Chapter 331: The Crimson Plague

Nitre Town, high noon.

In the banquet hall of the mayor's mansion, a violin played a melodious and winding tune. Candlelight flickered on silver candelabras, casting a brilliant glow over the luxurious feast.

The mayor wore a fawning smile as he personally poured wine for the two distinguished guests.

Seated at the head of the long table was Viscount Lorick, the master of this territory and the mayor's direct superior. The guest sitting opposite the viscount was the true protagonist of today's banquet.

This middle-aged man, dressed in a dark gray military dress uniform, was the special envoy of the Southern Aristocrat Alliance and a confidant of Duke Berry—Perry, the duke's quartermaster.

"It is truly an honor for Nitre Town that Envoy Perry has come from so far," Viscount Lorick said with a respectful yet dignified tone. "In our haste, we have only prepared some simple home-cooked fare. I hope you will not find it lacking, Mr. Envoy."

Envoy Perry nodded, his gaze slowly sweeping across the banquet.

The dishes on the table were clearly far from the "simple home-cooked fare" the viscount claimed.

Smoked squabs were neatly arranged on crystal plates, their charred aroma enticing. Large cuts of roasted steak lay on silver platters, their sliced surfaces showing a perfect pink hue. Various seasonal vegetables were carved into the shapes of flowers, dotting the spread, while a whole suckling pig, roasted to a golden crisp, sat at the center of the table.

Seeing that Envoy Perry had yet to begin eating, the mayor quickly inquired, "Is the food not to your liking, Mr. Envoy? Should I have the kitchen prepare different dishes?"

Envoy Perry shook his head. Moving his gaze from the table full of delicacies to the viscount, he spoke with a meaningful tone:

"The South is suffering through a year of great disaster, with refugees and corpses scattered across the land. Duke Berry has repeatedly called for everyone to be frugal and provide relief... Is it not inappropriate for us to eat so sumptuously here?"

This confidant of the duke, having come from afar, wore a serious expression, causing the atmosphere of the banquet to stiffen slightly.

Viscount Lorick realized what was happening and quickly smiled to smooth things over.

"How could we neglect such a distinguished guest? Envoy Perry has traveled a long way; we must treat you well. This is also an expression of my respect for Duke Berry!"

After a moment of silence, Envoy Perry's expression shifted, and he smiled.

"In any case, I appreciate the effort you both have put in."

He said calmly, "As long as word doesn't get out."

Viscount Lorick breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course it won't."

The feast finally began.

Viscount Lorick watched Envoy Perry eat, maintaining a smile on his face while secretly mocking him in his heart.

He talks a big game, yet he's eating more happily than anyone...

Duke Berry's image of worrying for the country and the people is ultimately just a facade. All that talk about being dissatisfied with the Royal Capital's extravagance, calling for the observance of chivalry... No one in this world truly cares about the life or death of those commoners.

Cups were exchanged as the viscount and the mayor took turns raising toasts.

Just then—

A faint sneer drifted from the end of the long table.

"The chef's skill is quite good~"

Everyone's gaze shifted simultaneously. They saw a young girl with deep purple eyes sitting in the main seat at the other end of the long table, though no one knew when she had arrived.

The mysterious girl sat with her legs crossed, her posture casual yet elegant.

She picked up a glass of red wine, swirled it gently, and brought it to her nose to catch the scent, but she did not drink.

"The wine, however, is not so great."

"You... who are you?!" Envoy Perry stood up in shock, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Viscount Lorick reacted even faster, immediately looking toward the guards on both sides of the banquet hall. After a moment of bewilderment, the guards quickly regained their senses and rushed forward with shouts.

In the next second, an overwhelming darkness spread out from behind Celia.

This eerie darkness isolated all the servants and guards, leaving only Viscount Lorick, Envoy Perry, and the mayor inside.

The three could only hear the sounds of rapid combat and bursts of screams coming from outside the darkness, but they had no idea what was happening.

As the men at the table remained in shock, another figure stepped slowly out of the darkness.

Ansu picked a random seat at the banquet and slowly sat down.

Envoy Perry questioned again, "Who exactly are you!"

"I am your savior, Envoy Perry," Ansu explained with a smile, his gaze landing on him.

Perry froze for a moment, struggling to maintain his composure. "What... what do you mean?"

Ansu did not answer. He simply looked to his left and right, and two figures immediately manifested from the darkness.

Elder Matthew raised his hand, and a powerful gravity field pressed down, pinning Viscount Lorick and his chair firmly to the dining table. The viscount's face was crushed against the table, making him grimace in pain.

Elder Kurt appeared behind the mayor, his large hand gripping the back of the man's neck as he attempted to lift his obese body.

However, something strange happened.

The mayor's fat face showed no sign of fear now. His gaze was dark as he coldly swept his eyes over Ansu and Celia.

In the next second, the mayor's figure vanished from the spot. He escaped Elder Kurt's grip, and shadows gathered like a tide a few paces away.

When he reappeared, his face twisted. He was no longer the obese, fawning mayor.

The person before them had a pair of curved, pitch-black horns on his head, and his skin was covered in twisted patterns. Filthy mana surged faintly around him.

It was a demon.

"The mayor was replaced long ago," Ansu said slowly. "He is a spy sent by Barcas. His purpose for lurking here was to replace Envoy Perry with a demon as well."

