CHAPTER 57: RED LEAF ASYLUM

The slim version of Isabella was stunning, and given her quiet, reserved temperament, she was the aloof type of beauty.

An ice queen in her late twenties—exactly Wayne’s type.

But this wasn’t the right time. Something felt off to him. As he carefully studied the pretty face before him, he could barely make out the words written on that pretty face: Give me food or become food.

With her hands gripping his shoulders, he felt like a meal. His scalp tingled as he broke free with a jerk. “Calm down. The Church of Nature is a legitimate religious order. Our diet can be unconventional, but not sinful.”

His push sent her falling to the ground. She tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but failed several times.

She went down so easily... Wayne raised an eyebrow, realizing that Isabella had exhausted her strength. She didn’t crave human flesh—she was just starving.

He took a chocolate out of his pocket and, seeing that she couldn’t feed herself, tore open the wrapper before feeding her the sweet.

“This’ll help while I find you something to eat.” He hoisted Isabella up and moved quickly to the exit. “The townspeople are in a magic-induced slumber. Who did it—you or the Geocentrism Sect?”

“Neither. I have five colleagues...”

Isabella wolfed down the chocolate, but it only made her hungrier. She urged Wayne to hurry. There was an elevator leading above ground on the side.

However, he didn’t take the elevator. Isabella had made quite a scene during her fight, plowing through the underground space repeatedly. The elevator was bound to malfunction in some way. He could handle getting trapped inside, but she would starve to death as a result.

He followed his track back to the town above and met up with Veryl and the maids. He handed Isabella over to one of the maids, who helped her to the courtyard of the sect’s headquarters. At eight o’clock last night, the sect had prepared an artistic performance, providing food to the townspeople during the event. Because of the collective sleep, it was left untouched in the kitchen. It should still be good after one night in this cold weather.

As long as they avoided the eggs, that was.

***

Slurp, slurp... chomp, chomp...

Huff, huff...

Isabella once again ate like a glutton. Her stomach seemed like a bottomless pit. She rejected the proper etiquette of having the maids serve dishes one by one, instead heading straight to the kitchen to eat and drink voraciously. At first, she couldn’t feed herself and needed the maids’ help, but once she recovered some strength, she scarfed down food to her heart’s content all on her own.

Wayne watched in amazement, noticing the way her tapered chin gradually grew round as she ate. He guessed that her figure was related to some special magic. He didn’t ask, but politely made casual conversation with a cup of black tea in his hand.

He was dying to find out what had happened in Enrod.

Technically, Isabella was on a secret mission with strict confidentiality protocols, but she explained the situation as much as possible, only omitting the Lord of the Void and the divine art she used. Ignorance was bliss, and desires were dangerous. It was too early for Wayne to know those things.

Wayne didn’t tell her about the statue of the Lord of the Void, either, only that the Geocentrism Sect followers had come after him, and he eliminated them with the help of Veryl and the maids.

Isabella nodded. After getting half full, her figure was now plump. She munched on a now-cold roasted chicken as she walked around to find her five colleagues, who had fallen unconscious from exhausting their mana.

She saw the shoe print on one of their faces.

After a moment of silence, she tore off a chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth, speaking unclearly, “Wayne, these are my colleagues. You’d better wipe off the footprint, or I’ll have a hard time explaining it away.”

“You misunderstood, Miss Isabella. The footprint was left by a Geocentrism Sect member. It has nothing to do with Young Master Wayne.” Veryl stepped forward to explain. The maids could testify that the young master had been with them the whole time.

“That’s right. Veryl can vouch for me!” Wayne nodded. She shouldn’t be pointing fingers without evidence. There was the presumption of innocence to uphold.

She said nothing. The town was in a collective unconsciousness. Where would a conscious follower come from to step on her colleague? It could only be one of Wayne’s group.

Since she wouldn’t be convinced, Wayne told Veryl to let it go. It was just a shoe print. He could take the blame for it. Veryl praised him for his gentlemanly behavior and his magnanimous and tolerant heart. Then he took out a handkerchief to wipe the footprint away.

Isabella rolled her eyes at their coordinated performance. She told Wayne to leave before she woke her colleagues. “The High Reverend doesn’t want anyone to know that you’re her apprentice yet. The fewer people who know, the better. Don’t claim to be her apprentice in front of others, either.”

Is the trouble in Londan still unresolved?

Wayne nodded. The Church of Nature would handle the aftermath in Enrod. He was more than happy not to get involved. He bade her farewell and prepared to leave.

“Wait.”

“???”

He turned to her, wondering what else she had to say.

“Thanks,” she said with a nod. The chocolate was delicious.

“It was nothing. Don’t mention it.”

Though he didn’t know what she was thanking him for, it didn’t matter. Before leaving, he politely invited her to stop by the manor for a meal when she had time.

***

Slurp, slurp...

Chomp, chomp...

You actually came to eat? Wayne looked at Isabella speechlessly as she ate at the dining table. He had only made the invitation out of politeness, but she showed up. Should this be attributed to low emotional intelligence or high intelligence?

He lowered his utensils, feeling full from watching her eat. He asked bluntly, “Isabella, how is the Church of Nature going to handle the cult, and how will you explain things to the townspeople? As I understand it, ordinary people do not know about the magical world. Can you cover up such a big commotion?”

“That’s why we put them to sleep first. Without a witness, everything can be explained.”

Isabella said that it wasn’t her concern. She specialized in infiltration, intelligence gathering, and assassination of the enemies’ leaders, belonging to the Church of Nature’s surgical strike unit. Cleanup wasn’t part of her job description. Her mission here was complete, and professionals would come to address the residents’ questions.

As for the Geocentrism Sect, the Archbishop and four bishops were the main culprits. Their deaths were their punishment, and they would be recorded for their deeds, but that was it.

The other followers would be interrogated by professionals, graded based on their level of sanity, and processed accordingly. Recently recruited followers could be saved with simple psychological counseling, or memory erasure if necessary. The earliest followers would be more troublesome, especially those who had learned the cult’s magical knowledge and become corrupted as a result. They would be sent to the Red Leaf Asylum in Londan for treatment.

“Red Leaf Asylum...”

Wayne’s eyebrows jumped. A new location was unlocked. He had a feeling that there was more to the place.

“The asylum is a facility for cultists of evil gods, jointly established by several churches. It has a long history, originally the Inquisition of the Church of Heavenly Father...”

“Other than cultists, the asylum also keeps mentally unstable mages and provides services to certain individuals...”

Isabella remained aloof in their interactions, and this time was no exception, but she was willing to speak much more. She answered Wayne’s questions as long as they didn’t involve classified information.

He shuddered as he listened, asking worriedly, “Keeping so many dangerous criminals together instead of humanely eliminating them? Aren’t you afraid that they’ll break out en masse?”

“Impossible!” Isabella shook her head with certainty. “The asylum is incredibly secure. Since its establishment, not a single prisoner has escaped. Your concern is unfounded.”