Chapter 15

Leaving the old tavern, Lumi An began to hide again.

He approached the road he often took when returning home.

Sure enough, he found one of Ponce Ben's men crouching behind the roadside trees, observing the passersby.

The parish priest truly wouldn't stop until he achieved his goal... Lumi An couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

And most importantly, he couldn't effectively counterattack.

This was partly due to his limited personal abilities, and partly because if anything happened to the parish priest, it would inevitably alarm the "Eternal Sun" Church in Daliège, and then the Inquisition would send people to investigate, which would be very dangerous for Aurore.

Unless he was forced into a corner and decided to abandon this place and move elsewhere, Lumi An could only try to expose the parish priest's privacy, hoping that the scandal would lead to his transfer to a monastery for "retirement."

Moreover, exposing the scandal also required skill, like when the outsider caught the parish priest and Mrs. Pouilly in the act.

The reason Lumi An didn't widely publicize this was that he didn't want to draw attention to himself. From his observations, the administrative officer and territorial judge, Beost, was a very face-conscious person. If he exposed Mrs. Pouilly's affair, he would not earn Beost's gratitude but rather his hatred and enmity.

In that case, facing the combined attacks of the parish priest and the administrative officer, Lumi An would have to flee from Cordu Village.

He carefully and cautiously circled around to another narrow path between several houses.

Along the way, Lumi An constantly used walls, doors, and trees to hide his figure. As he approached the "exit," he suddenly heard voices.

"Guillaume, why don't we just go to Aurore's house at night to catch that boy? Searching for him all day and ambushing him won't do any good; it's a waste of our time. He's as cunning as a wolf in the mountains." Ponce Ben's familiar rough voice reached Lumi An's ears. "I know Aurore is strong, but we have so many people, and we can even find help in the city."

Guillaume... The parish priest is here too... Lumi An stopped and crouched in the corner, intending to listen to what the parish priest would say and how he would plan to deal with him.

Guillaume Ben's voice had a magnetic quality:

"Do you think Aurore only has the abilities she shows?"

"She might possess extraordinary powers that I don't have."

"Ah..." Ponce Ben was clearly surprised. "Is she a witch? Guillaume, why don't you go to Daliège and get the Inquisition involved? Capturing a real witch would earn you the Church's reward, and you might even gain the extraordinary powers you've long desired."

"Fool." Guillaume Ben directly scolded his brother. "Do you know the current situation in the village? The Inquisition's people are like dogs with a keen sense of smell; they won't let any abnormality go unnoticed. That would cause a lot of trouble.

"Even if Aurore really wants to deal with us, I have other methods. We shouldn't alarm the Inquisition until the last moment."

So, what is the current situation in the village? Lumi An was very concerned and curious about this.

Combining the unusual phenomena he had noticed, he suspected that something bad was brewing and developing in the village, like a turbulent undercurrent beneath a calm sea.

To his disappointment, Ponce Ben did not elaborate on this topic but focused on another point:

"What methods do you have to deal with a witch?"

"You don't need to know." The parish priest Guillaume Ben said in a deep voice. "For now, we can put the matter of dealing with Lumi An on hold, but we must maintain the appearance of revenge. We can't let people suspect my intentions, as it might lead the outsiders to certain conclusions and have negative effects. You need to warn the relevant people and scare those who might have noticed something, so they don't slip up in front of the outsiders."

"Guillaume, do you mean the outsiders are here to investigate that matter?" Ponce Ben was clearly afraid and worried.

Look at you, all muscle and no brains, not as calm and composed as your brother, a natural leader... Lumi An mocked Ponce Ben in his mind.

Although he hated the parish priest, thinking he was a stud, crude, and greedy, and not at all like a clergyman, in the countryside, a brutal, direct, and forceful style of behavior was more convincing. Combined with his status, power, wealth, and a clear mind, sufficient intelligence, and good eloquence, even Lumi An had to admit that the man had some charm and was easily admired and relied upon by those around him.

Guillaume Ben sneered:

"Don't worry. As long as the outsiders don't have real evidence, I will still be the parish priest of Cordu Village.

