Without thinking too much, Mark thought that this brand had some influence on the Fiery Sister in front of him.
If he remembered correctly, the Sister of Blazing Flame was also a judgement-type professional in the Church of Holy Light.
However, think about it again, after the Seraphim came, he did not execute him directly as a heretic.
Now that I think about it, the magic power bestowed upon him by the mysterious being might even be able to fool the Seraphim under the throne of Holy Light.
This stigma attached to me is probably just a suspicion, and it does not define me.
It seems that the mysterious existence is really extraordinary powerful!
Maybe I won’t have to be so cautious when facing the Church of Holy Light in the future!
So, he didn't care what Ruby thought of him, but Kyle's attitude... This stubborn and somewhat naive priest seemed to be trying to use reason to make both sides communicate in a friendly manner?
Tsk, it really feels bad to owe someone a favor!
"Huh! Big idiot, take care of your subordinates first. Look at her expression. Does she look like she wants to have a proper talk with us?" Mark spread his hands. "It's okay for me to say you're a bit naive, but why are your subordinates so naive too? Get to the point, sister. Even if you think my team members are 'heretics', shouldn't the core issue we need to focus on right now be the Enlightenment Society?"
"Do you think that dark magic, which has existed for thousands of years, will have a greater impact on the Church of Holy Light? Or will an Enlightened Society that can steal holy light magic and fuse it with dark magic have a greater impact on the Church of Holy Light?"
Kyle pressed Ruby's shoulder again, his voice low and firm:
"Ruby, follow orders. Put away your weapons. Everything will be reported to the Holy City Arbitration Court upon our return to Osborne Town, and then a decision will be made. Right now, our top priority is to clean up the mess and track down the remnants of the Enlightenment Society! Do you understand?"
Ruby's chest heaved violently, and the holy light on the flail flickered.
Although she didn't want to listen to any sweet words from Mark, she had to admit that the man in front of her did look a bit like a mature clergyman in the church when analyzing the problem.
If it weren't for the mark of the Seraph, she would even think that Mark was more suitable than Kyle to be the leader of the new generation of clergy.
The thought only flashed through Ruby's mind.
Under Kyle's unquestionable gaze, Ruby finally put the flail back to her waist with great reluctance.
She glared at Enzo and Mark fiercely, especially Mark, with a look that seemed to dig out the scars deep in his soul, and then she turned her head away very abruptly and stopped looking at them.
Enzo snorted heavily and retracted the dark magic from his hammer, but he continued to mutter, "Talk? What's there to talk about... ungrateful bastard..."
————
The miasma of the Rot Dragon Swamp was like the breath of a dying beast, stickily entangling the returning team.
Mark's team was in the front, and Kyle, who had lost his horse, followed closely behind, supporting the still weak Ruby.
The dark red slurry flickering between the cracks in Enzo's lava stone armor and the remaining holy light on Ruby's flail pendant drew two distinct yet strangely intertwined tracks in the pale green mist.
Silence was like a heavy wet cloth covering everyone's mouth and nose.
Perhaps they felt that this atmosphere was not conducive to the next journey.
Mark was finally the first to break the silence between the two sides.
Mark rubbed his temple, which still ached.
He briefly recounted the arrangements before leaving Osborne Town, the conversation with Beta and the other four captains in the backyard of Chunhui Hotel, and the mission assigned to him by Ailian.
He deliberately concealed his team's indifferent attitude towards the adventurers, "believe it or not", and only emphasized that they had tried their best to warn them and suggested evacuation.
It fully demonstrates the image of a sincere priest who cares about civilians and puts their safety first.
But no one present, including Xiao Mu, believed what he said.
Well, except for the big silly Kyle, he really thinks Mark is a competent priest.
Even though the color of Mark's magic power is sometimes a little strange, he is definitely a more qualified priest than himself!
"...So, when we left, the Beta, Mad Wolf, Silver Fox, and Buck Regiments, plus some small adventuring groups that trusted us, about two to three hundred people, should have retreated outside the South Gate for temporary shelter."
Mark's voice sounded a little dry in the silent miasma. "Apart from the adventurers who were deeply corrupted by the potion and refused to believe the truth, the only people left in the town are the Adventurer's Guild, the Dragon Slayer City Guard, your group of special envoys who came to investigate the incident in Phantom Wolf Valley, and... the ordinary citizens of Osborne Town."
"Ordinary townspeople...you don't have to worry. The Xing...Black Gold Gang won't put them in danger."
Although Mark didn't know how powerful the Black Gold Gang was.
But he could also guess that the destruction of Phantom Wolf Valley was most likely related to the Star-Moon Church.
Kyle relaxed the arm that was holding Ruby slightly. If Mark said so, then the situation in Osborne Town might not be as bad as imagined.
"As for the remaining low-level adventurers in Osborne Town... Captain Edgar still has some strong Dragon Slayer City guards under his command, all of whom are mid-level. Father Linus... he also promised me that he would definitely defend Osborne Town and handle the incident..."
"Promise?" Enzo scoffed, tapping his breastplate with a small hammer, making a dull clang. "Promise with gold and future prospects, huh? I've seen plenty of these 'pious' charlatans before I fell asleep! They talk about the Holy Light, but their calculations are louder than a dwarven anvil!"
"In their eyes, gods and believers are not as important as their own interests!"
Listening to Enzo's words, Kyle suddenly thought of the old homeless man he met outside the adventurers' temporary camp.
Thinking of Linus's flickering eyes and evasive words when he wiped the sweat off his face in the command room, a cold chill crawled up his spine.
Ruby struggled in Kyle's arms, disgust all over her pale face.
But this time she didn't refute Enzo immediately, but turned her gaze to Mark: "You said you found out a lot of information about the Enlightenment Society...Apart from this, what else is there?"
"On our way to Wulong Lake, we eliminated a band of thieves who attempted to ambush us. They were Bloodclaw Barton's men." Mark's voice deepened, a hint of subtle fatigue lingering in his voice. "Through... they weren't just ordinary thieves, they were also peripheral minions of the Enlightenment Society, specifically responsible for 'supplying' them."
"Supply?" Kyle's heart sank.
"Living people," Monica's voice drifted in. "Old people, children, strong adventurers... Skin them, or extract their soul cores alive to make the ritual... material."
Her gaze swept over Kyle and Ruby from beneath her hood, and she added, "The technique is very professional, probably derived from some kind of religious ritual."
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