Chapter 7: The Pitfall of Identity |
"Ah!" Downs, who was following behind Nemus, let out an agonized howl as plumes of black smoke billowed from his body.
His body trembled uncontrollably, and the demon corpse he was carrying tumbled to the ground. However, the corpse was in a much more wretched state than Downs.
Flames suddenly ignited upon the carcass. The green fire looked exceptionally bewitching as massive amounts of black smoke rose from the remains, only to be instantly shattered by the encroaching power of the Holy Chant.
As the Holy Chant concluded, the demon corpse had been reduced to a dried-up rat carcass resembling withered wood, and the eerie green flames dancing upon it had reverted to normal, bright orange fire.
Beads of sweat the size of peas covered Downs''s forehead. He curled up on the side, clearly having suffered excruciating pain just moments ago.
Nemus merely wore a faint smile, his gaze fixed on the open doors of the nearby Cathedral. An elderly, hunched figure slowly walked out from within.
This was the exact same Old Pastor that Nemus had previously ordered Nels to assassinate.
Looking at the situation now, it seemed Nemus had been a bit too demanding of Nels earlier.
''An Iron Rank?'' This was a piece of intelligence the Old Pastor had never revealed before—or at the very least, Nels had been completely unaware of it.
A Holy Chant of this magnitude could only be cast by someone at the Iron Rank.
It seemed bringing Downs along to test the waters today was the right move; they had actually managed to coax out some extraordinary secrets.
"Hmm? Just a demon corpse? I thought a Demon had actually dared to boldly invade the divine territory!" The Old Pastor stared at the burning dried rat with his somewhat cloudy eyes, muttering to himself in slight confusion.
As he spoke, the Old Pastor shifted his gaze toward Nemus.
"Who knows, maybe I am a Demon," Nemus joked.
Then, his expression turning slightly more serious, he pointed at Downs and explained, "He was corrupted by demonic power. The Life Aura in his body was forcefully awakened, so I used a Breathing Technique to stimulate some of his dormant traits."
"Perhaps that is why he gives off the presence of a living Demon."
Nemus provided his explanation, and theoretically, it held up to scrutiny.
This was exactly the background story he had crafted for Downs, making the shepherd''s newfound mastery over such power seem perfectly reasonable.
Of course, no matter how logical it sounded, some things were bound to arouse suspicion—such as Nemus himself.
He was absolutely certain that the Old Pastor''s earlier Holy Chant had most likely been aimed directly at him.
The change in personality after Nemus possessed Nels''s body was simply too glaring. And in this era, one of the most likely reasons for a drastic shift in a person''s demeanor was demonic possession.
Because of this, numerous mentally ill individuals were burned at the stake every year, mistakenly branded as those possessed by a Demon.
However, after this round of probing, the Old Pastor''s suspicions toward him should have diminished significantly.
Faced with a Holy Chant of that caliber, an ordinary demonic possession would never be able to remain perfectly hidden.
''It is only because I am unique. Being a transmigrator, the structure of my soul transcends the common logic of this Material Plane. That is why I can flawlessly usurp a person''s identity and spirit, using the victim''s soul as an outer disguise.''
''With this kind of camouflage, even a deity might be fooled!'' This thought flashed through Nemus''s mind, causing the smile on his face to appear all the more genuine.
"I see..." The Old Pastor scrutinized Nemus closely before finally accepting his explanation, a look of melancholy washing over his wrinkled face.
"I am getting old... back in the day..." he muttered softly under his breath, turning around to walk back into the Cathedral.
Nemus glanced at Downs, who was slowly recovering nearby, and instructed him to head back and wait for his word. Then, he extinguished the remaining flames on the dried rat carcass, picked it up, and followed the old man inside.
The layout of the Cathedral was completely standard. Upon entering, there was a corridor flanked by stone mortars filled with a mixture of rainwater and morning dew.
Typically, followers entering the Cathedral were required to cleanse their hands, faces, and mouths here.
Beyond the corridor lay the main hall, lined with long wooden pews on both sides and surrounded by Whale Blubber Stained Glass Windows. The translucent Whale Skin Boards, inlaid with shattered glass, depicted the legend of the God of Precepts Tames the Floating Whale. When sunlight filtered through, distorted spots of light danced across the floor.
At the very center of the hall stood a massive bone-carved Divine Idol.
The statue depicted a faceless figure radiating a brilliant light, with both hands crossed over its chest.
This was none other than the God of Precepts.
Nemus could sense a considerable amount of the Power of Faith lingering around the Divine Idol, which was actually quite unusual.
Beneath the statue lay somewhat tattered Kneeling Pads. They were worn smooth and shiny, a clear indication that many people came to pray to the deity on a daily basis.
To the left of the idol was a door leading to the Confession Booth. There, the Old Pastor would listen to the myriad of guilts and sins from the villagers, offering solace to their troubled hearts.
To the right lay the rest and study area for the Clerics.
Within that section, one of the rooms still belonged to Nels.
Further past the main structure was the Cemetery.
The Old Pastor washed his hands and face using the water in the stone mortar, then naturally strolled over to sit on one of the nearby pews.
"Nels..." The Old Pastor called out the name while gazing up at the Divine Idol, his expression seemingly lost in a daze.
"You hail from the Dartmenerly Family," the Old Pastor asked softly. "It seems you have finally let go of some burdens. So, have you considered returning now?"
"No, I will not go back. At least, not right now!" Nemus declared with absolute certainty.
This resolute answer drew a few dry chuckles from the old man.
Through the host''s soul, Nemus possessed a comprehensive understanding of Nels''s past.
The Dartmenerly Family was a sizable noble household with deep ties to the Precept Church.
Nels had been groomed as a Holy Knight since childhood. He was supposed to have a limitless future ahead of him, yet upon reaching adulthood, he suffered a bitter falling out with his family.
That was the reason he had relocated from the prosperous Sky Spring City to this remote little place known as Finback Village. Even though his subconscious had practically surrendered to despair, a lingering unwillingness to accept defeat remained. It was this exact resentment that led him to form a pact with Nemus, who had infiltrated the Material Plane.
"It seems you have merely come to terms with it, but you haven''t truly let it go..."
"Yes, how could a person ever let go so easily?" The Old Pastor''s gaze remained firmly on the statue. His words drifted through the air, seemingly not even directed at Nemus.
The atmosphere instantly grew stagnant.
After a long pause, the Old Pastor finally spoke again, this time addressing official Church matters.
"In three days, a Trainee Priest and a Holy Knight will be arriving. There should also be some migrating refugees traveling with them. When the time comes, I am leaving the vetting and inspection work to you."
"A priest and a Holy Knight are coming here for training?" Nemus frowned, genuinely curious.
"Opper seems to be doing a decent job. Finback Village has remained fairly stable, which naturally attracts a few people." The Old Pastor spoke smoothly, his gaze now shifting toward Nemus.
"Isn''t your relationship with Opper quite amicable?"
"It is nothing more than standard interaction," Nemus replied smoothly, immediately detecting the subtle probe hidden in the question. Nels had indeed accepted several bribes from Opper in the past, though the former knight had naively assumed they were merely tokens of goodwill meant to curry favor.
It was glaringly obvious now that the Old Pastor''s earlier remark—''Opper seems to be doing a decent job''—was actually a loaded question. The real situation was highly likely that Opper had committed some severe taboo, successfully drawing the unwanted attention of the Church.
''Nels, you were far too useless...'' Nemus had undoubtedly been thrown into a massive pitfall.