Father Lugi took off his reading glasses, stretching his frail body. The joints creaked like old, worn-out stairs underfoot.

"Tch, I'm really getting old," he muttered to himself. "I can't even do this simple work properly anymore."

"But this will be the last time."

He put his glasses back on, flipping through his tattered notebook.

"The saving supplies this time... the quantity is about the same as it was twenty years ago. Tch, the situation is clearly worse now, and yet those up top don't give a shit. I’ll have to file another request."

"Two hundred thousand silver wolves... these grain merchants are dillusional, thinking they can take it all for only triple the food price. They think I'm Ulu? This is famine relief, it was already going for ten times the price twenty years ago, and now they think they can take it for just three times... Tch, whatever, I'm not in the mood to argue with them. Eight times will do, let’s get rid of it quickly."

"Ulu, what an idiot. Trying to sell all the refugees in one batch—does he want the inquisition to track us down? At least split them into five groups. And the elderly and weak, sending them for hard labor? Just hand them over to the cultists for ritual sacrifices. Tch you still got a lot to learn Ulu"

Lugi talked to himself while working, like a teacher grading papers late at night for bad students.

Once everything was done, he removed his glasses again and closed the notebook.

"In the end, it still falls on me," Lugi sighed as he looked at the closed notebook, a hint of regret in his eyes. "I'd love to keep doing this for a few more decades. I really don't want to retire... At least this time, unlike before, there won't be anyone annoying trying to take my share. Once I grab this retirement "bonus", I can finally settle down."

With that, Lugi looked out the window.

When he started working, it was dusk; now, night had completely fallen.

Lugi suddenly remembered there was something even more important to do tonight.

"Ulu should be here soon," he mumbled, walking to the mirror to tidy up his priest's robe.

He returned to his desk and took out the Rhyo Covenant from a drawer.

He gently brushed off the dust on the book, then held it to his chest, glancing at his reflection in the mirror.

The image of Lugi looked like a man embarking on a pilgrimage.

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But he wasn't going on a pilgrimage—this was about ritual.

Lugi was a man who valued rituals. His favorite thing was to wear his priest's robe, hold the Rhyo Covenant, and solemnly declare, "I am purifying your body and soul in my lord's name; you cannot refuse," while committing acts of desecration.

It thrilled him.

But age had caught up. He hadn’t done something this thrilling for a long time. And since he was retiring soon and leaving the priesthood, it would be even harder to do in the future.

So he decided to have fun for one last time.

After all, wasn't this also a kind of ritual?

An end to match the beginning.

Lugi thought to himself that he was indeed a worthy servant of the sacred.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

The boy must have arrived.

Lugi composed his expression, suppressing his anticipation, and walked over to the door. He opened it, smiling. "Ah, my dear child, I've been wait—"

Before he could finish, Lugi sensed danger. He stepped back quickly, but not quickly enough—someone burst through the doorway, plunging a knife into his chest. Blood gushed out.

"Ulu!!!" Lugi immediately recognized his assailant. Shock and fury contorted his face as he stumbled back, yelling, "What are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?" Ulu sneered. "I'm putting an end to you, you old bastard!"

After stabbing once, Ulu went for a second strike.

Lugi continued retreating into the room, shouting, "Are you insane?!"

"Insane? Hardly." Ulu pointed the knife at Lugi. "Do you really not remember what you did to me?!"

He lunged again, and Lugi dodged, trying to come up with a plan while talking to stall for time. "Is this about the relief grain money? We were going to share it!"

"Why should we share? Twenty years ago, did you share with me? I'm the priest now—those should be mine!"

So it really is about that!

Lugi cursed silently while pretending to regret. "If you wanted it all, you could've just told me! Is this worth killing over? After all we've been through, do we need to turn against each other like this?"

"After all we've been through? You dare say that?! Think about what you did to me!"

"What did I do?"

"You humiliated me, forcing me to stand on the table reading the Rhyo Covenant! And ! !nd!... You ruined my life!"

Damn it, wasn't that your choice? You wanted food, wanted to be a priest—you agreed to it!

Lugi screamed in his mind but dared not provoke Ulu further. Instead, he kept playing along, "It was my fault. I can apologize."

"Apologize? After everything you've done, do you think an apology is enough?!" Ulu's eyes bulged with rage. "And you think I'd believe you? Today, you even said that boy would be better than me!"

"I apologize for that as well—wait, what?" Lugi instinctively began apologizing but paused mid-sentence, confused. "When did I say that boy would be better than you? What are you talking about?!"

"Don't deny it! It's something you were about to do tonight!"

Lugi: "???"

At that moment, even Hiroshi couldn't listen any longer.

Damn, this argument between these two creeps is getting way out of hand. He coldly reminded Ulu, "Stop wasting time. The old man is preparing a spell."

Preparing a spell?!

Hearing the warning, Ulu noticed Lugi hiding one hand behind his back while dodging.

That bastard—he really was preparing magic!

Ulu immediately threw the knife at Lugi, the blade grazing Lugi's arm and leaving a trail of blood.

But it was too late.

Lugi's face twisted into a cruel smile. "You pathetic fool!"

He raised his hand, and several magical runes appeared in the air. Moments later, chains of magic shot out, wrapping around Ulu tightly.

The tables had turned in an instant!

Ulu went from an attacker to being bound like some twisted ritual play.

"You think you can kill me?!" Lugi roared. "There's not a single part of your worthless body that hasn't been marked by me! I know every single hair on your ass! And you think you can kill me?!"