Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 403 Mirror
A massive evacuation is underway.

This was the last darkness before dawn. Everyone in the camp had their hearts in their throats. They all knew the consequences of attacking Imperial airships and killing nobles. Once they fell into the hands of the Imperial Army, death would probably be a luxury for them. As "rebels" recognized by the Empire, they knew the methods the Imperial Army used on others.

There are many notorious executioners like the Skinner, devils who are born to enjoy torturing others.

The nobles of the empire would bring the rebels to public places and execute them, the instruments of torture used by those devils sending chills down their spines just thinking about them.

Lance, wielding a greatsword, stood before the camp, blocking the rebels who were packing their belongings and counting heads behind him.

Meanwhile, on the other side, torches illuminated the entire forest.

The approaching footsteps gave hope to the nobles near the airship, who waved their hands toward the imperial soldiers in their silver armor.

They haven't been idle during this time either.

The nobles and wealthy merchants gathered together to discuss their story to the Imperial Army. Once they returned to the capital, they would have to explain the death of the nobleman to his family. This matter might even implicate Grand Duke Esh, and the nobles shuddered at the mere thought of him.

If their explanations fail to satisfy the true nobles of the capital, Archduke Ash's men might break into their homes in the dead of night—Baron Flin died in Gear City, and everyone knows that Archduke Ash will not let this go, not only because Flin was his beloved illegitimate son, but also because it concerns the Simpler family's reputation in the Silver Empire.

However, they had already come up with the perfect explanation.

"It's the resistance! Great Swordsman Lance betrayed the Silver Glow Empire and colluded with the resistance!"

The moment the Imperial army arrived, the nobles couldn't wait to tell the stories they had prepared. Even though they were masked, the great swordsman Lance was easy to recognize. In the Empire, people over two meters tall were rare. Rumor had it that Lance was not a resident of the Silver Glow Empire. He came from a small village outside the Empire and was suspected to have half-orc blood.

Some sharp-eyed nobles speculated that the commander of those ambushes was the great swordsman Lance, and even if he wasn't, he had to say so, because it would divert the attention of those nobles to dealing with the former "strongest man in the empire".

"Furthermore... the hero Solan has also betrayed us. He accepted Lance's invitation and went with him to the rebel camp. They have now become a major enemy of the empire. You must immediately begin searching the forest!"

The nobles instantly forgot their initial promises. "The hero looks seriously injured. This is your best chance!"

The nobles' words reached Ilya's ears. She was far away in the Imperial Army barracks in the capital. Sitting in front of her was a young man wearing silver-white armor, with short red hair and a knight's sword.

"Rebels?"

Ilya looked at the young man across the table with a puzzled expression; it was a name unfamiliar to her.

"They are just some refugees."

The young man said, “Some refugees fled the city after defying the local nobles. They set up camps in the mountains and forests on the outskirts of the city to accommodate people in similar situations. In terms of numbers, many camps have already grown to a considerable size.”

"It sounds no different from bandits."

"You can think so."

The reason these people were not classified as bandits is that although they were based outside the city, they did not pose a threat to passing caravans. Their main sources of livelihood were farming and hunting, and some of them with connections would buy firearms from black market merchants to arm their groups.

Therefore, the Imperial Army classified them all as members of the resistance.

This was the first time they had dared to openly attack an Imperial transport ship.

"Why would the Imperial Army allow their existence?"

"Because of your mission, Your Excellency, Holy Mage."

The red-haired youth spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, showing no fear of Ilya because of her identity: "Before your mission is accomplished, large-scale massacres will not be good for the Empire's image."

Another "internal reason" is that the imperial armies in various places are unwilling to provoke this group of tough guys who are equipped with muskets and are ready to fight them to the death at any time. They are more used to dealing with commoners who have lost their will to resist and dare not resist the nobles even if they are about to die.

Unless the commander of the Imperial Army personally leads the troops, they will maintain a state of mutual respect with these "rats" living outside the major cities of the Empire.

"If those people's intelligence is accurate, the situation is different."

The fact that even the hero Solan has joined the rebels, including the great swordsman Lance, poses a huge threat to the empire. It's not just about giving a leader to those loosely organized remnants; they are also very likely to use the hero's reputation to give their rebellion a "righteous" label.

"Our mission is now complete."

Ilya said, "It is now up to the Imperial Army to fulfill your duties."

“This requires His Majesty Henry’s personal order.” The red-haired youth was unconvinced. “Your Excellency, Holy Mage, you have no right to issue orders to the Imperial Army. If we start a war with the rebels at this juncture, the Empire will be mired in a prolonged state of war for the next year or two.”

"Rat" is the best description of the resistance.

Although the organization lacks high-ranking superhumans, they have long lived in the wild and move freely in the mountains and forests like "rats." If they were to be completely eliminated, the best way would be to deploy strategic weapons such as the Golden Fleet to directly raze the areas where the resistance forces were present to the ground.

Ilya looked displeased, but didn't continue speaking.

No one understands the rules of the "Game of Heroes" better than her. The team's reputation is all external, and its ultimate purpose is to divert hatred and maintain the stability of the empire. Therefore, every once in a while, when the hatred and conflicts among the people reach a critical point, the empire needs to give birth to a new Demon King.

The Imperial Army Commander before him was also well aware of the nature of the game. In his presence, the influence of the Hero Squad was ineffective, and even if the Hero Solan himself came before him, he would receive the same answer.

Ilya could tell that the other party did not intend to come forward to wipe out the resistance forces near Gear City, so there was no need for her to stay here and make a fool of herself.

