Chapter 21

Mrs. Pualis... Lumian was startled, feeling as if someone had come to his home to silence him.

Thinking of his sister upstairs and her extraordinary abilities, he calmed down a bit.

He slowly exhaled and walked over, pulling open the door.

Outside the door stood two women. The one in front wore a pure black, elegant waist-cinched dress, with a matching shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hands were covered in thin lace gloves, and she wore a slightly tilted, somewhat playful lady's small round hat.

She was dressed entirely in black, except for a diamond necklace with a gold setting around her neck.

Her eyebrows were slightly sparse, her bright brown eyes held a smile, and her long brown hair was styled into a high bun. While her individual features were not outstanding, when combined, they exuded a clean and alluring beauty. Her elegant demeanor and graceful posture made the night sky, tinged with a hint of crimson at the door, seem fresher, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

This was Mrs. Pualis, the wife of the Corderu village administrator and the territory's judge, Beost.

Of course, in Lumian's mind, he would add "the parish priest's mistress," "a suspected witch," "the suspect in the letter of help," and "the pale, fleshy body in the church." However, these were not suitable to say, as they would inevitably change Mrs. Pualis's expression.

If that happened, he would have succeeded in angering her, but disaster might also follow.

"Mrs. Pualis, is there something you need?" Lumian deliberately glanced at the sky outside, hinting that it was not a good time for a visit.

Mrs. Pualis's red lips glistened with a hint of moisture as she gently said:

"I came to discuss something with your sister, Aurore."

From her appearance, she did not look like a woman over thirty with two children; she looked at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

Lumian considered for a moment and stepped aside.

He said to Mrs. Pualis, who had entered:

"Aurore is upstairs, writing a column for a newspaper."

Mrs. Pualis nodded and said to the maid beside her:

"Kathy, wait for me downstairs."

"Yes, madam." Kathy, dressed in a black and white maid's uniform, moved a few steps toward the warm stove.

Lumian led Mrs. Pualis through the kitchen and up the stairs.

Just as they reached the corner, Mrs. Pualis stopped.

"What's wrong?" Lumian turned, feigning confusion.

Mrs. Pualis smiled and asked:

"Did you deliberately bring those three outsiders to the church?"

She's here to confront me... Lumian was not panicked but rather calmer.

His previous experience with pranks and angering people taught him that at such moments, he should not directly answer the question or defend himself. The best choice was to accuse, to point out a mistake the other person had made!

Of course, this depended on the situation, and running away was a backup plan.

Lumian quickly showed an angry expression and looked at Mrs. Pualis:

"You actually engaged in an affair in God's church!"

He then spread his arms in a "hugging the sun" pose:

"My God, my Father, please forgive these sinful people for their blasphemy."

Mrs. Pualis watched quietly, her lips curving into an exceptionally beautiful smile:

"I think God will forgive us.

"I once read a book that said: A lady and her true lover sharing a bed can cleanse all sins, for love makes pleasure pure, like it comes from the purest heart.

"Being with Guillaume Bene makes me very happy, so the 'Eternal Sun' should not be angry. This is not a sin."

What kind of books do you read, madam... Lumian couldn't help but criticize her in his mind.

Mrs. Pualis continued:

"However, it is indeed disrespectful to Saint Cis."

In every region of Intis, there are one or more patron angels or saints, either from the "Eternal Sun" Church or the "Steam and Machinery God" Church, or from Intis's history, who have made significant contributions and are widely known, recognized by the two major churches.

In the Dariège region, the patron saint of the "Eternal Sun" Church is Saint Cis. This means that every "Eternal Sun" church in the region can be called the Saint Cis Church, but to distinguish them, only the largest and most central one is called this, while the others use different names.

Therefore, Mrs. Pualis and the parish priest engaging in an affair in the church is like the steward of Saint Cis secretly bringing someone home and occupying the master's bedroom to do immoral things, a great disrespect to the patron saint.

"Yes," Lumian nodded solemnly, "Is the parish priest not ashamed?"

Mrs. Pualis chuckled.

After laughing, she said to Lumian:

"At the time, I also tried to persuade him. I said, 'Oh, how can we do this in Saint Cis's church?'

"Guess what the parish priest said?

"He said, 'Oh, Saint Cis will have to bear with it.'"

Lumian, inexperienced in such matters, was momentarily at a loss for words.

"He is blaspheming against the saint!" he finally managed to say.

