Chapter 343: 118. Turning Against Each Other
“Wait, Heidi Lin, where exactly are you taking me?”
In the downtown area of Miya covered by a white light, Heidi Lin pushed Valentina, who was sitting in a wheelchair, forward until she could run no longer. Only then did she turn and push Valentina into a small alley by the roadside.
Outside, the high-circle magic used by the Miya military, “Sanctum of Purity,” had already enveloped the entire downtown area. While the situation at the hotel remained uncertain, at least the earth-shattering sounds of battle had ceased.
Sometimes Valentina really wondered if Fisher was a normal human. His knowledge of magic was profound, and his own magical power and physical condition were so exaggerated. She learned from Heidi Lin that Fisher had engraved dozens of spells in five days, which left Valentina, who had some knowledge of magic, utterly amazed.
In Valentina’s eyes, if it weren’t for this scholar from Nali taking action, they would likely have perished in that unknown attack by now.
But the problem arose here: clearly, the identity and methods of the attackers were still unclear, and they hadn’t even obtained the Snow Fox Tribe’s mark yet. Furthermore, the safety of Fisher and the other companions was still uncertain, yet Heidi Lin, unusually, attacked a member of the family and took Valentina far away from the scene, which left Valentina quite puzzled.
As their master-servant duo for many years, Valentina naturally wouldn’t doubt that Heidi Lin aimed to harm her. Even now, having been taken to a deserted alley by someone, all she wanted was an explanation from Heidi Lin.
“Heidi Lin, why did you bring me here away from the scene? Why did you attack a member of the family? Do you have some trouble to solve? Why can’t you tell me?”
Heidi Lin looked back warily at the alley entrance. After seeing that no one was there, she turned around, relieved, and smiled at the naive Valentina in front of her.
“Miss, you are truly… you clearly won’t live past twenty, and you were born with this disability into such a family, yet you can still trust me like this. It’s really overwhelming…”
“Heidi Lin, what on earth are you…?”
Heidi Lin gritted her teeth and then firmly grasped Valentina’s shoulders. A hint of determination appeared on her pale face. Even though she struggled to catch her breath, she tried to maintain a calm tone to avoid frightening the still naive young lady.
“Miss, actually, ever since you left Snowflake Fortress, I’ve been secretly trying to prevent you from reaching Frost Parasol Tree. From recruiting Felis and Balzak to scheming to drive Fisher away from our team and losing your trust, all of this is what I have done without your knowledge…”
Valentina, sitting in her wheelchair, mouthed the words but did not interrupt Heidi Lin. She only felt Heidi Lin’s grip on her shoulders tightening more and more.
“Perhaps it’s because the Turan family hasn’t left Snowflake Fortress for too long that you, while out in the world, weren’t immediately discovered by the curse from Sema Snow Mountain. But that’s not a serious issue. The family believes that on the road to find Frost Parasol Tree, you will surely encounter that curse, and at that time, their objective will be achieved.”
“Miss, the reason the family never leaves Snowflake Castle isn’t because of their twisted genetic disease, but because the Turan family stole the noble bloodline that originally belonged to the phoenix through despicable means. Now that they are suffering painful retribution, they think of making amends. But the way of making amends is through sacrificing you, Miss.”
Valentina stared blankly at Heidi Lin, whose eyes were slightly reddened. She seemed to struggle and choke up. She hesitated for a long time, not daring to tell the still immature Valentina this matter. Ever since her birth, her parents, family, and even trusted teachers have been deceiving her. This was something a fragile disabled girl could not bear.
“I… No one has ever told me this… Mom told me to leave the castle and find the Parasol Tree… to save the family’s genetic disease, I…”
“Sorry, Miss, though I truly don’t want to say this, but your parents, including Haldor, are aware of this matter…”
Valentina’s pupils shrank slightly. This time, she did not rub the ring engraved with the Turan family crest on her hand but simply gripped her skirt. Heidi Lin’s voice continued, leaving Valentina’s expression momentarily dazed.
“Of course, I’m not saying your parents or Haldor did anything wrong; on the contrary, they’ve done their best… If it weren’t for your mother, a magician, having made a tremendous contribution to the family, you would have been sacrificed to the curse in the Parasol Tree as soon as they discovered you could wield the Moon Princess’s sword.”
