Those time travelers that year

"Blood Raven, are you there?" Zavisha asked with a cold snort.

The red ink, once poured onto the six-pointed star pattern, quickly seeped in.

Suddenly, a light, cheerful laugh echoed in the room.

"What's wrong, our Holy Knight..." a seductive, mature female voice rang out. "It's nothing; it's something we lowly prostitutes can do to help you."

"I want you to kill them!" Zavisha said coldly, as if killing were a trivial matter. "Do you know the Grete family? An earl family. I want you to take action and eliminate everyone in this family without leaving a trace..."

"...Remember, kill everyone, whether they remain in this city or are elsewhere."

"What, Sir Knight? Aren't you a member of the righteous and honorable Holy Temple? Why are you dealing with us 'heretics' like this?!"

"Just tell me, are you taking this job or not?" Zavisha said. "Name your price, as long as it's not excessive. And don't forget, if it weren't for our Yarliut protecting you, do you think you could have escaped the Holy Temple's pursuit?"

"Are you threatening us?!"

“It’s not a threat…” Zavisha gave a mocking smile. “It’s just a warning…”

“…Very well! Since the next Duke of Arliuth is so kind as to think highly of us sisters…” the alluring, mature woman replied, “then we, the Blood Raven, accept. We hope that when the Holy Temple senses something, as a knight of your word, you will continue to protect us poor little women.”

“I know, I’ve covered for you every time before,” Zavisa said. “If it weren’t for our Yarliut family, do you think you could have evaded the Holy Temple for so long? You should know that you are also on the Holy Temple’s blacklist of those who must be killed.”

"Then, as you wish, my Duke..."

I'm definitely working overtime this weekend, but I'll try to write as much as possible during my breaks! Sorry, I'm not a human typewriter... By the way, there are two more chapters in the main world after this one, and it'll be the end. Please continue to support the author, thank you!

98. The Arrival of the Invaders

This world is filled with countless lies, and those in power often conceal the true world and facts, solely to maintain their rule. For the Holy Temple organization, which has maintained order in the underworld, anyone possessing extraordinary power can be considered a 'heretic,' the difference lying in whether these 'heretics' actually have a significant impact on society as a whole.

Those who cause significant disruption and riots will soon be met with a friendly inspection and a chat. However, there are always cunning 'heretics' who manage to escape the Holy See's clutches. In such cases, the Night Watch's wanted list will register these lawbreakers, and there will always be some unscrupulous individuals willing to become bounty hunters for the Holy See's bounty.

The Blood Ravens are on the Night's Watch's wanted list, but they are not a single, powerful individual. Instead, they are a tightly organized group, similar to a guild or society. Unlike others who obediently follow orders under the pressure of the Sanctuary, the Blood Ravens believe in using power to acquire wealth and status, and they will stop at nothing to achieve this. They also have close ties with many nobles from various countries who know of the existence of the Underworld.

As for their specialties? Infiltration, theft, espionage, exploration, etc… they're capable of virtually anything. But if it were just those few skills, they wouldn't be wanted. In fact, in these operations, these guys also provide additional services to their regular clients, such as acting as assassins…

How do ordinary assassins work? Poisoning, stabbing, headshots… But how do assassins in the mystical world work? Poisoning is child's play… They infiltrate the heavily guarded rooms of a grand feast, killing everyone they can see, leaving a bloody, unparalleled trail. The really skilled ones find ways to obtain information about their targets, then curse them…

While ordinary assassins might be manageable, assassins from the mystical side were truly not easy to deal with. However, assassins like these often incur the wrath of both heaven and man, and after a long period of reckless and dangerous behavior, the Blood Ravens were eventually discovered. They were met by bounty hunters and the Sanctuary's punitive expedition.

Being thoroughly humiliated, they naturally collapsed. But even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Blood Raven didn't simply disappear. They went into hiding, even reorganizing their structure. Today, the organization continues to engage in various dirty activities. Currently, Blood Raven's members are mostly women, primarily engaged in prostitution, circus work, and other superficial jobs, while secretly earning extra money.

