Chapter 27: The Dartmenerly Secret Inheritance |
Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, Jacques spun around and dashed off in another direction.
Isabella, momentarily overwhelmed by her perception of a certain emotion, reacted a beat too late. Under normal circumstances, she would have anticipated his actions and stopped him, but right now, she was just a step behind.
As a Holy Knight, Jacques possessed a physical attribute value that had already reached eight, yet he showed no signs of hitting a bottleneck.
He only needed another year or two of training before returning to the family, where he could leverage the Dartmenerly family''s resources to swiftly advance to the Iron Rank.
Given his physical prowess, Jacques could cover a massive distance in merely a single second.
Isabella possessed a sharp and agile mind, but her physical capabilities were far from extraordinary.
Priests suffered a distinct disadvantage in this regard. They needed to reach the Iron Rank before they could adequately compensate for their physical shortcomings.
Only at that stage could they use their spirit to forcefully command their bodies, allowing them to keep up with an enemy''s rapid movements.
By the time Isabella fully processed the situation and turned around, Jacques had already shrunk into a tiny black speck in the distance.
She knew all too well that ever since before he arrived here, Jacques had been harboring a deep-seated resentment, desperate to teach the family traitor a lesson.
To Jacques, cracking down on the illegal mining of whalehide ore was never the priority. The real goal was figuring out how to use the incident as an excuse to punish Nels.
This narrow-mindedness was one of the main reasons Isabella remained so hesitant about accepting his romantic pursuits.
It was not that Jacques lacked kindness. A person like him, who genuinely wished to uphold justice, was a rare exception among noble families. His character was, by most standards, perfectly acceptable.
The problem was that Jacques was far too deeply influenced by his own family.
His mind was completely consumed by family honor. Whatever the family elders said was treated as absolute truth, and he never once questioned the validity of their words.
Such a person was far too easily turned into cannon fodder for the family''s ambitions.
And right now, Jacques was acting exactly the same way.
Benjamin, the tainted witness, was directly connected to Opper, the mastermind behind the mining operation, not Nels. They first needed to convict Opper, and only then could they investigate whether there were any illicit transactions between the two.
Only if such evidence was confirmed could they finally make a move against Nels.
The title of a Holy Knight was Nels''s greatest protective umbrella. Back then, even when the Dartmenerly family loathed him to the core, they still could not bring themselves to execute him!
Yet now, in the immediate aftermath of the witness''s death, Jacques''s first thought was not to secure Opper, but to charge straight at Nels.
''The family''s influence has already stripped Jacques of his most basic logical judgment.''
''In uncertain circumstances, an Intern Holy Knight attacking an official Holy Knight is a severe felony!'' Insubordination was intensely frowned upon within any organized faction.
Isabella was acutely aware of this, which was why she hurried to summon the old pastor.
Jacques had no idea that Isabella was agonizing over so many details following his reckless actions.
He only had one thought in his mind right now, and that was to confront Nemus and demand an explanation.
His reasoning was incredibly simple. In a remote village like this, who else but Nemus possessed the capability to orchestrate such a massive slaughter?!
In Jacques''s brain, only one firm conviction remained: Nemus was evil. Therefore, when something terrible happened, and Nemus was the only person in the vicinity clearly capable of doing it, he had to be held accountable!
Soon, he spotted Nemus''s house.
"Nels!!!" Jacques bellowed. Without a shred of hesitation, he charged forward and delivered a vicious kick to the front door, fully intending to smash his way inside, drag Nemus out by the collar, and demand to know why he had murdered so many innocent people.
However, in the very next moment, his body went flying backward.
He crashed heavily onto the ground, skidding across the dirt and leaving a long trench in his wake.
Nemus slowly walked out of the house, his body slightly angled as he cast a downward glance at the sprawled Jacques.
Only after he stepped outside did the front door emit a sharp crack, shattering into numerous wooden splinters. Nemus had sensed Jacques the moment the young man charged over. The exact instant Jacques kicked the door, Nemus had delivered a powerful side kick of his own from the inside.
Separated by the wooden barrier, the two had clashed kicks.
And the result was the pathetic scene currently unfolding.
"Attacking an official Holy Knight is a severe felony. Have you lost your mind, Jacques?"
"If that is the case, compensate me for my door, and I can forgive your crime." Nemus spoke smoothly, sensing his Precept of Forgiveness stirring restlessly within him.
Aside from his personal research into faith, the Commandment System was his primary method for increasing his power.
It was the most well-preserved ability within his fragment of Divinity.
Unfortunately, precepts could not be established simply because one wished for them.
Moreover, even successfully established precepts did not always provide substantial assistance.
A perfected precept required factual establishment, alignment with the intrinsic nature of the Divinity''s laws, and a certain degree of difficulty before it could be truly activated.
While he was temporarily unable to add new precepts, enhancing the intensity and scope of his existing ones remained the fastest way to boost his strength.
Jacques might be a little foolish, but his raw power was undeniably genuine.
If he could grant him absolution, he might just gain a rather decent essence bonus.
"In your dreams! Today, I will vanquish evil!" Jacques was completely deaf to Nemus''s words, his mind consumed solely by his own self-righteous delusions.
Taking a deep breath, he activated his secret Breathing Technique. Simultaneously, Jacques clutched a pale yellow bead hanging over his chest, muttering a sacred incantation.
"Oh God, Dartmenerly kisses the earth you have walked and treads the Path of the Saint. May you grant me the power to sever all obstacles and forge ahead!"
As his prayer fell away, the pale yellow bead resting against his chest emanated a soft glow, enveloping Jacques in a radiant aura.
Secret Method: Path of the Saint.
The Dartmenerly family had once produced a true Saint. He had walked upon the disaster-stricken Great Earth, tracing the footsteps of the Gods until he finally attained a miracle.
Through that divine miracle, he garnered immense renown and established their noble family.
One of the foundational pillars of the family''s heritage was this very Secret Method, deeply intertwined with divine sanctity. This technique could tremendously amplify a member''s combat power.
"You never learned this technique, did you, traitor?!" Jacques dropped into a combat stance, his eyes locked onto Nemus. His gaze was a swirling vortex of chaotic emotions.
Hatred and fury toward Nemus, overwhelming pride in his own Secret Method and power, and the dark thrill of finally being able to teach Nemus a brutal lesson.
Driven by this storm of feelings, Jacques stomped hard against the ground. Angling his body, he gripped his sword with both hands and spun into a devastating horizontal slash aimed straight at Nemus.
Nemus narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the power of faith flowing through the inherited Secret Method.
His interest instantly piqued, he raised his own sword and executed an upward diagonal parry.
"Screech!" The clashing blades wailed in protest.
Nemus swiftly finalized his evaluation.
''His power value is around eleven. He has already surpassed the Black Iron Rank peak limit. Not bad at all.''
''However, this kind of Secret Method usually manifests a unique Trait. That is something I need to consider!''