CA – Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Having accepted the holy water, she could no longer slack off. The next morning, the mercenary squad Yelena and Jane belonged to set off for Hades Town to search for clues about the Black Witches. A murder had just occurred there two days prior, and a knight had detected the presence of a Black Witch in the area.
Tang Qiu did not go with them. Instead, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to conceal her priest's robes and went to a tavern in the city.
The tavern was quiet in the early morning, with only a few hungover drunks sleeping on the tables. A red-haired youth skillfully navigated around them, cleaning up the mess on the tables. Hearing the door open, he looked up with a warm and cheerful expression. "Good morning, beautiful lady."
Tang Qiu gave him a slight nod and walked to the bar to take a seat. The proprietress, who was mixing a drink, pushed a glass cup toward her and said with a wink, "A glass of Forest Morning Dew?"
Forest Morning Dew was a pale green liquid that looked exceptionally fresh. The alcohol content was low and the taste was sweet, making it a favorite among the ladies of Edry.
Tang Qiu smiled and thanked her, but she only caressed the glass with her hand, showing no intention of drinking. The proprietress paused her glass-wiping and glanced at her several times.
Back at the marquis's manor, Tang Qiu had already inquired with the maids and learned that some taverns in the main city provided intelligence services... Tang Qiu took out two silver coins and tentatively pushed them toward the proprietress.
A glass of Forest Morning Dew did not cost two silver coins.
A smile bloomed on the proprietress's face. She put down the glass, leaned in, and whispered, "What do you want to know?"
Tang Qiu leaned closer and said softly, "News from the west."
The west was the Gosse Empire, and recently, there was only one piece of news from there that held any value... The proprietress whispered, "You must have heard that the church in the Gosse Empire was wiped out, right? It's said that the Holy See is displeased that the Gosse Empire still hasn't found the culprit, so they've sent a Cardinal to the Gosse Empire to personally find the killer."
A thought stirred in Tang Qiu's mind. "Has the culprit been found?"
The proprietress blinked. "That, I don't know."
Seeing her pick up a glass and resume wiping it, Tang Qiu knew she wasn't playing hard to get, but truly didn't know. She lifted her glass to her lips, took a small sip, then set it down and offered a gentle compliment, "The drink is very good."
She placed another silver coin on the bar, then adjusted her cloak and stood up to leave.
The red-haired youth, holding a tray, stared blankly at Tang Qiu's departing figure. The proprietress, who was happily counting her silver coins, glanced at the boy, tossed a towel at him, and chided with a laugh, "Stop looking. Is a woman of noble birth someone you can even think about?"
Having run the tavern for many years, the proprietress could tell a person's status with a single glance.
The youth's face turned bright red. He shook his head in denial and lowered his head to continue his work.
After leaving the tavern, Tang Qiu was still pondering the news she had just received. Gosse was one of the three great empires on the continent of Statu. The church established in its main city was considered a key part of the Holy See's power. For it to be wiped out so suddenly, without even a clue as to the culprit's identity, it was only natural for the Holy See to send a Cardinal.
After all, if this matter wasn't handled properly, the Holy See's prestige on the continent would surely decline.
Cardinals belonged to the upper echelons of the Holy See, assisting the Pope directly. Normally, church affairs in other countries were handled by bishops. However, the bishop's seat in the Gosse Empire had been vacant for several months. The previous bishop had died at the hands of vampires, and the Holy See had yet to promote a new one.
Tang Qiu calmly tucked a strand of golden hair that had escaped her hood back into place. She lowered her eyes in thought. If a Cardinal got involved, she wondered if they would discover that one body was missing from the church.
But no matter what, it was best not to use the nameplate she had found on her person.
As Tang Qiu strolled through the streets, a knight from the marquis's manor stopped her. "A murder case just like the one in Hades Town has occurred in Fenlin Town. The Marquis has asked me to take you there to have a look."
Tang Qiu took off her hood and replied with a smile, "Alright, thank you for the trouble."
She decided to put the matter of the Holy See aside for now. Her current priority was to help Charles II catch the Black Witch, especially since she had accepted a bottle of holy water.
Fenlin Town was far from the main city, situated at the very edge of Edry. It was the only town in the area, home to a few dozen people who had little contact with other towns. After the incident, it took several days for anyone to discover what had happened.
Aside from a few young people who had been out of town on the day of the incident, not a single soul was left alive. The state of the bodies was similar to those in Hades Town, but because so much time had passed, the entire town reeked of decay.
Tang Qiu opened the carriage door and nearly fainted from the stench as she poked her head out.
