Chapter 38: Hesitation |
''Oh no, I still ended up exposing my intentions a bit.'' Isabella''s heart tightened, realizing she had been too impatient.
This action of immediately going to check the Grid exposed her distrust of the Old Priest.
This was something she never would have done before.
If the Old Priest truly was the hidden mastermind behind everything, then her distrust would become a point of suspicion for him.
Fortunately, the Old Priest maintained the demeanor of a gentle elder, simply asking Isabella to ring the bell hanging above the cathedral.
The resonant chiming attracted the majority of the village''s residents.
The cathedral''s bell rarely rang unless a funeral was being held or a major announcement needed to be made.
Thus, the villagers spontaneously gathered toward the cathedral.
As news spread about the possible presence of a warlock and a patient with Whale Transformation Sickness in the village, many residents began to panic.
On the other side, Isabella also moved with the search teams, but she intentionally strayed from their path, heading toward another pre-arranged location.
There, she met Jacques.
They had agreed beforehand that if any special circumstances arose during the daytime, they would rendezvous here.
"Suddenly there are so many people searching the outskirts of the village. Did something happen?" Jacques asked anxiously.
"Jacques, listen to me first, and make sure you stay calm," Isabella said, trying to settle him down.
Only after Jacques calmed down did she voice her speculations and point out the various clues.
"Impossible!" However, at her words, Jacques instantly bristled.
The main reason he had mustered the resolve to stay behind and delay his return trip to Tail Fin Town was to seek revenge against Nemus and wash away his humiliation.
Yet now she was telling him that Nemus likely wasn''t the problem, and that the one at fault was the Old Priest he had always deeply respected?
But after his initial outburst, Jacques quickly composed himself and began weighing the possibility of Isabella''s claims.
"I still refuse to believe it. The family has records on the Old Priest. He used to have a very good relationship with the Dartmenerly family. When they learned I was coming here, the family even instructed me to listen carefully to the Old Priest''s words."
"A man like that wouldn''t..."
"That only further increases the likelihood that there is something wrong with the Old Priest." Isabella didn''t view the Dartmenerly family through rose-colored glasses; just because the family spoke well of someone didn''t mean they were actually good.
"Don''t forget, Nels was exiled here precisely because he reported the family''s illicit Bloodline Experiments!"
"The Old Priest also exiled himself due to issues regarding Bloodline Experiments."
"Looking at the timeline, the Dartmenerly family''s Bloodline Experiments are very likely a continuation of the Old Priest''s..."
"There is a high probability that Nels is an experimental subject," Isabella concluded calmly.
"In his decades here, the Old Priest never let go of his failed experiments. He has been silently pushing the research forward the entire time."
"These experiments are most likely still violating the rules, meaning the Old Priest cannot acquire resources openly. That is why he has been shielding Opper."
"The vast majority of the profits Opper makes from selling Whalehide Ore have probably been turned into experimental materials that end up in the Old Priest''s hands."
Analyzing the current situation, this was the only explanation that made sense.
Truth be told, an exiled Holy Knight like Nels had no need to go as far as smuggling Whalehide Ore.
After all, the most a Holy Knight would use were some life-replenishing potions. While that did cost money, their level of expenditure ranked even lower than that of noble ladies and young misses.
The only things that required long-term illegal profits for financial support were either large-scale organizations or experimental research. Jacques stood rooted to the spot, his face ashen and his brows furrowed tightly as he seemingly pondered the plausibility of Isabella''s words.
If he could, he almost wanted to cry.
His emotions told him that all of this was false, that it was merely Nemus sowing discord, and that every problem here was caused by that traitor to the family.
But his rationality told him that it all might be true.
As his rose-colored glasses shattered, some even more severe matters leaped out from his memories.
He realized that his status within the family had been different since childhood.
Even though his parents died early, he had always been cared for by the family. Whenever he had conflicts with his peers, the family would usually back him up.
This preferential treatment was so great that it even made some people jealous.
Jacques had often been proud of this, believing it to be the true ethos of the Dartmenerly family.
Yet looking back now without the veil of naive trust, he noticed the eerie anomalies.
Furthermore, before he came to Finback Village this time, the patriarch had specifically summoned him. The man had scrutinized him for a long time before allowing him to leave, urging him to obey the Old Priest''s commands and not disgrace the honor of the Dartmenerly family.
Thinking about it now, it felt more like a "product dispatch"—putting out a finished good that had been in development for a long time, and expecting him to put on a good performance.
The more Jacques thought about it, the more terrified he became.
"No, I need to go ask Nels! I have to find out exactly what the family''s illicit Bloodline Experiments are!"
Jacques''s heart once again filled with deep unease.
He had originally thought that the only reason Nels betrayed the family was out of pure selfishness.
Most families conducted some form of Bloodline Experiments; it was considered a very normal thing. Much like discussing eugenics, everyone wanted their family''s bloodline to become superior.
Occasional rule violations were also deemed normal.
That was why he had considered Nels a traitor who bit the hand that fed him.
But thinking about it now, he realized the glaring flaw in that logic. If it had only been a run-of-the-mill violation, then why was the Dartmenerly family forced to relocate from the central hub of Sky Spring City to Tail Fin Town in recent years?
That did not look like a minor infraction.
It was just like his current situation—delaying his return to Tail Fin Town was a rule violation, but he was confident that, with the Dartmenerly family''s backing, he wouldn''t face much punishment.
"Don''t be impulsive. Going back now will only put us in a more passive position, and all our preparations will instantly vanish," Isabella continued to advise Jacques.
Although their enemy might no longer be Nemus, their strategy of keeping one in the light and one in the shadows was not useless.
Fortunately, after experiencing a brutal beating from Nemus, Jacques—while still prone to impulsiveness—would no longer act so rashly that he ignored all consequences.
At the very least, he could now force himself to calm down and think.
"I will go contact Nels on your behalf. From the looks of it, he should know something."
"As for you, Jacques, you have another mission." Isabella paused briefly at this point.
The situation here had far exceeded their initial understanding, making even Isabella hesitate.
She couldn''t help but wonder if they should really continue getting involved in this mess.
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