Chapter 69 Deceptively Real [Part 2] A Girl's Heart Defeats Dark Forces! ...
“Impossible,” Lucas said immediately. “He dislikes magic. He thinks it’s an evil, cheating power, and that it led to the kingdom’s downfall.”
"Oh, come on! Some people say one thing and do another behind people's backs." Lanrit shrugged. "Well, you can't fight back now anyway, and I'm really itching to do something about it. So I might as well give you a little background story."
“Oh my god, here we go again,” Lucas muttered.
With a wave of his hands, a red curtain suddenly appeared before him. The curtain was pulled open by the air, and he dramatically reappeared, clearing his throat.
"But luckily, we met a dirty girl who called herself Talia. She said she was a descendant of the forest goddess and might know a way to give us the power to conquer dragons. She told us a story about how a magic herb can grant people magical powers."
"Yeah, it sounds like a scam, doesn't it? But I wrote the story down in my notebook and checked all the information in the library, and found that it might actually be true..."
"Why would she tell you?" Ashlin interrupted.
“Haha, because we’re princes, Miss!” Lanrit said matter-of-factly. “She wanted us to take Dias back. Anyway, back then, we didn’t know the other half of the magic herb was a pure curse, so we found it based on the legend. Nicholas and I swore an oath to take the magic herb together, gain power, and take Dias back from the dragon’s claws. Ah, how touching!”
He paused, then wiped away imaginary tears with the corner of his clothes.
"However, it was obvious that on the night of the 'Oath's Enforcement Day,' I was the only one who foolishly ate that stuff. My dear brother not only deserted his post but also displayed his political talent, declaring to all the members of the Council that I, Lanrit, had become the Black Wizard's lackey! Perfect crisis management, wasn't it? He absolved himself of all responsibility and made me the villain in one fell swoop."
"Ironically, I actually won the bet and really gained magic. Now, I had no way to explain myself. People would just say, 'See, His Majesty Nicholas was right, he really did fall into darkness!' So I ran away."
“I went to Dragon Tooth Village. There, I found a man named Knox, the son of a blacksmith, who happened to look a lot like me, and whose name was similar to my middle name.”
"I took advantage of the chaos to end his boring life early, making people think he was burned to death by a dragon... I also stole his name. Only then did I drink the potion and use his corpse to fake my own death."
As soon as the words left their mouths, they all realized it was a mistake.
Lanrit made an exaggerated expression of surprise, and Ashlind could almost see an exclamation mark popping out of his head: "Wow! How did you know about my invention?"
“I read your notes,” Lucas lied. “You shouldn’t have written everything in there, Uncle.”
"Ah, it seems you share my love for studying magic." Fortunately, Duke Lanrit was already engrossed in his speech. "Anyway, the blacksmith's son looks just like me, and my potion easily made him look like me. To prevent anyone from discovering this, I gave the potion to a foolish little dragon."
Ashlin wanted to say, "Don't talk about Aisusa like that." But Knox could never know that they had been in contact with Aisusa, or even obtained the potion.
“Bad guy,” Nova struggled to say.
Lanrit laughed heartily. "Your dwarf friend is so adorable!"
"Have you been in the maze all this time?" Lucas asked. "Excuse me for being frank, Uncle, the environment here is hardly comfortable. You must have had a hard time."
“Of course not,” Lanrit said. “I did everything I could to play Sanova. I contacted our families, went back to Foxtail Bay, and did research… Like I said, I only later discovered that the clue to the fourth item might be hidden in the labyrinth. I couldn’t beat those bookworms, but I knew you would come.”
“How do you know?” Lucas asked.
“A blood tracking spell,” Lanrit answered cheerfully. “I took the opportunity at the altar to cast the tracking spell into Ashlin’s blood.”
Ashlin shuddered at the thought that Knox's magic still flowed in her blood, and that her magic was controlled by Knox.
"And what about Aidan?" she asked, suppressing her anger and fear. "Why did you bring him into the group?"
Lanrit waved his hand casually. "I just think we're a lot alike. A younger brother ignored by his older brother and sister, yet possessing extraordinary ideals..."
“Aidan’s ideal, after all, is to create world-renowned music,” Lucas interrupted him. “What are you up to now, Uncle? What good will it do you to resurrect Cynthia?”
“Yes, there are many benefits. But the most important thing is to kick my dear brother off the throne, isn’t it?” Lanrit said. “I’m tired of living in his shadow since I was a child.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. "I can hardly believe this is another classic story of brothers holding a grudge against each other."
“Oh dear, it’s much more than that,” Lanrit wagged his finger. “It’s also a magical story. Only magic can bring me liberation, and this kingdom liberation. Magic is so alluring, yet the whole country hates it so much. What a pity.”
“If that’s really what you think,” Ashlin said sharply, “you should have stood up when those wizards were being purged. You watched my mother being executed and did nothing. She helped you, and this is how you repay her?”
Lanrit shrank back like a startled bird.
“How could I dare to step forward? You don’t know Nicholas, little girl. He’s terribly stubborn. If Sanova Bailey hadn’t cured Lucas’s childhood illness, the anti-magic ban probably wouldn’t have been repealed yet. Not to mention, he doesn’t want a third person to know the secret of the Twin Grass.”
"However, these old stories are insignificant compared to the three treasures I am about to acquire."
He rolled up his sleeves and snapped his fingers.
"Thorns, search them."
The thorns immediately obeyed, searching them thoroughly. Nova's tools clattered and fell to the ground, but Ashlin's backpack remained firmly in place.
Lanrit moved closer to her.
"What's hidden in your bag? Why can't I open it?"
Ashlin quickly considered a solution.