“Your parents and Haldor have already made plans. They believe you won’t live past twenty, which is why they let you try to find the Parasol Tree at the end of your life. There might be a glimmer of hope for you to survive there… But before that, I thought the hope was too slim. Rather than gambling on that minuscule possibility, it’s better to take this time to experience things you’ve never known as a human.”
“Fisher’s words reminded me; it was I who overstepped. I should not have made decisions regarding your life, and I should apologize to you. But Fisher, his abilities have been witnessed by all of us today. I am willing to believe he can take you to the Parasol Tree, which is why I revealed everything to you, hoping you make your own decision.”
Valentina paused for a moment, suddenly understanding many things. The previous confusions had found corresponding answers. Although she didn’t show any particularly remarkable expressions on her face, her grip on her skirt tightened more and more. After a while, she still could only weakly ask,
“Does Fisher also know about this? Did you tell him?”
Heidi Lin shook her head, briefly explaining her earlier attempts to drive him away, though she didn’t mention her own physical advances. Valentina understood the situation after listening. She sighed lightly, raised her hand to gently support her forehead, then murmured somewhat absentmindedly,
“Is that so…”
“Sorry, Miss, it’s my fault…”
Before Heidi Lin could finish her sentence, Valentina gently raised her hand to stop her. In Heidi Lin’s somewhat surprised gaze, Valentina took a deep breath. When she raised her head again, her expression returned to calm.
After a second of silence, she lightly tapped the armrest of the wheelchair with her finger and calmly analyzed,
“I understand. Just now, I sensed the curse’s presence because the Phoenix Blood I shed due to my injury attracted it, right? Then the family must have noticed this too, which is why you attacked the family member and brought me away, correct?”
Heidi Lin seemed completely unprepared for Valentina to calm down so quickly from the truth she revealed. She stared at the young lady deep in thought, dazed, and nodded in agreement.
“Yes…”
Hearing Heidi Lin’s reply, Valentina suddenly sighed, weary as she rubbed her temples, and then smiled bitterly,
“If that’s the case, then I fear I won’t be able to leave Miya anymore… If the family discovered that I could actively attract the curse from the Parasol Tree by shedding blood, they certainly wouldn’t bother playing along with me anymore. During the Moon Rabbit shrine incident, I should have died; it was only because of Fisher, and because you hadn’t lost the family’s trust at that time that I survived…”
“Now, they’ve realized you don’t want me to die and have betrayed the family. They will send others to forcibly take me away to sacrifice me to the curse.”
As Heidi Lin showed a panicked expression upon hearing Valentina’s analysis, at the entrance of the alley, several members of the Turan family, dressed with the “Five-Pointed Snowflake” pattern, suddenly appeared. Valentina’s expression changed, and she abruptly raised the magic ring Fisher had given her, while Heidi Lin hurriedly stood up to protect Valentina.
“Miss, are you all right? We’ve been looking for you and Heidi Lin for a long time. The Miya military has started clearing the scene over there and said they wanted to understand the situation. What do you think…?”
Upon hearing this, Heidi Lin gritted her teeth and raised her hands protectively in front of her chest, while Valentina frowned and looked at the family member with a very natural expression. She glanced at a knight standing silently at the back of the family, his armor shimmering with faint light, then sarcastically said,
“No wonder when I requested the family to send the ‘Snowflake Knights’ to protect us in our search for the Parasol Tree, the family rejected it under the pretext of ‘knights having missions’… Turns out, it’s not that there are no Snowflake Knights; they originally intended for me to go to my death.”
The family member, whose acting was quite natural, was slightly taken aback, then smiled and shook his head, regrettably saying,
“It seems that Heidi Lin, this family traitor, has told you everything, Lady Valentina… But there’s nothing we can do; we are also acting under the family’s orders. We don’t want to make things difficult for you either. Why don’t we all be understanding?”
“Understanding? Just to remind everyone, I still have several high-circle spells at hand. Even if I can’t deal with that Snowflake Knight behind you, killing myself probably wouldn’t count as the sacrifice the family demands, would it?”
Valentina raised the ring in her hand, speaking with a calm tone that held no trace of panic, but in reality, her other hand resting on her skirt was as cold as ice.
“Miss!”
Heidi Lin glanced back at Valentina in a bit of panic, while the distant staff scratched the back of his head, feeling quite troublesome. He then sighed and said to the people behind him,
“Just bring her over.”
