Ruthless Rabbihe

Hearing this, Iver was finally able to determine what had just happened.

His initial intuition was indeed correct; someone was indeed "risking their life to send a message"! "... I see."

Sherlock realized at the same time. "They lured us here by cursing that troll Curse Master."

"That's why the curse only lasted for a brief moment, and didn't repeat after being stopped; and even though it knew it had been discovered, it didn't move its position at all..."

"It's not that there's an ambush here at all—it's that this old troll is using this method to tell us the location of ' Red Wine Mister '."

But soon, Sherlock had a question, "But how did you know we were near Saintess Highness at the time?"

This is the point he can't deduce—if the old troll is imprisoned here, how did he know the information from their side?

Could it be that, just as Cardinal Loki could monitor the Theocracy, he could also monitor Cardinal Loki from here? "No, I don't know."

The old troll sat cross-legged on the ground and answered honestly.

He calmly and slowly replied, "But I know that the three of them will definitely come to the Theocracy. And I also know that, given their personalities, they will most likely get into some trouble."

"I calculated the time, and they should have arrived a while ago. So around noon, I cast a spell on Zumai Di —given the personalities of the three of them, they're probably foraging for food at this hour. Once Zumai Di causes a commotion, I'll take the opportunity to curse Babu Lu... that should lure them over."

"I can only say that luck was on my side. I succeeded on my first try."

...No wonder.

Bram gritted his teeth.

He had actually sensed something was amiss earlier.

Old Rabbihe, who had remained silent and patient since his capture, suddenly softened and even started chatting with him! At the time, however, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was because the other man had come to his senses—after all, going to the Parthian Ancient Kingdom was indeed much better than staying in the Tropical Rainforest of the Southern Continent. The "job overview" he had previously described to Old Rabbihe was entirely truthful; he genuinely believed it was a good job.

The power of the Benevolent Lord is greater than that of the rulers of Avalon and Star Antimony! They are truly absolute rulers whose word is law. Anyone who dares to defy them will have no water to drink; anyone who dares to kill them will be destroyed because of the lack of water.

In Bram's view, this is a true win-win situation.

Being the most trusted secret servant of such a ruler with absolute power and arbitrary will is far more enjoyable than being the chieftain of a troll tribe, hiding in the depths of the rainforest eating raw meat and herbs every day. For a suspicious but benevolent lord, the most important thing is "trust," and a troll slave with no social connections and whose life is in his own hands is the most trustworthy person. He will certainly be given important responsibilities, and may even be able to afford expensive Longevity Drug.

—Who would have thought that this old man would actually prefer to go back to that Tropical Rainforest?

In order to betray himself, he even went so far as to curse and kill his own people who were loyal to him!

Upon hearing this, Sherlock narrowed his eyes slightly.

He realized that this old troll was no pushover either.

It was a coincidence that Pure White happened to be nearby when Zumai Di was cursed... but if Pure White hadn't been there, the outcome would have been the same. If any of the trolls among them died, the use of a curse to commit murder within the Theocracy would alert the Nine Pillars God Church.

Unlike Avalon, where many people die every day even on Glass Island.

In a theocracy with good Theocracy security, the killing of any person is a major event—although trolls are of low status, they are in some ways more worthy of attention.

In Theocracy, this can be considered a form of "political correctness." Although it's not a performance for anyone else, one's own heart—or path—must not go against.

Because any clergy member of even a modicum of status must take extremely serious matters such as "a young troll coming to the Theocracy to rescue a kidnapped tribal chief, and the kidnapped chief intending to make a secret deal with someone in the Theocracy, while the young troll is cursed to death in the street during his investigation."

—This buff is stacked way too many times.

If we were to back down here, we might even begin to waver in our own Heart of Dedication.

Do you think this is too dangerous, or too troublesome? Do you discriminate against trolls and refuse to dedicate yourself to them? The Theocracy prohibits the human trade and treats trolls as people, not commodities; why don't you stop the trade? Why do you turn a blind eye to murders in the street, even when the victim is cursed to death by Curse Master? Furthermore, tribal chiefs can be considered monarchs in a sense. And the political leaders of local powers are being undermined or harmed by non-native superhumans... This is also a major target of the Theocracy's sanctions.

—This old troll, known as "Old Rabbihe," fully understood the elves' vulnerabilities.

Even Bram, who captured him and brought him here, probably doesn't know as much about elves as Old Rabbihe does.

And in order to achieve all of these goals.

The mere fact that "the curse caused him injury" was not enough to alarm the church's higher-ups.

The curse only lasted a brief moment before automatically retracting, which could only be considered a threat or a prank; if the curse were too minor, the bishop would probably just dispel it at most. Even the three young trolls themselves wouldn't take it seriously, instead thinking that such things were insignificant and far too common in the Southern Continent.

It must be a fatal curse, causing a swift and painful death. Only then will everyone take it seriously.

From the very beginning, Old Rabbihe intended to personally curse and kill two of the three trolls who came to his rescue.

"... I think I know you."

