Chapter 372 - 309: Is This the Book You Stole, ’How to Attract Female Pigs for Mating’?

Chapter 372: Chapter 309: Is This the Book You Stole, ’How to Attract Female Pigs for Mating’?

"Should we give chase?" a few Druids asked, hiding in the back. They did their best to keep their distance, trying to avoid being hit by that strange magic.

"No, he’s too dangerous." Bishop Luther shook his head. "You’re no match for him. Even I was injured. If you follow recklessly, there will be unnecessary casualties."

"Let him go. Contact the Adventurer Association immediately and have them inform the Magic Federation of what happened here." He waved his hand, ordering the Priests, while picking up a curtain Mamadou had knocked to the floor to wrap around his naked body.

’Who was that Molding Mage? Could he be one of Cunningham’s accomplices?’ Bishop Luther muttered with a frown, staring at the large hole in the wall. Mamadou had nearly destroyed the entire thing. ’Although Stone Hand is a simple Molding Magic, his ability to manipulate that much rock suggests his Elemental Coordination is very high.’

’Let him take the book. This way, I doubt my brother will come looking for me again,’ he sighed, muttering resentfully. ’It’s just that the fallout from this is too great. If I don’t fix this quickly, the other Bishops are sure to bring it up.’

’It’s time to accelerate the process of sacrificing Sofia.’

...

"Didn’t you say it was no big deal? Then how did you blast a giant hole in the wall?" Little John walked quickly, trying to steady himself and look less conspicuous so as not to attract the attention of the people around them.

"It really wasn’t a big deal. I just made a hole. Back in my Drosera days, I was famous for it: one strike, one hole." Mamadou pulled his robe tighter and led Little John into an empty alley. He had something tucked tightly under one arm, afraid it would fall.

The desk, which had been shoved out by Stone Hand, had smashed onto the ground with a BOOM. The tremendous noise had made Little John, who had been leaning against a wall and whistling idly, jump in fright.

Mamadou, landing right after, discovered the strange book among the splinters of wood. He wasn’t sure if the Magic Restriction on it had been corroded away by those Mushrooms, or if the drawer itself had broken upon falling from the third floor, causing the restriction to fail. Either way, he had managed to get his hands on the book that Bishop Luther had deliberately hidden.

But the loud crash attracted the attention of people nearby, so he didn’t have time to examine his "loot" and had to drag Little John away from the scene immediately.

"So, what on earth happened in that office? Did Bishop Luther kick you out?" Little John asked, leaning against a wall to catch his breath now that no one was around.

"You have no idea what I saw," Mamadou said, patting his own arm. "Bishop Luther was killed right on the spot."

"Killed?" Little John was aghast. "He’s a Regional Bishop of the Church. He’s way more..."

He meant to say that the bishop should be a far more powerful figure than Sofia. ’How could he have been killed so easily?’

"That’s right. Right in front of me," Mamadou nodded firmly. "Two incredibly powerful Mages were dueling. No holding back, they went straight for the most vicious Great Magic and ended up taking each other out."

"Then how did you get out? And why did you make such a racket?"

"You think I wanted to? It must’ve been that Great Mage’s magic. Even though he was dead, his spell was still active. There was some kind of corrosive substance in the air. If I hadn’t pulled you away right then, you’d probably be lying in a puddle of yellow liquid by now."

"That terrifying?" Little John said, dumbfounded.

"Well, our investigation of Bishop Luther is over. You can report back to your boss now." Mamadou said with a wave of his hand, taking the book from under his arm. He was ready to see what kind of book was so carefully protected.

"What’s this?" Little John leaned in with a frown. "*How to Attract Female Pigs for Mating*? You risked life and limb just to grab *this* book?"

"This?" Mamadou also frowned, looking at the title on the cover. It was certainly not what he’d expected. "I never thought a Bishop of the Earth and Life Church would be into studying this sort of thing. As for why I took it... well, a thief never leaves empty-handed."

"Heh," Little John sneered. "Figures it’s something a Priest from the Life Church would study."

Just as the two were bickering, a crisp voice came from the alley entrance behind them. "Hiding here, are we? I thought you would’ve run much farther."

The voice startled Mamadou and Little John, who spun around. With a SHINK, Little John drew the longsword from his waist.

"So one of you knows how to use a sword," the newcomer said in a teasing tone, slowly walking toward them.

Little John cautiously sized her up. She was just a young girl, about five feet tall, with her hair in a high ponytail. Her clothes, however, were of fine make: a form-fitting, white short-robe with a gold pattern, matching trousers, and a simple silver Chest Armor and Arm Guards.

The only surprising thing was the longsword strapped to her back, and the two additional longswords hanging from her left hip.

’Three longswords?’ Little John muttered. Since becoming an Adventurer, he had met many swordsmen, but they used two swords at most. He had never seen anyone carry three.

’And she’s a petite woman, at that. Whether she could even wield those longswords properly remained to be seen.’

"Good thing I tracked you all the way from the Holy Oak Cathedral. You almost got away." The girl with the high ponytail tilted her head as she looked at them. "You must be the boldest thieves I’ve ever met, daring to rob a Cathedral in broad daylight."

"No, you’re mistaken," Mamadou corrected, pulling his hat’s brim lower. "We robbed a Bishop in a Cathedral."

"Shut up," Little John immediately hissed at the Mage Apprentice beside him. "No one would have known if you’d kept your mouth shut."

"But I really did steal something from a Bishop," Mamadou said, shaking his head and emphasizing, "A Bishop! That was a Bishop!"

"You stole from Bishop Luther of the Earth and Life Church?" The girl with the high ponytail smiled. "That’s truly insane. I don’t think anyone in Torch City—no, in the entire Fran Kingdom—is bolder than you two."

"Oh, there is," Mamadou said, pointing to Little John. "His boss."

"I doubt you’ll tell me who your boss is." The girl slowly drew the longswords from her hips. It was clear that because she was only about five feet tall, the movement was a bit awkward. "But that’s fine. Once I’ve beaten you both down and dragged you back to the Holy Oak Church, I’m sure you’ll confess willingly."

"Wait, are you with the Earth and Life Church?" Little John asked, holding up a hand. "If not, we can talk about this."

He really didn’t want to fight her, but to his dismay, the girl holding two longswords shook her head. "No, I am not from the Life Church. Standing before you is Diana, Grand Commander of the Holy Order Army of the Battle and Glory Church."

"The War God Church? A Commander? Then why are you attacking us?" Little John backed away slowly, sword at the ready, pulling Mamadou with him. He could feel that the girl’s entire aura had changed the moment she’d drawn her longswords. She’d gone from somewhat playful to dangerously aggressive, like the sharp edge of a blade.

"Oh, the official reason is to catch thieves. After all, the Life Church is one of the Four Great Churches; they can’t just let you go," Diana smiled. "The real reason is, I was itching for a fight."

With that, she charged, swords in hand.