Chapter 4

———This week I've been sick at home, so the update is later than usual. Next week, it will return to normal. Yes, the new book is out, I hope everyone will promote it, click more, and recommend it. Thank you.

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Benjamin glanced at Lucien, then walked slowly towards the witch's hut ruins, maintaining his characteristic elegance. His voice was low and soothing: "Evil wizards always like to toy with the minds and senses of good people, especially on nights illuminated by the silver moon. However, this witch has not yet obtained truly terrifying evil powers; her magic can only affect one or two people."

Lucien was initially confused, but by the time Benjamin finished, he understood why only he had heard the crying, while the nearby residents remained asleep. Even if they were awakened and listened carefully, they would not have heard anything.

Without giving Lucien a chance to speak, Benjamin extended his hands, which were covered in white gloves, and continued: "And I, along with the four church guards, are blessed by the Lord, which is why we can hear this evil voice."

The four guards, who were walking in front and behind, immediately made the sign of the cross upon hearing this and shouted in unison:

"Only the truth endures."

With this shout, their spirits became slightly more excited.

The poor residents watching from a distance also murmured in prayer: "Only the truth endures."

Then they whispered to each other: "This is the power of the divine, worthy of the noble priest."

Amidst the faint praise, Benjamin's face, with its unique curve, became even more serious and solemn. He slowly spread his hands, which were covered in white gloves, and uttered a strange short syllable:

"Paso."

As soon as the short, sharp syllable ended, a faint white light enveloped the entire hut ruins, as if the silver moon had sprinkled its glow.

Under the white light, a strange blood-red color appeared on a broken wall connected to Lucien's house, forming the shape of a hole.

Under the influence of this mysterious and strange incantation and divine power, Lucien, like the surrounding poor, was deeply shocked, his emotions fluctuating. However, while they were more intoxicated and fearful, Lucien felt a mix of fear and deep longing.

Benjamin retracted his hands and gave an order to the guards in front of him: "Gary, that's the secret door. There are no magical traps. Go and open it."

Gary puffed out his chest, and the chainmail on his body clinked: "As you command, Sir Benjamin."

As Gary and another guard passed by, Lucien, with his keen ears, heard Benjamin mutter a curse: "Those arrogant fools from the Inquisition, they only know how to use 'Detect Magic Traps' and can't learn 'Detect Secret Doors.' Humph, just because I'm a magic apprentice, they treat me with such disdain?"

With the guidance of divine power, Gary displayed his powerful muscles and brought down the broken wall in a few moves.

Then, another guard drew his longsword, roared, and struck a mechanism, revealing a black hole in the corner of the wall.

The hole was small, only large enough for one person to pass through. A foul smell wafted out, causing Benjamin to wrinkle his nose and cover his mouth and nose with his right hand, while Lucien almost retched and instinctively took two steps back.

Gary examined the hole and ran over: "Sir Benjamin, this secret passage leads to the sewers."

Benjamin, with his golden eyebrows furrowed, looked at Gary, his nose and mouth seemingly deformed, and his voice became low and muffled: "Are you sure?"

"Yes, if you look down at an angle, you can see a section of the sewer," Gary confirmed.

Benjamin did not speak. As a noble and elegant priest, and as a member of the prestigious and honored Lafite family, the thought of the filth and stench in the sewers made him uncomfortable. Among the few divine spells he had mastered and imprinted in his soul, there was no "Purify" spell. To cast it, he would need to use incantations, gestures, and spell components, but no one knew where the secret room was in the sewers, and how many "Purify" spells would be needed to get there.

"Anyway, he's just a magic apprentice. With the holy emblem of truth, there should be no problem," Benjamin thought indifferently. Then he looked at Lucien, loosened his right hand, and his voice became authoritative and soothing: "You have been tainted by the evil power of the witch. You need to atone to be cleansed. However, your devotion to the Lord has moved me. I will lend you my holy emblem. Once you can purify the evil power left by the witch, you will regain the Lord's favor. Go, Lucien, serve the Lord, and the Lord's gaze will be upon you."

