Wizard Immortal

Chapter 616 The Girl

The sound of crisp footsteps drifted quietly from afar.

Under Adir's gaze, from a distance, Kaiga hurried over with an anxious expression, walked directly to Gruul, and whispered something to him.

Before long, Gruul's expression changed drastically, and his face suddenly became serious.

This scene was accurately observed by the nobles attending the banquet.

"Your Highness, has something urgent happened?"

A handsome, middle-aged nobleman with impeccable manners spoke up in front of Gruul, having observed all the changes in Gruul's expression.

"It's nothing serious."

Gruul quickly recovered, and his familiar smile returned to his face: "Please enjoy the banquet here. I will go outside to greet an important guest."

After saying this, he smiled and then turned and walked directly towards the outside world.

Staying where he was, watching Gruul's departing figure, Adir pondered for a moment, feeling the familiar aura coming from the outside world. After a while, a smile appeared on his face, and he took a step forward, slowly following Gruul outside.

The distance between the party and the manor gate wasn't too far; just a moment later, a figure slowly walked in from the outside.

It was an old man dressed in a dark robe, his face covered with dense black lines, who was walking towards the center of the banquet, surrounded by a group of people.

The man looked very old; his skin was withered and his face was full of wrinkles, yet he possessed a gentle and kind influence that made people unconsciously feel close to him and gradually develop a liking for him.

He walked in from outside, his unique aura radiating as he went, accompanied by his white hair flying everywhere.

As he walked towards the old man, Gruul quickly smiled and bowed, saying, "Bishop Kudoni, what brings you here in person..."

Upon hearing this title, Adir behind him suddenly realized what was going on.

Kudoni is one of the three bishops of the Dark Church located in the Kingdom of Tamru. Theoretically, he is one of the highest leaders of the Dark Church, representing the highest authority within it.

Even Gruul's father, the ailing King Tamru, had to observe the utmost etiquette and show the utmost respect to such a figure, let alone Prince Gruul.

"I needed to come to Tam City for some business, and I happened to hear about your situation, so I thought I'd drop by and see you..."

Kudoni appeared very harmonious and serene, without the slightest hint of arrogance or indifference. Instead, he exuded a unique charm that made people instinctively trust him.

This is due to both the influence of one's nature and heart, and the effect of divine arts and divine power.

Offering sacrifices to the gods involves dedicating oneself entirely to the deity. In this process, the mind and will gradually gravitate towards the deity, slowly acquiring a touch of divinity, and thus transforming into another form.

If the deity worshipped is evil, then the sacrifices will also be evil; if the deity served is good, then the sacrifices will also be good.

This point will be continuously deepened as the strength of the priest increases. If it reaches its extreme, it is the legendary realm and level of being with the gods and becoming a saint on earth.

The bishop of a region, Kudoni, possessed strength far surpassing that of ordinary priests. His understanding of the path of serving the gods was also beyond the reach of ordinary people. His very soul had begun to align with the god he believed in, and his words and actions naturally revealed a touch of extraordinary nature, making him both approachable and noble, inspiring genuine admiration.

All of this was a natural process. Even Gruul, the prince of the kingdom, couldn't help but sigh inwardly when faced with such a devout believer embarking on the path of transformation, and was inevitably influenced by him.

"The so-called path of transformation in ritual is truly miraculous..."

Standing quietly in place, sensing the profound essence of the old man before him, Adir couldn't help but sigh, feeling an unprecedented curiosity about this path.

"This must be the knight who escorted you safely back from the south."

As Adir was lost in thought, the old man's gaze shifted from Gruul and slowly fell upon him.

He looked at Adir with a kind smile on his face, gazing at Adir with a hint of admiration.

For some reason, Adir felt a strange sensation, as if he had been stabbed in the heart, and felt very uncomfortable.

"Your Excellency Bishop Cudoni...you are more dignified than I imagined."

In front of Gruul, Adir showed little hesitation and immediately lowered himself to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Young knight, you flatter me."

Kudoni smiled as he looked at Adir, his face displaying a kind and approachable smile, like a gentle old neighbor or a wise elder patiently instructing him: "I'm just an ordinary old man. Every time I see you young people, I feel my youth slipping further and further away..."

He sighed softly, his words filled with deep emotion, lamenting that his days were numbered.

Adir's lips twitched slightly. Listening to the old man's words, he really wanted to speak at this moment.

Although the old priest before him was old and his body was decaying, there was a faint but enormous life force supporting him from within. According to Adir's senses, this old priest might seem slow and sluggish on ordinary days, but if it came down to enduring time, he could probably live longer than some silver knights.

In front of Gruul, Adir did not expose the other party's intention, and could only keep responding with a blank face.

Fortunately, after exchanging a few words with him, Kudoni seemed to lose interest in him and quickly shifted his attention to Gruul, allowing Adir to hide to the side and remain silent.

After stepping down from the center of the conversation, Adir looked up at Gruul and Kudoni, who were still talking and seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation, like two close friends despite their age difference. He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly and decided to stay in that corner.

The waiting time was naturally very boring. Adir closed his eyes and pretended to sleep for a while, but then he had to open his eyes again and look at a corner in the distance.

