Chapter 191
The fire dragon was so hot that it was boiling the air itself. It opened its jaws, showing its fiery insides. It wouldn’t take a genius to deduce that the insides of a fire dragon would be incredibly hot. Arie already felt dizzy staring at it alone.
The petals turned into ashes before they could even approach the fire dragon, while the remnants that managed to survive the scorching temperatures were directly devoured by the fire dragon.
Arie let himself be captured. His figure would soon be revealed, and it seemed like he could still move agilely. However, he looked nothing like before. His clothes were scorched and in tatters, and his cheeks had turned black after being scorched.
“Aaaahhh…” Arie let out a long moan after standing there for quite a while. He looked refreshed as if he had finally released his pent-up desires. After a while, he turned to look at Joshua and muttered, “I love you.”
“I love you from the bottom of my heart, Joshua Sanders.”
He forcibly tore his tattered clothes.
Was the sudden display of power an attempt to intimidate his enemy into submission?
Of course not. It was simply because he climaxed once again, and his mind went blank.
The pleasure of fighting for his life made Arie reach the summit of pleasure.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so, sorry…” Arie revealed a genuinely remorseful look.
It had taken him too long to deal with the three insects from earlier that he was now running out of time. He could already feel the fast-approaching presence of many people not too far away from here.
Arie estimated that they would arrive in ten minutes.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could enjoy each other’s company for a bit longer?”
“I really wish you’d stop acting like a pervert. Do you see people as food?” Joshua probed in a low voice.
Arie smiled and asked, “Are you curious?”
“...” Joshua remained indifferent.
“Oh, please don’t make that kind of face. You’re making me sad.” Arie waved his hand and started moving toward the indifferent-looking Joshua before saying, “One must always keep their word. Of course, I have to take care of my business first.”
Joshua tensed as Arie’s feet left the ground. Joshua got ready for a surprise attack, but Arie’s next actions caught him off guard.
Arie reached into his chest and pulled out a bottle the size of his knuckle. He popped the lid, allowing a distinctive sour smell to waft into the air.
There existed many poisons in this world. A notable poison that was especially effective against magic casters was a poison called ‘Spell Poison.’
However, there was only one poison among the deadliest poisons out there that had a unique sour smell. It couldn’t really be called a poison because it would be more accurate to say that it was a toxic acid capable of melting an entire human being with just a few drops. It was so potent that it wouldn’t leave even bones behind.
“Fire bon Acid. It can devour a human being without leaving any traces.”
Joshua seemed unconvinced.
Arie smiled at that and said, “It’s a bit of a rare compound. Everyone else doesn’t know about it yet.”
“Are you going to defile their bodies with that?”
“Don’t get so dramatic because of a few corpses, Joshua. They’re already dead, am I right?” Arie asked with the same smirk on his face before erupting into boisterous laughter.” Hahaha! Joshua, Joshua. Why are your eyes so fascinating? Your gaze really excites me the most. Ah… I think I’m going crazy with happiness.”
“You…”
Arie stopped laughing and interrupted. “I’m going to ask just in case, but you’re not going to get in my way, are you? It doesn’t really sound that bad if we were to go to war right now, but how about you? Don’t you need more time?”
“...” Joshua didn’t know what to say. He couldn't deny it.
No kingdom would be able to stay still if they knew their Masters had been killed, and he would definitely get implicated, which meant Joshua would have to waste his time cooperating with their investigations.
Joshua still needed a few months to sort everything out—No, maybe a few years. It would be great if he could stop the inevitable war from happening, but there was no way he could do something like that.
After all, he couldn’t even guarantee the lives of the few people under him right now.
Joshua closed his eyes without saying anything. Duke Altsma reacted violently, but he finally went silent after realizing it.
Joshua knew better than anyone that things wouldn’t always go as planned. A short delay could lead to irreparable damages, and right now, his people were his top priority.
Arie stared at Joshua with a smile, seemingly amused at the young man’s dilemma.
“Duke Agnus knew everything from the very beginning. So why didn’t he do anything? It has been almost twenty years. Is he too scared to play with fire? Or maybe he has something up his sleeves?”
“...” Joshua remained silent at that.
“I really like that look on your face…” Arie’s smile deepened as he remarked. “By the way, there are at least three people stronger than me in Avalon.”
“...!” Joshua's eyes flickered briefly in surprise. Arie’s words meant that there were at least two more powerful Superhumans in the Avalon Empire aside from Duke Agnus, who was naturally stronger than Arie.
