The moment Ian saw Lilian’s figure, he subconsciously tried to release magic, but when he attempted to mobilize the mana within his body, he found he could not move it even a fraction.
‘What’s going on?’
‘How could Lilian be here?’
Ian stared at Lilian’s silhouette, unable to believe his eyes.
Before Ian could process it, Lilian’s cold voice rang out again.
“How do you know about Eternal Secluded Orchid?”
“Answer me!”
Lilian’s voice remained icy, but she seemed to emphasize the name Eternal Secluded Orchid deliberately.
After Ian had escaped, Lilian recalled his behavior on the carriage and realized that all his actions then had likely been a ploy to stall for time.
However, she did not understand how Ian knew about Eternal Secluded Orchid.
To get to the bottom of this, she intended to question Ian personally and dispose of him while she was at it.
Upon learning of Ian’s betrayal, the Demon God was furious and ordered Lilian to deal with Ian to make up for her failure.
Coincidentally, the Duke’s Mansion was hiring new maids, so Lilian disguised herself as one again and infiltrated the Duke’s Mansion legitimately.
The reason the Duke’s Mansion failed to see through Lilian’s disguise was that she was extremely skilled in mimicry.
Even experts of the same tier could not distinguish the truth, and only a Demigod powerhouse like the Demon God might have been able to tell.
Ian did not know how to respond to Lilian’s question.
He could hardly tell her that he was a transmigrator and that this world was just a game.
‘Am I supposed to say I learned her story from a game?’
Putting aside the fact that Ian would never tell anyone about that, even if he did tell Lilian, she would never believe him!
“I have nothing to say.”
In the end, Ian chose to gamble once more.
He did not deny that he knew about Lilian; instead, he stated that he could not tell her.
As long as Lilian wanted to uncover the truth, she would have to keep him alive.
“A fine ‘nothing to say.'”
Contrary to his hopes, the Goddess of Luck did not side with Ian this time.
Lilian was completely incensed by his attitude.
“Then go to hell.”
**BLOOD MAGIC — BLOOD LINE**
Lilian mobilized the mana in her body, and in an instant, dozens of silken threads composed of blood appeared in the room.
Ian was currently locked down by Lilian’s aura, unable to move a muscle.
‘Oh no!’
Seeing the threads approach, Ian cried out inwardly in alarm.
Because Deere spent most of the year fighting on the front lines, he rarely stayed at the Duke’s Mansion and happened to be away today.
Aside from him, there was no one in the Duke’s Mansion who could contend with Lilian; they couldn’t even catch the scent of the magic she was casting.
Ian knew that no one was coming to save him. He had to find a way out himself.
The Blood Line spell Lilian cast was essentially an instant-death sentence for any Mage below Tier 7, let alone Ian, who was only at the Tier 2 realm.
He had originally hoped to bet that Lilian’s determination to investigate the matter was greater than her killing intent toward him, but it seemed he had lost that bet.
‘Am I really going to die here today?’
‘What about the games I bought on Blue Star that I haven’t even played yet?’
Ian lowered his head, thinking frantically of a strategy.
‘It looks like I can only use that move.’
If there was one thing Lilian cared about most in her life, it was definitely her younger sister, Lilith.
Even the Demon God was only able to command Lilian by claiming she could alleviate Lilith’s illness.
If Ian wanted to survive now, it seemed his only choice was to exploit Lilian’s feelings for Lilith.
Seeing Ian hanging his head with a look of resignation, Lilian sighed inwardly.
Originally, she could have used an instant spell to kill Ian, but to figure out how he knew her secrets, she wanted him to feel the fear of death.
She thought that perhaps then Ian would confess, but now it seemed he would rather die than speak.
In that case, she would just have to kill him.
“Wait!”
Just as his life hung in the balance and the threads were a hair’s breadth away from him, Ian suddenly shouted at Lilian.
“What tricks are you trying to play now?”
Though she spoke harshly, Lilian halted the Blood Line.
“I can cure Lilith’s illness!”
“What?”
Hearing Ian’s words, Lilian’s expression changed drastically.
She furrowed her brows, clearly not expecting him to say that.
She had thought Ian only knew about her past life, but she never imagined he even knew her sister, Lilith, was sick!
