Allen moved a few rocks aside and, through the gap, saw Sunny buried in the rubble.
She was covered in dust and looked utterly miserable.
"Yuli, my leg is stuck in a boulder..." Sunny grimaced. "I'm afraid it's broken. It hurts so bad, I can't move..."
"Don't worry, Sister Sunny! I'll move the rocks and get you out!"
"Stop it! With your skinny arms and legs, and your meager strength, how can you possibly lift a thousand-pound boulder?"
Sunny was at a loss for words.
"Don't be so stubborn! Go get Owen and Jack for help!"
"But, Sister Sunny..." Allen looked troubled. "The way back is blocked by rubble. We can't get out..."
"Huh? We can't be that unlucky..."
Sunny craned her neck from the rubble and peered back at Allen.
Snap!
Alan thoughtfully lit a torch to illuminate the way for her.
In the light, Sunny saw the blocked tunnel, and her heart sank.
"It's over, it's over. What should I do?!"
The two of them stared at each other, their faces filled with worry.
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the darkness.
"Ladies, do you need my help?"
Alan feigned shock, his eyes wide open, staring toward the dark corner where the voice came from.
A cave quietly opened in the rubble.
Minodorus, the minotaur princess, slowly emerged.
…
In the underground maze, beside the collapsed rubble.
The torches on the wall flickered, casting a hazy light.
Sunny sat against the wall, casting a spell to heal her leg injury.
Yuli, the sorceress Alan was parasitizing, sat beside Sunny, her hands resting on her chin, as if listening.
Across from Alan, on a large rock, sat the Minotaur Princess, recounting the unjust accusations she had endured.
"...This is my life story, my experiences."
"I swear on my father's name that not a single word I say is false!"
Tanya's face was solemn.
Alan and Sunny exchanged a look, bewildered.
"Yuli, this sounds incredible. What do you think?" Sunny asked in a low voice.
Alan pondered for a few seconds, then turned to look at Tanya. "Ms. Minotaur, first of all, I must thank you for your generosity in rescuing Sister Sunny!"
"But that doesn't mean we'll just listen to one side of the story."
"Now, repeat your oath."
"Sister Sunny, activate the 'Realm of Honesty'!"
Alan instructed the priestess.
"No, that..." Sunny, feeling somewhat guilty, lowered her voice and asked the sorceress, "The Minotaur just dragged me out of the rubble. What if she's found to be lying?"
"We'll do what we have to do," Alan said gravely. "A favor is a favor, the truth is the truth. The latter takes precedence."
"You're not wrong to say that! But... isn't that a bit too unkind..."
Seeing her companions were even more ruthless than herself, Sunny felt guilty and a little sorry for the Minotaur.
However, she was a priestess of the Holy Light after all. The pursuit of truth and justice was her creed, and she ultimately had to follow the rules. Tanya remained calm, bathing in the holy light as she recounted the truth.
"Sister Sunny, has the 'Realm of Honesty' reacted?"
Alan asked knowingly.
The priestess shook her head and said truthfully, "I don't see any signs of the Minotaur lying."
After a brief hesitation, she added a possibility.
"But that doesn't mean she's telling the truth."
"The Realm of Honesty isn't absolutely reliable."
"What if the Minotaur's mental power is much stronger than mine? Even if she's lying, my 'Realm of Honesty' won't be able to detect it!"
"Sister Sunny, do you think the Minotaur looks like someone with strong mental power?" Alan asked.
"Uh..." Sunny glanced at Tanya and said with a wry smile, "She doesn't look shrewd at all! Logically, her mental power shouldn't be stronger than an orc's, but we can't rule out the possibility!"
At this point, she felt embarrassed and felt she was making a point.
Alan didn't discuss whether low-probability events were worth taking seriously, but instead shifted his line of reasoning.
"Sister Sunny, the Minotaur said she didn't kill the boys and girls sent to the crypt, but treated them as servants."
"The servants stayed with her until not long after, when they were killed by the evil spirits summoned by Princess Ariadne. They were transformed into bound spirits and are now hunting the Minotaur in the crypt."
"On the other hand, Her Highness Ariadne claims that the boys and girls sent to the crypt were killed and eaten by the minotaur monster."
"That presents a contradiction."
"One of the Minotaur and Her Highness Ariadne must have been wrong on this issue." "You've lied!"
"Following this clue, it won't be difficult to uncover the truth."
Sunny nodded and said solemnly, "The concentration of negative energy in this underground palace is abnormally high. Undead spirits are definitely lurking there. Whether they are malevolent spirits remains to be seen."
"Sister Sunny, let's assume for now that the Minotaur Lady is telling the truth. Those male and female servants killed by the malevolent spirits must have left behind corpses, right?"
