64: Chapter 64 The Sacrifice! The Fugitives of Crimson Maple Castle!

Sacred Calendar 1853, late autumn.

Maple Flower Territory, northeast of Gino County.

Fields of maple forests burning like fire.

At the center of the territory lies the dark red Red Maple Castle.

The Mesa Family flag flies atop the main tower—a red longsword piercing three golden maple leaves.

Inside Red Maple Castle at this moment.

Inside and outside the castle, the patrolling guards look indifferent.

The crest on their breastplates is not the Mesa Family's maple leaf sword, but Count Farrell's golden flame grizzly bear.

The villages and towns in the territory seem calm, but the air is filled with a sense of unease and numbness.

Residents speak in low voices with flickering eyes; especially after nightfall, every household shuts their doors early, and the streets are eerily empty.

Occasionally, strange cloaked figures appear or walk through the territory, and no one dares to ask questions.

Inside Red Maple Castle, in a tower room overlooking part of the back garden.

The windows are tightly covered by thick curtains, letting in only a sliver of dim daylight through the cracks.

The room's furnishings are simple, even shabby, inconsistent with the scale of the castle's exterior.

Mira Mesa is pacing back and forth anxiously in the small space.

She is about twenty years old, tall and agile, wearing leather hunting gear convenient for movement, with a slender knight's sword at her waist.

Most striking is her shoulder-length wavy hair, which looks like burning flames; it isn't carefully styled right now, hanging somewhat messily on her shoulders, which only highlights her fair skin and the wild, untamable stubbornness in her bright features.

But at this moment, the red-gold eyes that match her hair color are not burning with vitality, but with repressed anger and uneasy fear.

Her younger brother, Griffin Mesa, is leaning against an old armchair by the wall, his face pale, lips tightly pressed.

He is only sixteen, with a slightly thin build, also inheriting the Mesa Family's signature deep red hair, cut short and neat, his face still holding the remnants of youthful naivety.

He is unconsciously rubbing a worn family crest ring in his hand.

"We can't wait any longer, Griffin."

Mira stops abruptly, turns to look at her brother, her voice lowered to a whisper, yet filled with ironclad determination:

"We must leave today! There's no time left. The people in the territory are getting fewer and fewer. I can feel that their plotting is nearing its end. This is our last chance!"

Griffin looks up, a struggle flashing in his eyes:

"Sister, can we... can we really escape?"

"They are everywhere outside, and the castle's magic array has been tampered with..."

"If we don't escape, we're just waiting for death!"

Mira walks over to her brother and squats down, gripping his shoulders tightly with both hands, her red-gold eyes staring intently at him, "Don't hesitate anymore, brother!"

More than half a year ago, in the spring, their cousin, the "Maple Leaf Knight" Andre, was invited to Count Farrell's Golden Flame Manor to attend a ball, but was bizarrely assassinated that very day, and all his accompanying guards were wiped out.

Almost at the same time, Red Maple Castle was attacked by unidentified persons, and all of the cousin's heirs perished.

When the news arrived, the siblings, who were working as mercenaries in the capital of Will Province, were struck like a thunderbolt.

After their parents died, they had grown up in Red Maple Castle, and the Red Maple Breathing Technique they relied on for a living was taught to them by the Maple Leaf Knight himself.

Shortly after, the Imperial Provincial Governor's Office, citing that "the direct bloodline of the Mesa Family has been severed, and the territory is at risk of chaos," ordered Earl Farrells Estate to "temporarily manage" Maple Flower Territory until the Imperial Senate selected a suitable heir.

Soon after, the siblings, as the only remaining bloodline of the Mesa Family, were luckily chosen to inherit this viscount territory that should have been unrelated to them.

At the time, the young siblings were stunned by this unexpected stroke of luck, filled with longing for the future and determination to revitalize the family, and returned to their hometown without hesitation.

However, what awaited them was not the welcome of the territory's people or the handover of power, but a magnificent cage.

In Red Maple Castle, from the housekeeper and captain of the guards to the lowest servants, most had been replaced by Count Farrell's people.

The various officials, tax collectors, and even patrol leaders in the territory had also become unfamiliar faces.

They were lords in name, but in reality, every move they made was under strict surveillance, and any order involving core territorial matters could not be truly executed.

They realized that things were going wrong, but they were already restricted and unable to leave the castle.

Even more terrifying was that as time passed, they noticed the eeriness and terror permeating the territory.

People among the residents began to disappear silently; at first, it was sporadic vagrants or widows, but later, even young and strong adults with families began to go missing.

Reporting this to the officials sent by Count Farrell always resulted in perfunctory replies like "went into the mountains to hunt and hasn't returned" or "went out to make a living."

Occasionally, faint wails and unspeakable energy fluctuations would come from the castle basement.

Late at night, they would see figures in scarlet cloaks appearing in the castle cellar or the direction of the back mountain.

Just a few days ago, Mira accidentally overheard shocking news.

Another thirty residents had been conscripted for "special labor" and never returned.

Thirty people!

More than any time before!

Moreover, she overheard two drunk guards muttering about how "the sacrifices are almost gathered" and "those two little brats are next"...

The siblings finally understood completely: this was not a simple seizure of power or bullying.

Count Farrell was using Maple Flower Territory for some evil and bloody business!

And they, the two nominal lords, were nothing more than a facade.

Once their goal was nearing completion, they might follow in their cousin's footsteps at any moment!

"We were too naive, Griffin."

Mira's voice was hoarse from lingering fear, "Thinking a pie fell from the sky... This is simply a trap to lure us back to our deaths!"

"The Farrell Family... they are in league with those guys in red robes!"

Griffin's body began to tremble as well, the last glimmer of luck in his eyes extinguished, replaced by trust in his sister: "Sister, I'll listen to you! Let's go!"

They began to prepare in secret.

Mira had the strength of an Official Knight.

Griffin was also a high-level Apprentice Knight.

They were extremely familiar with the castle's structure, and over half a year, they had also figured out some patterns of surveillance and the weakest links in the magic array.

Mira also found out: in the afternoon, Knight Anthony, who was responsible for guarding the castle, would welcome a so-called envoy.

This was their last chance.

In the afternoon, the castle became noisy.

The siblings knew the envoy had arrived as scheduled.

They had already changed into dark clothes.

During a brief gap when the magic array shifted, they slipped out of the room as quietly as civet cats.

Using shadows and abandoned passages, they avoided several patrols of guards and successfully arrived under a section of the castle wall on the west side where the guards were relatively lax.

There was an outlet for a drainage ditch here, long covered by weeds and vines, and the barrier was at its most unstable here due to age and geological changes.

Mira carefully used her Battle Qi to shake open the rotten iron fence, and the two crawled out one after another, quickly disappearing into the dense maple forest outside the castle.

The autumn wind was biting, blowing the fiery red maple leaves and making a rustling sound, masking their footsteps.

However, just as they were approaching the stables and thought success was at hand—

In the direction of Red Maple Castle, a shrill alarm suddenly sounded!

Immediately following it were the neighing of warhorses and chaotic shouts!

"We've been discovered!"

Griffin's face was deathly pale.

"Quick, get on the horse!"

Mira decided instantly, taking her brother and rushing straight to the stables.

The two stable servants had just been startled when Mira's sword swept past like cold electricity.

The warhorses in the stable seemed to sense the danger as well, snorting uneasily.

The siblings each chose a horse, leaped onto them, kicked the horses' bellies hard, and galloped toward the direction of the Mess Mountains!

They dared not go to Gino City; that was Count Farrell's lair, which would be equivalent to throwing themselves into a net.

They could only escape into the depths of the mountains first and plan the next steps.