WTYTIAAN Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Alice sighed inwardly again. Her second brother truly showcased his love for their father in every way. This gentle and refined appearance made him seem somewhat like the late Crown Prince Lancelot, as described by the palace elders.

She covered her mouth and coughed twice, feigning weakness. Clutching the sleeve of the guard beside her, she said with a pale face, “I can’t hold on any longer. Quickly, take me out through that gap.”

The guard glanced at Philton’s disapproving expression, noticed the Queen’s displeasure, and then looked at the increasingly weak King of Bato.

Alice gave him a pleading look.

The guard bit his lip and said to Alice, “Princess, forgive me for my rudeness.”

With that, he bent down, scooped up Alice, and dashed toward the exit in the ruins.

Hidden in the guard’s arms, the corners of Alice’s lips curved into a slight smile. She wasn’t without influence in this royal palace. This guard, who had always been by her side, was one of those who had secretly pledged allegiance to her.

Since her second brother insisted on her staying here with their father to inhale black smoke, she could only excuse herself.

Philton watched the guard carrying Alice rush out of the banquet hall. He noticed that the people who were temporarily safe also surged toward the second exit. So many people passing through without another explosion.

Queen Augreir lightly placed her hand on Philton’s shoulder and gently shook her head.

Philton frowned his handsome face and glanced at the King of Bato, who was on the verge of passing out. He sighed and said to the surrounding guards, “Clear the way ahead. We’ll also exit through there, ensuring Father’s safety first.”

“Yes!”

With several strong and highly skilled guards clearing the path, the delicate nobles were no match. Philton quickly had a path cleared before him.

Philton supported the King of Bato, with Queen Augreir following closely behind, and together they rushed out of the banquet hall engulfed in flames.

As Philton successfully brought the King of Bato out of the banquet hall, the guards who had been blocking the exit, seeing this, stopped pushing into the hall, finally allowing the nobles who had been stuck at the entrance to escape.

In the open space, various cries and calls echoed. Those who had successfully escaped were filled with lingering fear.

Yan Yunqing, watching the display on the mini-map, noticed that only red names remained in the banquet hall. He detonated the remaining flame emblems within.

“Boom—”

A towering inferno erupted, and the entire banquet hall collapsed.

“No—my father is still inside!” A man with freckles on his face cried out in horror.

“Heavens… what exactly is this…”

“Demons… flames unleashed by demons from hell…”

Yan Yunqing watched the chaotic scene below, feeling little emotional turmoil. The red names indicated that these people were wicked. He didn’t need to feel guilty for killing them.

…Wait, had his moral baseline become more flexible again? In just over a month in this other world, the orderly rules he used to live by felt like something from a past century.

Completely forgotten!

Yan Yunqing looked at the panicked people, secretly regretting that the royals had all escaped…

King Bato, hmm, red name.

Queen Augreir, also a red name.

Philton… oh, Alice’s second brother. He was only a yellow name. As the eldest son of Queen Augreir, he hadn’t stained his hands with too much sin? How strange.

Among the remaining people, there were quite a few red names. Or rather, few of the nobles invited by King Bato were truly clean.

Yan Yunqing considered it for a moment, but decided not to kill them all at once. Although the red names in the banquet hall had given him a good chunk of experience, it was also thanks to his advance preparations.

If he had to kill them one by one, Yan Yunqing feared that he would soon be discovered by the guards and then killed himself.

Activating [Unyielding Will] and becoming a blank slate with no skills again was not an option.

It was a pity. So many experience points right in front of him, yet he couldn’t eat them.

Then, let the next phase of causing trouble begin.

*

Alice was disappointed to discover that her second brother had safely brought their father out.

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

Alice only felt a brief moment of disappointment. Like her teacher said, it wouldn’t do for King Bato to die too early. She hadn’t made sufficient preparations. Simply being a twelve-year-old princess was enough to exclude her from the line of succession.

And her second brother, Philton, who had a good reputation and a powerful maternal family, would be the most likely heir after King Bato’s death. She definitely couldn’t compete with Philton.

So, for now, it was better to let King Bato live.

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

But he had safely brought him out? Could her eyes really be deceiving her? Was Philton not as suspicious as she thought?

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

Before she could figure it out, a series of explosions sounded again. In an instant, all the lights around were destroyed, plunging the area into darkness. Only the raging flames of the banquet hall illuminated everyone’s faces.

The crowd fell into panic once more, and a crisp sound rang out from above—a flash, and 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.

The sound made everyone’s gaze turn toward the source of the light. They saw a figure standing at the top, facing away from everyone.

A blood-red cloak swayed incessantly, like a bloodthirsty maw ready to devour them all.

Who was it?

All the nobles present cried out in fear. They had only one thought in their minds at that moment: this person was the mastermind behind tonight’s attack!

“Heh.”

A faint chuckle came from the silent sky. Even though people below were sobbing softly, it didn’t stop the chuckle from reaching everyone’s ears.

