It was as if the screams of revenge against the whole world were over, and everything was dead again.

Wren lay on the ground unable to move, only the left half of his face was exposed, and blood oozed from his ear canal and trickled down the corner of his eye into his eye, stinging painfully. In his distracted gaze, Catherine's whole body (ghost) shrank into a ball, like a leaking hot air balloon, and ran into a building in the center of the village.

It doesn't make sense......

Why did she hide there?

Unable to figure it out, and without the strength to think about it, Wren's spirit had been stirred into a pot of porridge by the surging negative impact, and he kept his eyes open like this, until the morning sun rose, and Pastor Brandon and a few bold villagers shuddered to find Wren, who were almost shocked by the sight of their jaws.

"That's my home, Dinus is on top, my house is ruined!"

One of the men pointed desperately at one ruin, then turned his gaze to another, "Oh! Fleck's house has collapsed too! Hmph, you deserve it! I said I wouldn't let him build the wall on my side, and I would be punished. ”

"Lord Wren! Are you okay?! ”

Brandon ran to Wren and gently helped him up, "Wake up, please wake up—my lord, please send down blessings and wake up this brave witcher!" ”

"Please—, please ask him to get me a bowl of hot soup to drink—"

Wren coughed violently and spat out a large cloud of blood. He tried to vomit them on the ground, but he didn't have the strength to move, so he just vomited on his chest.

"Great, you're not dead!"

Brandon was so excited that he was about to cry, "Want soup?" Yes, yes, I'll have someone get it for you—"

He and a few villagers found a nearby house that was still in good condition, and then carried Wren inside, and after some busyness, finally brought the hot vegetable soup.

"I'm sorry, young adults, we don't have much food left."

A village woman carefully spooned the hot soup into Wren's mouth, the bowl containing only a few pitiful leaves and some kind of crumbs of fruit and vegetables at the bottom, "I'm going to eat some, I hope this little thing will give you some strength." ”

"Pastor Brandon ......"

After drinking the soup, Wren noticed that the Grim Reaper's scythe was temporarily removed from his neck, "Next time - if there is a next time, please be sure to find out in advance what the opponent is, because of your misinformation, I was caught off guard by a real banshee!" ”

"Female, banshee? That powerful necromantic monster?! You mean Catherine? ”

Brandon stepped forward and said in surprise: "No, this is absolutely impossible, how can she become a banshee after she has been dead for less than four months!" ”

His incredulous appearance didn't surprise Wren, and honestly, who would have believed that it really happened last night if he hadn't experienced it firsthand.

Banshees are rare, extremely powerful necromancers, most of them are women or female elves who died with hatred during their lifetimes, and although their appearance is not much different from ordinary ghosts, they already possess quite mature magic-like abilities. Under normal circumstances, a female ghost needs to accumulate years or even decades before she can evolve into a banshee by constantly eating negative energy, which is an impossible feat in the human realm of Arya, after all, the six human empires are the sphere of influence of the Holy See of Light.

Each banshee is a master of dark magic without a teacher, and their most terrifying ability is undoubtedly the 'Banshee's Howl'. When they descend into the deepest despair, when everything they hold dear is taken from them, or when they are faced with an inescapable situation, the banshees gather all their dark forces and unleash a devastating howl that is desperate enough to kill all living creatures within a radius of fifty yards.

"Impossible? Ha, I'm willing to trade all my possessions for this 'impossible'. ”

Wren said weakly, "Do you think last night's movement could have been done by any kind of ghost, Reverend Brandon?" It was the howl of the banshee, and if I hadn't dragged her away from the brewery, no one would have made me soup by now. ”

"But, but you-"

Brandon hesitated and closed his mouth.

"yes, I'm not dead."

Wren let out a long sigh, "I don't understand how Catherine can become a banshee in such a short period of time, but her strength is obviously not comparable to those mature banshees who have been dead for tens or hundreds of years, so I am barely alive - a little injured, but at least alive." ”

"No, I'm so sorry, if only I could use the Holy Healing Technique."

