Decision

Seeing the barely concealed shock and astonishment on Lumian, Parish Priest Guillaume Béné straightened up with satisfaction and said to Pons Béné, "Keep a close eye on him!"

After speaking, the Parish Priest walked toward the Altar.

As he walked away, the surrounding villagers seemed to come alive, gathering in small groups to discuss various topics:

"The Zodiac is about to change."

Our good luck is about to begin!

"It won't be long before we all become rich!"

"At that time, I'll drink a bottle of wine every day and eat a pound of meat at every meal!"

"I want to find a beautiful woman."

I want to go see a theatrical performance.

"..."

Lumian's mind was in complete chaos, and he didn't even notice when Guillaume Béné had left.

The Parish Priest's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples upon ripples:

How is that possible?

"In the previous Loop, he was defeated by me because he didn't understand my special abilities!"

"At that time, I myself didn't know what was so special about me, so it's normal that he didn't know either... After that battle, he didn't clash with me again in the next two Loop, until Aurora's abnormal behavior became apparent..."

"But he didn't seem like someone who knew about the Loop at all before. His angry outburst when I caught him cheating, his weakness when Lya sneaked into the Church and knocked him unconscious, and his fury when Aurora peeked at him with a ' White Paper' —none of them seemed fake!"

"If all of this was an act, then his restraint was terrifyingly profound..."

"Moreover, he knew that Madame Pualis possessed Loop memories and might have some understanding of the anomalies within the Castle, yet he still had an affair with Madame Pualis at the beginning of each Loop, never allowing anyone to suspect him in the slightest."

"If it were me, after figuring out what Madame Pualis had done, I wouldn't even feel any desire for her, let alone sleep with her!"

Lumian found the Parish Priest increasingly terrifying, a stark contrast to the horror of Madame Pualis.

He then had some questions:

Why didn't the Parish Priest, who retained his memories, sacrifice the three goats at the beginning, obtain the corresponding Gift, firmly control the entire Cordou Village, and complete the Ritual of the Twelfth Night on the first day?

This will prevent all accidents!

"What is he waiting for? He always holds the sacrificial Ritual close to Lent Festival..."

Does the Ritual have date and time requirements?

"The Lent Festival celebration is part of the Twelfth Night Ritual, so the Parish Priest will only have the opportunity to bring forward the subsequent Ritual after Lent Festival is completed."

"That would have been a good idea to control everyone from the start and wait for Lent Festival..."

"Furthermore, they prayed for ' Gift ' twice in the three Loop. Wouldn't That One Hidden Being find that strange? Yes, He might be doing something, like helping the Parish Priest regain his memories!"

"No, if their sacrificial Ritual was truly completed, those three sheep would never have entered the Loop again. Their spirits, their Beyonder Characteristic, should have gone to Hidden Being."

"Could it be that, like Raymond, the spirits gathered around the Altar were not freed from the Loop?"

"So, to whom were the Parish Priest praying, and who ' Gift ' their strength...?"

Just as Lumian thought of this, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his lower body.

He involuntarily curled up, but was held back by the ropes binding him, preventing him from actually completing the movement.

Pons Béné withdrew his right foot from between Lumian's legs, watching with satisfaction as the bastard broke out in a cold sweat the size of Soybeans, unable to even scream.

He crouched down, raised his right hand, and slapped Lumian across the face.

"Was it good? I'm asking you, was it good?"

Before Lumian could answer, he swung his arm again and slapped Lumian's right cheek, making Lumian's ears ring and feel like his head was about to be knocked off.

Seeing Lumian being brutally beaten by Pons Béné, Raymond's father Pierre Craig, walked over, squatted down, and sighed, "Just bear with it, it'll Past."

Our Zodiac will change soon, and good luck is just around the corner.

"If we leave now, we'll miss our chance!"

He ignored Lumian's reaction and continued to persuade and Soothing him with the same words over and over again.

Lumian didn't listen to what Pierre Clegg was saying at all, and his gaze towards Pons Béné showed no anger whatsoever, as if he were looking at thin air.

He completely ignored this person, ignoring the pain and humiliation this Villain had brought him.

He had only one thing on his mind:

"The situation is dangerous now!"

"It's unlikely that Ryan, Lya, and Valentine will intentionally trigger the Loop and Reboot everything before they know what the Parish Priest and the others are planning. Besides, they just had a battle and don't know when they'll recover. They probably won't be able to sneak back into the village until tomorrow or the day after."

"That way, no one can stop the Parish Priest from starting the Ritual early tonight..."