There, a rather peculiar gaze was fixed on him, carrying a hint of hostility, and the way that gaze was so blatantly expressed that Adir couldn't help but notice it, and he couldn't help but open his eyes and look in that direction.

They opened their eyes and their gazes met instantly.

Adir opened his eyes and saw a little girl in the distance, dressed in a black robe with dark patterns painted on her face. She looked like a dark priestess and was staring at him with a hint of hostility in her expression.

Adir wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the little girl looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, and not long ago.

"It was the street that day..."

A moment later, a look of realization flashed in Adir's eyes as he recalled the source of this déjà vu feeling.

In the first few days after arriving in Tam City, Adir wandered around the city. During those days, many people were watching him, including this little girl.

After that day, Adir stopped appearing on the streets and never saw the girl again. He only vaguely remembered her, and it took him a while to recall her.

The little girl was adorable, looking to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. Her round little face was flushed, suggesting she had been drinking some alcohol.

She stood there at a distance, staring at Adir. She was wearing a dark black robe, typical of priests, and judging from her attire, she was probably a trainee priest.

Standing at a distance, the girl was clearly unaware that she had been discovered by Adir. She was still staring intently, her fists clenched tightly, and the hostility in her eyes was quite obvious.

Adir stood there for a moment, then glanced to the side.

At a large table nearby, Gruul and Kudoni were still chatting happily, their words and actions seemingly in perfect harmony. Regardless of their true thoughts, they appeared to be on the same page.

Watching this scene, Adir shook his head inwardly, lowered his head to think for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and slowly walked away into the distance.

"What are you looking at?"

A unique sound rang out from a corner of the ball. Adir walked up to the girl and asked her softly.

what?

Upon hearing the voice, the girl was clearly startled. When she turned around and saw Adir, she was completely stunned, seemingly not expecting him to appear in front of her.

"you···"

She was stunned for a moment, seemingly never expecting this scene to unfold.

"The priests of the dimly lit church..."

Looking at the completely bewildered girl before him, Adir smiled and, without wasting words, went straight to the point: "You seem to have some issues with me?"

"Bad guy!" As if remembering something, the girl's face suddenly became excited, and her big eyes stared intently at Adir, leaving Adir somewhat confused.

"A bad person?" Adir shook his head, his smile unchanged. "I certainly can't be called a good person, but calling me a bad person also seems a bit off..."

"I don't think I've... offended you in any way, have I?"

"You injured Uncle Hill, what else could you be but a bad guy!" As if recalling some scene, the girl's gaze towards Adir became increasingly strange, as if she were looking at a potential enemy, ready to strike at any moment.

Although she was just an apprentice priestess, the girl was still quite powerful, much stronger than the average person.

"Hill." Nodding slightly, Adir's eyes flashed with understanding upon hearing the name.

Hill, this is the dim priest who seemed to be blocking Adir's departure when Adir and Gruul first met.

At that time, in order to successfully leave with Gruul, Adir forced his way out of the divine magic cast by the other party, leaving a considerable impression on him.

The divine magic was forcibly broken through by Adir, and the opponent must have suffered a lot of backlash, and is probably still seriously injured at the moment.

"What happened to him in the end?" Composing himself, Adir's expression returned to calm as he looked at the little girl in front of him and continued to ask.

After Adir left the city that day, the city located on the border of the Kingdom of Veluba was subsequently massacred by Orf. The church of the Dark Church was located in the massacre, and its final fate is unknown.

The girl turned her head to one side, seemingly not wanting to pay any attention to Adir's question.

"Hill is fine." A gentle female voice came from afar, her voice soft and kind, giving people a warm feeling.

A beautiful woman with delicate features, dressed in a simple robe, walked from a distance. Her face was also painted with dark runes unique to the Dark Priests. Her robe was draped over her shoulders, completely covering her alluring figure, making her look very plain.

She walked over from a distance with a smile, first ruffling the girl's hair: "Kiti, you're being willful again."

After speaking to the little girl, she turned to Adir, her face showing some apology: "I'm sorry for the child's attitude, please forgive me."

"It's alright." Adir shook his head, not really concerned. "More than that, I'm curious about what happened in that city after I left that day."

"It's a bit complicated..." The woman paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "After you left that day, the remaining followers of the God of Slaughter unleashed the Slaughter Domain in the city, and the entire city was slaughtered."

"Because they were in the city, although they were protected by my main divine domain, they did not die on the spot, but they were still seriously injured and almost died."

"That's why this child was hostile towards you before."

She patted the girl's head: "She is Hill's adopted child, and Hill is her father..."

"I understand." Adir nodded calmly. "In fact, I'm very sorry for what happened that day..."

"We are the ones who should apologize..." The woman lowered her head and bowed to Adir. "What Hill and the others did that day was wrong. It was an action organized by the radical faction within the church."

"The power of sacrifice should not be used to interfere in the internal affairs of a country. Once they do so, whatever their fate, it is what they have won."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, a faint smile on his face, which, combined with his appearance, gave off a very quiet feeling: "Here, I apologize on their behalf for you."

Adir nodded silently, seemingly indifferent to the matter.

However, compared to the little girl Kitty beside him who had a strange hostility towards Adir, the priestess in front of him was much more polite.

(End of this chapter)