Adam carefully observed the friar and deduced that he was the head of the South District Church.
The structure of the Sacred Sound Church was not complicated. In regional churches, friars had different roles but were generally referred to as friars. Their rank depended on a combination of factors such as overall merit, mastery of divine arts, and years of service.
Although they were all called friars, the specifications of their vestments varied. For example, newly initiated friars had a single motif on their collar, while senior friars had three. Only senior friars were eligible to oversee a church, and those who did were called "Senior Friars." Only Senior Friars had motifs on their cuffs.
The kind-looking Senior Friar before Adam slowly bent down and took out some holy bread from a cabinet, placing it warmly in front of Adam like a grandfather inviting his grandchild to eat.
"Working all day must have made you hungry. Have something to eat first."
Adam understood that using Friar Flah to get into the church also brought risks. Despite the concessions made by the Sacred Sound Church in recent years due to the rise of noble power, some friars had even been corrupted by nobles. However, there were still many formidable individuals within the church.
Adam showed appropriate hesitation and said somewhat timidly, "No, thank you. My uncle and aunt saved dinner for me at home."
"Don't worry about it, young man. You need to eat more," the Senior Friar said as he drew the curtains, standing by the window and looking out.
"Thank you, Friar," Adam said, not pushing back too much. He picked up the holy bread and ate it in a few bites.
"No rush. I have plenty more," the Senior Friar said with a kindly smile before continuing, "Friar Flah is a young man I hold in high regard. His soul has never been tainted. That's why I wanted to meet the person he recommended. I wanted to see what kind of soul you have."
Adam looked at the remaining holy bread on the table, appearing too embarrassed to take a second one. He asked, puzzled, "Soul?"
"Yes," the Senior Friar said, tapping on the window and turning to look at Adam. "At the beginning, all human souls are the same. But from the moment we are born into this world, everything we experience starts to shape our soul."
"You are learning to paint with Master Alva, so let's use painting as an analogy. The human soul is like a blank canvas, our experiences are the various colors of paint, and our choices are the brush. These choices determine how we accept our experiences and what our soul looks like."
"Some people turn their soul into an epic, others make it as warm as the sun, while some let their soul sink into the mud, becoming filthy. So, Adam, what will your soul be like?"
"I... I don't know," Adam said, lowering his head as if afraid to meet the Senior Friar's gaze. He clenched his pants, suppressing his fear, and said, "I just want a better life and not to wander around anymore."
"May the glory of God guide you and free you from confusion," the Senior Friar said, placing his broad hand on Adam's head. His voice became grand, as if countless holy bells were ringing or numerous holy spirits and angels were singing around him.
Seeing Adam become more serene under his hand, the Senior Friar's expression softened. He withdrew his hand and hobbled back to the cabinet, rummaging inside.
"I think I still have some preserved fruits left by Purdo... Where did I put them?" he muttered, searching the cabinet.
Adam snapped out of his daze, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Friar, there's no need. It's getting late, and I should get home soon..."
"Found it!" The Senior Friar exclaimed with delight, pulling out a bag of preserved fruits. He ignored Adam's refusal and handed him a large handful.
"Be careful on your way home. Come early tomorrow. Master Alva dislikes tardiness, though he can't even remember people's names."
"I'll talk to him about that tomorrow..." the talkative Senior Friar showed no semblance of the authoritative leader of the church.
Adam could only thank him and hurriedly left with the preserved fruits.
After Adam left, the Senior Friar took a piece of holy bread, slowly tearing it apart and eating it, deep in thought.
A friar entered and softly asked about the situation.
"He is ambitious and seems to be using Friar Flah," the Senior Friar sighed.
"Shall I stop him from entering tomorrow?" The friar frowned, clearly displeased.
"There's no need, Rob. There's no need," the Senior Friar said, shaking his head. "Everyone has their path to walk. Ambition isn't inherently bad. What matters are the choices within one's heart. Flah needs to grow, and Adam needs redemption. I believe they are both good at heart and can embrace the light under God's grace."
...
"I almost got exposed," Adam thought. He knew that anyone who could hold the position of Senior Friar in a frontier town like Royer was not simple. He hadn't expected the friar to be so formidable.
Had Adam not been unique, even other pureblood werewolves might have transformed on the spot, only to be killed instantly.
That old man's seemingly frail body held terrifying holy power. This level of holy power was rare. Adam felt the scar on his face burning, a pain deep in his bones that nearly made him scream.
"I must accelerate my plans!" Adam knew his identity was not without flaws. 'Adam Boku' was from a place some distance from Royer. If someone investigated, they could eventually find out he wasn't the real Adam.
"But I must also avoid arousing further suspicion." Using Friar Flah to enter the church had already made the Senior Friar wary and prompted a probe. If Adam slipped up again, the friar would investigate him thoroughly.
The idea of spies being suspected numerous times, only to clear their name and eventually gain trust, as seen in TV shows, was a fantasy. The higher up one was, the less they believed in coincidences.
One cleared suspicion might make them think it was a misunderstanding and trust you more. But if suspicion arose two or three times, your cover was blown.
"My soul will not be confined to this place. Even without God's so-called glory, I will crown it and make it noble!" Adam thought, feeling his werewolf blood, deemed sinful by the church, yet showing no outward change.
Before the sky fully darkened, Adam returned to the Boku household and placed the preserved fruits in a jar, calling Laina to eat.
Messing up the little girl's hair again before carefully tying it back, Adam's mind gradually calmed.
He began to review his gains from the church today.
"I was a bit careless, overestimating my ability to stay hidden. If I had prepared better, I could have handled today's situation more smoothly."
"Brother Jim might be useful, and there's that Baron Rupert. I heard about him while eavesdropping at Mansela's estate."
"I need to learn more about supernatural beings to find and recruit them." Adam calculated carefully. "I have too little power. This is my disadvantage."
"My advantages are my concealment abilities and my method of masking my bloodline anomalies. Now, I also have my position within the South District Church."
"So, the next step is to leverage my advantages to gain more control and compensate for my weaknesses."
"And then there's the biggest issue, time." Adam smiled as he pinched Laina's cheek, giving her another preserved fruit before closing the jar and putting it away. Seeing her longing expression, he took out one more piece for her.
"I don't know how long my setup will mislead them. Once they find Royer, given their understanding of me, they should quickly locate me."
Thinking of this, Adam looked out the window at the rising crescent moon.