Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 413 Puppet Show

The capital city has been much more peaceful lately.

The peace was so great that many nobles felt it was somewhat unrealistic. To them, the banquet hosted by Grand Duke Esch that night was the calm before the storm. They believed that Grand Duke Esch would make the murderer of Baron Flint pay the price. To this end, they secretly set up a betting pool, wagering on whether the Skinners would take the murderer to the square of the capital in a few days and skin him alive in front of everyone, just like before.

But three days passed, and the Simpler family remained as calm as if nothing had happened.

Furthermore, the cases of Lance, who was captured by the Imperial Army, and Hetia, the Grand Summoner who was killed in Gear City, have remained unsolved.

What's even stranger is that the "pet" enthusiasts, led by the Third Princess of the Empire, have quieted down considerably. They seem to have suddenly become different people, becoming kind and friendly. Someone witnessed Young Master Fabius being hit on the head by a ball thrown by a child while playing on the streets of the capital, but he smiled and had his guard return the ball to the child.

The sun must have risen in the west, or something strange happened without their knowledge.

The only news the nobles of the capital could get was that two distinguished guests had arrived at the Grand Duke Esh’s mansion. Their identities were unknown, and judging from their hair color, they did not seem to be from the Empire. Ever since these two moved into the Simpler family’s residence, the family seemed to have become a different person.

But no one was happy about it; on the contrary, this sudden change caused widespread panic in the capital.

Even more baffled are the skinners.

This group of bloodthirsty executioners had gathered together, prepared to subject Lance to severe punishment. After all, opportunities to torture former members of the hero's party were rare. However, even though they had prepared their weapons, Duke Ash ordered them to treat Lance well and treat him like royalty.

The living conditions of other prisoners in the cells have also been greatly improved.

Their orders were that they were forbidden from using torture as long as the two distinguished guests remained in the mansion.

This sudden change caught the attention of the skinners, and after careful observation, they finally discovered something unusual.

The way Grand Duke Escher interacted with the two "distinguished guests" was really strange, especially when they were facing the white-haired girl. Their roles seemed to have been reversed at some point, as if the white-haired girl was the true owner of the manor, and the Simpler family could only maintain a superficial harmony in front of her.

But in reality, before making a decision, Grand Duke Esh always sought the opinion of the white-haired girl.

Given Grand Duke Esch's status in the empire, he wields considerable influence even before the royal family, let alone a young foreign girl.

These two uninvited guests may have used some kind of bewitching witchcraft to control Grand Duke Esh and his family.

The idea sent chills down the spines of the skinners, because... it was simply too bizarre. They could hardly imagine that someone would dare to swagger into the Simpler family's territory and manipulate them at will.

That very night, the skinners found their opportunity.

The two "distinguished guests" were always inseparable, and tonight they finally caught them apart. They knew they had to be careful with this kind of unknown opponent and that defeating them one by one was the best strategy.

the other side.

Also noticing the unusual situation in the capital was the Demon King Melia, who had been silently following the other side. After nearly a week of rest, her injuries had improved considerably, and she was now able to handle at least some of the Silver Empire's grunts without any problem.

However, after spending a long time with the other side, Melia came to a conclusion.

This woman doesn't need her protection at all. Don't be fooled by her cheerful demeanor; when she gets into a fight, she's far more formidable than a whole team of heroes tied together. Melia witnessed firsthand the Imperial Army's change in attitude towards the Other Shore.

After being attacked by Archduke Ash's assassins that day, she became someone the Imperial Army absolutely dared not provoke. Upon seeing the other side from afar, they would turn around and leave, fearing that they would be tainted by "bad luck".

Melia had never seen anything like the other side.

She beat up the rightful heir of a powerful family in the capital in full view of everyone. Instead of fleeing to avoid punishment, she swaggered around the streets every day to buy things without the slightest fear. On the contrary, she heard that Fabius, who had his leg broken, had a sudden realization and had recently started to be kind to others.

In the past, Melia had mostly presented herself as a battle maniac, but during her time with the other side, she began to think for the first time.

Because she gradually realized her significance to this temporary team.

—Utterly useless.

This was the conclusion she reached after some thought.

Even after her injuries healed, Melia couldn't find any value in the team. For the first time, she felt confused about her identity as the "Demon King".

The orphan from Riverside Town whom she rescued from the other side was different. Although Lacey was completely unable to fight and had no ability to protect herself in this chaotic world, she folded her blankets very well and was good at tidying up. She kept the inn in perfect order and spoke softly and gently, which brought healing to people.

Melia did try to imitate Lacey the maid in order to find a new value for herself in the squad, but the imitation was not very effective.

That very evening, she received feedback from the other side of the strait.

"If you ever raise your voice in front of me again, I'll smash your head in!"

Look, the people from the other "empire" are so irritable. The dignified Imperial Knight Commander is behaving like a street thug here, comparable to the Imperial Army Commander's woman.

"the other side."

Melia glanced at the night outside the window. She had a feeling that something terrible was quietly growing beneath the surface of peace and prosperity, and that the recent changes in the capital were likely related to it.

In the past, the "Demon King" was the kingdom's nightmare, the most terrifying being in the hearts of all the empire's inhabitants. But this time, she had a premonition that the source of all these strange phenomena was far more terrifying than she was.

"Say something quickly."

Bi'an glanced sideways at Melia, and seeing the shadowy figure's hesitant manner, she suspected that this "demon king" was about to speak in a high-pitched voice again.

Why imitate the way Winter speaks in front of Ethan?

But that requires talent; can anyone do it well?
The white ragdoll cat looked pitiful in front of Ethan, but the way the shadowy figure spoke only made one want to punch her.

