Chapter 66 Two Hundred Meters of Freedom

Zohan had prepared well in advance. Since he intended to let Talissa temper Celiad, he certainly wouldn't limit Talissa's performance to mere desperate, dying struggles.

A kitchen servant delivered a large, hearty pot of stew. Although it lacked fine presentation, the drifting aroma of meat made Talissa, who had barely eaten anything over the past few days, salivate uncontrollably.

Only by maintaining good physical strength and healthy physiological indicators could she effectively resist Zohan, that dissolute old elven man.

Talissa had once abandoned the hypothesis that Zohan was an elf, but upon reflection, the fact that he knew of Lady Adestrina yet remained ignorant of the fall of the Sakura-Roland Empire was not actually contradictory.

It was very likely that he had only heard people mention Lady Adestrina after arriving at Red Hazel Town.

This made sense; Lady Adestrina was so great that she was frequently spoken of.

As for the fall of the Sakura-Roland Empire, people in remote areas felt nothing of it. Changing an emperor, or rather, changing a system of governance, had no impact on them whatsoever.

In Red Hazel Town, anyway, they had always been ruled by the House of Aldos.

It therefore made complete sense that the old elven man had first heard of Lady Adestrina while knowing nothing of the Blood-Roland Republic rebuilt upon ruins and a fractured continent.

"Only such a legendary, mysterious race could possess such exquisite and divine abilities. For a normal human of such a youth to transcend the Third Tier and become a combat-capable mage is an extreme rarity."

As she stuffed chunks of meat into her mouth, Talissa pondered... Being defeated body and soul by an elf was slightly more acceptable than being humiliated by an ordinary young man.

"An excellent soldier is never defeated by adversity." With her stomach full, Talissa rallied her spirits once more. "This operation was originally intended to observe the potential conditions of the Wrath-Beast Corps in actual combat."

She mused internally that the Clement family, the Divanock family, and the Demon King's Council—the three parties secretly involved in the modified monster experiments—paid close attention to this operation and would certainly not give up easily or leave it without follow-up actions.

Furthermore, she was the sole individual in this modified monster experiment who had successfully advanced to the Fifth Tier, holding critical value for subsequent experimental improvements. None of the three factions would allow her to fall into enemy hands.

They would definitely come to rescue her—no matter how powerful Zohan was, he was ultimately just an individual.

The present era was an era of large-scale army warfare, a testament to the fact that no matter how powerful scattered skirmishers were, they could never defeat a disciplined and organized collective.

Was not the fall of the Sakura-Roland Empire precisely the result of powerful mages being ultimately unable to withstand the multi-pronged assaults and nibbling encroachment of various forces?

When facing the endless schemes—no, the ingenious plots and repeated attempts of the three major factions, individual might would eventually reveal a flaw.

When that time came, Talissa the clever demonic wolf would seize this fleeting opportunity to make a successful escape—and perhaps even manage to take Nina along the way.

With this thought, Talissa raised her head, her eyes shining with determination. "Alright, I've eaten my fill. You just said that the poison I've contracted prevents me from leaving your side by more than one hundred meters, correct?"

Talissa demanded a serious confirmation; she had no desire to accidentally stray too far from him and drop dead on the spot.

This distance was truly a bit short. Her legs were so long, easily towering over the entire Aldos Manor and far exceeding those of Nina, who had always prided herself on her long legs—she could exceed a hundred meters with just a few casual bounds.

Did she suspect nothing at all? Zohan suppressed a smile and nodded with an impassive expression.

"Then what if you actively make me leave you by more than one hundred meters?" Talissa pursued the question.

"Obviously, you would die," Celiad said coldly.

She had already decided that once she gradually improved herself and easily tortured Talissa to the point where this mother-wolf could no longer serve to temper her, she would drain Talissa's blood dry and chop off her wolf head to use as a decoration.

Just like the heads of bears, wolves, and deer in "Father's" bedroom.

"So you must be constantly careful, mind my movements, and follow closely behind me without running around." Zohan took Yeye by the hand and walked outward. "Alright, let's go out for a stroll together."

The route Zohan had planned was rather long and unsuitable for ordinary people, so Nina remained in the manor to find Madam Aldos later.

Zohan felt a slight trace of regret, for he had imagined his abandoned camp surrounded by a world of ice and snow, with Nina turning her back to him as she lifted her skirt, her skin set off against the snowy backdrop, along with that shy demeanor—what a breathtakingly moving scene it would be!

Who wouldn't love conducting magical experiments and research out in the wild? Unfortunately, since he was currently escorting Celiad, Talissa, and Yeye, it simply wasn't appropriate.

The group walked out of the manor.

Talissa looked back three times with every step she took.

Under Zohan's control, her current power level was that of an ordinary person.

Yet ordinary people also possessed the ability to kill, and her claws were so sharp—if she were to turn back and give Nina a slash—

Seeming to sense the thoughts in Talissa's mind, Nina, who was clutching the doorframe with only half her body exposed, waved the whip in her hand.

A bolt of lightning snapped with a crackle, striking Talissa and making her whole body nearly convulse. Fortunately, she had recovered a tiny bit of strength and her resistance had increased significantly, so she ultimately managed to avoid collapsing to the ground.

"Why is her whip still effective?" Talissa asked Zohan with great indignation. "Why would you give her such authority to torture me?"

"Because she brings me joy," Zohan replied concisely and pointedly. "When she tortures you, she is also very happy, so naturally I support it."

Celiad and Yeye both nodded in agreement, seemingly having grasped a profound principle of human existence.

Talissa, however, found it inconceivable. How could he utter such words with such unashamed naturalness?

Talissa had always detested the ubiquitous, hypocritical pleasantries of prominent aristocratic families, but right now, she wished Zohan could be a little hypocritical—such naked candor was truly hurtful!

The manor's servants watched the passing group.

Their gazes were friendly and full of life, no longer shrinking back in timid cowardice as they had when Master Aldos was present.

With the pressure lifted significantly, people's spirits and appearances naturally transformed. Many attributed this change to the young mage supporting Madam Aldos's ascent to power.

Rumors were already circulating that even if Master Aldos were to return, he wouldn't be allowed to have things his old way; the merciful Madam Aldos had no intention of letting the manor and the town return to the past.

Of course, at the moment, their gazes were focused mostly on Talissa.

Even though her uniform was no longer crisp, being covered in wrinkles and stains, and the collar around her neck somewhat detracted from her demeanor, she still appeared spirited, heroic, and intensely imposing!

Deep down, however, Talissa felt profound sorrow. She should have been summoning these people to pay homage to her in the capacity of a new ruler.

She would be inspecting them with majestic authority while they humbly bowed their heads, not daring to gaze directly at her. She would walk back and forth before them, her heavy and powerful footsteps feeling as though they were treading upon their very hearts, striking awe into their souls.

Yet now, their observing gazes were as if they were looking at some rare creature.

A pet belonging to Zohan? That was likely her image in their minds.

At this thought, Talissa was overcome with burning rage.

She dashed forward abruptly, like an untamed life breaking free from all shackles and charging toward a distant, free horizon.

Yet after running only a few steps, she trotted back crestfallen.

Ah, just as Lady Adestrina had said in her earth-shattering speech: Freedom is always relative; you cannot demand infinite freedom, for everyone is bound by visible and invisible shackles! When you think you have cast off the shackles, perhaps a new cage is already prepared for you!

With these thoughts, Talissa decided to temporarily accept this freedom with a diameter of two hundred meters.