The bronze oil stand, the tiny sparks, the dim and bright bishop's hall in the church.
Next to York's body stood an old man wearing a white robe with gold edges. If there was a knowledgeable person present, he would tell you that this white robe with gold edges was an attire that could only be worn by bigwigs at the level of the Archbishop of the Church of Light.
Sethman just looked at the corpse on the ground quietly. Oh, no, his wandering eyes showed that he was not paying attention to the dead guy.
He was wondering how many years it had been since he had been scolded.
Sethman, born into an aristocratic family, was sent to a monastery at a young age. The teachings and discipline there were strict, and he often endured beatings and scoldings. Later, with his academic success and the support and influence of his family, his position in the Church of Light rose steadily. After years of hard work, he finally rose from ordinary clergyman to ArchDeacon.
It can be said that since he became a clergyman, he has never been scolded to his face.
But today, he was pointed at and cursed by a group of farmers.
It was just an ordinary clergy inspection. When he got off the bus at the village entrance, everything was normal. The ignorant and backward villagers looked at him with awe and reverence. He was all too familiar with these looks and these scenes. At these times, if you just approached them and exchanged a few friendly words, these farmers would be filled with gratitude and respect.
Then he saw a large group of people running towards him excitedly, some without even wearing shoes. Oh, what a devout group of believers. He remembered stepping forward and solemnly saying, "Hello, devout believers! On behalf of the General Assembly of the God of Light, I extend my warmest greetings to you."
"Greetings to your mother!"
He was sprayed with spit, and then a dozen fingers pointed at his face and cursed him. All kinds of rustic slang were used, and in between, some shoes flew towards him... Then he realized where the shoes of those barefoot people had gone.
"Sir, this is the weapon that killed York." Buck said to the dazed Sethman while holding a crossbow.
Sethman stared at the crossbow bolt in amazement. It was made of ordinary material, seemingly just ordinary wood. The workmanship was crude, and most importantly, the tip was unevenly cut. The whole thing looked more like a toy made by a child playing war games.
"What did you find?"
Buck said, "Judging from York's body temperature, he died within ten minutes. He died in the confessional. The attacker must have been pretending to be a believer and was shot at close range."
"That's all?" This wasn't what Sethman wanted to hear. He didn't care how the idiot on the ground died; he just wanted to confirm the assassin's identity. Pretending to be a believer, holding a crossbow, and shooting at close range. This didn't mean anything.
Buck hesitated and said, "Some of our brothers found slight marks on the backyard wall, and there was also a secret door left in York's window. If that was left by an assassin, the method was quite professional."
The so-called professionals are naturally those assassins who take people's lives and collect bounties.
Sethman sneered sarcastically, "Professional? Are you saying an assassin traveled all the way here and used this toy to kill an ordinary clergyman? Is he crazy because of poverty, or is he just passing by and killing someone for fun?"
Buck knew this result was a bit untenable, so he said, "Then we can only start with the crossbows and check for hunters around."
Sethman's voice became even sharper. "Oh? A hunter from a small village killed someone, and an entire team of Knights of Light couldn't find any useful clues. Are you trying to say that our Knights of Light are useless?"
The claim that it was done by hunters is even more untenable. Xiaoshi Village is located inland, and most villagers make their living from the land. There is only a small forest to the south of the village. Even if there are hunters, they are just setting traps to catch pheasants, which is not very sophisticated.
Buck simply kept his mouth shut.
After a few taunts, Sethman fell into deep thought. The Knights of Light were certainly no slackers; in fact, their overall combat prowess surpassed that of the average Imperial Knight Order. The fact that they couldn't find any useful clues meant their opponents were truly professionals. Buck's judgment was probably sound, but what professional would be so unrefined? After all, the bounty for killing a low-ranking clergyman like York wouldn't exceed a single gold coin. Could they really be just passing through?
The troubled Sethman didn't know that the professional they guessed was vomiting in the woods not far from them.
I have to say that killing people and killing chickens and ducks are really two different things.
Even though Tang En kept telling himself before he attacked that the other party was a wicked man who deserved to be killed and that he was acting in the name of justice, his stomach still churned when he saw York actually die in front of him.
After barely cleaning up the scene and waiting for the villagers to arrive, he hurried out of the backyard, ran straight to the woods, and vomited profusely.
In the church, the pensive Sethmann suddenly said, "York died just before we heard the bell?"
"Yes."
"Don't you think this is a bit too coincidental..."
Buck's heart moved: "You mean..."
Sethman seemed to have figured something out and smiled. "Our itinerary is fixed. Anyone interested can find out. We were walking slowly, but the bells rang just as we reached the outskirts of the village."
"Are you saying that someone deliberately let York die in front of us like this?"
"That's not all," Sethman said coldly, "That idiot York can die, but his exposed actions have tarnished the honor of the Church of Light. No one in this village will believe in the God of Light anymore. And if someone with ulterior motives incites these villagers to spread this matter..."
