Chapter 344
Chapter 344
Chapter 344
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 344 – Lan Qi and Sigrid’s Escape Route
In a quiet corner by the central square of Dandellen City, sunlight streamed through the branches, scattering in dappled patterns on the ground. The pedestrians on the street hurried past, none noticing the man whose back brushed by them.
The sound of wind rose within the stillness, the man’s movements calm and measured.
The warm evening glow spread evenly across the stone-paved streets. The dense leaves of the trees swayed gently in the breeze, producing a soft rustling sound — but as the wind suddenly picked up, the harmony of the scene was abruptly shattered.
Reflected in a shop’s glass window, the flow of people passed by, and among them, a figure walked slowly — yet in an instant, seemed to flicker out of sight.
The rhythm of the wind grew faster, more urgent. Newspapers by the roadside fluttered madly. A stray dog began barking, and birds perched in the trees flapped their wings and scattered.
Until that figure appeared again — this time clearly — standing before the entrance of an inn.
The heavy timbre of the wind deepened, the sky dimmed slightly as if gray clouds were about to descend. The man slowly took out a delicate pocket watch from his coat pocket and checked the time.
When the twilight was about to fade into darkness, he pushed open the inn’s door.
Each time the door opened, the fire in the fireplace flickered, its warm glow blocked out by an indescribable chill. The hall itself seemed to grow darker.
The man wore a well-tailored gray suit, his shirt collar perfectly crisp, a silver tie clip gleaming faintly. His figure was tall but slightly lean, his straight nose and thin lips giving his face a composed, coldly handsome look. His short silver-gray hair matched the deep gray of his suit, creating a subtle but striking contrast.
He walked to the counter and looked at the young woman standing there.
“Good afternoon, sir. Are you here to check in?”
The receptionist gave a slight bow and politely asked her guest.
But the man’s expression did not change.
“Has a young man and woman who were staying here left today?”
The man reached into his pocket, took out a leather envelope, and slowly pulled out two portraits.
The drawings were rough, as though repeatedly adjusted according to witnesses’ descriptions, but they still captured the key features of the two youths’ faces.
“I’m sorry, sir…”
The plainly dressed receptionist showed a troubled expression. She was not allowed to disclose guest information, but her words halted halfway.
“Yes or no.”
The man was not angered by her refusal — instead, he raised an Imperial Military Investigation Warrant.
Those deep, penetrating eyes stared at the young woman through half-lidded lashes. His gaze seemed to pierce straight into her mind, leaving her feeling exposed, as though she had nowhere to hide.
She swallowed nervously — not only because of his official authority, but because she could sense the danger radiating from him, calm yet predatory, like a beast ready to strike.
Her hands tightened unconsciously on the edge of her uniform. Her heart was racing, and though she tried to maintain composure, a part of her even doubted whether this dangerous man was truly an officer of the Empire — but instinct warned her not to question him aloud.
“Yes… a young man and woman did leave today, but they did not look like the ones in the portraits.”
“When?”
“About three hours ago.”
The man nodded slightly, as if this was enough.
The receptionist, relieved, let out a small breath — but before she realized what was happening, the man slowly extended his hand and placed it on her head.
It was almost like he was trying to comfort her.
But that broad palm felt as heavy and cold as lead.
The next moment, her expression twisted in pain. Some unseen force crushed her from within. Her pale skin contorted with agony, bones warping grotesquely as if trapped in an inescapable nightmare. At last, her entire body turned into a disgusting lump of quivering flesh.
Gasps of horror spread through the hall as the other patrons stared in disbelief.
But the lump of flesh did not stay still — it began to convulse violently, its surface bulging and wrinkling until it swelled like a balloon stretched to its limit.
And then it burst.
The sound of the explosion made everyone in the hall jump in terror. Blood and gore splattered across the walls, and the thick metallic scent of blood filled the air, stifling and nauseating.
The man remained spotless, as though protected by an invisible barrier.
He gave the frozen guests a cold glance. The mere weight of his gaze made them tremble uncontrollably, unable to move.
He turned and walked to the door. Outside, several high-ranking priests in Imperial military garb stepped in. Seeing the carnage, they showed no visible reaction.
No words needed to be exchanged — they knew what had to be done.
By the time the man left, the noise of the inn’s first floor was completely gone, as if sound itself had been erased.
A priest dressed like an attendant followed him outside.
“Lord Anello, if we keep killing every witness along the way, won’t it create unnecessary trouble?”
This was likely the last batch of Imperial civilians they had casually slaughtered today. Soon they would find the Ba'tian Cardinal and the Ba'tian Saint Son.
