Section 4: The Devil’s Bet (Part 1) ()

The power of this kick was even greater. After the severe pain, the blood flowed on Auston's face no longer only blood from nose, but also tears. But Auston refused to admit defeat in his heart, because this battle lasted for half a month, and he won every time in the end. Although the demon's violent component increased this time, he believed that he would win because... the true god's eyes were staring at him!

But it hurts really.

"The True God is above... I am the loyal guardian of the church. I have determined to serve faith for my life!" He covered his nose and eyes with his hands, and his mouth quickly turned: "...I have faithful faith, I have a bright future..."

The devil bent down and smiled, not the sarcastic laughter before, but the kind of sincere laugh that could only be made when seeing something really funny. It was very heartless, almost similar to the cry of a night owl.

The devil's laughter caused Auston to suffer a serious blow on the spot, and he didn't know how to continue.

"A bright future! This is worth discussing." The devil finally laughed enough. He picked up a book of church learning, found a certain relevant content in it, and then read it out loud with emotion: "...Leaving school, I became a priest, William was a candidate priest, and Dacia entered the Apostle Knights. We are all fighting for faith, and we all have a bright future."

I have to say that the demon reads very standard, with a clear accent as a young man, and a sophisticated tone like an old senior who is hard-working and reciting.

"This is the bright future in your mouth?" The devil closed the book and asked with unabashed contempt: "Do you believe it?"

Even though ten thousand reluctantly, Auston replied at the moment when the demon raised his foot, “I believe—those who believe will last forever!”

"What level of the intern priest?" The demon's toes were shaking frivolously: "How much is the allowance?"

"Level 13. Half gold." Auston had a kind of poverty, youthful arrogance.

"What level is the reserve priest? How much is the allowance?" "Level 9. Three gold."

"What level is the Apostle Knight? How much is the allowance?" "Level 7, twenty-one gold."

"Do you know the number? Half gold to twenty-one gold, level thirteen to seven, the difference is so huge, is this a bright future?" The devil glanced at Auston: "Don't tell me in the future, this gap will only expand rather than narrow over time."

"God said, look at the surface of ignorance, look at the essence of wisdom." Auston, who was squatting on the ground and bleeding, smiled calmly: "We have the same starting point and the same end point. My words and thoughts are under the gaze of the true God forever."

"The same end point? If you say you must die in the end, I agree. But you don't know what it will be like after death, and you don't know if there is still such a gap after death. So, I suggest that it is better for you to pay attention to the present." The devil said with a smile: "If you beg me and take me as the main one, I can give you guidance and let you know that you can do the same way as them now."

"Superficial, arrogant! Whose fate do you think you can dominate?" This time, Auston changed his face with contempt: "You appear before me now, with a stronger physique and despicable means than me. But you are just the tool of the True God! Everything you do to me is the will of the True God, and you don't even know your place in the eyes of the True God! You dare to seize the piety of a believer in this way?"

"It is a simple and labor-saving way to throw all the problems that cannot be explained to the true god." The devil was not angry: "I understand, that is, are you sure I am a whetstone, and are sure that I can verify my piety and faith in me?"

"No matter what you say or what you do, it is the test of the true God on the believers." Auston stroked his chest with one hand, his eyes so pure: "Even if the devil's words and evil deeds are added to me, it cannot shake my heart!"

"It seems that you are willing to be tempered, and I like to challenge. Then, we can play a game called 'test'." The devil touched his chin: "Do you, who claim to be taken care of by the true god and is extremely pious, dare to analyze your will in front of the devil?"

"Test? Game?" Auston was surprised: "Analysis of his will?"

"That's right! Walking with the demon and being determined and staying loyal under the coercion of the demon is a matter of justice and glory. When I heard your inner cry, I can do nothing to violence - just decide like this!" The demon threw an envelope to Auston: "Hide it, this is the starting point for your future. If you dare to open it privately, open your left hand and cut your right hand with your right hand."

"Uh..." Auston asked, "What if someone else opened it?"

"I can't even see the piece of paper, so a useless person had to cut it into eighteen paragraphs." The devil replied very simply: "When I said I could open it, you will know the answer. If you can hold on, you will be free. If the contrary, you will be finished."

"When then?" Auston was overwhelmed with the envelope: "When are you going to lock me up?"

Then, naturally, he was kicked away again.

"Although you are not smart enough, you know why I caught you. Now you are not dead, but it doesn't mean you are fine next time, because you are my captive." The devil was high above, and the dazzling sunlight leaked from behind him, making Auston unable to open his eyes: "There is no free lunch in the world. If you want to be free, you have to exchange things for it, at least make me feel that you have the value of living."

The demon did not say his name, nor did Auston ask. Because in folklore, the demon's name is a secret and the source of their power, and he never let others know it easily.

But unlike the legend, the demon fulfilled his promise along the way. As long as Auston does not speak or move, he will not exert violence and will no longer avoid him in some daily activities.

After deciding to test, the demon was preparing to walk out of the mountains. In three days, Auston was fortunate to see the demon's survival skills. He used a inferior dagger to create three small wooden crossbows and tied them to his arms and waist with a belt. No abnormality could be seen at all, but the demon could raise his hand to shoot wooden arrows.

Within ten steps, the short arrows wrapped in iron sheets have a lethal power.

Even as an intern priest, Auston knew that this weapon was used to deal with people. Because demons never use swords and arrows to hunt, they only use cunning and traps. In three days, he showed these two skills to the fullest. The animals he hunted along the way were alive. Even the Milan Snow Fox, known as the wise man of Karasilia, was not his opponent, and two were captured alive.

Auston spoke up with the threat of being beaten, and he asked the demon to leave the fur of two snow foxes. Because the fur of Milan Snow Fox is very precious, one fifth of the fur can offset the annual tax of the villages under his jurisdiction. This kind of high-quality goods with all heads and tails are always tributes to the true gods, and there are not many of them in the Karasilia Mountains a year.

At the moment of opening his mouth, Auston even had a shame to himself: to contribute such treasures to the church, maybe it would make him have a good impression in the eyes of his superiors?

The demon glanced at Auston, and his unsharp gaze seemed to have scraped his heart. While the latter was waiting for his fist in a panic, the demon smiled faintly and put down the dagger, twisted the snow fox's neck with his hand, and then showed his skillful skin-pulling skills - Auston looked around and sweated all over his body. This technique was not practiced on people, right?

The follow-up treatment of fur is very troublesome, so Auston took the initiative to identify the path for the first time and led the demons to the nearby town. It was a town with a population of nearly 1,000. Not only did there be skilled furmakers, but also a formal missionary. The priest in charge was Auston's immediate boss...

After listening to the "detailed" information, the demon tied Auston to the tree trunk without saying a word.

"I certainly wouldn't doubt your words, I would rather say everything you said is true." Faced with Auston's protest and defense, the devil said: "I just remind you that if I can't come back, you will starve to death on this tree or be eaten by some disgusting thing-so, if you happened to forget something just now, now is the last chance, you are saving yourself."

Auston felt very conflicted, a little guilty and a little scared. In fact, he deliberately concealed some situations. He hoped that the demon would be caught in the town and then gain freedom himself. However, this practice broke the previous agreement - he was a priest, and even if he was an intern priest, the agreement with the demon could not count, right? That was the demon who almost killed himself!

However, under the alternative threat of the demon, after weighing his safety, Auston shamefully confessed. In fact, what he concealed was a ten-man guard team that scared civilians. With the demon's skills he has shown these days, it would not be a problem to slip away from the guard team.
Chapter completed!