Brandon said worriedly, "I can't imagine that you are so young and have such strength, Lord Wren, even if it is a newborn banshee, it is not something ordinary people can do to survive her howl!" Then again, since you're still alive, Catherine should have been wiped out, right? ”

"Exterminated? Oh, I hope so. ”

Wren gasped and said, "I was in a lose-lose situation last night, and you saw my state this morning, and I am not much better than a dead dog—so I'm sorry Catherine escaped for the time being, and I really didn't have the strength to hunt her down." ”

"I see,"

Brandon was a little ashamed, "As a former senior priest and a holy being, it's really embarrassing that I can't help you more. ”

"Don't say that, at least there's something you can help me with for now."

Wren rolled over and closed his eyes, "I need to get a good night's sleep, it's foreseeable that I'll be hungry when I wake up, so please help me get some more food, and if anyone has food in stock, don't be polite to him at this time - for them, Lao Tzu has lost half his life, and if they want to get rid of Catherine's threat completely, then it's not okay to not let me be full." ”

"This is nature, this is nature, I'm going to prepare, please rest quickly."

Brandon wiped the sweat from his forehead, and was about to leave when Wren's half-dead voice came from behind him: "By the way, tell everyone that you don't have to hide in that shabby wine shop, let them go home, the banshee who has released the howl will become very weak, Catherine is unlikely to come out again anytime soon, and after I have a little rest, I will find and kill her." ”

"Really? That's great news! Then I'll go first, please rest assured, I'll bring food with me next time I come. ”

Brandon didn't break his promise, and in the evening he brought Wren rusks, potatoes, and some pickles, and a large pot of fruit stuff. After eating this, Wren said, 'Come to me tomorrow afternoon, and we'll go kill that hateful banshee,' and fell into a deep sleep again. He slept until the next afternoon, and when he woke up, Brandon had been waiting in front of his bed for a long time.

Wren sat up from the bed and examined himself a little, his left leg still hurt badly, it was the injury he had sustained from jumping from the roof of the tavern the night before, and now it seemed that there must be something wrong with his bones - it was a pity that he couldn't use the healing spell on himself now, because the aftermath of the banshee's howl was still raging in his mind, and he couldn't calm his bad mental state with enough sleep alone. In this case, Wren must refrain from casting spells, and if he rashly uses magic to heal himself, it is likely that not only will the healing spell not be able to form, but it will also lead to the inability to even rub a small cryo spell when facing Catherine next.

"Okay, that's it."

Wren grabbed the two leftover potatoes from yesterday into his throat and poured a large sip of fruit wine, "Let's go, Brandon, help me to church." ”

"Church, church? It's-"

Brandon didn't move, and said hesitantly: "With your current physical state, if you want to pray, you don't have to go there specifically, as long as your heart is sincere, my lord can hear your voice wherever you are." ”

"Don't talk nonsense, if I was not mistaken, Catherine must have taken refuge in the church. So hurry up and take advantage of the fact that my head is still clear. ”

"No, no, it can't be! No matter how powerful the banshee is, it is still a necromancy, and those filthy things are naturally resistant to light! So you must be mistaken, Lord Wren, she must have taken refuge in some well or cellar. ”

"You may not believe it, Brandon, but I really hope you're right, yes, I really hope I'm wrong."

After Wren said this intriguing sentence, he then supported the edge of the bed with his arms and moved his legs off the bed little by little, and Brandon had no choice but to hold him helplessly, and the two walked together in the direction of the church. Behind them, more and more villagers followed, they had been tortured by Catherine for too long, and now they learned that the damned female ghost could no longer do evil, and the villagers were much more emboldened, and everyone wanted to see for themselves what happened to that bitch in the end.

"Look, what did I say......"

Brandon put one hand on Wren and pushed open the dilapidated wooden door of the church with the other, the stale smell made the two of them frown, "Empty, huh?" All you can find here is dust and spiders in the corners......"

"So far, we'll have to wait until the evening to find out if Catherine is hiding here."

Wren coughed and picked up a bench and sat down, the dust on it was half an inch thick, and he smashed it into it as if he didn't see it, "She's too weak now, and the day will force her to lie dormant." Let the villagers out stay away, Brandon, they don't need to stay here with us—they don't help it, I'm more worried that the dark mood of those people will give Catherine new strength. ”

"All right, as you wish, sir, but I insist that Catherine can't possibly hide in the church."

