"Feel it. The blood is still warm. He only just died. And I've been with you this whole time—when would I have had the chance to kill him?"
"But he died in the room you arranged for him. You caused all this!!"
"I..." The male voice let out a heavy sigh before explaining, "Fine, even if I was the one who killed him, isn't that a good thing? Now that he's dead, nothing stands between us anymore."
"He could die, but not now! You've ruined everything!"
"What everything? Dilar, are you hiding something from me again? You've changed lately. You've become so unfamiliar to me. You... haven't you set your sights on someone else again?"
"No! I haven't!"
The woman's voice was filled with gritted fury, but she did not explain herself. Instead, she said anxiously:
"The banquet is about to begin. The moment everyone finds out he's dead, we're finished!"
"Finished? You're the Duchess, the victim. I'm merely a duke's nephew without inheritance rights, an ordinary guard. At worst, I'll be punished for dereliction of duty. How could we be finished?"
"...I... I was too anxious. He can't just die like this. The matter of the bill isn't settled yet, and the citizens of the territory will continue protesting..."
"Dilar, that's something the duke should worry about. You're only the Duchess!"
"But he's dead! Dead!"
The Duchess tried desperately to suppress her shout, but she still sounded somewhat hysterical, as if the duke's death had dealt her a heavy blow.
"So what if he's dead? You have inheritance rights to all his property. Isn't that enough? Brooks's wealth is enough for us to squander for several lifetimes."
"No... You don't understand. I can inherit his property, but not his title. That means Brooks's administrative authority will be returned to the royal court..."
"What? You want to become a duchess too?"
"No! I'm only doing this for those... citizens of the town!"
"You don't understand! Listen, stay here and guard the room. Don't let anyone in. I'll find a way! We absolutely have to make sure news of his death doesn't get out!"
After she finished speaking, the room filled with the sound of hurried footsteps. The Duchess anxiously left.
After hearing this, Cheng Shi and Bailing exchanged glances in the cramped space and both breathed a sigh of relief.
If this "ordinary guard" was going to guard the room, he should next leave and stand watch outside. That would give the two of them a chance to escape first.
But unexpectedly, the second the Duchess slammed the door shut, the man who called himself an "ordinary guard" smiled and turned toward the wardrobe.
"Sorry for making you listen to such a farce, but it doesn't matter. It'll be over soon."
He clapped his hands and said with an approving smile:
"Thank you for killing Brooks. Although I made my own arrangements as well, your methods were clearly cleaner and more decisive than mine. I have to say, you're very good at concealing yourselves too. Unfortunately, you ran into me."
"Come out. Since you've done me a small favor, I can give you a quick death."
Cheng Shi and Bailing exchanged another glance, their hearts sinking.
They had been discovered.
"What do we do?" Bailing asked silently.
Cheng Shi thought for a moment before mouthing back, "Can you fight?"
Bailing shook her head, but after remembering that Cheng Shi was only a Priest, she nodded again. Then she wrote a number on Cheng Shi's leg with her finger.
"1,321."
Cheng Shi immediately understood. That was her Ladder Score.
It was indeed far too low.
Those who were still in this tier half a year after Faith Game descended were either scraping by in solo instances or had muddled through the whole way.
Bailing clearly looked like neither. Cheng Shi truly couldn't understand how her score could be so low.
Could she have failed every time, yet survived every time?
That was even harder than getting a high score every time!
Regardless, she was still a Hunter. Her offensive ability had to be better than that of a Priest like him.
"Don't panic. Take him down!"
Cheng Shi spoke silently again, then patted Bailing lightly on the shoulder to signal that he was about to push open the door.
Bailing froze for a moment before understanding. She began counting down silently.
"3."
"2."
"1!"
"Bang!"
The two of them pushed the door open simultaneously. Bailing summoned her longbow at once and activated her Sensory Hunt talent, stabbing straight into the opponent's sea of desire in an attempt to disrupt his actions.
Cheng Shi rolled several times across the floor, and the Healing Art in his hand struck both of them in advance, leaving ample room for healing.
However, once they burst through the door, they discovered that the guard who had sounded so ferocious just moments ago was standing by the head of the bed, far away from them, grinning ominously.
Sensory Hunt seemed to have slammed into a solid wall and was firmly blocked outside.
"Damn, he has a mental defense skill!"
