Chapter 20: A Way Out

There must be a way!

Song Ze had been agonizing for a while when he suddenly remembered the spatial ring Aliel had given him. It seemed to contain quite a few items that could save people.

Since this ring was infused with the power of nature, it’s could be used freely even in this magic-prohibited area. That was quite reassuring…

“Aliel, I’m counting on you!” Song Ze took a deep breath and opened the spatial ring.

At this moment, he practically wanted to hug and kiss Aliel—ah, forget it.

“Found it.” Song Ze quickly retrieved a sharp dagger imbued with nature’s power, his heart surging with excitement.

This dagger was called the Nature’s Blade, a high-level weapon. Because it was densely packed with natural energy, it could be used in anti-magic areas. It had been his favorite weapon in the game, but obtaining it was extremely difficult—you had to grind goodwill with the elf faction. He never expected Aliel to just toss it in here!

Aliel was simply the best!

Of course, the spatial ring also contained teleportation scrolls for the Holy Temple, but they couldn’t be used in this anti-magic zone… only teleportation derived from natural power would work.

Song Ze then looked at the chains on his ankles. He might not be able to do much about other things, but these chains were definitely no problem.

****

Outside.

Within the encroaching black mist, everyone had already lost all strength. Their bodies were bound and unable to move, leaving them helplessly awaiting death, their faces painted with despair.

Under normal circumstances, these high-ranking nobles wouldn’t have ended up in such a sorry state. But since they had come to attend the duke’s funeral, they hadn’t anticipated any trouble… They hadn’t brought any self-defense items, leading to this tragedy.

Although the black mist seemed menacing, according to the priest’s prophecy, outsiders would never notice anything amiss here. Not even the Holy Temple knew when they would discover the abnormality, making everyone feel that waiting for death was their only option.

In the adjoining hall, the spacious room stood empty, save for a complex magic array drawn on the floor. It glowed with an eerie light that grew stronger as time passed.

Idis stood within it.

Kneeling beside him was a middle-aged man covered in cold sweat. If anyone else were here, they would immediately recognize him as Count William, who had been declared dead earlier.

“My lord, I have done as you commanded. What should I do next…” Count William felt utterly screwed. Initially, he thought that after paying the price and making a deal with the demons, he could control half the empire.

But he never expected to run into such a madman! The things this guy did made William wonder if he was even human. Now he had no choice but to do his bidding, even handing over the undead monsters he had cultivated using demonic methods.

However, he had secretly tampered with the magic array. Once it was complete, everything would…

“Do you think I didn’t notice your little trick?” Idis’s indifferent voice came from the side.

Count William was scared out of his wits. Upon sensing the array, he realized that his modifications had completely disappeared. Then, a bone-deep, excruciating pain surged through him—the mental backlash of a failed spell. He immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy. “Lord Idis! I was wrong! I was wrong… I had a moment of poor judgment—”

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Count William struggled to his feet. He could only save his skin if he remained useful now. If he didn’t prove his value quickly, once the array was complete, he would probably be the first to die.

****

The outside world was now completely shrouded in black mist, carrying an ominous aura. All magic and battle energy were unusable here; the moment they left the body, they were absorbed by the deployed magic array, let alone the monsters roaming within.

Song Ze held the Nature’s Blade, which had successfully cut through the chains, but looking at the horror-movie scene before him, his face turned pale.

However, the trapped people inside noticed his presence. Initially, they were thrilled, thinking they might be saved, but upon recognizing him, their hopes sank.

“Isn’t that Song Ze? I heard he went missing…” “Looks like he got caught too. That damn Idis, he’s absolutely insane!”

“Song Ze is said to be a useless weakling. Even if he got out, he probably…”

…

Song Ze had triggered a bad ending. He had no choice but to force himself forward. Fortunately, these undead monsters had a notable weakness—they were blind and relied on hearing. As long as he was careful, there shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, staying in that secret room would definitely lead to a bad ending. Facing those two… outside, where there were more people, he had a better chance of resolving things. He also suspected that the bad ending was due to missing some crucial main story trigger.

[Side quest triggered. Replaces previous.]

The side quest system is pretty reasonable!

Song Ze noticed a person who seemed to be the attendant of some noble lady. He quickly cut her ropes. “Are you alright?”

The latter was surprised. She had never expected the so-called waste to have the courage to rescue others. Moreover, when she looked up, she saw the beautiful young man’s blue eyes filled with concern for her.

The noble lady: “!!” What was this sudden flutter in her heart? She had always heard he was a waste, but she had never noticed that Song Ze had such good looks!

Song Ze didn’t think much of it. To him, she was just a random NPC. After a brief reassurance, he cautiously moved on to the next person.

