Chapter 34: Oh No, It

「…… Si 。」

Herbert’s expression was blank, his lips twitching slightly as he looked down at the battered grass carp on the ground.

When he stepped out of the alien prison and hadn’t walked far, he noticed a scene of chaos in the shadows ahead.

「This is the third time, isn’t it?」

Honestly, he really didn’t know what to say anymore.

「Bro, are we really that fated? I didn’t even go looking for you—how come I keep running into you?」

「Do you have a crush on me?」

「This is definitely a crush…」

Seriously, be a bit more discreet.

You don’t care, but I’m embarrassed for you.

「Watch out—the Fish Lovers Association might come knocking… wait, isn’t he already one of them? They’ve loved to the point of losing control.」

Herbert muttered inwardly for a while, then suddenly raised an eyebrow as he stared at the grass carp, barely recognizable as a fish.

From the fish’s condition, he realized this brother’s situation might differ slightly from his initial assumption.

「His state seems to be worsening—is he about to go insane from cultivation?」

After the first incident, the grass carp still had half a breath left; the second was gruesome, but at least it died afterward.

But this third time, the grass carp was already dead and dismembered mid-way—its head twisted clean off, turned into a natural cup.

Brother Grass Carp’s outlet for frustration had grown increasingly brutal, and his urges harder to control.

Now he only targets fish—will he soon extend his claws to other creatures?

Fortunately, the monastery didn’t keep cats or dogs; otherwise, Herbert would now be worrying for those innocent little animals.

Compared to that, the safety of others in the monastery wasn’t his concern as a newcomer.

The cultivators didn’t need worrying about—they were either Wu Seng or Holy Knights, their strength highly reliable, with exceptional defensive capabilities.

「As for the nuns, there’s no need to worry about them—they always move in groups, and their individual combat power isn’t weaker than anyone else’s…」

There were no ordinary scripture-reciting nuns in the Mist Monastery—all were combat nuns.

Yes—all of them!

None of these nun-sisters were frail vegetarians; all could wear heavy armor, chant scriptures with one hand while swinging a flail or smashing with a warhammer with the other.

These nuns either served as War Nuns under the Mist Knights or as Punishment Nuns in the Tribunal.

Each more brutal than the last, each more bloody than the next.

Herbert was thinking when he suddenly realized something was off.

「Wait…」

Animals are safe, cultivators are safe, nuns are safe… someone must be unsafe, right?

So, guess who’s the lucky one in danger?

「It’s me!」

Herbert’s lips twitched, his groin tightened, his legs trembled, and he nearly bolted.

「I’m the one who needs the most protection!」

Correct. Reasonable.

Herbert was the weakest among them all!

Low power, noble status, and most importantly—his appearance was exceptionally handsome… a perfect victim candidate.

Shit.

This is definitely targeting me!

As the saying goes: until the knife pierces your own flesh, you don’t feel the pain; watching others’ misfortune never feels excessive.

Now, when someone was about to stab him from behind, Herbert could no longer sit still.

Fuck, there’s a pervert here!

Herbert’s expression turned serious—he made a swift decision: report him.

Must report him!

「Brother Grass Carp, I didn’t report you before out of respect for your… hobby, pretending nothing happened.」

「But now that you’ve reached this point, don’t blame me for striking hard.」

With resolve settled, Herbert moved swiftly, ignoring everything else, striding toward the Tribunal.

Save me, Lord Inquisitor!

But when Herbert rushed to the Tribunal to report the “sacrilegious act” to Bishop Thorn, he unexpectedly found he was too late.

The usually eerily empty Tribunal was now packed—hundreds of cultivators and nuns filled the great hall.

「Hmm?」

Herbert had wondered why he hadn’t met any cultivators on the way—turns out they’d all come here. He was about to greet them when he noticed something was wrong.

Many faces were grim; even the usually silent cultivators couldn’t help whispering among themselves.

What happened?

Herbert didn’t need to ask anyone—he saw the answer as he reached the center of the hall: a stone coffin lay there.

Someone was dead!

The corpse’s face was covered by a white cloth, blood seeping from its mouth; from the exposed hands and feet, it appeared to be a young cultivator around thirty.

Herbert’s eyes narrowed—in that instant, a chilling sensation crawled up his spine like a parasite, making his heart lurch.

!!!

He suddenly had an overwhelming intuition: this was connected to Brother Grass Carp.

Did he do this!?

So this guy doesn’t just crave flesh—he kills too.

Perhaps because the crime scene felt oddly familiar, Herbert quickly calmed down and analyzed the case.

「Was the victim killed because he witnessed the sacrilegious scene?」

Gulp.

Herbert swallowed hard, feeling a mix of relief and dread.

If I’d stepped out a little earlier today, would I now be lying beside the corpse?

No.

If I’d always arrived just a step ahead and caught him in the act—would I already be dead?

As Herbert pondered, someone broke the silence.

「Comrades, we have lost one of our own.」

Bishop Thorn was not present; a middle-aged Punishment Nun took charge.

Her face sorrowful, her mournful voice echoed through the Tribunal:

「He was a devout cultivator, a warrior who devoted his life to justice and righteousness.」

「We all feel profound anger at his tragic death.」

Here, the Punishment Nun’s voice rose, thundering with fury: 「But comrades, anger alone is not enough—we must find his killer!」

「We must avenge him!」

That sharp cry acted like a signal—hundreds of voices roared in unison.

「AVENGE HIM!!!」

As the crowd roared, the temperature in the Tribunal hall plummeted under waves of murderous intent, making everyone shiver.

「…Huh?」

At that moment, Herbert suddenly felt something and glanced around—he noticed everyone nearby had silently moved away from him.

A strange vacuum formed around him; dozens of cold, unreadable eyes stared silently at him.

Herbert blinked—and suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.

Shit, it’s targeting me!!?

(End of Chapter)