Chapter 158: The Villain’s Taste
A few days later, when Yu Mo arrived at the Holy Temple of Light again, nearly everyone recognized him by now.
His black hair and black eyes were especially striking, and from the moment he stepped through the temple’s grand doors, he was met with numerous glances, including from the seemingly stoic guards who were covertly watching him.
“Is that the baron blessed by Cardinal Peruth? He really has black hair and eyes…” A childish voice was suddenly cut off.
Yu Mo noticed a group of young, white-robed acolytes, only as tall as his waist, holding books and candles as they passed by, guided by two priests. Each one curiously turned to look at him as they walked away.
Acolytes were the servants of the gods, often orphans adopted by the temple. To become an acolyte, one had to possess some exceptional quality, whether it was superior appearance, intelligence, or an affinity for light magic.
Some of these young acolytes were being taught light magic directly by Cardinal Peruth.
The temple was especially busy today, filled mostly with commoners, as it was the Day of Cleansing.
In the past, Cleansing Day was a time for people to wash themselves. Many commoners, and even some nobles, wouldn’t bathe more than a few times a year, so they would do so on designated days.
Only the clergy regularly cleansed themselves, as part of their ritual duties to the gods.
The current Cleansing Day had evolved into a day when commoners came to the temple to receive free treatment.
On this day, all the bishops and priests in the temple treated the commoners for their illnesses.
Of course, they only treated minor ailments; for severe illnesses, even light magic could not cure them, and could only slightly ease the pain.
Even so, people were overjoyed and full of gratitude, lining up before dawn.
Yu Mo, seeing everyone busy, asked a young priest, “Excuse me, where is Cardinal Peruth?”
The young priest’s gaze briefly flicked to Yu Mo’s hair and eyes but asked no questions, leading him to the end of a line.
To Yu Mo’s surprise, Cardinal Peruth was also treating the commoners on Cleansing Day.
Compared to other long lines, the one at Peruth’s side was shorter, but the people in it seemed to be in more severe condition.
Among the elderly, weak, and sick, Yu Mo calmly accepted his place in the line.
As he moved forward, Peruth’s figure became clearer.
He was dressed in a cardinal’s robe, his golden hair flowing smoothly over his shoulders, with a sacred and compassionate expression on his face.
Without hesitation, he placed his hands on the coarse, cracked hands of the sick, and as he used light-based healing magic, his entire body emitted a gentle, warm glow.
As Yu Mo drew closer, he heard Peruth softly comforting an elderly man.
The old man’s clothes were tattered, his face haggard, and even Yu Mo could tell he didn’t have much time left.
“Do not fear, death is not the end. Those who pass away in this world will be reborn in another, more beautiful one.”
“The pain you are enduring now is a test, testing your will and heart. Only then will God know what kind of life to grant you in your next life…”
He soothed the old man’s fear of death and patiently listened to the incoherent confession of another middle-aged man, appearing magnanimous and kind.
He seemed just like the gods in the relief carvings on the wall behind him.
Who would have thought that such a highly respected and seemingly flawless cardinal would sneak into someone’s house in the dead of night to knock on their balcony door?
And yet, he was a heretic spy.
Finally, it was Yu Mo’s turn. When Peruth saw him, his expression didn’t change at all, the compassionate look fixed on his face like a mask.
He washed his hands in the basin and gently took Yu Mo’s hands, just as he had with everyone else.
“Tell me where you feel discomfort,” he said kindly.
His tone made it seem as though Yu Mo was just another poor soul seeking help.
That would have been believable, if only he hadn’t lightly scratched Yu Mo’s palm with his finger.
Yu Mo: “…”
“My skin feels a bit irritated from the sun,” he said. It wasn’t a lie—exposure to such strong sunlight had indeed caused his normally pale, delicate skin to redden.
But compared to the others before him, this was nothing—at least he wasn’t on the verge of death.
However, Peruth suddenly showed a look of concern. “That does seem quite serious.”
“In that case, why don’t you wait for me in my room? I’ll come to treat you more thoroughly afterward.”
Yu Mo: “…” Something about this sounded off when considered carefully.
The surrounding gazes turned intense.
But Peruth appeared unfazed, calmly calling over a priest and giving him a few instructions, asking him to take Yu Mo to his room.
The priest’s expression was also strange, and he glanced back several times as he led the way.
“Here we are, this is Cardinal Peruth’s room. The cardinal asks that the baron wait here… feel free to make yourself comfortable.” He hesitated, faithfully repeating the cardinal’s words.
Yu Mo stepped into the room, surprised by how direct Peruth had been. He had thought their interactions would be more discreet, or perhaps kept hidden in the dark of night.
But today’s scene was clearly deliberate on Peruth’s part.
Knowing Peruth well, Yu Mo could not overlook the fact that this was part of the other man’s twisted sense of humor.
Or was it a kind of test? But what exactly was he trying to test?
As he entered the room, Yu Mo raised an eyebrow in surprise. This wasn’t Peruth’s bedroom—it was a large, lofty study.
Thick carpets covered the floor, and bookshelves lined both sides from floor to ceiling, filled with a variety of books.
What shocked Yu Mo the most was that the shelves openly displayed books on dark magic.
These kinds of magic books were forbidden texts that the temple would destroy on sight. Yet here was Peruth, this cardinal, boldly displaying them on his shelves, disguised with different covers.
