Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 789 - 135: Land of Dancing Flames_2

"...Why would someone like you come to a place like ours?"

"If there's no way back, I planned to let life continue this way. With my ability, I can protect you from the invasion of magical creatures and help you avoid the pursuit of the Imperial Army as much as possible, but that's the limit. With our strength, we ultimately cannot change this country."

Lance said, "One day, I will grow old, too old to wield a sword... But now, the one who can truly change this kingdom has come before us!"

With Lance's slightly excited tone, Evelyn looked towards the brave Solan, who was studying the "wand," and felt two burning gazes. Solan turned his head to look at Ethan, and naturally, their gazes shifted to Ethan.

"I didn't have the chance to ask earlier, young brother, who are you?"

Initially, Lance thought Ethan was a private soldier under noble command, following those people to seek refuge with them. However, upon closer observation, he found this young man extraordinary, especially since he showed no fear in the rebel's headquarters or the ever-looming presence of the Imperial Army. Instead, he seemed as calm as if he were at home.

On the way, he even took the time to greet the children in the camp.

He also noticed that Solan seemed to trust this young man greatly.

"I am Ethan."

Ethan said, "You can call me Senzi."

He decided to use the new nickname that Little Dark gave him.

Senzi?

Lance and Evelyn pondered it, but they had never heard of such a person. Instead, the brave young man was displeased, displaying the proud temperament of an Imperial Capital noble lady. She flicked her non-existent long hair and said, "Brother Solan, you're joking again! And Lance, you'd better explain why you called us here!"

This is really terrible!

The reunion with old teammates seemed to have triggered the brave young man's old habits, involving up to three victims this time. Even with Lance and Evelyn's faces mostly covered, Ethan could sense their shock.

"Actually, it's like this..."

He had to brace himself to explain the ins and outs to them.

Compared to the Imperial Army and those eyeing nobles, Ethan felt the brave young man was the bigger problem. If he kept talking this way, his mental state would face significant risks.

Imagine a strapping hot-blooded young man calling you brother in a coquettish tone; this mental contamination is far scarier than Lao Ba and other proper evil gods.

"So you mean Solan is under the influence of hypnotism, mistakenly believing he has become... Ilya?"

Ethan noticed Lance's unnatural tone when mentioning this name. It's as if even without thinking hard, he could guess that after defeating the Demon King, former companions had long since drifted apart, likely becoming enemies.

"This should be the Ilya he knows."

After a long contemplation, Lance concluded.

The Holy Mage in the team who wasn't very straightforward, yet always took good care of everyone and followed the brave hero like a little shadow.

But also because of this...

Because of this!

Lance suddenly clenched his fist, veins bulging in his arms, eyes bloodshot, "As promised, I'll tell you what happened in the days following his disappearance."

"The next evening, we returned to the Imperial Capital to meet Henry VI. He commended our achievements and had Ilya arrange our life in the capital. That night, Ilya hosted a banquet, bringing plenty of wine and carefully preparing everyone's favorite food."

They all believed they understood Ilya's character, so they let their guard down completely.

They chatted freely about their visions for the future at the banquet. Although the Demon King was defeated, their ideals were not realized, and many places in this kingdom still needed change.

Even if Solan hadn't vanished, they wanted to continue pursuing Solan's dream.

"But Ilya poisoned the food. She was meticulous, knowing each of our weaknesses because she knew us all too well."

Thinking about that night, Lance ground his teeth, "Zophie fell into their hands, and I fought desperately to cut a bloody path and escape from the Imperial Capital."

He was fortunate; the turmoil in Gear City distracted the Imperial Army. After the death of the Great Summoner Haitia became known, the number of pursuers notably decreased, "I fled all the way here, rescued by the patrolling team and Ilya."

From that point, Lance genuinely understood the life of the people at the bottom level of the Empire, realizing what the nobles did to them during their adventures, which Ilya had managed to conceal well.

Lance fell into confusion.

Because he suddenly realized that he and the now-missing Zophie were the odd ones out in the group. Unbeknownst to them, Ilya had already conspired with others to "clean up after them."

The mission to eliminate the Demon King was completed; the remaining matters no longer required their involvement.

But they knew very well that with their and Zophie's character, they would never turn a blind eye to their actions, so Ilya decided to take action first.

The only variable was Haitia's death, which exceeded Ilya's plans and plunged the Imperial Army into chaos.

They all feared the killer of Haitia and had to consider the possibility of the Demon King's resurgence, one of the few formidable enemies Ilya couldn't control.

"Ilya must also have heard about Solan's return. She might already be on her way to Gear City."

Lance gave the final order to Ilya, "She knows the Divination Skill and will find this place faster than we expect. So, Ilya, I hope you immediately lead people eastward. Once you leave the Empire's borders, you'll be safe."

Saying this, Lance handed a thick envelope to Ilya, "This is where I learned Swordsmanship. Find the person on the letter, tell them my name, and they'll provide you a new place to stay."

"...What about you?"

"I told you, Solan and I are crucial in buying you time."

Lance said, "As long as we are still here, Ilya won't divide forces to hunt you down. She's more cautious than us and won't put herself in danger."

At this point, he looked at Ethan again, "It's just that Solan's current state is different from what I imagined. If he were his former self, he would undoubtedly stay and fight alongside me."

But now, their team had an imposter Ilya who couldn't even cast spells.

It seemed that on the journey to defeat the Demon King, he had used up all his luck.

"I'm grateful you saved Solan, but I didn't expect to cause you to fall into such a predicament..."

Lance hesitated.

He couldn't allow Ethan and Evelyn's team to travel together. As long as Solan was out there, the pursuit by the Imperial Army wouldn't stop, "I'll try my best to buy you enough time. You can take Solan and escape westward. I've left two Griffins in a cave in the west; they should take you wherever you wish to go."

Lance could smell the scent of danger approaching in the air, a premonition he had only felt when about to face the Demon King, but this time, he was going to use his skills and strength to deal with his former companions.

Lance unstrapped the giant sword from his side, feeling his blood boiling.

"Dawn is breaking. Leave as soon as you can."

"We're actually heading to the Imperial Capital."

Lance was momentarily stunned; he couldn't believe his ears. He believed that even if Ethan was an outsider, he should understand their current predicament.

The Imperial Capital was the source of all danger.

"After capturing you, Ilya intends to surely take you to the Imperial Capital, right?"

Ethan said, "You mentioned earlier that you plan to negotiate with the Imperial Army. I'm not skilled in much, but I'm reasonably good at negotiating. Staying here might help in some way."