Chapter 170

“Theoretically speaking, I am indeed dead,” Ark said softly. “In the seventy years since you left, one day I suddenly had angina, in the place where my magic core is. I was unconscious for three days after that, and then I discovered that my magic core was tainted.”

"Is the reason clear?"

“I don’t know, I just know that when I woke up, something seemed different.” Yak leaned his head and whispered, “It was rare, that time it was almost me, because the team had just disbanded, and only an old man was left. It was Raven, who had been with me outside the whole time. She had also fallen asleep because of something, so when I woke up, there was no one there.”

Why don't you try to contact me?

“Because even now I don’t understand what I am,” Ark said. “Until recently, when I used the Mark of Power again in that city, I was completely corrupted. For the past month, I’ve been waiting for my death every night. Theoretically, I shouldn’t be standing here at all.”

"Even if this thing is separated from your body now, it's still the same?" Benny wiped the dirt off the thing and looked inside. There was a strange pattern inside, a magic seal. Not only the magic core, but the magic seal itself was inside.

“I just can’t use destructive abilities,” Ark said. “I’ve essentially lost my magic seal and my magic core. But I’m still alive. I’m not really human, and I can’t even be considered a demon now. When the magic seal is gone, I won’t even be a demon anymore.”

“Something beyond the realm of concepts,” Benny said softly. “You’ve become something extraordinary.”

"I'm not the only one like this in the world?" Ark was a little taken aback by his calm demeanor.

“I didn’t tell you this, because I only learned it when I became a saint. This world is bound by rules, but there are always things outside of those rules. Only things related to gods and demons can have such privileges.” Benny said, holding the magic core in her hand, “Ghost Duke is one, you are one, and there’s another one, currently locked up in the church. Not human, but a creature that looks like a rhinoceros covered in heavy metal. Of course, these are all captured; there’s no guarantee there aren’t others in the world.”

Benny stood up, slowly walked over, and handed him the magic core in her hand.

“Just tell me the truth if anything happens. No matter what you become, I’ll always be on your side,” she said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re right or wrong, whatever you want to do is the same to me.”

“What do you think I want to do?” Yak looked at her helplessly and said, “I’m already dead, and didn’t you say that the church will control us strange guys?”

“As long as I’m here, you’re under my control,” Benny said. “So what do you plan to do next? You’ve now found a demon seed, and you’ve become like this yourself. Are you going to try to attach her demon seal?”

“At least for now, I have no such plans.” Acton paused and said, “I just have a gut feeling that she would be useful to me, though I don’t know in what way. But I just can’t hand her over to the church.”

"There isn't a complete plan yet?"

“Even the most perfect plan has been disrupted, so we can only take it one step at a time.” Yak looked at the big tree not far away and said, “I really don’t want to say these things in front of you. Are you interested in joining the discussion? We want to know your position.”

A shadow there froze for a moment, then a person stepped out.

That's Carl; he's been hiding there eavesdropping since earlier.

“You should have noticed me from the beginning, why are you only saying it now?” Carlton paused and said, “You have indeed been hiding a lot of things, and it was right that I didn’t believe you from the start.”

“I apologize for hiding too much from you,” Ark said, looking at him. “But if I may be frank, as a priest, you have entered into areas you shouldn’t be familiar with. You should leave. With your abilities, you can find a place in any city.”

“Am I a burden?” Karl looked at the two people standing in front of him and shook his head. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“No, you are a priest, chosen by the gods. But this is clearly a matter for us demons. If you want to join in, it will make things difficult for us if you don't clarify your stance.” Ark looked at him seriously and said, “If you just want to protect this child, then I can only say that your method is not protection. Now leave, and we won't say anything more. We will take good care of that child for you. She is a demon god, and now she has entered the demon realm. No demon will be her enemy.”

“What if I refuse?” Karl frowned, then looked at Benny: “Lady Yasiri, from what perspective are you now?”

He called her Benedictine by the name Eight-Colored Glass, a name that represents the war goddess who wields a greatsword to protect humanity. The place where she stands is the furthest point that all filth can reach.

“I’m on the opposite side of the church, and I made a mistake on a matter of right and wrong because of personal emotional issues. Do you have a problem with that?” Benny answered without hesitation, showing no sign that she was troubled by the wrong choice she had made.

This matter seems quite ordinary, and there's not much to say about it.

After a moment of silence, Karl turned to leave.

“I need some time to think. We’ll stay here, right?” Carl said, turning his head. “This problem is bothering me. I need to calm down and think about it.”

“We’ll be staying here for a while, and although it will be difficult, we can at least resupply here,” Ark said. “But it won’t be long, in fact, it will be very short. We’ll be leaving this place soon, and I hope you’ll think carefully about whether you want to leave with us or just disappear on your own someday.”

"Do you welcome me?"

“My caravan welcomes anyone; we never refuse anyone who wants to join. We just offer advice.” Yak bowed deeply. “In any case, I will always remember your help and am sincerely grateful.”

“Even now, you’re still so hypocritical it disgusts me.” Karl waved his hand and disappeared into the forest, his whereabouts unknown.

He really needed to think things through. The situation had suddenly eased, but it wasn't clear. The path forward was twisted and chaotic, and no one knew how the church and fate would arrange things.

