While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 44: We’ll Just Report Him Under Our Real Names

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: We’ll Just Report Him Under Our Real Names

Twenty highly concentrated Water Bullets burst against the monster’s blood-red skull like a string of firecrackers going off in rapid succession.

The violent impact interrupted its leap mid-air; its strength drained instantly, and it plummeted downward.

Ashu, manipulating his Magical Essence with practiced ease, summoned two flying daggers and pursued the falling body of the beast.

A storm of silver flashed through the air. By the time the creature’s body hit the ground, its limbs were slashed and tendons severed—like it had been carved with ornate patterns.

Thud—

It collapsed, limp and motionless. Its head was mutilated beyond recognition, a bloody pulp from the twenty Water Bullets.

Before it could even let out a final wail, Ashu’s blade sliced clean through its throat.

"Lights out, buddy," Ashu muttered to himself.

This creature was saturated with the same Evil Power found in Cidi’s followers. Clearly, it had been summoned by one of them.

Stepping over the corpse, Ashu re-entered the building.

...

Meanwhile.

Directly beneath Ashu’s feet, in the church’s underground chamber, several figures were deep in discussion.

The ceiling of the basement was crafted from aquamarine gemstones. Even without direct light, the entire chamber gleamed as brightly as day.

"Commander, Your Excellency," said Midaldas, dressed in a bishop’s ceremonial robe, as he looked across the table at the foreigner seated opposite him.

"The test subject is dead. It didn’t last even a full minute against our product."

At the center of the table, a magical projection played—an aerial, third-person view of Ashu slaying the monster.

The Outlander’s eyes glinted with intensity. His demeanor was rugged and brash.

He ran a hand through his thick, dark beard, the corners of his scarred mouth twitching as he spoke.

"Not bad. Looks like you weren’t lying to me. This trip might’ve been worth it after all."

"Would I dare deceive you?" Bishop Midaldas replied smoothly.

"Once you get your hands on the knowledge in that boy’s head—everything he knows about the Witch’s Guild—you could become the future regent of your nation."

It was the oldest trick in the book: paint a grand vision before selling the goods.

The Outlander’s smirk twisted into a more serious expression.

"Midaldas, name your price. But don’t get greedy."

"Two million Atras coins," Midaldas replied, calm and composed.

"That amount is pocket change for a man of your standing. Of course, it’s not nothing to me either—two million is my entire annual tax revenue for this remote little town, not even counting miscellaneous income. But for that sum, you could build an army—an elite force entirely made up of cultivators."

At this, the Outlander’s brown eyes flickered with suspicion.

"It’s not much money, I agree... but Midaldas, cut the crap. Spell everything out for me right now. If you try to screw me over, you know what I’ll do."

"How would I dare toy with you?"

Midaldas kept his voice low and smooth.

"Here’s the deal. Once you pay, you’ll have to take the merchandise with you. I can’t offer delivery this time—Demon Huntress Nun still has her eyes on me and hasn’t left yet. If I slip up, she’ll execute me without hesitation. But you? You’re an Outlander—she has no jurisdiction over you. At worst, it’ll be chalked up as an ordinary kidnapping, wouldn’t you say?"

...

Aboveground.

Ashu moved cautiously through the shadows, making his way back into the building.

Since the creature’s death, the chapel had grown unnaturally quiet.

Not a single Nun stirred, and not a single priest lit a lamp.

It was as if everyone inside had already died.

Suddenly—

Ashu sensed it—Evil Power—the unmistakable kind belonging to a Cidi follower.

Though he lacked the gift of spiritual perception, his proximity was close enough to feel it.

Which meant... a Cidi cultist was hiding somewhere nearby in the darkness.

And judging by the Magical Essence used earlier to unbind the door, it was likely the same person.

"Bishop?" Ashu called out into the shadows, testing the waters.

Whether it was Bishop Midaldas or the Cidi Bishop, they were both bishops. Either way, he wouldn’t be wrong.

And with most Cidi cultists now wiped out, the only one left who could hide in the church was someone of Bishop-rank.

No answer came for a long while.

Ashu pressed on.

"Bishop, I’ve got something I’d like to discuss with you—peacefully. Demon Huntress Nun is about to leave Riven Town. I think it’s time we tried coexisting."

He still avoided specifics. The statement was vague enough that either Midaldas or the Cidi Bishop could pick it up.

A scoffing voice rang out from the darkness, laced with sarcasm.

"Heh... so now that the Nun’s leaving, you finally know fear?"

"Let me guess—she’s still in the church, isn’t she? Otherwise, would you have come here alone?"

That voice confirmed Ashu’s suspicions—it was indeed the Cidi Bishop.

"Bishop! I knew you were here. Don’t you realize? It was Midaldas who summoned the Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns!"

Ashu instantly changed his tone, going on the offensive.

"What did you say?"

"That bastard’s been lying to you all along. Plenty of people can testify to it—he filed the request himself. I think he saw the tide turning, so he tried to silence everyone and keep his own hands clean."