As for personally confronting Lance?

She wasn't that foolish. Even though Lance was still poisoned, if he recklessly risked his life, it would inevitably result in a lose-lose situation.

The death of a lowly outsider is not worth pity; she has no desire to put herself in danger.

Clearly, the commander of the Imperial Army understood this point and refused to take over this mess.

However, she had a backup plan.

As she left the Imperial Army camp, a cold smile appeared on Ilya's face. She headed straight for Grand Duke Ash's mansion, her second visit that night.

Even if the Imperial Army is unwilling to fulfill their duties, she has alternatives.

Within the capital, there is a powerful nobleman who has sworn revenge for his illegitimate son. More importantly, as the Grand Duke of the Silver Empire and Henry VI's most trusted minister, Grand Duke Ash has the power to forcibly mobilize the troops of a city during special times.

Late at night, the commander of the Imperial Army finished his work, took off his armor, and started his journey home. The night was unusually quiet. Almost the moment he left the camp, he had a strong premonition that he was being watched. There wasn't a single pedestrian in sight on the streets. Although most people in the capital were asleep at this hour, a soldier's intuition still made him sense the approaching danger.

Is it the Holy Mage's revenge, or Prince Ash losing his mind in anger?

His hand hovered lightly over the slender sword at his waist, and he sighed softly.

No matter who appears before him, the outcome will be the same.

"The strongest man in the empire", "Saint Mage"...

These are merely titles created to cater to the ignorant masses; to those who have truly experienced life-and-death battles and crawled out of piles of corpses, they mean nothing.

As he walked past the third intersection, footsteps approached unexpectedly.

A figure emerged from the depths of darkness; it appeared to be a woman, but the commander became alert almost the instant she appeared.

Danger.

And the exhilarating feeling that can only be aroused by an evenly matched opponent.

He was neither a member of the hero's party nor a cruel killer kept by the nobles. He could even smell the blood on the other person, who had also crawled out of countless corpses.

The most perfect figure, and...

Behind that perfect figure, there was an aura that seemed to be a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

His hand, hovering over the sword hilt, trembled slightly. He had no idea that such a powerful figure was hidden in the capital.

Then, the commander saw someone with long red hair similar to his, tied into a spirited single ponytail hanging behind her. She also wore a knight's sword at her waist, as well as a musket made by a master craftsman. Could such a person be an assassin under the command of those nobles?

No, absolutely impossible!
Such a person would never submit to any "master" and would be willing to live like a watchdog in a manor.

The commander's lips curled up slightly. He decided to put aside all suspicions, stop considering the other party's identity and background, and devote himself wholeheartedly to the impending battle.

Just as they brushed past each other, the woman moved. In an instant, she drew an object from her waist, the unsheathed blade aimed straight at his throat.

However, the commander abruptly stopped drawing his sword and instead raised his hand to accept the object the woman offered.

"Hard loaves from Old Wilke's Bakery, three for one silver antelope."

The woman stared at him coldly. "Take it. I can see the hunger in your heart."

For some reason, the woman in front of him seemed to understand his feelings as the commander of the Imperial Army—the helplessness of being summoned to the barracks in the middle of the night by a complete stranger, being bossed around, and then leaving the barracks late at night with nowhere to eat on the street.

So she brought the hardest bread, the kind that's most filling.

"Who...are you?"

The anticipated battle did not occur, because the red-haired woman who appeared out of nowhere seemed to be preparing to go home.

This woman...

Does she work at a bakery?

Who I am is not important; I just came here specifically to see you.

In reality, the two brushed past each other for only a dozen seconds. The woman didn't stop to chat with him. The commander turned to look at the woman walking into the darkness. She walked with a graceful gait and waved to him without turning her head. "I never expected you to be a man."

???

What kind of question is this?

This was absolutely the most unbelievable question the Imperial Army Commander had ever heard. He had been a man since the first day he joined the Imperial Army, and that was hardly a secret. The woman was dressed like a knight, but if she was a knight, she should have heard about his deeds.

But then again, hard bread is quite delicious, especially when you're starving in the middle of the night.

He glanced at the red-haired woman who had disappeared into the darkness, then chewed a few more bites of hard bread with relish before turning around and slowly walking towards home.

However, he had to stop after taking only a few steps.

The stench of blood in the air caught his attention, and this time he knew it was no illusion. The source of the blood was the direction the woman had come from; it came from the depths of a dark, secluded alley. He followed the scent, walking step by step deeper into the alley.

Before long, a faint wail reached his ears.

The group of over a dozen people, tangled together like a mass of flesh, occupied the entire alley. At the center of this mass was a familiar face, trapped motionless, his face bruised and battered, his eyes swollen from being beaten.

His once handsome features were now turned into a pig's head from the beating.

The commander recognized the young man at a glance; after all, no one in the capital city was unfamiliar with him.

Fabius Simpler.

The son of Grand Duke Ash, the rightful heir to the Simpler family, and his personal guards who formed the "meatball" with him, including two swordsman-class superhumans. These two were the most seriously injured, their faces swollen together, making it extremely difficult for them to even make a sound.

Besides a faint smell of blood, there was also a strong smell of alcohol in the air.

He could guess what had happened here before he arrived.

Fabius must have been attracted by the red-haired woman's beauty and tried to get her drunk, but the pampered young master couldn't recognize the dangerous aura emanating from her at all.

"Cedric, you've come at the perfect time!"

Fabius mumbled indistinctly through his swollen lips, "Grab that red-haired woman, don't let her go!"

(End of this chapter)