Arie's hand dropped a few drops of acid, which landed on the three bodies in an instant.
When the acid mixed with the blood and made bubbles, they eventually spread throughout the body.
Arie dropped a few drops of Fire bon Acid on the three corpses on the ground. When the acid drops made contact with the corpses’ blood, there was a sizzling sound as the acid got to work and eventually consumed the bodies.
“Keep an eye on your father. The Dark God of Avalon is more dangerous than His Majesty.” Arie muttered in a deep voice. He slowly turned around before continuing. “I can't wait for the day we see each other again.”
“Are you talking about until we do this again?” asked Joshua. His question could be answered in more ways than one.
“Well…” Arie revealed a smile as he stood still and vanished. “Just remember that I love you from the bottom of my heart, Joshua.”
He was nowhere to be found, but the words he left in his wake were loud and clear.
***
Swoosh!
“Gasp!”
When Cox’s words fell, the man in light armor blocking his path collapsed.
It was strange, but the man in light armor’s chest depicted the image of a golden owl, which was the emblem of the Pontier Family. Therefore, the man was serving the Pontier Family.
“Haah… Haah…!”
“Please calm down, my lady!” Baron Ashbal exclaimed as Charles' breathing turned erratic. He whipped around to see carus and ten other knights standing behind him, and at the sight, he yelled, “His Grace’s safety is our number one priority! Understood?!”
“Understood!”
Afterward, Baron Ashbal started talking to a young knight among the knights here.
Meanwhile, His Grace Pontier’s figure swayed weakly on Baron Ashbal’s back. It wouldn’t take a genius to see that His Grace Pontier was becoming weaker and weaker as time went on.
“Father…!” Charles bit her lip. She found it hard to even take a deep breath amidst her tumultuous emotions and the rancid smoke assaulting her nose. The visibility was also low, thanks to the raging fire, and one could hear screams from every direction.
Fendra Castle should have been the safest place in the Pontier Territory because it was located the furthest from all the fighting, but it was currently being consumed by fire, along with what the Pontier Family had remaining.
“Morossi, is this really our fate?” Charles muttered the name of the God of Destiny, and anguish could be seen on her face.
How did all this happen? Charles wouldn’t have been so heartbroken if this were the result of an external attack, but this fire was obviously caused by someone among their ranks.
It turned out that Cox wasn’t the only rat in the family. When Cox’s identity as a traitor was revealed, as many as half of the vassals at the meeting joined him, rendering the knights confused about what they should do.
The family had been falling apart for a long time. The appearance of the traitors was simply akin to an infection finally baring its fangs.
“This is my fault,” Icarus bemoaned with an apologetic look. “I was planning to put Count Cox in a vulnerable position and hunt down the rest of the traitors later…”
Icarus’ mistake was believing that there wouldn’t have been so many traitors. In her eyes, those people truly looked like they were loyal people.
Unfortunately, even if Icarus knew about the identities of those traitors before they were revealed, there wasn’t much she could have done about it. Sorting out the traitors would have caused too much confusion. The Pontier Family was already in shambles, and there was no way they could take any more pressure.
“My Lady, I think you should withdraw to Peril Castle and make plans for the future,” Count Verdot advised. “The enemies will need at least four days to reach Peril Castle.”
“I think that’s for the best,” Baron Ashbal agreed with a nod. “Our main force and all but a thousand of the reserve forces are there. It’s the safest place right now.”
Baron Ashbal’s face brightened because he could see that they were now close to the eastern gate. “The horses should be ready near the eastern gate. We should get out of here and join the knights there right away!”
.
A shout echoed from behind them. “Found them!”
Baron Ashbal revealed a grim look and ordered. “Prioritize the escape of Group Two!”
“Understood!” Seven knights exclaimed before bowing down to Charles.
“May Hermes' grace my lady’s path!”
“My lady, you have to survive!”
Charles’ eyes turned red with tears as the knights laid their emotions bare.
“How about—” Charles started.
However, the knights interrupted her. “Please hurry, my lady!”
As the enemies clad in armor and cold weapons neared them, Charles bit her lip and lowered her head before saying, “Your sacrifice will ensure the survival of the Pontier Family.”
“...” The seven knights froze at Charles’ voice.
“Ah…!” they exclaimed upon seeing a golden owl soaring through the skies.
Some people despised the golden owl for being a foul bird that would eat even its own mother. However, it was the emblem of the Pontier Family, and they would never be forgotten by the people so long as golden owls remained existing.
When Charles finally left the seven knights behind, her back looked even more despondent and smaller than before.
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