The Laws of Werewolf Hunting

Chapter 556 Duel Guardian
The vampires moved like a cold wind, and even with Julius's improved physical abilities, he couldn't avoid them.

But Clayton reached out and grabbed Ian Lazarus just in time, his movement as nimble as catching a leaf in the wind. Although werewolves are notoriously grumpy when hungry, he subdued the boy without taking any further action, given Ian's valid reason.

"enough!"

A shout came from upstairs, and Father Petty, dressed in a black priest's robe, leaned half his body out from the second floor.

Clayton felt the prisoner's struggle suddenly weaken, so he released his grip.

Ian Lazarus stepped back a few paces, no longer looking at Julius, but staring out the window, awaiting Father Petty's next instructions.

The priest disappeared from the window, and a moment later he came out from the first floor.

"I hope you're not here to cause trouble."

The priest looked tired, but his tone was firm, making it clear that he would not tolerate anything out of line here.

Clayton had no such intention.

“We just came to visit an old friend, and we didn’t expect Mr. Lazarus to be here as well. We’ve had some unpleasant things happen between us, but for the sake of our Almighty Father, we hope to reconcile with him. Don’t you agree, Julius?”

“In my opinion, there is more of a misunderstanding than a fact in this conflict.” Julius said solemnly, and others could easily misjudge his character because of his current demeanor: “Mr. Lazarus’s only mistake was his poor judgment of people. Some of his friends actually had base natures, which led to their unfortunate fate, a fate that was quite fitting for them.”

"Yes, I also repent for my mistakes. My mistake was neglecting to take care of Mr. Lazarus's feelings. But if those people still had any real friendship for Mr. Lazarus, they would not regret that they could save him with their own lives, and such kindness would be enough for them to ascend to heaven. I believe Mr. Lazarus could understand that, after all, the final judgment of a person is not determined by others, but by our exalted Lord, and temporary honor or disgrace in this mortal world means nothing."

Julius's words were perfectly appropriate, and no one could find fault with them.

Father Petty and Clayton both looked at Ian Lazarus, wanting to know his decision, but the young vampire's expression showed that he had not forgiven him for those words.

His face was as white as a drowning man's, but his expression was as painful and distorted as if he were being burned.

Clayton Bello decided to settle the matter today; hunger had made him impatient: "I am quite certain that Julius is willing to do anything to resolve this feud, and if Mr. Lazarus is unwilling to relinquish his right to revenge, then I am willing to preside over a divine duel, with both sides using pistols, so that they can seek the outcome they desire in the fairest way."

Julius turned to look at him in horror, but Ian Lazarus nodded.

Father Petty looked at the wizard: "Do you agree?" Lazarus seemed to think there was no need to ask.

Julius nodded bitterly.

“I think the date should be after the horse races,” Clayton said. “How about April 2nd?”

No one objected—Julius appeared to disagree but also agreed.

Once the matter was settled, Lazarus quickly left; he didn't want to see Julius for even a moment longer.

After he could no longer see him, Julius finally had a chance to express his opinion: "The Father's radiance seems to be much more merciful than I thought, that he could allow a vampire to work here. Perhaps in the future, all the criminals in the country can receive their own redemption here."

He kept staring at Father Petty as he spoke, but the man's nonchalant attitude disappointed him.

Clayton inquired with Father Petty about Lazarus's work here, and to his surprise, Ian Lazarus was essentially Joe Manny's chosen successor. After Clayton went to work at the girls' school, Lazarus took over the job of looking after the children. The young vampire was incredibly dedicated, only taking a few days off around the full moon before recently returning to continue his work.

However, Clayton's main purpose in coming here was to see Louis, and he tried to catch up with him. Louis's status as a sinner meant that the conversation had to be monitored. Joe Manny wasn't here, so Father Pete was in charge of the other work.

Fortunately, Father Petty was a very friendly priest.

When Clayton and Lewis discussed the church's handling of Gévor, he would add his own explanations, outlining the church's attitude and perspective on the Gévor affair. His friendliness made Clayton think that he might have gained Clayton's favor because of Joe Manny.

The opening of the fairyland in Gevor was highly valued by the church in Sasha. After Louis left Gevor, the church appointed several clergy to replace him.

A construction team is currently rebuilding the local church in Jeva, hoping to allow local residents to resume worship services as soon as possible.

The influence of the Fairy Realm is indeed a significant matter, but the Church is not focusing too much on it. Because of the various anomalies that have occurred since the Dark Moon's arrival, the Church is now more vigilant against the activities of various cults and heresies.

Father Petty recently received unreported news—a large heretical sect in the north had committed mass suicide at their stronghold in a valley, with nine hundred members, including the sect leader, dying in succession. This was just the largest mass suicide in history; similar incidents were far from isolated. These heretics did this because they believed that Judgment Day had arrived and that devout believers must immediately face their Creator.

