"As for the reason, it's a bit of a long story,"
"I can tell you a simple version. A long time ago, a woman who lost her daughter was in immense pain. One day, she suddenly became mentally ill and turned into a paranoid witch. She gained a form of sorcery in her mind that could resurrect her daughter, but she lacked a suitable vessel."
"As it happens, your daughter Rose is the perfect vessel that this crazy old witch needs. Therefore... she disguised herself to look exactly like your wife and entered your life, secretly swapping out your wife, Mia."
"That night, she intended to take your daughter Rose, but the people from BSAA noticed the old witch's anomaly in time. They raided your home and shot her."
"This is the real reason why you thought your wife Mia was dead, but in reality, she isn't."
"So now, your wife Mia is still alive, just kidnapped. As for your daughter... unfortunately, she is indeed dead, but not truly gone. It will require your strength to help resurrect her."
Not bothering to explain the origins and motives of Mother Miranda,
Javier decided to keep it short, using a simple story to explain the situation.
As for Ethan's daughter, Javier reached out his hand toward Lady Dimitrescu beside him.
Seeing this,
Lady Dimitrescu, though reluctant, took out the flask Mother Miranda had bestowed upon them from behind her.
"To put it simply,"
"This is your daughter Rose. Her body underwent a crystallization process and has now been divided into four parts, preserved inside these flasks."
"You can think of it as a specimen or remains. This part is your daughter Rose's head. If you look closely, you can see that it is indeed your daughter Rose..."
Meanwhile,
When discussing Ethan's daughter Rose, Javier did not hesitate and directly asked Lady Dimitrescu for the allocated flask.
Inside the transparent glass was Rose's crystallized head.
The tiny infant head was very prominent inside the flask, and the label on the outside even had the words "Rose" and "Head" written in English.
"This..."
"How is this possible... This is Rose...?!"
On the other side,
When Javier handed the flask filled with yellow liquid to Ethan, Ethan, who had been filled with joy upon hearing that his wife Mia was still alive,
Turned pale in the face and lips the moment he saw the distinct infant head bobbing in the flask.
His pupils dilated,
As he stared at the flask in disbelief.
His hands trembled so much as he held the flask that he almost dropped it on the floor.
His knees slammed onto the ground; without a doubt, this news was an immense blow to Ethan.
"Rose... Rose... Rose..."
Ethan kept muttering Rose's name under his breath.
He couldn't believe his daughter was truly dead. He had just been rejoicing that his wife Mia was alive,
But hearing the tragic news of his daughter Rose's death
Instantly plunged Ethan, who had seen a glimmer of hope, into the abyss of despair. He couldn't imagine why his daughter, not even a month old, would die so early.
"What a pitiful man..."
"But also quite foolish. A father who does nothing but cry is truly useless and pathetic. Didn't you hear what the Father God just said?"
"Your daughter isn't truly dead; she still has a chance to be resurrected. So dry your incompetent tears, they are quite repulsive."
Looking at Ethan, who was kneeling on the ground clutching the specimen flask in heartbreak, Lady Dimitrescu couldn't help but speak up with a look of disdain.
Ethan was simply too foolish.
It reached a point where Lady Dimitrescu could hardly stand to watch.
It was fine for a father to be so grieved for his daughter, but if he only knew how to cry, then he was far too incompetent.
"What?!"
"Wait, are you saying Rose can still be saved?"
Upon hearing Lady Dimitrescu's words, Ethan instantly looked up and asked with a face full of joy and excitement.
His expression changed too quickly, but he couldn't help it.
He was just an ordinary father. After confirming that the specimen in the flask was indeed his daughter Rose, Ethan felt as if his entire world was collapsing.
Now, hearing that there was hope,
It allowed Ethan to pull himself together, but these twists and turns, the constant ups and downs, were almost more than his heart could take.
He was still feeling palpitations even now.
After all, experiencing despair followed by hope,
And then repeated cycles of despair and hope—this kind of reversal in the plot was not something a normal person could easily accept.
"In a sense, yes."
"As I said, the old witch intends to use your daughter Rose as a vessel to resurrect her own daughter. She will inject a new soul into your daughter's body."
"Therefore, as long as we can intercept your newly resurrected daughter during the ritual before she can inject the new soul into the body, it will be fine. That way, your daughter won't become someone else's vessel."
"Right now, you only have the crystallized remains of your daughter Rose's head. To perform the ritual, the other remains must be gathered. Thus, Ethan, you need to go to the other territories of the village to obtain the crystallized specimens of Rose's other parts."
Looking at the distressed "father-in-law" from the game before him, Javier also felt a mix of emotions. He quickly and seriously explained the method to resurrect Rose.
Mother Miranda's daughter, Eva, was a stored soul, while Rose was to serve as the body. The soul would dominate the body.
As long as Eva's memories stored in the Mold Lord's space were injected into Rose's body,
The dominance between the two would be swapped. It was like a device where an SD card could be inserted or removed at any time to switch the person.
