However, it seemed that entering the Confessional had triggered something. When Mu Xuan and the Silver Moon Knight arrived outside the Confessional, the entire Cathedral appeared to have changed.
At the end of the corridor, the darkness was so thick it seemed to have become tangible, like a heavy velvet cloth soaked in ink, pressing oppressively on their vision.
The air was saturated with a sickly-sweet and rotten stench, so strong it almost tasted of rust—that scent only present when large quantities of blood have coagulated and been wetted again and again.
A viscous, dark red liquid was oozing steadily from every crack and uneven spot in the ceiling. The liquid gathered into streams, slowly and unwillingly descending, stretching into countless trembling, gelatinous threads. Before reaching the ground, they snapped with a splat, accumulating into sticky, filthy puddles on the floor.
On the walls, more beads of blood defied gravity, flowing upward, snaking along and tracing twisted, indescribable patterns.
Accompanying this revolting scene was a cacophony of wails layered atop one another. It was not a single voice, but a symphony forged from utter agony, despair, and madness—thin as a spider’s thread, yet inescapable, drilling directly into the depths of the mind, scraping at the edges of sanity.
Mu Xuan took a deep breath, nearly suffocating on the thick metallic stench. His heart hammered uncontrollably in his chest, fear slithering like a cold serpent up his spine.
The light at his fingertips extended slightly forward, but in the next instant, a sudden mutation erupted. In the walls, on the floor, and even within those falling beads of blood, countless twisted shadows abruptly came alive! They had no fixed form, writhing like startled snakes, or like boiling tar—thrashing, rolling, emitting silent screams.
At the same time, the corridor ahead, which had appeared limited, let out a low, grating creak, as though bones were being forcibly pulled and twisted. Suddenly, the corridor stretched deeper, elongating! The columns and walls blurred as they sped away, merging into a hazy blur. In the blink of an eye, only a single, seemingly endless passage remained before him, leading into a bottomless abyss of darkness.
The wall that could previously be glimpsed at the corridor’s end had now vanished entirely, replaced by a pure void, so absolute that even his steady light could not fully penetrate it.
The sound of wailing echoed in the stretched space, growing both more ethereal and more piercing.
At this moment, the Silver Moon Knight revealed an even more pained expression. Her body trembled as she slowly crouched down, one knee touching the ground, one hand clutching her forehead, her golden hair hanging loose and disheveled.
Mu Xuan glanced worriedly at the Silver Moon Knight, then looked seriously at the now-altered corridor.
Just what is going on here…
Is the problem with the Confessional, or with this booklet…
Glancing at the booklet in his hand, now stained with traces of blood, Mu Xuan forced himself to quell the urge to open it now.
If he opened it now, it would definitely become even more dangerous!
“Let’s… go back to the Confessional…”
While Mu Xuan was still hesitating over whether to head down the corridor to investigate, the Silver Moon Knight suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse as if enduring tremendous pain.
Hearing this, Mu Xuan looked at the Silver Moon Knight once again.
Without questioning her decision, he hurried over to support the Silver Moon Knight and quickly returned to the Confessional.
The moment the Confessional door closed, the wailing from the corridor vanished instantly, and all was silent once more.
Seeing that this truly did keep the danger at bay, Mu Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
Turning to the Silver Moon Knight, Mu Xuan had just intended to ask her what they should do next when the Silver Moon Knight collapsed limply against him.
“Wait, this really isn’t the time to be sleeping…”
Muttering to himself, Mu Xuan quickly nudged the Silver Moon Knight.
But it seemed she had truly reached her limit. No matter how Mu Xuan tried, she did not respond at all.
Sighing helplessly, Mu Xuan adjusted the Silver Moon Knight into a more comfortable position. After a moment’s thought, he decided to read the booklet in his hand.
[Light Calendar 328, September 6. The situation at the Cathedral is growing worse and worse… Damn it, that guy Chartut actually wants to relocate the Cathedral. I didn’t let him succeed.]
[Light Calendar 328, November 26. Chartut and Mosen want to develop the southern mines. We lost quite a few people, so for now they’re too busy to pressure the Cathedral… I can finally breathe a little easier…]
[Light Calendar 329, February 7. They lost many people in there, and now have to ask the Church for help. Ha! Now they realize the importance of the Church… But, I still feel like something is wrong…]
[Light Calendar 329, February 14. There’s been a reply from above—they’ll be sending a Silver Moon Knight to assist… Shouldn’t they send a whole squad of knights?]
[Light Calendar 329, February 22. The Silver Moon Knight has arrived. She’s beautiful and powerful. Chartut and his people are finally behaving themselves. Even the Mage Tower has issued a lockdown! Praise the Goddess!]
[Light Calendar 329, May 3. The Silver Moon Knight has already helped Chartut’s people solve many problems—everything is getting better… But my unease grows heavier and heavier… I hope it’s just an old man’s nerves. Goddess above, please bless this town with peace…]
Mu Xuan furrowed his brows as he read the booklet.
