Chapter 5: Evil Witchcraft, Filthy Family

!!!

Louis’s pupils contracted.

It was a bony, hirsute, filthy man’s hand!

At this moment, it was scraping across the ground.

In an instant, his first impression of this place spiraled through Louis’s mind—scenes from crime films and horror movies.

Only when the chain on the wrist clanged against the floor did Louis’s heart finally ease slightly.

Bound! Good, bound!

Reason returned to the high ground.

Carefully approaching, he saw a pale-skinned, gaunt middle-aged man lying on the ground, seemingly unable to speak, his wrists and ankles bound with iron chains.

He seemed to sense Louis’s arrival, lifted his head, his eyes brightened, and he struggled to speak, “Run away… don’t… stay… here…”

His speech was halting, clearly due to long-term silence causing language degradation, compounded by the chains and his pale skin.

It was obvious he had been imprisoned.

After a brief hesitation, Louis decided to take a gamble and communicate with the man—after all, this was a rare opportunity that must be seized.

Of course, he still kept his distance.

Fortunately, Louis had bet correctly.

Through halting conversation, he learned the man was Emilia’s son.

Yes, a son.

A middle-aged woman having a middle-aged man as her son—there was clearly something wrong.

His mother, Emilia, was a descendant of a Portuguese witch tribe who came to America during its 19th-century colonial expansion, following a man, only to be abandoned after aging and losing her beauty.

Thereafter, to maintain her youth, she employed a dark witchcraft that drained the life of young girls to restore her youth—but the spell had a restriction: only witch descendants could be consumed.

Here, she was alone; her tribe and kin were far away in Portugal, with no other witch descendants. In this situation, she gave birth to twins.

And so began the sin.

With this witchcraft, she lived from the 19th century to the present, still youthful and beautiful, and earned vast wealth through the spell, living a life of luxury.

Until over a decade ago, something went wrong.

That year, she and her son… conceived again, and gave birth to twins.

Soon after, her son fell in love with a girl nearby; after discussion, they decided to elope, but before leaving, he wanted to steal away his child—he did not want his child to suffer the same filthy fate as he had.

At this, the man wept.

Hearing this, Louis now clearly knew who the son-husband in the story was.

Then, things took an unexpected turn.

The witchcraft’s power was too strong; he was discovered, his legs broken, and locked in the basement, while the eloping woman took the other child and vanished, fate unknown.

The current Nuel is that child left behind—the son of the man before him.

“How old is Nuel…?”

Seeing the hope in the man’s eyes, Louis shook his head—he understood what the man meant, but self-deception was meaningless; the scratches on the wall proved he had a sense of time.

The man lowered his head, offering a bitter smile. “Heh…”

Louis had no patience to watch the man’s misery; he urgently asked for useful information.

He finally learned:

【The older she grows, the weaker her witchcraft becomes;】

【Across the chamber is a path leading outside, but it is locked—children cannot open it;】

【Besides telekinesis, Emilia’s witchcraft greatly enhances her speed and strength, though her physical durability remains unchanged;】

【Lastly, she loves her son deeply—even after his betrayal, she never killed him.】

After questioning, Louis climbed the stairs to examine the door faintly glowing with light and the heavy lock.

Looking at the lock, Louis suddenly pulled a thin iron sliver from his pocket—the lockpick he had specially prepared using Blood Gold Pliers.

He bit his little finger, smeared blood on it, inserted it into the lock, muttered a silent plea to Master Lu Ban for aid, and jiggled it several times before stopping.

Two more days of jiggling were needed before the lock would open.

Who knew if Lu Ban had any power in this foreign land…

Then Louis swiftly returned to the great hall.

The hall had been tidied; the children sat quietly scattered about, vacant-eyed—their days of experience had drained their former liveliness.

Emma moved among them, speaking softly, wearing a warm, charming smile as if uplifting their spirits; some children clearly showed affection toward her.

At this moment, Louis returned without drawing attention. After glancing at Emma, he called Mary and Hai Li over.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“No, but the old witch’s temper’s been erratic lately—maybe it’s because of last night,” Mary unconsciously touched her head, which seemed swollen.

She’d been beaten again.

“By the way, why does the old witch kiss her son? And why did she kick us out? Is it what Hai Li said—sex?” Mary asked curiously.

?

Damn, that’s gross!

After a brief silence, Louis nodded.

Mary fell into thought; beside her, Hai Li paid no attention, anxiously watching Louis, who nodded.

Soon, back in their room, Louis told the three about the basement—but concealed the Blood Gold Pliers, saying only that he was learning lock-picking and needed two or three days.

The three reacted with delight.

…

In the following days, the opportunity never came, but Emma and the children, during their free time, grew close and became friends.

That day, everyone sat in the hall on a spread red dance mat, staring blankly.

Louis faintly heard voices from the second floor.

“Oh, oh, oh!!”

Louis’s lip twitched—the mother and son had forgotten to close the door. Still, in broad daylight, tsk.

Beside him, Hai Li suddenly turned, whispering, “They won’t have time to watch us now—this is our chance. What do we do?”

Indeed, they had no time…

Louis muttered inwardly, then looked at Hai Li. “Do you think they’ll let us leave?”

He glanced around at the other children.

Hai Li fell silent, finally sighing.

Right—too many people, too obvious. Sneaking away was impossible.

But Emma smiled. “Of course they will.”

She walked to them, speaking earnestly.

The children, once wary and resistant, gradually grew uncertain—until they all heard the sounds from upstairs, their expressions shifting to surprise mixed with dread.

Their gazes involuntarily turned toward the door.

(End of Chapter)