The Final Whisper (Part One)

"Bujiter died here?" Chris sensed the rhythm of the ring in his hand as he surveyed the surroundings.

This ring was an Oath Ring of the Divine Grace Church. Back then, missionary Bujiter had held this very ring and sworn an oath to God. From that moment on, his life had been bound to the covenant established by this ring.

Bujiter had also used this ring to contact Austin, who was far away at the Divine Grace Church headquarters in the Interkami Kingdom, and relay certain information.

"Are you mourning too?" Chris placed the ring on the ground and pressed his hand against the earth. His breathing grew exceedingly heavy as a strange power surged forth, spreading out from his hand into the surroundings.

"Heart Rhythm!" Chris's expression turned grave. "Bujiter, let me see—who exactly killed you? Let me hear your final whisper!!"

"Pant, pant, pant! Be careful. Those crows won't launch large-scale attacks in densely populated areas, but we still need to guard against them jumping the wall in desperation." Bujiter clutched the wound on his shoulder and spoke urgently.

On the other side, Isabella held the sleeping Nara, her face filled with terror. "Mr. Bujiter, you should stop worrying about us. We can't escape this place. That demon... he won't let me go!!"

"Don't be afraid. Our Lord will watch over us." White light gleamed in Bujiter's hand as he pressed it against his wound, and black blood splattered out.

When he had taken Isabella and her daughter away, two crows had ambushed him. Their iron-hook claws had easily ripped through his priest's robes and left several bloody holes, but he had then killed the two crows with divine grace.

"Our Lord granted me the power to save others. For the sake of that promise, I will not abandon anyone worthy of salvation. I will extend a helping hand to anyone who needs saving!" A gentle smile rested on Bujiter's face as he encouraged Isabella.

"I'll hire a carriage and take the main roads, where there are more people. As long as we leave Reastmia, everything will be fine," Bujiter reassured her.

But Bujiter was not as relaxed as he appeared. Leaving aside the possibility that the other side might disregard pedestrians and send out a massive flock of crows, which he could never survive, a flock of that scale could only be exterminated by deploying the army. Before such a force, one that could already be called a natural disaster, no one could resist.

What was more, there was an intelligent Evil Spirit. Such Evil Spirits had appeared only a few times in all the records of the Divine Grace Church. Such an existence was exceedingly dangerous. Besides the crows, the being called Negary surely possessed other powers.

"Samira!" A soft chant drifted over from afar, and in an instant, wild winds howled.

Bujiter's face changed. He darted to the side, but amid the gale, a wound was sliced across his cheek and blood sprayed out.

"Our Lord granted me the power to protect others!" Bujiter chanted a hymn. A faint white radiance flickered over his body, blocking the things concealed within the raging wind.

The gale gradually subsided. Bujiter's expression was solemn. Samira—the god of gales in Kexi People legend. Bujiter knew something of Kexi People folklore. "A Spirit Warlock? Do the Kexi People still have such a legacy even now?"

"We should leave this place first. The Crow Men Organization of the Kexi People needs to maintain Rea's order, and they have no reason to stop a noble from returning to her own country." Isabella was a noble. Unless forced to reveal her identity, Rea would not dare openly prevent them from leaving unless Reastmia was prepared to completely tear its face from Interkami.

Bujiter hired a carriage with Isabella and raced toward the Interkami Kingdom. Even as he drove, he carefully watched the surroundings.

"Newrila!" The faint sound rang out once more, and Bujiter's expression changed. A streak of green abruptly began growing across the carriage's wooden boards. Within only a few seconds, the entire carriage completely fell apart, and the horses bolted into the distance out of control.

Newrila, the Goddess of Twigs in Kexi People mythology, symbolized the birth of green leaves. Green shoots had already sprouted from the scattered pile of carriage wood beside them.

Bujiter crouched halfway down nearby, white light flickering over his body as he shielded Isabella and Nara behind him. He knew he could not delay any longer. Avoiding battle would only make the situation worse. The only course now was to find the person hiding in the shadows and defeat him. Only then might he be able to take Isabella and her daughter away.

"Bishop Austin, listen carefully. There is another person in Reastmia suspected of being a Spirit Warlock, and he is serving Negary. He is pursuing me now, and I have no choice but to fight him. Please await my good news."

Using a secret art, Bujiter transmitted his words to the Oath Ring he had deposited with the Divine Grace Church. He drew the longsword at his waist, pressed the flat of the blade against his forehead, and softly recited a hymn. "Our Lord granted me eyes that see through all things!"

"There! Dispel the darkness!" A symbol appeared on Bujiter's forehead, granting him a strange vision. He seemed to have discovered the person attacking them. His figure flashed as he chanted, and the glowing longsword in his hand slashed toward that direction.

"Samira!" The gale howled once more, crashing against Bujiter's body. Yet the sword in his hand seemed to possess an unbelievable power, cleaving the wind apart and revealing the person behind it.

He was a neatly dressed, calm-faced youth. His long black hair made him appear especially cold and severe. He held a book in his hand, and sharp-eyed Bujiter easily recognized it as the Bible of Divine Grace, used by the Divine Grace Church to spread its doctrines and myths.

"So, he's only a youth." Bujiter did not let his guard down. The Kexi People had once achieved the grand feat of unifying the continent and establishing the Trilansia Empire, and Spirit Warlocks had played an immense role in it.

After the collapse of the Trilansia Empire, the Kexi People had scattered in all directions, and the legacy of the Spirit Warlocks had largely been severed. Since this youth before him had mastered such power, he could not be underestimated.

"Listen, boy. I don't care why you and the people behind you want to keep Isabella and her daughter here, but she is a noble of the Interkami Kingdom and a devout believer of the Divine Grace Church. I will absolutely take her away from here. Our Lord will grant me strength!" Bujiter pointed his longsword at Noah and said in a deep voice.

"God has a covenant with you, and thus grants you power." Noah read a line from the Bible of Divine Grace, then tossed the Bible aside. He looked coldly at Bujiter. "Then I'm sorry, but from today onward, the covenant between your god and you ends here!!"