Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 346 Family
Morgana clenched her teeth so tightly they seemed about to shatter. This sight spurred her children into action, and they launched a coordinated attack on Ethan from different directions. However, Morgana sternly stopped their menacing gazes, shouting, "Stop! Go back to your rooms!"

She experienced an unstable state of "hunger" that she had never felt before.

This means that the Witcher Van Fleet's reasoning was only half correct.

Ethan is indeed not a ghoul, but he is definitely not an ordinary human either; he has an unusual connection with "hunger."

This is something that a young person who looks to be in his early twenties could not possibly do. According to Valerie's speculation about "hunger," it has probably existed for as long as the Old Gods, and for even longer than the existence of humans. It has some characteristics of natural elements, but it also has obvious differences.

A natural element with free will that can be observed by humans.

A natural element that has never been mentioned by any elemental sculptor, lurking in the darkness.

Morgana understood that this was a warning from "hunger" to her, and that if they insisted on defying its will, it would surely end in tragedy.

In this world shrouded in mist, no one can defy the will of "hunger," and now she understands something else: Ethan and Ivy's arrival was most likely also attracted by it.

Morgana tried to retract the claws she was swinging at Ethan, but this time the shadow wrapped around her arm did not stop her.

"Mr. Van Fleet."

Ethan called out to the witcher, who was about to slip away in the chaos, without turning his head. He didn't intend to look at him again. "Tell the villagers they'll be able to go home soon—this might be the last good thing you can do."

Morgana noticed a commotion coming from the first floor of the castle and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Ivy emerging from the wine cellar, supporting the weak Valerie.

Morgana was extremely disappointed.

She never treated Ivy with the same wariness she had with Ethan. She adored this delicate, doll-like girl, and if Ivy were willing to stay, they could become an inseparable family.

Morgana had heard of the Margaret family, the church's secret research with them, and the Holy Word spell that stripped away emotions. These things occupied a large part of the notebook her father left her, which made Morgana easily imagine Ivy's childhood, which was almost devoid of warmth from her family, and she felt a sense of kinship with her.

She decided to give Ivy a real family, but it turns out that Ivy wasn't deceived by Ethan; they were in cahoots from the beginning.

"Get out of here!"

Morgana stopped looking at Ethan and the others who were retreating towards the door.

Ethan gave Morgana a deep look. The electric element senior was kept outside the contaminated zone. Here, he could no longer see through Morgana's heart. He had no way of knowing what she was thinking at the moment. However, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Rather than a simple and direct answer, this allowed him to examine his relationship with the shadow element more carefully.

"I never imagined that Van Fleet, that seemingly respectable guy, would be a traitor!"

Stepping out of the "Red Eyes'" castle, Ivy angrily rebuked them, saying that she had been deceived by Van Fleet in the village, mistakenly believing that the Witcher was a kind person who cared about everyone. For a graduate of the Society of Truth, this was undoubtedly a serious mistake.

That was so close!
She knew that Ethan's condition had been bad ever since he entered this place. Theoretically speaking, an elemental shaper who had lost his spells would only be eaten to pieces by ghouls.

She then looked at Valerie. "Teacher, you must have seen through that guy's true nature before you left the village, right?"

"It's not your fault."

Valerie forced a smile. Although she looked extremely weak, she spoke without her previous nervousness and returned to the image of the teacher Ivy remembered—wise yet gentle. "If you spend enough time in the village, you'll find that the villagers' disappearances are all too regular."

"He was also planning to assassinate you back then?"

Valerie didn't answer, but changed the subject, "Ivy, you've grown a lot this past year, but... can your eyes be healed?"

She did not intend to reprimand Ivy for her risky behavior. For believers of the God of Truth, putting themselves in danger in search of the truth was commonplace. Every year, many outstanding graduates of the Society of Truth lost their lives because of this, and Mr. Fisher was one of them.

He investigated the post office's unusual activity on the 14th and must have known that venturing inside would be extremely dangerous, but he still resolutely walked into the depths of the fog on the 14th.

Van Fleet claims that Fisher recklessly left the village and was attacked and killed by ghouls deep in the mist, but the truth is probably only known to Van Fleet.

The villagers witnessed Fisher talking to Van Fleet, but they didn't know the specifics of the conversation. After that, Fisher left the village and never returned.

