City of Sin

Book 3, 30

Temporary Tranquility

This woman was Earl Alice’s most capable assistant, her right hand. A distant cousin, Fuschia possessed an unknown bloodline. Although not good at commanding troops, her talent in combat was said to be terrifying. Still in her early twenties, she was already level 19.

Erwin himself was only level 11. Even in a completely open field, an entire squadron of people like him wouldn’t be able to kill her.

Before he could even swallow his cries, the palm that had just brushed past his face flew back again, making a sharp, clear sound. The other side of his face began to swell up as well.

However, that was only the beginning. Fuschia waved her hands incessantly, slap after resounding slap flying across Erwin’s face. Erwin wanted to hold tightly onto his dagger that was already unsheathed, but the last dregs of his rationality told him that such a transgression would only end with him being beheaded on the spot. With Lady Fuschia’s status, nothing much would happen if she killed a mere soldier like him even in normal times, much less in this situation.

He thus forced down the resentment boiling deep in his heart, tolerating all the slaps with the patience of a turtle. However, he was cursing crazily in the bottom of his heart, ‘You bitch! One day I’ll fuck you half dead and tear out your cunt!’

Fuschia’s expression was cold as she landed more than a dozen slaps on Erwin before kicking him away. Looking at the remaining branch members who were still stunned, she snorted in cold disdain, looking past them and shouting in the direction they had come from, “Sua, come out! Your methods are overstepping the Archeron bottom line!”

*Clap! Clap! Clap!* Baron Sua quickly walked out of a corner, his voice full of praise “Lady Fuschia does indeed have shocking power, able to block hundreds of Archerons alone.”

Fuschia wasn’t even slightly interested in his hypocrisy, pointing to Demi as she said coldly, “These are Gaton’s children, pure Archerons. They cannot be hurt by internal strife, that is a bottom line! Listen clearly; I have no interest in bargaining with you. I don’t care what you do in private, but this kind of thing cannot happen again! This is a matter of the family’s pride!”

Sua shrugged his shoulders, speaking with a smile, “If I remember correctly, Lady Fuschia, I don’t think you’re an Archeron. At the very least, your bloodline abilities don’t come from the Archeron bloodline. Furthermore, these people in front of you are Archerons as well, I have no way to command them.”

A look of derision showed up on Fuschia’s face as she condescendingly swept her eyes across the crowd. Sua noticed her expression and could not help but laugh, “Don’t belittle these people, Miss Fuschia, they are Archerons as well. You cannot defeat them on your own. As beautiful as you are... Who knows, some unpleasant things may happen to you when you lose. Even if you die, you might not be able to escape it.”

The threat was incomparably malicious, even causing Demi to pale. “However,” Sua added, “This situation isn’t impossible to resolve. I just need those skeletal remains.”

“You’re using this kind of thing to threaten me?” Fuschia asked indifferently, “If I want to escape, do you think you lot can stop me? So long as I escape today, all of you— that includes you, Sua— you best be prepared to suffer my vengeance for the rest of your existence! Your lives will be mine, and so will those of everyone related to you!”

Sua’s expression turned cold, “You might not be able to escape.”

“Perhaps,” Fuschia combed her long chestnut hair and continued, “But that doesn’t matter. I’ve already delivered a list of everyone on the island to my Lady. She already promised me before I came here that she would avenge me if I could not leave. The families of everyone here will be targeted by her army. My Lady’s style has always been to wipe out all enemies.”

The threat was delivered monotonously, but it was anything but. Fuschia was right; the one thing that could match Alice’s reputation at war was her decisiveness. There was no lack of places her army had turned into death zones.

Sua grew more serious, stating dully, “Alice is only an earl.”

These words pointed out the difference between Sauron and Alice. Alice’s lands were at the border of the Sacred Alliance, very far from Faust. She would have to pass through dozens of other nobles to make it here. He was actually giving Erwin and the others some courage, only that he wasn’t making it so obvious.

“When my Lady was still a small knight, many people were already marquesses. Now that she’s an earl, many are still marquesses.”

Fuschia’s words caused darkness to sweep across Sua’s face. He squinted in her direction, asking coldly, “The Earl wishes to take over this island?”

“No, I only care about Lord Gaton’s children,” Fuschia replied.

Sua nodded, “Very well then, at the very least it seems like our families won’t come into conflict here.”

Fuschia nodded, “I have no interest in a conflict with a third party in someone else’s territory.”

There was a faint sneer to her voice, but Sua pretended like he hadn’t heard that and left with his people. Fuschia didn’t want to force them too far either; the Baron was not easy to deal with, and Earl Goliath had his own people on the island as well.

If one looked at things in the long term, they would know that numerous enemies were still hanging around the island, waiting for the opportunity to attack. Many amongst them could take down island 7-2 right now, but they did not do so. Outside of a lack of desire to suffer the attacks of the remaining Archerons, an important reason for their restraint was that island 7-2 had only recently been blessed by the Eternal Dragon. Any attacks would draw the old dragon’s ire, possibly even causing the Church of the Eternal Dragon to interfere personally.

The branch families gradually retreated before Fuschia, even Erwin struggling his way out. However, worry already clouded her eyes. This crisis had come to pass, but nobody could guarantee what would happen the next time. She was just one person, it would be impossible to resist hundreds of Archerons. Furthermore, both Sua and Earl Goliath had followers who were comparable to her in strength.

This was a complicated situation. Behind the chaotic riots were the silhouettes of many rich and powerful families. Fuschia alone could not reverse this situation, nor could Earl Alice herself...

The bandits finally retreated, making sure to leave no offering behind. They even swept through the entire basement of the castle once more before they escaped, taking away anything of value.