NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90 "Helping Hand"
The heavy disbelief that had settled upon Rose, Yamin, and Osbon was abruptly replaced by a volcanic eruption of fury in their Leader.
Erina slammed her palm onto the map table, the sound echoing through the massive hall.
"This was happening behind our backs!" The anger was evident in her tone, directed not just at the conspirators, but at the blindness of the Temple itself.
Ray spoke, his tone serious and devoid of the cynical humour he'd used earlier.
"As I mentioned earlier, Leader, either you are ignorant or arrogant." He stood his ground, letting the accusation settle.
"Like everyone else, I also thought that the Temple was the epitome of justice, but then I found out the Temple is as corrupt, nothing special. It's just better at hiding its filth."
Osbon, the Vice-Leader who had been the most vocal in defending the Temple's honor, spoke next, his voice grim.
"But don't you feel afraid for your life? Revealing this will definitely make you the enemy of many powerful people, especially if there are more like Zeth in the temple's higher-ups."
Ray chuckled, a short, dismissive sound. "I don't think it's possible."
He decided to remain mysterious, letting them stew in the uncertainty of his power and connections.
But Osbon pressed, compelled by the man's sheer audacity. "Then what about my earlier question? You still haven't answered why those men ran from you."
Ray smiled faintly, finally answering the question Osbon had asked earlier. "You asked why those men ran away from me. Well, Vice-Leader Osbon, it's because they saw this."
He didn't even raise his hand.
A faint, pure holy aura began to glow around Ray, starting as a soft white-yellow light that rapidly intensified.
The effect was immediate and shocking to the four of them present in the hall..
"This is!" Rose mumbled, her eyes wide with shock, the light making her tears shine.
"Such a pure holy aura!"
Erina spoke; her voice filled with utter disbelief.
The light radiating from Ray felt , bright so pure, and more powerful than anything she had ever felt from their most devout Priests.
It was the absolute antithesis of the dark power they have ever faced.
Osbon felt sweat bead on his face. His mind goes back to his earlier attitude towards Ray, he speculated Ray was a higher-up from the central Temple whom he didn't know about, an Inquisitor or a secret High Priest from the main squad.
His recent disrespect, his blunt words, and his arrogance might have gravely offended a man who wielded such overwhelming spiritual authority.
Tez, the other Vice-Leader, had the same thoughts, but he was contemplating about the logical thoughts.
Why had he never seen or heard about Ray, a man who could wield such a pure holy aura? Such power was impossible to ignore.
He glanced at Rose, who was now clutching her arms, the oppressive fear of the conspiracy now replaced by the awe of the miraculous.
She felt thankful that her parents choose to speak out and didn't side with wrong people.
Ray let the light bathe the room for a moment, letting the aura speak for itself.
It was the purest form of Holy Light, the ultimate counter to the night creatures, and the power that defined the core mission of the Temple.
No criminal, no outsider, and certainly no ordinary Awakener could wield it with such casual, effortless purity.
Erina, recovering quickly, left her seat and took a step forward. As she was about to give the respect as per the rules of the temple, Ray questioned, "What are you doing?"
As Rose, Osbon and Tez were about to follow the suit but upon hearing his question, Osbon answered, "performing the respect oath…"
Ray heard this and shook his head, "No Need for that, I'm not part of your corrupt temple."
His statement shocking them once again.
Elina's mind raced through the Temple's history, its known leaders, and its secret divisions. He was indeed not any of the higher-ups she has heard about.
He was an anomaly. Ray's words felt truth but still hard to believe, since in the history, not even a single person in the history had ever awakened the holy aura who isn't part of the temple.
"How is this even possible?" Osbon muttered in dazed tone, which Ray answered, "In this world, anything can happen, like few moments ago, you didn't believed that temple harbours such filthy people in their ranks."
His words were harsh but filled with profound truth which no single one of them can refuse.
"That light is not of the Temple, yet it is purer than any blessing we possess," Erina said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
"Who exactly are you, and what connection do you have to the central authority?"
Ray let the holy aura recede, plunging the room back into the dim artificial light.
The intense sensation vanished, leaving the officers feeling slightly winded, as if they had just stood too close to a roaring furnace.
