Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Choice of Instruments

  In Aunt Elisa's cramped and crowded home, where only wooden tables and chairs were placed, making it difficult for people to enter and exit, Lucien and John sat on two adjacent chairs, whispering about the extermination of the cult this time.

  At this time, Joel was still playing on the streets of the administrative district, Evan was playing with peers in the nearby, and Aunt Elisa was preparing dinner.

  "Sir Vien told me that perhaps a knight of no low standing had leaked the information, and so when we entered the sewers, all we found was one large secret chamber left behind by the devil worshippers, in which they had actually built a great temple to their dark deity!" John said gravely. "And the devil worshippers themselves were nowhere to be found."

  Lucien wasn't too surprised at the outcome, since he had killed the cultist elder and waited a whole night before telling John. If the cult's higher-ups hadn't discovered their subordinate's disappearance by now, with this level of vigilance and intelligence, they might as well quit their jobs and go home to grow oats instead: "What about Aaron's gang?"

  "Aaron's gang, including Long Sang, has gone into hiding, and the main culprits have also disappeared. The ordinary gang members who were caught don't know anything about the Devil's Cult. The Inquisitors of the Heretic Tribunal are skilled in mixing divine techniques with interrogation, so they rarely make mistakes." John furrowed his golden eyebrows, "But these ordinary guys are probably already secretly dead by now."

  In matters involving cults and demons, the church has always been so hardline and unyielding.

  As for the magicians, Lucien felt that the church's attitude seemed to be a bit softer, such as when "he" was not secretly executed at first, of course, it may also have something to do with witches being only magical apprentices and not being taken seriously.

  Lucien has been reading a book in the music library called "The Mallet of the Magicians" which was written 423 years ago, in the year 392 of the Sacred Calendar. It is the work of a famous Inquisitor and mainly teaches how to identify magicians, track them down and torture them. There are some very interesting and cruel passages:

  "How can you identify a magician when using divine magic for covert investigation is inconclusive?"

  "If the suspect leads a secluded and solitary life, then this of course proves that he is a magician; if the suspect often attends parties, being passionate and cheerful, then he is obviously pretending in order to divert other people's suspicion."

  "If he appears frightened when he learns you are a Warlock or Nightwalker, then he is certainly a Mage; if he remains calm, then he is undoubtedly a Mage, for Mages are accustomed to lying and concealing shamelessly."

  ……

  "When the suspect is apprehended and interrogated, if one's own divine power cannot penetrate his true nature, then the following methods can be tried: If he rolls his eyes around during torture, this means that he is using his eyes to seek out the source of his power, namely the devil; while if his gaze is dull and immobile, this means that he has already seen the devil. If he has the strength to withstand severe torture, this means that the devil is supporting him, so he must be tortured even more severely; if he cannot bear it and dies under punishment, then this means that the devil allowed him to die, so as not to confess or reveal secrets."

  "When all else fails, let the final judgment be given to our wise, just and truthful God. Let this person suspected of being a magician be bound to the stake. If the Lord considers him not an evil magician, he will escape the flames unharmed; but if he is burned to ashes, there can be no doubt that he was an evil magician - it is the will of the Lord!"

  In contrast to this religious classic from over four hundred years ago, Lucien found himself still alive, what a fortunate thing: "Perhaps after the church has grown so strong over the years, it has relaxed its vigilance against magicians? It seems they have focused their main attention on the heretics in the north."

  "What was found in that temple?" Lucien asked John with some curiosity.

  John's expression turned very serious and hateful as if he recalled something unpleasant: "We knights were just guarding the outside of the grand hall, the deeper things were handled by Lord Vien, Count Wilfred, and Cardinal Salvatore who led the knights and priests. Later, Lord Vien didn't tell us what he saw inside either, but his expression was heavy from the moment he came out."

  "Although I was guarding outside the Devil's Palace, I still saw the ground covered with a layer of blood, and those few red hearts placed near the gate were still jumping, said to be dug out directly from the chests of living people."

  "Before, I only knew about the brutality and terror of demons and evil gods through the stories of wandering poets and the descriptions of Sir Vien. I didn't have any deep-seated hatred for them. But that day, when I saw the scene they created with my own eyes, I finally understood how evil, bloody, cruel, and tyrannical they were, and it made me hate them from the bottom of my heart, wanting to kill them, wanting to eradicate them completely."

  Seeing John's serious but powerful and purposeful tone, Lucien smiled: "John, have you found your own justice?"

  John nodded and then shook his head: "Measuring whether it belongs to one's own justice requires several years, or even decades of practice. Compared to the previous idea of guarding my home and friends, I have added a very strong idea of getting rid of evil creatures such as demons and their followers."

  "I recall that in the Knights, there's a special profession known as 'Devil Hunters', who spend their years walking in darkness, risking their lives to eliminate evil creatures. Are you thinking of developing in this direction, John?" Lucien teased John, "By the way, what reward is Sir Vain preparing for you?"

