Chapter 30: Growth |
Before evening arrived, the matter had reached a general conclusion.
About seventeen people died this time. More than half of the migrants perished, along with quite a few local villagers who had been there helping them settle in.
Opper expressed his deep sorrow, claiming that the entire tragedy was caused by heavily mutated Nest Beasts that had hidden themselves exceptionally well.
He promised to actively support those who had lost family members in the disaster, ensuring they would not have to worry about their livelihood for the rest of their days.
Afterward, Opper went around with utmost gentleness, comforting the grieving families and assuring them that everything would be alright.
Isabella stood a short distance away. She prayed softly for these souls to ascend to God''s heavenly kingdom, all while coldly observing Opper''s performance.
She was unwilling to condemn a man based solely on superficial impressions.
Yet at this moment, she felt a genuine, overwhelming sense of disgust toward this seemingly responsible village chief.
''He hides it too well,'' Isabella thought.
Or Opper practiced Cultivation on the Soul Path, allowing him to perfectly suppress his own emotions.
Regardless of which it was, both possibilities pointed to the truth: Opper was the true instigator of this incident.
Because of his family''s history, Jacques harbored a special kind of hatred for Nemus. However, Isabella did not share this bias; she knew clearly that Opper was the one with major issues.
Perhaps noticing Isabella''s gaze, Opper turned his head to look at her, a forced smile appearing on his plump face.
It truly looked like the expression of a man overwhelmed by a terrible tragedy, lacking the energy to properly entertain an esteemed guest.
If it were anyone else, they might have even felt a great deal of sympathy and goodwill toward Opper because of it.
But Isabella was still young at heart, and she found herself completely incapable of offering him a hypocritical smile in return.
''What should I do next?'' Isabella''s thoughts wandered, yet deep down she could not help but recall the tragic, heroic emotion she had felt at the scene of the incident.
She was now certain that the lingering emotion had come from Benjamin. Even in the final moments of his life, he had clung to a certain conviction, desperately wanting to warn her about something.
It was difficult for Isabella to simply ignore that kind of emotion.
She was a highly sensitive person, someone who could shed tears over the tragic stories of others and feel genuine happiness for their joys.
If she let this matter go easily, she felt that she would spend the rest of her life plagued by guilt.
Those dying whispers would echo in her ears for a lifetime.
''I cannot investigate openly, and the informant has already been silenced.''
''Judging by their actions, any evidence regarding the excavation has likely been destroyed long ago.''
''Unless a Saint is deployed to recreate the past using the power of a Miracle, it is practically impossible for us to find any proof.''
''Of course, one could also use sheer power to forcefully summon Opper''s soul to extract the evidence.''
''But with my strength alone, there is no way I can convict Opper,'' Isabella thought somewhat pessimistically.
''Unless I accomplish that task...'' Isabella thought of her purpose for coming here, and of the old pastor who had now become her teacher.
Back then, he had been just one step away from becoming a Golden Rank, and he was also a renowned expert in bloodline research.
If she could truly awaken her own bloodline, perhaps with the power of a dragon, she might be able to do it...
Isabella cut her reverie short. There were far too many uncertain factors in such a plan; it could not serve as her primary foundation.
''Therefore, all I can do now is calm down, keep a close eye on Opper''s movements, and study hard to improve myself,'' Isabella warned herself. She could not afford to be impatient.
The current world was by no means a beautiful paradise where wishes easily came true. On the contrary, without patience, aptitude, and opportunity, most pursuits were doomed to fail on the verge of success. Isabella recognized this truth with exceptional clarity in this moment.
''I must wait. If Opper truly is the culprit, he won''t stop what he''s doing. One day, he will make another mistake and expose his true colors.''
''When that time comes, he definitely won''t be able to escape.''
''I am still young. I still have time.''
Isabella gathered her composure and went to see Jacques.
Jacques was thoroughly crestfallen. The man looked completely drained of spirit, the lingering humiliation constantly reminding him that he had messed everything up.
He had no face left to uphold his family''s honor, nor could he bear to face Isabella''s disappointed sighs.
He even had to go and fix the door for that traitor!
He simply could not calm down.
He felt as though his entire life had been dimmed by this failure. He almost wished that he had fought Nemus to the bitter end and been killed in the battle.
At least then, he would not be in such agony.
"How much longer are you going to mope around?!" Isabella finally lost her temper, loudly reprimanding Jacques.
She then hoisted up the wooden door that had been prepared nearby and dragged its heavy frame toward Nemus''s house.
He was the one who had wanted to come and interrogate Nemus to stir up trouble! He was the one who had lost his cool and ruined everything when things went wrong! And now, he was the one wallowing in his emotions and doing absolutely nothing!
Isabella was furious at his weakness.
But Jacques still had his pride. Already feeling entirely ashamed, being belittled once more actually snapped him out of his daze.
He stood up, chased after Isabella, and took the wooden door from her. After apologizing to her, he headed off to replace Nemus''s door.
Afterward, he calmly listened to Isabella''s analysis. He understood that there was nothing he could do right now except wait—wait for himself to grow stronger, and wait for the enemy to make a mistake!
"I understand," Jacques nodded, indicating that he would settle his mind and wait for an opportunity. He then fell back into silence.
However, he was also keenly aware that he was in deep trouble this time.
It probably would not be long before the report of these events was sent up the chain of command. In a month or two at most, his "internship" would be terminated, and he would be forced to leave this place.
When that happened, trying to get involved in the matters here again would become exceptionally difficult.
But Jacques also realized that getting bogged down by his emotions would not help the situation in the slightest.
He had to grow up.
As a myriad of emotions flowed through him, Jacques glanced at the door he had just installed and made a firm resolution.
One day, he would open this door once again, capture the criminal Nemus, and wash away the humiliation he suffered today!
After that, everything seemed to return to tranquility.
The next day, Isabella officially began her studies with the old pastor, while Jacques threw himself into a frenzied training regimen.
By now, Jacques had learned the reason for his defeat from the old pastor. Nemus had undertaken the Cultivation of a Precept Holy Knight and driven Holy Nails into his body; his future was already ruined.
''But I am different. I am still young and have a bright future ahead of me. As long as I achieve a true Advancement, Nels will absolutely not be my match!''
Nemus cast a passing glance at Jacques training in the distance before taking the Holy Script weapon from the old pastor''s hands.