Chapter 207: Useless Plan
The plan proceeded very smoothly. Mireille covered up the true cause of Kander’s death, faking the illusion that he had jumped off a cliff in desperation, successfully deceiving everyone in the castle.
In addition, she successfully retrieved Kander’s Memory Object, pretending to accidentally drop it so that Butler Valente would pick it up, thereby gaining access to Kander’s memory. This made him mistakenly believe that he and Kander were split personalities from the same individual, and also made Butler Valente realize the falsity of this world, thus giving rise to the idea of escaping this false Mind World. He even more wanted to leap to become Eve’s main consciousness.
Butler Valente’s greedy nature was also activated the moment he learned part of the truth. A terrifying scheme that seemed perfectly natural surged in his heart: he wanted to kill everyone in this false world…
And because Valente read Kander’s Memory Object, he preemptively mistakenly believed that Mireille and he came from the same split personality. Mireille and he were both “himself,” so he was somewhat hesitant. He was also unsure what impact killing “himself” would have.
Since it was so uncertain, Valente thought he could at least leave Mireille to be killed last. Thus, during the subsequent castle hunt with Bluebeard the Count, Valente consciously “protected” Mireille from harm, indirectly ensuring her personal safety in the castle.
At the same time, Mireille was still guiding and inciting Eve’s other split personalities, and Hera was one of her targets.
Hera’s pursuit of beauty and her disgust for Bluebeard the Count were exploited by her. Mireille let her discover the demonic actions of Bluebeard the Count and Butler Valente in the castle.
After Hera discovered what those two perverts had done, this clever woman indeed performed flawlessly as if nothing had happened, while secretly and silently following behind them to learn the demon-subduing technique.
After all, she also wanted to make a wish to the Abnormal God to fulfill her desires.
Losing the Stone Sculpture did not mean the Demon Subjugation Ritual could no longer continue. Bluebeard the Count, who had researched and mastered the demon-subduing technique, said he could make another one, but the manufacturing procedure was not simple, so the progress of the demon-subduing technique was slowed down.
And as time passed, Bluebeard the Count gradually lost patience. It would still take some time for the new Stone Sculpture to be completed. A mad thought flashed through his mind. He and his assistant Butler Valente had agreed to bury most of the servants in the castle all at once on Christmas Eve, so the two of them set up a large trap outside the castle in advance for this purpose.
When those servants thought they could finally go home to see their loved ones, they unknowingly stepped into the death feast meticulously prepared for them by the two madmen, ultimately becoming necessary materials for performing the demon-subduing technique.
Bluebeard the Count specially preserved their heads in custom fresh-keeping containers. When the new Stone Sculpture carving was completed, they could all be sacrificed at once.
Bluebeard was very excited because he knew that only a few materials were left to complete the demon-subduing technique. He would kill everyone else left in the castle together with his loyal Butler Valente, then kill Butler Valente when he was off guard. Finally, they could enjoy the wish alone.
Hera’s mood was even more intense than Bluebeard’s. She believed she was the one who would counter-kill all the conspiracies and seize the fruit of victory.
Butler Valente was also very excited, but his mind was not on the demon-subduing technique. When he learned that this world was false and that Mireille was a split personality from the same individual as him, he knew that even if the demon-subduing technique could be performed in this world, it would absolutely never be completed because there would never be enough people. His mind was to become the one who ultimately dominated this Mind World, escaped the Spirit World, and returned to Reality.
But the one truly controlling the overall situation was the little maid Mireille, whom no one in the castle took seriously. She knew that none of these people’s plans would succeed. As long as she waited for her other “self” to arrive, the two would join forces, and the scales of victory would inevitably tilt toward her side.
However, just when Bluebeard, Butler Valente, and Cook Hera all thought they were the final mantis stalking the cicada, something beyond their expectations happened: Clark arrived at the castle.
On the night Clark arrived, Bluebeard had already decided to take action tonight. If possible, he could realize his ultimate plan tonight.
