It was Oliver's turn to take the night shift again.
The church's interior remained as dreary as ever, with the air thick with the stench of decay.
"Where has that Marta gone off to? Bishop Barnett has been searching for her everywhere. Heh, looks like someone's about to get unlucky."
"Not necessarily. Don't you know? Marta, that filthy bitch, has been in Barnett's bed for ages. If anything happens, she'll probably suck his dick to atone for her sins."
As soon as Oliver stepped into the church, he overheard the guards gossiping crudely.
The people here didn't know that Sister Marta was dead yet, but it wouldn't be kept secret for much longer.
Moreover, hearing Bishop Barnett's name sent a chill through Oliver's eyes.
It was precisely because he had refused Barnett's offer to work as a personal assistant that he was punished and assigned to the Atonement Class.
Bishop Barnett frequently used such excuses to exploit trainee priests—and even lower-level Divine Magi.
Technically, Marta was as much a victim as Oliver, but she seemed to take pleasure in it, content to be his plaything while reaping considerable rewards.
As Oliver mulled over this, he noticed William, the trainee priest who had also been punished with him, giving him a knowing wink.
William was a bearded man with a rough appearance, but he always claimed to be a clean freak and despised filth. Rumor had it that he was punished after making a comment about Bishop Barnett's shoes looking like herring cans.
"Oliver, you need to be careful of that bitch Marta these days!"
William glanced around to make sure no one was watching before whispering mysteriously.
"Got any inside info?"
Oliver asked, pretending to be anxious.
"I overheard a conversation between the herring bishop and Marta. They were saying they'd find something on you, punish you harshly, and force you to submit to Barnett. That bastard Barnett won't let you off—who knows, maybe it's because you're so damn handsome..."
William shot Oliver a sympathetic glance.
Oliver nodded, feeling a heavy weight in his chest.
Damn Bishop Barnett!
No wonder Sister Marta had seemed so intent on picking a fight with him yesterday, giving him such a nasty attitude when she told him to clean the cellar.
But now Marta was dead, thanks to Oliver.
Bishop Barnett's scheme would be delayed for a few days, but it was clear that Barnett wouldn't let Oliver off so easily.
At this moment, Oliver couldn't help but wish he could kill Barnett as well.
But he knew that he wasn't yet a match for the bishop.
Bishop Barnett was one of the three archbishops of the Elsa Church in Glensorne City, and a third-level Divine Magician.
Oliver, at best, was equivalent to a first-level Divine Artist.
He didn't even have a Divine Circuit, nor the social status that came with being a first-level Divine Magician, and he didn't dare to cast spells recklessly.
His situation was perilous.
"Dammit, I need to find a way to make money fast. If I can get a modified Divine Circuit and become an official first-level Divine Magus, even Barnett will have to think twice before targeting me."
Oliver couldn't help but think.
But to install such a modified Divine Circuit, he only had two options. The first was to gather three gold coins, or 3,000 silver coins.
Right now, Oliver had only about a hundred silver coins, so raising this amount would be difficult.
The second option was to kill two clerics, take their Divine Circuits, gather three, and go to the black market to find the magic store owner, Hector.
With that, Oliver would be able to get a Divine Circuit of his own, one with a safe origin and clean provenance.
Once he succeeded, he would be able to advance to a true Divine Artist, significantly improving both his social status and financial situation.
"Why aren't you saying anything, Oliver? You scared? Ugh, damn Barnett, he's always bullying us..."
William sighed, his brow furrowed. "Actually, I've thought of a way out."
"You have a way out?"
Oliver asked, intrigued.
"You know, Bishop Silverthorne and that stinking herring bishop have always been at odds. I heard they've fought over interests and even women. If we could become Silverthorne's men, Barnett wouldn't dare to touch us..."
William whispered.
Oliver listened but secretly shook his head. This idea sounded good, but Bishop Silverthorne was also a major figure in the church, and he was a third-level Divine Artist as well.
Why would he protect lowly trainee priests like them?
Every year, eight hundred or even a thousand people came to the church to become trainee priests. Compared to them, they were as insignificant as insects.
Only someone who became a first-level Divine Magician, or had the potential to become one, would be worthy of Silverthorne's protection.
Oliver's desire to become stronger burned even more fiercely.
...
Time passed quickly, and several days went by.
Oliver arrived for his shift at the church as usual, but today, when he arrived, he noticed that the entrance was bustling with activity. A crowd had gathered, exchanging words.
"What's going on here?"
Oliver grabbed William, who was scanning the crowd.
"Don't you know? Sister Marta has disappeared, and the Inquisition Court is here to investigate!"
The Inquisition Court.
Oliver's heart skipped a beat.
The Inquisition Court was a special organization within the church, tasked with punishing those Divine Magi who had violated church laws, as well as bishops who had committed apostasy. Of course, their most important duty was hunting down and executing anti-church individuals.
Whenever someone went missing within the church, they would conduct a routine investigation.
"Marta's actually disappeared? No wonder I haven't seen her for days. What did the Inquisition Court say?"
Oliver asked casually.
"Who knows? Someone going missing these days isn't that strange. It seems like they haven't figured out anything yet,"
William said, almost gleefully. Marta and the damned herring bishop were close, often bullying Oliver and William. William was obviously happy to see her gone.
"I see. You'd better not look too pleased, though. What if the Inquisition Court suspects you and drags you off for questioning?"
Oliver noticed the barely suppressed grin on William's face and couldn't resist giving him a warning.
William froze and quickly covered his mouth, no longer daring to laugh.
Oliver shook his head and entered the church.
The people from the Inquisition Court quickly came and asked Oliver a few questions, but nothing too detailed.
It wasn't that they were slacking off; it was just that Oliver was only a trainee priest, without even a Divine Circuit.
Marta, however, had a Divine Circuit and was a first-level Divine Artist.
How could someone like Oliver have killed her?
So long as Oliver didn't act suspiciously, who could possibly suspect him?
The only trouble was that Oliver was the last person to have seen Marta.
But Oliver insisted that Marta had just told him to clean the cellar and then hurried off.
After all, cleaning the cellar was a dirty job, and under normal circumstances, Marta wouldn't have followed Oliver down there.
The only reason she had gone with him that day was likely to fulfill a task given by Bishop Stink Herring.
She was planning to threaten and even beat Oliver down there.
But then, something had gone wrong...