Demon Bible-Chapter 84: You Dare Kill My Horse?

Naimes raised an eyebrow as the sound of clattering hooves reached his ears moments later.
Accompanying the noise was the distinct stench of horse manure.
Clearly, someone had ridden up on horseback and left a rather substantial deposit right outside his residence.
As the hoofbeats faded slightly into the distance, a woman's voice shouted loudly: "Naimes Dartmanley, you possess no sense of honor! You've betrayed your family, abandoned your parents, and forsaken all dignity! How dare you become a Great Knight? If you have even a shred of honor left in you, resign from your position immediately!"
"That must be Naimes' brainless fool of a sister," Naimes muttered as he pushed open the door and glanced outside.
Several clergy members were already watching the spectacle from hidden positions.
The so-called sister, Cici, had already ridden her horse some distance away from Naimes' house.
"Kru, have someone clean this up," Naimes calmly ordered, showing no anger at the disgusting tactic used against him.
"Naimes..." Seeing Naimes appear, Cici immediately prepared to continue her loud denouncement.
"Shoot her horse," Naimes commanded, and in the next instant, an arrow flew through the air.
Cici reacted immediately, pulling on the reins to turn her horse around.
However, the arrow came too fast and too accurately, striking the horse's body directly.
The arrow pierced clean through, creating a spray of crimson blood mist.
The relatively fine horse immediately lost strength in all four legs and began collapsing to one side. Cici quickly twisted her body, leaping clear and landing safely nearby.
Nearby, Pur approached with a cold expression, dressed in simple hemp clothing.
He raised his head and saluted Naimes.
"You dare kill my horse?!" Cici immediately demanded sharply after landing.
"Is the First Inspection Team present?" Ignoring Cici's questioning, Naimes directly addressed the onlookers.
Among those watching the spectacle, several Holy Knights had no choice but to compose themselves and quickly step forward.
"Members of the First Inspection Team, paying respects to the Great Knight." *3
"According to the Holy Knight Governance Regulations, what is the penalty for riding a horse recklessly into church territory at night?" Naimes inquired.
"And what about the crime of showing contempt toward a Great Knight and verbally insulting a Great Knight?"
"Naimes, are you listening to me—" Cici, seeing that Naimes completely ignored her, angrily walked forward to demand answers, but before she could finish her sentence, she was sent flying backward.
Her head buzzed violently, her vision going completely blank.
She first felt a burning sensation on her face, followed by pain throughout her entire body.
"Is the First Inspection Team present?" Ignoring Cici's questioning, Naimes directly addressed the onlookers.
"The Great Knight represents the church's authority. Insulting him is also a crime of disrespect, requiring three months to one year of hard labor."
The so-called hard labor required the punished to refrain from wearing luxurious clothing or decorations, abstain from rich foods, avoid living in extravagant residences, spend long hours each day praying and repenting before religious statues, and perform compulsory labor, among other things.
In severe cases, offenders might also receive pain punishment—cutting wounds on their hands and feet—before continuing these daily hardships.
The main principle was: if you show disrespect, then suffering will make you repent.
The severity could vary greatly. In light cases, it meant simply living frugally, being honestly confined for repentance for a few months before release.
In severe cases, death could occur within a month.
"Then proceed. What are you waiting for?"
"Riding recklessly into church territory at night, plus allowing your horse to leave filthy waste—treat this severely! Three years of hard labor!"
Cici, who had just regained consciousness on the ground, heard these words clearly.
"Naimes, how dare you do this? How can you possibly do this?!"
"I'm a girl! I'm a noble young lady! How can you hit me and arrest me?!" Cici screamed furiously, her cheeks swollen and her voice cracking from the strain, making her words particularly sharp and vicious.
"Pay no attention. Take her away to begin her punishment." Naimes couldn't even be bothered to look at Cici.
She was nothing but a foolish, unaware pawn.
"Ahhhh!" Seeing two nearby Holy Knights actually preparing to arrest her, Cici immediately screamed loudly, her hand even reaching for the hilt of her rapier.
Noticing this, the two battle-experienced Holy Knights immediately changed their attitude upon seeing her grasp her weapon.
Fortunately, Cici still possessed some 'capability'—she regained some rationality and quickly said: "I am noble-born! I have immunity rights!"
"Besides, I came here specifically to find Naimes. I was just too anxious, that's why I rode recklessly."
"And besides... besides... what's the problem with a sister scolding her brother?" Only at this moment did Cici reluctantly admit her identity as Naimes' sister.
Then, Cici suddenly glared at Naimes, her eyes filled with hatred as she said: "Naimes, are you even reasonable?"
The severity could vary greatly. In light cases, it meant simply living frugally, being honestly confined for repentance for a few months before release.
"You abandoned the family, betrayed the honor of our bloodline, wasted our parents' efforts, left without a word, abandoned me, your sister, without care! Now that you've returned, can't I even say a few words?!"
"What? Did I hit a nerve?"
Cici still refused to admit defeat at this moment. She wanted to see Naimes become furious and frustrated—she wanted to cause him pain and suffering. That would be the best revenge!
"So-called bloodlines are merely bonds for incompetent people to huddle together for warmth. They're inherently dull—what honor could they possibly hold?"
"Honor only ever comes from power. When your strength surpasses mine, then you can come talk to me about what honor means."
After speaking, Naimes drew a sword from one of the Holy Knights nearby. With a flash of the blade—
"Ah!" Only screams remained from the other side.
Naimes personally administered pain punishment to Cici, cutting wounds on both her hands and feet.
During this process, Naimes' somewhat unrefined swordsmanship caused the blade to slip, cutting Cici's mouth.
With her mouth full of blood, a section of her tongue was severed, and several teeth fell out, naturally making it impossible for her to make any coherent sounds.
The Holy Knights from the first team didn't dare delay any longer—Naimes' attitude had made everything clear.
They immediately seized Cici, restrained her movements, and took her away to the prison.
On the other side, Kru paid no attention to the drama, having already used magic to clean up the filth.
He stood nearby waiting for Naimes' instructions while observing the simply-dressed Pur.
From previous observations, Pur seemed to be loyal to the Great Knight.
And given that Naimes had trusted Pur enough to order him to shoot the horse earlier, this indicated special confidence.
This person would probably become the Great Knight's 'retainer'?
Retainers varied in status. Ordinary retainers basically relied on the church for basic sustenance.
But a Great Knight's retainer was essentially a subordinate without official Holy Knight status.
"Seems I should establish good relations with him?" Kru's thoughts raced until he noticed Naimes turning to look at him.
The scrutinizing look in those eyes made Kru tense up immediately.