The mansion, like a labyrinth, has two floors, plus a Basement that cannot be reached directly by stairs.
The mansion itself is soundproof; even without doors separating rooms, sounds are completely blocked beyond five meters... The escape incident that just happened on the second floor is unknown to others.
The flames burning here exhibit a crimson color.
The old butler Korey is not yet dead,
Pain and heat are stimulating his consciousness, gradually waking him from the coma... The clearer his consciousness becomes, the more intense the pain.
As his Eye gradually opens, he sees his shoulders pierced completely through by black hooks, his entire body suspended in the air.
The tendons in his hands and feet have been severed, and even his Extra Limbs have been completely cut off; there is no possibility of escape.
Korey turns his head as much as possible to look behind... he is hanging on the sharp edge of a Demon Statue,
There are a total of ten such statues, corresponding exactly to the number of audience members participating in the play.
These Demon Statues maintain the same posture, kneeling with bowls held out.
The blood dripping from Korey falls precisely into the bowl... Since he has been unconscious for a long time, the bowl of blood is just full.
"I said I wouldn’t give you too much pain!"
The actor Matthew, full of Stitching marks, stands in front of him, holding a long sword forged by a master.
Korey’s vision becomes blurred; he only feels a coolness on his neck, with the pain from the piercing of the shoulder blades diminishing instead.
As his head slides off,
Matthew raises the full bowl of blood and pours it all into his mouth.
Two slim Extra Limbs grow from between Matthew’s knees, not affecting normal walking but greatly increasing Moving Speed.
This is just an enhancement brought by the stage play.
When the circus performance is over and ’Truth Closure’ is lifted, he will gain Korey’s Fate insights and various Special Traits.
As the number of people Matthew kills in the game increases, he will gain more traits... the further he goes, the less likely he is to survive.
Yet no one knows this intelligence.
Mansion’s second floor.
The true family Eldest Daughter, Miss Lys, has always stayed in her own room.
The actress playing the Eldest Daughter is named Fima, belonging to the extremely rare "Foxman" race.
The rarity is because the "Foxman" race is naturally enchanting and beautiful, with Fascination attributes... such a gift brings huge disasters, making them a favorite target among smugglers.
The Foxman nature is treacherous, almost never becoming true friends with People.
They often plot against others for small benefits, and once other lives realize this nature, it leads to them being ostracized, making survival in large Cities very difficult.
is so easily bullied; she is an anomaly among the Foxman race, extremely treacherous and ruthless, with great talent in assassination rooms. She has infiltrated multiple smuggling organizations using her appearance, wiping out all internal members.
When she advanced to Myth, her tail turned pure white, later known as [White-Tailed Kitsune].
However, she does not intend to protect her kin, always wandering different regions of the Universe, until she discovers a circus invitation.
"This identity is nice... The prop suits me.
Moreover, the ’main storyline’ is very clear, wait for the right moment to act."
As the family’s Eldest Daughter, her role is extremely strong, and the role prop is not functional but rather attack-oriented.
[Role Prop - Self-defense Dagger]: Can cause extra harm to evil targets.
A sharp dagger engraved with the Family Emblem is fastened to the side of her long boots, with a retractable mechanism, extending almost akin to a short sword.
This prop is just right for Fima; she has practiced with it for over ten minutes in the room using a Common person’s body, mastering it completely.
Meanwhile, she also finds a letter from Baron Holi on the table.
I’m sorry that due to the recent bad weather, we cannot hold our wedding as scheduled,
Today’s letter is to tell you something more important, please believe in what I am about to write! I have discovered that your father, Viscount Macmillan, is a core member of the Church of Mammon.
Although I do not have direct evidence, the last time I went out with your father, I found many details that strongly suggest this.
Now your family’s situation is very Dangerous,
It’s Demon Mammon’s birth date soon, and various churches are beginning to take action, leading to massive disappearances of People, and some sacrifice sites have been discovered in advance.
I’ll try to come tonight to take you away; hope this damned blizzard stops early.
"What a boring storyline, so tonight we’re going to be sacrificed? But no matter how boring, I must cooperate with the acting... the rewards from the circus are undoubtedly good.
Just wait here for the Danger to come."
The reason Fima has stayed in the room is not only to practice with the dagger.
She has also used her experience to fill the room with traps, and if the opponent actively seeks her out, the traps will trigger... Using the constraints and damage from the traps, she can assess the threat level of the opponent. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
If she feels she can’t win, she’ll escape directly through the window tied with rope prepared in advance.
As Fima, bored, tosses the dagger up and down, a sound of footsteps comes from outside the door.
She effortlessly catches the dagger and slips it into the side of her long boot.
"Miss Lys, it’s me... the butler! Baron Holi is visiting, and he has urgent matters and wishes to meet you alone."
According to the information given by the letter, the Eldest Daughter and Baron Holi should already be engaged.
Considering the story background,
In the current situation, the Eldest Daughter played by Fima will surely meet her fiancé who has traveled such a distance... If she refuses here, even if she survives in the end, she won’t pass the performance evaluation.
"Has Holi arrived? Really... The snowstorm hasn’t stopped, I’ll change clothes and come out."
Saying it’s to change clothes.
Fima actually uses the door gap to observe the butler outside, and only after confirming does she slowly Open the gate.
"Baron Holi has already been invited into the VIP room, enjoying the new soup freshly brewed by the Chief Cook, which should have chased away the cold brought from the journey.
As the butler turns to lead.
The dagger swiftly and delicately pierces the back of the butler’s head.
Thin white smoke immediately rises from the wound.
Seeing the butler did not die immediately, Fima pulls out the dagger and immediately retreats.
I clearly applied for the troupe leader not to issue such attack-oriented props to the "Eldest Daughter", it always makes me hurt.
By the way, how did you find out?"
Fima, looking cautious, speaks:
Even if the physique is the same and the footsteps completely identical... the weight of the body differs, causing the sound of footsteps to vary.
When everyone was on stage, I listened carefully to all the footsteps, but yours is different."
"The quality of your audience this year is really good..."
As the sentence was halfway,
A series of threads shoot from the wound in the butler’s head, swiftly trying to bind Fima... Swipe! The dagger cuts through the air, severing all the threads.
"Oh? Still possessing such skills under the ’Truth Closure’ situation?
Really good [embryo], my eye for talent is indeed right..."
The fierce-looking butler suddenly grows Extra Limbs, approaching the "Eldest Daughter" with incredible speed.
When stepping over the sacrificial trap set at the floor entrance, he forcibly bypasses with speed.
Fima is startled by the speed and hurriedly runs toward the window... already grasping the prepared long rope, intending to jump out of the window with all her might.
Just as she is about to jump out the window.
A terrifying Beast black shadow suddenly climbs up, occupying the window, forcing her to halt.