Aside from knowing she was a descendant of gods and had inadvertently cursed Lucas, Lanrit knew nothing about her. He had no idea what they had been through together. In his eyes, she was probably still a naive and careless little girl, just like any ordinary person would imagine her.
If she could convince him that she really was just a silly girl...
"N-nothing!" she feigned fear. "It's just..."
"only?"
Ashlin looked at Lucas and said in a desperate tone, "Oh, Lucas, I think we have no choice but to show it to him!"
Despite being completely bewildered, Lucas quickly cooperated with her.
"No, Ash...please don't!" he said, feigning grief. "This is everything we have. How can you so easily hand it over to the dark wizard?"
Lanrit's dark eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Open it.” He spoke like a child who couldn’t wait to unwrap a present.
"I can't!" Ashlin screamed. "It's a secret, that's why I put a magic lock on my backpack!"
Lanrit grinned. "Open it, or your dwarf friend will become a dwarf specimen."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the thorns tightened around Nova's throat.
Ashlyn covered her face, her mind replaying all the "warm moments" she shared with Lucas, praying that the notebook's magic would sense her thoughts.
"Okay, okay! I'll show you, but you can't tell anyone." She frantically opened her backpack, pretending to rummage through it, pushing the three real items deep inside.
“I’m waiting.” Lanrit glanced at the non-existent pocket watch. “Tick-tock, tick-tock.”
Ashlin finally pulled out the blue-covered magic book, drenched in sweat, with perfectly placed traces of pink bubbles on it, making her even more convincing.
"Oh? The family crest?" Lanrit asked with interest. "You hid the clues to the three items here?"
He opened his notebook, and his face visibly showed disappointment.
“'Today, I told him we could be friends, even if I were a witch and he was a prince.'” he read aloud. “'I don’t know if he believed me, but those blue eyes…'”
He chuckled and impatiently flipped through a few more pages.
“‘Oh my god, I’ve lost my mind, I actually asked him to kiss me! My forehead is burning so hot, if he finds out…’” He couldn’t finish reading, angrily putting down the notebook. “Is this your diary, little girl? The thing you’ve locked with a magic lock is your ridiculous thoughts about my nephew?”
Yu Guangzhong: Lucas seems to be trying hard to suppress a laugh.
Ashlin nodded, feigning fear, doing her best to appear like an idiot.
"Yes, you absolutely must not tell anyone, especially your brother! The king will execute me."
“Ah, that’s none of your business right now.” Lanrit curled his fingers, almost pinching the notebook with his nails as if it were a bag of trash. “What else is in your bag? Not Lucas’s cat hair, is it?”
Lanrit quickly raised a hand. "No need, I've seen enough."
A sharp pain shot through Ashlin's throat where the thorns were gripping her.
"Superficial and emotional," Lanrit exclaimed in anguish. "Lucas, don't tell me your taste in girls has sunk to this level?"
“None of your business,” Lucas said coldly, not even bothering to refute.
He savored the memories in the air, seemingly on the verge of tears. Ashlin wouldn't be surprised if a beam of light shone on him or a band suddenly appeared out of thin air.
After a long while, Lanrit finally came to his senses.
"Ah, let's not talk about the lost bond between uncle and nephew." He threw the notebook aside. "This isn't what I wanted! Don't play me for fools. I know you've already obtained the riddle item; you told me yourselves. Dragging things out won't do you any good."
He finally turned to Lucas, no longer paying attention to Ashlin's backpack.
Ashlin breathed a sigh of relief.
Thorns suddenly grew and pierced Lucas's backpack.
The "Dragon Torch," the "Magic Flute," and the "Divine Ring" rolled to his feet. He picked them up one by one, admiring them with a broad smile.
He opened his hand, and Ashlin felt the thorns relax.
Having said that, the thorns on Ashlin's body suddenly pushed her far away. She could no longer see Lucas, Nova, and Lanrit, and Zach had also disappeared.
The labyrinthine tunnels branched off behind her, leading her down a path she shouldn't have taken. It was alluring and beautiful, exuding the aroma of buttered bread from a bakery.
"Come on, Ashlin." A sweet female voice said, "You'll like it here."
In the darkness, she looked up and saw a huge green crystal standing in the center of the small space.
A short-haired woman held a staff high in her right hand, her mouth moving as if chanting a spell, her eyes gazing at a non-existent sky.
It's dragon crystal.
Cynthia was sealed inside the dragon crystal.
However, this dragon crystal was different from the dragon crystal of Dragon's Breath Mountain. The dragon crystal of Dragon's Breath Mountain only possessed the power of fear, but in front of this crystal, Ashlin felt safe, peaceful, even beautiful, and even wanted…
Go inside.
"Come here, Ashlin, I have everything you want," Cynthia's voice seductively urged.
No.
"It must be the effect of an illusion," she thought.
Do you remember what Elaine said?
The entire Edoro labyrinth is built on phantom sand. Add to that the magic crystals corrupted by dragonfire, and it's clear this is a place one cannot linger.
She looked around and found that all the tunnels had vanished. It was a completely enclosed space, without a window, a door, or a single living creature, except for herself and the thorns controlled by Lanrit.
Suffocation gripped her neck. She frantically pounded on the wall, her fingers aching. The stone wall groaned helplessly and began to compress inward.
"Oh no no no..."
Ashlind desperately hoped this was just a nightmare. She must be dreaming.
She kept backing away until her back was pressed tightly against Cynthia's dragon crystal.
Then, she woke up.
Author's Note: I need help! My uncle is a drama queen with a mental illness—how do I deal with him?!
I'm thinking of changing to two updates a day, so here it is, hahaha.
(I really want to see the moment when the ending is marked in red in the upper right corner, oh my god, I'm so looking forward to it (?))
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