Chapter 140. The Evil Ritual Conducted in Shadows—Already Exposed

In the capital city at night, within a certain underground facility.

Dilia, clad in a white ceremonial gown, was impatiently awaiting the results of the experiment.

Surrounding her were three maids, disguised and equally serious, their gazes fixed on the summoning circle not far away.

At that moment, a strange device lay upon the summoning circle, said to be a magical apparatus capable of controlling living beings. However, due to their nation’s limited knowledge in this area, they could not be certain if it would truly function.

“…Too slow! Wasn’t it promised that today would be the day of success? What is this? Are you trying to provoke my anger on purpose?!”

Having exceeded the scheduled time by five minutes, Dilia could no longer contain her impatience and directed her dissatisfaction toward the sorcerers nearby.

This only heightened the tension among the already anxious sorcerers, their fingers stiffening as they stood unsure of what to do.

They were indeed using the device as instructed by those self-proclaimed “researchers” from foreign lands; how could it possibly not work?

Should they really come here in person?

After all, they only knew how to wield magic and were not very familiar with magical devices.

“Hey! You lot, are you ignoring me?!”

Seeing no one respond, Princess Dilia’s fury deepened, her scolding directed at the sorcerers who had gained power through deals with the demon race, showing them no mercy.

Their teeth ground in frustration.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was the kingdom’s first princess, flanked by several bodyguards, they would have long since let this golden-haired, ample-chested princess taste the sting of their tentacles!

That arrogant cherry-red mouth was certainly more suited to being stuffed with something!

“Oh dear, Princess Dilia, you shouldn’t blame them too harshly; they are merely novices in this regard. Though your anger is quite captivating, your smile is even more enchanting, like a goddess descended from the heavens.”

Just as the sorcerers braced themselves for the scolding, a young man’s voice chimed in from the side.

This man seemed to know how to handle interpersonal relations, even with a difficult beauty like Dilia.

“Hmph, I remember you as Mori’s subordinate, Marlow, right? Even if you flatter me so obviously, the experiment has still failed, hasn’t it?”

With a cold huff, Dilia turned her displeased gaze toward Marlow, who stood a short distance away, her temper still simmering.

However, Marlow had encountered similar women before and knew that this difficult princess had already calmed down considerably.

“No, no, no, this is not flattery. Even Prince Mori has told me how proud he is to have a sister like you, who is as pure as a saint. I share the same sentiment; this is no flattery. As for the experiment, it hasn’t failed; it’s just that we’re a tad behind schedule.”

Marlow bowed modestly and skillfully, then turned his gaze toward the magical device near the magic circle.

“Oh? Then where exactly is the problem?”

As expected, Dilia’s anger had nearly dissipated. Though she claimed to dislike flattery, when praised, her face inevitably revealed a hint of pride, as if to say, “Of course! I am this stunning!”

Her demeanor was strikingly similar to Prince Mori’s, nearly making Marlow laugh out loud.

Truly, they were siblings.

Yet Marlow knew that if he didn’t produce results soon, this princess would still become angry, so he had to find a way to complete the experiment quickly.

In truth, he was also an outsider when it came to the experiment; he understood neither the demon race nor the dark arts, let alone magical devices.

But he understood human nature.

If the subject of resurrection was that “gentleman” who had suffered a similar defeat at the hands of another princess…

Perhaps a little provocation would lead to success.

Thus, Marlow did not continue to answer Dilia’s questions with words but instead moved closer to the silent magic circle.

After giving the equally awkward sorcerers a reassuring look, Marlow stopped about seven meters from the center of the magic circle.

Then he picked up his old trade, speaking in a tone reminiscent of when he had threatened noble uncles for money to keep secrets, addressing the corpse trapped within the device with a hint of ambiguity:

“Lord Allen, how long do you plan to sleep? You can’t possibly intend to just die like this, can you? I have good news: Princess Valentina has publicly announced that you died in a fit of excitement in a woman’s bed, and she plans to write you as a clown in her novel, to highlight her love story with ‘that person’! Oh dear, such pure love! A man like you, Lord Allen, seems to be nothing more than a coward, robbed of his woman yet too afraid to speak up!”

—Huh? Is that all it takes? Just a few jabs to resurrect that demon?

Delia, taken aback by the crude mockery, wore a look of confusion; she harbored deep doubts about the efficacy of Marlow’s actions.

Yet, scarcely had Marlow’s words faded into silence when, in less than three seconds, the previously inert magic circle flared to life. The sorcerers, startled yet elated, hastily channeled their mana to complete the final steps of the resurrection ritual.

After a full minute of mana infusion, the magical device, large enough to contain a whole person, suddenly opened from within. There lay a strikingly handsome young man with golden hair, peacefully asleep.

The fatal wound on his neck now bore only a faint scar; apart from that, he appeared unchanged.

His naked form caused a flush to creep across the faces of Delia’s disguised maids, their eyes unable to tear away from certain areas.

Only Delia herself swiftly unfurled the fan in her hand, placing it before her mouth to shield against the stench of decay that wafted forth, all the while casting a look of disdain, as if gazing upon something filthy.

After all this effort to resurrect this foolish man, she could only hope he would not squander the vast sums of money she had spent. She wished for him to achieve something—anything.

He must utterly destroy that arrogant sister this time!

“Hmph, now that he’s back, make sure to inform him of the mission promptly. This time, it must succeed, understand? Otherwise, none of you will have it easy! Hey! Stop staring, let’s go!”

As the primary financier behind this experiment, Delia did not wait for the resurrected man to open his eyes.

Instead, after scolding the three disobedient maids, she left the dark, damp room with an air of haughty nobility, intending to return and wash away the filth that clung to her.

“Oh? Though the plot has taken a completely different turn, is that golden-haired Alan really planning to appear before the princess again? How persistent he is.”

Just as Delia stepped onto the staircase leading down, Noah, arriving from Valentina’s side, watched the resurrected golden-haired figure with keen interest.

Noah did not foresee any trouble arising from Alan’s resurrection.

On the contrary, he saw it as an opportunity.

Perhaps it was time for Clyde, the true victim, to vanish from the presence of the heroine, Valentina.

Heh, let him take advantage of this situation with Alan’s revival.

……

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PS. Third update, fourth update around 2 AM.