Chapter 207: A Farewell, Once More (1/2)
”...”
”Calvin...?”
Ashlynn was the first one to awaken from her trance.
”Is that you?”
”Yeah, it's me... Are you guys doing well back in Ashmelion? I really didn't expect everyone to come here.” Calvin maintained the smile on his face, ”Damn it, even Captain is here!”
Ashlynn made a sidelong glance at Ron Samuel.
The latter nodded and both sides seemed to have reached a mutual understanding.
”Is that really you?”
”I told you, it's really me... Sigh. You know what, how can a Corpse Eater take on the form of someone as handsome as me? What's more, if I am indeed an imitation, then why is it that I can still remember how foxy and sly you are, Ashlynn?” Calvin lightly chuckled.
Ashlynn's pupils constricted.
Corpse Eaters could take on the form of anyone they wished, but the subtle cues of the original owner of the body such as their body language along with their memories weren't something that Corpse Eaters could take.
In short, it was highly likely that the person standing in front of them was the real Calvin.
”Hold up.” James Branzuela spoke up, ”I'm not convinced that you're the real Calvin. The medallion which is connected to Calvin's soul had shattered and that is the reason why we're even here in the first place. The shattering of that medallion means that Calvin had died. After all, don't we know that the medallion is indestructible?”
”Uhmm...” Calvin raised his hand, ”The medallion isn't actually indestructible.”
”Shut up, see? You don't even know the indestructible nature of the medallion, yet you're here trying to say that it's not indestructible? It seems that my hunch is right... You're a fake! How dare you try to imitate the image of o—”
”Calm down, James.” Ron Samuel interrupted.
He made a sidelong glance at Calvin and asked, ”Why do you say that it's not indestructible? Is there a way to destroy the medallion without the death of its owner?”
”Yes, of course...” Calvin smiled, ”The indestructible nature of the medallion is nothing but an illusion. There's a way to destroy the med—”
”What?!” Someone interrupted Calvin's words. It was Rosales whose neck was still being constricted by Ron Samuel's arms, ”You're lying! I don't believe you! How can you blaspheme a mystical artifact of the church?! That's treason! I will report you for this when we get back!”
He might not be a confrontational person, but Rosales's faith in the Goddess was somewhat radical and extreme.
Well, it was understandable since he was a high-ranking official of the church.
Calvin furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at the person who interrupted his words, ”Captain, who is that?”
”A hostage. Don't mind him.”
”A what?”
”Continue...” Ron Samuel refused to explain any further.
”Ahem... All right, let me continue.” Calvin took a moment to clear his throat before saying, ”It makes sense that the indestructible nature of the medallion is nothing but a mere solution since I want you to think of this. Will the church actually spend enough resources to turn an item that's mostly kept away indestructible? That doesn't make sense, right?”
”However, the church likes to put on airs. In the end, they tricked everyone into thinking that the medallions are indestructible!” Calvin said.
”Nonsense! How dare you blas—”
Smack!
Rosales couldn't even continue his words as Ron Samuel directly struck him on his nape, rendering him unconscious.
Bruce and the other Cavaliers stared at Ron Samuel in horror. Rosales was a high-ranking official of the church, so they thought that Ron Samuel would only intimidate him. They hadn't expected that he would actually go so far as to hit him unconscious!
”Go on.” Ron Samuel casually said with the same serious look on his face.
”Uh... Okay.” Calvin was speechless. Ron Samuel was really acting out of his character.
To think that he would be this decisive as to actually hit a civilian!
Unbeknownst to Calvin, the horror that his comrades felt in their hearts was far greater than his surprise.
”The illusion is based and is maintained by the fact that the holder of the medallion would never be able to break it with his own strength. If someone that is stronger than the holder of the medallion attacked the medallion with a concentrated strike in a single point. They would be able to shatter that medallion.”
Ron Samuel frowned, ”If that's the case, then why we're still in the dark about this particular property of the medallion?”
Calvin lightly chuckled, ”It's because everyone is thought by the church that those with shattered medallions are definitely dead. In fact, there's even an anomaly such as that medallion that Charlotte had. It wasn't shattered, right? Even though the death of that holder is already confirmed. There are still some anomalous events which led me to think that the church is indeed struggling to maintain quality control.”
”They're probably using materials that are out of their league, but still readily available in order to create this illusion.” Calvin smiled.
”Yes, that's right...” A voice came from behind.
The owner of the voice was familiar to Calvin, but it was foreign to the Cavaliers. As a result, they immediately went into their fighting stance.
”Calm down, Captain... Both of them are my buddies.”
”Both?” Bruce raised his eyebrow.
Ron Samuel remained pensive as Heisenberg and Ricardo emerged from the darkness.
”No wonder it's taking you too long to return. It seems that the punitive force has already discovered us. Sigh, I thought you stumbled upon some monsters or something.” Ricardo had summoned his bow and was ready to go to battle at any moment.
But his taut nerves calmed down when he saw that Calvin was talking to the Cavaliers who were a part of the punitive force.
”A Priest of the All-Encompassing Light? How come you're here?” Ron Samuel furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed Heisenberg's get-up.
”Hahaha, it's a long story, sir...” Heisenberg awkwardly scratched his head. His eyes swept across the people in front of him, until his gaze eventually landed on...
”S-S-Sir Rosales?!”
Heisenberg's pupils almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the limp Rosales leaning on the filthy walls of the abandoned alleyway.