Forcing herself to endure the smell, she stepped out of the carriage. To her surprise, she saw that Marshal Lucille was also there, along with... Lady Anna.
The town had been cordoned off by knights. The bodies were all laid out in an open area, covered with white cloths. Lady Anna was bent over, lifting a cloth to examine the wounds on a corpse. Hearing the commotion behind her, she turned, a smile playing on her lips. "So, the priest has arrived."
Tang Qiu had already removed her cloak. Her pure white priest's robes contrasted with her long golden hair, and the sunlight falling upon her seemed to envelop her in a halo. She had already composed herself and greeted Anna with a natural expression.
Lucille remained on her black steed, keeping a distance from the bodies. A black veil concealed her expression, but her dark red eyes were fixed on Tang Qiu.
The putrid smell grew stronger the closer one got to the corpses. Tang Qiu's brow furrowed. After a moment's hesitation, she walked to Anna's side. The white cloth was half-lifted, revealing a corpse so badly decomposed it was unrecognizable.
Tang Qiu instinctively wanted to look away but forced herself to stop. Since she had come to this world, she had to be mentally prepared to face such things. After all, this continent was not as peaceful as her previous world.
This was the first time Tang Qiu had examined a decaying corpse up close, but fortunately, she had a strong stomach. After a few more glances, it no longer seemed so terrifying.
She held her breath and examined the wounds on the body. They were so mixed with the rotting flesh that they were hard to distinguish. Tang Qiu pondered for a moment, then softly chanted an incantation. A Light Ball appeared out of thin air and hopped onto the corpse.
Anna glanced at the Light Ball, then at Tang Qiu. Seeing Light magic for the first time, she was curious. "What is this?"
Tang Qiu stared at the Light Ball bouncing on the corpse and said softly, "It's a very simple Light magic spell. It can be used to detect a dark aura."
The Light Ball bounced for a while before slowly disappearing.
Anna looked at Tang Qiu, who frowned and said, "There is no dark aura on these bodies."
Otherwise, the Light Ball wouldn't have been so quiet.
Anna thought for a moment. "Could it be that the dark aura dissipated because too much time has passed?"
Tang Qiu didn't know if that was possible, so she thought about it and said nothing.
Dozens of bodies lay in the open space. Tang Qiu walked to the next one, bent down, and lifted the white cloth. Anna was about to follow her but was called away by a knight.
The corpse was no different from the last. Tang Qiu lowered the cloth, but her gaze caught on the corpse's purplish-black, swollen wrist. She paused, then reached out and pinched two grayish-white hairs from it.
They were about a finger's length, and the hair was stiff, looking as if it had fallen from some kind of animal.
As Tang Qiu was looking down at the two grayish-white hairs, she failed to notice a pair of beast-like eyes staring intently at her from the weeds and jumbled wood nearby. Long, sharp claws curled, and drool dripped from the fangs at the corner of its mouth as a strange sound rumbled in its throat.
Lucille turned her head sharply, her dark red eyes staring coldly in that direction. The riding crop in her hand tapped against her saddle.
A grayish-white shadow shot out and lunged at Tang Qiu. Just as its sharp claws were about to touch her waist, they were blocked by a sword. Anna, holding the sword, turned and winked at the stunned Tang Qiu. "No need to thank me," she said with a smile. "It is a knight's duty to protect a lady's safety."
The sound of claws scraping against the blade was piercing. The monster, blocked, threw its head back and roared. The knights who had reacted drew their swords and rushed over to subdue it. Pinned to the ground, the monster still struggled to lift its head and stare at Tang Qiu, its roars turning urgent.
Tang Qiu stepped out from behind Anna. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anna clutching her hand. She glanced over. Anna's wrist had been scratched by the monster's sharp claws, and crimson blood was welling up. She clutched her wrist, looking uneasily toward Lucille.
A hand suddenly reached out and gently pushed her hand away from her wrist. Tang Qiu softly chanted an incantation. A faint white light emanated from her fingertips as she traced it over the wound. The bleeding stopped immediately, and the wound slowly healed, leaving not even a scar.
Tang Qiu released her hand, returning Anna's earlier quip. "It is also a priest's duty to heal a knight."
Anna raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across her lips.
Perhaps stimulated by the aura of light or the scent of blood, the monster pinned to the ground began to breathe heavily. It struggled more violently, sinking its sharp claws into a knight's arm. The knight cried out and let go, allowing the monster to break free. It leaped and lunged toward Tang Qiu and Anna again.
