While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 19: Do Something Cidi Likes to Watch

Watching the visually striking magic unfold, Ashu almost wanted to bind Kidopriest with the system and deliver a critical hit to his spells.

Of course, it was just a thought.

The fire burned into the night, showing no signs of stopping. By now, the villagers had gathered in a row, watching the spectacle. If Kidopriest hadn't been standing guard in front, they might have even tried to carve off a piece of the snake's meat to taste.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Kyle asked, already beginning to doze off.

"Probably until midnight," Kidopriest replied, his face full of weariness. On any other day, he would have finished his shift long ago, but when it came to burning heretical creatures, the Cultivator Guild had strict rules requiring someone to stay until the burning was complete.

And then there was Kyle. His task had already been completed, and he could have gone home hours ago, but instead, he insisted on staying nearby, watching.

"Rare to see such dedication," Kyle said, kicking the ground with the heavy sole of his boot before sitting down.

Kidopriest gave him a glance and said, "It's loyalty to God."

"Well, that's great," Kyle responded.

With that, Kyle propped his left hand under his chin, tilting his head as he stared at the burning snake's corpse. The once-massive body now resembled nothing more than a large black stick.

"This bastard ate three of my colleagues. Really had some skill. Damn, not even the bones are left."

Kyle's words carried a hidden meaning.

He was almost deliberately saying it for Kidopriest to hear.

Because in his eyes, Hudening, the law enforcer, was a decent guy, someone who cared about the district and got things done quickly.

But even with two assistants, they all perished at the hands of this beast.

To put it simply, he didn't believe it. He questioned the true nature of the battle.

The city hall would never doubt a report from the Cultivator Guild. What Kidopriest had reported to the city hall was that Hudening, the law enforcer, had been careless and had been blinded by the credit for capturing the wizard, allowing the giant snake to ambush him.

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It seemed very convincing, because everyone knew that Hudening had been keeping an eye on the wizard from Creekwater Village but had no solid evidence.

But Kyle didn't believe it.

"Sigh, who would have thought? Hudening, the law enforcer, was a good guy. The wizard who killed him is already in hell. Kyle law enforcer, God says we must forgive."

"Heh," Kyle let out a cold laugh. It wasn't clear whether he was mocking the priest or ridiculing his faith, or perhaps both.

His attitude made Kidopriest frown. Law enforcers were always so quick to doubt others without evidence. Right now, Kyle had no proof that Kidopriest was responsible for the deaths of those three, yet he insisted on suspecting him.

His nose was as sharp as a dog's, though.

Kidopriest didn't want to linger. Holding his holy text, he recited a new passage. Instantly, the fire seemed to get more oxygen and flared up, burning even more fiercely.

What was supposed to burn until midnight was reduced to ashes in just half an hour, the last remnants of the giant snake's bones completely consumed by the flames.

At this point.

Kidopriest let out what seemed like a tired yawn and said, "Kyle, are you two going back, or do you want to stay the night in Gorn Village?"

"And you?" Kyle asked, glancing sideways.

"I was asking you, Kyle."

"You do what you want, I'm fine with whatever," Kyle said, sticking to Kidopriest's heels like glue.

"Well then... I have to head back. I still need to report to the bishop."

Kidopriest said, turning and walking away immediately. By the time Kyle got up from the ground, Kidopriest had already covered a distance of several dozen meters.

For a priest, his speed was surprisingly fast.

Kyle slapped the apprentice law enforcer, Ratt, who had been dozing off, and then quickly ran after Kidopriest.

However...

He couldn't catch up. Kidopriest's figure remained just out of reach, like an object in the periphery of his vision that stayed at a constant distance, no matter how hard Kyle tried to close the gap.

It wasn't until late at night, when they had reached the town, that the figure finally disappeared around a dark corner.

However...

The real Kidopriest had not left Gorn Village.

He had employed a little trick to deceive Kyle, then quietly slunk southward toward the river near Gorn Village.

In the night, the gentle sound of flowing water echoed.

Following the same river where Ashu had practiced his water sphere technique, Kidopriest moved upstream, passing several stagnant pools along the way.

He identified one of the pools and immediately plunged into it.

He wasn't accustomed to swimming at night, but once he submerged to a certain depth, he reached up, clearing away some debris from a stone. Then, he pressed a peculiar symbol marked with strange patterns against the stone.

