Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 968 - 212: The Artistic Family (Part 2)

"Is this the theater's most classic performance?"

Her voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears in the theater clearly. In an instant, all eyes were on her, and the performance on stage came to a halt. The actors looked confused—this was the first time they'd received criticism, or more accurately, the first time someone dared to voice criticism immediately after the performance.

Typically, at the dinner party following the performance, the nobles of Oasis City would find ways to praise the script and performance, followed by reminiscing the hard years humanity endured through the First Epoch, despite the fact that those who could afford to watch the play were mainly nobles and wealthy merchants. They had never been through wars, and even slaughtering chickens was done by servants. Still, this didn't prevent them from pontificating about that dark past, to show their devotion to the True God.

The actors knew that those sitting in the front row were usually people of high status.

The veiled woman continued to question them, "Have you ever seen a war without bloodshed?"

"No."

"Then why are you here making imaginary gestures? Why don't you thrust the sword into the enemy's chest?"

"Uh, maybe because... this is a performance?"

The actors had never been asked such a tricky question. They seriously suspected this veiled woman was some noble lady sneaking out from her home, experiencing theater for the first time in her life.

All enemies appearing in the play were portrayed by actors. They were all good people, not real Evil God's Followers, so they did not need to kill anyone in the performance.

"My dear lady, I think you must have misunderstood something. This is actually..." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Do as I say!"

The voice remained gentle, yet the tone was unmistakably commanding.

The actor playing the villain never expected that today they would encounter such a tricky noble lady. Just as he planned to use theater knowledge and acting skills to try and explain what a drama was, a stabbing pain from his back made him incredulously turn his face.

The blade of the Sword of Victory pierced through his heart, and what he saw were the blood-red eyes of the sword bearer.

"Kill, kill!"

He muttered, "Victory shall belong to humanity eventually!"

But how could this be?

The Sword of Victory was a prop made in advance, why did it suddenly become a real longsword?

Before the villain actor could figure out this question, he saw the sword bearer vigorously pull out the longsword, blood spraying onto the stage, and then the sword bearer, as if gone mad, charged towards others.

Consciousness faded from him, even the stabbing pain in his heart could no longer be felt.

He heard the thud of his body hitting the ground, and in his last light, saw the frenzied sword bearer decapitating another person.

Crazy, this person has gone crazy!

This was his last thought, until...

"What are you still standing around for!"

The director's shout pulled him back to reality, the backstage gas lamps suddenly became a bit glaring, but the villain actor cared nothing for this, gasping violently, his hands instinctively covering his chest, yet the place that was supposed to be pierced by the long sword was intact, his heart still beating.

Could it be... it was all an illusion just now?

No, that was definitely not an illusion!

The villain actor was still wearing the black robe of an Evil God's Follower, and on the chest of the robe was a clear mark of being pierced by a sword blade.

"Time for the curtain call!"

The director, seeing his dazed state, forcefully pulled him up from the chair, pushing and shoving him out of the backstage.

The stage was filled with the smell of blood, the villain actor noticed the blood splattered on the walls, it was not part of the script, nor had they made similar props, but... others were also "resurrected," he clearly saw the actor who had been decapitated bowing before the audience.

The atmosphere in the theater was unprecedentedly high, with thunderous applause echoing continuously.

This was the most enthusiastic audience reaction he remembered, no longer just a routine performance, routine applause, and routine evaluation afterward. This time, he genuinely felt the audience was fully immersed in the performance, still deeply absorbed in the tragic war well after the curtain had fallen.

He subconsciously glanced at the front row, seeing the veiled noble lady, who was also clapping excitedly like the other audience members.

"Miss."

Next to the veiled woman sat a short fat middle-aged man, his black robe tailored finely with a dark golden life holy symbol embroidered on it, remnants of excitement still on his face. He gazed at the woman for a long time, unable to resist saying, "You are a true connoisseur. I've been in Oasis City for so many years, and I have never seen such an excellent performance!"

The actors' acting and reactions reached an unprecedented level, as if they were truly experiencing death on stage, one by one slain by the bearer of the Sword of Victory.

"Dear lady, I wonder if you could kindly attend the exchange party I'm hosting later? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I am..."

"Heriot, the Financial Officer."

Surprisingly, the veiled woman directly stated his identity.

He was slightly stunned, but did not take it to heart. Considering the veiled lady was likely the daughter of some prominent family, and that nearly half of the parties in Oasis City were hosted by him, it was not strange for her to recognize him at a glance.

"That's me, may I know who you are..."

"As the Financial Officer in charge of the city's resources and public works, you have repeatedly embezzled public funds, violating the Church Court's Treaty of Mutual Assistance. Sixty-three devout believers have accused you of your crimes. They have prayed to the Goddess, hoping for you to be nailed to a stake."

...

For the villain actor, this was an outlandish day.

When everyone went to the party, he stayed back in the theater citing physical discomfort, still unable to explain what had happened on stage. Clearly, he was stabbed through the heart, and in the next moment, he was back in the backstage, completely skipping the subsequent over-hour-long performance.

As people left, most of the gas lamps and energy crystals in the theater were turned off, leaving only the one on the table beside him.

He waited backstage until the last footsteps faded, then the "tick-tock" sound from the stage caught the villain actor's attention.

After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the gas lamp and walked towards the stage.

When the dim light of the gas lamp illuminated the stage, what he saw was a large wooden stake, a man with his head hanging was nailed to it, blood flowing down his pierced wounds, the "tick-tock" being the sound of blood dripping onto the ground.

The man wore a finely tailored black robe embroidered with a dark golden life holy symbol. As the villain actor drew near, he saw the man's wide-open eyes and gaping mouth expression, as if witnessing an incredibly horrifying thing before being nailed to the stake.

"Mr. Heriot!"

The villain actor blurted out, immediately recognizing the Financial Officer of Oasis City, one of the greatest backers behind the theater troupe. The banquet afterward was also organized by Heriot, and as the organizer, he ought to have been present at the venue.

In the actor's mind, Heriot was a generous, humorous person.

The villain actor struggled to overcome his inner fear, trying to relax himself. He thought of the inexplicable strange phenomena on stage earlier, forcing a smile, and quipped to the man on the stake, "Hey, Mr. Heriot, you almost fooled me! Seriously, your acting is better than most I've seen. The troupe should definitely have you guest-star next time!"

Yet his response was only silence, along with the sound of blood dripping to the ground.

A sense of foreboding arose in the actor's heart.

"Mr. Heriot?"

"Mr. Heriot!"