"It was absolutely horrific, it was a disaster."
Sethman said coldly, "That's right. What's even more disastrous is that this incident will also become a stain on us. After all, I'm the inspector who oversees the clergy in this area, and damn it, we were actually at the scene of it!"
"Is someone trying to throw mud at me, sir? Damn, who is this?" Buck finally understood what Sethman was thinking and couldn't help but sigh inwardly: those in high positions are indeed not simple. Furthermore, this also explains the professional approach. After all, if someone really did it intentionally, they would naturally hire someone more professional to avoid leaving any loopholes.
"It doesn't matter who it is now. The key is what should we do now?"
Buck was indeed clever, and he immediately said, "How about saying that York is already dead, and someone from the Savage Cult is pretending to be him?"
The Savage Religion, the religion of the Northern Wilderness tribes, is a natural enemy of the Temple of Light. When followers of the two sects meet, the fight is often to the death.
Sethman said noncommittally, "It's a good idea. But it's difficult to implement. Farmers are ignorant, but not all of them are fools."
"Then use the mind magic on the farmers to seal their memories."
"There will be consequences. If there is a sealing spell, there must be a way to remove it. It will be even more difficult to end it then."
Buck spread his hands and said, "I am ignorant and can't think of any good solution."
Sethman smiled and said, "Think about it slowly. There will always be a good solution. Sometimes, we need to change our thinking, just like when we were trying to determine the murderer's identity. We need to think deeper."
Thinking deeper? Thinking deeper... Buck looked at the smiling Sethman and suddenly felt a chill. Could it be...
Seeing Buck's changing expression, Sethman raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Oh, it seems you've come up with another good idea. When I chose you to be the Guardian Knight Commander, I praised your cleverness. Tell me about it."
Buck opened his mouth and murmured: "Should I...should I...should I...should I...should I..."
"What?"
Looking at Sethman's deep and unfathomable eyes, Buck gritted his teeth and said, "Kill them all!"
Huh… After saying that, Buck suddenly felt a strange sense of relief. This feeling was just like when he was a kid, pretending to be nonchalant and killing the dog he had raised for many years with a single blow to prove his manliness to his friends.
Sethman didn't say anything, but just smiled and patted Buck's shoulder.
Buck leaned forward and bowed his head in humble gratitude.
"Sir, the villagers have gathered at the church door, demanding that you come forward and give an explanation." A Knight of Light came in to report the situation.
The curses at the door grew louder and louder, deafening.
Buck took a deep breath and said, "Guard the door and don't let them in. First, calm them down and tell them we've figured out something. In ten minutes, we'll announce the situation to them."
"yes."
"Also, after you're done with all this, everyone gather in the backyard of the church."
"Yes." The knight took the order and left.
"Look, sir..."
"You did very well." Sethman smiled and said, "The Holy Knights of Light are looking for new recruits. I have a spot available. After this inspection, you can go and try."
Buck said ecstatically, "Thank you for your cultivation, sir."
Holy Knights are the top knights of the Church of Light. They are the backbone of the church, both in terms of status and military prowess. These knights are all trained by the Holy Knights of Light. Anyone who passes the training there can become a Holy Knight.
"This is what you deserve." Then, Sethman took out a crystal emitting a rich white light and handed it to Buck, saying, "Put it somewhere."
"Divine Punishment Crystal!" Buck was shocked.
Sethman glanced at the crystal reluctantly and said, "Yes, this is the Divine Punishment Crystal. It's the only one I've gotten in all these years. What a pity..."
"Are you going to use this to destroy the village?"
"That's the only way to avoid leaving any traces. Also, tell your knight to shut up. It's best to forget about this matter. Otherwise, you'll be the one in trouble."
"Yes, Buck will always be loyal to you, my Lord."
...
Five minutes later, the night sky was pitch black.
A white light suddenly fell from the sky and hit the chapel directly.
Like a spark thrown into a pile of gunpowder, the small church suddenly emitted a blinding white light, and the blast of air rolled out in all directions, directly engulfing the entire village.
South of the village, at the edge of the woods, Buck felt the strong wind blowing in his face and stared blankly at the scene before him.
Sethman frowned and said, "My carriage. Damn it, don't let me know who framed me, or I'll have him hanged."
Sethman's gorgeous carriage was parked at the door of the church. It was too conspicuous to move, so it had to be destroyed along with Xiaoshi Village.
Buck felt a chill in his heart. More than two hundred lives. But in Sethman's eyes, that was not even as valuable as a carriage.
The white light vanished as quickly as it appeared. Within moments, the scene returned to tranquility. However, not even a trace of Xiaoshi Village remained; it had become a sunken, scorched earth.
Sethman said, "Build a Holy Spirit monument and send someone to explain the situation to the knights of this fiefdom... I don't need to explain the reasons, do I?"
"Yes! Don't worry, sir."