"Um?"
Robert turned his head, only to find that no one was around him. It seemed that the girl with dark green hair was indeed coming for him.
Lorna's eyes locked onto Robert's with a cold intensity. "What were you doing just now?"
Robert blinked. "Look in the mirror, otherwise."
Hearing his words, Lorna glanced at the polished glass of the restaurant. She quickly realized that the outside couldn't see inside, so her initial reaction had been a misunderstanding.
Most of Lorna's anger dissipated instantly, and her face returned to its original calmness. "Aren't you a priest? Why did you put on that strange posture when looking in the mirror? It's not good for the believers to see that."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "I think you might have a misunderstanding about priests. Priests are human too, and they can have their own little special hobbies, right?"
Lorna gave him a skeptical look. "Are you really a priest?"
"You doubt me?" Robert widened his eyes, slightly offended. "In my short career as a priest, being questioned twice already is an insult to my profession!"
Lorna shook her head. "No, I didn't—"
"You are doubting me! Well, since this is the case, I have to prove myself to you!" Robert's eyes gleamed with mischief.
Lorna froze for a moment. Could the priest actually buy and sell by force?
Robert stared at her intensely. Lorna, recognizing the look from earlier in the restaurant, now understood. It was the same gaze he'd given her before—he was sizing her up, as though trying to look deeper into her.
After a prolonged stare, Robert suddenly frowned and spoke with a serious tone: "Girl, I smell an evil dark breath on you. I suspect you've encountered a demon."
"Demon...?"
Lorna raised an eyebrow. "Father, are you serious? I don't recall encountering anything strange. What kind of demon are you talking about?"
Robert shook his head. "I don't know. While I may be a priest, to tell you the truth, I've only just taken up this role recently, so I still lack some theoretical knowledge. But I can smell it. This evil dark breath is... very smelly. And not just any ordinary smell—it's repulsive!"
Lorna's face remained impassive, but inside, she couldn't help but feel a slight flare of irritation. Could he really be calling her stinky?
This insult was unbearable. No girl could tolerate such a comment.
Lorna clenched her fists, her voice growing cold. "Even if you are a priest, it doesn't mean you can talk nonsense. Listen carefully: I take a bath every day. It's impossible for me to stink, let alone smell like you say. It's exaggerated!"
But as soon as she finished speaking, Lorna froze, a sudden realization hitting her.
Something was wrong. Why was she even engaging in this bizarre conversation? This wasn't like her at all. She would normally dismiss such trivial matters without a second thought. But now, she found herself talking about personal issues to a complete stranger.
Lorna felt her defenses lower, almost unconsciously, under Robert's influence. She noticed the change but couldn't figure out why she was even entertaining him.
Robert raised his hands in a mock surrender. "Believe me, I really do smell it. If you don't believe me, let me describe it for you."
Lorna was about to protest, but Robert continued before she could speak.
"It's like blue cheese mixed with canned herring that's been boiled for days and stored in a cool place," he said with a mischievous grin. "Don't even get me started on the stench. Now I'm actually getting a little hungry."
Lorna's expression twitched, resisting the urge to say something harsh in return. Instead, she turned on her heel and left quickly, her mind racing.
What was going on? Why did she feel this strange impulse to run away? Her intuition told her that staying would only make her feel more unsettled.
"Honestly, is this what society has come to?" Robert muttered as he watched Lorna walk faster, disappearing into the crowd.
He wasn't lying, though. The stench, the darkness clinging to Lorna, was unmistakable. Through his mana-enhanced senses, Robert could see a faint black aura around her. It was weak, almost imperceptible, but it clung to her, giving off a foul, rotten scent.
Why, though? Why did he have such a strong reaction to it? Why did his mana stir so violently, almost like a hunger, whenever it came into contact with that dark aura?
"As a priest, how could I just stand by and let innocent people be harmed by demons?" Robert mumbled to himself, walking after Lorna without hesitation. He could sense her presence—her stench—and that was enough to track her down. He knew where she was going.
The evening air had already fallen heavy in Brooklyn's Stoke neighborhood, and Robert found himself standing in front of a bar. The scent was stronger here. He could smell Lorna's presence, faint but unmistakable, mixing with the foul stench of the souls that inhabited the place.
Without hesitation, Robert walked into the bar.
The moment he stepped inside, loud electronic music greeted him. Colored lights flashed above, illuminating a sea of gyrating bodies on the dance floor. The air was thick with marijuana smoke. It was the typical atmosphere of a club, one that made Robert feel slightly uncomfortable, yet it was a familiar setting for tracking down people who might be in trouble.
He scanned the room, his gaze catching sight of Lorna not far from the bar. But before he could approach, a bartender came up to him.
"Sir, what can I get you?"
"I'll have a glass of Erguotou," Robert said without missing a beat.
The bartender hesitated for a moment, glancing at Robert's black priestly robe. "Have even the believers of God fallen?" the bartender muttered, almost sarcastically.
"Well, what else can you do?" Robert replied, sitting down at the bar and ignoring the odd stares.
The lights in the bar flickered as Robert continued to observe. He wasn't just paying attention to the people around him; he was using his senses to detect the souls of the people in the bar. Most souls here were normal, translucent, human-like.
But then, a few souls caught his attention. They were different—distorted, warped, as if they had been corrupted beyond recognition. These souls were not humanoid. Instead, they were foul, viscous, rotten, and exuded a thick black mist. The sight was disturbing, and Robert could almost smell the decay emanating from them.
The stench was unmistakable. It was the same as what clung to Lorna, confirming his suspicion. She had been here, contaminated by the souls of these people. And yet, there was more to it. What were these people doing here?
He continued to observe the room, trying to figure out what was going on, when he suddenly noticed something odd. A slight buzzing in the air, the faintest shift in energy. Lorna had sensed him, too.
Before Robert could move, he heard a voice call out behind him, "What are you doing here, Father?"
Lorna had turned back, her expression a mix of confusion and reluctance.
Robert didn't respond immediately. He simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to come closer.
Finally, she spoke again, "I knew something was wrong about you."
Robert smiled slightly, looking her up and down. "And you're just now figuring it out?"
Lorna took a deep breath and glanced around, trying to steady herself. "I need to get away from here."
"I think you're right," Robert agreed, standing up from the bar, ready to follow her once again.
The game of cat and mouse had only just begun. But this time, Lorna would
have a lot more to think about than just the demons she could see.
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