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The bells hanging in the church or monastery bell towers were usually used to tell time. Since there was no need to ring the bells urgently to announce the time, the bells naturally rang at a leisurely pace, producing a clear and refreshing sound that echoed, “Ding-dong, ding-dong.”

However, there were times when these bell towers rang outside of the designated hours, such as when warning of emergencies like thieves or intruders. In such cases, the bells would produce a rapid, dull metallic sound, “Dang-dang-dang-dang-dang—.”

The sound resonating from the monastery bell tower at this very moment was precisely that kind of urgent warning. At the sound of the emergency bell, the monks, who had been in the midst of a lively exchange, hurriedly rushed out.

“What on earth is going on!”

As the priests gathered and Jack, the monk in charge of the bell tower that day, and Brother Brenil, who had requested the emergency bell, descended from the tower, Subdeacon Baelin stepped forward and asked.

“What exactly happened?”

“Intruders! A suspicious presence fled from the storage room!”

“What!? Please explain in more detail!”

Upon hearing that intruders had broken into the storage room where sacred relics were kept, not only Subdeacon Baelin but also all the monks who heard it were shocked. As Baelin composed himself and asked for the full story, Brother Brenil explained in detail how he and Hildegard had discovered the strange being in the storage room and how the intruder had managed to escape.

“A monster whose upper and lower body fled separately even after being severed at the waist? Unbelievable…”

Subdeacon Baelin wore a bewildered expression at Brother Brenil’s explanation, but Brother Brenil himself was equally stunned. It was to the point where he doubted whether he had seen a hallucination. However, since Hildegard had immediately chased after the intruder, there was no time to stand around in confusion.

The same went for Subdeacon Baelin. No matter how absurd it seemed, he couldn’t just stand still after hearing that intruders had broken into the storage room. As the monastery’s operational manager, he immediately issued orders to the gathered monks.

“Brothers! It seems we must act immediately. We should split into two groups. Half of you should check the storage room to see if anything was stolen and, if so, determine what the intruder took. The other half should assist Brother Wolfstein in tracking down the intruder. As for the leaders of each group…”

At that point, Subdeacon Baelin hesitated. Among those currently at the monastery, he was the one who knew the inventory of the storage room best. Therefore, he was the most suitable person to oversee the inspection of the storage room.

However, if he did that, there would only be one influential and responsible person left to lead the pursuit of the mysterious monster: Father Owen.

But Father Owen was somewhat advanced in age. While he did have the physical foundation built up as a monk, it was still difficult for a clergy member, whose primary role wasn’t combat, to engage in such rough activities like a Knight Templar. It was unusual for someone like Esiocles to have built up the capabilities of a Knight Templar.

In such a situation, was it really right to ask Father Owen, who was starting to experience a decline in his physical condition, to take on the intense outdoor activity of pursuing an intruder whose intentions were unknown? Such worries clouded Subdeacon Baelin’s mind, leaving him at a loss.

Perhaps sensing his concern, Father Owen suddenly approached with a kind smile, patted his shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry. Although I’m old, I’m not as frail as you think.”

Father Owen flexed his arm, showing off his biceps, which were indeed robust for his age. His wrestler-like, tough, and solid physique was too impressive to succumb easily to aging.

Moreover, he had diligently practiced the Reverse Muscle Technique while building his body, so while it might not be at the highest level, it was certainly at a respectable level. It was clear that someone who had already completed the first banding of Ethereal Muscles couldn’t be called weak.

“Father! But still…”

However, that was one thing, and this was another. Father Owen was the spiritual pillar of the Dominican Monastery in Plymouth. If something were to happen to him while leading the pursuit of the intruder, Subdeacon Baelin would never forgive himself.

Father Owen, well aware of Baelin’s concerns, decided to offer a compromise to ease his worries.

“Besides, I’m not the only clergy member here, am I?”

“That’s true… Ah!”

Finally, Baelin’s gaze turned to the muscular, half-naked clergy member who had been watching them.

The bulging, powerful physique, the intangible aura emanating from the highly trained Ethereal Muscles—the majestic and reliable appearance made Baelin unconsciously swallow dryly and nod.

Biologically, it was a natural reaction to understand that there would be no problem with him.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

At the perfect moment, the extraordinary muscular clergy member, Esiocles Emanuele, stepped forward and asked. Faced with his dignified presence, which simultaneously calmed and emboldened those around him, Subdeacon Baelin made his request with unprecedented peace of mind.

“Father Emanuele, please lead the search for the intruder in the storage room with Father Powell.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

The majestic Esiocles smiled.

“Brother, you need not worry.”

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The search proceeded swiftly. While Hildegard tracked the intruder’s upper body and Esiocles and some monks pursued the lower body, Subdeacon Baelin led the monks in conducting a thorough inspection of the storage room.

Before long, as Baelin compared the items with the inventory, he discovered the identity of the stolen artifact and tilted his head in confusion. The nature of the stolen item was somewhat unexpected.

“Ancient beans?”

The Dominican Monastery in Plymouth was a small to medium-sized monastery located on the outskirts, but the level of artifacts stored in its storage room was by no means low. The storage room contained a considerable number of artifacts, each with its own significance and value.

Amidst this, the fact that nothing else had been unnecessarily touched, and only the box containing the ancient beans had been opened and emptied, was enough to perplex Subdeacon Baelin.

Of course, the ancient beans were also dungeon-originated items, and while their exact nature was unknown, it was clear they weren’t ordinary. However, their appearance as mere beans made it hard to feel particularly impressed.

A young monk assisting with the inventory check asked, “Could the intruder have mistaken the item?”

“How could that be? Such a bizarre creature must have had a clear purpose for breaking in. It’s better to abandon the thought that they took the wrong item.”

‘There must be some use for it that we’re unaware of,’ Subdeacon Baelin muttered with a serious expression.

“At any rate, we must quickly inform the teams assigned to the pursuit.”

“I’ll get on it right away.”

“Please do. And I need to check the archives to see if there are any additional records related to the stolen item.”

“Then I’ll call the monks from the archives.”

Brother Ethan Lailach, who had been assisting with the operation, quickly moved off after saying this. As he saw Brother Ethan off, Subdeacon Baelin placed the back of his hand on his forehead and let out a short sigh.

‘I hope nothing serious happens…’

Wishing for the situation to be resolved peacefully, Baelin left the storage room and headed for the archives. However, on the way, something strange caught his eye.

“What on earth is that?”

A short distance southwest of the monastery, in the Plymouth square, something enormous and unfamiliar had appeared. It resembled the stem of a leafy plant, but its size was, to say the least, overwhelmingly large.

The thickness was such that a hundred tall adult men would need to join hands in a circle to encircle it. It stretched endlessly into the sky, using the clouds as a trellis to grow even taller. The sheer size of it was enough to make one question their sense of perspective and reality.

Baelin wasn’t the only one who saw this.

At the same time, the monks tracking the intruder, led by Esiocles and Father Owen, the citizens and visitors of Plymouth, the clergy of Plymouth Church, and even Sophia, Conra, and Maria, who were staying there—everyone in the area witnessed the scene.

Hildegard, who had seen it up close, stood in front of the massive vine, having just used a divine technique to evaporate the intruder’s traces. She looked up at the towering plant with a hollow expression, and a single harsh word slipped from her lips.

“F***ing hell…”

Haha, it seems like nothing has been easy to resolve lately. Somehow, her eyes felt warm and teary. She tried to ignore the sympathetic look from the spirit Ariel, who had appeared beside her, and simply let out a weak laugh.

 

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