"Ponce, remember, ruling a place can't rely solely on intimidation, terror, and suppression. That will never bring peace or achieve the desired results. Does the Church want a wasteland that can't pay taxes? Since we can't kill all the adults here, we need some friends and followers, and we can provide them with some protection.

"The Church lets us lead the affairs here instead of sending outsiders because we are locals, with relatives, friends, and followers, who can help them control the area better without causing chaos. As long as there isn't enough evidence, the higher-ups will continue to trust me.

"Alright, I'm going back to the church."

It sounds very reasonable and persuasive, but Parish Priest, your knowledge and vision are still limited to the Daliège region... I heard from Aurore that in other places, when facing villages severely polluted by evil gods, the Church chooses to completely destroy them, turning the area into a wasteland, and at that time, not only all the adults but even the children will be killed... Lumi An almost got "convinced" by Guillaume Ben just now, but fortunately, Aurore often told him about the horrors of the "Eternal Sun" Church and the "Steam and Machinery" Church.

After the parish priest left, Lumi An changed his route and returned home smoothly.

By the oven, Aurore, wearing a white apron, was busy.

"What are you doing?" Lumi An asked curiously.

It's still more than two hours before lunch.

Aurore tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear and smiled:

"Trying to make a new flavor of toast, rice toast."

"You don't need to go to so much trouble..." Lumi An was instantly moved.

He thought Aurore was doing it to make his meals better.

Aurore chuckled:

"What are you thinking? Don't be so narcissistic, okay?

"For me, cooking and baking are a form of entertainment, a way to pass the time, understand?"

"Why don't you like going out? There are more entertainments outside." Lumi An always thought Aurore stayed at home because she was overly concerned about the dangers of her witch identity.

Aurore turned her head and glared at him:

"Drinking and playing cards?

"Remember, I am the world, and I seek nothing outside myself."

Lumi An understood the first half but was confused by the second:

"Ah?

"Can you explain what that means?"

Aurore shot him a look:

"To put it simply, your sister is mostly a social phobic!"

"What do you mean by 'mostly'?" Lumi An asked curiously.

"Human beings are a contradiction." Aurore turned her gaze back to the oven. "Don't you remember? Sometimes I'm very talkative and willing to go out to listen to old ladies' gossip, then tease the children and tell them stories. Sometimes I even go crazy, borrowing Mrs. Pouilly's pony to ride around the mountains, galloping and shouting loudly."

At those times, you shine like a rose bathed in morning dew, attracting people to come close, yet you might also hurt them... Lumi An couldn't help but mutter in his mind.

Because he mentioned Mrs. Pouilly, Lumi An changed the topic:

"Aurore, uh, sister, I just heard a rumor about Mrs. Pouilly."

"What?" Aurore didn't hide her curiosity.

"She's a witch, able to communicate with the souls of the dead..." Lumi An told his sister what Ava had said, along with the abnormalities he had noticed and the words of the parish priest Guillaume Ben.

Aurore paused her work and listened to her brother's story attentively.

Her expression became more serious.

After Lumi An finished, Aurore smiled and comforted him:

"Don't worry too much. The three outsiders are likely here to investigate something the parish priest and his men did privately, which might be related to Mrs. Pouilly.

"For now, don't provoke Mrs. Pouilly. I'll keep an eye on them.

"Walk around the village more, interact with the outsiders, and see if you can figure out what's going on. Compared to that, the lady who gave you the 'Wand' card is more worth our attention.

"If the situation indeed worsens, we'll have to consider leaving Cordu Village. Yes, we can start preparing now."

"Okay." Lumi An agreed with his sister's approach.

After a pause, he asked curiously:

"Aurore, if we really have to leave Cordu Village, where do you plan to settle?"

"Trier!" Aurore answered without hesitation.

Trier is the capital of the Intis Republic, the cultural and artistic center of the entire continent.

"Why?" Although Lumi An himself also thought of Trier, he asked casually.

—Every Intis person wants to go to Trier.

And in the eyes of the people of Trier, there are only Trier people and provincials.

Aurore said dreamily:

"A prophet once said:

'As long as Trier remains, the world's joy will endure.'" (Note 1)

Note 1: Adapted from Nostradamus, "The Centuries"