Similarly, Hera and Valente also knew Bluebeard’s intentions. After all, at that evening meal, Bluebeard ate faster than usual and showed little patience for Clark’s arrival, casually brushing him off a few times before saying he was going back to his room to rest. They all knew that guy was just impatiently preparing for the final Demon Subjugation Ritual.
As expected, that night, Bluebeard’s late-night snack time was earlier than usual; he actually called her into the room more than an hour ahead of schedule.
In response to this anomaly, Hera prepared defenses and came ready.
Bluebeard calling her early to deliver the late-night snack was a dangerous signal for Hera. She was very uneasy that Bluebeard might take her as the next hunt target. Given the current situation and her own ability limitations, she did not want to confront Bluebeard yet.
So on that night, when Hera arrived in Bluebeard’s room, she acted more enthusiastic than ever. She even put some hypnotic medicine in Bluebeard’s late-night snack, staying vigilant for any possible murderous moves by Bluebeard while coaxing him to eat the food.
What happened afterward surprised and relieved Hera. Bluebeard showed no intention of killing her; instead, he laid his cards on the table with her. He said that all the recent disappearances in the castle were killed by him and Valente, just to perform a demon-subduing technique. As long as the ritual was completed, wishes could be realized. He even rarely showed a sincere expression as he told her that he would never harm her. After dealing with everyone else in the castle with Butler Valente, he wanted to invite her to join him in finally killing Butler Valente together and enjoying the fruit of victory.
Perhaps Bluebeard’s revelation was too unexpected, Hera could hardly think at the time, her brain went blank, and she was stunned for a long time. Seeing that Bluebeard had almost finished the late-night snack and he still hadn’t made a move to kill her during her daze, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Why not kill me?”
Bluebeard the Count grinned and said to her, “You’ll know later.”
Filled with doubts, Hera safely left Bluebeard’s room, and Bluebeard, under the effect of the medicine, fell asleep completely defenseless.
After leaving Bluebeard’s room, Hera pondered left and right, recalling Bluebeard’s recent behavior and realizing that his attitude toward her had indeed changed somewhat after a certain time.
Bluebeard was a pervert steeped in lust, there was no doubt about that. He usually harassed her constantly, which was disgusting, but his behavior in recent times seemed somewhat restrained compared to earlier…
When was it? Hera recalled that it seemed to be after Kander’s death, when Bluebeard and Valente were searching the entire castle for something Kander had hidden in the castle. After Bluebeard rummaged through her room, his attitude toward her seemed to change slightly from that day.
Hera felt there might be some unknown trickery involved. After returning to her own room, she couldn’t sleep, so she mustered her courage and decided to go find Bluebeard to get to the bottom of it.
But when she arrived at Bluebeard’s room again, she was shocked to discover that Bluebeard had already been killed by someone. The military knife that had originally hung on the room’s wall was now stiffly piercing through Bluebeard the Count’s heart.
Seeing this, Hera knew deep down that she had unwittingly become an accomplice in the murder of Bluebeard the Count, and she also guessed who the perpetrator might roughly be.
But with things having come to this point, looking at Bluebeard the Count’s corpse, Hera formed a new plan.
In fact, she knew what the antique treasure stolen by Kander was and where it was hidden, because the one who hid it was her.
Hera was the most charming woman in the entire castle, a fact well-known and unanimously acknowledged. A beautiful woman naturally has no shortage of admirers and suitors, and Kander was one of those who admired her.
After Kander stole the Shadow Stone Sculpture of Peering into All Things, while being hunted throughout the castle by Bluebeard the Count and Butler Valente, Hera “accidentally” encountered him.
Kander hadn’t expected to run into Hera, but he was happy. In his eyes, Hera was a kind, enthusiastic, and stunning cook who made delicious food. In his desperation, he decided to entrust the book sealing the Stone Sculpture to Hera for safekeeping, instructing her not to open it easily and not to let Bluebeard the Count or Butler Valente know its whereabouts, to hide it well.
