The Unveiling of the Living Corpse

Encircled completely by the remaining inquisitors, Fuli had by then lost all will to live, able only to watch helplessly as the Chant Church gradually drew closer to the room where the living corpse patriarch was held.

Though she had not yet been restrained, the gazes of the inquisitors watching her clearly branded her a cultist.

****

Finally, in the deepest reaches of the underground passage, Fuli and the Chant faithful encountered Ellis Aiwen—trapped within a large iron cage.

He sat motionless in the iron cage, his eyes vacant, his face expressionless, his disheveled clothes suggesting days without a wash.

“Who might this be?”

Archbishop Sasha inquired, pointing at the Aiwen family patriarch in the cage.

Fuli glanced at the patriarch, now a living corpse, still praying she could bluff her way through.

“He… he is a servant who made a mistake and is currently undergoing disciplinary confinement.

I apologize for this squalid sight; it must be a blight upon your eyes.”

His eyes narrowed, a foxy smile playing on his lips, the Archbishop responded, “Is that so?

How has the esteemed patriarch of the Aiwen family, Ellis Aiwen, become a mere servant?

I am truly quite curious, Lady Fuli; could you perhaps elaborate for me?”

“You… you clearly recognized him long ago, yet…” Fuli was so flustered she even forgot to use honorifics.

Just as Fuli was cornered by the Archbishop, rendered speechless, Ellis Aiwen in the cage unexpectedly stirred.

He stiffly raised his head and spoke slowly: “This has nothing to do with the Archbishop, does it?

Our family’s internal affairs are not for the Church to meddle in!”

Ellis Aiwen’s sudden words stunned not only Fuli but also Archbishop Sasha, who, from his observations, believed the man should have been dead.

How could he suddenly possess life again?

As everyone stood in stunned silence, Yelica, however, was lost in thought; she remembered having seen the name “Ellis Aiwen” before, but where exactly?

Leveraging her formidable memory as an extraordinary being, Yelica swiftly sifted through the events of the past few days.

A flash of insight struck her; she finally recalled where she had encountered the name!

It was on the death list Yodel had provided.

[“Ellis Aiwen was falsely accused of treason; to prove his loyalty, he accepted a drug injection that transformed him into a living corpse, leading to his demise.”]

This meant that though his appearance was indistinguishable from an ordinary person, he was, in essence, a living corpse.

As for why a living corpse could speak, he was likely being artificially controlled, much like Baldy.

Given this, concrete evidence of the Aiwen family’s collusion with the Eternal Life Society was now at hand.

With this thought, Yelica cast a spell without incantation, firing a minor Holy Light spell towards Ellis Aiwen.

This was a zero-frame cast (TL Note: A gaming term implying an instant action with no wind-up animation.), so swiftly executed that everyone present, including Archbishop Sasha, failed to react.

By the time they regained their senses, the minor Holy Light spell had already struck Ellis Aiwen’s right arm.

“What are you doing!”

“Yelica, what is wrong with you?”

Fuli shrieked hysterically, and the Archbishop questioned simultaneously, but they found Yelica’s gaze fixed intently on Ellis Aiwen.

Following her gaze, wisps of black mist rose from Ellis Aiwen’s struck right arm.

Beneath the black mist was skin seared by the Holy Light, and the putrid, foul-smelling, inky black flesh beneath.

The gazes of the Archbishop, inquisitors, and clerics sharpened instantly.

For the first time, the smile on Sasha’s face vanished, replaced by an expression of profound disgust and hatred, as if he had witnessed something utterly vile.

Fuli’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground; she knew everything was over.

The Archbishop’s furious and resonant voice pierced through the walls, reverberating throughout the entire Aiwen estate and the surrounding streets:

“Subdue everyone!

Kill all who resist!”

Chants of Holy Light and screams erupted instantly, filling the cramped underground space, yet this chaotic din lasted only about a dozen seconds before silence descended once more upon the scene.

With nearly ten inquisitors and an Archbishop, eradicating even the Eternal Life Society would be like using a cannon to swat a fly (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘dà pào dǎ wén zi,’ meaning to use excessive force for a trivial task.); the mere Aiwen family was instantly annihilated.

Soon, the onlookers (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang term, ‘chī guā qún zhòng,’ referring to people who passively watch a spectacle or gossip.), who had been waiting outside for a long time, watched as squad after squad of people were escorted onto carriages by the inquisitors, among them were members of the Aiwen family as well as ordinary servants.

Reporters’ flashlights flashed incessantly, documenting the downfall of the Aiwen family.

Fuli Aiwen, led at the very front, naturally received more attention; her face pale, whether from fright or the incessant flashes, was unclear.

After everyone had been brought onto the carriages, the Chant Church convoy set off once more, gradually moving away from the clamoring crowds and returning to the Church.

****

Inside the gently swaying carriage, Yelica and the Archbishop sat facing each other.

“Yelica, how did you discover that Ellis Aiwen was dead?”

Daring not to reveal the matter of the death list directly, she could only respond with a half-truth:

“Oh, it’s nothing major, really; I’ve simply fought similar enemies before, which allowed me to recognize it.”

The Archbishop’s gaze was filled with approval as he looked at Yelica: “That is still a remarkable feat.

To immediately make a judgment and take action—that is not something just anyone can accomplish.”

‘High emotional intelligence: Yelica acts before thinking.’

‘Low emotional intelligence: Yelica acts without thinking.’

Having praised his junior, Sasha sighed with a touch of melancholy:

“It’s truly shameful, to think that despite being the Archbishop myself, I failed to detect it immediately.

Indeed, I have regressed.”

“No, no, no, Your Grace, how can you speak of yourself in such a way?

I merely had the advantage of more experience.

Under the same conditions, Your Grace, you would undoubtedly have noticed the anomaly before me!”

“But doesn’t that also mean that my combat experience in some areas is already inferior to yours?”

“This…”

“Since becoming Archbishop, my strength has indeed grown, but I have also moved away from the front lines of battle, spending my days scheming with nobles and bureaucrats.

Though on paper I remain the strongest in the Church, my combat experience, I fear, is rapidly becoming outdated.”

To Yelica, Archbishop Sasha was a paternal figure.

For a long time, in her eyes, the Archbishop was the most powerful person beneath the divine, one of the most dependable figures.

Yet such a figure was lamenting his own decline; this left Yelica feeling a sense of bewilderment, and even a faint pang of sorrow for a hero past his prime.

The Archbishop leaned forward, gently stroking her light golden hair, his voice incredibly gentle:

“No, Yelica, there’s no need for you to feel melancholy with me.

Seeing you capable of independent judgment, autonomous action, and beginning to stand on your own, I am truly gratified.

“Therefore, I hope you will grant me one request…”

“Name it, Your Grace!

Whatever it is, I will strive with all my might to accomplish it!”

Sasha spoke in a slightly weary tone:

“I hope that you will temporarily become an acting Archbishop, to manage matters concerning combat on my behalf.”

“Eh?

Eh!”