Chapter : 65

Alice secretly sighed again. This second royal brother of hers was really showing his love and respect for their father in every way. This gentle and elegant appearance looked a bit like the great Prince Lancelot described by the old folks in the palace.

She covered her mouth and coughed a few more times, pretending to be weak. She grabbed the sleeve of the guard beside her and said with a pale face, "I can't hold on any longer. Quickly take me out through that opening."

The guard looked at the disapproval on Felton's face, then noticed the displeasure in the queen's eyes, and then at the seemingly even weaker King of Barto.

Alice gave him a pleading look.

The guard gritted his teeth and said to Alice, "Princess, forgive my rudeness."

Saying that, he bent down, picked up Alice, and ran towards the ruined exit.

The corner of Alice's mouth, hidden in the guard's embrace, curled up into a small arc. She wasn't without any connections in this palace. It just so happened that this guard who had always been protecting her was one of the people who had secretly pledged allegiance to her.

Since her second royal brother insisted on accompanying their father to inhale black smoke in here, she could only decline to accompany them.

Felton watched as the guard carried Alice and rushed out of the banquet hall. People who saw that it was temporarily safe there also flocked to the second exit. So many people passed through without another explosion occurring.

Queen Augreer's hand rested lightly on Felton's shoulder, and she gently shook her head at him.

Felton's handsome face wrinkled. He glanced at the King of Barto, who was about to fall into a coma, and sighed to the guards around him, "Clear the way ahead. We'll go out from there too. Let's ensure father's safety first."

"Yes!"

With a few strong and high-level guards clearing the way in front, those delicate and weak nobles certainly couldn't squeeze through. A path was immediately opened up in front of Felton.

Felton supported the King of Barto, with Queen Augreer following closely behind, and together they rushed out of this burning banquet hall.

As Felton successfully brought the King of Barto out of the banquet hall, the guards who were originally blocking the exit saw the situation and no longer squeezed into the banquet hall, allowing the nobles who were stuck at the door to finally rush out.

The open space was filled with all kinds of calls. The people who had successfully escaped were all filled with lingering fear.

Yan Yunqing paid attention to the display on the minimap. When he found that only some red-named people were left in the banquet hall, he directly detonated the last remaining part of the Fire Emblem in the banquet hall.

"Boom——"

Soaring flames ignited, and the entire banquet hall collapsed.

"No—my father is still inside!" a man with freckles on his face shouted in terror.

"Oh my god... what is this..."

"A demon... it's the flames dropped by a demon from hell..."

Yan Yunqing looked at the chaotic scene below, with not much ripple in his heart. The system's red names had already indicated that these people were guilty of many crimes, and he had no need to feel guilty for killing them.

...Huh? Has his moral bottom line become much more flexible again? It has only been a little over a month since he came to this other world, and the orderly rules he was once used to seemed to have become a thing of the last century.

Completely thrown to the back of his mind!

Yan Yunqing looked at the panicked people and secretly lamented that all of the royal family members had actually come out...

The King of Barto, hmm, red-named.

Queen Augreer, also red-named.

Felton... oh, Alice's second royal brother, he was a yellow-named. As the eldest son of Queen Augreer, he actually hadn't stained his hands with too much evil? How strange.

Among the remaining people, there were also many red names. Or rather, among these nobles who could be invited by the King of Barto, not many were clean.

Yan Yunqing thought for a moment, but still didn't plan to kill them all in one go. Although the red names in the banquet hall had already increased his experience bar by a small half, it was also thanks to his advance preparations.

If he were to really kill them one by one, Yan Yunqing was afraid he would be discovered by the guards immediately and then be counter-killed.

Activating [Unyielding Will] would turn him into a blank slate with no skills, making it even more impossible to go on a killing spree.

What a pity, so many experience packs were laid out before him, yet he couldn't eat them.

Well then, let's start the next phase of troublemaking.

***

Alice regretfully discovered that her second royal brother had brought their father out safely and soundly.

