Now that she had slimmed down, Isabella was undeniably a striking beauty. Factor in her taciturn disposition, and she was an ice queen to the core.
An aloof, mature woman in her late twenties—this exact type resonated most with Wayne's personal tastes.
Today, however, the mood was utterly wrong. He felt uneasy from head to toe. Scrutinizing the pretty face before him, he could practically see through the cracks of her narrowed eyes, where two words were written plainly across her countenance: *Eat People*.
With Isabella's hands clamping down on his shoulders, Wayne felt like a piece of meat. His scalp prickled with goosebumps, and he pulled violently away. "Calm down! Our Church of Nature is a respectable faith. Our tastes in food can be unusual, but they can't be demonic!"
Shoved by Wayne, Isabella fell flat onto her back. She propped herself up on her arms, trying to sit up, but failed several times in a row.
*She got pushed over that easily...?*
Wayne raised an eyebrow, realizing Isabella had completely exhausted her strength. She didn't want to eat a person; she was simply starved.
He fished a bar of chocolate out of his pocket. Seeing that Isabella was too weak to feed herself, he tore open the wrapper and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Stave off the cravings with this first. I'll take you to find food right away."
Wayne hoisted Isabella onto his shoulder and hurried toward the exit. "The townsfolk were put to sleep by magic. Who did it—you, or the Church of the Earth's Core?"
"Neither me nor the Church of the Earth's Core... Five of my colleagues did it..."
Isabella gulped down the chocolate. It was like scratching an itch through a boot, only intensifying her hunger. She urged Wayne to hurry, mentioning an elevator nearby that led straight to the surface.
Wayne bypassed the elevator. Isabella's battle had caused a massive commotion, plowing through the underground plaza over and over. Getting into the elevator now was practically begging for a cave-in.
He didn't care much for himself, but Isabella would starve to death before anyone dug them out.
Reaching the surface, Wayne regrouped with the butler and the others. He handed Isabella over to the maids, and together they supported her toward the gathering plaza at the headquarters of the Church of the Earth's Core.
At eight o'clock the previous evening, the Church of the Earth's Core had organized an artistic performance and provided feasts for the townsfolk. Because of the mass slumber, no one had touched the food, which still sat in the kitchen.
With the cold weather, it shouldn't have spoiled over a single night.
And as long as she stayed away from the eggs, there shouldn't be any major issues.
***
*Slurp... smack smack smack...*
*Munch, crunch, gulp—*
Isabella once again delivered an appetite performance worthy of a gluttonous beast. Her stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit; dispensing with the dining etiquette of having the maids serve dishes one course at a time, she marched straight into the kitchen to gorge herself.
At first, she was unable to eat on her own and had to be spoon-fed by a maid. Only after regaining some strength did she tear into the food to her heart's content.
Wayne watched in awe. As Isabella ate, her sharp chin gradually regained its baby fat, prompting him to suspect her physique was tied to some peculiar brand of magic.
He didn't pry too deeply, politely holding a cup of black tea while making idle conversation with her.
He was genuinely curious about what had transpired in Enrold Town.
Strictly speaking, Isabella was on a covert mission bound by rigid confidentiality regulations. Even so, she recounted the sequence of events as best she could, omitting only minor elements like the Lord of the Void and divine arts.
Ignorance was bliss, and desires were perilous; Wayne was better off not knowing such things for now.
Wayne also refrained from mentioning the idol of the Lord of the Void, saying only that cultists of the Earth's Core had come knocking at his door and that he had eliminated them with the help of his butler and maids.
Isabella nodded. By the time she was half-full, her weight could already be described as slightly chubby. Holding a cold roast chicken, gnawing on it as she walked, she located her five colleagues, who had fallen unconscious from total mana depletion.
Unsurprisingly, she spotted a footprint stamped across one of their faces.
Isabella paused for a moment, tore off a drumstick, stuffed it into her mouth, and said indistinctly, "Wayne, these people are my colleagues. You'd better wipe that shoe print off, or it'll be difficult for me to explain this away for you."
"Ms. Isabella, you misunderstand. That footprint was left by a cultist of the Earth's Core. It has nothing to do with Young Master Wayne," the butler stepped forward to explain. The maids could testify that Wayne had been with them the entire time, giving him an airtight alibi.
