Chapter 2: Absolution |
Clutching the hem of his linen shirt with one hand, Downs stood hunched outside the door, anxiously waiting for the master of the house to answer his plea.
Although only a few seconds had passed since he knocked, Downs already felt as if he were suffocating.
The next moment, the door swung open. Downs trembled all over, feeling the strength drain entirely from his body. His brain went completely blank, leaving only instinct to root him to the spot.
"Can I help you?" Nemus looked at the man. He was a quintessential rural villager, reeking heavily of wool and sheep dung. He was most likely a shepherd tending a flock for a local landlord.
His words washed over Downs like a gentle spring breeze, seeping into the man''s body and injecting him with newfound Vitality.
"Ah," Downs uttered, trembling once more at the Holy Knight''s voice. Snapping back to his senses, he hurriedly stammered, "Lord Holy Knight, I am Downs the shepherd, and a sheep has gone missing..."
With that, Downs poured out everything he knew in one frantic breath. "There are claw marks on the sheep pen! A massive hole was torn open, and I noticed one of the sheep is gone! The Watchman also heard roars last night. Lord Opper suspects it is a demon, so he told me to come and beg for your help. He is going to punish me!"
"Lord Holy Knight, please hurry and catch that demon! Save me!"
"I understand. Lead the way," Nemus replied with a warm smile. "There is no need to panic. Since this is the work of a demon, you naturally cannot be blamed for the missing sheep. I will speak on your behalf."
Finback Village was not particularly large, home to only about a hundred permanent households.
Most of the village''s residents worked for Mr. Opper.
The sheep Downs tended were Opper''s property. In this situation, losing a sheep was a dereliction of duty on Downs''s part. He was highly likely to lose his job, face severe punishment, and subsequently be condemned to serve as a Probationary Village Guardian.
Comforted by Nemus''s assurance, Downs finally felt a significant wave of relief.
Nemus retrieved Nels''s Knight''s Sword from the house, strapped it to his side, and then set off with Downs.
''Lord Nels truly is like the Holy Light, warming the hearts of people...'' Downs thought to himself. ''Why did everyone spread such awful rumors about him before?! They are simply too wicked!''
Filled with lingering indignation on the knight''s behalf, Downs led the way. They soon arrived at the sheep pen on the outskirts of the village, where they found Village Chief Opper.
Village Chief Opper was a middle-aged man dressed in a long robe that was rather unsuited for the village''s rough stone paths. His slightly plump face was currently slick with sweat.
"Mr. Nels, you are looking quite well today." Opper gazed at "Nels", whose physical appearance remained completely unchanged, yet his aura and demeanor had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. Wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, Opper''s expression shifted. Rather than rushing to discuss the matter of the sheep pen, he began to exchange pleasantries with Nemus.
"I was merely blessed by the God of Precepts and finally understood a few things," Nemus replied naturally, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Ah, may the Glory of the God of Precepts last forever." Hearing this, Opper had no choice but to chant a quick praise to the divine Glory before his gaze fell upon Downs, who was standing to the side with his head bowed.
"There is no need to be too harsh on the young man. The divine teachings instruct us to strictly enforce the Precepts upon ourselves, yet grant Absolution to others," Nemus advised, having seemingly noticed Opper''s glare.
"...Then we shall do as Mr. Nels says and absolve this lowly peasant of his guilt." Opper was momentarily taken aback, staring blankly for a second before chiming in. In truth, he could not care less about such a commoner.
What he did not know, however, was that the moment those words left his mouth, a string of information flashed through Nemus''s mind.
[Precept Updated]
[Identity 2: Holy Knight Nels]
[Main Rule: Absolution — You forgive the mistakes of others and pardon their sins]
[Precept Feedback: Whenever you grant Absolution to a person, you will receive a partial Life Bonus from them.]
At that exact moment, a faint, unseen power transferred from Downs onto Nemus, causing Nemus''s Vitality to flourish even more vigorously. This bonus was not an act of Plunder; rather, as long as Downs remained alive, he would continuously provide this steady enhancement.
Having effortlessly resolved Downs''s predicament, Nemus accompanied Opper to a corner of the sheep pen.
A massive gash had been sliced through the pen''s wooden fence. The cleanly severed edges clearly demonstrated the sheer physical strength of the intruder and the sharpness of their natural weapons.
On the grassy ground just outside the pen, a crimson smear of blood stood out starkly against the surroundings, accompanied by deep, heavy drag marks.
Any person with a working pair of eyes could deduce the sequence of events at a glance: a "demon" had shattered the barrier, snatched one of the sheep, and dragged it away into the night.
The breached section of the fence was located in a rather remote corner. If Downs had not known the exact count of his flock like the back of his hand, and if the Watchman had not faintly heard roars the previous night—prompting Opper to inspect the pen—they likely would not have discovered this hole so easily.
Opper then turned and asked, "Mr. Nels, is this truly the work of a demon?"
"Yes, there is a very distinct Demonic Aura lingering here. I estimate it to be a Lesser Demon that wandered in by accident," Nemus delivered his professional assessment. "No one understands demons better than I do. This is not a major issue."
When it came to the subject of demons, absolutely no one was more of an expert than him.
The Abyssal Hell was a lower dimension. Within this lower dimension, demons possessed physical bodies. However, once those entities crossed over into the Material Plane, they would become formless and intangible, as demons inherently lacked actual physical matter.
Therefore, to remain in the Material Plane for an extended period, a demon had to employ various methods to absorb physical matter and anchor itself to the world.
Nemus''s previous demon statue had served as one such anchor, utilizing the public''s widespread Cognition of what a demon looked like to sustain his own existence.
This particular Lesser Demon clearly lacked such sophisticated methods, so it had most likely corrupted and seized control of a Wild Beast''s body.
However, due to the inherent conflict between its demonic essence and the beast''s physical vessel, it was forced to consume a massive amount of other animals to alleviate the painful rejection.
Only a dim-witted Lesser Demon whose brain was muddled, yet had luckily stumbled upon a chance to enter the Material Plane, would execute such a sloppy, desperate maneuver.
Unfortunately, Lesser Demons happened to make up the vast majority of the demonic population. This was precisely why the negative stereotype of demons being brainless brutes remained so persistently ingrained in the world.
"Shall I take it from here, then?" Nemus asked Opper.
"Since it is merely a Lesser Demon, I trust Mr. Nels will be able to handle it." Opper nodded in agreement, then added, "I will have to trouble you with this task, Mr. Nels. Resolve this demon issue swiftly, and once it is done, I will donate a generous amount of tokens to the Church."
What Opper remained blissfully unaware of was that, the moment his words settled, a rudimentary Covenant bound by verbal agreement had been successfully formed.
The Oath-keeping Precept bound to Nemus''s demonic identity required an abundance of Covenant vows in order to continuously strengthen the Qi Instruments he forged.
Watching Opper subsequently take his leave, a faint smile curled at the corners of Nemus''s mouth.
Everything here looked exactly like the botched handiwork of an ignorant Lesser Demon, and the area did indeed carry the distinct scent of a demon.
But just as he had proclaimed, no one understood demons better than he did.
The Demonic Aura lingering before his eyes, while pure, lacked the necessary ferocity. What true demon would sneak in just to snatch a single measly sheep?
Even if it were just a Lesser Demon, this entire sheep pen—including Downs who slept nearby—should have been violently butchered, leaving absolutely no intact corpses behind!
This demon Incident was absolutely no accident.
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