CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 262: FREEDOM_2

It must be that annoying nun. Catherine still remembered the disadvantages she had suffered at the nun’s hands. Hearing this now gave her a sense of having vented a long-held frustration, which was quite satisfying.

But she quickly realized something. Right, this town actually had no trace of the Church?

"Fellow townsfolk, why is there no church here?" Catherine leaned in among the busy women.

"You must be an outsider who doesn’t know about our town’s affairs. What good is the Church? When the bandits came, they abandoned us. We were lucky that the Lord appeared..."

Unexpectedly, this was a local, so her account of the situation was even clearer.

Catherine presented herself as an antique dealer to communicate with the townspeople and gather more information about this small town.

The more she learned, the more incredible it seemed. She also grew more curious, urgently wanting to know more about that man...

At this time, the nun walked out of the school with hesitant steps. Her attitude was no longer as resolute as before; instead, she resembled a child struck in a vulnerable spot, instinctively wanting to flee.

She passed by the cemetery without speaking, merely walking by in silence.

Walking through the town again, she indeed wanted to find the reason that man had spoken of.

But the education she had received consisted of nothing but chanting and praying, leaving her with little understanding of anything else. Investigating was proving to be quite difficult for her.

Not to mention, word of what happened at the school had already spread, and the townspeople recognized her as the reckless nun who had attacked the school and caused trouble.

They already had little fondness for the Church, and this incident further intensified their disdain. This was especially true for those with children in the school, who revealed their hostility and hurled sharp, unforgiving words.

From this, it was clear that Lance’s plan to use the nun to tarnish the Church’s reputation was very successful. However, the negative effects were all borne by the nun alone.

Having grown up in a Monastery, the nun lacked the thick skin Catherine had developed from running a shop. Now, she was even more afraid to approach and communicate with the townspeople, walking numbly through the streets as if being paraded for public shaming.

The words constantly being passed around by the active women in town also drew Catherine’s attention to the nun’s sorry state.

It was hard to imagine that the Cleric who, just last night, had been shouting in the name of the Holy Flame from a position of authority, now looked as if she had lost her soul.

Conversely, she herself, an outcast reviled and suppressed wherever she went, could now stand under the sun. The contrast between them, formed in just one night, was truly... magical.

Catherine had experienced dramatic changes in the first half of her life, after which she was controlled like a Puppet by the Wizard. Now that the Wizard was dead, the shackles on her were lifted, but this also plunged her into confusion.

Where could I go? What do I want to do?

Catherine inexplicably recalled the Lord’s words. Perhaps staying here wouldn’t be so bad. At least I wouldn’t have to face the constant threat of death or worry about strange looks from those around me...

But what do I actually enjoy doing?

With this question in mind, Catherine continued to walk through the town.

「...」

"The efficacy of the Disease-Resistant Shiitake extract has been verified. Infected individuals who take it can enhance their resistance to the withering disease. Using it within three days of infection can lead to full recovery. Those infected for three to five days will suffer from aftereffects. If the infection has lasted beyond five days, treatment is futile; even if they haven’t died, their organs will have already failed."

Paracelsus spoke, her usually steady and somewhat cold demeanor showing a flicker of emotion. She raised a hand to adjust her glasses. "I have succeeded!"

Lance looked at the detailed report. The first batch of infected had already passed the Second Phase and entered the early third stage, meaning they were beyond saving.

At that time, it was fortunate that he had relentlessly pushed onward, killing the Witch and saving Grendel.

It was Grendel’s abilities, combined with his own abilities, that had saved that group of warriors.

Lance’s gaze then turned to the dissected specimens inside the laboratory. Their bodies were cut open, their muscles, skeletons, organs, and even half of their skulls exposed. However, no one was wasting time stitching them up, as they were meant for observing wounds.

One could say that this treatment data had been obtained through trials on living human subjects.

But he did not care. These people all deserved to die. Their deaths were preferable to those of ordinary people, and this way, they could make one last contribution to Hamlet.

"Very well. With this specific medicine, clearing the corrupted zones will be much faster."

In fact, the infection had already appeared in some individuals on the front lines. For this reason, Lance could only send Grendel out to brew large pots of medicine to boost their resistance or provide basic treatment.

Now, at last, he could liberate Grendel, this talent, from those troubles and recall her to begin research.

Paracelsus had no idea what Lance was thinking. If she had known, she likely would have had strong feelings about it.

However, she was still immersed in the joy of success. After all, what witchcraft could achieve, she could achieve as well!

"Good, you did very well. You’ve proven that the path of science is viable."

Lance casually offered the discarded experimental subjects as a Sacrifice and then added a reminder.

"We’ll probably have quite a few experimental subjects delivered soon. You can start working on research topics like ’Human Anatomy’ and ’Surgical Procedures.’ Don’t worry about the consumption rate; instead, aim to process them quickly to avoid wasting my food.

Just be careful of some Heretics among them. They are stronger than ordinary humans, their bodies are somewhat strange, and some possess Sorcery. It’s best to report to me when detaining and using them, so I can observe."

Previously, she couldn’t find enough subjects, but now there were more than she could use, and she was even urged to dispose of them quickly.

Paracelsus had no objections to this; on the contrary, she was somewhat excited.

She had access to all sorts of strange and bizarre research materials and could study them without worrying about external interference. The decision to come here was the right one. She had even forgotten her grudge with Grendel.

Lance smiled faintly and couldn’t help but add, "I have some other interesting things on hand, but I’ll only give them to you once I’m sure they’re safe. Finish the ’Surgical Procedures’ Chapter of the ’Medical Manual’ as soon as possible."

Every mature leader must learn the art of hyperbole and tailor it according to different needs. Promising Paracelsus money and honor was useless; she yearned for research, for exploration. As it happened, Hamlet had an abundance of unknown creatures for her to study.

Lance’s words made Paracelsus tingle with anticipation. Considering the previous research subjects, she was already incredibly eager.

「...」

Finally, the nun found a townsperson willing to communicate with her, and that person was Susan.

Compared to the other townspeople, Susan was more calm and rational. She recounted to the nun how the Church had fled when bandits attacked the town, abandoning all the villagers.

"The matter of the bandits was originally the responsibility of the local lord and had nothing to do with the Church." The nun’s loyalty to the Church made her instinctively defend it, but her words, to some extent, angered Susan.

"So, we offer you our devotion, and yet you choose to run away when bandits come? They could have saved many people, but they didn’t! Is this what your god teaches you?"

Susan was usually quite good-tempered, but the nearly uncontainable rage in her words said it all.

Because of the Church’s influence, the common people, especially those in villages and towns, were mostly believers or at least nominal believers. Without this spiritual pillar, it would be very hard for them to endure such a harsh life.

"You’re right, the matter of the bandits is indeed the Lord’s responsibility. That’s why, after the Lord arrived, he quickly eliminated the bandits, ended the famine, and led us to the life we have now.

All of this is thanks to our Lord, not your Church. You do not deserve our offerings."

Susan then looked at the astonished nun and emphasized her point. "It’s not that we’ve abandoned our faith, but that the Church deceived us and abandoned us."

The nun stood there stunned. She felt that all this was not what the Holy Canon said.

"You can go find a man named Reynard. He was once a Crusader for the Church. He will tell you the true face of the Church."

After Susan left, such direct guidance hinted that a larger hand might be manipulating everything.