Chapter 254: I Am the Divine Child
Bard naturally understood the meaning behind Susan's words.
The identity of the Divine Child was to be kept secret, which meant Susan belonged to Lady Alisa's faction.
Once the identity of the Divine Child was revealed, it would attract the attention of many.
Among them was "Grand Duke Ferrandi," the ruler of the Irisis Principality.
"Understood, no fourth person will know your identity."
With Bard's assurance, Susan took a deep breath.
This hurdle could be considered passed.
As for whether tonight's challenges could be overcome, it depended on fate.
Susan believed Lord Bard wouldn't sit idly by.
He would use his connections to warn the Grand Duke.
"Lord Bard, I won't disturb you further!"
Susan lifted her gown and bowed to Earl Bard before turning to leave.
Only when the door closed did Emma withdraw her gaze.
"My lord, can she be trusted?"
Bard smiled and looked at Emma beside him.
"Emma, don't you think Miss Susan has been overly fortunate?"
Lord Bard's words made Emma fall silent.
Over the past year, Lady Alisa had faced many dangers.
Assassins were everywhere, never missing a chance.
Whenever Lady Alisa left the mansion, she would inevitably encounter danger.
Even within the mansion, assassins would find ways to infiltrate.
Yet every seemingly perilous crisis had been defused by a few words from Miss Susan.
If Miss Susan had the ability to foresee, those past strokes of luck could be explained.
"Emma, what kind of person do you think Silver Mask is?"
The Silver Mask mentioned by the sisters Emma had never been seen by Bard.
But if Silver Mask could easily take down the notorious Skull-Hunters couple, it meant Susan's ally was at least a saint-level powerhouse.
Emma's expression became contemplative.
"Although his attire is strange, he should be a good person."
Standing up, Bard walked toward the exit.
"I'm going to the royal palace!"
Time passed slowly, and the day soon ended.
As the sun set in the west, darkness gradually enveloped Obenlo City.
At nightfall, unseen forces stirred within the city.
The number of patrolling guards on the streets was several times higher than usual.
They moved through the streets and alleys.
Each squad had no fewer than ten members.
Meanwhile, within the inner city walls, well-equipped soldiers of the Royal Guard Knights could be seen everywhere.
Passersby hurried along with their heads down.
They could sense the unusual atmosphere tonight.
No one knew what had happened.
But it seemed something was about to occur in Obenlo City tonight.
"Go check over there, quick!"
On one street, a squad of Royal Guard Knights ran into a nearby alley.
The sound of their metallic footsteps quickly faded away.
"Ah!"
Not long after, a scream echoed from the alley.
The scream was brief.
Looking into the alley, the squad of Royal Guard Knights had turned into lifeless corpses.
They lay on the ground, each head missing.
No, not missing.
Their heads had exploded.
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
Standing beside the bodies was a figure in a blood-patterned black robe.
The figure had removed his hood, revealing shoulder-length short hair.
He was smiling, his face twisted in a sickly grin.
But the grin was rigid, more of a grimace than a true smile.
"Hmm, I smell it. This is the scent of fear, hahaha!"
He covered his face and burst into manic laughter.
His eerie laughter echoed in the alley.
He spread his arms wide, gazing up at the sky.
"Come, let tonight's revelry begin!"
With his maniacal laughter, an upheaval erupted in Obenlo City.
Over ten massive crimson pillars of light shot skyward from various directions in the inner city.
A colossal crimson magical barrier swiftly enveloped the inner city.
The blood-red magical shield, like burning blood fire, dispelled the darkness.
"What is that?"
The residents of both the inner and outer city noticed the sudden appearance of the magical barrier.
"I don't know. What's happening?"
"Get out of the way!"
On a certain street, a squad of militia soldiers rushed to the magical barrier.
The crimson barrier emitted a sinister aura.
One soldier reached out to touch the barrier.
"What are you doing? It's dangerous!"
The captain stopped him.
The captain drew a dagger from his waist and hurled it at the barrier.
As soon as the dagger touched the barrier, it melted into molten metal and fell to the ground.
This sight filled the militia soldiers with fear.
"Fire! The fire is spreading!"
Buildings engulfed by the blood-flame barrier erupted into raging fires.
Both inside and outside the barrier, the city burned.
"Hurry, put out the fires! Don't let them spread!"
At the same time, screams echoed from within the magical barrier.
A large number of humanoid crawling creatures emerged from the sewers.
They had bald heads, no eyes, noses, or mouths.
They had ears, but only as two holes.
They crawled like humans, with unnaturally long limbs.
Their grayish-white skin and massive bodies made them terrifying.
Standing upright, they were twice the height of a human.
They climbed walls like geckos.
The faceless creatures rushed into houses, slaughtering the inhabitants.
"Where did these faceless ghouls come from!"
On another street, a hundred-man squad of Royal Guard Knights battled the faceless ghouls.
As the principality's elite forces, even the average soldier was a mid-level swordsman.
Thus, their close-combat units didn't use shields.
Clad in heavy armor, they wielded standard longswords.
Looking at the grayish-white creatures crawling on rooftops, Swinde frowned deeply.
Faceless ghouls were a subspecies of vampires, categorized as undead.
They typically emerged on battlefields where corpses went unburied.
While most corpses turned into skeletons, some became faceless ghouls.
"Archers, shoot them down!"
Swinde pointed at the rooftops and shouted.
The archers in the rear immediately drew their bows.
Arrows imbued with various elemental magic flew toward the faceless ghouls on the rooftops.
"Shhk!"
The arrows pierced through the ghouls' bodies.
One by one, the faceless ghouls fell from the rooftops to the streets below.
Just then, a head peeked out from a nearby alley.
The figure crouched in the corner, smiling eerily at the Royal Guard Knights outside.
He grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth.
"Pop!"
The head of a nearby soldier suddenly exploded.
Blood and brain matter splattered onto the soldiers around him.
"Pop!"
Three more soldiers' heads exploded in quick succession.
"What's going on?"
The splattering blood and flesh startled the Royal Guard Knights.
The headless corpses of their comrades left them at a loss.
"Pop!"
Another soldier's head exploded.
The Royal Guard Knights' heads kept bursting.