After successfully leading Benjamin and the others to the church, Lucien felt much more relaxed. With a priest and guards, dealing with spirits and ghosts should not be difficult. Even if it were, it wouldn't be his job to do the heavy lifting, as his body was still recovering. So, when he heard Benjamin's words, his mind immediately buzzed: "He actually wants me to purify the spirit?! I'm just an ordinary person!"

Seeing the surprise and resistance on Lucien's face, Benjamin asked calmly and kindly: "You, unwilling?"

Without any malice, Lucien shuddered and came to his senses. If he said no, he might immediately become a corpse. If he agreed, it seemed that Benjamin intended to lend him the holy emblem and that a few guards would accompany him. Dealing with a weakened spirit left by a magic apprentice, as Benjamin described, should not be too dangerous.

Whether Benjamin really disliked the filth of the sewers and was unwilling to go down, or had other intentions, failing this seemingly simple task would not be beneficial for him.

Suppressing the hatred in his heart, Lucien answered with a stiff smile: "Willing to serve the Lord."

Benjamin did not pay attention to Lucien's stiffness. He took the holy emblem from his neck and handed it to Lucien: "This is the holy emblem of truth. I will cast a 'Blessing' spell on you. With it, you can more easily concentrate your mind. By reciting the incantation and using your mind and fingers to communicate with the holy emblem, you can activate the power of the Lord within it."

After suppressing his emotions, Lucien was filled with curiosity about the holy emblem that could cast divine spells.

The holy emblem had a golden base, with a faintly glowing white cross carved on it. Around the cross, in the deep gold, were many crisscrossing lines and shapes such as circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles, all strangely connected, making the cross appear mysterious and solemn.

Holding the holy emblem, Lucien immediately felt a warm and gentle power permeate his body, making him feel warm even in the cool night breeze, as if basking in the sun.

"The holy emblem contains two non-formal divine spells: Light and Cure Minor Wounds, which can be used three times a day, and three first-level divine spells: Shield of Faith, Sword of Light, and Smite Evil, which can be used once a day. Listen carefully to their incantations."

With no way out, Lucien had to go down, so the power of the divine spells was crucial to him. He studied the incantations Benjamin taught with great care.

The incantations were short syllables, but the intonation was extremely difficult, and it took a lot of effort for Lucien to recite them without making mistakes.

Benjamin nodded slightly and extended his right hand.

This time, there were no incantations. A white light enveloped Lucien, slowly dissipating, making him feel full of strength, healthier than ever, and his mind sharp and alert, able to hear voices from a distance.

"The priest actually let Lucien go down and gave him the holy emblem?"

"Didn't you hear? It's the priest's kindness, letting Lucien go down to cleanse his sins."

"Praise the Lord, praise the priest."

Lucien, who had little knowledge of this world, accepted the "Blessing" spell and quietly waited for Benjamin to cast it on Gary and the other two guards.

Benjamin cast the blessing spell on each of them, with a two to three-second interval between each.

After completing this, Benjamin looked at Lucien and the others: "Paul, guard the entrance to the secret passage. Gary, Hausen, and Coirea, you three, go down with Lucien."

Then, his expression became serious, and he made the sign of the cross: "May the glory of the Lord protect you."

"Only the truth endures!"

The three guards, Gary, Hausen, and Coirea, looked excited and answered loudly. Lucien, a bit slower, was unsure whether to answer or not.

Fortunately, Benjamin did not mind and watched them slowly enter the secret passage leading to the sewers.

Another guard, Paul, lowered his voice and asked a question he had been wondering for a long time: "Sir Benjamin, why him?"

With the incantations and the holy emblem, he and Gary and the other guards could also activate the divine spells, just a bit slower than priests, acolytes, or evil mages. But even so, it was better than a boy who knew nothing and had not been formally and fully trained. If Sir Benjamin did not want to go down, he could have given the holy emblem to Gary, Hausen, or Coirea.

Benjamin looked at the entrance to the secret passage, his right hand covering his nose and mouth, and his voice was low and faint: "His mental power is slightly above average, allowing him to better activate the divine spells in the holy emblem."