The concept of Judgment Day does have scriptural basis. Although the Dark Moon is said to descend on Judgment Day, the original texts do not specify the exact date, leaving much room for interpretation. The Church is concerned that other believers may be influenced by this interpretation.

However, until Pope Pharijama finds a new way to interpret the scriptures, clergy will need to answer believers' questions about Judgment Day with very careful words.

Another recent issue that has drawn the attention of the local church is the theft of the "Book of Siddhi." Clayton made a significant contribution to this case, but none of the major powers in Sasha have yet found any clues about the whereabouts of the book.

Franklin, the High Rock Knight who was assigned to search for the lost item, also disappeared from public view for a while.

The Church was worried about the Book of St. Peter, but even more worried about the Knights of High Rock.

In terms of power structure, the Knights Order and local governments were on equal footing. It was "brother" to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and had local law enforcement powers. They often cooperated in political affairs. The only body that could give orders to the Knights Order was the Cabinet.

Sir Benjamin Franklin was not just a traditional armed clerk; he was also a high-ranking official and a mobile court.

Now that the holder of the Book of Strange is no longer at risk of death, Franklin has become the most important person.

Clayton Bello probably knew what Sir Franklin was up to, but he didn’t comment on it to avoid incurring anyone’s wrath.

Father Petty brought up the Earth Mother Cult again, whose followers had recently come to the workhouse to spread their message because they promised to provide food and lodging, and many people had followed them.

During their conversation, Father Lewis gradually withdrew, leaving Father Clayton and Father Petty to each lead the conversation.

However, when the werewolf talked about his plan for temperance, the priests unanimously praised him.

Father Louis further recounted a story used within the church to admonish monks: Once upon a time, a nun named Celeste, to demonstrate her piety, declared she would undertake a month-long fast, eating only a piece of bread and drinking a cup of water each day. However, on the twentieth day, Celeste was so hungry she felt she was dying. She drooled over the fig tree in the courtyard, but dared not break her vow, and could only try to dispel the feeling of hunger through constant prayer.

The nun's frequent prayers annoyed a demon living in a fig leaf. Desiring revenge on Serissa, it impersonated her inner voice to lure her into eating a ripe fig, hoping to ruin her ascetic practices.

Its temptation succeeded, but Cerus, having eaten all the figs, was still not satisfied. Her appetite grew ever larger with each small amount she consumed, leading her to set her sights on the verdant leaves. She ate leaf after leaf until she plucked the leaf from which the devil had perched. Only then did the devil realize the gravity of the situation and hurriedly begged for mercy, but Cerus's appetite had clouded her judgment, and she could not hear his pleas. She wrapped the devil in the leaf and swallowed him whole, ultimately transforming herself into a devil. Forced to leave the convent, she became known from then on as "Cerus the Devourer of Devil."

Louis uses this story to tell the werewolf that even the practice of moderation needs relaxation; if one only suppresses one's desires, the backlash from those desires will come even more fiercely.

He had recently learned about the techniques and experiences of asceticism, and he generously shared them with Clayton.

Thanks to the help of the two clergy, Clayton Bello left the workhouse in much better spirits than when he arrived.

Julius had the opposite experience.

"I don't understand why you agreed to the duel on my behalf! This is no small matter!"

“I thought you could handle it,” Clayton said, walking ahead.

Julius angrily tugged at his collar, trying to find a comfortable position: "How could I possibly handle him? He's a vampire!"

After his mother’s contempt, he felt betrayed by Clayton, but Clayton didn’t take his anger seriously.

“Don’t be modest, Julius. I know your abilities. It’s unlikely you can kill Ian Lazarus, but it won’t be easy for him to kill you either. It would be best to settle the score with a duel between immortals. Death foresight and heightened senses are excellent talents for becoming a warrior. Make good use of them, and you can do it.”

"I can't!" the wizard said firmly, unable to understand why the werewolf could agree to it so readily.

"Then why didn't you refuse back then?"

"Because society is not very friendly to men who openly refuse to duel."

"Enough, stop being such a sissy." Clayton swung his cane back and tapped his shinbone with dissatisfaction. "Instead of complaining, think of some winning tactics. You can only fight with smoothbore guns, so the difference in physical strength won't affect the outcome."

“I’d rather his mother take him with her when she leaves Sasha.”

You mean Barbara? She's leaving?

“Yes. She recently accepted a mission to find the drunkard Charlie, and she’s leaving Sasha City after that. I need to see her before she leaves, and the sooner the better. If she takes Ian Lazarus with her, I won’t have to participate in this damned duel!” the wizard gritted his teeth.

“Drunkard Charlie.” Clayton suddenly stopped in his tracks, a bad feeling creeping over him.