There was a long pause.

Then, from the shadows, the Cidi Bishop stepped forward.

He wore a black priest’s robe, his head still shrouded beneath a hood.

Around his neck hung a gemstone pendant—far from the plain, humble style typical of a holy man.

He approached and said,

"I knew it wasn’t that simple. They’ve kept me locked up here. Midaldas told me you killed Kido, and murdered a bunch of Parishioners."

"Bullshit!" Ashu shot back with sharp conviction.

"Midaldas summoned the Demon Huntress Nun. She pushed the Parishioners into a corner—death was their only way out. Kido was in league with Midaldas. The others had no choice but to drag him down with them. In the end, it was the Nun who killed him!"

"I swear it to the Cidi God himself—if I’ve spoken even half a lie, may my soul suffer eternal torment!"

To the Cidi Bishop, swearing upon one’s god was an act of utmost sanctity and sincerity.

Which meant, in his eyes—

Ashu was a good man.

"Ashu Parishioner, don’t swear oaths here—this is the domain of the Deity of Deceit. If you say it, I believe you. That’s enough."

Ashu gave a slight nod. No matter who he swore to, every oath he uttered had been carefully crafted in advance.

Everything he said just now was technically true—he had simply left out a few details.

"Bishop, what do we do now?"

"Ashu Parishioner..." The Cidi Bishop let out a sigh, then pointed to the gemstone pendant hanging from his neck.

"This is an artifact from the neighboring nation’s state religion. It’s called the Gem of Deceit. Because their state religion worships gods of that type, the gem can fool them—it masks my Evil Power from those false gods. As long as I wear it, no one can sense me... except fellow Cidi Parishioners. So for now, I’m safe. But you..."

"Me?"

"A Commander from the neighboring nation is here. He’s trying to buy you."

"Huh?"

"Ashu Parishioner, just hand over your basic cultivator techniques. That’s what he’s after—not you, per se. But if you refuse, he’ll take you across the border by force. And once you’re in their hands, I fear your fate will be quite grim."

Ashu, hearing this, thought to himself: Just as I suspected.

Then, without changing his expression, he said calmly:

"Bishop, no offense, but think it through—once I hand over the secret technique, do you really think that decrepit bastard Midaldas will let us go? We both know too much. He’ll kill us to tie up loose ends. But if I keep the technique, we still have leverage. We can make him hesitate. It’s our only shot at reviving the Cidi faith!"

"And when the time comes, I’ll pass the technique on to you alone. With that, we can rebuild the Cidi cult from the ground up!"

The Cidi Bishop gave Ashu a long, heavy look.

He hadn’t expected the young man to be so passionate about resurrecting their faith.

A true chosen of the Cidi God...

And if Ashu gave the technique to him alone—that meant he could negotiate directly with the neighboring country.

Or even sell it to multiple nations.

After all, what ruler wouldn’t want an army made entirely of cultivators?

"Ashu Parishioner, the Cidi God was wise to choose you. We leave tonight. That old bastard gave me an assignment today—he wanted me to stall you and send your battle footage to the buyers. He’s in the basement right now. There’s no way he’ll catch up to us in time."

The basement, huh?

Ashu glanced down, noting how deeply it was hidden.

"Bishop, we can’t just run away like this," Ashu said, suddenly shifting the tone.

"Midaldas’s influence is too strong. Even if we escape, he’ll hunt us down. Our only real shot at a future is to drag him down from his throne."

The Cidi Bishop was stunned by the idea.

What was this low-level cultivator even thinking?

"No, absolutely not. Even if we teamed up, we couldn’t beat him!"

"Bishop, you’re thinking about this all wrong. Who said anything about fighting him? We report him—officially. Use our real names. You’ve worked with him for years—don’t tell me you don’t have any dirt on him."

The Cidi Bishop’s eyes lit up.

Now that was clever.

Young people really did have all the good ideas.

He’d spent decades buried in the dark arts, and it had never once occurred to him to report someone.

In the world of cults, reporting someone was a joke—a punchline.

It only earned you scorn from your peers.

But now?

Now it just might be their ticket to salvation.

"Who exactly are we reporting him to?" he asked.

"To the Demon Huntress Nun, of course. You said it yourself—she must be here at the church too."

Upon hearing this,

Cidi Bishop frowned. Something about this didn’t sit right.

"I... you know how it is. In their eyes, we’re just cultists." For once, Cidi Bishop actually downplayed himself.

"If I went to the Demon Huntress Nun to report someone, she wouldn’t believe me. She’d hunt me down instead."

"No worries, leave that part to me. All you need to do is produce the evidence."

"The evidence is the Gem of Deceit. The moment we remove it from him, his Evil Power will be exposed."

"No incantations or anything?"

"None. Just take it off, and boom—his Evil Power will surge out immediately."

At this point, Cidi Bishop tilted his head slightly and asked,

"Wait... what about you? You’re not wearing a Gem of Deceit. Why hasn’t the Demon Huntress Nun killed you yet?"