How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

In a situation like this, could it have been a fire started by Everett or Count Dearsby? Why did this great fire have to occur?

The original story passes by the great fire that burned Istenia Island completely without much mention. However, there was a scene where Constantine, who stepped foot on Istenia a long time after the fire was completely extinguished, accidentally discovered the island’s underground mansion or a structure similar to an underground prison. There, Constantine saw an old corpse that had decayed beyond recognition.

Suddenly, that event, which I had forgotten, came to mind. Was that just a passing scene? Who on earth was that corpse?

Unlike the original story, the current fire on Istenia Island happened suddenly, and the Hezekia fleet arrived quickly, so could that corpse be someone who is still alive?

If the hidden character pointed out by the system, “The Second Shadow,” is the corpse from that time…

Suddenly, my spine turned cold.

“I must save him.”

If my guess is correct, he would certainly be an important clue, incomparable to the reports of the little birds.

I hurriedly turned my head to look at Tristan. He still had his sharp gaze fixed beyond the island that was becoming a ruin. Black smoke flowing from the island was scattering thinly over his black hair.

Soon, he slowly parted his lips.

“We will infiltrate inside. There may be people to rescue, as the flames might not have spread throughout the interior of the island yet.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Lord Mildred answered while offering a military salute.

Because all the port facilities were burned, we could not approach the island with a large ship. Following Lord Mildred’s instructions, a small boat was lowered. We silently boarded the small boat.

❖ ❖ ❖

The entire island was already like a giant pile of ruins.

It was a place that once boasted fame as the Rubyere Empire’s largest production center for glassware. However, most of the buildings had collapsed beyond recognition, and only the remains of charred wood and stone structures were scattered here and there.

The flames were gradually spreading deep into the island, making it impossible to even enter the interior. I felt anxious because of the event triggered by the system, but there was nothing I could do immediately. Lord Mildred gave instructions calmly.

“Control the flames. Everyone, begin fire suppression work.”

Soldiers and sailors moved in perfect order. It was fortunate that every ship was full of people because we had set sail to fight a naval battle.

Furthermore, thankfully, as afternoon came, the sky turned black and a drizzle began to fall. It was not a heavy rain that could extinguish the fire all at once, but it was helpful. Also, since such a large number of people were mobilized, the flames were gradually brought under control after about half a day.

Even so, the acrid smell still stung the tip of my nose from all around. Tristan moved his steps while examining his surroundings with a hardened face. However, even after much time had passed, no particular human presence could be felt. Only the appearances of people who could not escape the flames and collapsed and died were visible here and there.

Tristan opened his mouth in a heavy voice.

“It is unlikely that all the island residents died, so it seems those who could move quickly were all spirited away in advance.”

It meant that those who were considered burdensome were all left behind to die here. Come to think of it, most of the corpses seemed to be the elderly, the weak, or those with mobility issues.

“That direction… It seems the flames have not spread much near the cliff. Could people have fled there to avoid the smoke? There might even be a cave where they could hide.”

I pointed toward the massive cliff visible on the southwestern side of the island while observing Tristan’s reaction. “Infiltrate through the collapsed underground entrance at the bottom of the cliff on the southwestern side of the island.” The southwestern cliff was the only place where the underground mansion identified by the system could exist.

As Tristan nodded, a few knights went ahead, hacking through the ruins to open a path. As we approached the cliff, the terrain became rugged.