  John's expression softened, and he smiled: "It's not that easy to awaken the power of bloodlines. Just look at the number of knights in the entire duchy, and as for whether I'll join the Knights' Order or become a 'Devil Hunter' in the future, it's still too far away."

  Then he said, "Sir Vien intends to reward us few knight attendants with a finely crafted long sword made of refined steel, thoroughly our own, which can be taken back home. Hehe, the one prepared for me, Sir Vien said, will come with some magical power and will be even sharper, only slightly inferior to an official knight's long sword."

  Mentioning the long sword he had been yearning for, John actually chuckled a few times.

  The two of them chatted for a while longer, and when Jo returned, John cleverly stopped the topic, but still reminded Lucien: "I heard from Sir Vien that the entire Alto will appear to relax on the surface, but secretly strengthen the investigation and vigilance. You have had contact with witches before, so you must not run around during this period of time, lest you be framed by those who are jealous of your becoming Mr. Viktor's music student."

  "Thank you, John." Lucien knew this was extremely valuable information that John was willing to reveal to him, already suspected of having breached the knight's code of conduct. Although it meant his magical studies would become very troublesome, with some spells relying on materials or causing loud noises needing to be suspended, it also meant that the cult and Aaron's gang would calm down for a long time, ensuring his safety and reducing the likelihood of being suspected.

  …………

  It's another Sunday, Lucien rested in the morning at home, organizing his recent study gains. Although he only practiced "Ring of Uncontrol", "Mage Hand" and "Preserve Organ" which are material-less spells, he has been working on analyzing and constructing other apprentice-level magic and several magical arrays. The trauma to his soul had also fully recovered a few days ago, and with the help of meditation, his spiritual power and soul have become significantly stronger again. At least, Lucien can now cast six informal elemental spells in a row.

  In the Soul Library, Lucien was also reviewing in-depth the knowledge he had learned before, as long as he could find relevant books.

  The variant Hydra's brain tissue is well-preserved under the effect of the "Organ Keeper" spell, as long as the spell is cast once a day without interruption, it can be preserved for at least three years, giving Lucien enough time to find other materials.

  Thanks to the perusal of religious books and travel notes, Lucien roughly knew about the countries under the glory of "God of Truth" at present. As for the heretical countries in the north, the pagan countries, and the dark creatures in the Dark Mountains, they were still unknown, and of course, the vast majority of Altans were the same as Lucien.

  In short, Lucien's studies were very busy and he had no time to think about extra things, at most occasionally chatting with Uncle Joel, Aunt Elisa, Pierrot, Irina and so on.

  …………

  "Lucien, your diligence in studying has made me very satisfied. Since you have already memorized the basic knowledge of music symbols, scales, etc., next is to combine reading scores and playing to practice and master them, and gradually extend to more in-depth musical knowledge."

  In the afternoon, after Annie and others left, Viktor inspected Lucien's music learning for the past week, and gave a very high evaluation of his attitude and learning effect. If it was previously based on Lucien's help in inspiring Rheim and Xavier to reform the piano inspiration out of gratitude, now Viktor has a kind of appreciation and fondness for Lucien as a teacher towards a satisfactory student.

  Victor then prepared to let Lucien start learning the instrument as soon as possible: "Lucien, have you thought about what instrument you want to learn? I personally excel at violin, harpsichord, accordion and flute, other instruments, I can also give some guidance."

  Since becoming a magical apprentice, Lucien's life has been filled with busy studying and sudden events, without considering what instrument to learn specifically, he is now a bit hesitant.

  According to his inner thoughts, Lucien wanted to learn the piano, which was influenced by his past fondness for piano music and the regret of not having had the opportunity to study it. However, from a practical perspective, considering that he would be traveling in various countries on the mainland in search of the headquarters of the Continental Magic Council, the violin would be a better choice after all, as a wandering bard could hardly carry a piano with him.

  Under Lott's, Phyllis', and Hierodotus' curious yet somewhat chilly gaze, Lucien hesitated to make a choice.

  Victor smiled warmly and encouraged, "It's all right, Lucien, don't worry, what do you think, just say it."

  After being tempered, Lucien's face was already very thick, and he asked sincerely: "Mr. Victor, can I learn the piano you've modified? Can I also study violin besides this?"

  "Unbelievable." That was all Lotte, Phyllis and Hierodeus could think of. To take advantage of the free education and learn for a long time...

  Victor nodded his hands and smiled, "No problem, but it's best to learn one instrument well before starting another. Concentration is the key to success. Well, since the pipe organ renovation turned out better than I expected, Lucien, you can follow me to learn it first, which will help me find some problems with it and see how to make better use of its characteristics."

  "Thank you, Mr. Viktor." Lucien said sincerely.