What a pity, it would have been better if her father had died inside.

Alice was only disappointed for a short while. Just as her teacher had said, it wasn't good for the King of Barto to die too early. She hadn't made full preparations yet. Just the fact that she was only twelve years old and a princess already excluded her from being an heir to the throne.

And that second royal brother, Felton, who had a good reputation and a powerful maternal family, would be the most powerful successor after the King of Barto's death. She definitely couldn't compete with Felton.

So, for now, it was better to let the King of Barto live well.

It was just that Alice was very surprised. She had originally thought that this second royal brother would take the opportunity to let their father die in the banquet hall so that he could directly inherit the throne.

She hadn't expected him to bring him out safely? Could her eyes really be mistaken? Felton didn't have the wrongness that she had perceived?

Alice touched the corner of her eye, lost in thought.

Before she could figure it out, there were successive explosions around her. In an instant, all the light sources in the vicinity were destroyed, and for a moment, the entire space was plunged into darkness. Only the raging flames from the burning banquet hall could illuminate everyone's faces.

The crowd fell into panic again. A crisp sound came from above them—with a swish, a ball of light appeared overhead, illuminating the top of a palace.

"Look—there's someone there!" a cry of surprise came from the crowd.

This voice made everyone's eyes turn towards the source of the light, only to see a figure standing at the top, with his back to everyone.

The blood-red cloak swayed continuously, as if it had opened its bloody maw, ready to devour everyone at any time.

Who is it?

All the nobles present let out sounds of terror. At this moment, there was only one thought in their minds: this person is the mastermind behind today's attack!

"Heh."

A faint chuckle came from the silent sky. Although there were still people sobbing softly below, it didn't affect this chuckle from reaching everyone's ears.

Felton immediately became alert and signaled to the surrounding guards. The several guards immediately received the second prince's hint, quietly retreated, and rushed towards that figure.

Before that, a magic spell had already rushed towards that figure, but that person didn't dodge or evade, letting the magic rush straight at him—but it was as if it passed through a phantom, and missed.

"It's an illusion!" someone exclaimed, "Illusion magic?"

Illusion-type magic was a very niche type of magic and not easy to master. Moreover, this type of magic could be seen through by anyone with a slightly firm will, making it very impractical.

Only a mage who was very talented in illusion magic and had been deeply cultivating it for many years could possibly master a spell that could simultaneously hallucinate multiple people—

But there were so many people present? How did he manage to cast an illusion on so many people at the same time?!

A woman with an extremely charming and beautiful appearance in the crowd narrowed her eyes and muttered in a low voice, "This is no illusion."

"...Interesting."

The figure standing at the top seemed to have finally seen enough of everyone's reactions and turned around gracefully, his long chestnut hair drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

Is he going to show his face?

That person wore a black formal suit, and behind him, a red cape billowed with his chestnut hair. A black mask with red feathers covered his face, revealing only the exquisite lower half. Even though they were far apart, everyone felt as if they were being watched by those dark red eyes, falling into a moment of silence.

He took off the top hat on his head and bowed slightly in a very gentlemanly gesture.

"Good evening, gentlemen and ladies——"

A low, magnetic voice sounded in everyone's ears, "Are you satisfied with the fireworks show I brought you all tonight?"

Alice's eyes lit up slightly. It's Teacher!

This entrance——Teacher is so cool!

Adrien, who was inconspicuous in the crowd, let out a soft "huh," staring at the chestnut-haired man with a slightly puzzled expression.

His external brain, Anthony, noticed their general's unusual behavior in time and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Adrien shook his head slightly, "Nothing."

It's just that feeling again... as if the person from my dreams has descended before me...

But, hasn't Edward already left?

His gaze swept over the people around him. Could it be that Edward has come back and is among these people?

Adrien was lost in thought, but he couldn't help but fix his gaze on the man in the black suit and red cape.

Since the King of Barto had already fainted, the one who should step forward at this moment was the Queen of Barto.

