The Warden of the Witches Chapter 198

 Chapter 198 - Puppet

    The unexpected attack from behind by the mercury alloy golem caught the priest off guard. He reflexively turned around, but by then, the mass of mercury had already clung to his back and shoulders.


    The mercury alloy golem weighed at least half a ton. For an average person, such a collision and subsequent pressure would likely result in several broken bones. However, given the priest's giant-like physique, his heft was evidently greater than that of the mercury sphere.


    Thus, not only did he withstand the weight of the mercury alloy golem, but he also had the strength to struggle. He extended his hand, trying to grab the foreign object clinging to him, but his fingers unexpectedly sank into the mass.


    In his astonishment, the mercury sphere further transformed and crawled up to his wrist.


    Aiden calmly took out a police whistle and blew two short blasts.


    Earlier, he had approached the priest head-on with his sword, merely to attract the priest's attention. The objective was to allow the mercury sphere behind him to successfully carry out the sneak attack.


    The two short whistle blasts were Aiden's commands. Upon hearing the sound, the mercury alloy golem immediately wrapped around Priest Bales' neck and the hand reaching for his neck. It quickly transformed into a large iron ring around his neck and wrist, connected by a thick iron chain.


    In the next moment, the mercury alloy golem hardened automatically, completely immobilizing the priest's hands.


    It had become a shackle.


    This was the result of Aiden's training. Ever since he acquired the mercury alloy golem, he had been dedicated to training it to become a tool for subduing criminals. Each day, he used shackles of various shapes to teach the mercury alloy golem to transform, and achieving considerable success.


    He then blew three short blasts on the whistle.


    This time, it was the execution order.


    The shackles formed by the mercury sphere began to sprout spikes from the inside, slowly piercing through the thick hide of the chimera neck. No matter how tough its muscles were, they were not impervious to blades and weapons.


    As long as the mercury alloy golem pierced the throat, it could find a pathway to burrow inside—the esophagus, trachea, or major arteries. It had already seized the priest's vital points.


    Priest Bales suddenly widened his eyes. He could clearly feel this strange object threatening his life.


    He looked ahead in terror and saw Aiden aiming a gun at his eyes.


    "W-wait a minute!" Priest Bales shouted desperately before his throat could be pierced, "I surrender! Don't kill me!!"


    "Warden, be careful of deceit!" Dailey warned as she heard the conversation.


    "Don't waste words on him, just dispose him!" Priscilla added.


    This advice came from the experiences accumulated by the witch, who constantly battled with inquisitors, bounty hunters, and even other witches. The survival environment for witches in this world was still quite harsh, so they were accustomed to not holding back when facing dangerous opponents.


    Upon hearing the priest's plea, their first reaction was to suspect he was faking surrender.


    Veronica remained silent. She knew she didn't fully understand the current situation, so she chose to trust Aiden's judgment. However, she had already locked onto the priest's movements, ready to rush forward and shoot him if he made any sudden moves.


    Aiden heard the shouts behind him but did not act on them immediately. After a moment's thought, he blew a short whistle.


    The mercury alloy golem paused its actions. Priest bales felt the spikes stop digging deeper and let out a slight sigh of relief.


    "Mr. Bales, right? Since you're surrendering, let's have a conversation. I hope you will cooperate," Aiden said, looking up into Bales' eyes.


    "What are you thinking!?" Priscilla exclaimed.


    Aiden raised his hand, gesturing for her to be quiet.


    Priest Bales took a few deep breaths before nodding.


    "Do you need me to introduce myself?" Aiden asked.


    "Aiden Galord, Warden of the Rose Prison," Bales said after a brief silence.


    Aiden nodded slightly. Bales knowing his identity indicated that the Bountifull Mother cult was indeed gathering information on him, consistent with what the diviner Melissa had mentioned.


    "Let's not waste time. Answer me: You do not possess all the powers of the 'reproduction' authority, correct?" Aiden asked directly.


    From the battle just now to Priest Bales’ plea for mercy, Aiden had clearly sensed that Bales was excessively weak and, moreover, unusually afraid of death.


    Two hundred years had passed since the fall of the old Reiss Kingdom, yet the Bountifull Goddess cult, with its intent to restore the kingdom, had persisted until today. If the leader of the church was a saint of the "Proliferation" authority, they would have had to undergo multiple "inheritances" to ensure their survival, or at least the survival of their will, to this day.


    Melissa had mentioned that the power of "inheritance" directly involved the transfer of will. The leaders of the church, who held the power of "inheritance," would have used this ability over generations, ensuring that their will was continually passed down.


    However, the priest's fear of death, his reluctance to fight, and his plea for mercy seemed contradictory. 


    In other words, the priest likely did not possess the power of "inheritance" at all.


    From a fundamental standpoint, the leader of the Bountifull Mother cult would almost certainly never impart the power of "inheritance" to someone else. Doing so would result in the loss of accumulated memories and abilities.


    Thus, Aiden suspected that Bales was not a saint of the "Proliferation" authority and might not even be the true leader of the church. He could be a puppet, placed in a prominent position to attract attention and attacks—such things were not uncommon.


    Of course, there was still a possibility that Bales was deceiving him, but after weighing the risks, Aiden decided that he could afford to take this chance under the current circumstances.


    Compared to the current situation, the potential danger posed by the real leader of the church being someone else was even greater. Aiden needed to extract information from the priest. He had directly attacked the Bountifull Mother cult, and if the true leader escaped and sought revenge later, the situation could become more difficult to handle.


    After a while, Priest Bales nodded with some difficulty.


    "Who is the real leader of the church? Is it Sister Nawei?" Aiden pressed.


    "Yes," Bales said, his facial muscles twitching, as if it took great effort to say it.


    "Isn't she your daughter?" Aiden squinted.


    Information gathered from the witches' gathering indicated that Sister Nawei was the only daughter of Priest Bales. Even the diviner Melissa had informed Aiden of this, and Aiden was convinced of it.


    The priest remained silent.


    "I accepted your surrender on the condition that you cooperate. I hope you understand that," Aiden urged.


    "Nawei... she is indeed my only daughter, but she is actually already dead. The one who has taken over her body..." The priest said slowly, his voice heavy, "is my mother."