Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 687 - 78: Sheepdog (Part 2)

In an instant, Morganna's offspring fell silent, staring at Ethan with disbelief.

"Impossible, this human is talking nonsense. Mr. Ethan is a gourmet, he has eaten more humans than all of us combined, and he even opened a gourmet club in the Imperial Capital!"

Peter retorted.

"Mr. Ethan and Miss Ave are honored guests of the Blackrave Clan. We won't believe just your side of the story, you should have a way to prove your conclusion, right?"

"Yes, I can prove it, as long as Mr. Ethan is willing to cooperate."

Van Fleet stepped forward with his head lowered, "I need to take some of his blood as a sample."

Upon hearing this, Morganna nodded in satisfaction, "I trust Mr. Ethan won't mind. Of course, if we discover you're making false accusations, we will execute you in the most brutal manner... you have no objections, I presume?"

"Of course."

Ethan nodded.

Van Fleet's arrival was unexpected, but after thinking it over, Ethan was appeased.

His management of the village was built upon the false hopes he fabricated for the villagers. Although many villagers had given up on finding an exit, deep down they still held onto the fantasy that someday Van Fleet would lead everyone out of here—illusory yet barely enough to sustain their continued existence, facing this screwed-up world upon waking each day.

Yet the truth was Van Fleet had made an agreement with the "red eyes" in town.

He never intended to find an exit, he was the first to abandon the search.

As long as he provided sacrifices to the "red eyes" periodically, it could ensure the safety of others.

He was even able to expand the village, with the residents increasing compared to its initial establishment.

"Don't blame me, I have to do this."

Van Fleet approached, whispering.

This sounded more like he was convincing himself, finding a reasonable excuse for using Demon Hunter knowledge to identify humans for the ghouls.

The transaction between him and the ghouls mustn't be known to the rest of the villagers.

This self-comforting murmur propelled Van Fleet forward, "You plan to save them, right? I can tell from the look in your eyes, I can't let you do that, you'll ruin everything!"

Van Fleet was acutely aware that no matter if Ethan succeeded or not, it wouldn't bring any favorable outcome for him.

Because Ethan learned about his agreement with the ghouls.

Even if they miraculously managed to escape, retribution would surely befall him.

Because humans are ignorant, they will never see the full picture, only believing that he sacrificed those offered to the "red eyes" just to survive, when in fact, it was a necessary sacrifice.

Human development and propagation have always been built upon the sacrifices of generations.

With each step forward, Van Fleet grew more neurotic, muttering incessantly to himself.

"I know you are the type who would advocate for everyone to perish together with the "red eyes" in the pursuit of freedom, you are just like that Believer of the God of Truth before."

He found the most fitting reason for his own excuse, "And me, I'm the one who truly wants them to live!"

Now if he could expose Ethan to Morganna and nip all his plans in the bud, everything can return to its proper course.

In fact, he might even use it as a bargaining chip with the "red eyes" in the future, negotiating that fewer people be taken away.

Indeed, he is on the side of justice.

Van Fleet lifted his head, locking eyes with Ethan with a murky gaze.

But Ethan simply raised his right hand calmly.

He expected a fierce debate, where Ethan would surely curse him out, calling him a coward and a vile traitor to the village, and he had prepared words of retaliation along the way.

He would argue that Ethan doesn't understand this place, that the villagers don't need unrealistic fantasies at all.

Van Fleet gripped the blade of his dagger tightly, slicing open a wound on Ethan's palm, collecting the blood in a goblet and feeling immensely anxious as Ethan's reaction was surprisingly calm, showing none of the panic that typically accompanies the exposure of lies.

But the appearance of the blood already indicated everything.

Ghoul blood is usually dark red, far more viscous than that of humans, and many ghouls who have mutated for a long time don't even bleed when injured.

Still, he needed to conduct further tests to ensure his conclusion was absolutely correct.

Van Fleet suddenly recalled something, and said, "Miss Ave is an authentic ghoul, I believe she must also have been deceived by Ethan."

He thought he did a good deed, at least sparing the blonde girl from Morganna's punishment.

Van Fleet retrieved a bound witchcraft pouch from the pocket of his cloak, displaying the crimson blood within the goblet to everyone present, "If he were a ghoul or some other dark creature, this pouch would ignite upon contact with blood, burning with green flames."

All eyes focused on the goblet in Van Fleet's hand, a simple act that made him break out in cold sweat.

The blood in the cup reflected his blurry silhouette.

He was merely doing what had to be done.

Thinking of this, he steeled himself, submerging the witchcraft pouch into the blood.

Time slowly ticked by, the pouch floated lightly on the blood in the cup without any change—for a Demon Hunter, this test is absolutely reliable guidance left by the great Cynthia for distinguishing friend from foe.

The testing results showed that Ethan was just like him, a genuine human.

Van Fleet shut his eyes tightly, releasing a long breath, relaxing completely.

"The facts prove that he is a genuine human; you were all deceived by him!"

"Mr. Ethan, do you have anything else to explain?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Morganna didn't immediately make a move against him; she waited for Ethan's response, but regardless of how Ethan tried to argue at this moment, it wouldn't change her opinion, "I had dealings with Demon Hunters in my early years, heard about this method... the testing result is absolutely accurate."

This seemed to trigger some unpleasant memories in her, causing her tone to become somewhat unnatural.

"They tested you as well, proving you were the same as them, a genuine human."

This undeniable result was granted by the Hunting Goddess Cynthia.

Ethan seemed to see through her heart, "But that still doesn't change their view, they still regarded you as a harbinger of doom for the Bellamo family, and Duke Bellamo ultimately accepted their claim."

Morganna's complexion changed dramatically, her nails became blade-like sharp, the traits of a ghoul manifested increasingly on her.

Her children showed varied expressions, some ready for battle, others hesitated.

"Mother, even if Mr. Ethan deceived us, we can still turn him into one of us."

Peter pleaded for Ethan, "As long as he can withstand the infection!"

"There can be no deception or betrayal among family... The gourmet club story was all fabricated by me."

Ethan stated calmly, "Its purpose was to create division between you and your mother, to make you yearn for the outside world. If anyone knows the way to leave this damned place, it could only be Lady Morgan—in fact, we came here from the start for Valerie. I don't care what happens to you after you leave here, there are Demon Hunters everywhere outside, and even the regular army of the Imperial Knight Order."

This time, even Peter showed a hostile expression towards him, angrily opening his mouth to reveal a mouthful of fangs.

"But now, I've changed my view."

Ethan spread his arms, meeting the gaze of the nearly frenzied Morganna, knowing the true cause of her anger was unrelated to deceit, but to mentioning Duke Bellamo.

"Lady Morganna, I want to know one thing."

He said, "How do you now regard Duke Bellamo?"

Morganna had no intention to answer his question; she was upon him in the blink of an eye, her blade-like claws reaching for his neck, apparently intending to pull his entire head off.

Time seemed frozen at this moment.

The distance between Ethan and Morganna was less than Sakaki; he clearly saw Morganna's claws, as well as...

The shadow entwined around Morganna's arm, it firmly restrained her actions, preventing her from advancing any further.

Morganna's eyes were full of confusion and puzzlement.

She didn't understand why the entity hidden within the depths of the mist, providing them with power and refuge, stopped her now.

She could also hear Ethan's cryptic whisper.

"I think I have the answer already."