Hesitation

Not good. I still exposed a bit of my intent. Isabella's heart tightened. She knew she had been too impatient.

Her immediate attempt to investigate The Grid had revealed her distrust of the Old Priest.

This was something she would never have done before.

If the Old Priest truly was the mastermind behind everything, then that distrust would become a point that made him suspicious of her.

Fortunately, the Old Priest still appeared to be the same gentle old man as before, asking Isabella to ring the bell hanging above the church.

The jingling chimes drew most of the villagers over.

The church bell normally would not ring unless there was a funeral or an announcement of grave importance.

So the villagers gathered by the church of their own accord.

As word spread that there might be a Wizard and Whale-ification Disease patients within the village, many people began to panic.

But once Naimus stepped forward and began directing the Village Guardians and several sturdy villagers to search the surrounding area in an orderly fashion, the people gradually settled down somewhat. Though they found nothing, at least their hearts were no longer in turmoil.

Meanwhile, Isabella moved with the group, but she deliberately veered off course and headed toward another prearranged meeting place.

There, she met Jacques.

They had made an arrangement long ago: if anything unusual happened during the day, they would meet here.

"Why are so many people suddenly searching around the edge of the village? Did something happen?" Jacques asked anxiously.

"Jacques, listen to me first. Make sure you stay calm." Isabella tried to calm him down.

Only after Jacques had settled himself did she reveal her suspicions and the signs she had noticed.

"Impossible!" Jacques instantly bristled at the words.

A major reason he had resolved to stay behind and postpone his return to Tail-Wagging Town was to take revenge on Naimus and wash away his humiliation.

And now she was telling him that Naimus might not be the problem at all, and that the one with a problem might be the Old Priest he had always respected?

Yet after bristling, Jacques quickly calmed down and began considering the possibility of what Isabella had said.

"I still don't want to believe it. The family has some records on the Old Priest. He once had a very good relationship with the Dartmenly Family. When they learned I was coming here, the family even told me to listen carefully to the Old Priest's words."

"Someone like that wouldn't..."

"That makes it even more likely that the Old Priest has a problem." Isabella had no rosy filter for the Dartmenly Family. Just because the family said someone was good did not make them good.

"Don't forget, Nigel was exiled here because he reported the family's illegal Bloodline Experiment!"

"The Old Priest also exiled himself because of the Bloodline Experiment."

"Looking at the timing, the Dartmenly Family's Bloodline Experiment may very well have been a continuation of the Old Priest's experiment..."

"Nigel was most likely an experimental subject." Isabella calmly reached that conclusion.

"During his decades here, the Old Priest never let go of his failed experiment. He has been quietly pushing its progress all along."

"The experiment was most likely still illegal, so the Old Priest could not obtain resources openly. That was why he sheltered Otto."

"Most of the profits Otto earned from selling Whale Skin Mine may have been turned into experimental materials and ended up in the Old Priest's hands."

Given the current circumstances, that was the only explanation that made sense.

Nigel was an exiled Paladin. Frankly, he had no need to smuggle Whale Skin Mine.

After all, a Paladin at most used some life-restoring potions, which cost a bit of money. Their level of spending even ranked below that of noblewomen and young ladies.

Anything requiring long-term illegal profits to sustain it had to be either a large organization or experimental research.

Jacques stood rooted to the spot, his face ashen and his brow tightly furrowed as he seemed to consider the possibility of Isabella's claims.

If he could, he even wanted to cry.

His emotions told him that all of this was false, that it was all Naimus sowing discord, that every problem here had been caused by Naimus, that traitor to the family.

But reason told him it might all be true.

As the filter shattered, even more serious matters surfaced from his memories.

He realized that his status within the family had been different since childhood.

Though his parents had died early, the family had always taken care of him. Whenever he clashed with others his age, the family would generally back him up.

That kindness had even made some people jealous.

Jacques had often been proud of it, believing that this was the Dartmenly Family's tradition.

But now, looking back without that filter, he saw how strange it was.

And when he came to Dorsal Fin Village this time, the family head had specifically summoned him, studied him for a long while before allowing him to come, and told him to obey the Old Priest's orders and not disgrace the Dartmenly Family's honor.

Thinking about it now, it seemed more like a shipment being sent out—putting a finished product that had been developed for a long time on display and telling it to perform well.

The more Jacques thought about it, the more terrified he became.

"No, I need to ask Nigel! I need to ask him exactly what the family's illegal Bloodline Experiment was!"

Jacques's heart became unsettled once more.

He had originally believed that Nigel betrayed the family solely because Nigel was selfish and self-serving.

Most families conducted some Bloodline Experiments. That was perfectly normal, like discussing better births and better childrearing—everyone wanted their family bloodline to become more outstanding.

The occasional violation was normal too.

That was why he had considered Nigel a traitor who cursed the cook after filling his belly.

But thinking about it now, he finally saw the problem. If it had merely been an ordinary illegal Bloodline Experiment, then why had the Dartmenly Family been forced to leave Gas Spring City, the center of the family, and move to Tail-Wagging Town these past few years?

That was not the sort of thing caused by a few minor violations.

It was like him now: delaying his return to Tail-Wagging Town was a violation, but he was confident that, with the Dartmenly Family behind him, he would not face much punishment.

"Don't act rashly. If you go back now, it will only put us in a more passive position. Every arrangement will vanish in an instant." Isabella continued persuading Jacques.

Though their enemy might no longer be Naimus, the arrangements they had made, one in the light and one in the shadows, were not useless.

Fortunately, after being thoroughly beaten by Naimus, Jacques could still be impulsive, but not to the point of disregarding everything else.

At the very least, afterward, he could still force himself to calm down and think.

"I'll approach Nigel for you. For now, it seems he knows something."

"And Jacques, you have another task." Isabella paused slightly when she reached this point.

The situation here had already far exceeded what they had initially understood. Even Isabella could not help but hesitate now.

Should they really continue involving themselves in this matter?

Thank you, readers, for your support.