"Don't worry about me, Ethan knows a very good doctor."

“Ethan, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Valerie scrutinized the legendary young man. She first heard his name in a letter Ivy sent from Riverwood, in which she mentioned meeting an outstanding peer in a border city of the Empire and hoping to recommend him to the Truth Society upon returning to the capital.

Valerie had arranged all the enrollment procedures, but it now seemed that their academy couldn't accommodate such an outstanding student.

With the help of the "Red Eyes," Ethan had become intimately familiar with this mirrored city. The three squeezed their way through the low-ranking ghouls and entered the inn closest to the castle. A "country bumpkin" ghoul who had mistakenly wandered onto the inn's first floor was ruthlessly driven out onto the street by the Emperor, shivering in the cold wind. Even as ghouls, they could not escape the dark side of the Empire.

The hotel was fully equipped, with an endless supply of oat beer in the cellar. As soon as they checked in, the fireplace on the first floor was lit, and a sumptuous dinner was quickly "refreshed" on the table.

If you disregard the ghouls that roam the streets like zombies, this city should be a dream home for many.

A full day had passed since they arrived at this place, and now Ethan knew why Morgana's castle was built in the same location as Grand Duke Bellamor's.

Even after being abandoned and betrayed, she ultimately did not seek revenge against Grand Duke Bellamor or the city.

With the power granted to her by "hunger," she can lead ghouls to easily break through the defenses of Darkhearth, or spread a plague in the city, witnessing its inhabitants mutate into monsters and die tragically while devouring each other.

This is also a prophecy of the Church and the Witcher.

A freak born destined to bring destruction to the world.

In the end, she simply left the place. After becoming a monster in people's eyes, she walked alone into the contaminated zone. She even adopted Little Bellamor—the child of Grand Duke Bellamor and the Witcher.

"What's the next plan?"

Ivy picked up the toast from the plate and began to chew it with relish.

It seems she is ultimately better suited to be human. Morgana's children say that cooked human food tastes like dried tree bark, but she doesn't think so at all.

“Go to the town and inform all the residents that we can take them back with us. It’s time to test your eloquence. I suspect Mr. Van Fleet will not have a change of heart and they will try their best to stop you.”

"You've already found a way back?"

Valerie stared at Ethan in astonishment. This young man was incredibly efficient. She had conducted research for a whole year with the help of Mrs. Morgana, but she still had no clue how to leave this hellish place. They had no way of knowing where the true form of "hunger" was hiding. It seemed to be everywhere, which also meant that when it didn't want to be found, even Morgana couldn't find it.

"I'm starting to get a clue."

"Teacher, there's a saying circulating in the capital recently."

Ivy said, "Trust Old Sen!"

Whenever people encounter difficulties, they can say this phrase. This catchphrase was popularized by Rowena. The complete sentence is, "You just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll figure out a solution."

This reflects the Imperials' trust in Ethan.

"I understand, let's split up and proceed—"

Valerie's words were interrupted by a commotion outside the hotel. An uninvited guest had arrived, and the low-ranking ghouls wandering the city made way for him. He was holding a rope, the other end of which was tied to his "flock of sheep."

Those were the sacrifices who had been spared thanks to Ethan's "food club" concept.

“Take them back with you, and never come back here again.”

Little Bellamore said.

Of all Morgana's children, little Bellamore was always the most unconventional.

In fact, given their relationship in the Grand Duke of Belamor's household, it might be more appropriate to call them siblings—if Morgana hadn't been kicked out of the family and hadn't been attacked by ghouls on her way to the Imperial border, they might have been able to build a warm and loving family in the real Darkhearth.

“You can come back with us. Ethan knows a good doctor who should be able to cure your infection.”

"Let's go back."

Little Bellamo handed the rope to Ivy, while the bound villagers still had their heads covered with linen bags.

This provided them with even stronger evidence—nothing could reveal Van Fleet's true colors to the villagers more clearly than a flock of "lambs" sacrificed as offerings.

But Little Bellamour has no intention of joining them.

He had done all that and calmly retreated outside the hotel.

The fog enveloping the city quickly swallowed his figure, and in the blink of an eye, he was nowhere to be seen.

(End of this chapter)