Those time travelers that year

After tracing a parabola, the fireball exploded, shattering the wall into pieces. Amidst the flames, a dark figure leaped out, screaming as it tore off its burning black robe and rolled on the ground.

"Oh dear, this guy's obviously a nobody extra." Charles looked at the skinny old man peeking out from the black robe and said, "Grandpa, how's the takeout lately? Is it worth it for you to come all this way just to be an extra?"

Of course, the old man didn't understand Ciel's joke. After rolling on the ground, he endured the pain of being burned by the flames and got up, staring at Ciel with resentful eyes.

"You brat, since you dare..." the old man shouted with intense resentment, "I'll make you suffer a horrible death!"

"Oh! If you're so capable, why don't you give it a try?"

A hoarse, low voice murmured from the old man's throat, and the surrounding shadows began to twist once more. Then, many sharp black spikes extended from the shadows and shot towards Charles. These black spikes were incredibly fast, almost as fast as bullets, but they all stopped in front of Charles. An invisible barrier blocked these black spikes that were comparable to bullets.

"That's all? You might as well just fire a volley!" Looking at the black spikes, Charles showed a disdainful expression. The penetrating power of these spikes was only equivalent to that of firearms in this era. Faced with the barrier of the composite steel plate, these spikes could not break through the defense at all.

"Die!" But at that moment, the old man shouted in a hoarse voice. And in that instant, several black spikes suddenly stretched out from the shadow beneath Charles's feet, stabbing towards Charles's back.

"What a pity, just a little short!" Charles sighed, his figure instantly turning black and dissipating, causing the black spikes to miss their mark. Then, he reappeared behind the old man using [Apparition]. "An attack from the shadows, huh? How interesting. I thought I was the only special case in this world, but it turns out there are others like me!"

Before the old man could turn around in shock, Charles placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But the game is over!"

A spark appeared in Charles's hand, and then the old man burst into flames.

"Aaaaaaaaaa..."

45. A Few Things About the Main World (5)

The body, licked by flames, collapsed. Charles casually pulled from behind the charred corpse, and a semi-transparent white soul was ripped out of the body.

"What is this?" Charles looked at the torn-out soul with a puzzled expression. Black threads connected the translucent soul to its body, and a jet-black inverted six-pointed star magic circle was located on the soul's chest. The black threads extended from that magic circle and were wrapped around the soul in Charles's hand. "A magic mark? This thing's soul already has an owner!"

Dark green fel flames ignited from Charles's hand, burning along the black threads on his soul. The fel flames scorched the black threads, easily reducing them to black smoke. After burning away the black threads on his soul, the fel flames flowed directly into the black inverted six-pointed star magic circle.

Amidst the sizzling sounds, black mist continuously evaporated from the magic circle due to the fel flames, and the black magic circle gradually collapsed and destroyed under the burning fel fire. As for the constant wails of the soul in his hand during this process, Sharl completely ignored them.

Suddenly, the black magic circle on the soul turned blood red, startling Charles and causing him to increase the output of his magic power. However, after the blood-red magic circle appeared, the crimson color rapidly began to erode the soul, starting from the circle itself. Soon, nearly half of the soul in Charles's hand was stained blood red, then suddenly exploded with a bang, and vanished completely in a desperate howl. Even though Charles reacted in time, he only managed to barely sever a portion of the soul and preserve it.

"Hmph!" Charles snorted coldly, quickly transforming the remaining soul he had severed into soul fragments, blocking a consciousness from the void that had been trying to destroy the remaining soul in his possession. However, Charles's actions seemed to enrage this unknown consciousness.

Suddenly, the air in front of Charles trembled, and a dark red light flowed out from the void, twisting and spinning in front of him to form a distorted red vortex.

'Who are you, and why...'

"Hey, that's my trophy!" Charles said, looking at the dark red vortex that appeared before him. "Did you even ask for my opinion first?"

'That is my servant, the offender!' A cold and furious consciousness emanated from the crimson vortex. 'You want to take my slave from my hands!!' From the crimson vortex, a cold and bloody aura began to emanate, transforming into spiritual pollution that swept towards Charles.

Brain shut-in surgery

Faced with the sweeping mental pollution, Xia Er narrowed his eyes slightly and then used the [Brain Occupation Technique] to seal his brain, blocking the mental pollution and preventing its infiltration.

"I should have asked your name, because I felt a sense of familiarity about you." Ignoring the tricks of the unknown being, Charles looked at the dark red vortex before him and sneered, "However, I've changed my mind..." He pulled his wand from his pocket, raised it in his right hand, and aimed it at the dark red vortex. "Sometimes, when dealing with cowardly creatures, you have to go all out."