"That's right, the butler can vouch for me!" Wayne nodded. Without proof or evidence, he advised Isabella not to make baseless accusations.
Isabella said nothing. The entire town had fallen unconscious at the time; where could an Earth's Core cultist have come from to stamp on someone's face? Only Wayne and his crew could have done it.
Seeing Isabella's unwavering gaze, Wayne told the butler to stop explaining. It was just a footprint, no big deal; what harm was there in taking the blame for it?
Fra once again praised Wayne's gentlemanly character, extolling his magnanimity and broad-minded tolerance, before taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the footprint.
The two played along so seamlessly they almost seemed sincere, prompting Isabella to roll her eyes. Too tired to bother with the master and servant, she told Wayne to leave before she woke her five colleagues.
"For the time being, the High Priestess does not want anyone to know you are her student. The fewer people who know, the better. In front of outsiders, do not identify yourself as her disciple," Isabella instructed.
*Haven't the troubles over in Londan been resolved yet?*
Wayne nodded. With the Church of Nature taking over the aftermath of the Church of the Earth's Core, he was more than happy to be free of the burden. Bidding farewell to Isabella, he turned to depart.
"Wait."
"???"
Wayne turned back, wondering what else Isabella had to say.
"Thank you." Isabella nodded. The chocolate had tasted very good.
"Just a small favor, don't mention it."
Wayne had no idea what Isabella was thanking him for, but it didn't matter. Before walking away, he offered a polite parting remark, inviting Isabella to drop by the villa manor for a meal whenever she had the time.
***
*Slurp... smack smack...*
*Crunch, munch, gulp—*
*So... you actually came over to eat?*
That night, Wayne stared speechlessly at Isabella seated across his dining table. He had only extended a casual courtesy, yet she had shown up directly on his doorstep ready to feast.
Did this count as low emotional intelligence, or high IQ?
Wayne set down his utensils. Just watching Isabella eat was enough to make him full. Speaking frankly, he asked, "Isabella, how do you plan to handle the Church of the Earth's Core, and how will you explain this to the townsfolk? As far as I know, ordinary people and magic exist in two separate worlds. Can a commotion this big really be covered up?"
"That's why they were put to sleep in advance. With no witnesses, everything can be explained."
Isabella indicated that she didn't worry herself over such matters. Her expertise lay in reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and decapitation strikes. She belonged to the Scalpel agency of the Church of Nature and wasn't responsible for cleanup duty. Now that her mission was complete, specialists would arrive to answer the townsfolk's questions.
As for the Church of the Earth's Core, the archbishop and four bishops were the chief culprits. Death extinguished all flames; their names would be nailed to the pillar of shame and filed into official records, but no further investigation of liability would be pursued against the deceased.
The remaining cultists would be interrogated by professionals and evaluated based on their lucidity and sanity, after which they would be dealt with in batches according to their assigned tier.
Those who had joined recently could still be saved through a simple session of magical counseling; if that failed, an amnesia spell would do the trick.
The earliest batch of believers was far trickier, especially those who had learned the magical lore of the Church of the Earth's Core and had their minds corrupted. They would be sent to the Red Leaf Forest Asylum in Londan to undergo centralized treatment.
"Red Leaf Forest Asylum..."
Wayne raised an eyebrow. Unlocking a new location on the map, he had an inexplicable premonition that there was a story waiting there.
"Red Leaf Forest is a centralized facility for holding cultists of evil gods. Established jointly by several churches, it has a long history, originally having served as the Inquisition of the Heavenly Father's Holy See..."
"Beyond evil god cultists, Red Leaf Forest Asylum also houses deranged mages, while offering services to certain... unique individuals..."
Throughout their several encounters, Isabella had always maintained an icy demeanor, and tonight was no exception. However, she was noticeably more talkative now. As long as Wayne's questions didn't touch on classified secrets, she answered them all.
Wayne felt his scalp tingle as he listened, remarking with furrowed brows, "Locking so many dangerous criminals together instead of humanely disposing of them... aren't you worried they might stage a mass breakout?"
"Impossible!"
Isabella shook her head, stating with absolute certainty, "Red Leaf Forest Asylum is heavily guarded. From its inception to this day, not a single prisoner has ever escaped. Your concern is completely unfounded."
Chapter 57