Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 181
“While they’re busy fighting like dogs, we should…” Nieman pulled open the door, only to find that Louis, who was originally unconscious, had woken up at some point. Nieman was taken aback upon meeting his gaze, remembering that he was the one responsible for putting Louis there in the first place.
After all, if they hadn’t intervened earlier, the exhausted Khalif would likely have been defeated by Louis.
It was a bit awkward.
Nieman coughed and stepped aside to make room for McMullan—who, despite not being talkative, was always pushed to be the spokesperson. This time was no exception.
Louis remained lying down, although he was still wary of the group. In his current weakened state, he didn’t want to waste unnecessary energy and decided to remain silent and observe.
McMullan wasn’t a great orator, but he never exaggerated or lied. Coupled with his usual calm demeanor, he was more persuasive than the other two. He succinctly explained the situation (skipping over the parts about Sven and Vasilia) and suggested taking Louis away from there. After all, Louis was injured, Khalif was blindly arrogant, Sven had ulterior motives, and Vasilia was aggressively coming. It wouldn’t benefit anyone to get involved.
Louis found their explanation absurd. What was this nonsense about judges? He had never heard of such a ridiculous concept. If defeating Khalif in a one-on-one fight could replace him, then ten years ago, when Khalif’s physical condition declined, someone should have broken his neck and taken the head position. How could Khalif have been messing around with dark magic until now?
Even with McMullan and the others backing him, few dared to challenge Khalif directly. Earlier, Khalif, overwhelmed by emotions, had (questionably) asked for a one-on-one fight with Louis, which Louis found equally absurd.
Besides, which one of them thought he was challenging Khalif for control of the Wolf Family?
Louis didn’t respond. He slowly sat up, causing the small bird perched on his collarbone to lose its balance and tumble down, only to be caught by him.
Normally, the Gray Sentinel would either fly back to the sender or turn back into a paper bird after delivering the message. However, this one remained fluffy and showed no intention of moving on, even shaking its body and opening its little beak proudly once held.
“Geo—” Louis noticed it was about to call out and quickly pinched its beak shut, stuffing it into his coat pocket.
McMullan and the others seemed completely oblivious to the peculiar interaction between Louis and the bird. They only moved closer when he attempted to get off the sofa, though they refrained from helping as Louis’s expression was unfriendly.
…Partially because the pain from his wounds made his face look grim.
Nieman was a bit surprised. Though Louis always clashed with Khalif, he didn’t think any Wolf would refuse power when it was handed to them. One of the reasons Louis always wore a sullen face during meetings was his disdain for Khalif.
“Where are you going?” Ham asked as he saw Louis heading towards the door.
Louis didn’t answer. Although Nieman had used a hemostatic powder while bandaging him, which worked well, the effects of blood loss couldn’t be quickly reversed. He still felt dizzy and weak, as if speaking would make him vomit his guts out.
This condition was certainly not suited for causing trouble, but since Charlie’s bird had come here, it meant Charlie was looking for him. Louis didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, and Charlie could show up at any moment.
He absolutely couldn’t let Charlie and Khalif meet.
Louis carefully controlled his breathing, trying to ignore the burning sensation from his throat to his insides as he inhaled. The smoking room was only a few steps from the entrance to the underground passage. From their position, the unusually bright light inside, which seemed to be from an excessive number of candles and lamps, almost made it look like a raging fire if not for the lack of smoke and heat.
He stood there for a moment, considering the feasibility of setting a fire and blocking the entrance.
This wouldn’t only get rid of the nuisance Khalif but also completely destroy his bizarre time magic. Suddenly, his pocket moved. The little bird inside was struggling for some reason, and Louis, coming back to his senses, glanced at McMullan and the others.
Unbeknownst to him, Ham had a similar thought but wondered if it was too rash to order them to kill and set fires after just declaring he wouldn’t acknowledge or accept their judgment. But the opportunity was rare…
Just as Louis was about to speak, a genderless, piercing scream came from the underground corridor. It was terrifying, sharper and more painful than the cries of five witches together, torturing anyone who heard it.
Everyone was startled. McMullan, closest to Louis, disregarded his resistance and stepped in front of him. Panic-stricken footsteps echoed from the corridor as the screams approached. They instinctively cleared a path, and a burning figure frantically rushed out. But as he reached the entrance hall, the abundant oxygen outside intensified the flames, and he collapsed face-first due to his severe injuries.
