Our Family Has Fallen-Chapter 369 - 258: News_2

"Ah, never mind then..." Lance suddenly lost his interest.

Tamara could not help but roll her eyes at him, clearly understanding what he meant by that.

Her master never allowed a traitor such an easy death. Catherine knew that if she failed, she would be subjected to various torments. Even death would not be the end. Her pain-filled soul would be sacrificed to the demons of the Abyss, enduring despairing torment... That was why she hadn’t dared to act. The immense pressure from her fear made it impossible for her to show even a hint of rebellion. But at that moment, familiar with her master’s habits, Catherine understood that if she didn’t act then, she would lose her chance. The dagger she plunged carried all her long-standing grievances.

The poison smeared on the Ritual Dagger ensured it would kill him, a technique taught to her by her master himself.

Things worked out as she had hoped. Her master fell. But what followed engulfed her in despair and terror.

When the ritual inside her was triggered, Catherine knew she wouldn’t die because, at that moment, even death was a luxury to hope for...

Lance was sitting to the side, inspecting and rifling through the contents of her backpack. It was filled with curiosities, many of which were beyond the comprehension of an ordinary mind.

Just then, he seemed to sense something and looked up.

"Awake now."

His voice seemed to carry a power that jolted her fully awake, leaving her in extreme panic, almost causing her to leap to her feet.

Years of enduring harsh conditions alongside the Wizard she had served had given her a resilience far beyond that of an average person. Her attention instantly locked onto the strange man before her.

"Who are you?"

"I saved you; what do you think?" Lance replied leisurely. His gaze swept over the woman, noting her dark skin and frail body, her cheeks slightly hollowed as if malnourished. But her eyes were incredibly bright, revealing a mysterious power.

As for Catherine, she paid no attention to his gaze, focusing entirely on his words.

Saved? Had she been saved?

Catherine looked around, baffled by the unfamiliar surroundings. Noticing something amiss with her body, she raised a hand to look—all her equipment was gone, replaced by a simple set of clothes.

That was right. If it were her master, she would have awakened to a ritual.

"Thank you for saving me. Where are my things? I have to leave here, or I’ll bring trouble upon you," Catherine said. She had no intention of staying. She didn’t know what had happened, but she absolutely could not let herself fall into the bald man’s clutches.

"Trouble? Are you talking about this?"

Lance produced a triangular pendant whose swaying form instantly captivated Catherine’s gaze.

"That monster has been killed by me. You’re safe now," Lance explained casually, playing with the pendant in his hand.

Hearing this, Catherine realized something. The Wizard would never have let her go. The only explanation was that he was dead.

She placed her hand over her heart and felt carefully, discovering that the ritual inside her had indeed been broken. Overwhelmed with a rush of emotions, she slumped onto the bed, her expression dazed.

She had escaped. At last, she had escaped!

At that moment, emotions flickered across her face, shifting between laughter and tears. She laughed because she had finally rid herself of the Wizard and was still alive. She cried for all the torment she had endured along the way.

Lance watched her reaction, beginning to understand that even though she and the Wizard appeared to be traveling together, their relationship was more akin to that of a slave and a Slave Owner. Otherwise, her reaction to the Wizard’s death wouldn’t make sense.

"I need an explanation. Why were you slaughtering my people in my domain and sacrificing them to malevolent beings?" Lance posed the question, his tone offering her no pleasantries. He had found some items in her backpack—things the Church would define as desecrations. Not to mention what he had learned from Geralt about the atrocities committed by these two Wizards while on the run. Leaving their past actions aside for now, the recent evil rituals conducted in his domain and the sacrifice of his people—those villagers were *his* people—meant that Lance not striking her down immediately was already an act of mercy.

Catherine snapped out of her emotional state. She couldn’t help but look at the man before her, her brow slowly furrowing.

It seemed she had barely escaped the tiger’s den only to enter the wolf’s lair...

"I’m not with him. I was forced."

"I don’t care. You were involved. The Wizard is dead, but someone still has to be held accountable."

"I’ll give you everything I have..." For the first time, Catherine saw a glimmer of hope for freedom and suddenly appeared a bit flustered.

Her words, however, were directly interrupted by Lance.

"No, those things are mine now; you have no right to decide. The only thing you can decide now is to prove your usefulness. Hamlet doesn’t keep idlers."

This statement undoubtedly shrouded the freedom Catherine had finally glimpsed.

She had thought she had finally flown out of the birdcage, but in reality, she had merely been moved to another one.

Despair rushed in like a tide, suffocating her.

But the ruthless character she had developed by the Wizard’s side wouldn’t allow her to submit so easily. When she lifted her head to look at Lance, her eyes held a hint of...

"What? Not convinced?"

Lance noticed her reaction but didn’t seem to care much, even finding it somewhat amusing. When the gap in strength is too great, threats become rather laughable.

Catherine instinctively reined herself in, but those thoughts didn’t vanish; they just hid deeper within her.

Transcendent*s* are born between heaven and earth; how could they...

"Take this."

Without waiting for her to react further, Lance threw the triangular pendant he was holding toward her.

Catherine subconsciously caught it, but this situation left her a bit bewildered. What just happened?

"I’m giving you a chance. If you can influence me, I’ll let you go. If you can’t, then stay here obediently and atone for your sins," Lance explained calmly.

Clutching the pendant, Catherine fell into deep thought. Was this a trap or something else? A ploy to induce her to act, only to kill her afterward? But was that necessary? And this man didn’t seem to fancy anything about her; Catherine was very self-aware of that. So why would he do this?

"Hurry up. My time is precious." Seeing her caught in her dilemma, Lance could tell that this person was definitely a schemer with a dark mind and deep calculations.

This urging snapped Catherine back to her senses. But by the stern look on her face, she clearly couldn’t fathom the meaning behind such behavior. Within two or three seconds, she considered many possibilities, but when she met the man’s gaze, she understood he didn’t mean much by it—it was just the simplest, most bare display of power.

Since he could kill the Wizard, how could she possibly defeat him?

In the end, all her indecision dissipated, leaving only resignation.

"Catherine is willing to serve... Master."

Presenting the triangular pendant with both hands, Catherine knelt before Lance. She chose to submit; perhaps, over the years, she had grown accustomed to submitting to the powerful.

"Get up. There is no master here, and I don’t have so many rules," Lance said with a smile, helping her up from the ground.

It was best that she was willing to be compliant. All the hardheads were already in the convalescent home, after all.

Catherine looked at the man, somewhat puzzled, sensing an aura very different from the Wizard’s.

"Your sins are too numerous to recount, but considering you were coerced, I am still willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself," Lance motioned with his hand. "Sit down. I have some things I need to ask you."

Catherine didn’t know what kind of person he was and could only sit cautiously to the side. However, she clutched the triangular pendant tightly, a subconscious action that showed she was not as obedient as she seemed.

"I need to know everything about that Wizard. Tell me everything you know." Lance cut straight to the chase, a certain urgency in his voice.

He had to find out where the Wizard got his Power of Flesh and Blood, and why he had appeared near Hamlet. Until he knew, these questions would keep him up at night.

"The first time I met him was over a decade ago. Our family members were traveling merchants, riding camels towards the next oasis, when we found a severely injured old man in the sands..."