Wasn't That Too Easy? (Continued)

She silently shook her head, glanced again at the figures talking over there, and after a moment's thought, put the Doctor down from her arms and silently moved closer to them.

Although she told the priest not to come closer, she herself chose to go forward.

Aside from some protection, the main reason was that Maria was the only one with this ability on site.

The enemy wasn't stupid; according to Maria's perception, there were at least seven or eight people guarding and sealing off the area.

They've gotten this close; if they continue, Maria and the priest are fine, able to react quickly to any problems that arise.

But Doctor... there's a real chance he'll be discovered.

For safety and other reasons, Maria decided to leave the Doctor and the priest behind and investigate alone...

The Doctor and the priest both watched this scene, their expressions differing.

The Doctor hesitated, as if worried about Maria's safety, but the priest was much calmer.

Maria's power is beyond question!

She must have her reasons for doing this!

"How was the execution?"

Here, the long, impatient figure, who had been waiting for a long time, asked a question, his expectant eyes trying to get the answer he wanted.

"Um."

The figure carrying out the task nodded, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Complete success, mentor! Everyone has been killed; their blood has stained the earth!"

"Okay, okay."

The man referred to as the counselor nodded excitedly, his face beaming.

It wasn't just the success of the ceremony that mattered; it was also proof that their proposed method was indeed effective!

This can quickly make up for their previous losses.

For a moment, everyone present became somewhat excited.

But soon, that excitement turned into regret.

"Although we've ensured that these people are dead,... we still haven't met the requirements. It will be a long time before we can begin the ceremony."

The young man spoke, his tone hesitant... Although this method would allow them to sacrifice dozens of people at once, it was clear that they were still a long way from achieving their goal.

But the counselor remained very calm about it.

"... No need to rush, no need to rush."

"You've done a great job. This kind of thing can't be done in a short time... At our current pace, it should be finished in another month at most. You've already proven your ability."

At this point, the figure felt both gratified and indignant.

"If our fellow countrymen's ceremonies, which were scattered in other places, hadn't been interrupted, we would have already gathered enough for the necessary ceremonies!"

"Those damned, ignorant fools! Their pathetic brains simply don't understand that the so-called Demon King, the so-called Military Committee... none of these can save Sarkaz. Only we, only that benevolent one, have a chance to change our current situation!"

As he finished speaking, the man clenched his fist to express his anger.

They were there to save these people and lead them to a better, greater future, so why were they trying to stop them?

Dull-witted!

Meanwhile, the younger people, who were clearly of a lower rank, seemed somewhat lost.

"The ceremony... was interrupted?"

"Mentor, what exactly is going on?"

"... It's nothing."

The mentor shook his head slightly, his expression shifting from anger to calm again; the rapid change in expression and movement left everyone speechless.

"You've been busy arranging operations within the military, so naturally you wouldn't know... In the past few weeks, we've received a series of reports that our comrades' ritual operations in other areas have been disrupted to varying degrees, and many strongholds have been destroyed..."

"According to the elders' analysis, that enemy has been pursuing us, and based on the timeline, they may very well have already arrived in this city..."

"Then this..."

Upon hearing the mentor's words, the person on the other end was clearly shocked and angered.

"Should we gather them together and give them...?"

The man didn't finish his sentence, but the fierce look in his eyes already revealed his attitude.

He planned to send someone to get rid of Maria!

The man shook his head.

"There's no need... According to the investigations conducted by our compatriots who returned later, the other side is clearly a well-organized team with formidable strength. Although we can defeat them, their large-scale operations will certainly expose our presence."

"Instead of wasting this time, we should focus more on that unfinished great undertaking..."

The mentor spoke in a relaxed tone, and his composed demeanor prompted the young man to nod earnestly.

"Yes, mentor, I was too impatient... I am far from being as mature and composed as you are now."

Towards the end, the young man offered a subtle compliment, which clearly pleased the man greatly.

He nodded in satisfaction, and even through the cloak, Maria could see the pleased smile on his face.

Their conversation made Maria squint.

The rituals took place in multiple locations, but they claimed that if they hadn't destroyed them, they would have completed the ritual preparations much earlier.

In other words, these rituals are actually connected?

This reminded Maria of something, but she did not act on it; instead, she listened quietly.

"You are very talented, child. There's no need to be overly modest."

The instructor continued speaking, moving closer to the man and patting him on the shoulder.

