Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 182

But she didn’t rashly call out Louis’s name. This once privileged and naive young lady seemed to have matured overnight. Though she couldn’t hide her excitement, her actions were much more restrained compared to before.

“What is this?!” The squad leader, only now noticing the charred corpse curled up on the carpet due to the dim light, realized it had been burned to death, the air filled with a burnt stench.

“The Monkey’s magic,” Louis said coldly. “They are currently inside—”

“With Lord Khalif?” The loyal squad leader’s expression changed, staring directly at Louis. Though he was outgoing and straightforward, he wasn’t a fool. If Khalif and the Monkeys had a deadly conflict in this mansion, why were Louis and McMullen’s team, responsible for the city’s security and Khalif’s personal safety, standing here so calmly?

“The underground is off-limits,” Nieman timely interjected. “You know the rule better than anyone. This guy ran out from there.”

This somewhat alleviated the squad leader’s doubts, as Nieman spoke the truth. Serving the Wolf Family for so many years, even Louis and the other Elders typically couldn’t access the basement or the corridor leading to it.

Recalling the grim fates of those who approached the forbidden area without permission, the squad leader hesitated. No one wanted to face Khalif’s unpredictable wrath, especially after the huge auction incident. Any displeasure could not only cost their positions but also their lives.

Prima glanced at Charlie and then said, “Do we have to chat here? Please, get that horrifying thing out. I’m going to be sick.”

Her face was pale, and her tone was unusually different, appearing genuinely on the verge of collapse. A charred corpse wasn’t something a girl like her could handle calmly. McMullen stepped forward, speaking calmly, asking them to help move the corpse out.

“Miss Prima shouldn’t be affected by such things, and Lord Khalif wouldn’t want it on the carpet,” McMullen said. “We’re following the Lord’s orders by staying here, but you shouldn’t take another step forward.”

The Wolf Family knew McMullen and Nieman as Khalif’s silent yet formidable attendants. This strong impression meant that, in Khalif’s absence, they instinctively treated McMullen’s words as Khalif’s will.

“You can guard outside the house,” Nieman added. “The Lord is busy now, but he’ll surely reward those loyal and capable when he sees Miss Prima.”

This was true. Most armed forces were battling in the inner city against the suddenly united poor, so even if McMullen wanted to take credit, they couldn’t. Staying within summoning range was their only option, and Khalif would want to know why they were more capable than other squads.

But…

“Miss Prima needs rest, and we’ll handle this suspicious guy,” the squad leader said, eyeing Charlie.

Charlie shrugged, but before he could speak, Prima protested, “No. He stays.”

The squad leader was troubled, but his men holding Charlie wouldn’t budge.

Louis, not showing his torn and blood-stained clothes, stepped forward and said coldly, “That’s beyond your authority.”

The squad leader cursed inwardly, thinking Louis was trying to take credit, but he was right. Khalif’s order was to find Prima, and handling inner city unrest was always Louis’s job. Even if they captured a suspected terrorist, Louis had the authority to demand the handover if it was related to the auction attack.

McMullen’s and Nieman’s expressions remained unchanged. Only they knew that Khalif had fallen out with Louis a few days ago. However, due to the secrecy surrounding the Holy Grail, Khalif hadn’t disclosed this matter. Moreover, with several Elders meeting unfortunate accidents, Louis’s sudden departure and disappearance weren’t widely suspected as rebellion.

Rank pressure worked, and Prima and Charlie stayed in the house, though they insisted on keeping Charlie bound. The squad took the charred corpse out.

Prima didn’t trust McMullen, glancing out the window to see the exits guarded.

Louis untied Charlie, noting the harsh treatment that left deep marks and disheveled clothes.

McMullen and the others recognized Charlie and Prima’s connection. Although Neiman was anxious, he refrained from rushing them. The first squad blocked the doors, with more unsuccessful teams to follow. Despite their strength, breaking through wasn’t wise.

Charlie looked past Louis’s shoulder but saw only a brightly lit corridor and chaotic magic elements.

Louis turned his face, saying, “You and Prima shouldn’t be here.” The Holy Grail and Khalif’s perfect experimental subject shouldn’t have come.

“But—” Prima started.

“No buts. You two are the last people who should be here tonight.” Louis’s tone was stern as he looked at Charlie. “Listen, you—”

Prima interrupted, “I’m here for a reason! Not to cause trouble.”

Louis was somewhat surprised by her words. This was the first time Prima had spoken to him in such a firm, even somewhat forceful tone. In their past interactions, this girl, officially recognized as Khalif’s most beloved, had always been shy and apprehensive, speaking gently, never losing her temper. Her most common behavior in front of Louis was worrying about whether her hair ribbon matched her dress and if her manners were appropriate, fearing she might annoy him.

Not only was her tone different, but tonight Prima also looked very unlike her usual meticulous self. Her hair was a bit messy, she wore a coat of average material and cut, her lips were dry, and she looked exhausted.

