Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Our brother, Tanbi Graydan, was killed by his wife, who then reported him to the Inquisition," said the priest. "Senbei, go and kill her. Tear her apart and display her body to the Inquisition, so everyone can see the fate of traitors."

"Yes."

And thus, Senbei Rietas arrived here.

On the fifth floor of Tieliu City's Sacred Heart Hospital, which is under the auspices of The Church of the Mother of Blood, Senbei stepped into the lobby and immediately smelled the pungent scent of disinfectant.

Ordinary citizens seeking medical care might not notice this smell, but Senbei knew that this disinfectant odor was an outward sign of a large ritual site. Infected individuals would feel weak and drowsy in this ritual site, falling into a deep sleep while their strength rapidly recovered, making it easier for doctors and nurses to control them and aiding their recovery.

But the purpose of this ritual site extended beyond that. Plagues fall within the domain of the Black Sun, and hospitals are the first targets for its followers when spreading disease. Therefore, the primary function of the ritual site is to counter and suppress plague mages and other extraordinary professions related to the Black Sun. If any of those sickly creatures dared approach, the alarms at Sacred Heart Hospital would sound incessantly.

Senbei wasn't a plague mage, but he actually quite liked the invisible, unseen killers. After all, blessed by the Maiden of the Silver Moon, he couldn't be infected by ordinary viruses, so hygiene was irrelevant to him.

Before today, he hadn't bathed in a year, and he could have held out longer, but he didn't expect his mission to be at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Before leaving, the priest forcibly shoved him into a bathhouse.

"I'm angry," Senbei grumbled as he deliberately pushed through the crowd lining up at the window, glaring back at the disapproving gazes of passersby. "That woman must compensate me before she dies."

So, where is Tanbi's wife?

Senbei had met Tanbi's wife because that big oaf used to share his experiences of beating family members with fellow cultists, showing off photos of his wife's bruised face.

To put it mildly, Senbei thought that big oaf was wasting her.

A petite and adorable Bomei dog person, clearly better suited for other uses.

Senbei slowly pondered how he would use her as he walked to the second floor.

He casually pulled a form from a window, pretending to be there for a check-up, and began wandering around the second floor, looking for different examination rooms. As he turned down a corridor, he saw a female inquisitor in a black trench coat guarding a room at the end.

This must be it.

According to the intelligence from the Cult of Aberration, the only witness on the fifth floor of Sacred Heart Hospital requiring an inquisitor's guard was his target.

Senbei did not rush over but instead turned into the restroom.

Inside the restroom, a rabbit person was washing their hands after using the toilet. With the faucet running, water splashed down as the rabbit person wiped their face and bent to turn off the tap. Then they saw a small pebble-like object thrown into the sink in front of them.

In the next moment, the pebble absorbed water and expanded, soft vines stretching out. Within a breath, it grew into a dense vine monster, reaching the ceiling above and the pipes below.

The rabbit person screamed as the vine monster lifted them, while Senbei, who had thrown the seed, ran out of the restroom "panicked," shouting, "Monster! There's a monster in the restroom!"

At the same time, he mentally commanded the vine monster to grab the screaming rabbit person and leave the restroom, rushing into the crowd in the second-floor hall.

Senbei's extraordinary profession was Flower Shepherd.

Somewhat artistic, it doesn't seem to fit Senbei at all.

Plants fall within the domain of the Maiden of the Silver Moon, who is the lord of flowers, grass, and trees. Flower Shepherds are priests who tend plants on Her behalf, skilled in caring for and commanding plants.

Senbei was a low-level practitioner, but he could command nearly twenty plants, including monsters formed from polluted plants.

By shouting, he drew everyone's attention, and the inquisitor guarding the door at the end of the corridor also looked over. Senbei mixed into the crowd, scrambling away as a thick vine chased him.

Amidst the screams, the inquisitor at the end of the corridor gritted her teeth, pressing one hand against the communication ritual array drawn on her ear and pulling out a gun with the other.

"Break Evil Slash!"

She shouted, running out of the corridor and firing at the vine monster.

Bullets with a faint golden glow pierced the vine monster's body, sending wood chips flying, but this did little to hinder its movements.

Under Senbei's urging, it did not retaliate against the female inquisitor causing it pain but continued attacking civilians. Realizing someone was controlling the vine monster, the inquisitor scanned the crowd, but by then, Senbei had already slipped into the ward, pushing open the door.

