Chapter 167: Return (66 Bonus 19)

After wandering around outside for a long while, Herbert and Valentina left the others behind and returned to the Mist Monastery.

Although she had been extremely reluctant on the way back, once they arrived at the monastery, Valentina took the initiative to slip into the Third Precept House.

Her fluid, practiced motions left even Herbert staring in a daze.

No exaggeration—he felt as if he'd just seen a Shiba Inu come home, pick up its leash in its mouth, and climb into its kennel on its own.

A truly excellent sense of self-management.

That was still a dog… ahem! Was that still her!?

But after thinking it over, Herbert understood what it meant.

She had stayed in the Third Precept House far too long. She had harbored some resentment in her heart before, and had even tried to tempt Herbert into taking her away from there.

But to be fair, apart from being a little hungry, she hadn't really suffered any torment there—just sleeping every day…

Valentina actually didn't harbor much resentment toward the Third Precept House.

After taking a full spin outside and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of freedom, she no longer felt there was anything bad about being inside.

Just consider it going out to play until tired, then coming home to sleep.

She could simply pat her backside and leave, going straight back to sleep, but Herbert didn't have it so easy.

After returning, he was taken to the Tribunal at the first opportunity.

In the silent great hall with only the two of them, the Chief Inquisitor stared at Herbert in silence for a full half hour.

Just as Herbert was wondering if he was angry, the Chief Inquisitor broke into a satisfied laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

The Chief Inquisitor gave his shoulder a hearty pat and said loudly, "You did very well!"

"You made those people understand what a true inquisition is! Not bad! Haha! Very good indeed!"

"Excellent—very much the style of our Tribunal!"

Seeing him like this, Herbert also laughed.

Would the Thorn Bishop be angry?

Would he think Herbert had gone too far?

No.

The position of Chief Inquisitor had never been one that soft-hearted men and women could hold.

The current Thorn Bishop was even more notorious as a bloodthirsty, brutal executioner, who never showed mercy when judging sinners.

And Herbert's maneuvers within the kingdom, while somewhat suspicious of employing underhanded tactics, were in the Chief Inquisitor's eyes nothing more than harmless minor details.

Judging by the results, Herbert had successfully eliminated the evil nobles and brought tremendous improvement to the commoners' lives.

With these results, it was enough.

As for whether the nobles lived or died… what did that have to do with them?

In any case, compared to the nobles' fate, he cared more about the commoners' lives.

That was why, upon receiving the message from Sister Kaplan, he summoned Herbert before him at the first opportunity.

Haha.

This young man is really not bad!

Truly worthy of having come out of our Tribunal!

Right, I always felt he could do something like this!

After praising him for quite a while, the Chief Inquisitor shook his head again, patted his shoulder, and instructed him earnestly:

"It's just that, I think you were still a bit too conservative. If you really wanted to be thorough, you should have taken the king along too and…"

"Ahem."

The figure of the Rusty Nail Bishop emerged from the shadows, coughed once to cut off his old friend's idiotic remark, and asked, staring at him with dead-fish eyes:

"If the goal is to kill off the entire aristocratic class, should he have sent the Silver Wing Duke to the gallows as well?"

"The Silver Wing Duke? Kill him! Why keep him around? Kill them all, kill them all—anyway, the nobles… uh!"

The Chief Inquisitor, caught up in his killing fervor, answered without hesitation, only then realizing the problem.

He scratched his bald head and gave Herbert an awkward smile: "Ahem, no killing, no killing—we can't just kill innocents willy-nilly."

The Silver Wing Duke was the young man's father standing right before them.

Even if he were to be killed, they couldn't let him do it himself!

Herbert shook his head, signaling the Chief Inquisitor not to mind, and bowed to the Knight Commander.

"Knight Commander."

"Mm, you did well, very well indeed."

The Rusty Nail Bishop nodded, his gaze at Herbert equally satisfied.

Compared to the Chief Inquisitor's baseless malice toward the nobles, the Rusty Nail Bishop, himself of noble birth, understood far better what kind of death those nobles truly deserved.

Hanging them all might claim some innocents, but hanging every other one would certainly let some fish slip through the net.

Every noble should find the gallows that belongs to him.

Not just the two bishops—after learning of what had happened in the Frost Crystal Kingdom, nearly all the cultivators in the monastery significantly raised their evaluation of Herbert.

It was no exaggeration to say Herbert had done what many Holy Knights had long wished to do.

There were no few cultivators who had suffered at the hands of nobles, and those of noble birth knew all too well what the nobles had done.

No one felt Herbert's actions were too radical; even these conservatives thought he had still been somewhat too conservative.

"You did very well—worthy of being a member of our Knights, far better than those fellows in the Tribunal."

"Mm!?"

Hearing this, the Chief Inquisitor immediately changed his expression and said indignantly, "What are you saying? Herbert is the elite of our Tribunal!"

"Heh, you know what I'm talking about?" The Knight Commander laughed coldly and said lightly, "That bunch of trash of yours almost buried a talent!"

"You're full of crap!"

"Heh!"

The war between the two Weizhu Sect members began.

And just after the two Weizhu Sect members began arguing without holding back, Herbert tried to interject twice, but failed helplessly both times.

In the end, Herbert could only take advantage of when neither was paying attention and quietly leave the battlefield.

And after leaving, Herbert looked back at the great hall and couldn't help sighing, "Putting on an open fight and a hidden show right in front of me, huh? Heh, two old men."

"You two really have such a great relationship!"

And when Herbert returned to the Discipline Hall, Valentina, as expected, had already fallen asleep.

Also because of her familiarity with Herbert's aura, when he appeared beside her, she didn't react and continued sleeping in her own willful way.

"Sleep, sleep, sleep, all you know is sleep. Sigh, how can you sleep at your age?"

Herbert shook his head, not finding anything strange, turned his head, pushed open the door, and arrived at the Deep Water Prison.

He had come to keep an appointment.

Before leaving, he had made a promise with Fu Leimei that when he returned, he would sing with her first thing.

Now, he had come back as promised.

Herbert walked into the water prison, feeling the familiar water elemental fluctuations, and looked toward the figure that had been waiting for a long time.

"Fu Leimei, I'm ba—"

But before he could finish, Herbert froze.

Herbert saw a scene he had never anticipated before!

At this moment, a pair of smooth, delicate, slender jade feet were stepping tremblingly on the water's surface.

Jade!

No, that's not right…

Legs!!?

That familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar figure was using her tail to support herself from behind, carefully walking on the water's surface!

Fu Leimei had evolved legs!

"Hm?"

The Young Lady sea demon also seemed to sense something, blankly turned her head, saw Herbert, and revealed a delighted smile.

"Herbert!"

Then…

Plop.

She fell into the water.

Extra chapters situation: (19/110), we'll win!

Begging for monthly tickets!

We're very close to the top six of the new book monthly ticket chart, and also close to the top hundred of the overall chart!

By the way, updating 12,000 words a day is really hard…

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(End of this chapter)