Steadying her mind, Lilian looked at Ian again.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course!” Ian replied.
“Why should I believe you?”
“Even the Demon God cannot cure my sister’s illness. You think a Tier 2 Mage like you can do it?”
Lilian certainly wasn’t going to believe him based on just a few words.
After his previous deception, her trust in Ian was extremely low.
Hearing Lilian’s words, Ian let out a cold laugh.
“Do you really think the Demon God is unable to cure Lilith’s illness?”
“What do you mean?”
Lilian frowned, unsure of what Ian was trying to imply.
“The Demon God is powerful and possesses the strength of a Demigod. Do you really believe she has no way to treat Lilith?”
Even if she were a fool, Lilian understood what Ian was suggesting.
“Are you saying the Demon God is deliberately refusing to cure my sister?”
“What evidence do you have to prove your words?”
Lilian did not refute Ian, because she too had suspected the Demon God.
“I cannot provide evidence,” Ian said, shaking his head.
“However, if I, a mere Tier 2 Mage, cure Lilith, it will prove many things.”
“After all, if a Tier 2 Mage can do it, how could the Demon God possibly be unable?”
Ian lifted his head and looked Lilian in the eye.
Hearing this, although Lilian was still skeptical, she was moved.
Perhaps this person who knew her past really could cure her sister?
“How do you plan to treat my sister’s illness?”
Lilian asked.
“Give me 1 week. Within 1 week, I will concoct the potion needed to treat Lilith’s sickness.”
“If I cannot cure her after 1 week, I will willingly accept death.”
“I believe Lady Lilian can afford to wait 1 week, can she not?”
After hearing Ian’s words, Lilian released the aura locking him down, allowing him to move freely.
Rotating his numb shoulders, Ian breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I’m finally saved.’
He felt like he had almost logged off just now.
If he hadn’t been quick-witted enough to remember that Lilian had such a weakness in the game, he would have been a dead man.
However, before Ian could celebrate, Lilian cast a spell and struck a blood-colored shadow into Ian’s body.
“What is this?”
Ian looked at Lilian with confusion.
“This is my Blood Mark Tracking. With this, I will know where you are even if you flee to the ends of the earth.”
“To prevent you from tricking me like before, I cannot trust you completely this time.”
“For the next few days, I will continue to act as a maid in the Duke’s Mansion until you concoct the potion that can cure Lilith.”
“Of course, don’t even think about calling for help. Even if your father were present, I could easily kill you and escape.”
After saying that, Lilian pushed the food cart out of Ian’s room.
Watching Lilian’s retreating back, Ian knew she wasn’t lying.
Even if Deere were by his side, Lilian could easily kill him and make a clean getaway.
However, he didn’t intend to deceive Lilian anyway.
Since Lilian was a powerful combatant in the Protagonist Party during the late game, building a good relationship with her would be very beneficial for him.
And didn’t he now have a free Tier 9 bodyguard?
At least until Lilith was cured, Lilian would likely protect his life.
Furthermore, if he could pull her into the Protagonist Party ahead of schedule, wouldn’t he be able to defeat the Demon God and go home even sooner?
One must realize that the reason Lilian worked for the Demon God was partly to get revenge on the Demon Race and partly for the sake of her sister, Lilith.
As long as he could save Lilith, it was very likely Lilian would defect to the Human Race.
As for how to treat Lilith, Ian wasn’t just talking aimlessly; in the game, he knew exactly how to concoct the potion to cure her.
Lilith’s illness wasn’t actually a disease in the true sense, but rather a case of Demonic Qi entering the body, just like Lilian.
It was only because Lilith’s body was too weak to withstand the harm of the Demonic Qi that it appeared to be some kind of incurable terminal illness.
Of course, the symptoms of this illness were quite strange.
Since no one before Lilith had reacted this way to Demonic Qi invasion, it was normal that Lilian did not recognize the situation.
He just needed to strengthen Lilith’s constitution to solve the problem.
Thinking of this, Ian knew what he had to do.
The potion needed to treat Lilith wasn’t difficult to concoct, but a few of the herbs were quite hard to find.
If he wanted to find the herbs for the potion, the Black Market was likely the only place to go.
Ian made up his mind.
He would visit the Black Market tonight to see if he could find all the necessary herbs!