After persuading the villagers to leave, Brandon turned back to Wren, "Even though this place is a little shabby, and the teaching facilities are not comparable to the cathedrals in the outside world, this is a sacred place dedicated to Tinos after all, and no necromancer will want to approach this place - there is no need for this, there are many dark and clammy places in the village suitable for Catherine to hide." ”

"Don't say it, sit down, sit next to me, or go pick a seat that pleases the eye and sit down."

Wren smiled, leaned his head back in his chair, and put himself in a relatively comfortable position, then closed his eyes and rested. Brandon sighed, and he took his seat next to Wren, dusted off the dust, and sat down awkwardly—the two of them sat there for an afternoon, without any other conversation, like a couple in a cold war. Brandon muttered a few words in a low voice from time to time, while Wren's mouth remained as closed as his eyes.

As time passed, the light from the window dimmed, and the interior of the dilapidated mountain village church darkened earlier than the sky, and the prayer platform and rows of benches had disappeared into the gloom, and only some outlines could be seen.

"Speaking of which, why did you let everyone hide in the brewery?"

Wren spoke suddenly, probably because he hadn't spoken for hours, and his voice was a little dry.

"What?"

Brandon didn't react for a moment.

"Why did you let the villagers hide in the liquor shop instead of the church after what happened? I wanted to ask before. ”

Wren turned his head to look at Brandon, "Indeed, female ghosts are very terrifying existences for ordinary people, and Catherine is obviously different from ordinary female ghosts, and the dark aura she exudes is bound to be more corrupt and powerful. In this case, you are not wrong to let them live together, the breath of the living is concentrated in large numbers, which can somewhat resist the negative effects of necromancy. ”

"But, as you said before, Brandon, no matter how powerful a banshee is, she is still a necromancy, and those filthy things are inherently resistant to light. Under normal circumstances, no necromancer would want to approach a church, even if it was so poor that it didn't have any holy objects or ritual utensils - it wasn't a matter of 'fear' or 'fear', it was a matter of nature, like when we humans need to stay outside, a dirty hotel and a clean toilet, most of us still choose the former, right? ”

With that, Wren sighed, "So, Brandon, can you tell me why you didn't let them hide in the safer church, but let them go to that brewery?" ”

"Do you need to ask, sir? Because the space is obviously wider than that of churches and wineries. Even if Quanshi Village is just a poor mountain village, even if some people have died before, there are still as many as 100 people left, and I can't accommodate them here."

Brandon was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Even if you count the confessional room, the storeroom, and my living room, it's still too crowded. Frankly speaking, even if the two Quanshi Village churches are combined, I am afraid that they are not as big as the chapel when I was in Dongyang City. ”

"Oh, you gave me a good explanation."

Wren tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I have one more question for you. ”

"Don't you dare to ask, you are a witcher directly subordinate to the temple, and it is my duty as a clergyman to cooperate with you."

Brandon twisted uncomfortably, his voice muffled, not knowing whether it was because of Wren's strange attitude or because of the darkening darkness around him.

"Under normal circumstances, no necromancer wants to approach a church. It's in their nature, and even if there aren't any relics or artifacts here, even if this place isn't as dangerous for her as it is anywhere else, she wouldn't want to go even half a step closer to the church—right? ”

"I-I don't understand, my lord, what do you want to ask if you just repeated what you just said?"

"So, Brandon, do you know why Catherine instinctively chose to hide here, in the church, when she was most vulnerable and closest to collapse?"

"How do I know—no, no, we can't be sure that Catherine is here, are we?"

Brandon said in a trembling voice, "It's getting dark, Lord Wren, to be honest, you and I are so close that I can barely see your face, and Catherine has not yet appeared in such darkness, maybe it means that she is not here at all!" ”

"Well, it looks like you don't know the answer to my question just now, anyway, if you're not in a hurry, let me teach you a lesson."

Wren said to himself: "For the necromancers, especially the newborn ones, the most secure thing for them is undoubtedly their original body. The body is made of the blood of the father and the flesh of the mother, and it is the first and only 'house' of each soul that comes to this world, and it is the bond of the soul from birth to death. ”

"To tell you the truth, Brandon, in my distant hometown, there is a festival called 'Spring Festival,' and there is nothing more important and allegorical than it — oh, by the way, you don't know what the Spring Festival is."