Sherlock frowned and asked, "Are you the inspiration for ' The Troll Wizard's Escape '?"

Upon hearing this, Iver also raised his gaze and carefully examined the troll.

He had also read the novel—it wasn't exactly a literary classic, just something for casual reading.

Its full title is "The story of how a brutal Troll Witch, who was sold to the Stibium Kingdom by slave traders, deceived and killed his master, and then escaped with his lover, the female troll Babi Mu, and drifted on a raft for twenty-eight days before returning to the Southern Continent."

Yes, that's the popular book title for Iris now.

It's more of a synopsis than a book title... because these books are just sitting on the shelf, and seeing only the titles won't easily attract readers' attention. Without book reviewers' recommendations, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the choices.

Your book is called "The Secret Love History of a Noble Lady," and you're following suit with "The Secret Love History of a Noble Madam." Unsuspecting readers might think it's part of a series, and they might even be looking forward to when the next book, "The Secret Love History of a Noble Young Master," will be released.

In this context, Bram invented a new style of title: he printed all the most eye-catching details in red capital letters on the book cover, making them easy to see and thus interesting from a distance—a trend he started.

The side effect is that these book titles are not easy to promote, and readers have difficulty remembering them. So after these books become popular, he would contact major publishers to give the books shorter titles and redesign the covers, wrapping the original titles inside as synopses.

At least in terms of the skill of writing best-selling books, Bram is indeed a genius.

"What do you plan to do with him?"

Iver looked at Pure White.

"Lock him up first."

Chunbai lowered his head and explained, "According to the usual procedure, for this kind of criminal, we first contact his country of residence to arrange extradition or authorize punishment..."

"I am Iris People! I am Iris People!"

Bram shouted, "Please contact the Speaker! I also need a lawyer!"

"—However, his case involves more than just an ongoing troll trade; it's also related to the remnants of giants. He also launched an attack on the Pope Guard. Therefore, we will not contact anyone until we have dealt with his other crimes and extracted all his secrets."

Pure White then spoke calmly.

"... Tsk."

Bram clicked his tongue.

But Iver noticed that even so... Bram didn't seem very scared.

Just then, Bram suddenly looked at Iver.

"Don't think you can get away, Iver! Is helping people fun?"

He shouted loudly, even breaking his voice. "When you see me, my lord will be able to smell your scent!"

"When you enter your dreams, sharp claws will brand your flesh and blood—"

Bang—

Suddenly, Iver stepped forward, raised his heavy scepter, and slammed it down heavily on Bram's face! Instantly, Bram coughed up blood, along with shattered teeth. The intense pain caused tears to well up instinctively.

As Fourth Level Dedication Path transcendent, Iver possesses exceptional physical attributes. While not on par with melee classes like Hai Na, he is certainly a mid-range fighter—far superior to agile physical classes like Hunter and assassins.

His strength caused Bram to faint instantly.

Iver slightly raised his hand, and the light instantly healed Bram's injuries.

"The fact that I'm being targeted is a matter between me and Bear Angel."

He wasn't angry; he just spoke calmly.

"You..."

When Bram groggily woke up and opened his eyes, before he could reply, Iver swung his staff again! "—You're not qualified to call me that."

"I..."

"Be thankful, if it weren't for Her Highness the Saintess being here, I would have burned you to death."

This was repeated three or four times, until all of Bram's teeth were knocked out by Iver.

Because teeth are not considered flesh and blood—the loss of bones cannot be instantly restored through Illumination Spell. At least in the realm of divine magic, "losing teeth" is considered a disability... like a severed limb, which can only be healed through ritual.

When Bram was healed and awoke by Iver once again, there was a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at Iver.

Iver raised his scepter again, as if to strike. Bram instinctively closed his eyes, shrank his neck, and tears streamed down his face.

But the scepter in Iver's hand did not fall.

"Go and repent... though you won't."

Iver merely glanced at Bram with disdain before turning and walking away.

Lily immediately followed behind Iver, followed by Sherlock.

Two of the three trolls stayed behind and helped the old troll up, including Zumai Di, who had almost been cursed to death by him. It was the old troll's grandson, the brown-skinned "Little Rabbihe," who hesitated for a moment before following Iver out.

Realizing his weakness, Bram paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears. "Mom, Mom..."

With all his teeth knocked out, he mumbled incoherently.

Since leaving Avalon, he has had a smooth journey and has never encountered any setbacks... In a sense, he is still the same boy who only thought about how to rebel against his father.

"Take him away and lock him up in the Eighteenth Circle."

Chunbai waved her hand and commanded, "I will interrogate him alone later."

He needs to be thoroughly interrogated to find out where he stole the source blood needed to obtain the power of the giant's bloodline.

Pure white thoughts.

"... Could it really be you, Cardinal Loki?" She looked at Old Rabbihe, thought for a moment, and added, "Also, find out who the buyer is and give him a warning."

"These people are getting more and more outrageous—let them remember that the holy Theocracy is not a place where they can act recklessly."

The Saintess, her eyes blindfolded with white silk, gave the order in a cold voice.