It was a chilling scene.

A priest of the sacred church, locked in his room in the middle of the day, every window closed tight. He acted as if he were committing a sin, afraid someone might catch a glimpse.

He muttered to himself, sounding like a man possessed, eyes fixed on his left hand. "I never had such thoughts. My relationship with Father Lugi is actually very good."

His left hand—more precisely, the middle finger—seemed to be "watching" him. Even though a finger couldn't have a face, Ulu could feel the mocking disdain radiating from it, entirely unhidden.

This strange combination was, of course, Hiroshi and Ulu.

"No need to be so tense," Hiroshi interrupted Ulu's rambling. "I was just asking casually. It's entirely up to you what you do."

Just five minutes earlier, Ulu had been outside, distributing porridge. But the moment Hiroshi asked if he wanted to kill Lugi, Ulu panicked like a startled quail, dropped everything, and fled to his room to hide.

"I-I'm not nervous," Ulu protested weakly. "Father Lugi's abilities are beyond mine. I was just worried that he might sense your presence."

His voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke, clearly realizing how absurd his words were. If a decrepit old priest could sense Visah'Su's presence at a glance, then Visah'Su's fearsome reputation would be a joke.

But Hiroshi didn't bother to call out Ulu's lie—there was no point. Ulu's reaction was exactly what Hiroshi expected.

Even with newfound power, Ulu wasn't the type to suddenly shout, "Now I'll conquer the world!" If he were, he wouldn't be stuck in some backwater chapel, wasting his prime years, cowed by an old man who was halfway to the grave. He feared Lugi without even fighting him, assuming his own inferiority.

Some people might turn their despair into motivation, finding strength in their suffering.

But Ulu was different. Faced with despair, he chose to sink deeper, convincing himself the world simply worked that way.

Life wasn't just bitter—it was salty, foul, an awful mix. And to survive, you had to swallow it all.

If that was all, Ulu would just be another poor soul beaten down by fate. But he wasn't like that. Twenty years ago, he had been the boy tormented by the priest; now, twenty years later, he had become the tormentor. He inflicted his pain a hundredfold onto others. His hatred for Lugi wasn't only about childhood scars; it was about entitlement—"It's my turn now. Why won't you step down? Why are you still in my way?"

Stolen story; please report.

That's why in players described Ulu perfectly: cowardly, petty, and cruel.

And Hiroshi knew: forcing someone like Ulu wouldn't work.

The harder you pushed, the more he would crumble, ruining any chance of success.

The best approach was to...

Hiroshi clicked his tongue softly. "How boring."

"What did you say?" Ulu asked, not quite hearing.

"I said, how boring," Hiroshi replied bluntly. "Since when did killing someone become so complicated? Especially someone weaker than you."

"No, no, I was just..." Ulu instinctively began to defend himself but stopped halfway, realizing something. "Wait, did you say Father Lugi... is weaker than me?"

"What else?" Hiroshi said. "Why do you think an old man on death's door is stronger than you?"

"...Because Father Lugi was a priest twenty years ago," Ulu blurted out. "He entered the supernatural realm long before I did."

"Heh, do you think supernatural power is just something that grows with age? Besides..." Hiroshi said, lifting the middle finger upright. "isn't me on your side?"

Ulu stared at the raised finger, feeling the invisible power radiating from it, making his other fingers curl tightly against his palm, like a servant bowing before a king.

Suddenly, Lugi no longer seemed so formidable.

Hiroshi watched as Ulu's bewildered gaze turned cold, filled with calculation.

Perfect. This was precisely Hiroshi's plan.

Instead of forcing Ulu to face an enemy he feared, he would paint that enemy as weak.

That way, Ulu's instinct to bully the weak would overpower his cowardice.

"I can kill him. I can kill him now," Ulu muttered, pacing back and forth. "I have the power to kill him... I can do it..."

His excitement grew as if he could barely contain himself, ready to run out and kill Lugi on the spot.

But then, a sliver of rationality surfaced in his mind, stopping him in his tracks. He hesitated.

"But... is it really necessary to kill him?"

He looked confused. Why had he suddenly decided to kill Lugi?

Wasn't this moving too fast?

Hiroshi had expected this. Ulu needed one more nudge—a reason to take action.

"He's in your way," Hiroshi said flatly.

One simple line was all it took.

The rest, Ulu could figure out himself.

"In my way? Yes... he's in my way!" Ulu's face darkened, and he clenched his fists. "That old bastard... still in my way! That greedy old man!"

Until today, Lugi had stayed out of sight for a long time. He was at retirement age and no longer involved in the church's day-to-day affairs.

But today, he showed up.

Because the relief supplies had arrived.

If Lugi hadn't shown up, those supplies would have been managed by Ulu. But since Lugi was involved, everything fell under his authority—he was, after all, still the most senior priest.

"That should be my money!" Ulu's voice trembled with rage. "He's taking my money! Twenty years ago, it was his, but now it's supposed to be mine! Mine!"

Hiroshi watched, silent and cold, as Ulu ranted and raved, flailing his arms like an enraged animal.

After a while, Ulu exhausted himself, leaning against the table, panting heavily.

Then, hesitation flickered across his eyes. "But... is it really worth killing him over some money?"

Tch, so indecisive.

Looks like he needed one final push.

After a brief pause, Hiroshi spoke calmly. "Think about what he's planning to do tonight."

"Tonight? The boy?" Ulu frowned.

"Yes. Twenty years ago, he used relief supplies to lure a boy. And now, twenty years later, he's doing the same thing." Hiroshi turned the "finger" toward Ulu, a smirk in his voice. "Do you think he'll tell that boy, 'You taste even better than Ulu'?"