Just as Naimes was testing his newly acquired traits, the old priest on the other side was growing increasingly restless from waiting.

Op had been gone for quite some time now. Logically, the task shouldn't have been complicated, and he should have returned with the whale transformation specimen long ago.

Yet there had been no movement whatsoever.

"Something went wrong." The old priest opened his eyes, abandoning his meditation. Clearly, his mind had already become unsettled.

"Op wouldn't dare run away." The old priest felt quite confident about this. Years ago, his experiments had encountered some problems, causing a few Nest Beasts to escape.

Op had been parasitized during that very incident. At the time, Op had only recently begun practicing the witch meditation methods.

Because he specialized in summoning, his sensitivity to energy fluctuations was quite sharp. It was precisely this sensitivity that allowed him to discover that the Nest Beast parasitizing him originated from the old priest.

Unfortunately, while Op excelled at perception back then, he lacked skill in concealment.

His excessively obvious spiritual fluctuations caught the old priest's attention, and he was forcibly recruited onto the old priest's war chariot.

From that point onward, Op began working for the old priest, sinking deeper and deeper into the arrangement. The old priest held evidence of Op's many illegal activities, and when it came to Nest Beasts, there was probably no one more knowledgeable than the old priest.

If Op wanted to resolve the physical damage caused by the Nest Beast, he would ultimately have to bow to the old priest.

Under these circumstances, the old priest couldn't imagine any reason for Op to flee.

What the old priest didn't know was that Naimes' appearance had shattered this entire dynamic.

First, Naimes' subordinates demonstrated Naimes' power and the assistance he provided.

The growth of Tangs, the shepherd, served as the perfect showcase.

Second was the effectiveness of the overwhelming presence Naimes projected.

This presence was born from multiple fusions.

The convergence of three distinct auras: his Aberrant Demon form, his past life as a holy knight genius, and his new identity in this life.

Beyond this, there were numerous traits Naimes had acquired through his divine spark and commandments.

Particularly notable was his Contract Artifact's trait called Fatherly Guard, which amplified presence-based abilities.

These traits interacted and synergized, collectively boosting Naimes' imposing aura.

Ultimately, through Naimes' conscious control, this presence gained its uniquely oppressive quality.

If not for Naimes possessing a partial divine spark, even he couldn't have produced such an astonishing presence with tangible effects.

In any case, the intimidating Naimes used this method to awe Op, making him understand his inescapable position with no clean way out and essentially no choices. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelꜰire.net

Then, using his presence to suppress Op's agitated Nest Beast, Naimes made Op believe that he too had methods to help control the creature.

All these factors combined to cause Op's betrayal.

Though the old priest was powerful, he couldn't foresee everything.

At this moment, he only vaguely suspected that someone had intercepted Op's group.

"Did Isabella persuade Naimes? Have they joined forces?" The old priest couldn't help but entertain this thought.

Isabella came from a hidden family with dragon blood. Though that family's reputation had now been self-sealed, the old priest knew of their terrifying nature.

Naimes...

"Has his Saint essence truly awakened?" The old priest's mind wandered through Naimes' recent transformations.

The moment Naimes transformed from his former self into this sunny, cheerful, actively living version, the old priest had generated numerous conjectures.

Possibilities like his body being seized by a demon, or the awakening of his Saint essence.

So-called Saints were beings who had received divine blessings.

After receiving these blessings, these Saints became earthly representatives of the divine, possessing various god-like qualities.

Having researched Holy Blood for so long and attempted to create Holy Children, the old priest had discovered that even Holy Children created from Holy Blood would be no different from ordinary people if they couldn't activate their essence.

However, after activating a certain essence, not only would their power greatly increase, but their personality would also undergo changes, at least becoming extremely righteous and noble.

So after confirming through sacred hymns that Naimes wasn't a demon, the old priest began leaning toward the Saint essence awakening theory.

When Naimes chose to become an Oathbound Holy Knight, the old priest had immediately agreed.

But soon, this theory encountered problems.

Specifically, the test regarding Op's situation.

He had deliberately notified Naimes precisely so Naimes would inform Op.

If he were a true Saint, Op wouldn't have learned about it.

Unfortunately, Naimes failed this test.

The old priest had therefore abandoned further testing of Naimes, until all these recent developments occurred.

"God, grant me guidance!" Anxiety filled the old priest's heart, yet he didn't choose to venture out searching. Instead, he closed his eyes in meditative prayer.

Just as his prayer concluded, movement came from nearby.

A pitch-black head emerged from the woods not far away.

Followed by a wild boar's body.

Big Black, the failed experiment imprisoned beneath the church, had escaped, taken over a wild boar's body, and now found the old priest.

"Indeed, God is guiding me." Witnessing this, the old priest's conviction grew stronger within.

He was merely reluctant, yet conditions kept being met, pushing his experimental progress forward.

Under these circumstances, he couldn't abandon his experiments.

"So I'm not wrong! I'm truly atoning according to God's will!!" The old priest repeated this to himself again and again.

"Come here." The old priest looked at Big Black and soon extracted sufficient information from him.

"Shaping-based spells and exceptional swordsmanship."

"Both these juniors are talents of the Church."

"But..."

The old priest stood up, his hunched form radiating terrifying spiritual fluctuations.

"Why must you obstruct my experiments?!"

"As your senior, I have no choice but to teach you a lesson." Saying this, the old priest directly grasped Big Black's head.

Before Big Black could utter a single scream, numerous black threads were extracted from his skull.

These black threads then merged with the threads binding Jacques nearby. A large mass of black, squirming matter enveloped Jacques and the wooden frame behind him, then began moving.

The moment Naimes transformed from his former self into this sunny, cheerful, actively living version, the old priest had generated numerous conjectures.

"Reverend, it's rare to see you out for a walk." A villager at home greeted the old priest through his window, completely ignoring the black squirming creature behind him.

"Ah, yes indeed." The old priest nodded with a benevolent smile.

"Reverend, what was that loud noise from earlier?" Another person inquired about the earlier church explosion.

"I'm heading over to investigate now." The old priest nodded in response.

After conversing with the old priest, these people couldn't help but feel slight stinging sensations in their bodies, but they turned away and promptly forgot about the matter.