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n104 Resolute Decision

nUpon seeing Lumian’s blatant shock, Guillaume Bénet straightened up with satisfaction and said to Pons Bénet, “Keep an eye on him!”

nWith that, the padre strode towards the altar.

nAs he left, the villagers around them seemed to come alive, engaging in animated conversations.

n“The horoscope is about to change.”

n“Our good fortune is coming!”

n“It won’t be long before we’re wealthy!”

n“When the time comes, I’ll drink a bottle of wine every day and eat a pound of meat every meal!”

n“I want to find a beautiful woman.”

n“I’m going to watch a play.”

n“…”

nLumian’s mind was a whirlwind, and he barely noticed when Guillaume Bénet departed.

nThe padre’s words were like a boulder tossed into a placid lake, sending ripples through Lumian’s thoughts.

nHow is that possible?

nIn the previous cycle, I killed him because he didn’t understand what made me special!

nBack then, I didn’t even know what was so special about myself. It was natural for him not to know… After that battle, he didn’t have any conflicts with me in the subsequent cycles until Aurore began acting strangely…

nBut he didn’t seem to know about the loop at all. The cursing he did when I led the rest to catch him in the adulterous act, him being knocked out by Leah after we infiltrated the cathedral, and being spied upon by Aurore using White Paper didn’t seem fake at all!

nIf he was putting on an act, his level of restraint would be bone-chilling…

nMoreover, he knows that Madame Pualis retains her memories in the loop and might know something about the abnormalities in the castle. Yet he still had an affair with Madame Pualis at the beginning of each loop, allowing no one to suspect him.

nIf it were me, I wouldn’t even have desires after finding out what Madame Pualis had done, let alone sleep with her!

nThe more Lumian pondered, the more he found the padre terrifying. This fear was unlike the terror he felt from Madame Pualis.

nQuestions swarmed his mind:

nWhy didn’t the padre with his memories sacrifice the three sheep from the beginning and obtain the corresponding boon to take full control of Cordu? Why didn’t he complete the twelfth night ritual on the first day?

nThis could have prevented any accidents!

nWhat was he waiting for? The sacrificial ritual only takes place near Lent every time…

nDoes that ritual have a date and time requirement?

nThe Lent celebration is an integral part of the twelfth night’s ritual. So, the padre will only have a chance to advance the subsequent ritual after Lent is over?

nBut he could just control everyone from the beginning and wait for Lent to arrive…

nAlso, didn’t the hidden existence find it odd that they prayed for a boon twice across three cycles? Yes, He might have done something, like helping the padre recover his memories!

nNo, if their sacrificial ritual had truly been completed, the three sheep wouldn’t have entered the loop again. Their spirits and Beyonder characteristics should have gone to the hidden existence.

nCould it be that, like Reimund, the spirits gathered around the altar and didn’t escape the loop?

nWho were the padre and the others praying to, and who bestowed their power…

nAs Lumian considered this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower body.

nHe instinctively curled up, but the ropes binding him prevented the motion.

nPons Bénet pulled his foot back from between Lumian’s legs, smirking as beads of cold sweat formed on the young man’s forehead. Lumian couldn’t even make a sound.

nHe squatted down, raised his right hand, and slapped Lumian.

n“Did you enjoy zat? Tell me, did you enjoy it?”

nWithout waiting for Lumian’s response, he swung his arm and slapped the right side of his face, causing his ears to ring. Lumian felt like his head might fly off.

nSeeing Lumian being beaten by Pons Bénet, Reimund’s father, Pierre Greg, approached and squatted down. He sighed and said, “Bear with it. Just endure it for a while. Our fortunes are about to change. Good luck is on its way. If you leave now, you’ll miss the opportunity!”

nIgnoring Lumian’s reaction, he repeated the same words, trying to persuade and console him.

nLumian paid no attention to Pierre Greg. He gazed at Pons Bénet without anger, as if he were looking at empty air.

nHe completely disregarded him, ignoring the pain and humiliation this villain had inflicted upon him.

nOnly one thought occupied his mind:

nThe situation is dire!

nRyan, Leah, and Valentine are unlikely to trigger the loop and restart everything prematurely before confirming the padre’s intentions. Besides, they just fought; who knows when they’ll recover. They probably won’t sneak back to the village until tomorrow or the day after.

nThis way, no one can stop the padre from conducting the ritual in advance tonight…

nSlap, slap, slap. Pons Bénet continued slapping Lumian’s face and kicking his lower body, intensifying the pain he endured.