Once the resurrection ritual was complete,
Rose's original soul would be replaced by Mother Miranda's daughter, Eva, much like a possession.
Therefore, the absolute key
Was to catch Mother Miranda off guard during the resurrection ritual,
And rescue the newly resurrected Rose before the memory transfer took place.
In that case...
It would be as if Rose were still alive, retaining her original soul without being tainted by the memories of Mother Miranda's daughter, Eva.
"..."
"I understand. Where are the rest of Rose's crystallized remains?"
Very quickly,
After hearing Javier's explanation, Ethan immediately stood up and asked with eyes full of grim determination.
His fingers gripped the flask containing the crystallized remains so tightly that they turned white. He was furious now.
Anyone who dared to use his daughter as a resurrection vessel would have to face his endless wrath. This was the price of provoking a father who loved his daughter...!
Volume 10: Resident Evil Village, Revenge: Chapter 20 - Three Separate Paths
At this moment, Ethan's gaze was incredibly firm,
And the fire in his heart burned intensely.
He desperately wanted to know exactly who had taken his daughter Rose and destroyed his happy, peaceful life.
Meanwhile,
Ethan vowed in his heart
That no matter who the enemy was, he would make them pay a sufficient price. A father's wrath was not something easily endured.
"There are four noble families in this village. The first is the Dimitrescu Family, which is the castle you are currently in. The second is Beneviento, located in a mansion in The Valley of the Mist on the back mountain. The third is Salvatore, located at the village reservoir. The fourth is Heisenberg, in the Iron Factory on the outskirts of the village."
"You have already obtained one crystallized remain; you still need to get the remaining three. Ethan, my suggestion is for you to go to the territory of the third family, Salvatore, first to obtain the crystallized remains."
"Salvatore Moreau is a mutated fish monster. His body is bloated and obese, and he moves slowly. His only means of attack is spitting acid from his mouth. He is the weakest of the four noble lords. You can start by getting the remains from him."
Looking at Ethan's determined eyes and surging fire,
Javier explained calmly. Although this suggestion contained a bit of his own selfish motive,
It was also the most suitable strategy for Ethan.
After all, Ethan's strength really wasn't that great. Dealing with Salvatore Moreau first was actually a better choice.
He was the weakest of the four noble lords,
Even weaker than that little girl Donna, and he had a cowardly and incompetent personality. Sometimes simple verbal attacks could break his composure.
Of course,
That wasn't the most critical part.
The most critical part was that Salvatore Moreau was Mother Miranda's most loyal servant.
He could not be turned against her.
There wasn't even the slightest room for rebellion.
That was why Javier planned to let Ethan kill Salvatore Moreau alone. After all, keeping this ugly fish monster around was completely useless; it would be easier to just kill him early.
As for Javier himself,
He intended to take this opportunity
To go see Heisenberg first and discuss the details of cooperation and defection, to see if Heisenberg was willing to work with him.
As for Donna Beneviento,
There was a chance she could be turned, so Javier was willing to try.
Of course, if it proved impossible, there would be no other choice but to eliminate her as well. So, splitting into three paths was Javier's best strategy for now.
"Salvatore Moreau..."
"That ugly fellow is indeed the weakest among the four noble lords. He's completely useless."
"Furthermore, his body suffered a rejection effect with the gift, making him the one with the poorest fusion. Thus, he looks more like a monster, and his ability is nothing more than spitting."
"However, he is indeed Mother's most loyal servant and the dog she trusts most. Mother seems to prefer an obedient dog over a capable subordinate. Father God, I think I understand what you mean."
"It is indeed a good idea. It only takes a few tricks to kill him. But... Father God, do my three daughters need to go and help?"
"I'm a bit worried that this cowardly and incompetent man might fail and subsequently affect your plan."
Hearing Javier's words,
Lady Dimitrescu nodded in agreement and spoke up.
Based on her own understanding, Salvatore was the weakest. But even so, Lady Dimitrescu still didn't quite trust Ethan.
After all, in her eyes,
Ethan was simply too weak. Even if Salvatore was weak,
Ethan might still not be able to kill him. So, to avoid any errors in the plan, she suggested letting Ethan take her three daughters along to help.
But Lady Dimitrescu seemed to have forgotten one thing.
That was that her three Vampire daughters were very afraid of the cold, and in such freezing snowy weather, they couldn't even go far from the house.
Even though they had previously drunk Javier's viral blood, it was still the case.
Outside, they would be no different from ordinary women at most. Their combat power would not be strong, and they wouldn't be able to provide much help to Ethan.
"No need..."
"They won't be of much help. Besides, Lady, you must trust a man's—no, a father's decision. Ethan, here are the weapons and a map for you."
"After you have obtained the crystallized remains held by Salvatore, I hope you can return to this castle again, because we will need to continue our plan then. That is, if you are willing to trust me."
"Furthermore, finally, I can tell you that the person who took your daughter Rose is the ruler of this village."
"Her name is Mother Miranda. You might encounter many people on the way, but do not believe anything they say, especially some strange individuals, for example... like a witch!"