Philton immediately became alert and signaled to the surrounding guards. The guards immediately received the second prince’s hint and quietly retreated, rushing toward the figure.

Before that, a magic spell had already been launched in the direction of the figure, but the person didn’t dodge or evade, letting the spell rush straight at him—but it seemed to pass through a phantom, missing its target.

“It’s an illusion!” someone exclaimed. “Illusion magic?”

Illusion magic was a very niche type of magic, not easy to master. Moreover, people with slightly stronger willpower could directly see through this type of magic, making it quite useless.

Only mages with a great talent for illusion magic, who had devoted themselves to it for many years, could possibly master magic that could simultaneously create illusions for multiple people—

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

A woman with extremely charming and alluring features narrowed her eyes and murmured, “This isn’t illusion magic.”

“…Interesting.”

The figure standing at the top seemed to have finally seen enough of everyone’s reactions and slowly turned around. The chestnut-colored long hair drew a beautiful arc in the air.

Was he going to show his face?

The person wore a black formal suit, the red cloak behind him fluttering with his chestnut hair. A mask of black and red feathers covered the person’s face, revealing only the exquisite lower half. Although they were far away, everyone seemed to be 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, ladies and gentlemen—”

A deep, magnetic voice rang in everyone’s ears. “Are you satisfied with the fireworks display I’ve brought you tonight?”

Alice’s eyes lit up slightly. It was her teacher!

This entrance—Teacher is so cool!

Hidden in the crowd, the inconspicuous Adrien exclaimed softly, staring at the chestnut-haired man with a slightly puzzled expression.

Anthony, his external brain, promptly noticed his general’s unease and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Adrien gently shook his head. “Nothing.”

Just that feeling had appeared again… as if the person from his dreams had descended before him…

But Edward had already left, hadn’t he?

His gaze swept over the surrounding people. Could it be that Edward had returned and was among them?

Adrien pondered, but couldn’t help but focus his gaze on the man in the black formal suit and red cloak.

Since King Bato had fainted, it was the Queen of Bato who should stand up at this moment.

However, as his queen, Augreir Queen, took a step back, letting her son Philton come forward to take charge.

“Who exactly are you?” Philton, seeing the guards had approached the palace and were ready to attack, raised his voice to attract the attention of the person above. “Was it you who did this tonight?”

The person straightened up, his dark red eyes meeting Philton’s across the distance. He chuckled. “I know you, Prince Philton.”

He took two steps, dodging a sneak magic attack, and raised his hand to snap his fingers. With the crisp “click,” an explosion occurred to the right, sending several guards flying, including a person dressed as a mage.

“That’s very impolite. Please don’t interrupt when someone is speaking, understood?”

Those dark red eyes lightly swept over the people below. Those who were glanced at by his gaze couldn’t help but tremble. Those eyes were too terrifying, and his body was filled with a frightening aura of blood—no, this was the scent from the depths of hell!

“And those who are planning to make small moves—little darlings? Please don’t casually interrupt me, okay? You wouldn’t want to know the consequences of interrupting me.”

As soon as these words came out, those guards who wanted to sneak closer also stopped their movements. After all, they were just guards, not royal fanatics. Facing such blatant threats, they didn’t dare to risk their lives to test the consequences mentioned by that person, and could only temporarily see what this person wanted to do.

“Very good.”

The person found that everyone was standing obediently, and smiled in satisfaction. “Finally, we can continue talking about our previous topic, Prince Philton.”

Philton was silent, his gaze 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 detect it.

There were only two possibilities for this situation. One was that this person was not a mage or swordsman at all, and had no level to be seen. The other possibility was that this person’s level was higher than all the guards present, even much higher—which would make it impossible for all of them to detect this person’s true strength.

The former had already been ruled out after this person seemed to have used illusion magic, so only the latter remained.

Damn it, who exactly was this? With such great strength… he didn’t remember such a strong person who was far beyond level ninety, with such strange and willful behavior!

“Where were we before… Let me think, oh yes, you asked who I was.”

The person’s tone rose slightly. “I am very happy to answer this question for you, Prince Philton.”

“My name is—Joker. You can call me the Fool, or you can call me the Clown.”

“Of course, you can also call me Joker as it is. It’s your honor.”

Philton: …

His eyes twitched fiercely, and he almost lost control of his gentle and refined expression.

Alice continued to look at the teacher with bright eyes: Joker! This name is also so cool—so the teacher’s name is Joker? Speaking of which, was she only just finding out her teacher’s name now?

Philton endured it, and then continued to ask calmly, “Then, Joker, you attacked the royal palace today and injured so many people—what exactly do you want to do?”

Joker seemed to feel confused, and he tilted his head. “Hmm? Didn’t I tell you? I clearly remember that I said at the beginning—”

His arms spread open, and the bright red cloak fluttered with his movements, rustling in the air. Joker’s hearty laughter rang out.

“I’m here to perform a fireworks display for everyone!”

As his voice fell, several more roars sounded, accompanied by screams that couldn’t be suppressed in the crowd. Flames rose again.

