Chapter 23: I Really Want to Improve (Please Follow and Read)

Blasphemy!?!?

The instant he heard that word, Herbert's heart gave a sudden lurch; he felt as if the blood in his whole body had frozen, and his entire being tensed up.

Thump, thump!

Between heartbeats, his mind spun at top speed, rapidly analyzing the situation before him:

What did Bishop Thorn mean by the question he had just asked?

He wouldn't try to bluff me out of nowhere—there must be a reason behind it.

What had Bishop Thorn discovered?

Was he suspecting me?

Could it be that there's some lingering aura on me?

Nie Nasha's demonic sigil?

Or Fu Leimei's colored scales?

Or perhaps Valentina's hair?

Or maybe… no, that's not right.

Don't panic!

The other side hasn't made a move yet—I can't throw my own formation into disarray first.

He shouldn't have any evidence.

If he truly had full confidence—no, even if he had so much as a vague lead—he wouldn't be playing this game with me; he'd just take me in for interrogation on the spot!

This is just a sudden, unexpected probe.

Then, what is he trying to bluff out of me?

Herbert thought it over, then suddenly felt something was off.

Wait.

It seemed like something wasn't right… why, why am I this nervous?

With my mental fortitude, I shouldn't be performing this poorly.

Hiss—

"…Hm!?"

The moment he thought of this, it was as if a hazy film shrouding his consciousness had been pierced, and his thoughts snapped fully back into place.

In the span of a single instant, Herbert's mind completely regained its composure.

Feeling again, he truly sensed the faint warmth emanating from the back of his hand—both the holy mark and the demonic sigil had stirred faintly in that moment.

They had been passively activated by an outside force interfering with them.

Someone is trying to manipulate my mind!

That person must know something about the Purity Aegis, to deliberately bypass it and act directly upon the soul.

Although it lasted only the briefest instant, the other side still managed to do it.

It at least caused some interference, making Herbert grow nervous and unable to stop himself from wanting to blurt out the secrets in his heart.

Only, what that person hadn't expected was that Herbert carried more than just this one layer of defense.

Not only would the Sacred Vow guard the purity of his spirit, Miss Xie Shen's contract would also make his will all the more unyielding.

Moreover, even if those two layers of protection were breached, Herbert still had a third safeguard—the Sea-Queen Siren's lingering devotion.

One of the effects of that epic curse was to render him immune to outsiders' mental manipulation.

One could say that, at this moment, the hardest thing about Herbert wasn't his little brother, but his steel-like soul—the kind that sets off airport-security gates.

However, although Herbert had now shaken off the mental interference, the crisis had not yet passed.

Because the demonic sigil and the curse were both things he could not speak of, he had no way at all to explain why he hadn't been interfered with!

The only thing to do right now was to play along with the situation and keep up the act!

Though all this had been thought through in his mind, in the outside world only the span of a few breaths had passed.

And during those few breaths, Herbert's expression had changed several times.

From blank helplessness to thoughtful consideration, and finally to righteous indignation.

He was furious!

"Blasphemy?"

Herbert raised his head, looked at Bishop Thorn, his expression somewhat grave, and said in a low voice, "You mean to say that a cultivator within the monastery has fallen!!?"

"You, surely not…"

He stared at Bishop Thorn in shock, his expression shifting again and again.

And every bit of that shifting was caught in Bishop Thorn's eyes, making him shake his head slightly.

"So guilty-ridden—he really is…"

And just as Bishop Thorn sighed inwardly, convinced that there was indeed something wrong with Herbert, the white-haired youth spoke the second half of his sentence.

He cried out excitedly, "You surely mean to entrust this matter to me to handle!!?"

Bishop Thorn:?

What did he say?

Entrust what to him?

The Chief Inquisitor had been successfully thrown into bewilderment by Herbert's baffling performance, and was beginning to doubt himself.

But Herbert's act was still going on, and once he got a feel for it, he even began to hit his stride.

"Chief Inquisitor, sir!"

"Please, you must entrust this mission to me!"

Herbert strode forward, heedless of the thorns and spikes on the Inquisitor's body, his face set with determination, and seized the man's large hand in both of his, declaring with passionate fervor:

"Please believe me! I swear on the honor of the Albert family—even if it costs the blood of the Silver Wings, I will capture that Fallen!"

"Please, give me a chance to prove myself!"

Having spoken, he gazed with deep feeling at the Inquisitor, who had visibly stiffened.

My lord, please give me a chance!

I really want to advance so badly!

"... Uh, wait a moment, just wait a moment."

The Bishop of Thorns was somewhat overwhelmed by the scene; he awkwardly leaned back, trying to dodge that overly fervent gaze.

This—is this right?

He wanted to pull his right hand back, but Herbert's two hands held it in a death grip, and he simply could not break free.

Of course, with his strength he could easily snap Herbert's finger bones to wrench it free by force, but doing so would surely harm an exceptionally outstanding seedling.

The Inquisitor simply could not bear to.

Yes, could not bear to.

Before this, Herbert had only been a somewhat special noble scion in his eyes; he had assumed the boy would eventually be unable to endure and break his oath and leave.

But after what had just transpired, the image of Herbert in his heart had completely changed.

Hatred of evil, fearlessness in the face of wickedness, no dread of sacrifice… every single quality he possessed was especially important for a Holy Knight.

This would at the very least be a future legendary Holy Knight!

If his fortune sufficed, he might even in the end become an epic-tier powerhouse!

For Holy Knights, cultivation talent was important, but far less so than will.

A Holy Knight with no shadow in his heart, wholly bent on rooting out evil—how many such men could be found among thousands!?

Herbert absolutely must not come to harm!

"Heh-heh, child, you misunderstand."

Having made up his mind, the Bishop of Thorns smiled, gently patted Herbert's shoulder with his left hand, and dispelled the disturbance the boy was causing him.

"There is no Fallen among the brothers of the monastery; I was merely making a routine inquiry. You need not worry."

Herbert shook his head in a "blank" manner, blinked, and asked with some uncertainty, "Your Excellency, is there truly none? Please don't deceive me—I truly can…"

"There truly is none." The Bishop of Thorns shook his head, speaking with a touch of helplessness: "Now off with you, go back and rest well."

A note of command entered his tone, and even though Herbert "wished to insist further," he could only obey, bow properly, and take his leave.

And after he had gone, the smile vanished from the Bishop of Thorns's face; he looked indifferently toward the shadows at his side and said lightly, "... Are you satisfied with this outcome?"

From within the shadows, the figure of the Bishop of Rusty Nails materialized from thin air. His expression unchanged, he gazed calmly back at the Bishop of Thorns and said slowly:

"This is the rule."

Yesterday I had insomnia; just as I was about to sleep this morning, the downstairs neighbors started renovating. In the end I barely managed a little over three hours of sleep with noise-canceling headphones—my state is utterly wretched.

Please, please follow along—have mercy on this poor child—





(End of Chapter)