A dazzling green light shot from the tip of the wand, the light of the Killing Curse from the Harry Potter world, tearing through the dim street, carrying a thick aura of death, and shooting towards the dark red vortex. At the same time, a dark red light also shot out from the dark red vortex, colliding with the green light of the Killing Curse. The red and green lights collided and canceled each other out, remaining locked in a stalemate in mid-air for a moment.

But soon, the green light gradually overwhelmed the red light and pushed it back.

'How is this possible? Who are you?' The unknown consciousness conveyed a sense of surprise, but at that moment, the green light utterly destroyed the red light and then crashed into the dark red vortex.

'Hmph... You wait, I will not let you go...' The green light of the Killing Curse directly destroyed the dark red vortex. After letting out a muffled groan, it left behind a harsh word and then disappeared completely.

"Tch..." Charles lowered his wand, looking thoughtfully at the spot where the dark red vortex had disappeared. "Forget it, I'll just go back and read the memories of this half-soul I just got. As for this place..." He glanced at the surrounding battlefield. Because of the fireballs he'd thrown, large areas were broken and charred, half the street looked like it'd been bombarded by artillery. If left unattended, it would probably cause a huge riot immediately. No, it already had a riot. The guy who attacked him and was killed seemed to have used a Muggle-repelling charm similar to those in the Harry Potter world to disperse the pedestrians on the street. But now, with the attacker's death, that spell or thing used to disperse the pedestrians had lost its effect, and people would probably return to this deserted street soon.

"【Restored to its original condition】!"

To avoid trouble, Ciel used magic to repair the damaged street and restore it to its original state before turning and walking into a narrow alley, disappearing into the darkness.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Beneath the capital city lies a complex and dense network of sewers, connecting the entire city. These interconnected tunnels form a chaotic maze. This is the city's filth, not just its sewage system, but also the place where you can always encounter other strange and unusual things.

Beggars, bankrupts, thieves—all sorts of people frequent this place. There's even a black market within these sewers, used for dealing with shady dealings. Because of centuries of continuous expansion, no one knows the true size of the sewers beneath the city, let alone the fact that this city was once built on the ruins of another city. It's said that the remains of that original city lie deep within these sewers, but no one has ever seen them; most people simply consider it nonsense.

However, deep within this place, it seems that the rumor was not entirely unfounded.

At the very bottom of the sewers lies a natural cave, perpetually dark, yet torches hang from its walls, casting a faint glow that illuminates the cave. Inside, amidst the ruins, resembling stone pillars or houses, some structures stand vaguely in this desolate area.

However, there is still one place here that remains intact.

It was a high platform resembling an altar, and at the center of the altar stood a statue with a hideous face, like a ghost or demon. The statue was a giant wrapped in tattered cloth, with goat horns, cow hooves, a snake-like tail, and a pair of outstretched bat wings on its back. No matter how you looked at it, it was a hideous demon.

Before the statue knelt an elderly man, over seventy years old, wearing a black robe and with dry, yellow hair. Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes—blood-red eyes—and his face paled for a moment. Then he bent over and coughed, blood spurting from his mouth.

"Damn idiot, how dare you provoke an unknown enemy at a time like this!" the old man roared. Dark red light spilled from various parts of the altar, growing brighter with his roar. Even the demon statue on the altar showed dark red cracks, and a strange beast roar rang out.

"High Priest, what's wrong?" A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and a person completely shrouded in black armor stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the old man on the altar.

"It's alright, you may leave!" The high priest waved his hand, signaling the visitor to leave.

"Yes!" The person in black armor bowed respectfully to the high priest on the altar, then retreated into the darkness.

After the guests left, the high priest's face darkened, and he turned his gaze to the demon statue on the altar. He muttered to himself in a venomous tone, "No matter who you are or what power you come from, I will settle this score with you personally… Just wait… I will personally torture you to death…"

46. A Few Things About the Main World (6)

Sitting by the window, the moon cast its pure white light into the room, but instead of resting in the stillness of the night, Charles sat by the window, toying with a crystal the size of his little finger in his left hand. The crystal was grayish-white and rhomboid, and under the moonlight, a distorted face could be vaguely discerned in its center.

After being inexplicably attacked, Ciel secretly returned to the banquet, remaining unnoticed and unsuspected. Once the banquet ended, he feigned illness and returned to his room alone. After locking the door and casting a Muggle Exorcism Charm to ensure no one would approach, Ciel retrieved the soul fragment that sealed a partially destroyed soul.

