Chapter 11

Lumian just had a sudden inspiration; he wasn't really planning to do it.

After all, so many years have passed, and owls have much shorter lifespans than humans. The owl that flew in when the wizard died should have long rotted away. Just the sheer number of owls in this mountain area made Lumian lose any desire to track it down.

There are too many!

That owl didn't have any distinctive features... No, in the legend, the owl didn't have a specific appearance, and Naroka didn't mention any... We didn't ask in enough detail... Lumian came to his senses and smiled at Raymond.

"An owl associated with a wizard might live for 100 years."

Seeing Raymond become even more afraid, he reassured him.

"Don't worry, this is the last option. I don't want to face a monster."

"We can ask other elders; maybe there are key clues that Naroka overlooked."

He then said in a persuasive tone,

"If I were a wizard, I definitely wouldn't carry all my treasures with me or keep them at home. I would definitely hide some in a certain place, so that if the Inquisition suddenly attacked, I wouldn't be caught empty-handed when I had to flee immediately."

The Inquisition of the "Eternal Sun" Church has the important duty of eliminating all wizards and witches, and their "great achievements" are widely spread in the countryside.

"Right!" Raymond perked up again.

He said with a look of longing,

"Unfortunately, so many years have passed, and the treasures the Church seized must have been spent long ago."

"Kid, that's a dangerous thought," Lumian joked.

The two continued to visit the old Pierre of the Mori family, Nafelria, and other elders.

Although their answers were similar to Naroka's, the experienced Lumian and Raymond managed to ask for more details.

For example, the owl was large to medium-sized, similar to its kind: a sharp beak, a cat-like face, brown feathers with fine spots, yellowish whites, and black pupils...

But its body was larger than similar owls, and its eyes seemed to move, unlike the rigid and dull eyes of its kind.

In all the descriptions, these differences made the owl appear more evil.

"Right now, there doesn't seem to be any useful clues," Lumian said to Raymond on the road leading to the village square. "We can only focus on other legends."

"Okay." Raymond was no longer as discouraged as at the beginning. "Which one?"

This guy is so enthusiastic and hardworking... Lumian silently praised and decided to give Raymond a reward.

He nodded and said,

"Think about it seriously and we'll discuss and decide tomorrow."

"I'll teach you combat skills in the afternoon."

"Great!" Raymond was delighted by this unexpected event.

Aurore is very capable in combat; otherwise, how would she deal with some of the wild and rude men in the village? Her brother shouldn't be bad either.

After saying goodbye to Raymond Cleg, Lumian turned onto the path leading to his home.

After walking for a while, he saw several men coming towards him.

The leader was in his prime, not very tall, less than 1.7 meters, wearing a white robe, and with a light black hair on his head.

He had a stern demeanor, and his features could only be described as regular, with a slightly hooked nose. His blue eyes looked at Lumian with undisguised disgust and malice.

This was Guillaume Bene, the parish priest of the "Eternal Sun" Church in Cordu village.

"I've been waiting for you for a while," Guillaume Bene said in a deep voice. "Did you deliberately bring those outsiders to the church?"

"I thought you were sleeping inside," Lumian said, trying to explain while subtly stepping back.

He recognized that the person standing next to Guillaume Bene was his brother Ponce Bene, who was in his early thirties, muscular, domineering, and liked to bully the villagers.

The others were his henchmen.

Seeing Lumian step back, Guillaume Bene gave Ponce a nod.

Ponce Bene sneered and stepped forward,

"Brat, come and meet your father Ponce!"

Before he finished speaking, he quickened his pace and lunged at Lumian, and the other henchmen did the same.

In a rural place like Cordu village, talking reason doesn't subdue people or get apologies; direct and forceful handling makes people respect and fear. Guillaume Bene, the parish priest, was very clear about this and was used to acting this way. So, once he confirmed that the outsiders were brought to the church by Lumian, he decided to catch this boy, beat him up severely, so that he couldn't get out of bed for a month, and make someone compensate him.

Of course, he had to avoid Aurore.

As for the law, he just needed to inform the administrator and local judge Beost, and the city constables wouldn't come to the countryside to investigate such a minor matter as a fight.

And Beost, as an outsider, wouldn't offend him, a locally born priest, unless there was a significant conflict of interest.

What made Guillaume Bene feel lucky was that the outsiders hadn't spread the news about his affair with the wife of the administrator, Mrs. Pouaris, and the outsiders didn't know yet.

They were fast, but Lumian was faster. As soon as Ponce started speaking, he turned and ran.

He was quite familiar with the nature and behavior of the parish priest and his gang.