At this point, Kander didn’t have time to explain. Seeing Bluebeard the Count and Butler Valente about to catch up, he could only helplessly continue to escape until his final “desperate cliff jump suicide.”
How could Hera not open it to see what was inside? She secretly opened it and glimpsed that it was actually a necessary prop for the demon-subduing technique, which excited her immensely. She quickly calmed down and decided to keep it safe.
Thus, when Bluebeard the Count and Butler Valente launched a full castle search, knowing that the two had ransacked Kander’s Room right after Kander’s death, Hera hid the book sealing the Stone Sculpture back in Kander’s Room. As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest, and indeed it wasn’t found by the two.
In the end, Bluebeard the Count and Butler Valente could only conclude that Kander, who jumped off the cliff at the time, had fallen into the abyss along with the Stone Sculpture…
At this moment, there was a fresh corpse right in front of Hera, who had secretly mastered all the steps and details of the demon-subduing technique. She decided to use this ready-made corpse to complete her first demon-subduing technique performance in life.
All of this was fully observed by Mireille.
It was just that she never expected that in the end, Butler Valente did something unknown, causing him and Mireille to undergo deformity, fusing into an abnormal monster, which nearly derailed her plan.
Fortunately, Clark encountered some coincidence and got a pair of red shoes protecting him. Eerily, that pair of red shoes seemed to know the relationship between her and Clark, so it also protected her accordingly. This allowed her to eventually escape death and kill Eve’s last two split personalities.
Finally, after much hardship, her plan had reached the final step.
Mireille looked at the terrified Clark and stabbed a sharp wooden pin originally hidden in her hair into the back of his neck. Watching him slowly sink into her body bit by bit, she was excited to the extreme, her face flushed with exhilaration.
She had bet correctly. When only she and Clark remained in the Mind World, she could kill Clark without suffering “synchronization” effects, thereby truly taking over the position of the main personality!
Mireille stroked his face and smiled, saying, “Did you not expect this result in the end?”
Clark couldn’t speak and could only look at her with eyes of despair. Just moments ago, he had also read the memory carried by the fake gemstone on Mireille’s navel and finally recalled the lost childhood memory.
Mireille was indeed one of his dangerous split personalities, and this personality was extremely vicious and terrifying.
“Hahahaha…” Mireille laughed maniacally. Clark’s body completely merged with hers, and her form gradually deformed into a humanoid monster composed of fleshy pink bubbles, then charged toward the end of the light.
Buzz!
Her mind suddenly suffered an eerie shock, and Mireille’s mad laughter abruptly stopped. She saw a black dot appear in that light, and she was rushing toward it mutually.
That black dot grew larger and larger, getting closer and closer to her. Slowly, its full appearance appeared before Mireille’s eyes, causing her expression to change dramatically.
Dressed in a suit, with limbs slender and completely disproportionate to the torso, faceless and hairless, with faint black tentacles flickering behind—this was none other than the Slender Man from the urban legend circulating in the New York region.
Its appearance immediately made Mireille recall the night she set fire to her house. On the day her consciousness fell into slumber, she hadn’t hallucinated; she had truly successfully summoned the incarnation of the Shadow of All Things, and that terrifying thing had always been secretly residing in the depths of her consciousness.
The mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, but behind the oriole there was unexpectedly a hunter with a gun.
Amid Mireille’s unwilling roar, that disproportionately slender-limbed faceless person collided with the bubble person Mireille had become.
The Slender Man tightly embraced Mireille, its faintly visible illusory tentacles behind spreading out like spider legs, enveloping her within.
Mireille shrieked monstrously but was powerless to resist, feeling her consciousness gradually fading. The bubbles on her body burst one by one. After a bubble manifesting eye-like features revealed an even more despairing gaze than Clark’s and suddenly exploded, what rushed toward the Mind World exit was only a black slender figure pirouetting ballet in the air…
One more chapter, might be late, posting this one first.
