Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1494: Section 1495: Ghost Hand Chapter 1494: Section 1495: Ghost Hand Bertrand was silent for a moment, then shook his head, “You donʼt need to know so much. Itʼs getting late; I will be going to conduct the funeral rites soon. As for you, you should go back and recite the Holy Scripture.”

Having said that, Bertrand was ready to stand up and leave.

But Alex said, “I want to know the truth.”

“There is no truth,” Bertrand turned his back, not looking directly at Alex.

“If thereʼs no truth, why did you stop those people from leaving Gust Town this morning, using the excuse of wolves? Is it because youʼre afraid theyʼll discover the facts?” Alex finally voiced the doubts in his heart.

Bertrand froze, his limbs trembling slightly, and it took him a while to turn around and say, “You know?”

Alex nodded calmly.

Bertrandʼs expression changed in an instant, “Tell me, is Lady Connie hidden by you?”

Alex remained silent, but his demeanor spoke volumes in Bertrandʼs eyes.

Angel, hidden on the sidelines, noticed an interesting detail. As soon as Bertrand confirmed that Lady Connieʼs disappearance was related to Alex, his chest began to heave as he gasped for breath, his eyes flashing with disappointment and despair, along with a trace of barely detectable remorse.

Several minutes later, Bertrand had managed to calm the heaviness in his chest and pointed at Alex, his voice hoarse with desperation, “Youʼve caused a great disaster! Now, go immediately and release Lady Connie! Otherwise, everything is over!”

Alex did not move, just quietly looking at Bertrand with a cold expression, “Iʼm waiting for the Priestʼs explanation.”

Bertrand, trembling with anger from Alexʼs attitude, exclaimed, “Havenʼt you noticed? What has happened to Gust Town since Lady Connie was hidden away?”

“Martin is dead, Anthony is dead… Now, even the Viscountʼs relatives are dead! Do you want to see more people die? Do you want Gust Town to turn into a Ghost Phantom?!” Priest Bertrand cursed furiously.

“Is all this related to Lady Connie? Is it because, Lady Connie came into contact with the truth?” Alex remained unmoved.

“I always thought, Alex, that you were a smart man who kept to himself,” Bertrand said with a hint of disappointment in his eyes, “Why are you so insistently meddling in affairs that donʼt concern you? Thatʼs not like you.”

“I indeed didnʼt want to be involved at first, but certain opportunities have made me curious about this world, so I suddenly felt like knowing the truth,” Alex said nonchalantly, as if choosing to walk left or right on a stroll was as inconsequential to him.

“Curious about this world? What have you found out?” Bertrand suddenly calmed down, his voice dropping from its previous pitch.

“I donʼt know much, but I speculate that Gust Town is a confined area, or should I say… a cage?” Alex watched Bertrand closely, certain that when he uttered ʼcageʼ, there was a flicker in Bertrandʼs eyes.

Bertrand: “It seems you do know quite a bit. After all, you havenʼt touched the barrier of space and time, have you?”

“The barrier of space and time? Are you referring to the barrier of this ʼcageʼ?”

Bertrand did not answer but asked, “How do you know, or rather, have you regained your memory?”

Alex opted for silence.

Realization flashed in Bertrandʼs eyes, “You have not regained your memory. It seems that youʼve speculated this through other means, you truly are worthy of being…”

Bertrandʼs voice suddenly stopped, leaving the last word unsaid.

“Worthy of being what?” Alex asked, realizing from his exchange with Bertrand that he knew much more and even knew about his past before the supposed memory loss.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from behind.

Bertrand turned his head to see the Butler from the Viscountʼs mansion, who had appeared at the edge of the garden without notice, curiously peering inside.

When the Butler saw Bertrand looking over, he gave an embarrassed smile and stepped back.

Considering the distance, the Butler likely didnʼt hear anything.

However, just to be cautious, Bertrand still said, “If you want to know, come closer. These matters canʼt be overheard by others, it could harm them if the word got out.”

Alex walked directly up to Bertrandʼs side, ready to listen to Bertrandʼs explanation, when suddenly, a sound of metal scraping entered Alexʼs ears.

Instinctively, Alex spun around.

With the sound of cloth tearing, Alex felt a chill at his waist.

Looking up, he saw Priest Bertrand had somehow drawn a dagger that emitted an intense cold, which even under the Sunshine, felt sharply cold.

And now there was a large hole torn at the waist of Alexʼs robe. Fortunately, due to Alexʼs quick reflexes, the dagger had not plunged into his flesh.

“Priest Bertrand, what are you doing?” Alex demanded.

But Bertrand ignored him, waving the dagger at Alex. However, Alex, being a youth, was much quicker to react than the older Bertrand.

He quickly subdued Bertrand and knocked the dagger to the ground.

