Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 159 - 158: Keeping Vigil

Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Keeping Vigil

Monday morning.

Ronald, as usual, walked out of his own home.

He might have flipped through today’s Coastline Daily, which still lacked anything substantial; the apparent peace and tranquility of Berlingwich remained unchanged.

Thus, he bid farewell to Mrs. Hudson and left the bed and breakfast on his own.

Although he was nominally only supposed to work two days a week, in reality, he still had things to do during these five days.

——Surveillance.

The negotiation with the nun last night had been very successful; the other party temporarily gave up on his side and planned to make contact with the jailer’s daughter instead.

For Ronald, this was a preferable outcome within his expectations.

He had rid himself of the church’s entanglement while also gaining a free test subject.

So now, it was time to verify everything.

Thanks to his experience accumulated during his time at the Investigative Bureau, Ronald knew which spots on Forrest Road were the safest and most convenient for keeping watch.

Therefore, in the following days of rest,

he stationed himself daily at the entrance to this street, within a field for a stickball sport, where, thanks to the high position of the spectator seats, he could lean against the towering walls at the edge of the seating area to observe the surroundings.

The vicinity of the jailer’s estate, as well as the carriages that passed by on the road,

were all clearly visible to him.

During this time, Ronald also conducted a more detailed analysis.

Unlike laymen like himself, if the church intended to engage in an exchange of school knowledge with the jailer’s foster daughter... rather, with the jailer’s heir,

as the initiator of the negotiation, the church essentially had two choices.

——Covert communication.

——Or an official approach with a formal demeanor.

Considering various environmental influences and the interference of complex social forces, Ronald was more inclined toward the former.

The church would send someone to make private contact with the jailer’s side,

rather than engaging in equal-level dialogue openly.

If this scenario proved true, it would be yet another development favorable to Ronald’s side.

After all, if the two parties were to hold high-level discussions, it was unlikely they would discover the true nature of Mil.

But if they came on a private visit, the situation could become interesting.

With the cautious attitude of those dealing with mystical practices, the church would undoubtedly prepare corresponding examination spells.

One thing to remember

is that atop Black Mountain, the real Mil had already become a corpse.

God knows what kind of figure this ’Mil’ was now.

If the church’s witch-hunting talent spotted something amiss, that would really be quite the spectacle!

With such thoughts in mind,

Ronald continued to visit the stickball field regularly over the next four days, maintaining a nine-to-nine healthy routine.

Like an enthusiast obsessed with watching the games.

However, the outcome was puzzling; for four consecutive days, Ronald hadn’t seen anyone from the church at the jailer’s doorstep.

The street of Forrest Road remained as stable and unchanging as ever.

During this time, he had even seen Mil come out for a stroll several times and had conducted some tracking as well.

But judging by the other party’s behavior,

she was basically maintaining the persona of a noble young lady, never slipping up in any way.

Perhaps the only thing worth noting

was the male servant who had stayed by her side during the banquet day.

In the few times Ronald had spotted Mil, this man had always been following the young girl, never once leaving her side.

This surveillance continued until the night of the fourth day.

At the moment when the field was about to close, Ronald was preparing to give up on today’s work and blend into the dispersing crowd to leave.

In a sense, he even suspected that both parties had already concluded their negotiations through some means incomprehensible to him; otherwise, there was no reason for the church not to send anyone for a whole four days!

However, in such a scenario,

the very scene Ronald had been eagerly anticipating finally unfolded.

It was just as he was about to leave the forest path that he saw a private carriage like no other drive by.

The exterior of the carriage was painted in a sacred white by the manufacturers.

Matching almost exactly with the exterior color of Lierdel Cathedral!

This style of carriage.

Any commoner could tell at a glance it belonged to the church.

By now it was nightfall, and Ronald carefully hid in the darkness where the streetlamps couldn’t reach, and then quietly followed.

Soon, the carriage briefly stopped for a few seconds at the junction before arriving at the jail warden’s residence.

In that interval, two young men immediately jumped down from the carriage.

The carriage then drove off in the direction away from the jail warden’s home, as if it was just passing by.

And the two men, who were not dressed in church attire at all, walked towards the jail warden’s residence under cover of night.

"..."

"You’ve finally arrived..."

From the darkness in the distance, Ronald, witnessing this scene, felt a certain amount of relief.

It seemed just as he thought.

The church was indeed planning to try something at the jail warden’s side.

Next, it was time to watch the performance of these two church members.

According to the information Ronald had previously collected, the church was a leader in the former witch-hunting campaigns, with spells for surveillance and discrimination refined to the utmost.

Tonight was bound to be an interesting night.

Under Ronald’s quiet observation, the two men crossed the street and arrived at the door of the jail warden’s residence.

The night watch asked only a couple of questions.

Then the two men were quickly ushered in.

And then...

Then there was nothing.

The two clergy members, disguised as ordinary people, entered the residence and there was complete silence.

During this time, Ronald even saw an investigator arrive with prisoners, but the investigator was able to enter as if everything was normal.

Even as time reached midnight.

The church’s carriage reappeared at the location.

However, after stopping at the junction for three to four minutes, the carriage wasn’t able to wait for the people it was there to pick up.

In the end, out of helplessness, the carriage also had to leave the place.

And after all this happened, Ronald still hadn’t seen the clergy members emerge from the jail warden’s residence.

"..."

Faced with this situation, Ronald’s caution gradually escalated.

Perhaps a battle had taken place within the residence.

Should he go in to check the situation?

Thoughts like this continuously circled in his mind, but Ronald still suppressed this impulse.

Because he understood that ensuring his own safety was the premise to unveiling the mystery.

To be safe, Ronald did not even summon the original spellcasting at this moment.

He simply hid in the darkness, observing everything.

...

Yet, even until sunrise the next day, the situation remained the same.

In the silent jail warden’s residence, there was not a peep of noise, not even the slightest sound of a struggle!

The two church people, as if they had evaporated from the world, were completely gone without a trace.

"..."

"Tch—"

Looking at the rising sun, Ronald clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

He was now one hundred percent certain.

Berenweig was probably about to face serious trouble again.