Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam
Chapter 85 - 84: Bounty Hunter

Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Bounty Hunter

Rowena’s face alternated between green and white, while the fire element played a cheerful birthday song for her.

Today was neither her birthday, nor did she feel happy at all.

According to the agent, this Fireball Skill scroll was a masterpiece. If faced with an unavoidable situation, it could help her escape certain death.

Escape my foot! The thought of activating this Magic in a real crisis made Rowena’s face darken.

"Now do you understand? If your assassination doesn’t go smoothly, they want to make sure you die here, never allowing you to reveal them during interrogation."

In the Empire, the most serious charge is fraternizing with the Evil God’s Followers. If Rowena, defeated, is taken to the imperial capital and can present solid evidence at the trial, the church has ample reason to strike against the Lofic Consortium.

Although having dealings with the fanatical organization of the Evil God is nothing new in the current environment, the bottom line is not to get caught. As for some rumors circulating among the populace, who can really discern the truth?

Rowena felt a pang, "How, how do you know?"

"Because I made the scroll."

"You? Oh, so it was you! You make such scrolls without feeling a prick of conscience?"

Rowena’s rich imagination led her to imagine a parallel universe where she was tragically killed by this fire element scroll.

"Of course not, because I made it specifically to trap people."

Ethan’s candid admission left Rowena stunned. She pointed at Ethan for a while but was at a loss for words.

He specifically instructed the users not to activate the scroll unless absolutely necessary for this reason. He commissioned the fire element to play a birthday song for the unnamed warrior, so that after the action failed they had an excuse—it’s because the assassin they sent was incompetent and got killed before unleashing the scroll’s true power.

He just didn’t expect the Lofic Consortium’s outsourcing to eventually land on Rowena.

"But I’m not out to trap just anyone. I emphasized to them to find someone with a death wish ready to undertake this mission."

Rowena clearly didn’t fit this description.

He thought this girl was more like a Bounty Hunter than an Evil God’s Follower.

"Fine, I admit it!"

Rowena, in despair, plopped down on the floor, finally making one last futile attempt to explain herself, "Even though you might not believe it, I hadn’t made up my mind to act—I was still hesitating when you broke in... Please, don’t rush to act yet, let me think it through, even in death one should understand what’s happening."

She calmly reflected and found the situation overly complicated. Initially, the Elder Council had ordered no one to be spared, meaning that besides the other party, the Knight Order she came with to Ximu Town should also be killed without exception. She passed the message to her partner and received a reply advising her not to meddle.

A day later, a letter was privately sent to her by the Lofic Consortium’s messenger. Attached were three Magic scrolls, targeting the Knight Commander’s head. As for the knights’ fate, nothing specific was mentioned.

Before this, they had cooperated many times.

When she received the letter, Rowena secretly rejoiced, thinking of it as easy money—she wouldn’t need to do anything. Once Lindong kills everyone, she just needs to respond to the letter and count her money gleefully.

Suddenly, she slapped the floor, "So many people want her dead, yet she’s still alive and kicking. That’s ridiculous!"

With her thoughts clear now, Rowena pinpointed the blame on the cat curled up on the bed, "I get it, the problem lies with you. If you had directly killed her, there wouldn’t be all these issues afterward. Now I understand, I’ve been killed by you. Ah! The old saying is indeed true, betrayal by comrades is the hardest to guard against!"

"I’ve warned you."

The cat replied coldly, not planning to take on Rowena’s blame.

Rowena ignored the cat’s response, sprawled on the ground in a relaxed posture, spoke her final words to her former comrade, "But don’t forget, I treated you to meals 71 times, you only treated me back 67 times—you still owe me 1 Gold Lion and 37 Silver Antelopes."

"I never said I’d kill you."

Ethan shook his head helplessly; this girl was truly obsessed with money.

After Rowena’s musings, he finally understood—the Elder Council’s no-survivor commission was from the church faction. Afterward, the Lofic Consortium indirectly found Rowena, finding out in the end it was all the same group, which indeed was quite ludicrous.

Upon hearing this, hope rekindled in Rowena’s eyes, "Really? You’ll spare me, and I’ll treat you to a meal. But best if it doesn’t exceed 1 Gold Lion."

"Not only will I not kill you, but I also have a way for you to earn the bounty, as long as you cooperate with our plan."

"Is that true!"

Rowena, thrilled, sprang up from the floor and rushed to Ethan, only to be stopped by the cat’s icy glare.

"I, Old Sen, am always true to my word."

"Great, I’ll treat you to breakfast; how about toast with eggs?"

Rowena’s arrival was quite the unexpected boon. If they managed to sever the other party’s seal, everything would be over.

This should lead to a result that satisfies everyone.

The other party’s subordinates survived, and she "died" at the Empire’s border. Afterward, the wheels of history would start turning, allowing them to focus on research in magic technology.

"Don’t get too happy just yet. I’m unfamiliar with magic. Is there any magic that allows a living person to appear dead in full view?"

"Phantom Technique—but if you want to make it more realistic, you’ll need a transformation potion."

Rowena quickly grasped Ethan’s intention, "I can use magic and a magic potion to make a scarecrow look identical to the Knight Commander. Then, in front of her subordinates, I’ll use slicing magic to tear the scarecrow into pieces, making everyone think she’s dead!"

Of course, at that point, they would also need her performance to achieve a complete "show effect."

Ethan ultimately didn’t accept Rowena’s invitation to the town’s tavern for toast and eggs. When he left, he clarified with the knights, stating upon their investigation, Rowena was merely a divination master passing through Ximu Town.

His solo venture into the polluted area was already spreading among the knights, surviving the Lindong Witch further added to his legendary status. Now the knights spoke to him with respect; if not for the town’s impending crisis, they might have invited Ethan to the tavern for a drink—knights’ way of socializing.

Captain Hagrid, though never becoming a formal knight, mastered the social etiquette.

After handling Rowena’s situation, there was no need for Ethan to guard against other assassins appearing in the town.

He once again entered the other party’s room, and in Ave’s presence, expelled the cold element invading her body, causing the other party’s closed eyelids to twitch several times, and she nearly awakened immediately.

She stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then quickly noticed Ave keeping watch by the bed.

"I want bread and grilled sausage."

This was the first thing she said upon awakening.