"Ahhh!!" Tangs, who was following behind Naimes, let out a painful howl as black smoke began rising from his body.

His body trembled uncontrollably, and the demon corpse he was carrying fell to the ground - though the corpse fared even worse than Tangs.

Flames suddenly erupted from the corpse, eerie green flames that emitted thick black smoke which was then dispersed by the power of the holy hymns spreading through the air.

By the time one hymn finished, the demon corpse had shriveled into something resembling dried rat jerky, the green flames now normal orange-yellow fire.

Tangs was drenched in sweat the size of peas, curled up in pain from the ordeal.

Naimes simply smiled as he watched the church doors open in the distance, revealing a hunched elderly figure emerging.

This was the old priest Naimes had previously sent Nair to kill.

But now it seemed Naimes had slightly underestimated the task he'd given Nair.

"Steel Seed?" This was information the old priest had never revealed before - at least Nair hadn't known.

Had they known, their contract would have been rewritten long ago, and Naimes might not have taken over Nair's body so quickly.

Hymns of this power could only be performed by a Steel Seed.

Bringing Tangs as a test subject had proven the right move, uncovering some unexpected secrets.

"Hmm? Just a demon corpse? I thought some demon had dared invade holy ground!" The old priest muttered to himself, his cloudy eyes examining the still-burning rat jerky with slight confusion.

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Naimes.

"Maybe I'm the demon?" Naimes joked.

Then, adopting a more serious tone, he pointed at Tangs: "He was corrupted by demonic energy, forcibly activating his life aura. I used breathing techniques to stimulate some of his latent traits."

"This might be why he gives off the impression of a living demon."

Naimes provided his explanation, which was theoretically plausible.

This was the backstory he'd crafted for Tangs to make his sudden power acquisition seem more reasonable.

Yet no matter how reasonable, some things would always arouse suspicion - like Naimes himself.

He was certain the old priest's hymn had primarily been aimed at him.

The personality changes after Naimes possessed Nair were too obvious, and in this era, sudden personality shifts most often meant demonic possession.

Many mentally ill people were burned annually under such suspicions.

But after this test, the old priest's suspicions should have lessened. Googlᴇ search NoveI[F]ire.net

That level of hymn would expose any ordinary demonic possession.

"I'm just special - as a transmigrator, my soul structure defies this world's logic, allowing perfect identity theft using the stolen soul as outer camouflage."

"This disguise could fool even a god!" The thought flashed through Naimes' mind as his smile grew more sincere.

"I see..." The old priest studied Naimes before finally accepting the explanation, his expression turning nostalgic.

"Getting old... back in the day..." He mumbled fragments of memories as he turned back toward the church.

Naimes glanced at Tangs recovering nearby and instructed him to await further orders. After extinguishing the rat jerky's flames, he picked it up and entered the church.

The church layout was conventional - an entrance hallway with stone basins containing rainwater-dew mixtures for purification rituals.

Beyond lay the main hall with wooden pews and whale-fat stained glass windows.

Semi-transparent whale bladders embedded with colored glass depicted the "Oath God Restraining the Skywhale" legend, casting distorted light patterns when sunlit.

At the center stood a massive bone sculpture - a faceless figure radiating light with crossed arms over its chest: the Oath God.

Naimes could sense considerable faith energy around the statue, which was unusual.

Below it lay well-worn kneelers, their polished surfaces showing daily use.

To the left was the confessional where the old priest heard villagers' sins.

To the right were clergy quarters, including Nair's old room.

Further back lay the graveyard.

The old priest washed his hands and face with basin water before settling onto a pew.

"Nair..." he called out while staring at the statue, seeming distracted.

"You're from the Dartmanley family." He asked quietly: "Having let go of certain things... have you considered returning?"

"No. I won't return - not now at least!" Naimes declared firmly.

The old priest chuckled at the resolute answer.

Through Nair's soul, Naimes knew the full story.

The Dartmanley family was influential with deep Church connections.

Nair had been groomed as a holy knight before a falling-out led him to this backwater village, where his lingering ambitions made him vulnerable to Naimes' influence.

"You've gained clarity but haven't truly let go..."

"True. Letting go isn't easy." The old priest's distant gaze remained on the statue as he spoke ambiguously.

After a pause, the priest changed topics to church business:

"In three days, trainee priests and holy knights will arrive with migrant settlers. You'll handle their vetting."

"Trainees sent here?" Naimes frowned curiously.

"Op's done well. Beiqi Village's stability attracts people." The priest glanced at Naimes.

"You and Op get along, don't you?"

"Just routine interactions." Naimes instantly recognized the probe - Nair had accepted "gifts" from Op he'd considered harmless bribes.

Clearly the priest's earlier praise was actually questioning whether Op had broken taboos, drawing Church attention.

"Nair... truly useless..." Naimes realized he'd been set up.