Lord of Glory

Late at night, Paladin secretly returned the stone slab to its original owner. Before that, he confirmed that Lucia was still sleeping like a dead pig. Afterwards, Paladin gently closed the bedroom door.

The next morning, an impatient Lucia approached Paladin and inquired, "Father, can you do me a favor?"

"Go ahead. What is it?"

With big twinkling eyes, Lucia sat down. Then with an expectant tone she said, "The nearest city from here is Edley. Father, can you take me to Edley for a stroll?"

Paladin did not hesitate to nod and said, "I have not been to Edley yet, but I also want to visit the bishop. Let's go together if you want to go."

"Yes!"

That morning, Paladin packed some money and took Lucia for a stroll to Edley. Along the way, Paladin cast a vague glance at Lucia. It was because he could see very clearly that Lucia was carrying the slate with her. He knew deep down that Lucia, who came from a big family, definitely was planning to leave. At that, Paladin simply smiled cryptically because his goal was way bigger than that.

"Stop, who are you?"

In front of the magnificent but weathered city gate where the rain had left its trails over many years, Paladin observed the four sergeants equipped with spears who were guarding the entrance. He glanced at their armor, which was nothing more than a layer of cotton leather armor. With a very gentle smile, he handed over the Holy See's letter of appointment. A sergeant took a look at it before decisively waving his hand and saying, "You can go inside, Father."

Paladin smiled and walked in. However, when he looked back, Lucia had disappeared at some point.

Lucia, who was watching Paladin walk away from a far corner of the city, whispered somewhat apologetically, "Father, I'm sorry but I must go for the sake of my country and for the sake of avenging the tragic death of my father and the innocents. I will properly thank you the next time we meet."

With that, she turned around and blended into the dark corner.

The main road, which was paved with stone slabs, had patches of green grass growing out of the cracks. Buildings and stores full of lights and decorations densely packed both sides of the road. The crowds of people coming and going made the avenue, which was big enough for three carriages to travel side by side, appear a little crowded.

Paladin wasn't bothered by the crowds at all. From his point of view, he could see a hollow space that was too striking to ignore. It was moving quietly on the alley next to him amidst this sea of busy magic elements. Paladin smiled faintly and entered an alley in the corner. After looking around and confirming that there was nobody, he estimated that Luna—along with the stone slab—soon would approach his spot without knowing what would befall her next. He calmly took the glove off his right hand.

Whoosh. Luna saw something flashing in front of her. She hadn't realized what was going on when she saw a black shadow bolted towards her. After that, that shadow covered her mouth with its hand that was glowing golden. And then, it slammed her into the wall.

"Urgh!"

Paladin watched Luna struggle with all of her might, trying to break free. Casually, he waved his other hand. Golden light chains immediately emerged from the air, binding Luna firmly keeping her down.

The sunlight harshly shone when Luna raised her head. She finally saw the face of the mysterious person who attacked her. For a moment, she thought he was one of Lex's assassins who had found her whereabouts. But when she saw his disheveled black hair, ordinary face, and cold, hideous eyes of Father Paladin, her beautiful pupils shrunk drastically. Gone was her previous stubborn but reverent eyes.

"Oh, are you surprised?" Paladin lowered his head and approached Lucia who was struggling so hard but to no avail. Paladin couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick her face when he sniffed the unique fragrance emanating from her body and saw her frightened eyes that were embedded in her beautiful face.

"Ewww!" Lucia showed a disgusted expression and tried to avoid Paladin's assault. Paladin simply looked at her and suddenly laughed.

"I don't care who you are, what your origins are, and what your connection to the coup in Aixinzhe is. Anyway, today is your unlucky day."

With his other hand, Paladin gently undid Lucia's clothes to take out the stone tablet enveloped by her body fragrance from her chest. Under Lucia's shocked and anxious gaze, he stuffed it into his bag.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to your body. Although I really want to have fun, if I give you to an old pervert first, I will gain more benefits."

Paladin grinned and took something out of his pocket. A small bottle filled with light green liquid was dangled in front of Lucia's terrified eyes.

"Do you know what this is?"

The sinister malice emanating from Paladin's eyes grew more and more intense. Lucia didn't expect she needed to answer because her mouth was still covered.

Paladin confidently cracked an eerie smile and continued, "In the language of the devil, this is called Novin. However, I call it the Deadly Rain because it's made from the white phosphorus flower that grows on the corpses of the dead."

Paladin gently opened the bottle cap. Soon after, an acidic odor that could cause shortness of breath rose to the surface. Even though Paladin covered her mouth and nose with his hand, tears welled up in Lucia’s eyes.

Paladin, on the other hand, showed no signs of discomfort. Instead, as he gazed at the potion, his face was filled with admiration.

"There are a lot of dead bodies in the church basement. In order for white phosphorus flowers to grow on them, I regularly poured a lot of human blood until it grew little by little. Ah, to make Deadly Rain, I used the rain dew I got in the early morning, white phosphorus flowers, and many other materials. It took more than 30 complex alchemy arrays to successfully refine it. I learned this in the Freemasons' Association. Ah, this kind of dark alchemy, which is considered taboo in alchemy, is hidden from the common folks. Thus, I count myself lucky."

After Paladin finished speaking, he shook the bottle again. Lucia, who was sweating all over, suddenly noticed that the acidic smell gradually faded. She was even taken aback; why did this double-faced and hypocritical priest talk so much? Did he love to listen to himself?

Yet, Paladin didn't care at all. Still smiling, he continued, "Do you know how effective it is? This is already diluted, but even so, it can make you unable to talk within five seconds. You will lose sight, hearing, and smell within the next hour. Eventually, your heart will corrode! Hahahaha! What a wonderful thing right? It’s as tempting as a gemstone."

By this point, the acidic smell of the Deadly Rain had completely vanished. A hideous and crazed smile formed on Paladin's lips, much like a viper about to deal its final blow and reveal its horrifying fangs after a long wait. Full of excitement, he said, "Why do you think I told you so much, huh? This poison must mingle with air first as it will only be effective after the smell disappears! Lucia, be my stepping stone!"

As soon as Paladin said that, Lucia’s previously restrained heart leapt to life. She began struggling and moving, attempting to break her hands out of the chains and pull out the dagger strapped to her leg. Paladin only watched all this before smiling aggressively. The hand that was covering her mouth immediately grabbed her jaw and squeezed. Hard. Inevitably, Lucia opened her mouth. Her eyes that were looking at Paladin were full of fear and despair. He picked up the bottle and poured the Deadly Rain into her mouth, all the while laughing wildly.

"You're finished, Luna!"