But everyone had time to consider their own position. Once prepared, they took sides and then drew their swords, ready to fight each other.

Some things are beyond our control, like Ark and Lori. They had no choice. But those who can choose which side they should stand on should perhaps use this time to think things through carefully.

Carl walked into a deserted, dark place. Although it was night, he did not intend to rest.

Lori is now fast asleep in her sleeping spot, sleeping soundly. It's been a long time since the child has had a proper rest; she needs time to catch her breath. Her pursuers might be on their way, and she doesn't know when she'll get her next break.

At night, the forest was not dark; there was a faint light everywhere. Perhaps feeling that he was far enough away from the two guys, Karl found a place to squat under a tree by himself.

He sighed, looking at the sun in the sky, his pupils turning golden, and the light formed by holy magic was gathering towards him in the surrounding air.

Karl also needed to recover properly; he had expended a lot of energy and it would take him a few days to fully replenish his holy power. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, this was a major reason for his decision to rest here. Everyone needed to find a place to rest properly; having just experienced something that made it difficult to sleep, they should prepare themselves accordingly.

"Why are you in a place like this?" He heard someone speaking, turned his head, and looked at Lady carrying a lantern not far away.

“I should be the one asking this question.” Karl closed his eyes again, not wanting to deal with this guy.

The two had never gotten along before. Although the girl hadn't bothered him on the way here, Karl still didn't like her.

Her appearance was a bit too perfect, so perfect that it made people feel uneasy. She didn't give off the same comfortable impression as a girl like Deedris, who was simply pretty.

"I am sorry for what happened before."

After a moment of silence, Lady said, "I was a little too cocky."

“Your words make me uneasy.” Karl opened one eye and looked at her, saying, “What are you putting on yourself?”

"This?" Lady looked at the intricate patterns on her arm. "I used alchemical runes to enhance my abilities a little."

"Your fighting style involves altering the form and structure of matter you come into contact with to create an advantage, and changing your possessions to broaden your offensive options. You're focused on consuming weapons and controlling the battlefield to manage the consumption routes. Why do this?" Karl asked casually. Regardless of its intensity, this fighting style suited Lady perfectly. Modifying oneself to increase performance wouldn't be decisive; it would be better to use that time to craft a few more twin-barreled muskets for easy escape.

Are you familiar with my fighting style?

"After fighting you so many times, I should have figured out your abilities by now," Karl said. "I really can't do anything about you. I'm a priest, relying on high-damage divine spells that consume holy power and close-range control through physical strength. If you're careful and don't give me an opening, I'm no match for you."

"I have no confidence that I won't be caught off guard by an experienced priest while I'm expending my energy."

“Your attitude has changed a lot. What happened?” Karl looked at her as she sat down not far from him, took a bamboo tube from his waist and tossed it to her.

There was a little fruit wine inside. Although I don't like drinking, I figured having some alcohol on me would help me get information out of certain people at the right time.

Although its current purpose is merely to demonstrate its goodwill, Carl is currently in a foul mood. However, since Lady has shown such benevolent intentions, as one of the representatives of God, it will reciprocate with sufficient goodwill.

"Are you planning to leave?" Lady didn't beat around the bush. She opened the bottle and took two big gulps, then rested her head on her hand and looked at the half-empty bottle.

"Did you hear that?"

"I can roughly guess. Even though you always have a long face, I can still tell what you're feeling." Lady scratched her head helplessly, looking at his bitter and resentful face. "How about you try smiling? Don't you feel uncomfortable always having that expression?"

“Maybe, but I don’t know how to relax,” Carl said softly. “The multiple-choice question in front of me has once again turned into a situation where all the options are wrong. I don’t know where to go from here. I’m very confused right now and I don’t know what I should do.”

"What do you mean?" Lady took a small sip of her fruit wine, watching him pick up a clod of dirt from the ground and knead it in his hand.

“Staying here would be against my duty, leaving would be against my principles. Letting it go would be dereliction of duty, but to interfere… I don’t know how I should face Lori.” Carl hesitated for a moment and said, “I had made up my mind, but now I’m wavering. I can’t make up my mind to stand against the church as quickly as Benny did. The church has never done anything to make me feel derelict in my duty, and if I leave now, it would be a one-sided betrayal.”

"So what if you betrayed me?" A voice came from behind. Karl turned around and saw that Benny had followed him for some reason.

Karl hesitated for a moment, then turned around, stood up straight, and bowed to her.

He shouldn't be without courtesy in the presence of a saint. However, he hadn't been able to find a suitable opportunity to express his respect until now, because this woman didn't act like a saint. Therefore, Karl had always maintained a respectful distance from her.

“That is unjust,” Karl said, bowing his head. “There is no justice; betrayal based solely on personal feelings is unjust. As a priest, I have been blessed by God, and it is unreasonable for me to turn against Him without any sense of righteousness.”

“Then just leave. No one will say anything.” Benny said without hesitation, “We’ve come this far, what are you hesitating for?”

Karl shuddered; the decisive response made him feel somewhat ashamed and uneasy.

“We’ve all been given eternal life by God, and one day you’ll get bored. That’s true for everything,” Benny said. “You might not find anything that brings you satisfaction or joy afterward, so why not just follow your own heart? Choose something you can do, and then don’t regret it.”

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