Inside the ward were three beds, but only one had curtains drawn.

The white curtain, adorned with a bright red Sacred Heart cross, trembled slightly. Senbei heard rapid breathing that made his blood race.

He intentionally stayed quiet for a few seconds, imagining the cute Bomei dog person behind the curtain, her face twisted with fear and tension.

Excited, Senbei threw another seed, infusing it with a bit of magic. It quickly grew into a new vine monster.

This was a modified vine monster that matured in just three seconds. Once mature, the vines secreted a foul-smelling, slimy substance, leaving a slick stain on the white curtain beside the bed. Pink and yellow flowers bloomed among the vines, their stamens thick and strange, resembling something phallic, trembling and shedding pollen that sapped strength.

Senbei took a step toward the bed, and the modified vine monster's vines slithered through the gaps in the curtain.

The vines pulled the curtain aside, revealing his target.

Bai Li Bomei was trembling, shrinking back as the vines crawled over her limbs, but more vines wrapped around her waist, soaking her thin hospital gown and forcing her hands away from her body.

Her right hand clutched a shard of broken mirror, refusing to let go even as the edges cut her fingers.

Was she planning to use it to commit suicide? Senbei thought, not caring, as he wouldn't give Bai Li the chance.

In a raspy voice, Senbei said, "Hello, I'm your husband's friend, and I want to do some fun things with you."

The damp flower stamens rubbed against Bai Li's body. Senbei knew she lacked the strength to resist, so he approached the bed, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look up.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much time, so my little darling—"

Senbei's excited words abruptly stopped as Bai Li raised her head, and he saw her eyes.

Cold, almost excited eyes.

A sharp terror suddenly surged through his skin where it touched hers, freezing the beating flesh of his heart into ice.

It wasn't Senbei's fear, but someone else's fear that had been forcibly implanted into Senbei's mind, causing his body to freeze and preventing any reaction.

Unable to react, he could only see his own face, twisted in fear and covered in cold sweat, reflected in the dark eyes of this mysterious woman.

It's a trap...

Senbei struggled to think.

But manipulating desire is within the realm of the Silver Moon Maiden; manipulating fear is unheard of. What exactly is this... this woman...

"This woman," Bai Li, watched with delight at the expression on the face of the male ratman who had suddenly burst into the ward. It was an expression she couldn't resist.

"My Lord," she murmured, "how did I do?"

Lin, who had arrived just seconds ago to warn Bai Li about the intruder and then watched her take action: "..."

With preparation against an unprepared foe, using a spell never seen before, and the attacker driven by lust, if this didn't succeed, Lin would have to consider letting this only person connected to his power live a peaceful life.

People who could connect could be found over time, but in illegal endeavors, a bad teammate was fatal.

If Bai Li were still in her timid state, Lin might have praised her to boost her confidence. But now...

The petite Pomeranian looked entirely different from just hours ago.

She was no longer numb, no longer hunched and looking down. Her eyes were now full of life, and a faint smile played on her lips.

Her parents wouldn't even recognize her on the street.

And her only change was losing her fear.

Not that she had lost emotions; they were still there, just beyond her perception.

So she could transmit her fear into the minds of those she touched.

Lin never imagined that his random actions in a dream had given Bai Li a "Mood Anomaly" buff and a spell called "Touch of Fear," turning her into a half-professional with magical powers.

This wasn't something ordinary evil beings could do; only gods could grant extraordinary professions, whether the Pillar Gods or evil deities.

Could he really be an evil deity?

When did it happen? How did he not know?

If he truly was an evil deity, why didn't his rituals interfere with their outcomes?

Questions flooded Lin's mind, but this wasn't the time for contemplation.

He didn't answer Bai Li, only reminding her, "The Inquisitor is coming back."

Bai Li also heard footsteps, and the ratman who attacked her remained frozen, unable to move, along with the vines he controlled.

Bai Li calmly screamed, and the next moment, the female Inquisitor kicked open the ward door.

Seeing the cultist facing away from her, controlling Bai Li with vines and evil, profane flowers swaying around, she erupted in fury.

"Smite Evil!!!"

The enraged Inquisitor emptied her magazine directly at the cultist.

Blood and brain matter splattered onto Bai Li, and she closed her eyes, pretending to faint.

"My Lord, my Lord!" she fervently called out in her heart, "You saved me once again... Please, let your humble and pitiful servant know what I should offer you? What should I do to please you?"