“Priest, are you planning to kill me?” As he pinned Bertrand to the ground, Alexʼs voice was gentle, as though conversing with a lover, he softly asked, “Why?”

Bertrand spat out a mouthful of blood, his face full of despair, “Indeed, saving you was the gravest mistake Iʼve ever made. Otherwise, it wouldnʼt have come to this!”

“You…” Alex wanted to ask more, but suddenly, he felt another chill on his back.

Alex immediately let go of Berlan and turned around, only to see a pitch-black ghost hand suddenly stretch out from the void. The hand, emerging from thin air, held a sharp long knife and swung it fiercely towards Alex.

The attackʼs speed was extremely fast, and even if Alex could track its trajectory, it was very difficult to dodge.

Alex felt as if he were trapped in an endless sea of knives, when suddenly snippets of memories flashed through his mind–memories that seemed to be of combat experience… If Alex could assimilate these experiences, perhaps his combat abilities would significantly improve, but at that moment, he was in mortal peril and had no time to digest that experience, only able to watch helplessly as the knife blade descended.

At that critical moment, a pulling force came from behind him.

After a thunderous noise, Alex remained unharmed. Still slightly shaken, he turned and saw Angel standing behind him.

Clearly, it was Angel who had saved him just now.

“Thank you…” Alex said with a dry throat; it was the second time Angel had saved him.

Angel didnʼt respond but instead looked towards the other side.

Alex seemed to realize something and quickly turned his head, only to see the knife-wielding ghost hand slowly disappear into the void. What remained in its place, however, was a corpse with a sharp knife piercing through its chest.

The identity of the corpse was Berlan!

Alexʼs heart tightened. Perhaps the ghost hand had not meant to kill him at all; perhaps killing him would have been merely incidental, as the real goal was to kill Berlan!

Alex, with a somewhat dazed expression, walked over and approached Berlanʼs corpse.

Although Berlan had just tried to kill him, Alex had never wished for Berlanʼs death.

No matter what, Berlan had saved him and had taken him in. Even if Alex was cold-hearted, he had never forgotten the gratitude owed for his life being saved.

That was why, even knowing that Berlan intended to brainwash him with the Holy Scripture, Alex still spent a great deal of time each day reading and reciting the meaningless regulations of the Holy Scripture.

This was Alexʼs way of repaying Berlanʼs kindness.

Alex thought that one day, he would pretend to be the brainwashed version of himself that Berlan hoped to see, and consider it as repaying Berlanʼs debt.

But unexpectedly, Berlan was dead before that day came.

Alex looked at Berlanʼs corpse with a complex gaze, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, in the brilliant noon sunshine, Alex kneeled on the ground and gently closed Berlanʼs wide-open eyes, softly mumbling the Deadʼs Rite chapter from the Holy Scripture.

It seemed he wanted to use this familiar act to send Berlan off on his final journey.

Angel watched from a distance as the white-haired youth, every detail of his movements infused with grace and sanctity, seemed to be enveloped in a layer of light.

Anyone who saw Alex in that moment would not doubt his identity as a priest.

However, as Alex himself said: Clergy was only a superficial profession; deep inside, one could be anything.

The person he had in mind when he said that was actually Berlan, but the statement was equally true of himself.

A man who radiated holiness from inside out. Yet his core might be a dark, desolate wasteland.

However, Angel was certain that, at that moment, Alexʼs devout prayers were genuine.

This was Alexʼs way of expressing his feelings for Berlan.

After Alex finished reciting the Deadʼs Rite from the Holy Scripture, he stood up, walked over to Angelʼs side, “It seems that Iʼve botched this conversation,” he said.

Alexʼs white hair, perhaps blown by the wind or perhaps it had a will of its own, fell down, looking both pitiable and amusing.

A pair of hands reached out and ruffled Alexʼs white hair.

Alex was stunned. Although Angel appeared to be only slightly older than him, the affectionate gesture more appropriate for an elder didnʼt seem quite right.

Alex furrowed his brow, about to resist.

But when he looked up, his eyes suddenly froze. Standing before him was not Angel, but Father Berlan with a complex expression.

Alex turned his head in confusion to look at the corpse he had been performing the Deadʼs Rite over.

It still lay there, its wound still bleeding profusely.

But why was there another Father Berlan in front of him?

He hesitated for a moment, then looked towards Angel floating in mid-air, who gave him a smile and raised an eyebrow, “I said I would help you with anything that could help me confirm the location,” Angel remarked.

Father Berlan obviously knew something.

If Angel could save Alex, saving Father Berlan would not be difficult either.

Alex glanced once more at the body on the ground and then at Father Berlan in front of him, finally coming to an Enlightenment.

The body was an Illusion created by Angel, while the man before him was real.