Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything-Chapter 29: A Pardon That Changed Nothing

No one has ever choked from swallowing their pride.

Just like Horum didn’t choke after swallowing Jaryun alive.

The humanoid black flame devoured the grown man and turned around, facing Horum’s back.

A gaping hole pulsated on the Priest’s back and the humanoid placed his legs inside one by one.

Then in no time, the black flames were no more and the hole closed itself.

Silence reigned in the crossroad as the crowd couldn’t believe their eyes.

They had seen mystical circumstances and various powers but never in their lives had they seen something like that.

Horum’s eyes were closed and only after the disappearance of the black flames, did the old man open his eyes.

Zane and Xavier stared at the old man with sweat on their faces and their hands were held by the Priest. But the hands of Horum, they were cold.

"Get up." Horum said.

Zane and Xavier stood up and the priest let their hands go.

The gutterborn stumbled as his legs failed him for a moment due to excessive kneeling. But he soon managed to stand and the smell of the black flames lingered around the three.

Zane also noticed no trace of Jaryun was left behind. As if he was never standing behind Horum.

Xavier felt no numbing of his legs and Zane didn’t have the strength to feel jealous about it.

The common populace averted their eyes all the while thanking their fortune for not arguing with Horum.

Jaryun flew too close to the sun and they saw what became of him.

But Zane and Xavier were in front of Horum and both of them had only one question.

What in the slums was that?

Zane wanted to know but he didn’t have the courage to pry about it.

But he wasn’t alone...

"What kind of skill was that? What tier was it?"

Xavier asked out loud.

No fear.

Zane kind of felt glad about it. He would get the answer without even asking the question himself.

Horum looked at Xavier in silence and Zane turned vigilant.

Does he have a secret like me and he doesn’t want to share? Xavier shouldn’t have asked.

Zane shifted his feet, eyed Horum closely, ready to leave at any moment the Priest made a move.

Although, Zane felt no harmful intent but he wouldn’t risk it. Horum was strong enough to mask his intentions, if something like that was possible.

Zane’s eyes never left Horum but the Priest simply sighed.

"Follow me." He said and turned around.

Xavier looked at Zane and Zane shook his head.

However, Xavier thumped his chest lightly as if assuring Zane that he would handle it.

I saw you handling things.

Xavier walked behind Horum and although Zane wanted to reach his home more than anything, his curiosity perked up enough to walk with Xavier. Not to mention he had the coin with him. As long as he didn’t commit another ’sin’ he would not reach death.

Both young men followed Horum and Zane had believed the priest was taking them to his church to explain things or silence them.

But it turned out to be wrong.

Horum stopped before reaching the church.

He stood beside the line of the Gutterborns standing in front of the shop, which was empty now.

He will send them away now. No point in keeping them here.

The offerings were only distributed for one hour. Most of the time was wasted and the shopkeeper was dead of all things.

The next prayer still had some hours to go.

The gutterborns would only get food after the third prayer now.

That was the closest expected decision after the happenings of today, considering a new shopkeeper needed to be allotted as well.

The Gutterborns stared at the red shoes of the Priest, their stomachs churning but their hunger didn’t make them expand their boundary.

No one moved ahead and took the offerings themselves. They were only allowed to be given, not to take.

Zane also noted that the line had become short during this time.

Coming from the same background, he knew the reason for that.

Most of them had left the line as they had to go back for their work. They should be lucky they were even allotted five minutes to eat. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get what they were here for. They returned hungry at work to earn around 3 to 4 Bronze Lumens that barely made their ends meet.

The contractors, owners, and supervisors didn’t care whether their workers managed to eat or not during those five minutes, they just had to come back and work. Take a break of one second more than the allotted time, the wage of the day gets forfeited entirely.

Their only hope was awakening a high tier skill and getting a job that pays well. But out of all the things that dwell in the gutter, luck wasn’t one of them. Much less hope.

If Zane had not taken the full day off of his brick hauling, he would be running for his construction site as well.

Anyway, he waited for the line to go away and Horum to speak to him.

Horum watched the line and only disabled women, handicapped children and blind, weak old men were there. The people who could work or move their body had left. Men, women and children alike.

Horum nodded to himself and walked towards the counter of the shop.

He stood in front of the line and Zane and Xavier stood behind Horum.

Both of them saw the tear at the robe of the priest from the back and Zane saw some black symbols on Horum’s back where the black flame had climbed out. The symbols appeared as if maggots and insects were dancing and reproducing and then eating their spawns and dancing again. It was a circle. A cycle.

He almost puked at the thought and averted his eyes right away.

Horum then raised his hand.

SWISH!

Tearing the air, a wooden staff landed on the old man’s right hand.

Horum got his staff back with little to no motion.

He has so many powers. He got all this from the slab?

Zane wasn’t sure and Horum had already said something that the slab wasn’t the only way to get skills.

He didn’t have the authority and knowledge for this and he wasn’t interested in that yet.

The only reason he was still here was because the Priest looked like he would tell something and Zane considered himself safe at the moment because of the coin or the relic.

Horum then slammed his staff on the ground and let it go.

It didn’t fall and stood straight without any support.

After that, Horum reached under the counter and took out a white cloth.

He wrapped it over his shoulders, hiding his ripped robe.

The cloth contained a large yellow sun with the emblem of the Glory Order Church, staring at Zane standing behind Horum.

Nevertheless, relief washed over Zane as the sun was better than those symbols. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

After doing all this, Horum spoke:

"Before telling you both anything, you should know that the relic only granted you life, little one."

Horum turned around and looked deep inside Zane’s eyes.

"It didn’t revoke the status of filth from your blood."