Heretic

When the carriage carrying Luther and his companions arrived in front of Old Neil's house, the night was already deep.

This detached house was divided into two floors. At this moment, lights were shining through the glass on both sides of the front door, casting a glow onto the walkway. As they crossed the garden filled with roses and golden mint, they caught the faint, pleasant scent of the plants while also hearing the faint sound of a piano coming from inside. The melody was graceful and light, echoing leisurely through the quiet night.

The old man can play the piano? I never would have guessed...

Luther thought to himself, but he noticed that Dunn, Luo Yao, and Daly—those who knew Old Neil well—all had their expressions change.

"Old Neil doesn't play the piano."

Luo Yao whispered an explanation to Luther.

Luther felt a jolt in his heart. If that was the case, who could be playing the piano in the middle of the night?

"The spirits nearby are very restless."

Daly closed her eyes, sensing something.

"Hmm."

Crestet said calmly, "Then let's begin."

He did not enter the house, but stood on the walkway in front of the main entrance and began to chant in a low voice. It was a melody without lyrics, a song that seemed to echo the night. The roses and golden mint in the evening breeze swayed their leaves in response; everything was so peaceful and serene.

Luther felt his eyelids grow heavy, but fortunately, the song was not aimed at him, so he shook his head slightly and shook off the drowsiness. He saw a translucent object drift out from Crestet's raised collar. It flew forward silently, passed through the front door, and entered Old Neil's house.

And so, the piano music inside Old Neil's house gradually ceased.

"Alright, we can go in now."

Crestet said faintly.

So strong, controlling the target without a sound—this is what a Senior Deacon is capable of.

Luther couldn't help but marvel. He followed the others to the front door, and as Luo Yao gripped the handle and pulled it open, the scene inside the house was revealed.

The house was very clean and tidy, so tidy that it didn't look like the home of a solitary old man. Passing through the porch where coats and umbrellas were kept, one entered the spacious living room. In the center of the living room lay a patterned rug, and on the rug sat a heavy round table. Surrounding the round table were comfortable benches, a rocking chair, and a piano.

Luther subconsciously looked toward the piano, and he seemed to see a transparent figure there.

At this moment, Old Neil was slumped over the round table, resting his head on his arms, sleeping peacefully. He was a long distance away from the piano, and there was no one else present.

Behind him, the familiar, eerie eyes were still floating, but at this moment, another transparent object was entangled with them, causing them to flip up and down, unable to turn their gaze toward Luther. Luther immediately recognized that this was the thing Crestet had released.

He couldn't help but look at Crestet, only to find that the man was also looking at him.

"Tell me, what do you intend to do next?"

Crestet asked in a calm and steady voice.

When they were in the carriage, Luther had said that Old Neil might still be saved. This wasn't him grandstanding or talking nonsense; it was because he had discovered clues during his observations over the past few days—Old Neil did not seem to have completely turned into a Degenerate who had lost control. Through careful verification, he found that the pair of eyes was only temporarily attached to Old Neil's body. Although they were constantly eroding his physical form, they had not yet invaded the depths of his spirit.

It was just that Old Neil's defenses were already extremely fragile, and it was unclear how much longer he could hold on.

"I need two candles and a dagger."

Luther said.

Luo Yao immediately stood up and, familiar with the layout, entered one of the rooms in Old Neil's house. Before long, she returned with two white candles for the Ritual and a silver dagger in her hands.

"Until last year, we often came to Old Neil's house as guests."

Facing Luther's inquisitive gaze, Luo Yao replied, her eyes somewhat dim, "But back then, there was no piano in his house."

Luther said nothing and reached out to take the candles and the dagger.

"Captain, please lay Old Neil flat on the floor, and take off his shirt—make sure it's completely off."

Dunn nodded, his expression grave as he supported Old Neil's shoulders and lifted him from the table. Old Neil was sleeping very deeply, his body limp like mud, and it took some effort to pull him onto the floor.

Dunn was supporting Old Neil's body and couldn't free his hands, so he frowned, seemingly considering whether to ask Daly or Luo Yao for help. At that very moment, Crestet's hand, which was holding a silver-white suitcase, flickered slightly. Old Neil's clothes were sliced as if by a sharp, invisible blade, turning into countless rags that fell away, revealing his aged and frail upper body.

Suddenly stripped of his shirt, Old Neil's body twitched slightly, and he let out a few groans as if feeling the cold. But his eyes remained tightly shut, unable to wake.

Luther sat down on the floor as well. He lit the two candles between himself and Old Neil, then looked at Dunn.

"Captain, you know that I've only just become a Night Watcher, and my understanding of mysticism isn't deep enough. This method was deduced from the rituals provided by the Potion, so it might not necessarily work, so..."

"It's fine. Just do your best. No matter the outcome, I won't blame you."

Dunn said with a calm gaze, "I am already very grateful that you are willing to help Old Neil like this."

That's all I needed to hear.

Luther nodded. He looked at the silent Crestet to the side and swallowed hard, "Um... this method might involve some unsavory power, please don't treat me as a heretic..."

Crestet stood behind him, looking down at him with eyes like dark green lakes in the night, "I am watching right here. Whether it is heresy or not, I will be the judge."

That's hardly a promise.

Luther muttered to himself. He steeled his heart and raised the dagger.

"Captain, please step back."

Seeing that Dunn had retreated to a certain distance, Luther moved the dagger through the air, and invisible energy sprayed from the tip of the blade. His movements were somewhat stiff, but he successfully constructed an invisible barrier, separating himself and Old Neil from the outside world.

Old Neil taught quite well, what a pity.

He looked around, thinking to himself.

This barrier was called a Spiritual Wall, which could separate the inside from the outside to prevent mutual interference. The invisible power used came from within his body, known in mysticism as spirituality, which could be intuitively understood as mental power or spirit power.

The Spiritual Wall was now successful, so Luther did not delay any further. Gritting his teeth, he used a dagger to make a deep cut on his finger; blood immediately gushed out.

Hiss, that hurts.

Enduring the pain, Luther placed his bleeding finger onto Old Neil's chest and began to draw rapidly. His fingers moved swiftly, tracing a simple holy emblem of the True Creator onto the skin of Old Neil's chest, then drawing a small circle around the emblem to enclose it.

After finishing, he steadied his mind and nodded toward Crestet outside the wall.

The latter waved a hand, and the transparent entity entangled with the eerie eyes ceased its confinement, passing through the Spiritual Wall to fly back into Crestet's body.

Regaining its freedom, the Giant Eye immediately floated up, casting its cold and cruel gaze toward Luther.

"Pfft."

Blood instantly sprayed from Luther's nose.