, only the great guardian of the dynasty could rewrite fate and reverse the course of the war.

But he dared not think any further. If Merlin were to come back to life, the entire Philaze would face annihilation. He was now in a predicament, and all of this was caused by the Holy Maiden and the High King she had mentioned.

"Your Majesty, Merlin is dead, that is certain." The whisper that kept echoing in his mind sounded calm, seemingly unaffected by the recent series of bad news.

These days he has been restless and unable to eat or sleep. Whenever he thinks about the news brought back by the diplomats, his heart is filled with unease. The troops stationed in the Land of Gold are all the elite of Philaze, and their purpose is to prepare for a military conquest if the negotiations do not go smoothly. It is also thanks to those treacherous ministers that they were able to place the troops in the Land of Gold.

Yet this elite force was almost completely wiped out by a meteorite that fell from the sky.

Even more strangely, the diplomats claimed that the damage and fire caused by the meteorite did not affect the Gold Country, and the guards who were also affected by the meteorite were all unharmed.

A meteorite with the ability to distinguish friend from foe.

The king could only have such thoughts, but he still couldn't understand the diplomat's claim that the Garogs who were burned by the golden flames were not only not burned, but their original wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Where did that elemental sculptor come from?"

"future."

"future?"

"That is a world in which you have already triumphed."

The conversation was becoming increasingly perplexing. The king stared intently at the golden mask on the saintess's face. Ever since she heard the voice of the Supreme King, she had become more and more eccentric.

A formidable foe from the future?

"Are they here specifically to oppose me?"

“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, you are not as important as you think. Beings like them would not come specifically to deal with you.”

The merciless reply made the king's face turn red, his breathing became more and more rapid, and he tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart.

Reason told him that he also needed the saintess and the mysterious Supreme King she mentioned.

Now, it seems that only the tip of the iceberg has been lifted before his eyes. "His true target is the High King?"

There's also the saint's unintentional revelation of "beings like them."

Is it...

Are there actually many more like this?

So what about Merlin? Is Merlin one of them?
The king was filled with doubts, which actually calmed his anger a little. If the elemental shaper was after the High King, it meant that Filazar had gained an ally who could be compared to him.

"What about you?"

The king then asked, "Is your mission merely to stand by and watch? If we suffer a complete defeat, it shouldn't do the High King any good, should it?"

"Our mission is complete."

"say clearly."

"When meteorites fell from the skies of the Land of Gold, when Vivian-Galog appeared in the palace, when destiny changed, our mission was complete."

This explanation only confused the king further, but he realized one thing—everything that had happened in the past three days seemed to be part of the Supreme King's plan.

This feeling was terrible; it made him feel like a pawn in someone else's game, unable to decide his own position or see the direction of his fate.

The saintess seemed to see through the king's thoughts and said, "Those who wantonly change destiny will inevitably bear the corresponding price. This is an unchanging rule of the world. Even people like them are no exception. Merlin is an example of this, and so is that elemental sculptor."

"No matter what twists and turns occur along the way, fate will eventually return to the same trajectory, and those individuals who cause fate to deviate will pay a heavy price."

The saintess said, "And all of this is governed by rules set by the goddess."

"I understand."

The king received the information he most wanted to hear.

Although he still did not know the exact identities of the Supreme King and the Goddess, the setbacks and twists were only temporary.

The future that the saint revealed to him brought him peace of mind.

He and Filaze were the victors; destruction was the fate of the Gallogans.

No one can change the course of fate.

……

On the other side, in the land of gold.

That morning, Ethan received an uninvited guest, and Vivian stared wide-eyed in disbelief upon seeing him.

She almost blurted out, "Father?"

She felt like her brain had stopped working. Why did her father suddenly appear in 407?
The one who brought King Sivarandin here was none other than Cynthia, carrying a longbow. However, compared to Ethan and Vivian, their way of getting along was somewhat strange.

The king was wearing a golden mask and had been knocked unconscious before being brought in, which makes one wonder if he had been in a coma recently.

“I don’t want to bring him along either, but the key to unlocking Merlin’s magic is the bloodline of Garlog.”

Cynthia said calmly.

Yoda and Kara set a bad example; they tried to imitate Ethan but ended up crashing into the wall and getting their hands full of glass shards. Cynthia, on the other hand, was much smarter. She noticed that Vivian-Galog was the key to the ritual, and even Ethan had Vivian push the cart across first.

Then she noticed King Sivarandin, who had been brought by Yoda.

She also found a handcart, tied the king tightly to it, and pushed the handcart into the wall.

“I admit I was a little disrespectful to the king, but I was forced to do so by the circumstances.”

Cynthia said, "I've taken care of things at the front. Philazee won't launch an attack anytime soon, so you can focus all your efforts on finding Merlin's legacy."

"I understand everything."

Ethan nodded. Cynthia had always been a reliable ally, but now he had to point out a problem that no one could ignore.

He pointed to the large bump on the back of the king's head, feeling as if the old king's head was deformed. "What happened?"

"...car accident."

Cynthia blushed and glanced away guiltily. "I was in a car accident."

(End of this chapter)