Demon Bible

Chapter 93: Conflict

"Lord Nemus?" Krew looked at Nemus, who had just stood up, and immediately lowered his head to ask.

Previously, Krew had been quite a chatterbox, but that had completely changed in this moment. He was now much more silent and reserved.

"Let us depart. We are going to see Westbin's family." Setting down his quill, Nemus placed the reviewed Document aside.

Nemus had spent half the morning handling his official duties.

There wasn't a staggering amount of work; the most pressing issue pertained to the Whale Dung Beetles.

Yesterday, Nemus had dispatched a few Intern Holy Knights who were awaiting Advancement to deal with the matter. Surprisingly, they failed and returned wounded.

This was recorded as a failure in their Advancement. If they wished to advance in the future, they would need to wait for over a year.

Nemus smelled something amiss in this situation, so he was in no rush to dispatch a formal Holy Knight to take over.

A Whale Dung Beetle required three stages of Pupation before it could emerge as an Adult Insect.

Throughout this process, the Strength of the Whale Dung Beetle would steadily increase.However, these creatures were essentially just overgrown Insects; their combat capabilities were not considered high.

As long as one was an official Holy Knight, they could generally dispose of them without issue.

This time, there had been a total of three individuals applying to become official Holy Knights.

Since they dared to submit the application, they must have had some degree of confidence in their abilities.

Even if the three had explored separately rather than joining forces to fight, it shouldn't have resulted in all of them returning injured.

The most likely possibility was that some sort of unforeseen incident had occurred in the area where the Whale Dung Beetles resided.

Nemus had even taken the time to summon the trio.

Their experiences were strikingly similar. After entering the beetles' habitat, they split up to search for the presence of the Adult Insect.

Everything that followed was perfectly normal.

They searched for traces of Pupation, located the Adult Insect, and launched their attacks.

The problem arose during that final step. Mid-battle with the Adult Insect, they realized they couldn't defeat it.

According to their accounts, they fell just a little bit short in every conceivable aspect.

Because the area reeked entirely of dung, their condition was slightly compromised. The carapace of the adult beetle was exceptionally resilient, meaning their offensive power fell just a bit short.

Their movements were a fraction too slow; their reactions were a split-second too late.

It was these minuscule, compounding discrepancies that led to their defeat.

It sounded exactly like a scenario where sheltered individuals, unaccustomed to filthy and chaotic environments, lost their usual composure due to the stench, ultimately failing to exert their full strength and suffering a loss.

'Could it be that Westbin is hiding there?' Nemus pondered, yet he still couldn't string together any concrete clues regarding the matter.

After all, there was no need. Even if these Intern Holy Knights had slain that adult beetle, it wouldn't have changed anything significant.

Furthermore, it was an absolute certainty that Whale Dung Beetles did not possess any remarkably unique value.

Their sole purpose was to transport Whale Dung.

With the motives being so nebulous, he couldn't immediately conclude that someone was genuinely pulling strings from the shadows.

Nemus was in no rush to deal with it; his work schedule was already packed to the brim.

The carriage sped swiftly down the street. Because it bore the emblem of the Church, the majority of other carriages would yield the right of way upon spotting it from afar.

Before long, Nemus arrived at Westbin's home in the North District.

The residence was a highly typical Noble mansion.

It was expansive and featured an attached courtyard, though at this moment, the grounds were marred by several deep fissures.

A large swath of the lawn had been scorched black, and sweeping a glance over the area revealed several massive craters.

It was said that these battle scars were entirely the result of the Judgment Squad's previous attempt to apprehend Westbin.

"Entry is strictly forbidden!" Nemus's carriage came to a halt. Before it even fully settled, two figures stepped out to block its path. These two wore light armor, and on their collars sat a cross-shaped mark—the unmistakable emblem of the Judgment Squad.

"The newly appointed Great Knight needs to interrogate the family members of the Sinner, Westbin. Lift the restriction and do not interfere." Purr stepped out of the carriage, producing a Document signed by Nemus himself and presenting it before the two men.

The two guards exchanged a glance but remained completely unmoved, continuing, "This location falls under the strict jurisdiction of the Judgment Squad. Entry is forbidden. Please turn back!"

"Leave them with a single breath," Nemus's command drifted out from inside.

The two men immediately moved to draw their weapons.

However, Purr's movements were a step faster. Sweeping his hands out in a violent slap, he forced their half-drawn swords right back into their scabbards.

Although he hadn't activated his Whale-ification, Purr was no longer the lowly apprentice Watchman he once was.

The Deep Well Water within his body was fully active, making him quite formidable in his own right.

At the same time, even without initiating Whale-ification, the Bone Fin Trait influenced his very skeleton. As long as his bones remained intact, he could still utilize this Trait.

This made his speed significantly faster than that of the two guards.

After slamming their swords back into place, Purr bounded down from the carriage. He closed the distance instantly, his arms spreading wide in a sweeping embrace as he lunged for their necks.

"Stop!" an urgent shout rang out from the distance.

Immediately following was the incoming strike of an Edict Spell.

Edict Spell: Deterrence!

This spell infused Mental Power into the surrounding air, inducing a specific resonance that generated intense Spiritual Pressure.

It was generally used for crowd control, capable of rapidly suppressing large-scale chaos or forcing individual enemies to briefly lose consciousness.

However, the very second this spell was unleashed, another spell erupted from within the carriage.

Edict Spell: Prohibition!

This spell involved injecting Mental Power into the surrounding environment, combining with the air to form an invisible dam that could block the transmission of flowing elements like energy, sound, or toxic gases.

This rapid counter-casting speed gave the caster of the Deterrence spell a visible shock.

Then, he watched as his two subordinates were violently grabbed by their throats. As Purr spun his body, they were hoisted entirely off the ground. Like a massive windmill, they were whirled around twice before being hurled through the air, crashing heavily onto the roadside.

The two men's faces had turned a deep purplish-red. Like fish plucked from water, their mouths gaped wide as they desperately gasped for air.

Their windpipes had been crushed. If they did not receive immediate medical intervention, they would surely die from asphyxiation in a matter of moments.

"This is outrageous!" Two beams of healing Divine Arts descended, finally allowing the two men to recover their breath.

Following that, the individual who had previously cast the spell to halt the attack stepped out from the shadows.

He wore elaborate Priests' robes that bore the highly conspicuous emblem of the Precept Church. Similarly, an X-shaped mark was emblazoned upon his collar.

"By striking out against Clerics, you have committed a grave sin!"

"Oh?" The curtain of the carriage was pulled aside, revealing Nemus seated within. The intertwining light and shadow inside the cabin endowed him with an imposing layer of majesty.

"May I ask what mistake this Squire of mine has committed?"

Accompanying Nemus's inquiry was his piercing gaze.

The man's body shuddered instinctively, as if he had just been targeted by a terrifying Monster.

As a Priest, he knew very well that this was the sheer will of the opponent bearing down upon him.

Although Holy Knights could not utilize Mental Power, through rigorous training and the Advancement of their Number, their wills would become increasingly resolute. Some could use this to form a psychological suppression, which served as one of the Holy Knights' methods for countering various Spells.

"Purr, let us go!" Without waiting for a response, Nemus lowered the carriage curtain.

Purr shot a fleeting glance at the Priest, drew his short blade, and sliced right through the Chains locking the mansion's gates.

The carriage whizzed past, leaving the Priest standing frozen in place.