However, after everyone’s fear, they discovered that the explosions didn’t happen here, but in several other places in the royal palace—flames burned fiercely, and even in the darkness of the night, they reddened half the sky, creating a truly beautiful feeling with the backdrop of the night.

Philton finally couldn’t bear it, and shouted, “Enough—you can make any request you want, don’t hurt the innocent people in the royal palace anymore.”

Joker paused, and said strangely, “Look at what you’re saying, as if I’m some heinous demon—”

“I don’t mean to hurt innocent people, just that the people affected by the fireworks are stained with sin.”

“The grand flames will grant them the opportunity to be reborn—”

Joker, or rather Yan Yunqing, lightly raised the corners of his lips, activated [Unyielding Will], and nimbly jumped down from the top of the high palace, landing in the middle of the crowd.

The people around him immediately exclaimed, scrambling away from Joker, looking at this red demon who had fallen among them in fear.

“Da, da, da…”

Slow and rhythmic footsteps surrounded everyone’s ears. Yan Yunqing took a step closer to Philton, who was in a defensive posture.

“Don’t approach His Highness the Second Prince!” A guard suddenly shouted loudly, drawing his long sword and slashing towards Yan Yunqing.

Swish—

The crowd watched as the long sword passed through Joker’s body, but like the magic spells before, it didn’t hurt him in the slightest. It seemed that the figure in front of them was still an illusion.

The guard couldn’t believe it, and he swung again and again, but hit nothing but air, not touching anything.

An illusion? Or some kind of ghost?

No, impossible, this person clearly had a shadow!

The guard looked at the sword in his hand in horror. He clearly felt that he was hitting something solid during the slashing process, and his eyes told him that he was indeed slashing, but the chestnut-haired man in front of him hadn’t suffered any damage. His repeated slashes were just like tearing open a piece of air, which then came together again.

What kind of person was this?!

Yan Yunqing walked to Philton’s front, stopped, and smiled at him. Those dark red eyes, clearly carrying a smile, gave a feeling of cold ice that could freeze people inch by inch.

Noticing that the [Unyielding Will] skill had 60 seconds left, Yan Yunqing decisively activated the teleportation countdown.

60s countdown started!

Yan Yunqing didn’t move his feet, but leaned his upper body forward slightly, moving closer to Philton. “You seem very surprised?”

Philton remained calm on the surface, but his fingers trembled slightly. “Shouldn’t I be surprised? Your Excellency, you suddenly appeared, blew up the royal palace, hurt my father and so many people, and ruined my twenty-third younger brother’s birthday banquet—”

“I am puzzled, did someone here have a grudge against you?”

Yan Yunqing raised an eyebrow. Under the cover of [Face Part for Masquerade Dance], his expression wasn’t fully displayed in front of Philton, but this half-covered effect was even more chilling.

Countdown: 48s

“Grudge—wow—wow—” Yan Yunqing drew out his words. “I didn’t expect Prince Philton to ask such a question. It’s really surprising. I thought you were the one among everyone here who understood why I appeared.”

“Isn’t that right? Your Honorable Highness?” Yan Yunqing said with a smile, “Or should I call you, the Bato heir apparent?”

As soon as these words came out, the gazes of the people present towards Philton became incredulous.

Philton only felt that the person in front of him was like a madman. “What are you talking about! Are you trying to slander me and say that I made you do these things?”

“How could that be?”

Yan Yunqing was surprised. “I only learned of your intentions and came here specifically to help you.”

“You don’t need to thank me too much. I believe that after today, your status as heir will be more stable, or rather—”

“Oh dear, you are very likely to become the new King of Bato soon. Congratulations.”

Countdown: 26s

“I didn’t!” Philton was almost hysterical, and he reached out to push the person who was very close to him, but his hand grabbed empty air.

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

“Are you getting anxious?” The voice like a demon’s whisper rang out again. “Don’t be anxious, Your Highness Philton, I’m just sincerely congratulating you.”

“And I set off this grand fireworks display for you as a celebration.”

“Aren’t you happy?”

Countdown: 12s

“I… I!” Philton stammered for a moment. This was the first time someone had attacked him with ‘Are you anxious, are you anxious, are you anxious,’ and he couldn’t find any words to refute it.

10s

Yan Yunqing’s hands, covered in leather gloves, lightly touched Philton’s cheeks, and the cold touch gave Philton goosebumps.

9s

“Your Highness Philton,”

8s

Yan Yunqing leaned closer to his ear. “I sincerely congratulate you.”

7s

“Then, what do you think—”

6s

“How about this fireworks display?”

5s

“I am always looking forward to your answer.”

4s

Yan Yunqing straightened up, and inadvertently cast a glance towards the back of Philton, meeting the green eyes of Cornelia.

3s

“We are reborn in the flames, our souls will never wither.”

Yan Yunqing used that sentence from Karena and Henry’s CG as the conclusion of this performance.

2s

“Everyone,”

1s

“See you next time.”