Viscount Lorick's face was still pressed against the table. Hearing this, his eyes widened. "What! He... he's actually a demon? The demons have already infiltrated this far?"

A demon had been lurking under his nose for so long, and he had been completely unaware. The thought made a chill run down his spine.

Envoy Perry's face also turned pale.

Ansu glanced at the two of them and added unhurriedly:

"I'm afraid it's more than just that. Demon forces have likely already penetrated the Aristocrat faction, perhaps even to the highest levels."

After his identity was exposed, the demon's gaze grew more ferocious as he attempted to break free from the dark cage enveloping him.

But with Celia present, all his struggles were in vain.

Pitch-black, twisted vines sprouted silently from the shadows, entangling his limbs. Thorns pierced his flesh, and his bones creaked under the pressure.

The demon let out a stifled roar of extreme agony, yet he could not move even a single step.

Ansu immediately turned his gaze to Celia.

Celia understood Ansu's intent. The purpose of this setup was to capture the demon alive and pry Barcas's plans from his mouth.

This was not the first time they had used this tactic.

The moment the demon realized he was about to be captured, a look of resolve flashed in his eyes.

"Long live... the demons!"

He let out a roar of pain mixed with pleasure, his mouth pulling into a twisted grin.

"Lord Barcas... long live!!"

Being captured meant leaking information.

Given the total failure of the Novalon plan, Barcas had already placed self-destructing black magic curses inside these demon spies. From the very beginning, they were given no chance to live.

At this moment, the veins beneath the demon's skin bulged, and his flesh expanded rapidly. It looked as if his entire body would explode in the next second.

"Black magic patterns with an unknown rune structure..." Celia frowned.

This was a unique curse formula that had not been circulated in the magic world. Given time, she was confident she could analyze and break it, but she had no time now.

"It seems Barcas has learned his lesson," Ansu said.

"No matter!" Celia did not hesitate. The self-destruction was coming fast, but she had a countermeasure.

Raising her hand, she cast Soul Dominion on the demon with the utmost speed.

The demon's roar was cut short, and his eyes instantly became hollow and vacant.

"Now, answer my questions truthfully!"

Celia's voice was calm and urgent, racing against time to control the consciousness that was about to collapse.

A dozen seconds later.

The demon's body suddenly swelled, and with a dull explosion, it burst into a mist of blood.

Ansu had already raised his hand, placing a magic shield in front of himself and Celia. Foul blood and shredded meat slid slowly down the surface of the light shield.

The dark cage slowly dissipated, and the banquet hall saw the light of day again.

The surrounding guards lay scattered on the floor. Viscount Lorick and Envoy Perry were dragged up from the wreckage. While still in shock, their hands were quickly bound, and they were led away from the luxurious mayor's mansion.

...

After the cult members had all left, Ansu and Celia remained in Nitre Town.

On the empty streets in the daylight, a few townspeople wandered with staggering steps. Some curled up at the base of walls, murmuring indistinct whispers, while more lay collapsed by the roadside, quietly waiting for death to arrive amidst endless hunger and weakness.

The two walked through the dilapidated market, their eyes carefully scanning the surroundings, patiently searching for something.

"First, it seems our guess was correct," Ansu said, organizing the information extracted from the demon spy. "Demon forces have indeed infiltrated the Aristocrat faction. Interestingly, they haven't tried to change the situation. They are simply going with the flow, using the mana plague to create even greater chaos and panic during the war."

Celia walked beside him, her deep purple eyes narrowing slightly.

"I just don't know if their ultimate goal is merely to weaken the Empire through war... or something else."

Ansu leaned toward the latter.

"Second," Ansu continued, "they are continuously spreading pollution sources to create more cases of the mana plague and generate more panic."

"The demon spy today had been executing such a mission since replacing the mayor. He lurked in the town, catalyzing a special kind of mana plague, completely different from before."

He suddenly stopped walking.

They had arrived.

In a remote corner of the town, far from the market and residences, an old well was hidden behind a half-collapsed low wall, sealed shut with heavy wooden boards and debris.

A faint, indistinct scent of blood drifted in the air.

Ansu cast Mage's Hand. With a click, he lifted the heavy sealing board, and a thick, nauseating stench of rot billowed out from the well.

Celia lit an Illumination spell. The ball of light descended slowly, dispelling the darkness lurking at the bottom of the well and revealing the deliberately hidden secret.

"Finally found it..."

Where the light reached, the walls of the well were covered in crimson veins as dense as capillaries. Those disgusting, thick threads of blood spread all the way down from the mouth of the well, writhing between the cracks in the masonry like living things.

At the bottom of the well, the blood threads and tumors piled up, clustering into a malformed, heart-like object.

It was beating. Though slow, every contraction caused the surrounding capillaries to bulge.

It was as if something was being continuously pumped through this crimson network to every corner of the land.

"It seems this is the pollution source." Ansu frowned.

The two were silent for a moment. They looked away from the still-beating 'heart' and glanced at each other.

"Third..." This time Celia spoke, her tone carrying a rare gravity. "That demon mentioned a name: the Filthy Heart. It should be the same source as what we're seeing here. I suspect this is just one of its branch nodes... but the true core is located in the heart of the South, four hundred kilometers south of here."

She paused for a moment.

"That is also the source of this mana plague. Within the demon forces, they call this special variant the Crimson Plague."

...