NOVPUB
Chapter 38: Chapter 38: I’ll Shelter Anyone I Can
Since the Town Mayor’s death, the only place left willing to protect Cidi’s followers is the local branch of the Holy Cultivator Guild.
And anyone who’s willing to risk everything to harbor cultists must stand to gain tremendous benefits.
Ashu looked at Kidopriest. Now the offense and defense had reversed. Inside the vast cathedral, the air itself felt like a sealing spell—this time it had bound Kidopriest in place, and he dared not so much as move a finger.
Bearing the title "Luminous Saint," Ashu needed only a single word to denounce Kidopriest’s crimes. By contrast, even if Kidopriest produced iron-clad evidence and wore himself hoarse with arguments, he could never overthrow the authority of a Luminous Saint.
This was divine selection. This was the most authoritative endorsement of the Divine Mother Goddess.
"Kidopriest."
Ashu spoke his name, and Kidopriest trembled all over. He feared that if Ashu denounced him on the spot, the Demon Huntress Nun would never let him off. Even if he’d hidden everything perfectly, he’d still be suspended and put under surveillance.
But Ashu had already learned a few tricks from the Kylelaw enforcers: without evidence, you can’t destroy a suspect. You either let them go free or you smear your own reputation to assassinate them in the shadows.
Ashu didn’t know what methods Kidopriest and Bishop Midaldas had used to evade the Demon Huntress Nun’s insight, but he knew he had no proof to kill them—yet.
"Your Grace Ashu, please speak," Kidopriest said, unable to read Ashu’s intentions. He lowered his tone and added the honorific.
"A few days ago you announced outside the cathedral that you were forming a crusader army," Ashu said, taking on an innocent air. "Now’s the perfect time. Go assist Vivita Nun in demon-hunting."
At those words, Vivita, who had been about to step forward, froze. She slowly turned to Kidopriest and Bishop Midaldas and asked, "So you really did create a crusader army. I thought you’d been derelict—and I was about to report you to headquarters."
"Well... we... yes! We did form a crusader army. But we didn’t keep command ourselves. We handed it over to the citizens—namely, the Kylelaw enforcers, a righteous and capable law-enforcement force," Kidopriest replied.
In reality, Kyle had indeed raised a small crusader army with his family fortune, but it wasn’t funded or supported by the Holy Cultivator Guild.
Yet by saying this, Kidopriest had shifted the conversation: the source of the funds no longer mattered. What mattered was whether the one holding command was doing what he ought to.
Riven still bore the marks of cultist activity — that was true negligence!
Ashu merely asked, "It’s said a Kylelaw enforcer was grievously wounded by the cultists. Is that true?"
"That still needs verification, Your Grace Ashu. Witnesses saw the enforcer enter the Town Mayor’s office just before the incident—when he emerged, the Mayor was already dead," Kidopriest hinted, threatening. If witnesses saw Kyle, they must have seen Ashu, Anna, and Leia too.
But Ashu didn’t care about the threat. Instead, he pressed on: "Everyone in town knows about this. The Town Mayor wasn’t a cultivator. Are you suggesting that the Kylelaw enforcer slew the Town Mayor?"
"Of course," Kidopriest replied. "We have reason to suspect him—not only because of his actions, but also because the greatest beneficiary of the Town Mayor’s death is the Kylelaw enforcer’s family."
"But the Kylelaw enforcer can’t use magic," Ashu countered. "The wooden runes carved into the walls were clearly made with sorcery."
"He has help," Kidopriest shot back, fixing Ashu with a steely gaze. He couldn’t understand why Ashu dared interrogate him so boldly—wasn’t that courting death? Even a Luminous Saint who assassinated a Town Mayor without cause would face punishment.
"Help? Are there any eyewitnesses?" Ashu asked deliberately, showing no intention of letting up.
Just as Kidopriest opened his mouth, the ever-smiling Bishop Midaldas stepped forward. "Your Grace Ashu, the eyewitness testimony is vague. All we can confirm is that the accomplice is a mage proficient in wood-based magic."
"Oh, I see," Ashu said with a satisfied grin. "Then I’ll leave it to Vivita Nun to look into this thoroughly."
With that, Ashu had gauged the true extent of the Luminous Saint’s authority—Bishop Midaldas dared not contradict him. And even if they exposed him, Ashu had another ace up his sleeve: he was acting under the Witch’s Guild mandate, calling it a classified mission.
He’d already secured the Divine Mother Goddess’s endorsement, proving all his actions were just—and thus any assassination prior to this had also been judged righteous by the Divine Mother Goddess. Therefore Vivita Taan, one of the Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns, was bound by their prior agreement.
