CA – Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Fallen Crow Forest was located at the northernmost tip of Hades Town, so remote it was almost outside the borders of Edry. Many tall mist trees grew here, their leaves remaining lush and evergreen even in the dead of winter, presenting a scene of vibrant life at a glance.
The sky had dimmed slightly by the time the group arrived at the entrance to Fallen Crow Forest. The knights who had gone ahead to clear the way had already dismounted and were deftly setting up tents. By the time Tang Qiu and the others arrived in their carriage, the comfortable and exquisite-looking tents beside the forest entrance were a more eye-catching sight than the vibrant trees.
Tang Qiu stepped down from the carriage just in time to see Lucille's back disappear through the flap of the largest, most luxurious tent.
Anna chose a tent that was to her satisfaction. Catching sight of Tang Qiu out of the corner of her eye, she turned, waved, and invited with a smile, "Want to stay with me?"
Tang Qiu politely declined but chose the tent next to Anna's. Anna was a little disappointed by her refusal but didn't insist, ducking into her tent.
As for the search for the Black Witch, Lucille's party made it clear through their actions that they had no intention of helping. Yelena and Jane had no opinion on the matter. The moment they got off the carriage, they ran to the spot where they had found the deadwood and waved Tang Qiu over. "Grace, it's right here."
Tang Qiu walked over and looked where Yelena was pointing. It was an unremarkable patch of empty ground, distinguished only by a slightly denser collection of weeds and dead branches. She softly recited an incantation, and a Light Ball appeared again, landing on the empty space.
Yelena and Jane stared intently at the Light Ball, but it remained motionless, docile and gentle.
A glint flashed in Tang Qiu's eyes, but before she could speak, Yelena had already cried out, "This is impossible! I found it right here."
A flicker of doubt crossed Jane's face as well. "If a Black Witch really did stop here, the Light Ball should have reacted," she said, uncertain. But if she hadn't, why would a dead branch here be tainted with a dark aura?
Tang Qiu tried to offer a reasonable explanation. "Perhaps the Black Witch simply tossed this branch aside as she was passing through."
Yelena was speechless. Unwilling to accept this answer, she looked up and asked Tang Qiu, "Can you follow the dark aura on the branch to find the Black Witch?"
Tang Qiu replied tactfully, "I'm afraid that's something only a Priest could do." She was currently just a junior cleric who had only been on the job for a few days.
Yelena looked deflated. Jane patted her shoulder comfortingly and suggested, "Let's go inside and investigate. Maybe we can find other clues about the Black Witch."
Tang Qiu nodded, having no objections.
The troop of knights Lucille had brought was ordered to set up camp several thousand meters away. Here at Fallen Crow Forest, only Lucille, Anna, and two or three knights remained. The knights obeyed Lucille's commands, and Yelena's group of three couldn't order them around. So, when they entered Fallen Crow Forest, they were only accompanied by the three young swordsmen from their own mercenary squad.
Compared to the fit and capable troop of knights, these three young swordsmen seemed rather unimpressive. Even Yelena, who had originally held a favorable impression of one of them, William, found her interest waning considerably.
From the outside, Fallen Crow Forest didn't look very large, but once inside, they discovered that was an illusion. The truth was that it was absurdly large.
The mist trees were tall and straight, and after wandering in circles for a while, it was easy to lose one's bearings. Acknowledging that her sense of direction wasn't the best, Tang Qiu took the situation seriously and used light magic to make small marks on the tree trunks.
When Yelena saw this, although she didn't voice her disdain, she inwardly felt Tang Qiu was making a fuss over nothing and wasting light element.
And then, they got lost.
Yelena's face burned with embarrassment. She glared at Tang Qiu, her embarrassment turning to anger. "Didn't you make marks?"
Jane frowned and shook her head at Yelena.
Tang Qiu paid no mind to Yelena's nitpicking. She touched the tree trunk that she had clearly marked, a look of confusion on her face.
One of the young swordsmen said uncertainly, "It looks like there are traces of sword energy scrapes here."
He saw Tang Qiu turn to look at him. Meeting those beautiful, sky-blue eyes made him so nervous he stammered, "I-I've just seen people use sword energy like this before. The m-marks look very similar."
"But I'm not entirely sure," the young swordsman added, lacking confidence.
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded at him, then glanced at the tree trunk again, her fingers stroking the somewhat smooth bark, lost in thought.
The sky had completely darkened. They had to get out. The winter nights were freezing, and besides, their food and water were back at the tents.
It had taken them ten minutes to get in, but an hour to get out.
