Chapter 87
Connie was stunned when he heard half of it, because he didn't know what was going on. He just felt that there was a strange energy reaction here, so he came to join in the fun.
Coming here was definitely a mistake from the start; I should have just gone back to wash up and go to sleep.
But now, inexplicably, I find myself sitting here in this altered space enveloped by an energy field, holding a teacup, watching the two people next to me fall silent after their conversation broke down.
At the same time, an atmosphere that made him feel he absolutely shouldn't be involved made him want to get up and leave. If the priests and demons started fighting, it would be perfectly normal for him, as a cultivator, to die inexplicably here.
Ugh, it's already past midnight, right? I'm so sleepy! Seriously, so sleepy. Could you two please find somewhere else to talk? At least let me get out of here, okay?
Connie rubbed his temples, realizing he really shouldn't have let his guard down. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to escape at all.
Ahhh, isn't it so good to be alive? Isn't it so good to sleep? What was I thinking, having to come and join in the fun?
Of course, the above is just wishful thinking.
Just kidding, it would be a real shame if I weren't there for such an interesting scene. I gave up a stable life to come here, wasn't it all just to be able to participate in something like this?
In fact, Connie was definitely a little excited, and if he hadn't been suppressing it, he probably would have already shown a smile.
He was actually quite resentful, because anyone in his shoes would probably be unhappy in this situation. They were all clergy. However, there was an almost insurmountable gap between preachers and priests. If one couldn't become a priest or some other higher-ranking clergy member, one could only use holy magic for healing or some mundane tasks.
Instead, they cannot possess the same immense power as the guy next to them to achieve what they want to see.
However, Connie was desperate because no one knew how a priest should proceed to the next stage.
Even the central church is like this.
It's never something that someone can acquire simply by deliberately becoming something; it always happens first, and then a reason is found for it. Just like the Central Church only found someone and brought them to the Central Church after observing that they had been given angelic powers by God. Similarly, high-ranking clergy can inexplicably transform from low-ranking clergy.
It seems no reason is needed; it's simply a matter of personal will.
Connie waited a long time without any results, but as a preacher, his daily life was meaningless. So he found an opportunity to do something that seemed interesting.
So, coming here to be an observer in a city inhabited by demons sounds like a job where you'd be threatened on the first day and beaten up on the second. Just imagining it is quite interesting.
Then, after arriving here... he was greeted by the guy they were supposed to be observing, who then revealed everything he was trying to hide and arranged a hiding place for him... The church didn't seem to have said anything about this, which really annoyed Connie. But there was nothing he could do, so he became a hidden agent exposed on the big screen. Everyone knows who's who, but nobody says anything. It's like a play, everyone's just going through the motions.
That being said, if anyone refuses to cooperate, the consequences will be dire. This is an unpaid ensemble performance; without any reward, we can only resort to threats of repercussions.
Just when he thought his life might continue like this, an unexpected turning point appeared.
Because of this sudden intruder, even the most loyal actors revealed their true colors. Both sides seemed willing to engage in a confrontation regardless of the consequences. They were simply unwilling to strike first, each trying to provoke the other to put themselves in the right.
Anything goes, Connie kind of hopes those two guys will start fighting right now. That way he'll have something to do.
"Is there no room for discussion on this matter?" After a long while, Chullier spoke again, looking at Karl and saying, "Priest, you shouldn't refuse such a thing; it's beneficial to both of us."
“Why would you think it’s advantageous to me?” Carlton paused and said, “That understanding is very strange to me.”
“Based on what you just said, you're just trying to keep this child under the Church's constant control.” Chullier was watching Karl's expression closely; the guy's face had turned completely blank halfway through his sentence, as if nothing he said mattered: “This is a burden for you, and you shouldn't be carrying that burden all the time.”
“Actually, I like carrying my burdens, especially when that burden is a lovely child rather than a backpack.” Karl suddenly laughed, looking at the guy sitting there, and said, “If it were you, would you just hand over the girl you’re protecting to someone else? Rather, this is an insult to me. I’ll say it again, don’t take me for a good-natured person. I have no pity for demons who have evil intentions.”
"This kind of evaluation really hurts me. How can you tell that I intend to do evil? I have always acted in accordance with the rules of your church, and my safety reports have always been green." Chullier shook his head with a wry smile: "But I really can't say anything about you, indeed. If someone tries to take the girl I'm protecting, I will also turn against them."
As he spoke, everything around them changed once more. This time, the scene that appeared was no longer a place of gentle breezes and rising sun, but rather a place resembling an arena.
“Mr. Karl, I’ve actually heard about you.” Chullier threw his robe on the ground, revealing a boy beneath it. “You are legally dead. Your friend Ketchum submitted a report that both you and the demon were dead to protect you. In other words, the Church isn’t after you because of your disappearance.”
“If it had been like this from the beginning, there would have been no need to say so much.” Carl patted Connie on the shoulder, gesturing for him to step back. Golden patterns covered his entire body.
This conversation was unnecessary to begin with; demons and priests have always greeted each other with violence. This tradition cannot be broken by them. The fact that the discussion ultimately led to this result speaks volumes.
Ultimately, there are fundamental, irreconcilable contradictions between them. These contradictions touch upon the very essence of the world and cannot be resolved. Therefore, no matter how peaceful they appear on the surface, true unity is impossible beneath the surface.