"I believe your impatience stems from your efforts towards our shared dream, and I also believe you'll soon be able to let go of these meaningless emotions... Perhaps in a little while, you'll achieve even greater things..."

The mentor spoke in a gloomy tone, like a boss making empty promises.

But the young man clearly didn't realize the problem; instead, he nodded even more excitedly and began promising to work even harder.

After some time had passed, the young man finally spoke up again, this time with a puzzled expression.

"Speaking of which, counselor, I'm all ready... So, where will our next ceremony be held?"

"..."

The person referred to as the counselor paused, then spoke in a somewhat stern tone.

"Hmph! I sent you all to learn, and yet not a single one of you has mastered it... We even have to distribute the gifts during each ceremony... You are utterly unworthy of the gifts of the Lord of Compassion!"

He had just been praising her for her bright future, but in the blink of an eye, he started berating her again.

This made the young man hesitate, but he still lowered his head in remorse.

"I'm sorry, counselor, I... I can't read."

The young man spoke, offering a somewhat helpless answer.

Although Theresa has been promoting literacy throughout Kazdel, even now, nearly half of Kazdel's population remains illiterate.

This wasn't because Theresa encountered resistance... after all, even Theresis agreed with this point.

The only problem is that Kazdel has been lost for so long that when the opportunity to learn arises, most people don't take it seriously.

They prefer a life of quick enjoyment and quick gains.

Learning is a process with slow returns...

The counselor was taken aback for a moment by the young man's illiterate answer, but then his initial dissatisfaction suddenly disappeared.

What can he do?

However, as the other party's superior, he still needed to maintain a certain degree of mystery.

After a moment of silence, he waved.

"The items are in the same old place. You need to figure out the location and number of people for the next ceremony yourself. If you really can't figure it out, go find the person you contacted before and ask him to tell you!"

The young man nodded vigorously, but after a while, he asked again with a puzzled look.

"If that's the case, why don't you just tell me directly?"

After all, if it's truly an action for a noble purpose, wouldn't it be better to complete all the rituals as quickly as possible?

This question caused the counselor to suddenly freeze.

But seeing the others looking at him with confusion, he still forced a wave.

"Foolish! Our goal is to teach you all how to perform the ritual, so that even if any one of us is sacrificed, the ritual can still continue... This is a necessary preparation!"

The man spoke, his tone righteous and awe-inspiring, but Maria noticed his slightly trembling hands.

Clearly, his words were merely an excuse.

The others, however, were unaware of this. They simply nodded in surprise, never expecting the other person to possess such profound foresight. In an instant, their admiration for him increased several times over.

"As expected of you, you're so well-prepared!"

Everyone bowed their heads humbly in respect.

After realizing he had fooled these people, the man breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

After exchanging a few more whispered discussions about the current situation, the group split up and began to evacuate.

After thinking for a moment, Maria gave the priest a wink, and then went off alone to chase after the lone young man.

The priest and the Doctor paused for a moment, making sure there was really no one nearby, before leading the Doctor back into the city...

Night falls, and the world gradually settles down.

This city was clearly not as bustling Kazdel; at night, except for a few small areas where lights still shone, the rest of the city was plunged into darkness early on.

The Doctor and the priest were hiding in a small room, staring at each other.

The two weren't very familiar with each other, so when they were alone together, they didn't know what to say.

Do you have any questions?

Perhaps because of Maria's previous care and protection of Doctor, the priest held the Doctor in high esteem.

The Doctor was a little uneasy about the somewhat old-fashioned behavior.

But she still managed an awkward laugh and spoke.

"Well... there are some, but I don't know if it will offend you."

"Please speak."

The priest answered politely.

Upon hearing this, the Doctor didn't stand on ceremony and, after organizing his thoughts, eagerly spoke up as well.

"How did you get that halo above your head?"

Although he has seen many unusual things in this world, the Doctor can at least understand most of them.

But... what's with these Laterano?

How come they're already surrounded by a halo?

Could it be... that I'm actually dead, and this world is some kind of fusion of hell and heaven?

The priest standing to the side paused for a moment.

He clearly misunderstood the Doctor's meaning, thinking that the other party was asking why he had a black halo.

This made him appear very hesitant.

After a moment of silence, he gave his answer tactfully.

"This story is rather long, and you probably aren't interested in it."

"No, I have plenty of time."