If he guessed correctly, this was Father Ande’s diary…recording the events before disaster struck…
Chartut… Mosen… two new names…
Several pages in the middle had been torn out. Mu Xuan glanced around the room but did not see the missing pages, so he simply continued reading further on.
[Light Calendar 330, July 17. The Silver Moon Knight didn’t return yesterday… Chartut even sent people, claiming it was obstructing official duties, to stop us from distributing food to the poor… They even captured Milie… Goddess above, please bless Milie…]
[Light Calendar 330, July 20. The Silver Moon Knight hasn’t come back in four days…]
[Light Calendar 330, July 26. Damn Chartut!!! Milie’s eyes were gouged out by them… But Bishop Nix still hasn’t responded… Goddess…]
[Light Calendar 330, August 2. The Silver Moon Knight came back, but she was covered in wounds… Who could possibly hurt a Silver Moon Knight… But she passed out and couldn’t answer my questions…]
[Light Calendar 330, August 4. The Silver Moon Knight left again…]
[Light Calendar 330, August 7. Lately, there have been a great many believers coming to pray… Apparently it’s still because of the mines…]
[Light Calendar 330, August 11. I was hearing confessions in the Confessional when the City Guard burst into the Cathedral… They tied me up and, right before my eyes, gouged out the eyes of every believer praying in the Cathedral… Then they cut off their heads and hung them up by hooking their tongues… They didn’t kill me, just locked me in the Confessional to watch as the room filled with severed heads… Ahhh, Goddess, please save your humble servant…]
[Light Calendar…What is this…■■■■■]
After reading through the entire booklet, Mu Xuan felt chilled to the bone…
Now, he finally understood why the Confessional was the way it was.
Chartut was probably the lord of this town, and Mosen was likely a Mage Tower mage.
Ande likely never left the Cathedral, so he didn’t truly know what had happened.
But it was clear that Chartut and Mosen were definitely plotting something evil.
What truly worried Mu Xuan, though, was that—just like Father Ande—he could not understand who or what could possibly wound a Silver Moon Knight so badly as to make her collapse in a coma… The Silver Moon Knights were the pinnacle of the Church’s strength, after all…
And at the end of the booklet, those scribbles were so distorted that he couldn’t make out any words.
It seemed Father Ande had gone insane…
Was he driven mad, or was it the disaster’s arrival that caused it…
There was no time to ponder it—Mu Xuan couldn’t say for sure.
But one thing was certain: countless people had died in this Cathedral in the end…
With only what was written in this booklet, it was nearly impossible to know what Chartut’s real goal was. Nor was it clear what exactly had happened here.
So, after getting out of here, he’d have to make a trip to either the Lord’s Mansion or the Mage Tower…
Mu Xuan sighed inwardly.
But the problem was, he wasn’t even sure if he could get out of here.
Knock, knock, knock—
A sudden knocking at the door made Mu Xuan’s heart lurch.
According to the booklet, there likely weren’t any living people left in this Cathedral… No, maybe Father Ande was still alive. Maybe Milie was, too…
Otherwise, he couldn’t explain the faith power in that statue before!
But under these rules, perhaps they were not truly alive either…
Sure enough, after Mu Xuan didn’t open the door for a long time, the knocking turned to pounding, and Father Ande’s voice came from outside.
“Sir, please open the door, I still have confessions to hear from the believers soon…”
According to the rules, he was supposed to open the door for anyone who knocked… But should he really do that?
Looking at the carnage behind him, Mu Xuan wasn’t sure if Father Ande would undergo some change because of this. At least, before opening the door, Father Ande still seemed normal…
No, he could not open the door!
If the priest ultimately died or changed inside the Confessional, then he absolutely could not let Father Ande enter the Confessional!
Making up his mind, Mu Xuan moved the Silver Moon Knight a little farther away, then stood at the door, ready for Father Ande to possibly force his way in.
“Sir… open the door…”
“Why won’t you open the door!!!”
“You’re with those madmen Chartut and the others!!!”
“Open the door!!!!”
“Kill me…”
“Goddess… will you really save us…”
Listening to Father Ande’s hoarse shouts from outside, Mu Xuan was slightly moved, but still did not open the door.
After shouting for a while, Father Ande’s voice gradually faded, and the pounding on the door ceased.
Silence returned outside.
Staring at the old wooden door, Mu Xuan shook his head.
Now was not the time to leave. Perhaps, one way to escape this Cathedral was to prevent Father Ande from entering the Confessional… He needed to find a way, so that after he left, Father Ande would not be able to enter the Confessional either.
And the best way would be to destroy it.
Although the walls were stone, the Confessional still contained plenty of wooden and silk furnishings.
Heading to the partition, Mu Xuan unleashed a flash of Light power in his hand, and all the severed heads fell to the ground.
Suppressing his revulsion and discomfort, Mu Xuan carefully avoided the heads and used his Light power to ignite the wooden ceiling first.
Next were the curtains, partitions, chairs, and all other combustible materials…
As the flames began to rise, Mu Xuan immediately opened the Confessional’s door, wrapped the Silver Moon Knight in his Light power, and strode out the door.
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