FVN Chapter 64: Fifty-four I refuse_2
Chapter 64: Fifty-four I refuse_2
Chapter 64: Fifty-four I refuse_2
“So, I didn’t turn you from one monster into another,”
“I just turned you from a monster into a normal person.”
“That is to say, the pain you feel now is not brought by me, but by your own instincts.”
“Your instincts make you even more miserable.”
“And what makes you more miserable is...” Bai Wei paused, then said with a light laugh, “You’ve already realized this, but you are unwilling to admit it.”
After these words, Ulu was like a punctured balloon, the sudden burst of energy immediately drained, and he collapsed again in the torrential rain, his eyes filled with either despair or pain.
...
It was hard to say how long the silence lasted before Ulu once again looked up at Bai Wei, his eyes bloodshot: “No matter what, I will not give my life to you. In my eyes, you are no different from the Rhein God, so I refuse the last deal.”
“Is that so?” Bai Wei seemed unsurprised by Ulu’s response, and said indifferently, “Suit yourself, then. Should we continue the current deal?”
Ulu fell into silence once again, this time longer than before, so much so that Bai Wei could feel the fierce struggle within him, as if two voices were arguing.
But ultimately, he closed his eyes and softly answered.
“Yes.”
...
Originally, Ulu thought that after Corey had identified him as the perpetrator, he would immediately have the Church Knights of the West Cathedral seal off the entire city and search for him house by house.
However, to Ulu’s surprise, Corey did not do so.
In fact, he did nothing at all, not even issuing the most basic wanted notice. There were no martial measures in Somo City, almost as if allowing his escape.
Why was that?
Although Ulu did not directly ask, Bai Wei still “heard” his inner thoughts and said lightly: “How many knights do your entire West Cathedral really have, and you think it’s possible to completely blockade such a massive city as Somo City?”
Ulu did not speak, but he knew Bai Wei was right.
Although a peripheral town priest, he still had a decent understanding of Somo City. This vast city, after hundreds of years of development, had grown in population and area more than tenfold. The Church Knights, who once could have lined the entire city walls, were now facing a shortage of personnel and had to recruit more mortal sheriffs to maintain the city’s daily operations.
“Lady Kay, we must first apologize to you. Your illness is quite peculiar and beyond our ability to cure. We can only maintain it to prevent it from worsening,” the priest said. “As long as you take your medication daily, the illness can be managed. If you want to completely cure it... I’m afraid only our Lord Bishop can help. But as you know, Lord Bishop is very busy, extremely busy. Everyone in this city wants to see him, although he also wants to...”
“So it’s still about money, isn’t it?” Kay whispered.
“No, Lady Kay!” the priest immediately became stern. “How can you insult Bishop Corey with money? Bishop Corey never discriminates among the Lord’s followers based on money, but he is indeed very busy, only able to meet those who have made significant contributions to the Rhein. And the gift money... it’s just a form of contribution.”
“...I indeed can’t make such a large contribution.”
“Then I’m sorry, Lady Kay,” the priest spread his hands. “You’ll just need to continue taking your medication.”
Kay fell silent for a while, then softly said, “But I’ve run out of money. I’ve spent all I had on medicine... Lord Priest, you know I run an inn, but I can’t even afford to provide breakfast for tomorrow’s guests.”
Hearing this, Ulu’s hand, which he had put in his pocket, suddenly felt something. He pulled it out and saw that it was a few copper coins the innkeeper had returned to him during the day. His expression grew complicated.
“That’s unfortunate, Lady Kay,” the priest said. “Although we don’t charge for treating you, the medicine itself has value. If we were to pay for it for you, we couldn’t do the same for other followers. Do you understand, Lady Kay?”
Kay fell silent again, this time longer than before.
Finally, as if she had realized something, she nodded. “I understand, Lord Priest.”
Then, staggering to her feet, she slowly left.
When she exited the church, Ulu saw Lea, who had been waiting outside, immediately go up to help Kay with an umbrella. Kay patted Lea’s head, and the two women, one young and one old, slowly disappeared into the rain.
Ulu waited by the wall for a while, calculating that the two should have almost reached the inn before he prepared to move.
Then, he heard the priest inside the church speak again to another priest: “That woman is about at her end.”
“She can’t produce anymore money?”
“That’s right.”
“Then may Rhein bless her,” the other priest spread his hands and said. “But remember to take back the ‘Holy Worm’ after she dies; it’s worth far more than the woman.”
“Of course,” the priest who had spoken with Kay chuckled. “We need to move it quickly to the next person... Who’s there?!”
They seemed to notice a shadow by the window, so they immediately stopped talking and rushed over.
But outside the window, there was only the torrential downpour, endlessly washing over this ancient city.