Once, a villager reported to the "Eternal Sun" church in the city that Guillaume Bene had multiple mistresses, embezzled the offerings of the faithful to the "Eternal Sun," and bullied others in the village, completely unlike a clergyman. Later, one afternoon, this villager somehow fell to his death.

Thump, thump, thump!

Lumian ran so fast that he created a gust of wind.

"Wait for your father!" Ponce shouted and chased after him, surprisingly fast.

The henchmen followed closely.

Lumian didn't run along the main road but directly entered the nearest house.

The family was preparing lunch in the kitchen, which also served as a living room, and suddenly saw a person run in.

In a flash, Lumian circled around them and jumped out of the window at the back of the kitchen.

When Ponce and the others chased in, the homeowner had already come to his senses, stood up to intercept them, and asked,

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"Old man, get out of the way!" Ponce pushed the man away viciously, but it delayed him a bit.

By the time they reached the window and jumped out, Lumian had already run into another small road.

After chasing for a while, they completely lost sight of Lumian.

"Damn stray dog!" Ponce spat on the side of the road.

...

Outside a semi-underground two-story building.

Lumian calmed his breathing and opened the door as if nothing had happened.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4..." A rhythmic voice reached his ears.

Lumian looked towards the spacious area on the other side of the kitchen and saw Aurore, with her golden hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a linen shirt, tight white pants, and dark short boots, jumping around, sweating profusely.

— In Cordu village, the kitchen occupies most of the first floor and is the core of the home, where cooking, eating, and socializing take place.

She's exercising again... Lumian was already familiar with such scenes and wasn't surprised at all.

Aurore often does strange things and doesn't explain why when asked.

At least exercising is good, and it looks good... Lumian moved closer and quietly watched.

After a while, Aurore stopped exercising, bent down, and turned off the black tape recorder powered by batteries.

She took the white towel Lumian handed her, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and instructed,

"Remember to learn combat skills this afternoon."

"Reading and learning combat, aren't your expectations of me too high?" Lumian complained casually.

Aurore glanced at him and said with a smile,

"Remember, our goal is to develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and in labor skills!"

She became even happier, as if recalling a pleasant memory or a fun event.

I'm already failing in morality... Lumian muttered silently.

He then asked,

"What kind of combat skills?"

One of the things he didn't understand was how the seemingly gentle Aurore was actually a combat expert, mastering many styles of combat, always overpowering him.

Aurore thought seriously, leaned forward slightly, and looked into Lumian's eyes.

She then chuckled and said loudly,

"Anti-wolf techniques!"

"Huh?" Lumian was surprised. "Isn't that for girls?"

Aurore straightened up, shook her head seriously, and said earnestly,

"Boys need to protect themselves when they go out."

"Who says boys can't be targeted by perverts?"

The smile on her lips gradually became uncontrollable.

I can't tell if she's joking or really planning to do this... Lumian kept quiet, took the white towel, and walked towards the stairs.

Suddenly, his foot tightened, as if he had tripped over something, and he fell forward.

In mid-air, Lumian hurriedly tightened his abdominal muscles, extended his arms, pressed the chair, and did a flip, barely landing safely.

Aurore retracted her foot and tsked,

"One of the key points of combat is to always observe the environment and not be negligent for a moment.

"Remember that, my rookie brother?"

Just now, her right hand had already grabbed Lumian's back, but seeing him control his body, she retracted it.

"That's too much trust in you..." Lumian muttered.

He thought carefully and realized that this kind of trust was meaningless, as he had suffered many similar losses in front of Aurore.

Aurore coughed and composed herself,

"How did your conversation with that woman go?"

Lumian briefly recounted the conversation and concluded,

"I plan to consider exploring the dream world after your friends give a reply."

"A wise choice," Aurore nodded in satisfaction.

Lumian changed the topic,

"What's for lunch?"

"The toast from this morning is still left, and I'll bake you four small lamb chops," Aurore thought for a moment and said.

"What about you?" Lumian asked.

Aurore said casually,

"I'll have a truffle chicken and a cheese onion soup. I tried it last time and found it quite..."

Before she finished, she suddenly stiffened.

The next second, she raised her hands to cover her ears, and her facial muscles gradually twisted.

This made her beauty appear somewhat terrifying.

Lumian watched quietly, his eyes full of concern and worry.

After a while, Aurore took a long breath and returned to normal.

Her forehead was sweating again.

"What happened?" Lumian asked.

Aurore smiled,

"My tinnitus has flared up again. You know I have this old problem."

Lumian didn't press further and said,

"Okay, I'll make lunch, and you rest."

Whenever this happens, his desire to obtain extraordinary power becomes even more urgent and firm.