However, as his queen, Queen Augreer took a step back, letting her son Felton step forward to take charge of the situation.

"Who are you?" Felton saw that the guards had already approached the palace, ready to attack at any moment. He raised his voice to attract the attention of the person above, "Did you do this tonight?"

The person straightened up, his dark red eyes meeting Felton's from such a distance. He chuckled, "I know you, Prince Felton."

He took two light steps, dodging a sneak magic attack. At the same time, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. With a crisp "thud," an explosion occurred in the front right position, and several guards were blown away, including a person dressed as a mage.

"How rude. Please don't interrupt with magic when others are talking, understand?"

Those dark red eyes swept lightly over the crowd below. Those who were met by his gaze couldn't help but tremble. Those eyes were too terrifying, and he was filled with a frightening smell of blood—no, this was the smell of the deep abyss of hell!

"And those of you preparing to make small moves—you little cuties? Please don't interrupt me, okay? You wouldn't want to know the consequences of interrupting me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the guards who wanted to sneak closer also stopped their movements. After all, they were just guards, not the royal family's death soldiers. Faced with this naked threat, they didn't dare to really risk their lives to face the consequences he mentioned. They could only wait and see what this person was going to do for now.

"Very good."

The person saw that everyone was standing obediently and smiled with satisfaction, "We can finally continue our previous topic, Prince Felton."

Felton was silent, but his gaze was fixed on the masked man. He couldn't see this person's level at all, and even the surrounding guards reported that they couldn't probe him.

There were only two possibilities for this situation. One was that this person was not a mage or a swordsman at all, so he naturally wouldn't have a level. The other possibility was that this person's level was higher than all the guards present, even by a large margin—that's why none of them could probe this person's true strength.

The former possibility had already been ruled out after this person seemed to have used illusion magic. So only the latter was left.

Damn it, who is it? Such a powerful... I don't remember there being such a strong person who far exceeds level ninety and acts so strangely and willfully!

"Where were we talking... let me think, oh right, you asked who I was."

The person's tone lifted slightly, "I am very happy to answer this question for you, Prince Felton."

"My name is—Joker, you can call me Fool, or you can call me Clown."

"Of course, you can also call me Joker as is. It is your honor."

Felton: ...

The corners of his eyes and eyebrows twitched violently, and he almost failed to maintain his gentle and elegant expression management.

Alice continued to look at her teacher with sparkling eyes: Joker! This name is so cool too—so Teacher is called Joker? Speaking of which, is this the first time she knows her teacher's name?

Felton endured it and calmly continued to ask, "Then, Joker, you attacked the palace today and hurt so many people—what exactly do you want to do?"

Joker seemed to feel confused. He tilted his head, "Hmm? Didn't I tell you? I clearly remember I said it from the beginning—"

He spread his arms, and the bright red cape billowed with his movements, rustling in the air. Joker's hearty laughter rang out.

"I came to perform a fireworks show for everyone!"

As his words fell, several more roars sounded, accompanied by the uncontrollable screams from the crowd, and the flames ignited again.

However, after everyone's fear, they found that it was not here that the explosion occurred, but in several other places in the palace—the flames burned fiercely, and even in the dark night, they reddened half the sky. Against the backdrop of the night, it actually had a sense of beauty.

Felton finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Enough—you can make any request, just don't hurt the innocent people in the palace anymore."

Joker paused and said strangely, "Listen to you, as if I'm some great fiend who has committed all kinds of evil—"

"I have no intention of harming innocent people. It's just that the people affected by the fireworks are stained with sin."

"The grand flames will grant them a chance of rebirth—"

Joker, or rather Yan Yunqing, smiled faintly, activated [Unyielding Will], and leaped lightly from the top of the high palace, landing in the middle of the crowd.

The people around him immediately let out cries of surprise and scrambled away from Joker's side, looking in fear at this red demon who had fallen among them.

"Da, da, da..."