nLumian’s thoughts were repeatedly interrupted by pain as he stubbornly tried to focus, refusing to waste even a second on Pons Bénet.

nThis only infuriated Pons Bénet further, causing him to strike even harder.

nMy specialness has already been discovered and targeted. They won’t give me a chance to disrupt the ritual…

nWhat should I do…

nWhat can I do?

nLumian endured the pain and searched for a way to escape his current predicament.

nPons grew tired from beating him up. He stopped and panted.

n“If ze padre hadn’t forbidden me from killing you, I would’ve sliced off your flesh piece by piece, including what’s down below!”

nHearing this, Lumian was taken aback as an idea flashed through his mind.

nKill me?

nKill me!

nHe suddenly raised his head and glared at Pons Bénet, his face contorted into a twisted smile born of pain.

n“Is that all you’ve got? Are you using that pathetic little knife of yours to pick lice for me?”

nHe fully embraced his role as a Sequence 8 Provoker.

n…

nIn the alpine meadow nearest to Cordu.

nRyan, clad in tattered armor, stood guard at the entrance and asked Valentine and Leah, “How do you feel?”

n“I’m fine,” Valentine responded immediately.

nLeah added, “My spirituality has almost recovered.”

nRyan nodded and dissolved the Dawn Armor.

n“After I rest and recover a bit, we’ll return to Cordu.”

n“Now?” Leah sounded surprised.

nThey hadn’t been gone from Cordu for long.

nRyan exhaled slowly and said, “We need to find out as soon as possible why Guillaume Bénet’s group attacked us tonight and not on the twelfth night. Besides, they captured Lumian and Aurore, but they didn’t pursue us. Experience tell me that something’s off.”

nLeah nodded slowly. “But we’re not in the best shape.”

nAfter all, they had just fought a massive battle.

n“That’s why Guillaume Bénet doesn’t expect us to return to Cordu tonight,” Ryan explained. “Also, we left that item at Lumian and Aurore’s house. We have to retrieve it as soon as possible. We can’t let Guillaume Bénet and the others get their hands on it.”

nValentine and Leah’s expressions turned grave at the mention of that item.

nThey agreed to Ryan’s plan.

n…

nPa!

nPons Bénet slapped Lumian’s face again, making his nose throb. Two streams of bright red blood flowed down to his mouth, bringing with them a foul and salty taste.

n“How about zis?” Pons Bénet asked with a smile.

nLumian studied his expression and actions, realizing that his words hadn’t had the desired effect.

nHe sniffed his blood-filled nose and replied with a smile, “Any other woman could hurt me more than you!”

n“Is zat so?” Pons Bénet’s expression darkened.

nWith a slap, he struck Lumian’s mouth, sending two of his teeth flying with blood.

nRelying on Provoker’s insight and his experience at pranking, Lumian acutely sensed that Pons Bénet’s reaction was different this time.

nFamiliar with all sorts of scandals and rumors in Cordu, Lumian vaguely thought of something and grinned.

n“You don’t seem to have a mistress.”

nHis mouth was swollen from the slap, and two of his teeth were missing. His words came out slightly muffled.

nHearing the word “mistress,” Pons Bénet’s expression shifted subtly as he kicked Lumian’s groin.

nLumian nearly blacked out from the pain. He couldn’t speak for a few seconds.

nForcing a smile, he said with a boisterous laugh, “And the padre’s mistresses are all over the village. Can’t get it up?”

nPons Bénet’s expression instantly darkened.

nLumian knew he had guessed right.

nHe endured the pain, his eyes narrowing.

nHe hadn’t dared use Provocation earlier, fearing that he would be discovered if he used it too often. Now was the time!

nLumian laughed out loud.

n“Did the padre sleep with your wife too? Are all your children his?”

nPons Bénet’s eyes turned bloodshot.

nHe suddenly reached out and grabbed Lumian’s neck, yelling with all his might, “Why don’t you just die!”

nLumian heard a cracking sound from his neck and found it difficult to breathe.

nYet, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up as he calmly awaited the excruciating pain and inevitable death.

nHe had done his best to enrage Pons Bénet so that he would kill him.

nOnce he died, the loop would be triggered, and everything would restart immediately. Everything would return to the beginning, leaving room for recovery!

nNot only had Lumian considered provoking Valentine to commit suicide to verify the nature of the loop, but he had also thought of sacrificing his own life in an emergency!

nCompared to the current situation, what was there to fear?

nHe gazed at Pons Bénet, whose expression was vicious, and his purple lips quivered as if to say: “Please, kill me quickly.”

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