Chapter 23

"This is really... As expected."

The time agreed with priest Draco was in the evening, but in the late afternoon, Loren had arrived ahead of time - the murder of the priest's nephew must be well known in a small place like Gumu town. He didn't need to inquire about it at all.

The simple lakeside cottage looks like someone who once lived but deserted for some time. As for why the priest's nephew was killed here, according to his understanding, I'm afraid someone deliberately led him here.

However, such a move seems very puzzling. The other party has been attracting more people's attention as much as possible before, and dressed these murders as "the curse of the Holy Cross" and spread rumors around the villages and towns for fear that the world will not be chaotic.

Only this time, the other party did not choose to be in public, but in such an unattractive place outside the village and town, although it was finally found.

But... Lauren's eyes looked around at the empty house. The whole house seemed to have been specially cleaned. There was nothing left but the crumbling house.

There was no blood on the floor, no furniture, and there was nothing left except the four walls and the ceiling above the head - it was obvious that the murderer had come once and erased all the traces.

Loren shook his head slightly, with some disdain in his eyes - if the other party had done something hidden before, this time it was too blatant, almost telling himself there was a problem.

What's more, the more thorough it is, the more obvious it is that the other party is not a fool, so it's not what he wants, but must do. So what's the reason?

"The blood stains have been wiped clean, but it is also obvious that some different soil can be seen in the corner, which seems to be a table or cabinet; the nails on the wall prove that something was hung there; the earth pit in the center of the house is like a fire pit, but it is much smaller, at most a crucible can be put; then it is the means used by the other party to clean up the traces..."

Loren said to himself, his boots rubbed gently on the ground, and it was difficult to wash the blood on this mud ground, not to mention the melted iron sword: "although it can not be completely determined, even if the other party is not a wizard, I'm afraid he has considerable attainments in alchemy. I'm afraid this room is his laboratory."

The creaking sound of the door shaft came from behind. Lauren, who was standing there, still didn't turn his head back and turned his back to the open door - he noticed the sound of each other's footsteps when he was close to the wooden house, and half of what he said just now was for him.

"Wonderful conclusion, you are really not an ordinary wizard apprentice."

When he opened the door, priest Draco walked in with admiration and applause: "I thought vimpar college would send another nerd apprentice. You really surprised me."

"Why, don't you plan to go around in circles?" Lauren and Draco looked at each other with a hint of irony at the corners of their mouths. "In fact, I still enjoy the process. If I can, I don't mind playing."

"It seems you noticed it early?" Draco's expression changed. "Did I expose it?"

"No, but you're too proactive and positive - it makes me feel like I'm being led by the nose. I'm still very sensitive to this kind of thing. Moreover, there are rumors of the Holy Cross curse all over ancient wood Town, which is really too deliberate."

"So it is..." priest Draco nodded thoughtfully: "I thought you would die in that abandoned tomb, but you came back alive. So I couldn't help thinking that maybe I could use your hand to send father Anthony to where he should go."

"I'm really flattered, Reverend Draco." Loren said with undisguised sarcasm, "or should you be a Draco wizard?"

"Whatever you want, but I guess you might want to hear why I do these things." Draco waved carelessly and then became serious: "you are a wizard apprentice. Without me saying more, you know how difficult the life of wizards in this land is."

"You can go to vimpal," Loren replied. "At least there will be no prejudice against wizards, and there are enough conditions for you to study alchemy."

"Then he took the initiative to shut himself in the tower and was driven by those nobles like dogs?" Draco's expression was ferocious: "it was in order to avoid that dark day that I joined the Holy Cross Church and tried my best to climb to today's position!"

"But Anthony, that bastard, he found his nephew to replace me! I have worked hard to serve him for so many years and have to be frightened not to let others find out my secret. How can that kind of scoundrel take Gumu town from me? That belongs to me!"

"So you kill people everywhere, cover it up as a ghoul, and then try to frame him?" Loren asked with a sneer.

"Not all." Draco was calm and didn't have any idea to hide: "you know, alchemy costs a lot, so I tried to find the youngest son of a rich merchant and promised to help him kill his brother - anyway, it's just a convenient thing, which also helped raise the rumors of the Holy Cross curse. Kill two birds with one stone."

"As for the priest's nephew, the gambler, scoundrel, disgusting and cheap thing..." Draco trembled and his expression became distorted: "since he arrived at the church, he organized gangs everywhere, and then blackmailed those who refused to obey him. The whole church was turned into a casino by him!"

"Then unfortunately... He found out my secret. Fortunately, the boy didn't want to tell Anthony, but wanted to use it as a handle to blackmail me."

Draco smiled strangely: "I didn't intend to kill him, after all, it would be too conspicuous - but I couldn't take the risk, so I led him and the dogleg trainee priest who informed him here, and then let the ghoul kill them, ha ha ha ha..."

Before he could finish, Draco was already out of breath with a smile: "you, you really should see. It was the first time I really saw how two living people were bitten to death by ghouls. It was really, really interesting, Pooh ha ha..."

Loren, who was standing there, looked at him coldly. When the guy laughed enough, his right hand quietly touched the handle of the dagger behind him.

"Well, that's all. You know the whole thing." Draco stopped laughing and said vaguely, "let's discuss the business."

"What business?" Loren asked knowingly.

"It's very simple. I have enough evidence to plant all these things on father Anthony, and I can't get rid of it." priest Draco smiled with a sly smile: "when he's finished, I can take over the priest position of Gumu town church, and there is the support of a rich local businessman. It can be said that I have both money and power!"

"It seems so." Lauren shrugged. "But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with me."

"Why, my friend - if it doesn't matter, why should I tell you everything?" Draco asked with a smile. "Are smart people like you going to stay in a prison like vimpar all their life?"

"We can work together to establish a wizard organization that belongs to us. With my power and your ability, we have a broader future!"

"Yes, now I'm just a priest and you're just an apprentice. But it doesn't matter. Sooner or later, we can climb to a higher position and secretly run a group belonging to wizards, a group that can really study and learn freely, rather than a prison like vimpar!"

Draco became more and more excited, his expression was extremely enthusiastic, and his bloodshot eyes stared at him: "money and power, as long as we work together, we will have them sooner or later. What do you think?"

Lauren's expression was calm, and her voice was calm.

"What if I say I refuse?"