Mrs. Pualis had a nostalgic look:

"He is that kind of person, bold and direct, like a bandit, cursing and breaking into your heart. He is completely different from the gentlemen in Dariège.

"Perhaps that is why I ended up with him."

"That is just the normal behavior of a man in heat. Not to mention Saint Cis, even if a god were there, he would make him wait. Although I have no experience, I have read Aurore's novels, and more than one. This is a case of being controlled by the lower body, no, at that time, his head was already empty, filled with other fluids."

Mrs. Pualis smiled faintly:

"I know the reason, but in that situation, he did seem very charming.

"Hehe, you are indeed an inexperienced boy, not knowing that the same words can have different effects in different environments and atmospheres.

"I remember the first time I had a relationship with the parish priest, he stood there, looking into my eyes, and directly said, 'Pualis, I want to know your body and soul more deeply.' At any other time, I would have thought he was a crude, vulgar, and lewd man who needed to be stopped, but at that moment, my body softened because the atmosphere was just right."

As she spoke, Mrs. Pualis's smile became more alluring:

"It's like, if I fancy a man, I would say to him, 'Come to my house tonight, okay?'

"If he really came, I would take him directly to the bedroom and tell him, 'I want to sleep with you, I love you.'

"Lumian, what would you say as a man in such a situation?"

Lumian would sometimes tell dirty jokes with the men in the village. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable now, he could still hold his ground. He recalled his sister's stories and other contemporary novels, and after some consideration, said:

"I would say, 'Madam, you are my sun.'"

"Very talented..." Mrs. Pualis praised.

As she spoke, she leaned forward, her eyes becoming moist.

A warm breath suddenly enveloped Lumian's ear, and a soft, magnetic female voice whispered:

"I want to sleep with you..."

At that moment, Lumian couldn't help but shudder, his body tingling as if he had touched a broken radio lamp.

He quickly took a step up the stairs and said to Mrs. Pualis:

"Aurore should be waiting for you."

"Okay." Mrs. Pualis straightened up, her smile fading, and her eyes returning to normal.

It was as if nothing had happened just now.

This woman... Lumian suddenly felt a bit afraid.

He quickly turned and took a few steps to the second floor, with Mrs. Pualis following at a normal pace.

Aurore, hearing the doorbell, was already waiting outside her bedroom.

"So slow?" she looked at Lumian.

Lumian subtly explained:

"We talked about the church."

Aurore understood immediately and gave her brother a look that said, "Pray to the 'Eternal Sun' for good luck."

She turned to Mrs. Pualis, who had just reached the second floor, and smiled:

"Is there something you need?"

"To discuss some preparations for Lent. A certain celebration might need your help," Mrs. Pualis said with a smile.

"I'm very busy these days..." Aurore looked for an excuse to decline.

Mrs. Pualis pointed to the study door:

"Can you listen to it first?"

"Okay." Aurore had this much courtesy.

Watching his sister and Mrs. Pualis enter the study and close the wooden door, Lumian nodded slightly:

"Her behavior is still normal, without any signs of guilt from revisiting the crime scene..."

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind:

"Mrs. Pualis has a good chance of being a female witch. Can I obtain extraordinary powers from her?

"This is much more convenient and safer than pursuing the truth about witches, facing that owl, and exploring that dangerous dream relic...

"Moreover, the dream relic must be explored to uncover its secrets and eliminate the hidden danger as soon as possible. Having extraordinary powers would reduce the risk."

Thinking about this, Lumian suddenly felt a sense of caution and shook his head.

He then began to self-reflect:

"How can I think like this?

"Whether Mrs. Pualis is a friend or an enemy is still unclear. How can I rashly seek extraordinary powers through her?

"Yes, she didn't seem like a good person just now, and even made me feel dangerous...

"What's wrong with me lately? I've been too eager and rash in pursuing extraordinary powers, as if I would die if I didn't get them soon..."

Lumian had known his sister was a witch for nearly two years. Although he had been trying to obtain extraordinary powers, he had never been as eager and reckless as he had been in the past few days. He was desperate to seize any opportunity, regardless of whether it was good or bad, and whether it was dangerous, as if he hadn't eaten for a long time and was not picky at all.

"Phew... Fortunately, I noticed the problem in time. Otherwise, the path ahead might have become more skewed and dangerous." Lumian exhaled deeply, relieved to have regained his normal mindset.

Of course, the pursuit of extraordinary powers could not be stopped, but he needed to be more selective. The dangerous dream relic had already revealed its face, and the undercurrents in the village were becoming more turbulent.