Chapter 44 – Official Intervention
Byk Town’s chapel was small and dilapidated. Based on this, one could infer that the Church, which was revered in some parts of the mainland, wasn’t that respected here.
However, despite today not being a day of worship, the small building was currently packed with people.
Due to the vampire incident, many believers had come here to pray in hopes of averting misfortune for themselves and their families.
Zwei in his mage robe and the two beautiful lolis walking beside him looked very eye-catching in the crowd. Shortly after they had arrived in the chapel, a male priest looking to be in his 40s approached them. The priest had a full beard on his face, and his body was clad in ceremonial attire.
“Greetings, Sir Priest,” Zwei said as he executed a magician’s greeting. He then introduced himself, “I am an itinerant magician, Zwei Aldric, and these two here are my assistants.”
Respect was something that one had to give first in order to receive. Of course, this statement wouldn’t apply when the social status of the two individuals varied greatly.
Now that Zwei was in foreign territory, it was only appropriate for him to show respect. Not to mention, the other party was wearing the ceremonial attire meant for hosting mass. It was evident the priest held a high status in this chapel. If Zwei wished to obtain any information from the chapel, he had to act politely.
“Hello, Mr. Aldric,” the priest responded, a smile of satisfaction appearing on his stern face. Having a respectable magician greet him in such a polite manner before so many believers greatly satisfied his vanity. “My name is Tony Wesley. Is there anything I can help you with? The Lord’s glory will certainly not be stingy with friends.”
Lowering his voice, Zwei went straight to the point and said, “Actually, I want to inquire about the recent rumor.”
The only rumor circulating around town recently was the vampire incident, so the priest immediately understood what Zwei meant.
Hence, after passing on the task of presiding over the prayer to an apprentice priest and nun, the middle-aged priest brought Zwei to the confessional at the back of the chapel.
After all, a matter of such importance shouldn’t be discussed in public. With their identities as a priest and a magician, they could easily influence commoners. And with the ignorance of commoners, their words would most likely end up getting distorted and turned into strange rumors.
Tony did not wish to get sent back to Horador by the damned iron-blooded mayor for the crime of rumormongering—the reduced salary was one thing, but the humiliation from his peers would be too much for him to bear.
“Now, Father Wesley, how much do you know about this incident?” Zwei asked as soon as he sat down.
Clergymen were similar to the civil servants of a certain dynasty. They liked to engage in a lot of small talk before addressing the actual business. Zwei didn’t have time to spare for such a conversation, so he went straight to the point.
“I haven’t seen the vampire myself. However, because of the mayor’s dislike of magicians, he has only a bunch of reckless magic swordsmen around him. Hence, I was the one who liberated the two walking corpses discovered, using my sacred magic. Amen, may the souls of those two children ascend to Heaven,” the priest said, wiping his eyes with his hand, though no tears actually came out of them. “However, as a knowledgeable magician, you should understand that many things can give rise to walking corpses, Mr. Aldric. Vampires aren’t the only ones capable of creating them.”
“Really? But Father Wesley, you should also know that walking corpses made by vampires have special characteristics, right?” Zwei questioned with his brows raised. The special characteristic he referred to was the bite mark vampires left on the walking corpses they created. While ordinary people might not be able to detect the bite marks, a priest proficient in light magic should be able to detect the mark through the evil energy lingering in it.
Afterward, Zwei’s gaze fell on a small bottle of pristine liquid sitting at a corner of the confessional. “At the very least, I don’t think ordinary walking corpses would be enough to make a chapel disregard tradition and place holy water in the confessional.”
The confessional, also known as the confession room, was a place for believers to confess their sins to the clergy in order to obtain forgiveness.
Such a place did not need anything other than a chair and a cross or a statue of God. At this moment, however, in addition to the extra table, there was a beautifully shaped crystal bottle filled with holy water sitting on the table. The confessional was also decorated with many weapons the church used specifically for dealing with evil creatures—such as the silver short sword currently adorning the wall.
Even the oak crosses placed opposite the chairs now boasted silver plating.
“The Lord teaches us not to tread recklessly when facing potential enemies,” the priest, whom Zwei had exposed, said calmly. Even the contemptuous gaze Alyssa gave him didn’t affect him.
However, regardless of the priest’s behavior, Zwei had already fulfilled his goal of verifying the rumors of the vampire.
Just when Tony thought that the young and sharp-witted magician was about to leave, Zwei suddenly picked up the holy water on the table and shook it. He then looked at Tony and asked, “One more question, Father Wesley. Can you sell me some holy water?”
After a round of bargaining, Zwei used two pieces of elemental shards to exchange for seven bottles of liquid labeled by the system as “Diluted Inferior Holy Water.”
This was the first time Zwei had seen something in the real world being recognized by the system as an item—even his previous magic staff, which slightly enhanced his spellcasting speed, did not receive such a treatment.
Anyhow, based on its introduction, the holy water appeared to deal damage to dark, undead, and shadow creatures. Although it was still debated in academia whether vampires were undead or demonic creatures, it didn’t actually matter which category they fell under, as holy water was still effective against them. And this was all Zwei needed to know.
However, after Zwei walked out of the confessional, the little joy he felt immediately disappeared.
The atmosphere outside was even gloomier than before. The townspeople had lost their smiles, and worry colored their faces. Even the naughty children seemed to sense the heavy mood of the adults, and one by one, they obediently held their guardians’ hands without making a fuss.
Alyssa also lost her previous smile, a deep frown forming on her face. As for Tio, she was practically attached to Zwei’s leg now, her delicate body trembling slightly.
The atmosphere in the chapel made Zwei feel as if a heavy object was pressing down on his chest, and it felt really uncomfortable.
Sighing, he called up the Magic Academy System’s Magic Book panel. As he had been unsure which spell to get, he still hadn’t used the Proof of the Strong from the Honing Tower’s First Floor.
Anyway, I still have many more dungeons to raid, so it shouldn’t hurt to be a little extravagant, Zwei inwardly consoled himself.
After a little hesitation, he used the Proof of the Strong to activate the “Pious Aura” spell, categorized under light magic.
Pious Aura was mainly an AOE spell that could be used to calm nearby allies quickly and relieve negative moods such as fear and anxiety. Aside from that, it also had a small bonus of slightly improving the effects of meditation. Truthfully, Pious Aura was Zwei’s least favored skill. However, at this moment, not only did he choose to learn the spell, but he even activated it at maximum strength.
Immediately, everyone’s gaze gathered on Zwei’s body. Although they couldn’t see Zwei’s Pious Aura, that did not prevent them from having an inexplicable sense of acknowledgment and dependence on Zwei. They felt that so long as Zwei existed, they had nothing to be afraid of.
Zwei hadn’t expected such an effect when he activated Pious Aura, so he was stunned. His face heated up under the gaze of nearly a hundred pairs of eyes. However, he quickly put on a serious expression and said, “Citizens of Byk Town and residents living near Byk Town, please rest assured and continue with your daily routines. I, Magician Zwei Aldric, swear here that this incident will be resolved!”
When Zwei finished his speech, a wave of applause sounded.