Work Prophet
Chapter 662 - 35 Secured

Chapter 662: Chapter 35 Secured

About a week after Juan and his companions left, following the instructions of Quintus the High Priest, they did not make a spectacle of their departure but left very quietly.

Even the flag of the Arias family hadn’t been raised, and Miss Rabbit only claimed outwardly that she had sent them to escort an important person to Golden Valley.

In the days that followed, Donia of the Singleton Family did not show up in Green Field anymore, so most people thought that she was the important person in question.

It was not until a week later that Lady and Juan re-established contact through the radio.

The latter’s voice was so excited that it even trembled, "I... we’ve caught him, we’ve caught him! We’ve caught him!!! Lady Ireya."

Miss Rabbit had been feeling drowsy from the heat of the charcoal fire in the basin, but after Juan repeated that sentence three times, she immediately perked up, equally excited.

"You succeeded?! Really, you caught Hirodod?"

"Absolutely, Quintus the High Priest has verified with several people who were once familiar with Hirodod that it is indeed him, and not a body double.

"We found him in a small village that’s an important stronghold for the Blood Moon Association, but Hirodod is very cunning. He put forward seven priests to replace him in secretly spreading the faith and inciting riots in various locations, while he himself went into hiding, never appearing in public, and he also changed his hiding places regularly.

"As a result, the lords of the West could only capture the missionary priests at best, but had no way to get to Hirodod himself, and even if those seven priests were captured or killed, Hirodod could simply choose new ones."

"This time, it’s all thanks to Quintus the High Priest who sent an informant to infiltrate the Blood Moon Association. Otherwise, it would’ve been too difficult to capture Hirodod."

Juan said, "We are now escorting Hirodod towards Duolin City, where the Silver Moon Church will hold a trial for him."

"Alright, I understand. Be careful on your way," she acknowledged.

After turning off the radio, Miss Rabbit’s heart still couldn’t settle down.

Over the past year or more, Hirodod had been like a nightmare to all the nobles of the West.

He rebelled against the Silver Moon Church to establish the Blood Moon Association, orchestrating the tragedy in Duolin City, poisoning to death the other High Priests of the Church and many nobles.

He twisted the interpretation of the Silver Moon Holy Scripture and transformed the new church into an organization full of hatred and paranoia.

Using intimidation, assassination, poisoning and other means to ruthlessly eliminate opponents, he cast a terrifying shadow over the entire West.

And now, this monster with his hands drenched in blood had finally been captured, and the process had gone so smoothly that it gave Miss Rabbit a sense of unreality.

But thinking about how for almost a year, Quintus the High Priest had been planning this, sending an informant to infiltrate the Blood Moon Association and striving to get close to Hirodod, it wasn’t surprising that they eventually succeeded in capturing him in a precious opportunity.

Many people looked down on Quintus because of his origins, his dark skin, and his farmer-like face, thinking he was less prestigious than Priest Martina and less cunning than Priest Reves.

Yet, Quintus had one quality that surpassed both of them—his tenacity.

Grass may also appear unremarkable, yet it can grow on the hard rock face, slowly prying apart the stones around it.

And it was with this same tenacity that Quintus managed to capture Hirodod, whom no one else could.

At that moment, Hirodod sat on a large horse with chains firmly binding his hands and feet.

After Juan ended the call with Lady and walked back, he mounted his horse, sitting behind Hirodod, while the Arias family’s cavalry surrounded them.

Juan warned Hirodod, "Don’t try any tricks, and don’t expect your followers to rescue you. I have been granted permission by Quintus the High Priest that if the situation gets dire, I can choose not to bring you back to Duolin City but to execute you on the spot."

Although Hirodod was captured, he didn’t show much panic after the initial shock. Instead, he seemed quite interested as he said.

"What were you just doing? It looked like you were talking to air."

"That’s none of your business," Juan replied.

Hirodod then looked at the Sabbath behind him and the bundle on his back.

"That’s the Holy Artifact of the Double Rest Sect, isn’t it? You were just using that Holy Artifact to communicate with someone. Let me guess, was it Merlin?"

"I told you, it’s none of your business. From now on, until we reach Duolin City, it would be best if you keep your mouth shut."

Juan was cautious, sending out two small teams to scout the area to ensure there was no danger before leading everyone on the road.

But they had only walked a few steps when they were stopped.

The ones who stopped them were villagers from that village, composed of men and women alike, including the elderly and children. Many of them were holding weapons in their hands.

"Sir Juan, these are all warriors of the Blood Moon Association. Just kill them all," said a priest from the Silver Moon Church.

The man was named Jacques, sent by Quintus the High Priest to assist in the capture, and had formerly been Hirodod’s student.

Upon hearing this, Juan frowned. Although these villagers had ill intentions, the weapons in their hands were very crude, almost all farming tools.

The wide range of ages made it clear that these were only ordinary villagers, not real warriors. Juan did not really want to harm them.

However, if they refused to step aside or initiated an attack in an attempt to rescue someone, Juan would have no choice but to issue an order to his own men to attack as well.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Hirodod suddenly coughed lightly and said to Juan.

"May I speak to them for a moment? Don’t worry, I’m not trying to ask for help. Besides, they are no match for you and couldn’t save me. They would only be throwing their lives away."

"I thought you didn’t care about the lives of others," Juan said.

"Of course, I care," Hirodod smiled. "Sometimes we must make sacrifices. Although I have killed many, they were all for a purpose. I too despise meaningless deaths, like what could happen now."

Juan did not know how much truth there was in what this man before him was saying, but if there was a possibility to avoid a conflict, he allowed Hirodod’s proposal.

He even rode his horse a few steps forward.

Hirodod began to speak in a gentle voice, "My children, heed my words and go back. It is the goddess’s will. You need not worry for this is just the final darkness before the dawn..."

His speech wasn’t finished when a "snap" interrupted him. The whip struck Hirodod, leaving a bloody mark on his chest.

Jacques then shouted, "Even at the brink of death, you, a traitor, Hirodod, continue to spout nonsense and deceive these ignorant farmers in the name of the goddess!"

Hirodod glanced back at Jacques. He said nothing, but Jacques still felt an inexplicable sense of panic, which he quickly suppressed.

Hirodod was no longer his teacher and was now a prisoner of the Church, with not many days left to live. Jacques felt there was absolutely no need to fear a man about to die.

So he glared back and saw that Hirodod had already looked away, turning his attention back to the villagers, "Go on, do not defy the will of the goddess."

The villagers looked at each other and eventually stepped aside, clearing a path for Juan and the others to leave.