Similarly, for those in the know, this is a knife sharp enough to be wielded with deadly precision. Like now, in situations where the truth is hidden, even the Sanctuary, known as the Hyenas, never imagined that one of its members and his family had been protecting someone they absolutely needed to kill. Used when necessary to handle certain matters…

……

Zavisa probably didn't quite believe the conversation between Iris and Father Brown; at least in his eyes, he, possessing the sacred artifact, was the chosen one. That guy named Charles, although also from the underworld, how could he possibly contend with the power of a sacred artifact… As for surpassing the fifth rank, that was a complete joke, a lie, which Zavisa certainly didn't believe. At this moment, he seemed to subconsciously forget what had happened at Gretel Manor…

However, as a nobleman, he naturally had to abide by the rules of the nobility. As for the rules of the Sanctuary, Zavisa automatically placed them after the rules of the nobility. Anyway, he wouldn't hesitate to use the Blood Ravens, who were inherently unclean and not particularly obedient, as tools for testing. Even if that Charles Grete was excessively strong and wiped out the Blood Ravens, he didn't care, since there was no evidence to prove it was him. Even if he was suspected, he didn't believe that with the Sanctuary, the largest organization in the underworld, as his backing, anyone else would dare to disregard the Sanctuary and come to his door. Besides, if he used the Sacred Artifact, Zavisa was not afraid of anyone at all. He never believed that there was anyone in this world who could surpass the user of the Sacred Artifact.

Of course, when the author gets to this point, some offbeat commenters might say things like, "He's doomed," but just take it as a joke! Anyway, he's just a character who's going to fail sooner or later.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Soon, some undercurrents began to affect ordinary people in society. The staff of the sanctuary stationed in Ruman seemed to have noticed something, but due to the machinations of a certain person who abused his power, and in order to deal with and cover up the accident involving the train, the turmoil did not immediately go unnoticed by the sanctuary staff.

However, for the Grete family, especially the current head of the family and the heir, this period has been quite terrible. Some members of the collateral branches of the family have recently been experiencing accidents one after another for unknown reasons. One or two might really be accidents, but one after another, it is no longer an accident... As a result, this matter has escalated. The ruthless assassination of a family is something that the entire noble class will not allow. This is tantamount to provoking the entire noble circle and even the ruling class of the entire country.

Therefore, unrest continued. The conservatives directly accused the reformers of being behind it and demanded an explanation from the king. Of course, it would be best if all the reformers could be brought down, and the whole country could return to the old system where royal power was limited and nobles acted independently and shared the national interests. It would be best if everyone could benefit.

For the reformists who were caught in the crossfire, this was naturally unacceptable. On the contrary, they believed it was a ploy by the conservatives to stage a showdown, a scheme orchestrated by the conservatives (in a sense, they were right). Furthermore, the conservatives' proposed measures to limit royal power greatly displeased the head of state. Thus, tensions escalated within the upper echelons of society, and the conflict was on the verge of erupting into full-blown confrontation.

But for the Grete family, who were at the center of the storm, things weren't going well. Many of their businesses collapsed... Even the Earl and the Heir have been living cautiously lately, fearing that assassins might come knocking.

As for Charles, who was banished back to his family's fiefdom, he was selectively forgotten by his 'family' in this world.

…………

Grete Manor, a fiefdom of the Grete family.

As mentioned before, most of the servants in the manor were controlled and brainwashed by Ciel during his spare time when he was practicing magic. So, when Ciel had already begun his new journey, a certain princess from the Age of Gods, who could be ruthless when she got serious (if you don't know, you can read the relevant story; she was truly exceptionally ruthless!), took over all the territory Ciel had left behind.

Although Medea still felt some regret and remorse for not being able to travel to the new world with her Master and instead staying here as a bound spirit, the Princess of the Divine Age had, through several days of effort, completely taken control of the ley lines in this area. This was only because the magical system of this world was unusable, leaving the area essentially undefended.

With the support of the ley lines, even without the magic provided by Sharl, they can escape the predicament of insufficient spellcasting magic. The only price is that they cannot leave the territory of the Grete family.

Now, at the altar in that basement, Medea either continues her transformation rituals or begins monitoring the entire territory through her familiars. In the mornings, she uses various birds or small animals like squirrels, and at night, bats or owls. Essentially, the entire territory is under the watchful eye of this princess of the Age of Gods.

The Shadow Council has only just begun to be formed, and Medea has no intention of exposing herself directly to the people of the Underworld, as that would be tantamount to making enemies.

The mercury flowing in the basement transformed into a series of screens suspended in mid-air, each screen linked to the gaze of a familiar and even a magical barrier erected there. This world had no restraining forces, so Medea displayed the skill of a spellcaster comparable to, or even surpassing, that of a mage.