"But he's too old to be worth training."

……

As soon as they entered the secret passage, a mix of foul odors hit them, and Lucien couldn't help but gag.

"You, a boy from the Adeljan district, are so unaccustomed to the smell of the sewers. It seems you're not as poor as I thought. In the City of Hymns or Antifelle, the sewers are home to many truly poor people who don't even have a shack," Coirea, who had black hair and a different facial structure from Gary and Benjamin, with high cheekbones and a thin face, said sarcastically as he entered the secret passage.

Before Lucien could respond, Gary, who followed, said directly: "Quiet."

Coirea shrugged and closed his mouth, advancing a few steps in the secret passage, which was about a person's height, and then jumped into the interconnected sewers.

Lucien followed and jumped out, landing on something wet and slippery, the nature of which he could not identify.

These things were everywhere, and the walls were covered with strange moss that emitted a faint light, preventing the sewers from being completely dark.

Gary lowered his voice: "I, Hausen, and Coirea are all high-level squire attendants. When you use the holy emblem, pay attention to coordinating. If you encounter danger, immediately summon the 'Sword of Light.'" He had a golden beard, but his every move was very steady, making people feel reassured. Among the four guards, he subtly took the lead.

After saying this, Gary gripped his longsword with his right hand and held a small round shield with his left, leading Hausen, Coirea, and Lucien to search for the source of the ghost's crying.

Lucien, who had no knowledge of the world, followed with a mix of amusement and frustration: "How am I supposed to know what the capabilities of a high-level squire attendant should be?" But he did not dare to ask Gary and the others directly about this.

The mournful and sad crying echoed more strongly in the narrow sewers, seemingly coming from all directions, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location.

But with special training, the guards, and Lucien, whose mental power was still decent, easily identified the direction under the influence of the "Blessing" spell.

This section of the sewers was so quiet it was terrifying, with no sign of the poor people Coirea had mentioned.

After passing through several intersections, Lucien and the others stopped at a seemingly normal sewer corner.

Gary, looking at the wall covered in green moss, calmly and seriously told Lucien: "Summon the 'Sword of Light.'"

Lucien was both afraid and eager to try. With the help of the "Blessing" spell, he calmed down, focused his mind on the holy emblem, and felt the warm and gentle power. Then, he held the holy emblem hanging around his neck with his left hand and gently rubbed the white cross in the center of the holy emblem, reciting the strange incantation as he rubbed:

"Kisheon."

Lucien felt his mind, focused on the holy emblem, being invaded by a wave of white light. A faint white light appeared before his eyes, gathering and forming a shining light sword.

"Is this my voice?" The sound of casting the divine spell, combined with the strange and difficult intonation, sounded deep and hoarse, mysterious and eerie, even scaring Lucien himself.

Holding the light sword, feeling the extraordinary power, Lucien could not help but feel a surge of excitement, but Gary's words immediately brought him back to reality: "Strike the wall there. With the power of the 'Sword of Light,' any magical traps will be broken. It's just a magic apprentice."

Looking at the spot Gary indicated, Lucien trembled slightly. He was facing mysterious and powerful magical forces, and the unknown dangers were overwhelming.

"Timid and ignorant." Coirea sneered.

Lucien understood that he had no choice but to face it. He took two deep breaths, the terrifying stench slowly calming him down, and he gritted his teeth, shouting in his heart: "It's just death!"

With his right hand, he fiercely swung the light sword, striking the wet and disgusting wall.

A flash of white light shone, and the stones crumbled like soft mud, unable to resist.

As Lucien cut through the wall, he seemed to cut through something strange, a sense of inexplicable fragmentation spreading, and a faint black gas rapidly disappeared under the light sword's blade.

The entire wall collapsed.

Inside the wall was deep darkness.

Suddenly, two eerie, cold, and sinister red dots appeared in the darkness.

These red dots multiplied, densely filling the darkness.

Lucien's mouth was dry, his mind tense, and his palms sweaty. They seemed to be eyes!

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