To be honest, before, Charles had always thought this was just a modern society, and that he was the only one with supernatural abilities. He came to this conclusion because he believed all the so-called mystical knowledge in this world was unreliable. But now it seemed he hadn't truly encountered the hidden aspects of this world. The guy who attacked him on the street... well, the mystic, while his combat skills were a bit weak, created those grotesque undead creatures from corpses—good for scaring, but utterly useless in actual combat. Only his final attack, summoning black spikes from the shadows, was novel, but even that wasn't particularly powerful.

However, encountering a fellow traveler in the main world was still quite exciting for Charles, so upon returning to his room, he immediately began to read the soul's memories from the soul fragment in his hand. However, the situation wasn't good; the memories within the fragment were extremely chaotic, and the final uninvited guest had directly destroyed half of the attacker's soul, resulting in the incomplete memories remaining in Charles's soul fragment.

"Tch, such a grand entrance, but he ran faster than a rabbit." Thinking back to the final... well, the hidden boss's entrance, Charles initially thought it would be a formidable character, since that entrance was so similar to a Daedric Prince from Skyrim. But unexpectedly, a single Killing Curse blasted it away, making it seem like a complete fraud. "One... well, it seems to be a low-magic world; it's impossible for a god-level being to exist there..." Charles glanced at the soul fragment in his hand and then put it away.

Although much information remained unavailable, at least Sharl learned that supernatural societies also existed in the main world. Broadly speaking, these supernatural individuals were divided into five levels. From the initial stage of the Soul Body, to later beings like Ryan, Creator, Bos, and finally Penglin, it didn't seem to follow the traditional low- to high-level hierarchy; Sharl couldn't discern any pattern in these classifications. The creature that attacked him was a third-tier being. While Sharl considered this level barely comparable to an average Auror wizard in the Harry Potter world—enough to bully ordinary people—in the Skyrim universe, a ghoul overlord could easily kill him…

As for the differences between the latter two classes, Ciel had no idea. But it seems that this world is still primarily driven by technological development, and has now entered the industrial age. Overseas colonization, steamships, and giant battleships are the themes of this era... The fact that supernatural beings can only exist in the shadows of stories and society shows that these mystical aspects are not currently the mainstream of society.

"Trying to control me?" Recalling the information gleaned from that soul fragment, Charles was intrigued. "But unfortunately, the so-called third class is just cannon fodder against me..." Although he hadn't been able to obtain all the information, it seemed that the attacker wanted to control him and use his occult knowledge to create a puppet to cause trouble at the royal banquet in two weeks.

"Poor kid, the girlfriend he hooked up with is a scheming bitch... Hahahaha..." Thinking of the memories he read from the fragments of his soul, Charles couldn't help but feel schadenfreude for his cheap brother.

For a member of the FFF group, this situation is absolutely delightful!

After gloating for a while, Charles decided it was better not to ruin these scheming guys' plans. It might be more interesting to disrupt their plans on the spot.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Just as Charles was in his room, gloating over his brother's misfortune and preparing to watch the show, the last steam train pulled into the station on the outskirts of the Ruman Empire. A few passengers, under the direction of the station staff, gradually left the soon-to-close station. Among them, a petite girl, draped in a grey cloak, her face hidden beneath the hood, only a few strands of pale blonde hair peeking out, flowed out of the station with the crowd.

Standing outside the station on the outskirts of the city, the girl glanced around and her eyes were immediately drawn to a carriage parked under a tree. She walked over to the carriage and handed a silver cross to the coachman sitting inside.

Upon seeing the silver cross, the coachman jumped down, bowed respectfully to the girl, and then opened the carriage door. After the girl stepped into the carriage, the coachman closed the door, lit the oil lamp hanging above the carriage, returned to his seat, pulled the reins, and drove the carriage towards the city.

The carriage entered the city without any hindrance, then wound its way through several blocks before arriving at a church on the south side of the city. After the girl alighted from the carriage, the driver extinguished the oil lamp hanging on the carriage, then pulled the reins, and the carriage disappeared into the darkness around the street corner.

The girl walked towards the church door. At that moment, the door opened, and two pastors opened it from the inside, allowing the girl to enter the church. After the girl entered, they immediately closed the door.

The church was quite simple, with only a dozen or so rows of pews, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a cross at the very back of the church. Beneath the cross, an elderly priest was bowing his head in prayer.

"May God forgive our sins..." the priest prayed, then turned to the girl entering the church. "Hello, may God bless you, Deacon Iris."

“Hello, Father!” The girl pulled down her hood, revealing a young and beautiful face. Long golden hair fell from the hood, and gray eyes gazed at the priest before her. The girl, who looked to be in her early teens, said, “I’ve come from the headquarters of the Holy Church to investigate the cultists of ‘Dark Corner.’ According to intelligence, there are recent reports that these cultists have infiltrated the capital of Ruman. I need your help.”

