Cover-Up (Please Keep Reading (3))

Cover-Up (Please Keep Reading (3))

Isabella studied peacefully, showing none of the aggression Jacques had displayed when he left.

She knew that only this would gradually make those people lower their guard.

She and Jacques, one in the open and one in the shadows—these next few days were their last chance.

If those people made no move in the coming days, she would lose this final opportunity.

After that, she would be alone.

With no one to rely on in this village, catching those evildoers would likely take much longer.

She might even fail to find any flaw in them for a very long time.

All this troubled Isabella, leaving her unable to return to her room and rest even as evening approached.

However, Isabella soon sensed that something was wrong.

"It's the smell of decay." As a priest, Isabella had diligently practiced the Meditation Technique.

The Meditation Technique developed the soul and spirit.

At the Black Stone Breed stage, each advancement developed certain senses.

It made one sharp-eyed and keen-eared.

One could even vaguely sense certain energy auras.

At the Steel Breed stage, spiritual power could forcibly command the body, unleashing its potential.

In terms of reaction speed, they might not be much slower than cultivators of the life path.

That was because their bodily perceptions had been twisted together by their spirit, allowing them to view the world from another transcendent perspective.

This special ability was known as Primary Extraordinary Perception.

This was also why Naimus knew that if the Village Guardian stole organs around the church, he would not be able to hide it from the Old Priest.

Isabella's current value was around six.

Her sense of smell had basically been activated, allowing her to detect the suddenly emerging stench of decay.

"It's the cemetery behind the church!"

Isabella immediately realized there was a problem. She slowed her steps, lightened her movements, and quietly headed toward the area behind the church.

A priest's combat ability depended on the circumstances.

Outside, when alone, even a somewhat sturdier person might have a chance to kill a priest one-on-one.

Priestly spells were simply difficult to cast, and most early-stage spells were functional in nature—healing, repelling insects, detoxifying poison, illumination, calming the heart, and so on.

Among the clergy, Paladins were the combat class. Priests often did not need to fight; they were a production class.

But that was when they were outside. Near a church, a priest's spells could ascend into divine arts.

They could draw upon the Power of Faith to a certain extent and mix it into their spells, causing special changes.

Divine arts were highly effective, and most possessed strong offensive power.

When priests were in a church, they represented the gods, symbolizing the gods' shepherding of the mortal world.

As shepherds, priests could directly punish any provocation.

Isabella took a deep breath and prepared to cast a divine art.

But at that moment, Isabella heard a door open, then saw the Old Priest emerge from one side.

"Isabella, what's wrong?" The Old Priest seemed concerned for his student.

"Phew, Teacher, I..." Isabella was about to say that she had smelled decay behind the cemetery when she suddenly noticed that the Old Priest also carried a decaying odor.

More precisely, it was the smell of old age.

When people grew old, their bodily functions were far inferior to when they were young. Dark sores and some ulceration or decay in certain areas were fairly normal.

At that moment, Isabella suddenly felt somewhat dazed.

The certainty with which she had sensed decay in the cemetery earlier no longer felt so certain.

"Could my worries have made me misjudge everything?" Isabella began to doubt herself.

A priest's perception was affected by both the senses and the spirit. If one's mental state was abnormal, perception could also become somewhat distorted.

Moreover, the Old Priest was stronger than her. If even he had sensed no problem, then she had most likely experienced an illusion.

"What is it?" the Old Priest asked again.

"N-Nothing. Maybe Jacques leaving has made me a little unaccustomed to it." Isabella shook her head, consoling herself.

"It'll be dark soon, be caref—" The Old Priest suddenly froze mid-sentence.

"Nigel? Why is he here?" the Old Priest muttered, causing Isabella to perk up.

What she needed now was precisely this kind of "abnormality," because abnormalities meant clues, and clues meant they could uncover the problem within this village.

The sun gradually set, while candlelight and the lingering glow fought over their territory.

With the flames and twilight intermingling, vision was instead disrupted, lending everything an unreal feeling.

Naimus pushed open the church doors and saw the Old Priest and Isabella emerge from the resting area.

"You're both here." Naimus greeted them with a smile. At that moment, some of the doubts in his heart had already been answered.

"Nigel, is there something you need at such a late hour?" the Old Priest asked.

Ever since he had rescued Jacques from Naimus a few days ago, Naimus had only returned once to retrieve his sword and had not come again.

Yet he had suddenly arrived at this hour today. There had to be a reason.

"Yes. The Reserve Village Guardian came to find me. He said that while patrolling the forest, he saw someone acting suspiciously on this side of Dorsal Fin Mountain from a distance."

"They seemed to be carrying some digging tools and heading toward the back of the church, so I came to take a look." Naturally, Naimus would not let this test end so hastily.

Upon hearing Naimus's words, Isabella was startled. Had Jacques been discovered?

But Isabella quickly dismissed that possibility. Jacques knew the Old Priest was a Steel Breed priest with Extraordinary Perception.

So Jacques would never appear behind the church. Then was it the disturbance in the cemetery she had sensed earlier?

"So that sensation wasn't an illusion?!" As the thought flashed through her mind, Isabella felt as though her mind had cleared somewhat.

Instinctively, Isabella inexplicably felt a chill.

But it came and went quickly, and Isabella soon seemed to return to normal.

"Nigel, I'll go with you to check the cemetery behind the church." Isabella fixed her gaze on Naimus, uncertainty filling her heart.

She vaguely had a feeling, but it was dreamlike and unreal, impossible to grasp.

At that moment, Isabella realized she had still made a mistake. Jacques had influenced her. She had never interacted with Naimus, yet she had instinctively regarded him as an enemy.

"Fine. This is near the church, after all." Naimus nodded.

"You two be careful. I'm old, so I won't be much help." The Old Priest cautioned them from the side, as though everything were perfectly normal.

Yet Naimus could sense that subtle atmosphere.

The surging currents of the human heart truly were...

"Delightful."

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