"That's right! Monsters devour humans, skin and bones. Malevolent spirits have no interest in flesh and blood; they only desecrate souls."
Unconsciously, Sunny's thoughts were being guided by Alan.
"Sorceress, I'll take you to find the servants' remains!" Tanya stood up and asked excitedly, "As long as the remains are intact, that will prove my innocence, right?"
"No, that's not enough!"
Alan shook his head calmly.
"The fact that the bodies are intact only proves you didn't eat them, but it doesn't prove you didn't kill them."
"To find out the truth, we need a confession from the victim."
"Sorceress! Are you kidding me, or are you trying to trick me?"
Tanya feigned anger.
"My servants were killed by evil spirits. The dead can't speak, so how can they provide a confession?!"
"Haha! Madam Minotaur, that's just how ignorant you are."
Alan smiled faintly and put his arm around the priestess beside him.
"My sister, Sunny, specializes in the third-level 'Neccentricity', which can make the dead speak and reveal the truth about their murder."
"Sister, Sunny, that's what you're planning, right?"
Sunny was completely bewildered.
With her intelligence, she really hadn't considered that much.
However, since Yuli praised her so highly, she was happy to act pretentiously in front of others, appearing to be shrewd and farsighted.
"Ah... yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I thought!"
"Yuli, you truly are my confidant! You always know what I'm thinking!"
Tanya, watching this scene from the side, realized that the sorceress was actually Allen's puppet, which meant that Sunny and Allen were having an affair right in front of her.
...and instantly flew into a rage!
"You two, stop it!"
After a furious outburst, Tanya realized she had lost her composure.
"Minotaur, what's it to you? Why do you look so jealous? That's strange!"
A hint of confusion crossed Sunny's eyes.
Tanya quickly tried to remedy the situation!
"I've been framed and wronged by my evil sister, hunted by evil spirits and uninformed adventurers..."
"I've been through so much, and you two are still flaunting your affection in front of me. Haha, do you have any compassion?!"
Sunny saw her face filled with grief and indignation, feeling a pang of guilt.
"Don't be sad, Minotaur. If you're truly innocent, we'll help you eliminate the evil spirits and clear the truth."
"The problem now is, we have to get out of this damn place."
Sunny frowned as she gazed at the tunnel blocked by fallen rocks.
"It's easy. Watch me!"
Tanya walked over to the blocked tunnel and cast a 3rd-level Stoneshaping spell on the pile of rocks.
The rocks rustled in the magical light, transforming from irregular shapes into neat, square bricks.
In an instant, the blocked tunnel was clear.
On both sides of the tunnel, thousands of stone bricks, all made from recycled rubble and garbage, were placed against the walls.
"The path is clear. Let's go."
Tanya led the way, guiding the priestess and sorceress deeper into the underground palace.
Near her chambers lay the stone chambers where the servants lived.
Many servants had been murdered in their sleep by evil spirits that had penetrated through the walls.
Their souls had been desecrated, transformed into bound spirits.
The bodies still lay on the beds, still uncorrupted.
Alan, torch in hand, followed Tanya.
Not far away, the torch suddenly dimmed.
There was no wind in the underground palace, yet the torch seemed to be extinguishing.
At the same time, a faint, chilling aura permeated the air.
It inexplicably made her hair stand on end, and goosebumps spread all over her body! "Stop!"
Sunny reached out to stop Alan, her face grim.
Tanya also stopped and looked back at the priestess, confusion in her eyes.
Sunny raised her left hand.
A holy emblem hung from the chain around her wrist.
The holy emblem was now humming and vibrating!
"There's yin energy!" Sunny said gravely.
Yin energy is the negative energy radiated by the undead.
It can cause plants to wither, livestock to scare, and fires to go out!
"It seems there are indeed evil spirits in this underground palace, and quite a few!"
Sunny grasped the holy emblem and cast the "Detect Undead" spell on herself.
Amidst the silence, the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard.
Alan raised his torch and headed towards the source of the footsteps.
A faint figure flickered in the dim tunnel ahead.
As the three watched warily, two figures sprinted towards them.
In the lead was Jack!
Close behind Jack, followed closely by Owen.
Both were terrified, looking as if they had seen a ghost.
Jack looked up, and in the light of the torch, he saw the priestess and the sorceress, and his face lit up with joy.
"Big sister! Yuli! I finally found you!"
"What's wrong with you two so panicked?" Sunny asked.
"There's a ghost in the underground palace, big sister!"
"There are so many ghosts behind us, chasing Owen and me!"
Before Jack could finish his words, a large group of bound spirits floated out of the tunnel behind them.
These incorporeal souls resembled only vague, dark, humanoid figures.
