Chapter 1163: Chapter 21: Shackled Justice_3

Greed triumphed over guilt.

"I won’t be too greedy," Gami murmured, "I just want to earn a little money and that’s it. I’ll leave here, go to a new place, and start a new life with this money..."

Gami felt a slight pain under his arm, noticing how resilient black feathers were emerging from his skin, densely covering it. His mouth became somewhat protruded, the flesh turning black, hardening, and morphing into a sharp bird beak.

"Just like a Scavenger Bird."

An ethereal voice rose behind Gami. He spun around abruptly, and the bizarre hallucination vanished—those phantom feathers and bird beak dissipated.

He was still human, yet his insides had already changed.

Turning back, a shadowy figure gradually became clearer amidst the darkness. Gami saw the newcomer.

It was a young man, his appearance noble and stern, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, with a Ruby brooch embedded in it.

His face was deeply contoured, skin smooth as silk, and his pupils matched the hue of the Ruby on his brooch.

Vivid crimson.

Gami’s breath caught, the figure’s presence so perfect that he concluded he couldn’t be an ordinary man; either a Celestial God or the Devil.

The man approached Gami, his movements slow and silent, his steps light and graceful, as if performing an extremely elegant dance.

Gami’s gaze slowly faltered, but quickly refocused, and he tightened his grip on the shovel, warily.

"Stop!"

The man halted, standing a short distance away with a smile.

"Who are you?" Gami demanded.

"A traveler," the man raised his hands with palms facing Gami, "don’t worry, I bear you no malice."

Speaking, he glanced behind Gami, at the half-buried corpse, "I didn’t see anything."

"Traveler?"

Gami’s breathing became rapid, muscles tense, "Visiting Gray Stone Town at a time like this, are you joking?"

"Hmm? To be precise, I’m searching for someone, a woman similar to me... have you seen her?"

The man took a few more steps forward, trying to let Gami see his eyes, "She has eyes just like mine."

Eyes as red as Rubies, emitting a strange glimmer even under the shroud of night, like light shining through crystal glass, flowing with an irresistible allure.

On closer inspection, Gami seemed to see his reflection in those eyes, as if the entire world was inverted by them.

"Her name is Olivia Villeries."

The man continued asking, "Have you seen her?"

Gami froze for a moment, and after several seconds his mind reacted, shaking his head, "No, I haven’t..."

"Alright."

The man gave Gami a final look, saying nothing more, he turned around, and in an instant, his dark figure seemed to merge with the night, vanishing.

Gami rubbed his eyes, unable to find the trace of the man again, as if everything he had just experienced was merely an illusion.

This bizarre encounter didn’t trouble Gami for long, as he resumed his task, tirelessly burying the corpse beneath him. These bodies were his key to a new life; he couldn’t afford to stop.

When daylight returned, people found the corpses Gami had buried the night before on the yet-to-be-cleared ruins, and the sorrowful cries again echoed over the town.

The people were already pained by the departure of the living, and now the desecration of the bodies sharply reopened wounds that hadn’t yet healed.

The sheriff was enraged, swearing to arrest the bastard, while the townspeople hurled venomous words, cursing the culprit.

York stood among the crowd, silently praying for the deceased. As he looked aside, he once again saw Gami in the distance, still with a cynical demeanor, oblivious to the sorrow around him.

"Gami..."

York stepped forward, only to be interrupted by Gami before he could speak.

"Priest, if you’re here to accuse me, you better have hard evidence." Gami wore a smile, madness lurking in his eyes.

Sorrow crept over York’s face as he bore witness to Gami’s fall, powerless to intervene.

"Think of their feelings, consider what you’ve done..."

"Priest, are you trying to convert me?" Gami shook his head, "That’s just ridiculous."

"I’m here to show you the grace of God."

"Grace?"

Gami suddenly stepped close to York, whispering in his ear, "What can God’s grace bring me? Food, or shelter? Or a new life?"

"Spiritual abundance."

"Spiritual? Please, Priest, I’m struggling to survive, does spiritual wealth mean anything to me?" Gami mocked him, "You’re so self-righteous."

York was momentarily speechless, only able to say, "I know it was you."

"So what? Where’s your evidence?" Gami knew York’s rigidity, a devout Priest indeed, but his downfall lay in his own devoutness. "Are you going to accuse me with a stranger’s confession? Use a stranger’s confession to charge me?"

York found himself at a loss for words, as Gami had said, his kindness and devotion left him restrained on all sides.

Seeing York’s look, Gami let out a series of laughs, making a promise.