Centered on the manor, a vast defensive perimeter has firmly grasped control of the entire territory through the flow of ley line energy. Various barriers surround the manor, while an invisible barrier for reconnaissance also controls the entire territory from above.

Even if the Holy Temple planned a full-scale attack, Medea was confident she could annihilate them all here. Even those wielding sacred artifacts—what this world calls holy relics—were among them.

"Huh?" On the night of the eighth day after Charles left the main world, Medea, who was in the basement adjusting the flow of ley line energy and weaving spells, suddenly sensed that the barrier covering the entire territory had been activated.

"An outsider? Who?" Princess Kamishiro immediately put down her work of adjusting the earth's veins. Mercury continuously floated up from the water channels on the ground, turning into one after another display screen-like objects that floated in mid-air.

On one of the screens, outside Grete City, a group of travelers entered the city under the cover of night. In ancient times, this would have been forbidden, but in this age of technological advancement, entering a city at night is no longer impossible. While restrictions still apply, they are much more lenient…

Now, a group of outsiders have entered the city. If they were ordinary people, the warning barrier would not be triggered, but if they were not ordinary people, the alarm would be triggered directly.

A group of women dressed in flamboyant attire easily entered the city. The soldiers on duty, as if in a daze, ignored the fact that these exhibitionists, dressed in revealing outfits like prostitutes, were allowed into the city in the middle of the night.

"What a bunch of useless trash!" Seeing the actions of the soldiers on duty on the screen, even though she knew there was a reason, our Divine Princess still frowned. After all, in the mythical era she experienced, every city had to close its gates at night, and no one was allowed to enter. This was to prevent enemies or monsters from raiding the city at night. Although this world was different, it didn't stop Medea from using the standards of the Divine Era's soldiers to demand compliance from the ordinary soldiers of this world. "They were easily swayed by a little inferior hypnosis; they're simply a bunch of wasteful garbage..."

"Once Master returns, I must advise him to get rid of these soldiers and replace them with our own men." Medea, her face grim, watched as the unsuspecting outsiders checked into an inn, and then, with a hint of annoyance, began to contact the people at the manor.

Before long, Melia, the maid who had been taking care of Charles's daily life, entered the basement room.

"Medea, Princess Colchis, what are your orders?"

"Meria, come and see!" Medea's hand trembled, and she moved the mercury screen in front of the head maid.

"What's this?" The maid frowned. "Outsiders? At this time?!" Melia, now a true follower of the Charles, watched the group of women entering the territory's city with barely any disguise, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Does Your Highness intend to keep these women here?"

"Why did you have to come at this time of year? Just when Master left and I had just taken control of the entire ley line." Medea sneered as she looked at the uninvited guest on the monitor. "Meria, this is your job: to clean the house while the master is away."

"Bringing the dancer along is a good opportunity to practice the power Master bestowed upon us..."

“Yes, Your Highness!” Melia bowed slightly to Medea, then straightened up. A dark green light flashed in her brown eyes, and dark green magic patterns shimmered on her exposed skin. “I guarantee that none of them will see the sun rise tomorrow tonight.”

99. Total Annihilation

As a conservative fiefdom, the Earldom of Grete was not as prosperous as the capital of Ruman. Although the progress of the Industrial Age inevitably affected the city, many things that came with the Industrial Age were nowhere to be seen in the Earldom due to the old Earl's stubbornness. For example, the streetlights that were ubiquitous throughout the city were not considered necessary because they cost money; the Earl, whose thinking was clearly still rooted in the old society, did not believe that the common people needed to enjoy lights at night.

As for those night watchmen, isn't that their job? You commoners are supposed to give everything to ensure your noble lords eat and drink well, and having you patrol with torches or oil lamps is to save them money, blah blah blah...

In short, Grete City doesn't boast the dazzling lights of the capital; at night, it's mostly just the lights of ordinary homes. Similarly, its defenses are weakest at night, since you can't expect a group of people forced into unpaid service by their lord to take things seriously.

This was indeed good news for the Blood Raven assassins. Some weak-willed night watchmen easily slipped into the city with minimal effort, without any hindrance. After all, the old count, living in his luxurious residence in the capital, had no intention of spending money on improving city security.

So these 'prostitutes' dressed in flamboyant clothes swaggered into the city and then randomly found a reasonably clean hotel to stay in.

In the past few days, relying on their extraordinary power, these Blood Raven assassins have been systematically slaughtering members of the Grete family one by one. Many collateral branches have seen their entire families wiped out in a single night. However, as a traditional family, the number of collateral branch members who die will not have a significant impact on the main family, except for the family's reputation.

