Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 317 Judgment and Atonement

Nana Erz seemed to have seen through Luger's thoughts, or perhaps this was a question that many wizards had pondered.

"The eccentric witch hunters are relatively free," she said slowly. "They don't have the reputation of holy inquisitors, nor do they have that much authority. They are only responsible for dealing with those dark demons, and only those involved with demons have the right to handle them. They are basically witches who are involved with demonic power. It is the Holy Inquisition that needs witches like them to handle all kinds of matters involving demons, which is exactly what they are good at. And these are divided into two types, one of which is the penitent..."

"These wizards are usually criminals captured by the Holy Inquisition. If one happens to be skilled in demonic power, they will be recruited as a member of the Witch Hunters to atone for their sins through merit... Of course, their sins are very costly. Theoretically, completing the contract with the Holy Inquisition allows one to choose to relinquish their status as a Witch Hunter, but most people cannot do so; it will be a long process... There is another option, like you, which is to take that thing and become a Witch Hunter through your own efforts..."

Nana Erz picked up a small black fruit from the plate and ate it in small bites, holding the short stem to her lips.

Ruger recognized the stuff; he'd eaten it a few days ago and it was incredibly sour.

Watching her eat with such relish, he felt a pang of acid reflux. Although she didn't elaborate, the implication was clear: those captured criminals could escape, so someone like him, who had voluntarily become a demon hunter, was naturally more at ease. Those who could warrant the intervention of the Holy Inquisition wizards must have committed serious crimes. Therefore, under this unequal bargaining arrangement with the Holy Inquisition, the process of atonement through contract would inevitably be lengthy. This would also be a challenge to one's own strength; continuous improvement in strength would not only allow one to handle danger but also grant a longer lifespan, enabling one to endure the long period of atonement through contract.

In that case, Ruger had something else to worry about.

He pondered for a moment, but couldn't resist picking one up from the plate and popping it into his mouth. The oval-shaped black fruit was incredibly potent; its sourness immediately showed on his face, shattering any control he had over his expression.

"Ahem, you probably guessed what I wanted to ask..."

Ruger swallowed the fruit, gave up chewing, and said with difficulty.

“This seems to be a continuation of what we were talking about the other day. Even though Demon Hunter Wizards have a slightly lower status, they are, on the surface, the same group as Holy Judge Wizards,” Nana Erz continued, still taking small bites of the black berries. “Within the Holy Judgement Court, what you can obtain… is theoretically not that different. If you become an apprentice Demon Hunter Wizard, obtaining an Ascension Ritual shouldn’t be a big problem. After all, someone like you doesn’t need to use your merits to atone for your sins…”

Ruger's eyes brightened slightly.

This may be the only good news during this period.

If old Lenser were here, Luger would prefer to hear the old dog's judgment, even if he might not follow it. But it would be good to have a couple more useful opinions.

However, this should be largely true.

The guy who flew away earlier, with that stupid look on his face, was one of those who actively wanted to become a witch hunter. Although he had a repulsive, stupid face, he wasn't an idiot after all.

And this thing was a gift from his teacher. He even suspected that this person who was only half a step away from becoming his teacher might have originally planned to become a demon hunter wizard. In other words, this might have been prepared for him by the half-step teacher, or something he had prepared for himself before. Perhaps the rabbit hut incident changed the half-step teacher's mind.

Lost in thought, Ruger glanced down at the black ornament in his hand.

A small head popped out from his shoulder, and the Blood Curse Doll was watching along with him, even though it couldn't understand anything.

As if sensing Nana'erz's gaze, the Blood Curse Doll instantly calmed down, transforming into a patch of fur on his neck. However, a black line was slightly conspicuous. It was a special hair, from a black tree on the hillside of the Nightmare World. Ruger had long suspected that this guy had developed intelligence under the Spirit Hair Nourishment Technique, but he had always pretended not to know, fusing it with the dog hair doll. Now that the Blood Curse Doll had been born, it had completely become one with him.

Perhaps it is the presence of this black hair that makes the newly born Blood Curse Doll so lively.

When Ruger reached out to touch it, the doll would peek out and let him stroke its head.

"It looks really good..."

"Nanarz said softly."

"It was an unexpected success."

Ruger replied frankly and without any pretense or affectation.

Nana Erz nodded in agreement. With this approval, Luger's last lingering worry about the Blood Curse Doll vanished; it seemed to be a truly excellent little creature.

Of course, this is just the beginning; everything depends on the subsequent training.

Ruger suddenly realized that, from another perspective, his Spirit Hair Nourishment spell could gradually increase the spirituality of the Blood Curse Doll. The puppet's identity did not cause it to lose the characteristic of its fur; it was still a subject of magical nourishment.

Ruger even doubted whether genuine spirit-awakening techniques had such a way of being applied subsequently.

"It seems you've made your decision."

As Nana Erz spoke, she put the last oval-shaped black fruit from the plate into her mouth.

Luger nodded.

He suddenly noticed that Nana Erz's tone seemed to have changed.

"I thought you would come with me to observe her, but it seems you're just like other wizards, preferring to follow the conventional path..."

Nana Erz said softly, taking the whole fruit into her mouth, seemingly finding it difficult to bear.

Ruger raised an eyebrow before realizing what was happening.

Nana Erz's casual mention on the street turned out to be serious; she was inviting him to join her in getting involved with the girl in the gray dress. If that's the case, then her questions at the dinner table, along with her kind advice and explanations, seemed to be an attempt to dissuade him from his promise to her.

"Good luck to you."

Nana Erz seemed to find it a bit boring and turned to leave.

Ruger secretly curled his lip.

He naturally couldn't get involved in the affairs of these two powerful wizards who could only be described as special, and for a little guy like him, the so-called investment and return process was far too long.

"So, she's not dead?"

Ruger realized that the man had pulled through.

"Yes, the initial probing is complete, and I've changed some of my strategies..."

Nana Erz stopped turning around, her eyes shining.

As she spoke, she looked Luger up and down again, and could tell that Luger really didn't seem interested.

This kind of drama, which witnesses the rise of the strong, is normally quite attractive, a fact that Luger readily admits to himself.

She saw what Ruger was holding.

“Now that you’ve made your decision, all you have to do is wait,” Nana Erz said, slowly walking outside. “Don’t put that thing into your storage pocket…”

(End of this chapter)