The moment the cleric and young swordsmen, who had nearly gotten lost in Fallen Crow Forest, emerged, they were greeted by the aroma of food. A bonfire lit up the darkness. Anna was standing by the fire, instructing a knight on how to cook a mushroom and meat stew. Hearing the commotion, she turned and waved at Tang Qiu, casually asking, "Excuse me, Your Excellency the Cleric, did you find any clues?"
Yelena's face was dark as she remained silent. Tang Qiu, however, was composed, her expression gentle and refined. She shook her head honestly. "No."
All the time they had wasted was spent trying to find their way out.
Speaking of which, from her interactions with Yelena and Jane over the past few days, Tang Qiu felt they were overly confident in their abilities, like newborn calves that don't yet know fear. Or did they think clerics were omnipotent, especially when it came to dealing with dark creatures?
They had barely learned a few light spells, yet they weren't the least bit worried about facing a Black Witch of unknown power head-on.
The moment Tang Qiu knew the Black Witch wasn't Erin, she had already started devising several escape plans in her mind.
Anna handed Tang Qiu a bowl of mushroom stew and had her sit beside her, chatting idly with her about interesting events in Edry, with Charles II being the main subject.
Tang Qiu listened quietly, offering occasional responses, without seeming too gossipy, but also without making Anna feel ignored. The hot mushroom stew warmed her chilled body from the inside out. Tang Qiu set the bowl down and noticed Anna kept glancing distractedly at Lucille's tent. She couldn't help but raise her eyes to look as well.
Lucille's tent was perfectly still, without a glimmer of light. If Tang Qiu hadn't seen Lucille go in with her own eyes, she would have suspected it was empty.
Anna noticed the confusion in Tang Qiu's eyes. She blinked and said with a smile, "The Marshal is asleep."
With a ripping sound, the closed tent flap was torn open, and Lucille emerged. She walked past them without a word, her face expressionless.
Anna coughed dryly. "...It seems she's awake."
Lucille walked to the entrance of Fallen Crow Forest and stopped. She looked up through the dense foliage at the bright, round moon, half-hidden by clouds. Her expression was cold, tinged with a subtle melancholy.
Her pure black dress made her almost merge with the night. Her long red hair lost its luster in the darkness. Her red lips were colorless, and only her skin remained fair, exuding a sickly weakness. Right now, she didn't look like Marshal Lucille, the object of Edry's admiration, but more like an ordinary young girl weakened by illness.
Lucille's appearance stunned everyone present, including Tang Qiu.
Because she was a completely different person from the Lucille she had seen at the banquet.
Anna carried a bowl of soup over and said in a low voice, "Marshal..."
Lucille shot her a sidelong glance. Her dark red eyes flickered slightly, giving off a somewhat demonic glint in the darkness.
Anna involuntarily took a step back, a chill running down her spine. But to avoid letting others see anything was amiss, she forced herself not to turn and leave.
Lucille was not as approachable as Anna. Aside from Tang Qiu, Yelena and Jane had never even exchanged a word with her. So, while they were surprised by her somewhat frail appearance, they weren't overly curious.
Tang Qiu, on the other hand, was quite curious, but she had no mind to focus on such things right now. After Anna walked away with the bowl, her body once again experienced a strange phenomenon. Just like in Fenlin Town, her heart suddenly began to beat uncontrollably fast, and the blood in her veins began to boil for some unknown reason.
There was one small difference from her experience in Fenlin. She clenched and unclenched her fists; her knuckles were itching. Tang Qiu frowned and tried casting a healing spell on herself, but it had no effect.
The fluctuation of light energy attracted Jane's attention. She looked over curiously and noticed Tang Qiu's strange expression. "Grace?" she asked.
Tang Qiu looked up and gave her a small smile, then shook her head to indicate she was fine. The rising heat in her body made her tug at the collar of her cleric's uniform. As she tilted her chin up, her gaze fell upon the moon hanging in the night sky, surrounded by a multitude of stars, and she stared at it in a daze.
Jane watched Tang Qiu with puzzlement for a moment. Just as she was about to look away, she was startled to see that her long golden hair was slowly turning white from the tips. Jane subconsciously rubbed her eyes, only to realize she had been mistaken.
The white was just the moonlight reflecting off her golden hair.
A sudden cold fragrance wafted over, instantly clearing Tang Qiu's chaotic thoughts. Her heartbeat gradually slowed. She lowered her head and looked at her still tingling palms, slowly regaining her composure.
This fragrance was the same one she had smelled in Fenlin...
"What's wrong with you?" After seeing Lucille back to her tent, Anna returned to sit beside Tang Qiu. Seeing her grave expression, she asked in confusion.
Tang Qiu shook her head. After a pause, she leaned towards Anna and discreetly sniffed. The cold fragrance was faint, almost imperceptible.
"Grace?" Seeing her lean in, Anna subconsciously straightened her back, puffing out her impressive chest.