"I have no connection to your central authority," Ray replied, the smile returning.
"I am just a man who hates watching the innocent suffer, and who happens to have the power to do something about it.
I already told you everything you need to know: Zeth was a criminal, and his death was a mercy. Now, you have the Captain who confirmed the truth."
Ray stood up, the movement forcing Erina to take a defensive half-step back. He had answered Osbon's question, but in doing so, he had posed a far greater challenge to the entire Temple.
"My part here is done," Ray concluded, his gaze sweeping over the astonished faces of the three officers. "I delivered the truth, and the proof. Now, Leader Erina, the burden of justice falls entirely on you."
He then added, as an apparent afterthought, "Though I'm all in to help. Let me know if you need my help. You can find me in the City's Inn."
Saying this, he turned and left the hall, leaving the three Temple officers—Erina, Osbon, and Rose—alone to contemplate everything that had just occurred.
The silence Ray left behind was deafening, the vast hall feeling suddenly empty and cold. The raw, lingering shock of the Holy Aura was still fresh, buzzing on their skin and in their minds.
Osbon broke the silence, rubbing the sweat from his brow.
"Who... who was that man? That power... it felt genuine. Purer than anything I've ever felt, even from the High-rank Priests."
"It has to be a hidden powerhouse," Rose whispered, still clutching her arms.
"Someone the central Temple keeps secret, perhaps for intelligence or special operations. Why else would he wield the Holy Light with such ease?"
Erina shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "No. I felt his words genuine when he claimed that he isn't part of the temple.
If he were a hidden higher-up, he would never have disrespected the Temple's customs so openly, especially when we offered the oath.
He would have used our chain of command, not threatened us with our own arrogance."
Osbon sighed, deflating back onto his stool. "Then how can someone who's isn't part of the temple can wield the holy aura; it was never heard of.
Either way, we know nothing about his motives beyond his stated desire for 'justice.'"
Tez, who had been standing guard at side looked at Erina with a heavy, professional expression.
"Leader, the immediate question is what we do with the information. Do we inform the Leader of the Delta Squad? He's in the Hosfield City now, but this affects his Vice-Leader and his reputation directly."
Erina immediately refused, her voice sharp. "Absolutely not. We don't know who is with us and who is not.
For a lower-rank knight, a crime like this can sometimes be ignored or hushed up if the consequences aren't catastrophic.
But this is about a Vice-Leader—a high-rank person who was indulged in such systemic crime against innocent women."
Her thoughts turning cold. "Even if the Delta Squad Leader wasn't a part of this corruption, he loves his reputation above anything else.
He wouldn't like this news; this will permanently ruin his and his squad's image.
The Temple will be divided, and he might instead decide to go after the three families to save his own standing, compromising any proper investigation into Zeth's other possible collaborators."
As she finished, Rose spoke in panic, the realization hitting her. "Leader, my family?"
Erina stopped and looked directly at the young Captain, her tone softening to one of firm assurance.
"Don't worry, Captain Rose. We won't let a single harm come to your family. That is my word."
Rose nodded, a flicker of genuine relief replacing the fear in her eyes after Erina's solid commitment.
Erina then continued, her focus turning to the physical aspects of the crime. "The immediate, real issue is how Zeth died.
How did a werewolf enter the city without alerting the Holy Bell, kill two people in a secure zone, and then vanish without a trace?"
Osbon, his boldness returning with the immediate thoughts in his mind.
He spoke with a hesitant tone. "I... I think that man knows something, or he is the one who..."
He didn't complete the thought, but the meaning was clear to everyone: Osbon suspected it was Ray who had actually killed Zeth, as for how he isn't sure about.
Erina sat back down, her expression serious. "It can be true, or it can't be. The initial report was clear: the claw marks on Zeth's body were truly the work of a werewolf.
The way the skin was ripped, the tracing of claws... it was authentic. So we can't be sure if he did it or if he just knew who did it.
Either way, his Holy Aura proves he is not a monster. He is our best lead, whether we trust him or not."
She leaned over the table, her eyes now on a section of the city map where the families lived. "We must act now, before the Willson and Dorian families realize they are exposed.