Blasphemy!!?
Upon hearing this word, Herbert's heart suddenly skipped a beat, feeling as if all the blood in his body froze, and he became tense.
Thump thump!
As his heart beat, his consciousness raced, quickly analyzing the current situation:
What does Thorn Bishop mean by asking this question now?
He wouldn't suddenly test me without reason, there must be a cause.
What has Thorn Bishop discovered?
Is he suspecting me?
Could there be some lingering aura on me?
Is it Nenasha's Demon Pattern?
Or Fremay's Colorful Scale?
Or perhaps Valentina's hair?
Or could it be... no.
Must not panic!
The opponent hasn't made a move yet, I shouldn't mess up my own stance first.
He probably has no evidence.
If he truly had absolute confidence, no, even if he only had vague clues, he wouldn't bother with this act but would directly bring me in for interrogation!
This is just an unexpected probe.
So, what does he want to trick out from me?
Herbert pondered and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
Wait.
Something seems off... Why am I so nervous?
With my mental quality, I shouldn't be showing such weakness.
Hiss—
"...Hmm!?"
As he thought of this point, it was like piercing through a thin veil covering his consciousness, and his thoughts completely cleared up.
In just a moment, Herbert's mind completely regained calm.
Upon further sensing, he indeed felt a faint warmth emitted from the back of his hand—the Holy Mark and Demon Pattern were subtly activated at that instant.
They were passively activated after being disturbed by an external force.
Someone is attempting to manipulate my thoughts!
That person clearly understands Purity Protection enough to deliberately bypass it and directly affect the soul.
Although it lasted only a moment, the opponent still succeeded in doing it.
At least it caused some interference, making Herbert nervous and unable to resist the urge to disclose secrets within his heart.
However, what they didn't anticipate was that Herbert has more than this layer of defense.
Not only does Divine Oath protect the purity of his spirit, but the Evil God's contract also makes his will stronger.
In fact, even if these two defenses were breached, Herbert still has a third safeguard—the Sea Witch Queen's Favor.
One of the effects of this epic curse is to grant him immunity against outside mental manipulation.
At this moment, Herbert's toughest armor isn't his body but his soul as strong as steel—the kind that sets off alarms when passing through security.
However, though Herbert rid himself of mental interference, the crisis is yet unresolved.
Because both the Demon Pattern and curse are not to be spoken of, he has no way to explain why he wasn't affected!
The only feasible approach is to play along and continue acting according to the situation!
While so many thoughts occurred in his mind, in reality, only a few breaths passed outside.
During these few breaths, Herbert's expression transformed several times.
From perplexed and helpless to seemingly contemplative, and finally completely righteous indignation.
He became angry!
"Blasphemy?"
Herbert lifted his head, looking at Thorn Bishop, his expression solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Do you mean to say a cultivator inside the monastery has fallen!!?"
"You, could it be..."
He stared at Thorn Bishop in shock, his expression shifting again.
All these changes were captured in Thorn Bishop's eyes, causing him to shake his head slightly.
"So apprehensive, indeed..."
Just as Thorn Bishop sighed inwardly, suspecting Herbert was indeed problematic, the white-haired youth declared the latter half of his sentence.
He shouted excitedly: "Do you wish for me to handle this matter!!?"
Thorn Bishop: ?
What did he say?
Entrust him with what?
The Chief Judge found himself floundering, somewhat beginning to doubt himself due to Herbert's enigmatic maneuver.
Yet Herbert's performance continued, and after gaining some insight, it even gradually reached its high point.
"Chief Judge!"
"Please entrust this task to me!"
Herbert strode forward, not minding the thorn spikes on the Chief Judge's body. With a face full of resolve, he grabbed his large hand with both hands and declared passionately:
"Trust me! I swear by the reputation of the Albert Family, even if I bleed Silver Wings, I will catch that Fallen!!"
"Please give me a chance to prove myself!"
Almost lovingly, he gazed at the Chief Judge, who was visibly stiffened.
Sir, please grant me this opportunity!
I truly desire progress!
"...Uh, wait, hold on."
Thorn Bishop was a bit overwhelmed by the situation, awkwardly leaning back, attempting to escape the overly passionate gaze.
Is this right?
Attempting to pull his right hand back, he found it firmly held by Herbert's two hands, unable to break free.
Of course, with his strength, he could easily snap Herbert's grip to forcibly withdraw, but doing so would inevitably harm a highly talented prospect.
The Chief Judge can't bear to do that.
Indeed, can't bear to.
Before this, Herbert was just a rather special noble child in his mind, someone he thought would surely relent and break his oath eventually.
However, after this recent shift, Herbert's image had entirely transformed in his mind.
The hatred for evil, fearlessness against wickedness, unyielding devotion... every trait in him was exceedingly vital for a Paladin.
He is at least a future Legendary Paladin!
With enough opportunity, he might eventually become an Epic strength!
For a Paladin, cultivating talent is important, but far less so than willpower.
A Paladin with no darkness within, one wholly devoted to eradicating evil, how many can one find?!
Herbert must not suffer any detriment!
"Haha, child, you've misunderstood."
Having decided in his heart, Thorn Bishop smiled, gently patting Herbert's shoulder with his left hand, dispelling others' interference on him.
"None of the monastery fellows have fallen, I was merely doing routine questioning, you needn't worry."
Herbert "bewilderedly" shook his head, blinking unsurely, and asked: "Sir, really? Please don't deceive me, I truly can..."
"Truly not." Thorn Bishop shook his head, appearing somewhat helpless: "Come now, go on, return and rest well."
His tone carried some command, and Herbert, even if "eager to persist," had to comply, obediently saluting before leaving.
After Herbert departed, the smile faded from Thorn Bishop's face, idly gazing at shadows to the side, uttering softly: "…Are you satisfied with this outcome?"
Within the shadows, Rusted Nail Bishop's form emerged from thin air, his expression unchanged as he calmly exchanged glances with Thorn Bishop, speaking slowly:
"That's the rule."