The priest nodded and said, "There are indeed eyewitnesses who saw traces of these cult members, but we have not been able to find any of them in the city."

"Has anything major happened in the city lately?" Iris asked, frowning.

“If I had to say, it’s not impossible. In about two weeks, the banquet of the Ruman royal family will begin.” The priest shook his head. “But I don’t think those cultists would dare to provoke a militarily powerful nation…”

“That’s not necessarily true, Father!” After a moment of silence, Iris said meaningfully.

47. A Few Things About the Main World (7)

At the very heart of the capital lies the true center of the Ruman Empire—the Pegasus Palace. Over the centuries, this palace has seen dozens of owners, some leaving behind a legacy of wisdom, others becoming tyrants condemned by history. This palace, like the city itself, has weathered countless storms…fallen, then rebuilt. Today, within this historically significant palace, the annual Ruman royal banquet is held in this magnificent setting.

Passing through the statues standing outside the palace and climbing a long, steep slope lined with guards, you'll reach the first gate leading into the palace, the main entrance facing the east wing. From there, a stone path leads past a pool, revealing a vast and expansive vista.

Beneath the starry night sky stand two enormous palace gates. The gates are intricately carved with patterns. This is an open-air banquet hall where royal banquets are held, and also a garden suspended in mid-air. Looking down from the edge of the balcony, the capital city is illuminated by brilliant lights at night, as if coated with a hazy red line.

The garden is filled with lush flowers and exquisite fountains, with colorful, fragrant candles placed in the center. Clumps of royal dew and eugenol grass shimmer and change under the lights, accompanied by the gentle sound of flowing water. Glowing aquatic plants surround the fountain's base, illuminating it.

At this moment, the nobles who had been invited here gathered together, exchanging pleasantries and flattery. Those present were either from long-established families or newly risen pioneering nobles; regardless of their usual fierce rivalry and animosity, here, etiquette and manners became their masks. With feigned laughter and nonchalant tones, laced with veiled sarcasm, they continued their irreconcilable feud.

In short, in Xia Er's view, the colonial powers of this world were equivalent to the former British Empires on Earth. Even across countless time periods, the upper echelons remained fundamentally the same—they were all corrupt and incorrigible. They all relied on exploiting others to obtain their wealth.

They possess wealth and status, yet they all feign virtue. However, he couldn't criticize them, for he himself was far more ruthless. At least these well-dressed nobles merely exploited the lives of slaves, while he reaped souls in both worlds. His actions were no different from those of the demons in the stories.

After entering the banquet hall, Earl Grete, along with his brother Sid Grete, went off to converse with various other noble families. Charles was left behind, free to wander as he pleased. However, he had no interest in chatting with the nobles or cultivating relationships; hardly anyone here knew him anyway. What intrigued Charles more was the cult to which the woman beside his brother belonged—after all, wasn't that cult planning something tonight?

Thinking this, Charles couldn't help but reveal a meaningful smile. He didn't intend to expose his identity in the main world, but that wouldn't stop him from finding a way to disrupt the banquet and take the opportunity to kill that woman named Lorina. This time, he wouldn't give the suspected mastermind a chance to destroy any traces.

As Charles was idly wandering around the banquet, a golden figure caught his eye.

…………

……

...

.

Iris wore a black silk gown tonight, her hair styled in an updo, which enhanced her charm even further. Few noble ladies at the banquet could rival her. This made her the focus of attention for some young people, but since she had come with the bishop of the Imperial Cathedral, some of the older folks restrained their hormone-fueled youths.

Although the era of divine right of kings has passed, the power of the Church should not be underestimated. In essence, human society is the Church's domain in terms of thought. No one knows how much depth this organization, which has existed for thousands of years and whose history is far longer than that of any human nation today, still possesses.

Even so, many reckless young men, blinded by hormones, continued their antics. However, Iris's aloof attitude caused all the gentlemen who tried to strike up a conversation to leave empty-handed. Eventually, Iris grew tired of the party, took a glass of wine, and walked to the edge of the railing, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Just then, a young man with long black hair and a rather delicate appearance walked up to Iris, also carrying a glass containing the same wine as the one in her hand.

With a slight frown, Iris wanted to leave immediately and go somewhere else.

These aristocratic scions are really a handful...

“If I were you, I wouldn’t leave now,” the visitor said. “Greetings, Miss from the Sanctuary.”

Iris paused, then turned to look at the visitor. The visitor simply smiled and raised his glass in a gesture of greeting to Iris.

"who are you?"

“Charles Gretel, a good-for-nothing who prefers to travel alone or stay at home all the time!” the visitor said with a laugh. “I learned something interesting from some poor wretch, and I think the lady from the Sanctuary would love to know about the cultist known as ‘Dark Corner’!”