"Tsk, are all the people over there as short-tempered as you?"

"irritable?"

Bi'an scoffed, "They all say I have the best temper."

"Pfft, nobody would believe you... Wait a minute, are you serious?"

Melia was just bickering with Bi'an as usual, but she didn't expect the latter to look so serious, not like he was talking nonsense at all.

She couldn't help but wonder, "Where do you have a good temper?"

"That Fabius, remember him?" "The future heir of the Simpler family, what's wrong?"

"I only broke one of his legs."

Bi'an felt there was no more convincing evidence than this. As for the assassins sent by Grand Duke Esch, she had only knocked them to the ground. Such injuries would heal in less than a month, and if the rehabilitation was done properly, there would be no lasting effects.

My God, she's a true knight!

"They were the ones who met me."

“I think you might have a different standard for judging ‘good temper’ than I do. You broke his leg, isn’t that enough?”

The other side did not answer this somewhat foolish question.

In fact, after spending nearly a week together, she gradually came to understand Melia's true nature—she was usually a bit clumsy and always asked some stupid questions. It was a miracle that such a personality appeared in the natives of the Silver Glow Empire, because even if Melia's mind was simple, as long as she observed some of the empire's nobles, she would know what true evil looked like.

"Then tell me, what would someone with a bad temper do in your country? Would they dare to kill Fabius in public?"

Melia was very indignant. She disliked the condescending gaze from the other side, which made her feel like a simpleton who had just left the village.

She is clearly the Demon King, while Lady of the Other Shore, you are the Knight Commander of the Empire, and theoretically you should be a good person!
However, the words were barely on her lips when Melia swallowed them back down.

No, she thought again. The Imperial Knight Commander and the Imperial Army Commander held the same position, and the Other Shore even had the same hair color as Cedric Thorne. So, that means...

What the hell!

This woman could be rotten to the core!

"It's not that easy."

The answer from the other side confirmed Melia's conjecture: "In many cases, death is actually a relief, isn't it? That's why you see the nobles here inventing so many cruel punishments and trying their best to ensure that the person being executed does not lose consciousness before the execution is over. They believe that death is the final mercy for those who resist."

"so what?"

Melia's voice softened; she felt a chill in the air.

"So, if you are a nobleman, and a witch enters your home, murders all your loved ones in front of you, and then uses magic to turn them into puppets, making those who are already dead perform a puppet show in front of you every day, only you know the truth, but under the influence of the witch's spell, you cannot ask the outside world for help, and can only watch helplessly as you live under the same roof as her."

The other side paused briefly, "Perhaps you have many loyal guards in your manor, and you talk to them every day. In their eyes, everything about you seems normal. Maybe a few people will notice something unusual about you, but those must be your most loyal subordinates, and they are your last hope."

Melia held her breath. Although she had never been a noble in her life, she still found herself immersed in the scene described on the other side.

Her tone was calm, which at first glance was far less shocking than the act of skinning someone alive in the capital's square, but soon, a completely different kind of unease enveloped her.

Calm despair.

The story on the other side continues: "You hoped your subordinates could read your eyes, expose the witch's true colors, and rescue you from the nightmare. And they did just that. They even made careful arrangements, feigning ignorance, and then launched a surprise attack at an unexpected moment, delivering a fatal blow to the evil witch. Everything was unfolding exactly as you had envisioned..."

"Then...the nobles are saved?"

Melia couldn't help but ask.

"Everyone who brought you hope died before you, and you belatedly realized that it was all just a witch's game, and she just wanted to leave you to be the last one."

Melia was speechless for a long time. She put herself in the shoes of the nobleman in the story and suddenly felt suffocated.

“You, you guys——!”

"Don't be nervous, what I just said was just a story from a dark fairy tale."

The other side shrugged. "It's just to show you that there are many things in this world that are far more terrifying than death."

"I want to go and take a look at the Simpler family's estate!"

Melia made up her mind.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom of that magnificent palace, dazzling crystal chandeliers illuminated the room, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold season.

Grand Duke and Duchess Esch sat on the soft, comfortable bed, enjoying a peaceful and tranquil moment.

They must be one of the most loving couples in the capital, still able to feel the burning love in each other's eyes at this age.

However, another figure in the bedroom distracted them. The two of them strained to look at the white-haired girl in the room, who was sweeping the ice shards that had been scattered all over the floor with a broom and dustpan. Every sound the broom made was like a heavy hammer hitting their hearts.

The white-haired girl, having finished cleaning, suddenly remembered something and looked at Grand Duke Ash. "By the way, haven't you always been curious about Baron Flint's whereabouts? I heard that the detectives of Gear City still haven't found him."

Upon hearing this, Grand Duke Esch's pupils contracted, bloodshot eyes filled the whites of his eyes, and his hands, resting on the bed, trembled slightly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even clench his fists.

He saw the ice shards being swept into a dustpan and then melt into water.

Once the water dries up, it will leave no trace in this world.

The white-haired girl took out an agate pendant, which was Baron Flint's favorite thing, as it was a birthday gift given to him by Grand Duke Esche on his coming-of-age ceremony.

Its significance has long transcended the pendant itself.

It is the embodiment of power. When you wear this pendant and walk the streets of Gear City, it means that you have the power of life and death over others.

“I knew then that I would need it someday.”

The white-haired girl untied the exquisite agate pendant, slowly walked to the blushing Grand Duke Ash, and personally pinned the pendant to his chest. "How is it? Can you sense Flin's presence?"

Grand Duke Esh's bluish-purple lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single sound.

"It's getting late."

The white-haired girl greeted him as always, "See you tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)