“Understood.”
One of the people behind him responded, and soon after, two heavily equipped Snowflake Knights brought three individuals to the alley’s entrance. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Balzak, who was on the verge of collapse and missing an arm, Felis, who was still carrying some magical wounds on her frizzed-up body, and Selti, the mechanical engineer, who had fainted from fear.
Valentina’s pupils shrank slightly. She slammed her fist down on her wheelchair and, after a long time, managed to force out an extremely angry remark from her throat,
“You guys are… livestock, despicable bastards!”
The staff member shrugged helplessly and then smiled at Valentina,
“Miss, these people are external hires of you and Heidi Lin. Don’t worry, we won’t do anything to them as long as you behave… For everyone present, only this treacherous maid will be punished; it’s the price for deceiving the family for so long and betraying their trust.”
“How about it, Miss, although one of your subordinates hasn’t been found yet, she’s likely dead in the recent unexplainable attack. However, the lives of these remaining individuals are in your hands. You are a gifted prodigy praised by the family elders. Think it over well; I believe you won’t betray the Turan family that raised you, right, Miss?”
Valentina pressed hard on the armrest of her wheelchair, as if she wanted to completely dismantle the chair beneath her. Just like these family members who understood her well, the kind Valentina still inevitably fell into hesitation over concern for the lives of others…
“I…”
“Hmm? You haven’t found her? I’m right here, aren’t I?”
Just when Valentina’s eyes were becoming red, her forced calm collapsing and revealing the deep-seated vulnerability within her, a man’s voice suddenly echoed behind the group of Turan family members outside the alley.
Both Valentina and Heidi Lin, who had fallen into desperate circumstances, slightly brightened their eyes. The Turan family members also turned around, only to see a man dressed in a white shirt, holding a long sword, and standing with a fierce-looking… uh, book on his shoulder, looking at all of them.
“Fisher…”
“Duck, Felis.”
Before the leading Turan family member could speak, a silver flash suddenly swept through the air. Among the three captured individuals, the only one still awake and not bowing her head, Felis, heard Fisher’s calm words and immediately obediently lowered her head. In the next moment, the heads of everyone present instantly flew into the air.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
In an instant, blood splattered as the headless corpses collapsed helplessly to the ground. The heavily armored knights hadn’t fallen yet, and beneath their soaring helmets, currents of electricity were flashing wildly. Looking through the gaps in their armor, one would see that beneath the shining magical armor lay not flesh and blood but a mechanized guardian glowing with light.
It seemed that the cooperation between the Turan family and the Mechanism wasn’t solely to resurrect Haldor. It made sense; a family that could steal Phoenix Blood wouldn’t limit their ambitions to just reviving a dying old man.
“Fisher!”
For some reason, even though Valentina had been very calm earlier when facing the threats from the Turan family, upon seeing the gentleman standing at the alley’s entrance, she suddenly felt a bittersweet sensation in her eyes. She rubbed the corners of her eyes, swallowing that bitterness for a long time. Just as she wanted to say something, she found that Fisher had already released the bindings on Balzak and the others and walked into the alley.
Behind Fisher, six or seven apprehensive Snow Fox Tribe members, looking like little dwarves, were huddled together, watching the corpses on the ground and muttering,
“My goodness, have we been out of the tribe for too long? Why is it so chaotic out here…”
“We should quickly bring the medicine back. Let’s discuss the things we needed to later.”
“Oh my, this is too terrifying.”
“……”
With the chattering voices of the Snow Fox Tribe serving as background, the tense atmosphere that had just been permeating the alley eased a bit. Fisher slowly walked up to Valentina and Heidi Lin, giving them a glance, and smiled.
“I’m not late, am I?”
“No, you arrived just in time.”
“You really… still have the time to be concerned about this…”
Heidi Lin and Valentina both thought Fisher was asking them, so they both spoke up simultaneously. After opening their mouths, the atmosphere that had just become a bit relaxed fell silent again. Valentina stared blankly at Heidi Lin beside her, while Heidi Lin coughed slightly, avoiding the young lady’s gaze.
It was still Fisher’s voice that broke this silence. He turned his head to look at the still chaotic street outside and calmly said,
“We don’t have much time to linger here. If we have already torn the face with the Turan family, they surely won’t let it go easily. We need to leave Miya quickly.”
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(End of Chapter)