So now, holy magic and magical power are released from the body at the same time, and the small space is instantly filled with these two violent energies.
Then, the burst and end of energy also happen in an instant.
Because two guys suddenly appeared and blocked their way.
Ark held Karl down, and Apari held down Chullier.
These two guys seem to have really gone a bit too far.
......
Connie held the cigarette in his mouth, slowly lit it, and took a deep drag.
The sudden end to the battle that was about to begin was incredibly frustrating, so much so that he wanted nothing more than to rush up and punch the two guys who had tried to stop him.
One of them was in a wheelchair, and he looked like he could probably win the fight.
But things have developed to a different outcome.
That is, the four of them came to the palace at the same time and sat together to drink tea.
It's none of my business, but I still have to stand here because I'm a participant. They want to handle this matter simply, so we have to wait for them to reach a conclusion.
By the way, you can hear people discussing things inside from here. Although the meaning is unclear, I feel that this place is quite remarkable now.
“Churiel, you’ve gone too far.” Apari showed no intention of taking her side, sitting in her wheelchair and coldly watching her.
Meanwhile, Ark was there explaining the reasons to Karl.
In short, Lady is missing, and Ark is very worried. He finds Aparie for help, and on their way back, they encounter a decorated, simulated space.
Fortunately, in the end, no fight broke out or injuries occurred.
Yak was also very troubled, because now there were two missing people.
Lori and Lady were both missing; he rarely encountered anything like this.
An ominous premonition gave him a headache. They had come here to rest, but all sorts of unexpected events had already made things troublesome for Ark.
Ark himself didn't know exactly how many things were happening at the same time, and it was all his fault for letting his guard down. Now he couldn't even find everyone. Everyone had demonstrated remarkable autonomy, making him feel that he had given them too much freedom.
And now, the atmosphere is very tense.
Karl looked at his hand, then at Ark. This guy had actually managed to completely dissipate the holy magic he was releasing, and hadn't even been able to gather holy magic back up for a short time. The guy's appearance became even more bizarre, after all, this ability was exactly what a demon should possess.
The guy sitting opposite was even stranger; this guy who had just appeared in the projection suddenly appeared beside him and effortlessly took control of Chullier.
It looked exactly like an elder scolding a younger person.
What's most puzzling is the wheelchair. It seems like the child can only move his head; he can't do anything except shake his head.
"I apologize to the Church on behalf of Chullier for what he did." Thinking this, the man suddenly turned to look at Karl and said, "At the same time, I hope you won't do anything like self-destruction. Submitting a report that is detrimental to us is also bad news for you and your companion, Ketcht."
That's true, because Ketchum has already confirmed their deaths in the documents. If this comes to light, then all sorts of things could become very serious.
Similarly, even because of this document, the Church will certainly intensify its surveillance of the city. This will also be very disadvantageous for these two demons.
Karl knew this, but he knew he couldn't handle two demons. Ark didn't seem like the type to side with him in this situation, so he didn't mind self-destructing.
“Then please return Lori.” Karl paused, looking at the man in the wheelchair, and said, “As long as you agree to this, we’ll pretend nothing happened. We’ll leave; I never want to come back here.”
"Can."
“Hey, don’t make decisions on your own.” Chullier looked at Apari, who had given a calm reply, his face filled with anger: “We need our own kind.”
“I never said I would support you from the beginning, and this child is in Ark’s team. You did something wrong, and it was my fault for not correcting you in time.” She replied with equal displeasure, “If I had known from the beginning that this child was in Ark’s team, I would not have allowed you to do this stupid thing.”
"You two know each other?" Karl hesitated for a moment before asking Ark, who was sitting next to him with no expression.
"Didn't he tell you how horrible the things he did to a girl were?" Apari looked at him with a mocking expression and said, "I can't stand up again after that night."
Making such a joke in such a serious setting only caused everyone's expressions to twitch, with only Ark sighing helplessly.
“I tried to stop it.”
“As expected, your tone is as infuriating as ever, if that can be called stopping.” Apari bit off a section of the exposed bandage around her neck, revealing a red scar on her neck. “Look, this is what you call stopping.”
The atmosphere became quite awkward. Yak turned his head away and said, "Sorry, it was due to the circumstances."
“Forget it, it’s been over a hundred years anyway. But you’re still the kind of person who’s prone to getting into trouble.” Apari glanced at Karl and said, “That child is in the basement now. I’ll send a few people over later to move your things from the inn. You can stay at the palace for the next few days.”
"No need."
“Hehe, don’t refuse so decisively.” Apali said with a smile, “However, Your Excellency, as a condition for us to return this child, we need you to do a few things.”
“I’m not negotiating terms, I’m demanding that you do this.” Karl frowned in displeasure, but refrained from reacting because the other party was a girl who couldn’t even move on her own.
“This isn’t about negotiating terms; it’s more like requesting the Church’s help,” Apari said. “Both of us demons have an agreement with the Church that we will never use our powers beyond a certain limit. And we can’t leave this city. Therefore, we can’t solve the calamities outside our city, but that thing will eventually evolve into something more powerful. Have you heard of the Chaos Calamity?”
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