Silently, it floated through the air.
Only in the glow of the fire could one vaguely see two pale pinpricks of soul fire flickering where the ghost's eyes should be.
"Holy light shines upon the ghost's face, dispelling the evil spirits!"
The priestess held the holy emblem high in her hand, solemnly praying and channeling divine power.
Boom!
The holy emblem in Sunny's hand suddenly erupted with divine radiance!
The bound spirits drifting over from the opposite direction, illuminated by the holy light, covered their faces and twisted, uttering silent screams.
In an instant, they were collectively dispelled.
The following bound spirits remained in the darkness, lingering in place, not daring to approach the holy light's radiant area.
"You two, come quickly!"
Allen called to Jack and Owen, calling for shelter.
Jack ran over without hesitation.
Owen took two steps forward when he suddenly spotted a hideous, minotaur-headed giant standing behind the sorceress. Startled, his pace slowed.
"Miss Yuli! Behind you... a minotaur..."
Owen clutched his battle axe tightly, his words slurring with anxiety.
"The Minotaur just saved me and Sister Sunny. She won't hurt you," Allen explained briefly.
Owen hesitated as Sunny approached.
"Jack, are you okay?"
"Sister, I'm fine, but Owen—"
Before Jack could finish his words, Sunny's hand, which had been aimed at his shoulder, suddenly swung and struck him hard at the base of his neck!
Puff!
Sunny's iron-gloved hand slashed the slender thief's neck with a powerful blow, knocking him down instantly.
His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.
"Big Sister! What are you doing?!" Owen exclaimed.
Sunny remained silent, her face gloomy. She clutched the holy emblem tightly and chanted a divine prayer to herself.
Alan calmed himself, thought for a moment, and finally understood.
"Owen, wait a minute. Didn't you notice something's wrong with Jack?"
"Miss Yuli, I don't understand what you mean..."
Owen, the bald, burly man, looked bewildered.
"When you and Jack ran over here just now, you both saw the Minotaur standing behind me, but your reactions were completely different."
Alan offered a hint.
"You were startled and instinctively stopped. That reaction was very real."
"Jack, however, ignored the Minotaur, as if her presence was perfectly normal."
"Jack had never seen the Minotaur before and only thought she was a monster who preyed on children. His overly calm reaction was illogical."
"Sister Sunny, you must have noticed something suspicious about Jack and determined there was something wrong with him, so you suddenly intervened and subdued him."
"Yuli is right! There's definitely something wrong with this kid Jack!"
The priestess took over.
"If I'm not mistaken, he's probably possessed by an evil spirit!"
"Huh? A bound spirit can do that?" Tanya exclaimed in surprise.
"Ordinary bound spirits can't do that, but powerful evil spirits can!"
Sunny's expression was stern.
Owen froze for a moment, stroking his bald head and muttering to himself.
"Miss Yuli, you're a very attentive person. It's not surprising that you noticed these suspicious things about Jack!"
"But Big Sister... is usually even more careless than I am!"
"I was with Jack, and I didn't even realize she was possessed by a demon. How did Big Sister find out? Incredible!"
"Stupid baldy! Who are you calling careless?"
The priestess glared at him, then suddenly laughed, looking a little embarrassed.
"Okay! To be honest, I didn't notice any of those suspicious details Yuli mentioned!"
"The reason I noticed something was wrong with Jack right away was because... hey, I activated Undead Detection beforehand!"
"As soon as that little thief came over, I smelled a strong scent of the dead!"
"Based on my extensive experience in exorcism, there's only one truth—this unfortunate kid is possessed by an evil spirit!"
"This just goes to show how foresighted and foresighted Sister Sunny is! Truly a Holy Light Priest and Undead Slayer!"
Alan applauded.
"Miss Yuli, no matter how deep your relationship with Big Sister is, there's no need to be so awkward... I'm so sick of you!"
Owen complained bitterly.
"Stop rambling! Baldy, bring me the kettle! I need it!"
Sunny urged Owen grumpily.
"I must act quickly to exorcise the evil spirit possessing Jack!"
Taking the canteen from Owen, the priestess placed the holy symbol on the canteen and chanted the incantation.
In a flash, half a pot of clear water was transformed into "holy water" blessed by holy light!
Sunny signaled to Owen to pinch Jack's mouth open.
Half a pot of holy water was poured into the unconscious Jack's mouth.
Shortly thereafter, as everyone watched, Jack's body suddenly trembled.
A dark shadow could be seen peeling away from him.
The shadow emanated an extremely strong yin energy!
Except for Sunny, the three people present shuddered uncontrollably.
Alan's torch, drained of its heat by the approaching evil spirit, finally went out.
The underground palace was plunged into darkness!