Countless footsteps echoed from both sides of the not-so-spacious corridor.
Sophien and her group immediately assumed combat stances, ready for battle.
Before long, dense waves of Evil God Puppets surged forward.
However, they still held weapons and moved stiffly, no different from the puppets on the first floor.
“They really look down on us, huh? What use are more puppets of this level?”
The knight behind Sophien looked at the scene with contempt.
But Sophien’s expression was grave. She was increasingly unable to understand what the remaining Heretic God Sect members wanted.
“Anyway, take them out as quickly as possible!”
With Sophien’s command, the puppets were all dealt with in no time.
The corridor was strewn with bodies. Upon inspection, they also bore the Mark of the Evil God.
‘This mark again…’
Seeing this mark again, the uncomfortable feeling deep inside Sophien grew stronger.
“Anyway, gather them up and dispose of them all at once.”
“Healer, check on the Viscountess’s condition. If it’s not serious, give emergency treatment and take her away first.”
After she gave the order, an old man in white robes stepped out from the crowd. He held a piece of white cloth and wrapped it around the Viscountess.
Then, under his spell, a warm and gentle light gradually enveloped the lady’s body.
“How is she?”
Sophien watched from the side, while the other knights stared intently ahead, afraid something might go wrong.
“Nothing serious. It’s just that her spirit has suffered severe trauma, leaving her somewhat disoriented.”
“However, after my treatment just now, her spirit should have stabilized considerably.”
Hearing the old man’s words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
‘It looks like they used her as bait…’
Thinking this, Sophien stepped forward and asked the woman softly:
“Viscountess, for certain reasons I can’t remove your restraints right now. I’m sorry. Also, you need to prove that you can communicate.”
“What is your name?”
“…Emily Matthews…”
Sophien looked back at the soldier who had guided them. He nodded slightly.
“Then, Emily, why are you here? Do you remember what happened?”
“I… don’t remember… A while ago, when I opened my eyes, I found myself tied up. Then after a long time, a few strange people brought me here…”
Hearing this, Sophien’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Do you remember where you were before? Or which direction you came from to this mansion?”
“I don’t remember… They blindfolded me…”
Everyone felt disappointed upon hearing this. The clue they had finally found was lost again.
“I don’t care what happens to me… but there’s something I want to ask you…”
“Please, speak.”
“Those people carved something into the backs of my neck and my children’s necks. After that, I never saw them again…”
“Please help me… find them. I’ll do anything…”
“What did you say…? You were also marked?”
A chill shot up Sophien’s spine. She vaguely felt the situation was spiraling out of control.
She parted Emily’s hair, revealing a mark on her nape identical to those on the puppets.
She couldn’t help but gasp.
Now it seemed that the Viscount’s family members she had secretly relocated might all have been marked. They had definitely been released on purpose. But why would the Heretic God Sect do such a thing?
What was the purpose of this mark?
She quickly picked up the Communication Artifact and asked the squad outside responsible for protecting the Viscount’s family.
“Is there anything abnormal on your end?”
“Reporting, Imperial Princess. No abnormalities.”
‘Good, there’s still time…’
“Go now and check on the protected townspeople and the Viscount’s family. If you find any with the Mark of the Evil God, immediately take them to another location and place them under control. Understood?”
For now, concentrate them under control. That way, even if the Heretic God Sect tries something, they can react immediately and not be too passive.
But at this point, it was too dangerous to continue deeper into this building. From the moment they entered, it was clear the Heretic God Sect was luring them step by step.
They couldn’t continue like this!
In the midst of her thoughts, Sophien had already made a decision.
“Take the Viscountess and leave, then we burn this building down!”
Receiving Sophien’s order, everyone immediately moved.
“Everyone, faster! Don’t dawdle!”
She led the group in retreat ahead, urging them on from time to time. A tense feeling spread over everyone.
Just as they were about to reach the exit, the Communication Artifact in her hand suddenly rang.
“Imperial Princess, I’ve finally managed to contact you!”
“Dulufu?”
Sophien was puzzled, not understanding why he would contact her at this time.
“Sorry, time is urgent. I’ll explain the details later!”
“Anyway, please stay away from the Viscountess! She’s trouble!”
As soon as the words fell, a sound of flesh being cut came from behind Sophien.
Turning around, she saw the knight carrying Emily swing a sharp weapon at his comrades.
His eyes were vacant, his movements extremely stiff. He had clearly been turned into a puppet. And Emily behind him was nowhere to be seen.
“Despicable…”
“Everyone! Subdue him! Retrieve the wounded! We speed up the retreat!”
Sophien gave the order almost immediately, but then she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.
Along with a gust of eerie wind whispering in her ear:
“Imperial Princess, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”
“Since you’re here, please stay!”
A flash of killing intent made Sophien’s hair stand on end. She instinctively generated a Magic Barrier around herself.
“So I’ve become their target too? How careless of me…”
“Your Highness! Watch out!”
A knight desperately ran toward Sophien.
Behind her, an arrow aimed at her neck shot out violently. It pierced through her Magic Barrier like tofu.
“Magic-Breaking Arrow?! This is bad!”
Her pupils contracted sharply as she watched the arrow fly toward her vital point.
The next instant, a crisp sound of metal striking metal rang out.
That arrow was deflected by an unexpected interceptor, bouncing off toward the opposite wall.
“Yo, Sir Commander, you look pretty pathetic, huh?”
Sophien looked at the man standing in front of her. It was none other than Mann Matthews.
“Thank you very much… Lord Mann.”
Seeing him again, Sophien couldn’t help but feel awkward.
After all, in the Campbell Territory, she had thoroughly tricked him.
“What? Is that all you want to say?”
Facing Mann’s aggressiveness, Sophien was momentarily at a loss. She understood he wanted an apology from her, but she was embarrassed to say it in front of everyone.
“…I’m sorry…”
Sophien stammered out only a few words before Mann interrupted her.
“Let’s deal with the hidden Viscountess first. We’ll talk about other things later!”
It dawned on Sophien belatedly that he was just trying to embarrass her.
‘This kid holds grudges, huh.’
‘But he’s not wrong.’
Thinking this, she gave a helpless smile.
“Alright, since you’ve joined, let’s raise some more hell!”