Slap, slap, slap! Pons Béné continued to slap Lumian's face and kick his groin, returning the pain he had suffered before tenfold.

Lumian's thoughts were repeatedly interrupted by pain, yet he forced them back together each time, unwilling to waste even a second on Pons Béné.

This made Pons Béné even angrier, and he hit even harder.

"My special abilities have been discovered and I'm being targeted; there's no longer any chance to disrupt the Ritual..."

"What to do...

"What to do?"

Lumian endured the Pain, pondering a way to escape his current predicament.

Pons beat him for a while, until he was a little tired himself. He stopped, panting, and said, "If the Parish Priest hadn't forbidden me from killing you, I would have cut your flesh into pieces, including your manhood!"

Upon hearing this, Lumian froze, a thought flashing through his mind:

"Kill me?"

Kill me!

He abruptly raised his head, looked at Pons Béné, and gave a smile that was both radiant and Distortion with pain:

"Is that all the strength you have? Are you using your tiny lice razor to pick lice off me?"

He entered the Sequence 8 "Provocateur" state.

Within the High Mountain Pasture closest to the Cordou Village.

Covered in tattered armor, Ryan stood guard at the entrance, asking Valentine and Lya beside him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Valentine replied immediately.

Lya added, "My spirituality has almost recovered too."

Ryan nodded, dispelling the "Dawn Armor" and saying, "After I rest and recover a bit, we'll return to Cordou Village."

"Now?" Lya, somewhat surprised.

They had only been out of Cordou Village for a short time.

Ryan slowly exhaled and said, "We must find out as soon as possible why Guillaume Béné's gang attacked us tonight instead of closer to the Twelfth Night."

"Furthermore, they captured Lumian and Aurora, but didn't pursue them here. My experience tells me there's something fishy going on."

Lya nodded slowly:

"But none of us are in very good condition."

After all, a major battle had already taken place.

"That's why Guillaume Béné didn't expect us to dare return to Cordou Village tonight," Ryan explained. "Also, we left that item at Lumian and Aurora's house; we must retrieve it as soon as possible and prevent Guillaume Béné and his men from taking it."

Valentine and Lya's expressions turned serious when that item was mentioned.

They agreed to Ryan's plan.

Snap!

Pons Béné slapped Lumian across the face again, causing him excruciating pain in his nose. Two streams of bright red blood flowed down to his mouth, bringing a fishy and salty taste.

"How about that?" Pons Béné asked with a broad smile.

Lumian observed his expression and actions, confirming that his words had not achieved the desired effect.

He sniffed, his nose still thick with the smell of blood, and chuckled as he replied, "Any woman could have hit me harder than you!"

"Is that so?" Pons Béné's expression darkened.

With a slap, he slapped Lumian across the mouth, sending two of his Teeth flying out, dripping with blood.

Relying on his insight gained from being a "Provocateur" and his previous experience with pranks, Lumian noticed that Pons Béné's reaction was different from before.

Knowing all the gossip and rumors about Cordou Village, he vaguely sensed something and smiled, saying, "You don't seem to have a mistress."

His mouth was swollen from the slaps, and he was missing two more Teeth, making his speech somewhat slurred.

Upon hearing the Vocabulary "mistress," Pons Béné's expression changed slightly, and he kicked Lumian in the groin.

Lumian was in so much pain Past she almost fainted and couldn't speak for several seconds.

He forced a smile and said with a laugh, "And the Parish Priest has mistresses all over the village."

"Are you impotent?"

Pons Béné's expression instantly turned extremely gloomy.

Lumian knew he had guessed correctly.

He suppressed his Pain, causing his Eyes to subtly deepen in intensity.

He hadn't dared to use his "Provocation" ability earlier, afraid that using it too frequently would arouse suspicion. Now, the time had come!

Lumian then burst into laughter:

"Has your wife also slept with this Parish Priest?"

Are all your children his?

Pons Béné's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Lumian by the neck, hissing with all his might, "Why don't you just die!"

Lumian heard a cracking sound in his neck and felt his breathing becoming difficult.

He felt no fear whatsoever; instead, a smile played on his lips as he calmly awaited the intense Pain and ultimate death.

He was trying his best to provoke Pons Béné so that he would kill him.

Once he dies, the Loop will be triggered, everything will immediately Reboot, everything will return to the beginning, and there will still be room for redemption!

Lumian not only considered Instigation Valentine's suicide to verify the nature of the Loop, but also considered sacrificing his own life in an emergency!

Compared to the current situation, what is there to be afraid of?

He stared at Pons Béné, whose expression was contorted with rage, his purple lips twitching as if to say, "Please kill me quickly."