"If cultists are involved, I will uncover the truth," Vivita declared, and quickly strode out of the cathedral.
Seizing the moment, Ashu took a seat at the feet of the Divine Mother Goddess’s statue—Luminous Saint, fully legitimate, basking in divine blessing.
Bishop Midaldas and Kidopriest watched, inwardly seething to behead him, yet forced to plaster smiles on their faces.
"Your Grace Ashu, I must assist the Demon Huntress Nun in rooting out heresy. Beg your pardon," Bishop Midaldas said, and departed at once.
Only Kidopriest remained to receive Ashu. They had no idea what bold move Ashu would make next, so one would go hunt demons, the other stay behind to watch him.
Ashu sat beneath the statue and freely asked, "Kidopriest, where is our Leopard-Headed Bishop?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"You don’t even understand that? Don’t play dumb. We’re on the same side. The Demon Huntress Nun’s the outsider—I’ve known her far less time than I’ve known you. I’ve been eager to learn from you. When Bishop Midaldas retires, you’ll take his place, and I’ll take yours—wouldn’t that be perfect?" Ashu gave him the knowing look. "Surely you see how devout I am."
At this, Kidopriest’s brow furrowed. He had no idea whether Ashu was speaking from genuine devotion to the evil god Cidi or from loyalty to the Divine Mother Goddess’s shining decree.
No matter whether he walked the dark path or the righteous one, this farmer—who’d never believed in any faith for eighteen years—was nothing short of astonishing. Calling him Cidi’s Chosen was accurate; calling him the Divine Mother Goddess’s Chosen was equally fitting. Who in the world could be both?
Kidopriest stole a glance at Anna. Seeing her remain still, he turned back to Ashu and asked, "Your Grace Ashu, what is it you really want?"
What he truly wanted was obvious: to unearth every cultist and have the Demon Huntress Nun hunt them down—eradicating threats and racking up Divine Points all at once. The problem was that the high-ranking Cidi devotees had been completely hidden away, presumably to lie low until the uproar died down, then reemerge to keep profiting.
"I want to meet Bishop Cidi," Ashu said, invoking the Forbidden Name right before the statue of the Divine Mother Goddess.
Kidopriest nearly choked. The Goddess had only just manifested—here he was, daring to speak her rival’s name in her presence. Was he not afraid of divine retribution?
"I...damn," Kidopriest cursed inwardly, then replied, "I want to meet that heretic too. He shall be brought to justice and burned at the stake!"
At that, Ashu sprang to his feet, dusted off his robes, and said, "Fine. If you can’t—or won’t—tell me, I’ll find another parishioner. I’m sincerely eager to worship our Goddess, but it seems I can’t locate her true followers."
Just as Ashu headed for the cathedral doors, Kidopriest sprinted after him. He still had no idea what Ashu was plotting, but he could trade up a minor Cidi follower to probe Ashu’s intentions. Mind-games alone led nowhere; only action would reveal the truth.
As soon as Ashu stepped outside, Kidopriest leaned in and whispered, "The one who stood beside the Town Mayor is now hiding at the second The Withered Well in the East Market."
Ashu’s heart leapt—but his face fell. "He’s not our bishop. I can sense it." The aura around the real Cidi Bishop and the man in question—and their Evil Power Levels—were worlds apart.
Kidopriest offered a cautious explanation: "That’s all I’ve been able to learn." By playing it safe, he could always claim it was the branch’s strategy if anyone questioned him.
Ashu nodded slowly. "Then you’ll help me draw the Demon Huntress Nun’s attention—don’t let her discover him too quickly."
Kidopriest said nothing, merely gave a subtle nod. He still needed to gauge Ashu’s hand; he couldn’t allow his pawn to be slaughtered by the Nun just yet.
...
Ashu and Anna made their way toward the East Market. It took a while to locate the second The Withered Well from the eastern gate. The well sat in a backyard, ringed by the same kind of warding circle the Cidi cultists used.
"Brother, are you in there?" Ashu crouched at the well’s mouth and called down.
Silence answered at first—but Ashu persisted, repeating his query again and again.
This was a lead for purging the cultists in the "Riven" township district—if they seized on this one thread, it wouldn’t be long before every last cultist was exposed.
"Brother, brother, I’m a daytime parishioner—I’ve even posed as a Luminous Saint! The Demon Huntress Nun is out hunting you all over town. Hurry up and come out! I’ll shelter anyone I can!" Ashu implored earnestly at the mouth of the well.
Sure enough, a cultist hiding beneath The Withered Well was stirred by his words.