He turned his gaze back to the priest sitting next to him, indeed, it was getting late, and it was difficult for him to see Brandon's face without the help of an external light source, "So, let's take the analogy of the first birthday, this day commemorating the fall of the court of Antucan is the biggest festival in the world, and no matter where we are, we are eager to return home on our first birthday, sit with our families, and enjoy wine and feast, right?" ”

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

"Home, Brandon, I'm telling you about the importance of 'home'. We long to go home during the holidays, we long to go home when we are wronged, and we also long to go home when we encounter unfair treatment and enter a bad environment. This is true of humans, and so are ghosts. ”

It was clear that it was dark in the church, but at this moment, Brandon clearly saw that there was a cold glint in Wren's sight.

"When a newborn ghost is in danger and wants to escape, the instinct will drive them back to their bones, to stay with their corpse, because that skin is their most inseparable 'home', where they can find the greatest sense of security - of course, this instinct will slowly fade over time, generally this time depends on the degree of decay of the corpse, when the corpse is completely decomposed to ashes, if the ghost is still nostalgic for the world, then it will become a poor lonely ghost, with no fixed place to live Wandering around, maybe you will be killed by a mage or a saint, or you may slowly evolve into a more advanced and terrifying existence, who knows-"

"Enough, enough!"

Brandon stood up suddenly, "I don't understand why you're telling me this, Lord Wren, I'm just a priest, and my job is to preach and pray, not to fight. Thank you for giving me some knowledge about evil, but now that I'm leaving, Catherine isn't here, and I think it's better to look elsewhere than wait here. ”

"Well, don't worry, I think we've waited long enough."

Wren also stood up, but didn't move, but opened his palm towards a corner of the church.

"Be afraid of the light, show its form!"

As the voice fell, silver light poured out from his hands, and these rays of light floated around him as if they were substantial, like looming silver-white ribbons, illuminating the otherwise dark room. This is the 'Primary Stealth Penetration', which works for most invisibility effects, including ghosts that don't want to be visible in front of people.

The silver light shone out of the transparent figure crouching in the corner, it was Catherine.

At this time, she was trembling, and her long hair, composed of pure negative energy, was no longer as deep and dark as the night before, but took on a decaying gray-white. Wren could see that Catherine wanted to run away after being exposed, and in fact one of her arms had already penetrated the wall, but she hesitated to look at a certain position behind the stage, her eyes full of reluctance.

What a tangled banshee, who wants to leave, but can't suppress the instinctive nostalgia for her corpse?

Wren wanted to laugh a little, Catherine, who was no longer a threat at all, even looked a little cute at this time, and of course, more pitiful.

"Hey! Don't think about running, you can pass through the wall, and the 'Spirit Chain' can also pass through the wall, do you want to be bound by this spell again? ”

Wren shouted at the right time, and Catherine's body instantly became dirty, then returned to a transparent state again (Wren guessed it was the same as a shiver from a living person), and then she slowly withdrew her arm from the other side of the wall, drifting leisurely to where she had been staring.

"I'm not running away."

Catherine looked at Wren sadly, "I'm no match for you, magician, just do whatever you want." ”

Call......

Wren breathed a sigh of relief and cursed bad luck.

He bragged a little bit just now, if he insisted on saying it, the 'Imperial Spirit Chain' was already a spell that touched the threshold of intermediate magic, considering that the witcher would inevitably encounter tasks related to the necromancy, Mentor Poli taught this not-so-decent spell to Wren as a supplementary means when fighting the necromancy, casting it requires extremely stable mental power as support, and Wren cannot complete this spell at all with his mental state at this time. Fortunately, Catherine was a very young and frail banshee, who had been an ignorant ghost, and before that she had been a money-hungry prostitute—one way or another, she was easily bluffed.

"Believe it or not, I don't want to do anything to you, Catherine, not for the time being—unless I see even one of your little fingers go through the wall."

Brandon, who had already crept to the door, heard Wren say behind him, "As for you, respectable and noble Reverend Brandon, who would rather starve yourself than leave all the rations to the villagers, you can't fucking go anywhere until I find out all about it." ”