Immediately, a faint glow of Magical Essence flashed, and beneath the riverbed, a hidden door opened.

A magical barrier blocked the water flow, but Kidopriest dove in, easily slipping through the opening.

Beyond the hidden door, a vast underground space unfolded.

It was almost like an underground chapel. On either side of the long corridor stood bizarre statues, their forms contorted in strange and unsettling ways.

When Kidopriest reached the end of the hallway and entered the main hall, the high altar at the far end revealed the true nature of the place.

The statue there depicted a humanoid figure with the head of a leopard and wings of a griffin.

"Ah! My lord Cidi."

Kidopriest, who had always been so solemn when promoting the holy Cultivator Guild, now appeared frenzied, driven by an insatiable hunger.

In response to the statue, a naked man emerged from the shadows at the back of the hall, wearing the same leopard-shaped hood.

"Kido, the living sacrifice has been completed. Cidi really enjoyed the blood of those three righteous souls, but... it's not enough."

"Bishop," Kido said, bowing respectfully. He had told Kyle he would report to the bishop, but he hadn't specified whether it was to the bishop of the Cultivator Guild or the bishop of the Cidi cult. "I think the souls of those three should be enough to bring the beast back to life. We need her."

"Are you doubting me?" the bishop's voice was sharp.

"Of course not. My bishop. It's just... we need Carol, and we need her conscious. We need her to make a wish to Cidi. Then we can obtain Ashu, along with the secrets he carries."

"Dammit. If you knew that, why didn't you act sooner? Why let a wizard ruin her?"

"Sorry, bishop. The Witch's Guild intervened, and I had to avoid their influence."

"You don't have much time left, Kido, no matter how you argue. You'd better find a way to speed things up. Do something Cidi likes to watch."

"Of course, as you wish, my bishop."

...

The next day.

Early morning.

After having breakfast, Ashu and Anna set off from Gorn Village toward the nearest town, "Riven."

Before this, Ashu had been to Riven Town many times, mainly to sell the bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables.

He had to act like a thief to avoid getting beaten up by the local fruit and vegetable vendors.

But today was different.

He wasn't smuggling anything; he was here for legitimate business.

"When I passed through here on my way back, the commission for teaching at the Cultivator Guild was picked up right here," Anna said, gazing at the sign for Riven Town.

Riven Town wasn't particularly small. It served as a supply hub for all the surrounding villages and was a major strategic point for border defense. Beneath the surface, it was also home to the Empire's frontier military.

All the commerce in the town, from eating and drinking to all other daily needs, generated significant economic activity.

Ashu walked along the main street's black stone pavement, the sounds of merchants calling out their goods already reaching his ears from a distance.

As he moved forward along the main road, the highest building in sight was the grand Cathedral of the Holy Cultivator Guild.

Ashu had never been inside.

But today, he had no choice but to go.

Obtaining certification from the Cultivator Guild was an essential step for any cultivator in this world. Being certified meant gaining entry into the cultivator community, where one could exchange knowledge, grow, and improve.

Without Cultivator Guild certification, one couldn't even break into the circles of legitimate practitioners. Instead, they would be stuck mingling with uncertified cultivators, a mixed crowd. It would be like searching for treasure in a garbage heap—most of what one would find would be trash, and occasionally one might even encounter some rogue cultivators who could cost you your life.

In short, certification was the difference between the pure and the impure, the clean and the corrupt.

"We'll go for the certification first," Ashu said as he walked. "Once that's done, I want to swing by the town hall. Hudening, the law enforcer, said I had a bonus coming, but Kyle didn't mention it yesterday, so I'll ask if I can claim it myself."

He had brought enough money for shopping today. Holding a simple wedding didn't cost much—so long as he didn't have to offer anything to the Cultivator Guild.

But if he could claim the bonus, he could buy Anna a higher-quality wedding dress. Why not?

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man," and Anna was already beautiful. With a more luxurious wedding dress, she would only become even more stunning. And that would certainly make for a more comfortable evening.

"Whatever you say," Anna replied, holding onto Ashu's arm.

In theory, both of them needed certification today, but Anna had no intention of getting certified.

She wasn't planning to take the rogue cultivator path. The Witch's Guild's certification held more weight than the Cultivator Guild's, and when she left the Witch's Guild, she had packed away all her medals and credentials.