One had to admit, beneath his gentle exterior, this man was incredibly audacious and arrogant.
Since Peruth dared to display them, Yu Mo felt no qualms about taking one out to read.
These dark magic books were impossible to find on the market. Over the past few days, Yu Mo had tried to track some down through various means on the black market, but all he had managed to find was a single book with barely any useful content.
But here, it was like a treasure trove.
Yu Mo had an excellent memory. Countless magical incantations and rituals flickered through his dark eyes as he read.
If not for the fact that memorizing such magic consumed so much mental energy, he might not have put the book down until nightfall.
When he finally pulled himself out of the world of magic, Yu Mo realized that someone had been watching him from the doorway, and he felt a wave of dizziness.
Peruth, having taken off his hat, had also shed his outer robe, now dressed in a close-fitting white shirt. Leaning casually against the doorframe, he smiled as he observed Yu Mo, having no idea how long he had been watching.
“It seems you really enjoy these magic books,” Peruth said as he walked toward Yu Mo, and the magical lights in the room illuminated, brightening the somewhat dim interior.
“Let me see, you’ve gone through two magic books in one afternoon,” Peruth’s smile deepened. “Has your brain not exploded yet?”
When Yu Mo moved, he swayed slightly, immediately grabbing hold of the bookshelf, offering a somewhat insincere apology:
“My apologies. I’ve never seen such a marvelous magical world before, I got a bit absorbed and didn’t even notice your arrival. Thank you again for your generosity.”
As Yu Mo wobbled, Peruth extended his arm, gesturing for him to lean on it. At Yu Mo’s words, Peruth sighed softly.
The look of regret on Peruth’s face was all too obvious. For the sake of that shelf of magical books, Yu Mo’s attitude softened somewhat toward him.
“Why do you sigh, Your Excellency?” he asked.
“I wonder when I’ll be able to enchant Eloren as much as these magic books do,” Peruth said wistfully.
Yu Mo’s expression remained unchanged, dismissing this as some sudden peculiar affliction of Peruth’s.
Anyone with the power of the moon’s essence couldn’t possibly have a completely stable mind.
Understanding this, Yu Mo naturally shifted the topic: “Your Excellency promised to teach me dark magic. I’m very much looking forward to it. Will we begin today?”
Peruth, as though he hadn’t made that strange comment, replied casually, “Today’s probably not a good day, unless you truly wish for your head to explode.”
“That would make me quite troubled and regretful,” Peruth said with a hint of amusement.
Noticing that Yu Mo had regained his balance, Peruth extended his arm again, offering support as they moved, guiding Yu Mo to a small nearby sofa.
“Too much magical knowledge has drained your mental energy. I think what you need most now is rest.”
“Thank you for your concern,” Yu Mo said, sitting down on the sofa.
This study was very private—there was only this one sofa, not even a desk.
Yu Mo occupied the only sofa, and with a tap of his toes on the ground, a chair appeared beneath Peruth, and a small table with hot tea and sweet-smelling cookies materialized beside the sofa.
Peruth sat down. “We can start the magic lessons tomorrow. Today, let’s have a proper conversation,” he said.
Yu Mo responded, “I’m here to listen to your teachings.”
Peruth raised his hand and poured him a cup of hot tea, his demeanor and posture exuding warmth and calm, as if composure came naturally to him.
“So, can you tell me how you became ‘Eloren’? I’m really curious,” Peruth asked, casually dropping an unexpected question as he pushed the cup of tea toward Yu Mo, smiling as he waited for an answer.
For the first time, Yu Mo felt surprised by him. Peruth had realized that he wasn’t the same Eloren as before.
But the surprise lasted only a moment.
“Clearly, if someone as powerful as Your Excellency Peruth doesn’t know, then I must know even less,” Yu Mo replied.
Peruth chuckled. “You know, even though I’m merely a thief who stole the powers of the moon, that power has granted me certain abilities, allowing me to glimpse parts of the world’s truths.”
The former Eloren, also a devotee of the moon, had been nothing more than an ordinary soul.
But this one, the moment he first performed a moon ritual, Peruth had sensed a strange pull from the moon.
It was as if a new life had been born in a new world, making him cast a distant glance at the moon, even while in the Temple of Light.
“Perhaps I’m just a wandering soul with no home. Please believe me, my power is so weak that I pose no threat to you,” Yu Mo said humbly.
Peruth listened to his modest words with a smile but remained silent, simply watching him with an unreadable expression, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
Finally, Peruth spoke, “But why is it that you attract me so?”
“This makes me wonder if you were deliberately sent by some entity to test me, to tempt me, so that I would lose everything.”
Yu Mo: “?”
He would have preferred not to understand Peruth’s meaning, but the implication was so clear that pretending not to get it wasn’t an option.
Yu Mo tried to read Peruth’s face and eyes, hoping to see some sign that he was joking, perhaps thinking he was just having another mental episode.
But Peruth’s expression was infuriatingly serious, and even his amber-colored eyes gleamed with genuine suspicion.
Yu Mo: “…”
He never would have guessed that Peruth’s doubts would go in this direction.
Here he was, facing a villain who suspected him of ulterior motives because he fit Peruth’s tastes too perfectly.
It was so absurd that for once, Yu Mo found himself at a loss for words.