The rescued people were all shaken. They never imagined that the waste they used to look down upon would save them. And Song Ze was so handsome! His attitude was so gentle…! He seemed delicate, yet he bravely saved people in this crisis, and his voice was so pleasant…

In short, their goodwill toward Song Ze skyrocketed. If they were targets for affection, he would have been bombarded with notifications. Many began to regret not discussing marriage with the duke earlier.

Especially the priest. After Song Ze untied him, the priest looked at him as tenderly as if he were his own child.

Song Ze finally completed the quest to rescue ten people. But rescuing them didn’t do much, as their bodies had been drained; all they could do was sit in a more comfortable position (.)

At the same time, Song Ze had reached the entrance of the hall.

“Don’t go in!” someone behind him shouted worriedly. “That demon Idis is inside! He’ll kill you!”

Idis’s reputation was probably in the negatives now.

“It’s okay.” Song Ze turned to the crowd with a bitter smile. “I’m a member of the Holy Temple after all. I can’t just stand by in a situation like this… If I don’t do something, we’ll all die here! So I have to do it.”

Everyone was stunned. Looking at Song Ze, they felt he seemed taller, and a sense of guilt welled up within them.

“I heard Song Ze was treated badly at the duke’s mansion.” “Yeah, and he was sent to the paladin academy…”

“After all that, he’s still willing… What a good kid…”

[Empire faction favorability +100, changed to ‘friendly’. Holy Temple faction favorability +100, changed to ‘friendly’. Host’s reputation increased.]

Usually, grinding faction favorability in the game required doing daily quests, good deeds, and saving people. He never thought it would be this easy!

So Song Ze paused his steps toward the interior and turned back to the crowd. “If, if everyone can leave alive… that would be wonderful.” At that moment, everyone could clearly see the tears glistening in his eyes. “To sacrifice for the Holy Temple, even if I die, it would be an honor. I just hope that afterward, someone will remember me…”

[Host, aren’t you being a bit too dramatic?]

“Damn it! In a tragic moment like this, they won’t care about details!”

Song Ze farmed another wave of faction favorability. Feeling the time was right, he resolutely turned and entered the hall, leaving behind the sorrowful gazes of the crowd.

Seeing the awe-inspiring magic array inside the hall, Song Ze was stunned. Then he noticed the middle-aged man behind Idis—the face was unmistakably Count William.

How had the plot developed while he wasn’t around?

“You’re here.”

Idis stood inside, seemingly not curious about how Song Ze had escaped. He just looked at him calmly.

Beside him, Count William’s expression was complex. He had clearly seen how Song Ze was buttering up the others outside. Of course, he didn’t know Song Ze’s true intention; he thought Song Ze was genuinely a fanatic willing to sacrifice for the Holy Temple. He wondered why Idis didn’t just kill this guy already.

“Idis, brother.” Song Ze forced himself to speak. “Don’t do this…”

“Why?” Idis’s tone was calm, as if he were saying, ‘Give me a reason, and maybe I’ll listen.’

Song Ze: “…” He only meant to say it for formality’s sake!

But based on his understanding of Idis from the game, he knew how to appease him. He immediately said, “I know Idis, brother, you were just deceived! All of this is Count William’s doing. You’re just a victim…”

Count William: “???” Why was he being framed when he was just standing here?

Idis said calmly, “What if I told you I did everything myself? Would you still like me?”

“Of course,” Song Ze said, his voice growing passionate. “No matter what happens, I’ll always love you most, Idis, brother… I’ve thought it through. All I want is to be with you; nothing else matters. But, but now that this has happened, what are we going to do in the future…”

Anyway, no matter what, he would first bind himself to Idis, then make a confession. Idis would surely be happy to hear that.

[Target Idis’s affection +10, current affection 90.] The system spoke excitedly. [The host really knows how to handle him. The target is indeed very happy.]

Song Ze: “…” No! Don’t increase the affection anymore! It’s already too damn high! How did he not see this coming?

“It’s fine.” Idis’s expression softened considerably. He said, “I’ve already made preparations. Soon, we’ll be together forever. There’s no need to worry about those nuisance obstacles anymore.”

Song Ze: “…” What kind of ominous foreshadowing was this?

“Come, come to my side.” Idis’s gentle voice carried a hint of allure.

Song Ze almost walked over instinctively, but then the mark on his back suddenly burned hot, snapping him awake.

At the same time, the magic array nearby seemed affected, emitting irregular flashes of light. The black mist outside became extremely unstable, and the undead monsters grew agitated.

Count William’s expression changed, his eyes blazing with fanatical fervor. He wished he could grab Song Ze right now. “That power… is that divine power?! How do you have it?”

Song Ze took a deep breath, realizing the inherited mark was activating. After a while, it would break the blockade of this place.

Then he could directly use another teleportation scroll from the spatial ring to escape!

Just then, the ring on Song Ze’s finger suddenly burst into light—

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