Chapter 14: Unexpected Hospitality and the Heretic God’s Grand Scheme

“Little sister, do you live in this house alone?”

“Yes, why?”

“Oh, nothing. My name is Sina, and I want to thank you again for saving me.”

As she spoke, Eliza retrieved a pouch of gold coins from her bracelet and extended it towards Gern. She believed that with this money, Gern could improve her life and no longer need to frequent the homes of those despicable men.

Upon seeing the pouch of gold coins, Gern’s eyes immediately lit up, and she instinctively reached out to take it. However, in the next instant, she halted her movement.

She was indeed avaricious, having been terrified of poverty in her previous life. Yet, she wasn’t without funds now. The items Lilia had given her were enough that if Gern were frugal and didn’t spend them on enhancing her strength, she wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of her life.

Furthermore, Sina had been embroiled in this incident because of her; Gern absolutely could not accept this money.

“Sister, please keep this money. I’m not short on funds right now. Saving you was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, so please don’t dwell on it.”

Gern retreated a few steps, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle-drum. Seeing her like this, Sina’s heart ached even more. ‘She’s still such a small child,’ she thought.

“Little sister, why don’t you come stay at my home for a few days? My house is huge; it has everything. You can play with whatever you like.”

Gern’s lips twitched. ‘She’s really treating me like a child to be coaxed, isn’t she?’ she thought. ‘Anyone unaware of the situation would think she’s a human trafficker abducting a child.’

“That won’t be necessary, I have my own home.”

“Oh, come on, just for a few days! It would also let me repay your life-saving kindness.”

“This…”

Given Sina’s earnest invitation, Gern felt it would be abnormal to refuse any further. Left with no choice, Gern reluctantly agreed to stay at Sina’s home for a few days.

Sina’s home was located on the outskirts of the town. To call it merely Sina’s home would be an understatement; it was more accurately a manor belonging to Sina’s family.

She had only come to this area for an examination, making this merely her temporary residence.

At the manor’s entrance, guards stood on either side, bowing respectfully to Sina.

“Welcome home, Young Miss…”

Never having witnessed such a scene, Gern felt utterly dazed, as if she were caught in a dream.

“Thank you all for your hard work,” Sina replied. “This is my friend; she’ll be staying here for a few days. If I ever catch any of you treating her disrespectfully, you can forget about working here.”

“Yes, Young Miss.”

****

After leading Gern on a tour of the manor, Sina departed. She was the only one privy to Glot’s actions from the previous day, and she now needed to report the matter to both the kingdom and the academy.

Meanwhile, within the town’s ancient castle, Victor kicked Glot squarely on the backside, shouting and cursing vehemently.

“Look at the mess you’ve made! Not only did you interfere with the Heretic God Cult’s plans, but you also drank one of their potions! Do you have any idea that was the Heretic God Cult’s…”

Victor’s words were cut short by a sudden *bang*, indicating a conflict outside the castle. Before they could even step out to investigate, they heard the panicked shouts of a guard.

“It’s bad, my lord! Outside… outside, a group claiming to be from Theoviga Academy has arrived! They want to come in and investigate clues related to the Heretic God Cult. We couldn’t stop them… they’ve already… already forced their way in!”

“What!”

Victor instantly panicked, rushing frantically towards his bedroom.

Hidden there were various clues concerning the Heretic God Cult. If Theoviga Academy, a top power on the continent, were to uncover them, even as a noble of the Kleyte Kingdom, he wouldn’t be able to escape the consequences.

“Glot, quickly, hide the remaining potion! Don’t put it in your spatial storage!”

“No need to hide it; we’re already here.”

At the doorway, Eliza strode in with swift, purposeful steps, her eyes radiating an undeniable chill.

Just moments before, Sina had gone to Theoviga Academy’s resting quarters. They had been on the verge of starting the day’s competitions when Sina’s arrival disrupted their schedule.

Early that morning, Eliza had arrived, leading a bustling crowd of people.

The Heretic God Cult was a universally recognized enemy; whether for Theoviga Academy, the Kleyte Kingdom, or any other realm, the cult was met with profound hatred.

The Academy had explicitly stated that dealing with the Heretic God Cult took precedence over all other matters. Any discovered cult organizations were to be thoroughly eradicated.

To this end, the Academy had even specifically invented an artifact capable of detecting Heretic God contamination. However, its exorbitant cost and consumable nature prevented its widespread adoption.

As a core student of the Academy, Eliza naturally possessed such an item.

From her spatial ring, she produced a small pendant, no larger than the tip of her pinky finger, with a transparent gemstone set within it.

If a person had been contaminated by the Heretic God, injecting their power into the pendant would cause it to turn an opaque black.

This was a natural ore, extremely rare in its yield. Having first been discovered by the Holy Light Church, it was also known as the Holy Light Stone.

This stone was exceptionally sensitive to chaos energy, and to prove one was not a lackey of the Heretic God Cult, one merely needed to touch it to their body.

“Lord Victor, if you wish to clear your name, please touch this.”

“This…”

Victor visibly hesitated. He knew his own situation, yet he still harbored a sliver of hope. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and touched the stone.

Instantly, the pure stone turned pitch black, the chaos energy contained within it astonishing to behold.

“It appears, Lord Victor, that your guilt is confirmed.”

“Guards, seize Victor and his family!”

At this point, Victor found himself powerless to resist. Eliza’s strength was formidable; despite being only a third-rank practitioner, she was capable of killing even a fourth-rank opponent if she truly unleashed her power.

The matter progressed with astonishing speed. Within barely half a day, all evidence of Victor’s dealings with the Heretic God Cult, gathered from within the ancient castle, was laid before the Chief Examiner.

The Chief Examiner perused the contents, a faint sense of foreboding stirring within them. Based on the various pieces of information, the Heretic God Cult was clearly preparing something, most likely a ritual to sacrifice the entire town.

“Eliza, contact the Academy first. This matter is likely beyond our ability to resolve.”

Eliza nodded solemnly. She, too, had realized the immense scale of the Heretic God Cult’s current scheme, which seemed to encompass the entire town.

If her suspicions were correct, the Cult intended to use the lives of the town’s inhabitants to summon a terrifying entity: a Chaos Crystal.

This artifact was virtually a source of continental contamination; wherever it appeared, the area would transform into a chaotic wasteland, causing mutations in all living creatures, land, and plants within its vicinity.

When absorbed by humans, it could even give rise to a Chaos Scion—a being entirely reshaped by chaos energy, obeying only the commands of the Heretic God Cult.

Moreover, this artifact would gradually erode an individual’s sanity, making them increasingly tyrannical, leaving only an instinctive desire for destruction. This was its most terrifying aspect.

If the Heretic God Cult’s objective truly was this artifact, then it was indeed a matter beyond their capacity to handle.