Tang Qiu had noticed the moment the monster began to struggle. She was softly chanting an incantation, about to complete a Light Binding Spell, when a pitch-black riding crop flew horizontally through the air, wrapped around the monster, and slammed it to the ground. Lucille had appeared at some point. She bent down and grabbed the monster's neck with one hand. Blackish-red blood flowed onto the back of her hand, causing her to frown in disgust.
The monster went limp on the ground, its breathing ceased.
Lucille took out a white handkerchief and wiped the blood from her hand, not missing even the spaces between her fingers. She wiped it three or four times but still seemed dissatisfied.
"I can cast a small spell for you," Tang Qiu offered, having been watching Lucille. Seeing her frown deepen, she walked over.
The moment her fingers touched the back of Lucille's hand, Lucille pulled away. She glanced at Tang Qiu and said coldly, "No need."
So cold... Tang Qiu withdrew her hand, surprised at how low Lucille's body temperature was.
"What in the world is this monster?" Anna was examining the monster's corpse over there, asking in confusion, "Is it a demon?"
The monster looked like a hybrid of a human and a beast. Its upper body was human, but its hands and claws were clearly those of a beast. Only parts of its facial features were distinguishable; the rest was twisted together and covered in grayish-white fur. Its lower body was entirely that of a beast. Its body seemed large, but if one looked closely at the discernible parts of its face, one would be surprised to find that it still had the appearance of an infant.
None of the demons summoned by Black Witches that had appeared on the continent so far looked like this.
The monster's strong, fishy smell mixed with the stench of the corpses made Tang Qiu's head spin. She curled her fingers and pressed them against her nose to ease her breathing, her eyes lowered in thought as she stared at the monster's body.
"Take it back," Lucille said, walking to Tang Qiu's side. She glanced down at the monster and commanded the knights behind her.
Tang Qiu lowered her hand, about to say something, when she unexpectedly caught a whiff of a fragrance. It was as crisp and cold as winter air, instantly clearing her breathing. But the speed of her blood flow quietly quickened, and her heart began to pound rapidly.
Lucille had already returned to her horse. Tang Qiu remained standing where she was, touching her nose, lost in a daze.
Anna tapped her on the shoulder and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you?"
"Did you smell a strange fragrance?"
Anna shrugged. "I only smell the stench." She held her forehead and sighed dramatically. "I'm about to faint."
Tang Qiu frowned. On the way back to the carriage, she was still pondering where that scent had come from. She placed a hand over her chest, where her heart had just begun to calm down.
The carriage swayed as it moved forward. Anna rode her horse up to the window. Following Tang Qiu's gaze, she saw her staring at Lucille's back and said with a winking smile, "The Marshal will get shy if you keep staring at her."
"You might as well stare at me."
Tang Qiu came back to her senses and glanced at Anna with a slight smile. She hadn't been staring at Lucille, just zoning out in that direction.
"Isn't Marshal Lucille beautiful?" Anna genuinely enjoyed talking to Tang Qiu. "She's the number one beauty in Edry, but many have failed to successfully invite her for a dance."
Lucille's features were indeed exquisite. Ignoring her dark red eyes, she was like a treasured porcelain doll displayed in a shop window, especially with her excessively pale skin that looked as if it would crack at the slightest touch.
She was a beauty, but an unapproachable one. Despite having a head of fiery red hair, she seemed to be covered in a layer of frost.
"Perhaps it's because Marshal Lucille hasn't found a knight she fancies in Edry."
Anna laughed and said mysteriously, "Actually, it's because Lucille can't dance."
Tang Qiu: "..."
Not far from them, Lucille, who could hear everything they were saying, turned her head and called out a warning, "Anna."
Anna shrugged at Tang Qiu, then rode her horse to Lucille's side, riding abreast with her. The horses gradually pulled away from the carriage. "Marquis Davis has contacted the Sengo Mercenary Squad."
"They have an experienced high-level swordsman in their team."
"These few priests and the young swordsman are just a front." Anna paused, then glanced back at the carriage, a playful look in her eyes. "I've figured out all of their strengths, except for this Grace."
The blonde priest in the carriage seemed friendly and gentle, but Anna felt her guard was up higher than anyone's.
After a long silence, Lucille finally responded, "Her aura of light is very strong."
Realizing she was referring to Grace, Anna nodded. "Should we have someone watch her?"
"No need."
"Then..." Anna had just spoken a word when she saw Lucille suddenly lower her head. She stopped talking, her brow furrowed.
The color of Lucille's dark red eyes suddenly changed. The dark hue slowly faded, leaving pupils so red they looked as if they could drip blood. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. When she opened them again, they had returned to normal, but her expression was grim.
Anna opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare say anything. From years of experience, she knew that Lucille was absolutely not to be provoked at a time like this.
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