The slow and rhythmic footsteps echoed in everyone's ears as Yan Yunqing approached the defensive Felton step by step.

"Don't get close to the Second Highness!" a guard beside him suddenly shouted, drew his longsword, and slashed towards Yan Yunqing.

Swish—

Everyone watched as the longsword passed through Joker's body, but just like the magic before, it didn't hurt him in the slightest. It seemed that the figure in front of them was still an illusion.

The guard was incredulous. He swung his sword again and again, but it was as if he was cutting through air, making no contact.

An il-illusion? Or some kind of ghost or undead?!

No, impossible. This person clearly has a shadow!

The guard looked at the sword in his hand in horror. In the process of slashing, he clearly felt that he had hit flesh, and his eyes also told him that he had indeed hit him. But the chestnut-haired man in front of him did not suffer any damage. His successive slashes were just like tearing apart a piece of air, which then re-gathered.

Who on earth is this person?!

Yan Yunqing walked up to Felton, stood still, and looked at him with a smile. Those dark red eyes, clearly smiling, gave people a feeling of ice, capable of freezing them inch by inch.

Noticing that there were still 60s left on the [Unyielding Will] skill, Yan Yunqing decisively started the channeling for teleportation.

The 60s countdown began!

Yan Yunqing stood still, his upper body leaning forward slightly, and he moved closer to Felton, "You seem very surprised?"

Felton looked calm, but his fingers trembled unconsciously twice, "Shouldn't I be surprised? Sir, you suddenly appeared, blew up the palace, hurt my father and so many people, and ruined my twenty-third royal brother's birthday banquet—"

"I'm very puzzled. Is there someone here who has a grudge with you?"

Yan Yunqing raised an eyebrow. Under the cover of [Face·Masquerade Ball], it was not fully displayed in front of Felton, but this half-hidden effect was even more chilling.

Countdown: 48s

"A grudge—wow—wow—" Yan Yunqing dragged out his tone, "I didn't expect Prince Felton to ask such a question. It's really surprising. I thought you were the one among everyone here who understood best why I appeared."

"Am I not? Your esteemed Royal Highness?" Yan Yunqing said with a smile, "Or should I call you, the future heir to the King of Barto?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of everyone present looked at Felton with disbelief.

Felton only felt that the person in front of him was like a madman, "What on earth are you talking about! Are you trying to slander me, saying that I asked you to do these things?"

"How could that be?"

Yan Yunqing was surprised, "I just learned of your thoughts and came here specifically to help you."

"Don't thank me too much. I believe that after today, your status as heir will be even more stable, or rather—"

"Oh my, you might very well become the new King of Barto soon. Congratulations."

Countdown: 26s

"I didn't!" Felton was almost hysterical. He reached out to push the person who was very close to him, but his hand met empty air.

This was also judged as a physical attack, and [Unyielding Will] immunized and ignored it.

"Are you getting flustered?" The demon-like whisper sounded again, "Don't be anxious, Your Highness Felton. I am just sincerely congratulating you."

"And I've set off this grand firework show for you as a celebration."

"Aren't you happy?"

Countdown: 12s

"I... I!" Felton stammered for a moment. This was the first time someone had attacked him with 'you're getting flustered, you're getting flustered, you're getting flustered'. For a moment, he couldn't find any words to counterattack.

10s

Yan Yunqing's leather-gloved hands gently touched Felton's cheek. The cold sensation sent goosebumps all over Felton's body.

9s

"Your Highness Felton"

8s

Yan Yunqing leaned close to his ear, "I sincerely congratulate you."

7s

"So, what do you think——"

6s

"Of this fireworks show?"

5s

"I will always await your answer."

4s

Yan Yunqing straightened up and casually cast a glance behind Felton, meeting Cornelia's emerald green eyes.

3s

"We are reborn in the raging fire, and our souls will never wither."

Yan Yunqing used the line from Kalenna and Henry's CG as the conclusion to this performance.

2s

"Everyone"

1s

"See you next time."