Chapter 25: Keep It Up, Brother-in-Law 2

Standing before the grave of her late sister, Su Yun, Maria stood amidst the ruins of their family estate, which had been blasted into a crater resembling a meteor strike. With tears in her eyes, Maria declared that she had forgiven Slan and hoped her sister would also forgive her husband for the sake of her happiness, promising to cherish her sister’s memory forever.

Upon hearing this, Slan tenderly draped a thick, magnificent cloak over her shoulders. The two locked eyes, both faces glowing with the sparks of passion and romance. They could not help but share a deep, affectionate kiss, while inside a nearby luxurious carriage sat their three bright children, all of whom had shown magical talent from a young age...

At this point, Xining was simply... speechless. Maria’s abilities should have been formidable; she had even managed to rescue her sister once. If she was capable of a rescue, why did she fail so miserably afterward? Why did she keep getting captured, not just once, but over and over again? Why allow the supporting female character to perish along with a centuries-old legacy—all to highlight the "greatness" of their love?

Setting aside the endless cycle of failed revenge and romantic entanglements, the fact that she eventually fell in love with the very man who killed her sister and destroyed her family legacy was truly mind-boggling.

Let’s look at the tasks:
1. Do not die.
2. The Pofade family must not perish.

They were sisters by blood! Even though the older sister had become so muddled, the younger sister still forgave her, asking only to avoid becoming cannon fodder in this tumultuous, dramatic romance and to preserve the family line.

Maria was clearly not playing with a full deck. Since Slan loved her so dearly, restoring the Pofade family should have been effortless. The Pofades had many collateral branches; after all, with hundreds of years of history, they were a major magical clan. As long as the estate was rebuilt and the descendants gathered, couldn't the family rise again?

Yet, Maria had forgotten. She forgot her sister's death and forgot to revive her family. Having taken her husband's name, she no longer called herself a Pofade but had changed it to Gamio, living happily ever after with Slan and their children. It truly lived up to the saying: "A married daughter is like spilled water."

The current situation: Slan had captured the host, and Maria was coming to the rescue.

After Maria rescued the host, they would return to the estate. Slan would pursue them, leading to a battle between Maria and Slan that would blow up the Pofade estate and kill the host. Therefore, the priority was survival; otherwise, within a few hours, the host would be dead, and the Pofade estate would be nothing but a crater.

Just then, the door opened, and the male lead, Slan, walked in. He wore a black mage's robe with an open-front outer robe, the standard attire for mages in this world. Each robe was embroidered with a golden family crest—Slan’s was an olive branch. The golden olive branches made the solemn black robes appear both luxurious and elegant. In his hand, he held a golden magic staff taller than a man, topped with a massive, glowing gemstone.

The more powerful the mage, the longer the staff; otherwise, the power could not be controlled and might result in a backlash. Ordinary junior mages didn't even use staves, relying instead on magic wands the size of chopsticks.

As Slan approached, Xining saw his face clearly and raised an eyebrow. He was truly handsome! Slan was tall and muscular, his near-perfect face carrying the pride of a grand mage. And he had every right to be proud; the Gamio family had a thousand-year history, being the largest and oldest magical dynasty. Generations of handsome men and beautiful women had ensured their genetics were top-tier. His long golden hair and sapphire-blue eyes were hallmarks of a pure-blooded grand mage.

With such power, such looks, and such a noble status... why on earth did he kidnap the host?

Slan walked to the bed and flicked his fingers, causing the ropes binding the host to fall away. For trivial tasks like untying a knot, a staff wasn't needed; grand mages wore gemstone rings with the same magical potency as a wand for such conveniences. Looking at the ring on Slan’s slender, fair finger, the Gamio olive branch cradled a massive ruby the size of a pigeon's egg. That single ring alone was worth an entire mountain or a small estate.

The most handsome man in the magical world, wealthy, and incredibly powerful... why kidnap the host?

As the ropes fell away, Xining rubbed her arms, which were numb from the bindings. "I'm sorry," Slan said, his voice elegant and noble, sounding quite pleasant. "My subordinates misunderstood my intentions. Once your sister arrives, you can go back with her."

Xining froze, looking at Slan with disbelief. Slan sighed slightly, muttering about his foolish subordinates. "I only mentioned wanting to ask you about your sister... You can leave in a moment. This is a matter between Maria and me; it has nothing to do with you."

Looking at Slan’s noble, handsome face, it didn't seem like he was joking. And considering the plot... Xining’s mouth twitched. It wasn't that Maria had successfully rescued the host; Slan had intended to let her go all along. But for some unknown reason, Slan would pursue them, and for some other unknown reason, the two would start fighting. The battle would escalate, the magic would spiral out of control, the host would die, and the estate would be leveled.

At that moment, a thunderous explosion shook the building, nearly knocking Xining off the bed. A soft but currently stern voice rang out from outside: "Slan-Lengnanyan-Yuyanxue-Binglingmeng-J-Gamio, release my sister, or I will raze your estate to the ground!"

Hearing that, Xining was ready to kneel. With a name that long, how could anyone even remember it? A fireball shot toward the room, detonating outside with a deafening blast. The house shuddered again, but remained unscathed; it must have been protected by a magical barrier.

After two spells, not even a window pane had shattered. Maria, hovering in mid-air, grew increasingly impatient and shouted a warning: "Slan-Lengnanyan-Yuyanxue-Binglingmeng-J-Gamio, did you hear me? Hand over my sister immediately!" She then used her staff to gather a ball of lightning and hurled it toward the room where Slan was.

Inside the room, Xining was bewildered. Who was blowing up whose estate? Who leads with an artillery strike on someone's home before asking for a person? It was a guaranteed way to make things impossible. Besides, they were the premier magic family; how could they possibly win?

"Dear sister," Xining thought, "if you're going to bomb the place, at least aim properly! I'm still inside!" Xining began to harbor deep doubts about the intelligence of this family-heir mage sister... Could it be that the host was actually killed by her own sister's magic?

The misunderstanding seemed grave. Slan frowned slightly. "You should go with Maria."

She couldn't go. If she did, she would lose her life, and the estate would be destroyed. Looking at Maria’s dim-witted, chuunibyou behavior, she clearly wouldn't know whose spell ended up killing the host. Whatever happened, she couldn't leave today. Thinking of this, Xining shouted toward Slan: "Brother-in-law!"