"Um... what kind of sachet are you wearing?"
Anna's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She took the sachet from her waist and gave it to Tang Qiu. "It's a gift for you."
Tang Qiu took it and sniffed. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly. Then she gave Anna a serene smile and said softly, "Thank you."
The fragrance wasn't coming from the sachet.
What kind of scent could possibly affect a cleric? Dark magic? But it seemed she was the only one who could smell it.
Tang Qiu sat there for a while, her mind elsewhere. Seeing that it was getting late, she said goodbye to Anna and returned to her tent. She began to flip through her cleric's manual, hoping to find some information she should have known but had forgotten.
Yelena, Jane, and Anna returned to their tents one after another. The flames of the bonfire dwindled and finally went out. A sword-wielding knight stood guard stiffly beside the tents.
Behind a thicket of overgrown weeds, four or five swordsmen sat on the ground. Their captain, David, stood behind the bushes, observing the situation on the other side through a gap. Only when the bonfire went out and that area was plunged into darkness did he retract his gaze.
"Captain, when do we make our move?" a swordsman with a baby face asked curiously.
"Wait until tomorrow. Lure those three clerics deep into Fallen Crow Forest, and we'll take that opportunity to strike," David said, unbuckling the broadsword from his waist. He placed it carefully on the ground before sitting down himself.
Hearing David's words, the baby-faced swordsman let out a wail. "Do I have to keep erasing that cleric's marks tomorrow?" He had a mournful look on his face. "That blond cleric's light magic is such a pain to clean up."
David thought for a moment, then looked at another person and asked, "How much of the dark potion is left?"
The swordsman took out a small glass bottle. Only a third of the black liquid inside remained.
David made the final decision. "Use this to lead them to the deepest part of Fallen Crow Forest. The terrain here is complex; it won't be so easy for them to find their way back." They had easily lured them here with the dark potion; leading them deeper into the forest probably wouldn't be too difficult either.
Their mercenary squad had been established for some time, but they had never faced clerics before, so they couldn't gauge the strength of these three.
However, even if they did know their strength, David would still choose to attack Lucille when they were absent.
Because no mercenary squad was willing to make an enemy of the Holy See.
With the plan for tomorrow set, David assigned two people to stand watch while the rest got some sleep to recuperate. The night wind was chilly. David, who had already drifted into a light sleep, had no idea that this location, which he had personally chosen solely for the convenience of completing his mission, was actually hiding a Black Witch.
In the depths of Fallen Crow Forest, a winding stream flowed quietly. Blood stained the grass red but couldn't submerge the pile of corpses on the bank.
A figure in white knelt on the grass, their white robes almost completely dyed red with blood. In front of her was a pitch-black jar containing the "materials" she had meticulously collected. Her hands were long and slender, her fair fingers stained with dirt and blood. A moonbeam shone down through the branches overhead, illuminating a deathly pale face and crimson lips that flickered in and out of the darkness.
The Black Witch dragged a nearby corpse over. A corner of her mouth lifted as her long fingers plunged into the corpse's chest and ripped out its heart. The heart, long since stopped, was like a lump of rotten meat in her hand. She pursed her lips, somewhat dissatisfied, and tossed it into the jar.
Her blood-drenched hand hovered over the jar. The Black Witch's eyes were half-closed as she murmured, her harsh and incomprehensible incantations drifting through the night. A malevolent wind blew past, lifting the white robes of the Black Witch and giving off a sinister, eerie aura.
As the Black Witch chanted, the jar suddenly burst into cyan flames. A puff of white smoke emerged, and the bloody water in the stream began to bubble. The Black Witch opened her eyes and slowly reached her hand out.
A grayish-green hand shot out of the water and seized the Black Witch's hand. A monster, more than twice the height of a man, emerged from the water. Its skin was grayish-green, its features terrifying, half-human and half-beast.
The Black Witch let out a low laugh, looking up at the monster with great satisfaction. "Let this continent be plunged completely into darkness."
"Before the Dark God descends, we witches will fill this continent with the servants of darkness."
"I, Laurel Garcia, swear this in the name of the third generation of the Garcia Family witches."
Meanwhile, in a corner of Hades, Erin, wrapped in a cloak, was shivering from the cold. She stared blankly at the empty street, her nose red from the cold, looking utterly pitiful.
"Ah, that damned cleric." Erin picked up a small stick and viciously wrote Grace's name in the dirt, then forcefully scratched it out.
Her hand, exposed for only a moment, was already nearly stiff with cold. She sullenly tossed the stick aside and stared into space for a while before starting to mutter to herself, "I have to get to the Bill Empire."
"A cleric... where am I going to find another cleric?"
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