"Impossible!"
The news in the priest's words was so explosive that the Duchess instinctively blurted out a rebuttal.
"Why is it impossible?"
The priest snorted.
"I've been Awakened far longer than you have. What makes you think I know less about this place than you do?"
"I'm quite certain that I'm not the only Awakened One in town who's experienced this. It's just that the severity varies."
"Given that, if you intend to investigate everyone, have you thought about what the consequences might be?"
"Besides, I can tell you with complete confidence that I've never been to the Old Town, yet I still changed."
"Do you really think you can escape this unpredictable contamination just by going somewhere else?"
The priest's words left the Duchess silent for a moment.
"There's something else you probably don't know. Ever since the mutation, the negative effects of my awakening have disappeared."
"The negative effects are really gone?"
Even the Duchess's eyes lit up at that.
"That's right. Ever since I discovered this thing on my body, I've noticed that it's gradually become harder for me to lose control of my emotions."
"On the contrary, pretending to be swayed by my emotions so no one suspects anything has become a real chore."
"From a certain perspective, if this thing has no negative effects and could even be called a blessing, should we really call it contamination?"
The priest glanced back at Fu Qian.
"I'm telling you all this because I hope we can reach an understanding."
"If we can agree, and you're willing to keep this secret, there's no need for us to kill each other."
"Don't pretend to be so magnanimous. The main reason you're willing to talk is that I showed up today, and you're not confident you can kill both