Count Gretel and his heir, the primary targets, were hiding in the capital. Fearing discovery if they acted under the watchful eyes of the Holy Temple, the Blood Raven assassins dared not make their move there. Moreover, they weren't placing their hopes on someone abusing their power.

.........

O'Neill is a member of the Blood Ravens and the one who led the assassination attempt on the Gretel family. In her daily life, she's a socialite who frequents high society, enjoying a life of illicit relationships with many nobles. Of course, this is all predicated on the Holy Church not discovering her other identity…

Coincidentally, to escape the Sanctuary's siege, her Blood Ravens had to seek refuge under Duke Alliut, which gave him leverage over them. Previously, before Duke Alliut possessed supernatural powers, their relationship was merely one of cooperation, and both sides remained peaceful. However, after Duke Alliut's heir became a user of the Sanctuary's sacred artifacts, the relationship underwent a dramatic transformation.

Thinking of this, O'Neill couldn't help but feel sorrow. How long ago was it that those who wielded power had to bow their heads to ordinary people? And now, they were forced to serve others completely, even to the point of being used as pawns in trials.

Yes, expendable pawns. O'Neill wasn't stupid; she could easily deduce that the duke's heir was hiding something from them, especially considering the massacre targeting a secular noble family…

Thinking of the worst-case scenario, O'Neal couldn't help but look a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong, big sister?" The other members who came with her asked when they saw O'Neal's terrible expression.

"No, it's nothing," Eunice, the team leader, said with a forced smile. "I'm just a little worried..."

“What’s there to worry about, sister!” A mature and beautiful woman dressed as a Rehe dancer interjected. “They’re just some ordinary people who haven’t awakened yet. Sister, look at how smoothly the other teams are operating. There haven’t been any accidents. As far as I’m concerned, you’re worrying for nothing!”

"Yeah yeah!"

"They're just ordinary people, like ants. We can kill them if we want!"

"That's right! Anyway, our target isn't the main count or his heir, but he's still a direct descendant! This bounty is much better than the others."

……

Watching the other members chatting and laughing, O'Neal could only suppress the unease that had arisen since entering the city. After all, it was just a feeling; surely nothing bad would happen!

Even with these thoughts in mind, Owens couldn't suppress the unease in her heart... It seemed as if something was about to happen...

……

Inside the room, the foreign girls joked and laughed among themselves, discussing topics that interested them, such as how someone had successfully seduced a wealthy nobleman, or how someone had secretly murdered the original wife and risen to power. These outsiders seemed oblivious to the potential dangers, since, in truth, they, as assassins, were the ones in real danger.

However, Owens, as the leader, felt increasingly uneasy, as if something was watching them from the shadows.

There must be something she'd overlooked. She thought to herself. Danger premonitions, even sixth senses, are highly unreliable to normal thinking, but as a member of the mystical side, the most unreliable things are often the most accurate.

In the quiet night, moonlight streamed in through the window, but O'Neal's heart remained restless.

There must be something she hadn't considered. She was certain; the unease in her heart and the fear of being watched by a predator clearly told her that something was amiss beneath this peaceful night…

Wait, peace...

Suddenly, Onise felt her blood freeze. It wasn't midnight or early morning; night had only just fallen. But why was it so quiet, as if the whole world had suddenly abandoned them?

"Oh no!" O'Neal exclaimed, instantly silencing all the laughter in the room. The other ladies looked at O'Neal with puzzled expressions, but O'Neal was deathly pale and terrified. "It's too quiet here. Let's go, everyone get out of here."

Little mice, where are you trying to run off to?!

Just then, a cold, mocking voice rang in the ears of everyone in the room.

puff...

The smell of blood began to fill the air…

The mature, beautiful woman, dressed like a dancer from Hotan, stared in disbelief at the blade that had pierced through her stomach. The blade had passed through the other side of the wall she was leaning against, cutting right through her.

The dancer from Rezhou opened her bleeding mouth as if to say something, but she couldn't utter a word. The flashes of light from the blade engulfed her completely…

"Run!" O'Neill shouted, startling her colleagues who were stunned by the human torch in front of them. Without looking back, she smashed open the window and jumped out of the building.

The crashing sound of shattering windows echoed through the quiet street. Normally, this would have woken some people to investigate. But the street remained as silent as ever, and flames still flickered in the surrounding houses, which only amplified the fear.