"Oh? So you're servants of Filth and Decay? Excellent. Your methods of killing were so clean that you left behind almost no trace. I was still worrying about how to redirect the blame onto the refugees. This is even better."
Although he was speaking, his expression was extremely cautious. His eyes kept scrutinizing the two of them as he clicked his tongue and laughed.
"Filth and Decay believers among the refugees infiltrated the duke's residence to assassinate him in opposition to his bill, just before its announcement. What a perfectly reasonable explanation. Now all suspicion on me will be completely cleared. I really must thank you."
Cheng Shi's sharp gaze swept over the surrounding space and the guard's entire body. Before long, he spotted a familiar object in the guard's hand.
A ring!
He was wearing a ring identical to the one in the dwarf's possession!
Cheng Shi had never expected things to line up so perfectly. He decisively pulled the ring from his chest and held it up in front of him.
At this point, saying more would only make things worse. It was better to say nothing and let the other man guess.
The guard indeed froze when he saw the ring in Cheng Shi's hand. Then he threw back his head and laughed in disbelief.
"What? I only gave the broker three hundred gold coins. He said he'd found a group of dwarves to do this. What, did the dwarves outsource the job too?
"Hahahaha, you're adorable. Who are you? How much did those shorties pay you?"
Cheng Shi instantly understood the crucial point. So those dwarves had been hired by the man before him to assassinate the duke.
But they had killed the dwarves and then happened to run into the duke's death.
Damn it. This is impossible to explain now.
The other man clearly had no intention of letting them go just because they were hired assassins.
Cheng Shi looked at the guard, who was still laughing, and answered grimly:
"Thirty gold coins."
"What? Hahahaha, how much did you say?" The guard's laughter grew even more unrestrained.
"Twenty works too."
"?" His smile froze. He frowned, apparently failing to understand.
"Then we're even!"
The instant he finished speaking, Cheng Shi cast Accelerated Metabolism directly on the other man, targeting the flaws in his legs and feet.
This would cause the vitality in his legs to keep rising under rapid metabolism, but because the condition of his legs differed from normal, it would also create an unfamiliar sense of sluggishness.
If they seized that moment of sluggishness, perhaps they would have a chance.
Bailing had clearly understood Cheng Shi's "countdown." The instant his words fell, she fired an arrow infused with the power of Filth and Decay at the guard.
Their coordination was remarkably seamless. The moment the guard's legs gave way, the arrow struck his arm.
The power of sinking desire spread like tentacles, reaching for his reason and tearing at his emotions.
Yet the guard did not panic. A cold smile curled across his lips as he opened his mouth and declared:
"Here, resistance is forbidden!"
"Vooom—"
Holy light rapidly spread outward from the guard, instantly coating the entire room in gold.
The longbow in Bailing's hands immediately slipped free against her will and fell to the floor. Even the arrow embedded in the guard's body dropped to the ground, falling utterly silent.
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted when he saw this, and he realized that something was wrong.
This was the power of Order!
The enemy was actually a Law Giver!
A Singer of Order!
Since when could Singers work as guards?
Before Cheng Shi could process it, the high-tier Law Giver before him had already raised his voice and begun to chant.
"Above stands the judge. The time for execution has come.
"Chains choke the prisoner's cries, while shackles shatter the sinner's arrogance.
"Here they shall face judgment and welcome the baptism of sacred fire, bathing in the glory of the Lord of Grace.
"Then!
"Under the gaze of Order...
"Be reduced to ash!"
With every line he sang, Cheng Shi could clearly feel his physical condition rapidly deteriorating.
"Silence," "Imprisonment," "Scorching," "Repentance"...
Four negative statuses stacked on his body at a furious pace, and the oppressive weight became almost tangible.
Before long, the two of them were pressed flat against the floor, unable even to catch their breath.
Bailing's condition was clearly worse than Cheng Shi's. It was as if an invisible giant foot was planted on her back, crushing her against the floor until her entire body and face warped.
Bright-red blood flowed from her seven orifices, and her vision soon began to blur.
She looked at Cheng Shi, who was in equally miserable condition. Without any fear of impending death, she offered a bitter smile and apologized:
"I'm sorry... boss... I'm... too weak..."
But "Silence" affected everyone, and her voice could not force its way out of her throat.
Cheng Shi only saw Bailing move her lips before she smiled and closed her eyes.
"Weakness is the original sin, isn't it?"
The guard let out a cold chuckle, drew his longsword, and slowly strode toward Cheng Shi.
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