The flames on this person were peculiar. Although his clothes, hair, and skin were burning away, the wool carpet beneath him remained unscathed. Louis and the others watched in silence as the person curled up on the floor, his screams fading with the dying flames.
Nieman approached cautiously once the figure stopped moving. “This is the man who followed Sven inside.”
It was remarkable he could recognize him—the man who had followed Sven and Xanye inside wasn’t exceptionally handsome or tall but was at least of average height with distinct features, unlike the short, charred figure now on the floor.
“Magic backlash.” Louis finally spoke, more to himself than to Nieman. As time passed and he controlled his breathing, he felt a bit stronger.
“They’ve clashed,” Ham said, crossing his arms. His gaze returned from the direction the burning man had come and fell on Louis. “Sorry, but you must leave here.”
Even if Khalif emerged victorious, looking twenty-five again, they had no intention of acknowledging someone who placed personal desires above the family. The White Bridge Auction House’s reputation was expected to plummet after tonight, a fate Khalif could have prevented.
Therefore, Louis couldn’t die here—he was younger, more rational (so far), and uninterested in the head position, which at least meant he wouldn’t embezzle like Khalif.
Of course, their plan to make Louis the head was still one-sided, as he had no intention of cooperating, which was better. They didn’t need to treat him as the head until he agreed.
If he refused to leave, they would knock him out and carry him away. Unlike McMullan, Ham, though rough-looking, had no qualms about abandoning unnecessary gentlemanly behavior.
Louis sensed the dangerous undertone and sneered.
“I don’t need you to boss me around,” he said.
“Enough,” McMullan said, trying to pacify them. “Vasilia never lingers after achieving her goals. If she hasn’t come out yet, her people must be dead inside.”
Louis irritably interrupted him. “Stop talking nonsense and move.”
McMullan and Nieman exchanged glances as they watched Louis walk towards the entrance hall.
Louis didn’t care if they thought he was complying due to threats. He was only anxious that the longer he delayed, the closer Charlie would get.
The only relief was that, despite his early departure, Alexander and the patrol team, whom he had trained, would manage without him for a short period. According to protocol, the city would be under lockdown after the auction incident, with all unauthorized transportation banned. It was a large city, and without the Gray Sentinel, it was impossible to get here quickly…
“Mr. McMullan!” A voice called out in relief. A man holding a weapon stood at the entrance hall, relaxed upon confirming their identities, and quickly approached after releasing his grip on his sword. “What happened? Why are all the lights out?”
He was surprised to see Louis among them. “Lord Louis, you’re safe! But how…?”
The man was clearly unaware of the past few hours’ events and had no idea McMullan and the others had turned against Khalif. He relaxed upon seeing them, thinking the darkness in the mansion was due to an attack or sabotage.
Louis looked up. “You’re here.”
He recognized the man as one of Khalif’s squad leaders.
“Yes. Lord Khalif ordered us to complete the task by midnight.” He whispered, “Time is almost up… Where is Lord Khalif?” It was rare for McMullan and the others to be away from Khalif, but he didn’t realize something was wrong.
McMullan took over the conversation. “Have you completed it?”
“Yes!” The man couldn’t hide his excitement. “We finally found Miss Prima after six mages tracked her continuously!”
Louis’s brow twitched, but he remained silent.
“Is she unharmed?” Nieman asked.
“Yes. Miss Prima seemed to have lost her mind for some reason, but we couldn’t harm her. We used a bit of calming oil to prevent her from struggling and hurting herself. When we found her, she was with a strange person, likely under his influence, but we subdued him too!”
After reporting, the squad leader whistled, and half a minute later, the sound of a group being pushed along was heard from the entrance.
For some reason, Louis felt a sense of foreboding. He instinctively reached into his pocket and found that the restless bird had turned back into paper.
He discreetly looked up and saw shadows appearing at the corner where the carpet ended, one of them truly “strange.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not the King of Terror. Just because I have a rabbit’s head, you assume I am? How do you know the King of Terror isn’t a zebra? An eagle? An octopus?”
Charlie, with his hands bound behind him, argued logically as he walked, guarded by wary men. Prima, on the other hand, was treated much better and handled carefully to avoid harming her. Prima remained expressionless until she saw Louis, and her eyes brightened.
The author has something to say:
Charlie: Walking is out of the question, absolutely impossible. Prima, stay here, and I’ll call a ride.
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