Chapter 92
"All the victims were killed instantly with a dagger or a knife, without any signs of resistance."
Aivina glanced at Adele, who was cowering behind Yulis, and asked helplessly, "Wasn't it enough to just give a little medicine? Why did you come along?"
Adele barely knew Shar; they had only met once, and she had merely vouched for her. Aivina couldn't understand why Adele insisted on joining this operation.
She was clearly terrified.
Aivina spoke with a flat expression, and it seemed to poke at Adele's pride. Adele shot her a cautious glare.
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
Perhaps hiding behind Yulis had given Adele some courage. Her voice was no longer shaky; instead, she retorted defiantly, "There aren't many extraordinary beings left in the city. Isn't it safer for me to come along?"
Aivina was momentarily taken aback by the retort, inhaling sharply, but she couldn't think of a comeback.
Adele was right. They had Nia, a third-tier "Crown Guard," Yulis, a second-tier "Missionary," and seven or eight first-tier extraordinary beings with them.
If they couldn't handle Shar here, letting an uncontrolled Shar wander into Boren City would only make things worse.
"We only have one day."
Yulis interjected, breaking the brewing argument between the two. "I've sent an emergency request to the Church through a ritual. I mentioned Shar and the Saintly Assembly."
"If we can't control Shar by the end of today, when the Church's reinforcements arrive, I can't guarantee that the bishop or archbishop will spare her life."
Hearing this, Aivina's heart tightened.
Only one day...
It had been over two hours since Yulis mentioned that Shar had consumed the potion. Shar was likely no longer at the manor.
There was no trace of her in the city, and if she had run off to another location, finding her would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
If they couldn't find her, they might have to wait for Shar's potion to spiral out of control, causing some sensational incident that would draw the attention of other churches or organizations before they could learn of her whereabouts.
"I'll split up with you. We need to search the Dedton Manor quickly."
Aivina said to Yulis and the others.
With Nia's protection, she felt confident enough to go off on her own.
"Don't!"
Adele quickly interjected, stopping Aivina's hasty plan. "Don't split up! In knight novels, those who split up usually end up dead!"
"Adele has a point."
Yulis nodded, addressing Aivina. "You... haven't seen her in that state. For your safety, and for everyone else's, it's better not to split up."
"...I understand."
Aivina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
She wasn't sure why she was so anxious; she just wanted to find Shar as soon as possible.
Now, all Aivina could do was pray that Shar hadn't been completely assimilated by the potion.
Clop, clop—
A hurried footstep echoed from the manor, drawing everyone's attention.
Nia swiftly drew her sword and shield, stepping forward to protect Aivina.
A woman wearing a red mask stumbled into view, clad only in an ill-fitting shirt, with nothing on her lower half.
Upon seeing Nia in her knight's attire, the woman quickened her pace, but tripped over a stone, tumbling forward and rolling twice, her body splattered with mud, looking utterly disheveled.
"Help! Help me!!!"
The woman cried out as she crawled toward Nia.
"She's just an ordinary person."
Yulis spoke slowly, taking a moment to assess the situation. "She's not from the Saintly Assembly."
Yulis stepped forward, and four white shadows emerged from her own, surrounding her from all sides.
She crouched down in front of the crying woman and spoke gently, "It's okay... What happened inside?"
With her white mask on, Yulis's ethereal voice seemed to carry a mysterious power, gradually calming the panicked woman.
"People... so many people died inside..."
The woman looked up at Yulis, her voice choked with emotion. "I was about to start my night shift. I just entered the changing room, and when I came out, I found my new uniform was gone."
"I thought it was just a prank, so I waited for others to come into the changing room to help me get another set... but I waited for a long time, and no one came."
"Then I heard a lot of screams from outside, so I hid in the changing room and didn't come out. When it got quiet, I came out... and saw so many dead bodies!"
"And then... I just ran outside. I felt like something was chasing me, but when I looked back, I saw nothing... and then I saw you all..."
Feeling like something invisible was pursuing her...
Aivina and Adele exchanged glances, both seeing the answer in each other's eyes.
It was likely the shadow of the "Judicator." Ordinary people with a bit of sensitivity could indeed sense such things or catch a glimpse of a shadow in extreme fear.
However, if an ordinary person saw it, they would probably go mad... Perhaps the woman was too panicked to truly perceive the shadow's presence.
That, in turn, saved her life.
After calming the woman down and having one of the "Penance Brothers" hand her a long coat, Yulis headed straight into the manor.
Aivina and Nia followed closely behind. Adele had wanted to stay hidden behind her sister, but since her sister was too far ahead, she had no choice but to trail behind Aivina, maintaining a subtly distant yet close proximity.
It was perfectly normal for the "Doctor" to stay back... No, the "Doctor" should be at the back! Adele thought to herself, overcoming her inner fear and confidently positioning herself behind Aivina.
"This way, we went up from here."
Yulis recalled the route she had taken with Shar, mentally counting her steps as she headed toward the parlor on the right side of Dedton Manor.
Another corpse... the same method of death, a single stab, without hesitation.
Could this really be something Shar was capable of?
Aivina struggled to connect the lifeless body before her with the image of the calm, intelligent, caring girl who cooked for her sister.
This was no longer a contrast; it was as if she had become a different person altogether.
Following the open secret passage downward, the stench of blood grew stronger.
In the chapel below, they found several different corpses, each one crushed in the head or heart by some blunt object, with a death that was quite different and seemingly painless.
"These are the cultists I dealt with."
Yulis paused for a moment, then pointed to another secret passage. "That way leads to where Shar was before."
"Ugh—"
Behind them, a first-tier extraordinary being, likely someone who had rarely seen death, retched at the sight of the corpses scattered around.
The continuous bloodstains and bodies cast a shadow over everyone's hearts, and tension spread among the group.
Many of the "Penance Brothers," having just completed the replication ritual, might not have even fought an ordinary person, let alone face such a terrifying second-tier being.
Following the secret passage Yulis indicated, the group moved cautiously upward, and soon, they came upon a row of shattered bookshelves.
Peering through the gaps in the shelves, they saw a lavish office, where a conspicuous pool of deep red blood stained the red carpet, with bits of brain matter scattered atop it.
"What is this..."
Aivina frowned slightly as she looked at the blood trail dragged to the door.
"That's the corpse of the cult 'Missionary,'"
Yulis said, glancing around. "I don't sense Shar's presence."
"Sis... the body was dragged away."
Adele peeked her head out and whispered a reminder.
"Dragged away?"
Yulis felt a sinking sensation in her heart.
Extraordinary beings assimilated by the potion develop an unusual obsession with spiritual materials and other extraordinary beings.
They would continuously devour those spiritual materials or the corpses of extraordinary beings, especially those of similar paths, accelerating their own assimilation until their rationality was completely obliterated.
"Nia."
"Yes, Miss."
At this point, Yulis no longer needed to lead the way.
Nia followed the blood trail outside, with Aivina and Yulis close behind.
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