That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 65: Combination of Knowledge and Action 1

"You're Pavard?"

"Yes, sir. It's an honor to meet you."

Under Ronan's hesitant gaze, a round-faced, burly man who was three meters tall and had the appearance of an honest man bowed to him.

Ronan's height of 1.8 meters is already considered outstanding among ordinary people, but compared to Pavard, he is simply a little brother: even when he was sitting on the ground just now, he was almost a head taller than Ronan!

"Brother, did you grow up eating Yao Ming?" Ronan exclaimed, while looking the pastor, who was as tall as a small mountain, up and down.

Unlike the so-called church members who always had rosy complexions and bright robes in my impression, the missionary in front of me was dressed in a drab gray robe with many patches, clearly not changed for years; but this faded robe was not as ragged as a beggar's clothes. Although it was old, it was quite clean and pleasing to the eye.

His appearance lacked any air of superiority or solemnity; he didn't seem like a pastor, but rather like a farmer from next door.

"Which star rating?"

Ronan tried asking.

"Currently attempting to reach the Seven Stars."

Pavard answered frankly.

Holy crap… Ronan opened his mouth wide: “You’re a missionary, do you really need to be this good at fighting?”

Pavard then said something philosophical: "Scripture can help me communicate peacefully with others, while fists can help others communicate peacefully with me."

"interesting."

Ronan laughed. "But I'm curious, why did you come to the war-torn West when you were doing so well as a priest in the capital? Don't you know the West and North are quite unstable?"

When he took Maddie to register at Frost Cathedral last time, he found that most of the priests had left, not even half of their usual number.

The rest were either locals from the West, or they couldn't find anyone else to take their place and that's why they couldn't escape...

"I know. On the way here, I saw quite a few priests heading to the capital."

Pavard nodded.

"But in my view, the calling of believers is to save all beings from suffering. So the more war-torn a place is, the more I should go there. Because there are people who truly need me there. So I submitted an application to the Papacy in the capital to go west."

Ronan raised an eyebrow, surprised that there were still such stubborn cultivators in this day and age.

Unlike the sanctimonious church charlatans he had met, Pavard genuinely practiced his faith by putting it into action, as evidenced by his willingness to fight whenever he saw injustice.

This also explains why the church in the capital approved his trip to the Westerlands—the more prosperous the place, the worse the church tends to be; those charlatans probably disliked him long ago, but Pavar's words and actions were truly impeccable. When he proactively expressed his desire to go to the Westerlands, they were probably eager to immediately stamp his approval and force Pavar out.

"To save all beings from suffering?"

Ronan looked at him with a half-smile. "Does the 'all living beings' you're referring to include witches?"

"Naturally included."

Pavard's words carried a hint of contemplation: "They are also pitiful people shrouded in fate. I think that as long as they follow the right guidance, they too can escape their suffering and move towards the light."

"Then what is the correct guidance? Is it being pushed out to fight evil beasts to the death?"

"..."

Pavard remained silent for a long time, his furrowed brows indicating that he was deep in thought.

"I'm so sorry, I'm too dull and my understanding of the doctrine is too shallow, so I can't answer this question at the moment."

Just as Ronan was wondering if he would try to brush it off with some sanctimonious scripture, Pavard raised his head solemnly.

"However, in my personal opinion, this is clearly not the correct guidance, nor does it conform to true doctrine. In fact, I came to the Westerlands precisely to find this answer."

Pavar then revealed another reason for his westward journey: he had witnessed firsthand the death of a witch in battle in the capital. One moment she was a heroine who had defeated a demonic beast, the next she had transformed into one monstrous creature shrouded in black mist and was defeated by the other witches who had fought alongside her.

The bishop warned them that this had happened because the witch was not devout enough, which angered the gods.

But Pavard knew that the witch had adhered to her beliefs since her awakening, devoted herself to ascetic practices, and saved countless lives—including his when he was a child.

If such a witch is not devout enough, then what about the priests he has witnessed who are merely occupying positions without fulfilling their duties?

This incident greatly shocked Pavard, making him question whether the Church's indiscriminate dispatch of witches to fight evil beasts was justified. In reality, witches were used far more frequently in wars between humans than in battles between humans and evil beasts.

Just then, a rebellion broke out, the entire North fell, and the situation in the West became critical. Pavard then resigned from his position as priest in the capital and volunteered to travel west to preach, attempting to explore the doctrine through action.

That's how he ended up meeting Houston and Dorothy on the way and helping them defeat the rebels.

Ronan initially frowned slightly, but then the corners of his mouth gradually turned up.

"Mr. Pavard, there's no need to be so hard on yourself. At least among the monks I've met, you have the most profound understanding of the doctrine. I admire your unity of knowledge and action, and I thank you for your righteous act of saving the Duke Knight and the witch, which was crucial to rescuing the Western Frontier from its decline."

Ronan patted Pavard's shoulder lightly—though the gesture required him to stand on tiptoe, making it look rather awkward.

"Speaking of which, the mountain territory is currently in need of a priest. Would you be willing to stay?"

"this……"

Pavar didn't immediately understand why the Mountain Territory was short of priests, yet the Thorn Lord was inviting him.

But he quickly nodded: "If Heaven has bestowed upon me such a great responsibility, I will naturally accept it without hesitation."

"very good!"

Ronan told him to rest for a moment, and then told Vance the news.

Vance was initially a little confused, not understanding why, after going to such lengths to get rid of the priest, he was now actively recruiting another one.

After Ronan recounted Pavard's experience, he revealed a look of sudden realization and astonishment: "You wouldn't be thinking of...?"

"It's just a casual move; I don't know how far it will go. Maybe it'll turn out surprisingly well?"

Ronan couldn't help but smile. "The church in the mountain territory won't stay empty forever. Since we'll need another priest sooner or later, why don't we choose one that's more suitable ourselves?"

Vance nodded in deep agreement.

This whole operation was flawless, because Pavar was a bona fide missionary from the capital, and his appointment as pastor of the mountain territory was legally feasible. In fact, if the church in the west didn't approve, they would have to submit a detailed report to the church in the capital.

People are naturally inclined to seek convenience, and even church charlatans are no exception.

In less than five minutes, Vance had completed all the necessary paperwork for Pavard. Thus, this three-meter-tall, calm and collected man transformed from a missionary in the capital into the new pastor of the mountain territory.

"Thank you, Viscount; thank you, Baron. I will certainly uphold my faith and practice my doctrines to save more people from suffering."

Pavard bowed deeply to the two men, a gesture that showed his sincerity, given his size.

"You're welcome—speaking of which, our Thorn Territory has never had a pastor; the last missionary ran away a long time ago."

Seeing Pavard's thoughtful gaze, Ronan smiled and said, "You can come and visit Thornlands when you have time. I think you'll find the answer you're looking for."

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