Even back in the Northwestern Province, they had never killed so many Imperial citizens so brazenly.
But none of them dared defy this man — the one with the predator’s nose and ruthless precision.
“Sigrid, the Ba'tian Cardinal of the Protos Empire, defected to the demons. After committing atrocities with her Saint Son in the north, she’s now fleeing south. What does it matter if a few more civilians die?”
The Son of Annihilation, Anello, glanced back at the priest, his tone calm and cold.
“Yes, my lord.”
The priest bowed, silenced.
The deeper one studies sealing magic, the less human they become — they all knew this truth too well.
The Ba'tian Cardinal was gravely injured. Judging from the weather these past few days, they likely wouldn’t spend nights out in the snow. Based on Anello’s deduction, there would certainly be traces of them in the towns along the route from the northern border to the Snowfield Province.
Sure enough, the elite unit under Anello’s lead had managed to track their escape route across the snowfields.
The sun was sinking.
Light slipped below the horizon, snowfield afternoon giving way to nightfall. Darkness slowly swallowed the streets, as if even the breath of passersby had been hidden away.
The wind swept between the figures standing outside the inn.
“It’s time to send the Ba'tian Cardinal and the Saint Son to join the Saint Maiden.”
Anello looked southward.
His eyes glinted with an inhuman coldness. The deep purple of the twilight sky cast half his face into shadow.
…
Under the nearly moonless night, each passing second felt unbearably long.
A hundred kilometers away from Dandellen City, the snowfield was a sea of darkness. Snow swirled in the air, as though cast down by an invisible giant hand. Each crystal carried a biting chill, twisting in the wind before finally settling into the endless white, building a world painted in shades of gray.
And then — a deep gash appeared in the snow.
The scar of battle.
A massive body toppled into the snow with a heavy thud — an Imperial soldier clad in iron armor, now swallowed by the winter landscape.
Blood seeped from his wounds, slowly blooming into a crimson rose on the snow.
Sigrid clenched her fist, cold wind whipping her hair. Her breathing was ragged from battle and injury, each exhale a puff of white mist mixing with the snow.
Lan Qi stood beside her, looking far less exhausted.
Even after the fight, their vigilance did not relax — in this snowfield, danger could strike at any moment.
Every gust of wind felt ominous, every falling snowflake a harbinger of new threats.
“Even with both of us together, killing just one Priest of Annihilation was this difficult.”
Sigrid’s tired expression betrayed her pain — her unhealed wounds had only worsened from the fight.
Still, night made her stronger, and combined with her Saint Son’s bizarre control spells, they had finally managed to lure and kill one of their pursuers.
But their presence was now exposed. More priests from the Branch of Annihilation would soon find them. Though the Snowfield Province was close, the real battle might begin at dawn.
“Your sealing spells… one blocked sound, one blinded with light. What even are those?”
Sigrid exhaled and finally complained.
She was beginning to understand her Saint Son’s abilities — apparently he had more tricks than just explosions.
Even she nearly couldn’t endure that ghostly chorus — in her prime, she might have resisted it completely, but in her current condition, hearing such a dirge was almost unbearable.
If not for the special earplugs and tinted glasses they had prepared, those indiscriminate spells might have driven even her mad.
“Great power always comes with risk. That’s the law of balance.”
Lan Qi sighed. He had used nearly all his trump cards.
Though his spell card 【Radiant Virtue】 had become somewhat well-known in Ikerite, news between the northern and southern continents was still disconnected — so it was no surprise that a major figure like Sigrid had never heard of this newly-rising sealing mage from the south.
After leaving Dandellen City, they had crossed the mountain range and traveled southward across the snowfields for over ten hours.
On the distant horizon, time seemed to stir — a faint glow of dawn began to appear.
The pale light reflected on the snow, offering a fleeting illusion of warmth.
“Another few dozen kilometers south, and we should reach the Snowfield Province. See? I’m great at navigation.”
Lan Qi glanced toward the east where the sunrise was faintly visible, roughly estimating their position.
“Just say whatever you want to say. I’ll even give you a free pass and not lower your favorability for it.”
Sigrid gave a bitter little laugh. This guy wasn’t even pretending anymore — he was literally doing daily quests right in front of her.
But —
Just as the two chatted and continued their journey south —
The sky, which had been faintly brightening, suddenly grew heavy and oppressive.
It was as though the dawn was seized by an invisible hand and stripped of its light.
The air thickened, saturated with a cold, crushing magic, forming an unseen barrier around them that made them feel as if they had fallen into an icebound prison.
(End of Chapter)