Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 836 - 158:

"Her name is Selena, she's my sister!"

Qina's breath suddenly became rapid, "I just want... I just want to know where she is!"

There was a suffocating silence in response to Qina.

Solan and Qina felt like they were spending years in this room.

After what felt like an eternity, Mire-bloodthorn finally spoke again, "Since Mr. Solan has personally come, I will answer you—she went to the Royal Palace, met one of the most distinguished people in this country on September 12th, 13 years ago."

As the patriarch of the Bloodthorn Clan, he's supposed to remember the information about every batch of sacrifices, as this is the hereditary duty of their family.

"Selena... is she employed at the Royal Palace?"

Qina felt a glimmer of hope reignite.

"You could interpret it that way."

Mire-bloodthorn said, "She's a capable girl, performed her duties excellently. If you want to meet her, I can arrange it, after all, you share the same blood."

"I want to see her as soon as possible—"

"Qina, get behind me!"

Solan suddenly raised his voice, drawing his sword. Almost simultaneously, urgent footsteps burst into the study; the guards who shouldn't have been there were fully armed, rows of gun muzzles pointed directly at them.

"As for you, Mr. Solan, perhaps you should also come with me to meet His Majesty Henry."

"Duke, what do you mean by this?"

Solan cautiously pointed his sword at Mire, shielding Qina as they retreated to the window.

"Heh heh, kid, haven't you realized yet?"

The standard villainous laughter barred the way between them and Mire-Bloodthorn, the flamboyant red hair and towering voice becoming an insurmountable wall.

Solan's eyes widened in disbelief.

Despite the red-haired woman wearing a ballroom mask, he recognized her immediately—this was the first person he met after being transported to another world by Ilya, the true hero who defeated the Demon King. He couldn't understand why the great hero, whom he respected, would be colluding with the great nobility of the Silver Radiance Empire.

Apart from the Firearms Team that burst into the study, the building was already heavily surrounded by guards.

Solan finally realized it was a trap, from the moment they infiltrated the estate, their identities had already been compromised.

Which part went wrong?

"Little girl, that trusted teacher of yours betrayed you, it's all your own fault, for carelessly revealing what you knew about the hero's whereabouts to him?"

In an instant, Qina's face turned pale, seemingly unable to accept the fact she was betrayed by her teacher.

"Then let me reintroduce you, this is my little brother, Mi Zi."

The Other Shore said, "Mi Zi, how much did you give that informant?"

Regrettably, the atmosphere in the study didn't come alive with The Other Shore's guidance, with the estate's guards all staring wide-eyed.

Outrageous!

Who're you calling Mi Zi?

The scene was bizarre, The Other Shore looked to be of the same generation as the Duke's children, yet called the Duke his little brother.

With a dark face, Mire-Bloodthorn naturally ignored The Other Shore.

"Since none of you are speaking, let me explain, so you can die understanding."

The Other Shore stared into Qina's eyes, "Your sister Selena had long been sacrificed as an offering, haven't you heard the rumor? Bathing in the blood of a virgin is the secret to eternal youth, this has been a glorious tradition of the Silver Radiance Empire. I'd say, your sister becoming a part of this glorious tradition should be considered a blessing."

The Other Shore's voice was loud, like a bully, so that even the guards downstairs heard the Queen's secret, "On the evening of September 12th, 13 years ago, your sister Selena, along with three other offerings 'invited' from across the empire, were personally taken to the Royal Palace by Mi Zi. He spent an entire night preparing for Queen Elizabeth's annual blood bath, it was a rather laborious process, they had to ensure the offerings remained conscious during the blood bath."

She paused slightly, "In other words, your sister Selena watched with her own eyes as she bled out and died... the taboo of immortality, the clan's first patriarch exchanged his title for it, gained the 'fireseed', and their generations of glory and wealth."

The study was dead silent.

Qina clenched her fists, unable to stop the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"So, now that you know the truth, what can you do?"

The Other Shore arrogantly spread her arms, looking at Solan, "Though crashing through the window, using the cover of the woods, and escaping through the southwest corner of the estate's damaged wall is a good idea, do you think you can escape under my nose?"

The Other Shore let out a cold laugh.

She took a step forward, "Solan, the hero game is over, in the real world, your skills pose no threat to anyone, just like now, while you're in a daze, my sword has already pointed at your—ouch!"

A cry of pain once again stunned the guards in the study.

A second earlier, the arrogant red-haired woman who seemed to have everything under control suddenly fell flat on her back, her panic-stricken expression perfectly portraying a villain being humiliated.

"What!? How is it possible, you've reached that level! Quick, block the Duke, the hero now is no longer the same as before!"

The guards were flustered, and the awakened Solan immediately gathered battle energy, holding Qina as they leaped out from the third floor of the study.

Although he had no idea what "that level" referred to, he was sure The Other Shore slipped on her own, with poor acting skills no less. Besides that, he sensed the gaze The Other Shore directed at him.

Indeed, Miss Red Hair is a good person!

The surge of battle energy shielded him from a round of musket shots. He followed The Other Shore's hint, escaping into the woods with Qina, heading towards the southwest wall of the estate.

The Firearms Team originally wanted to pursue but, upon learning the hero reached "that level", even the Duke's hired hands were defeated. They suddenly slowed down, pretended to search around the small forest, and unanimously claimed they "lost them."

Upon escaping the small forest, Solan immediately saw the wall The Other Shore mentioned in the southwest corner.

The hole was manually made, looking as if someone of immense strength punched through the wall when the estate guards weren't looking.

Closer, even closer.

At this midnight hour, the celebration's people dispersed, as long as he and Qina hid in the night's shadow, they could smoothly evade the pursuers. Solan started planning his next steps; he first needed to contact Lance and Zophie, find a hideout and then decide.

Solan first rushed through the wall, leaving the pursuers and clamor behind him.

However, in the next instant, a gargantuan sword tore through the battle energy barrier, its blade piercing through his left chest, nailing him entirely to the wall.

In the night, another man with red hair stood out.

Beyond the wall was a dense crowd, wearing identical armor, wielding muskets and shields, forming a human barricade blocking the path.

The Imperial Army Commander, Cedric Thorn!

Solan barely propped himself up, squinting forward through blurry vision, behind Thorn stood another familiar figure.

The Eldest Prince.

"How unfortunate, it seems the rumors are true."

The Eldest Prince looked down on Solan, "The hero colludes with the Rebel Army, now having betrayed the Empire... Imperial Army, fulfill your duty."

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the study.

As footsteps approached, the chaos in the study abruptly ceased.

The Other Shore looked up, only to see a man in a black cloak walk into the study.

"Yo, man in the black cloak."

She sat on the floor, taking the initiative to greet him.

The man in the black cloak ignored The Other Shore and turned to Mire-bloodthorn.

"Well done, your merits will be remembered by His Highness the Prince."