“You say you didn’t kill them, but how are you going to prove that to us?” Vivian asked with a slight frown, her tone unfriendly.
“Paladin! You’re a Paladin who follows Elios, aren’t you?” Edward didn’t answer Vivian directly. Instead, he turned his head sharply and questioned Nolan.
“I am. But what does that have to do with whether or not you killed anyone?” Nolan replied after a moment of hesitation.
A flash of joy crossed Edward’s eyes as he quickly continued, “I remember you have a Divine Art that can determine a target’s alignment toward good or evil. So, as long as it’s determined that I’m not a wicked person, doesn’t that prove I didn’t kill these people?”
Nolan’s gaze narrowed as he stared into Edward’s eyes. His tone unintentionally became more guarded. “How do you know about that?”
Startled by Nolan, Edward couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated. He shrunk his neck back fearfully and spoke in a low voice.
“When I was very young, I accidentally overheard a resident priest mention it. Actually… before becoming a Necromancer, I was a devout follower of Elios. I… I worked for the church, and I even donated money… The radiant Elios must know I’m innocent!”
As Edward spoke, his voice grew heavy with emotion. He couldn’t stop himself from choking up, his words filled with endless grievances. Toward the end, he even raised the back of his hand to cover his eyes, trying his best to keep the tears from falling.
Nolan was stunned. They did indeed have such a Divine Art, and they had used it many times to judge heretics. But the reality was…
The prayers for this Divine Art never received a response from Elios. Therefore, these clergymen merely put on an act of devout prayer, pretending to petition the god. When it came time to judge the results of good or evil, they usually relied on their own intuition to make a decision. In other words, they performed this Divine Art to provide an excuse to strike down heretics. It was mostly a trick to fool people, not a true way to judge good and evil.
***
Nolan looked at the weeping Edward, whose expression didn’t seem faked, and felt somewhat sympathetic. At the same time, he vaguely sensed the expectant gazes of his two companions. He was now in a difficult position; there was no other way but to perform the Divine Art.
“Fine. If you pass the judgment of Elios, it will naturally prove your innocence,” Nolan said softly.
At this point, he could only bite the bullet and go through with it. Nolan closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and bowed his head. He began to recite a long, rhythmic prayer with a pious posture. Meanwhile, his brain was working frantically, racking his mind for a way to fool Edward and his companions later. His intuition told him that Edward was likely innocent.
Just then, within the dark vision of his closed eyes, tiny sparks of golden light suddenly appeared. These golden fragments gradually outlined a human silhouette in the center of Nolan’s vision. The sudden change startled Nolan. He hurriedly interrupted his prayer and snapped his eyes open.
A magical change was occurring on Edward, who was surrounded by the three of them. Countless tiny, golden flecks of light slowly swirled around him, as if he were being shrouded in a layer of golden mist. After a few seconds, the green death energy that originally clung to Edward actually intertwined and merged with the outer golden layer. The uncomfortable scent of decay on his body faded away, replaced by a green, natural scent like fresh grass.
Nolan couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock. Elios had actually responded to him… And He had confirmed that Edward was innocent.
‘He hasn’t responded to my prayers so many times before, but this time He actually responded for a Necromancer.’ This left him completely bewildered.
“It seems we’ve misunderstood him,” Blake said calmly, resting his chin on his fist.
“Hey, stop crying, stop crying.” Vivian felt guilty, thinking she had wronged a good person. “What a poor child.”
She took a step forward and reached out to rub Edward’s hair, which was as messy as a bird’s nest, comforting him softly. “Um… I’ll give you 1 silver coin as compensation. I hope you can accept my apology…”
Vivian untied the small pouch at her waist and painfully pulled out 1 silver coin, handing it over.
Hearing this, Edward nervously opened the fingers covering his eyes, revealing a small slit that betrayed a hint of embarrassment. Then, his expression changed instantly, and he happily accepted the coin. After all, no one would turn down money.
Seeing that Edward’s emotions had stabilized, Vivian spoke again. “We believe you didn’t kill them, but can you tell us where you found these bodies?”
“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go to my cabin,” Edward said as he stood up and started walking to the side.
The three of them chose to follow him silently. After a while, they walked for about 10 minutes. The green mist gradually dispersed, revealing a dilapidated wooden cabin about 30 feet tall in the jungle.
Edward stepped forward and pushed open the weathered wooden door with a *creak*.
“This is an abandoned hunter’s cabin. After I found it, I turned it into my home,” he introduced enthusiastically to the three, his words even carrying a hint of excitement. In his eyes, owning a house of his own was something to be very proud of.
Once Vivian entered, she quickly scanned the interior. The first thing she saw was a simple wooden bed against the corner, covered in an animal skin with a beautiful pattern. In the center of the room was a square log table, and a single chair. 5 silver coins were neatly arranged on the table, along with an unfinished letter held down by a stone.
On the wall to the right of the wooden table, there was a glaringly large hole. An unknown black animal skin hung over it, barely covering the opening. Just then, a breeze blew outside, lifting the skin and offering a glimpse of the lush green grass outdoors.
“Welcome to my humble abode.”
After saying this, Edward noticed how dark it was inside and worried about neglecting his guests. He quickly walked to the hole in the wall. With a soft *rustle*, Edward pulled down the black animal skin he used as a curtain. He rolled it into a strip, tied it tight with hemp rope, and set it aside. This allowed the warm sunlight from outside to spill through the hole and onto the floor.
The entire room brightened instantly. However, Edward’s expression became troubled again. Since he only had one chair, he couldn’t just let the guests stand there. He rubbed his head and thought for a moment. Then, Edward jogged over to move the chair into a corner to make space. He also pulled the exquisite animal skin off the bed and spread it across the wooden floor in the center of the room.
Edward looked at his handiwork and nodded with satisfaction. Then, he greeted Vivian’s group warmly. “Don’t be shy, come and sit. Then, let’s have a good talk about those bodies.”
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