“Alright,” Louis said. “What are you here for? If Charlie hasn’t told you the important things.”

“Mr. Charlie told me a lot,” Prima said, glancing warily at the imposing McMullen. “I-We, um… have a plan.”

“What plan?”

“I’ll confront my father directly,” Prima said. “I can’t hide forever, so I’ll take the initiative.”

Louis couldn’t believe Charlie had influenced Prima so quickly. He glared at Charlie. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

He could roughly guess what Charlie wanted to do. If it weren’t necessary to hide his identity, Charlie’s magical talent would have made him as famous as an astrologer on the continent.

Khalif and the Monkey’s magical system might have been complex enough to take years of debugging to achieve its current results, but this was where the difference between a genius and an ordinary person lay—this was Charlie’s field. He might be confident enough to find a flaw in the magic in a short time, allowing Prima, the only one who could approach the magical core without suspicion, to destroy everything from the inside. But honestly, this method was too dangerous, undoubtedly dancing on the edge of a knife.

And the executor of this plan was Prima? This wasn’t his style at all.

“It was my suggestion.” Prima, small in stature, couldn’t intervene in the momentum of the two brothers, almost jumping up in anxiety. “I proposed this idea and asked Mr. Charlie to honestly tell me if I could do it.”

If this time magic were likened to an industrial machine, Prima knew she was the key component her father had carefully prepared, the one most compatible with the main body. Installing her would make the machine operate according to his intentions.

But what if the component changed? What if the part no longer fit perfectly, instead becoming larger or smaller?

The machine would most likely fail to start. Khalif had already turned against Xanye, and if he lost Prima too, it would be extremely difficult to restart the project in a short time.

This thought had been vaguely forming in her mind for a while, and after seeing Mr. Charlie skillfully use magic, she suddenly realized this was an opportunity.

Prima could no longer express in words her opposition to what Khalif had done. She was utterly disappointed with his ambition and cold ruthlessness because she had always told herself that her father had flaws, was occasionally biased in his actions, but loved his daughter. He just couldn’t face reality as he aged, becoming increasingly extreme.

Until she learned that she had been living in a long-standing conspiracy. While she wore her pajamas and combed her hair, happily thinking about which street to shop on tomorrow, innocent people were being dragged into the basement only three floors below her to become sacrifices for the so-called time-reversal magic. Fear and anger made her tremble all over. She never imagined she would one day so eagerly oppose her father and destroy his evil plan that shouldn’t have existed.

When she was always with Priscilla, she had no time to seriously consider this, but after leaving that building, she repeatedly saw people from the inner city and Paradise Island at odds. Realizing that her innocent and carefree early life was like a flower blooming on a fertilizer of corpses, this idea became clearer and more urgent with each step, so urgent that she didn’t want to wait another minute.

Charlie had to explain, “Miss Prima’s wish was too strong. I couldn’t ignore such willpower. As someone who hasn’t learned magic, she almost summoned other entities with her willpower. So I intercepted her desperate vow and made a deal with her in advance.”

Such situations were rare, but not without precedent. When humans burst with intense emotions, “miracles” were most likely to happen. However, most “miracles” were actually evil forces lurking in the shadows feeding on them. They were most willing to make such sacrificial, unfair deals because, in the case of unequal power, twisting human wishes was easy.

For example, a desperate mother who lost her child might start such a deal, willing to exchange her soul for her dead child’s resurrection. The other party, after receiving the “payment”, might let the child, who has long been buried in the grave, crawl out of the soil in a half-decomposed state. The only outcome would be being purified by a mage and dying again—this time, the mother who lost both her soul and life would no longer be able to make a wish.

It should be said that Prima and Khalif indeed share the same bloodline. She inherited part of Khalif’s stubborn personality. When she made up her mind, this thought almost attracted evil covetousness, and Charlie took the lead in agreeing to help her.

Louis let go of Charlie’s shoulder. As Charlie said, when Prima’s personal will is so strong, it deserves respect regardless of others’ approval.

But his lowered hand was grabbed by Charlie, who turned his furry rabbit head and looked at him in the candlelight. “You don’t look right.”

Before Louis could struggle, Charlie agilely circled him, immediately discovering the hole in his clothes and the blood-stained fabric.

“You really came for a fight!” Charlie’s ears twitched, and now it was his turn to glare at Louis. “What’s with the injury?”

The rabbit-headed shopkeeper, familiar with external injuries, quickly lifted Louis’ coat and relaxed only after seeing the treated wound.

Louis held his hand, a bit helpless. “Is this the point?” He had been injured and bled, but it didn’t cause any spatial fluctuations to alert the Lamp Bearers. It was no longer a secret who was the Holy Grail.

“Of course.” The twins’ tacit understanding made Charlie immediately understand what Louis meant, and he said without hesitation, “I’ve always known what’s truly important.”

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