CA – Chapter 7
Chapter 7
On the continent of Statu, the people who knew how to enjoy life the most were undoubtedly the nobility. Even though Lucille was a marshal accustomed to leading armies into battle, it didn't detract from her penchant for enjoyment.
Take the few casually erected tents in the clearing, for example. Tang Qiu hadn't been inside Lucille's, so she didn't know what it was like, but the one she was staying in had a bed that was even softer than the one at Marquis Davis's mansion.
However, after a night's sleep on such a soft and comfortable bed, she woke up with an aching back and stiff bones. Tang Qiu propped herself up with her elbows and rubbed her temples, her mind feeling groggy.
After returning last night, she had gone through all the books she had on priests but couldn't find a single piece of information about her abnormal condition.
Tang Qiu lowered her gaze, staring blankly at the blanket that had slipped down to her legs. She had gone straight to sleep after finishing the books last night, but why did she feel like she had forgotten something?
An anxious cry came from outside the tent. Yelena opened the flap and looked at Tang Qiu, who was still sitting on the bed, her face filled with panic. "Grace, something's happened."
Tang Qiu paused for a moment, then threw off the blanket and got out of bed. She quickly tidied herself up, then bent down and exited the tent, her eyes widening slightly at the scene outside.
Yelena and Jane stood on either side, simultaneously chanting the same spell. The Illumination Spell formed a barrier-like shield in front of everyone.
Anna stood in front of the tent, watching them quietly, not quite understanding why they were so nervous. After all, from her perspective, it was just a bit cloudier and foggier than yesterday.
But from Tang Qiu's point of view, she could already see many things Anna couldn't, such as the dark aura that had suddenly enveloped the entire Fallen Crow Forest.
Jane turned her head to glance at Tang Qiu and, seeing her still in a daze, couldn't help but urge, "Grace!"
Tang Qiu came back to her senses, walked over to Jane's side in a few steps, and softly chanted a spell. A barrier of light over ten meters wide appeared before them.
Yelena and Jane both let out a sigh of relief, finally able to stop forcing themselves. "What on earth is going on? Is this the work of a Black Witch?"
Yelena and Jane were the first to notice the spreading dark aura. When they came out of their tents and saw the situation, they immediately used the Illumination Spell without a second thought.
The dark aura was harmful to ordinary people. As priests, they could resist it with the power of light, but there were ordinary people like Anna here.
However, what she hadn't expected was that Tang Qiu hadn't been the first to sense this dark aura. Moreover, the commotion outside hadn't woken her up, even though she was usually a very self-disciplined person.
"Such a strong dark aura. We probably can't handle a Black Witch of this level," Jane said, assessing their strength before shaking her head dejectedly.
Tang Qiu pressed her forehead and looked toward the Fallen Crow Forest in a daze. Her sluggish thoughts prevented her from responding to Jane as promptly as usual.
Yelena was hesitant. She was reluctant to return the Holy Water, but it was just as Jane said; they were definitely no match for this Black Witch. After all, they couldn't even block the dark aura she created.
"What's that?" Anna asked, looking at the mist-filled forest where figures seemed to be moving.
Tang Qiu, Yelena, and the others looked up at the same time. After trying to make it out for a while, they could indeed see figures moving. It wasn't just one person, but rather several people fighting something.
"What is..." Tang Qiu stared into the mist for a moment, then suddenly frowned. She reached out, pulled Yelena from in front of her, and said in a low voice, "Danger."
A figure flew horizontally out of the mist, passed through her light barrier, and landed right where Yelena had been standing. The man's swordsman attire was filthy with blood and mud. He lay on the ground clutching his chest, but his sword was still held firmly in his hand.
Seeing the man's pained expression, Jane walked over and cast a healing spell on him.
The healing power of light magic was definitely one of the reasons the Holy See stood unshaken on the continent of Statu. With just a simple healing spell, the pain on the man's face was already halved.
He opened his eyes, about to offer his thanks, but a flash of embarrassment crossed his baby face when he saw where he had landed. He covered his mouth and coughed, pretending nothing was wrong. "Thank you."
Anna looked at the baby-faced man, her eyes slowly narrowing.
"My companions are still in there..." The baby-faced swordsman stood up, clutching his chest. He used his sword to support himself, looking like he wanted to go back in to find his companions.
Tang Qiu stopped him and asked, "What happened in there?"
The baby-faced man's tone was bitter. "It's a monster." He sighed. "A Half-Human Monster, a type of monster with extremely high destructive power and a certain degree of intelligence."
There were many types of monsters, and the Half-Human Monster was one of the most common.
Black Witches loved to summon this kind of monster to protect themselves.
Tang Qiu didn't know much about monsters yet, but Yelena and Jane's expressions had already turned grave upon hearing the words "Half-Human Monster."
"Why are you here?" Anna asked, crossing her arms and looking at the baby-faced swordsman with a faint smile.
The baby-faced man looked a little uncomfortable. He coughed again and explained, "We are the Sengo Mercenary Squad. We came here to complete a mission and didn't expect to encounter a monster."
Speaking of this, the baby-faced man had a bellyful of grievances he wanted to vent. They had been to Fallen Crow Forest countless times and could walk through it with their eyes closed without getting lost, which was why they had chosen to lead Lucille and her group here.
Who would have thought that a Black Witch had actually taken over the place? Last night, while they were sleeping, the Half-Human Monsters roaming the Fallen Crow Forest found them. They were suddenly awakened and thrown into battle. The baby-faced man was still shaken.
A mercenary squad... A thought stirred in Tang Qiu's mind as she looked the baby-faced man up and down, her thoughts unreadable.
The baby-faced man was very worried about his captain and the others. Feeling that his injuries had lessened, he gripped his sword and prepared to charge back into the mist. But just as he took a step, a figure suddenly flew out of the mist and landed beside him, followed by a second, a third... and finally, the sight of David entangled in a fight with a Half-Human Monster.
Once it was out of the mist, Tang Qiu finally saw the Half-Human Monster's true form. It had grayish-blue skin like a corpse, a hideous face, and the lower body of a beast. Seeing this hybrid style for the first time, she couldn't help but take a step back. The visual impact was just too strong.
Tang Qiu didn't know whether this Half-Human Monster's appearance was more terrifying or if the monster she had seen in Fenlin Town that day was stranger.
When Anna saw the monster appear, her expression also became serious. She drew the sword from her waist and held it horizontally in front of her chest in an attack stance.
"Attack its head," David shouted over to them while dodging the monster's attacks. He was a high-level swordsman and had experience fighting Half-Human Monsters.
Tang Qiu was the first to react after David's shout. She softly chanted a spell, and the most powerful offensive spell she could currently use, the Light Binding Spell, flew toward the Half-Human Monster like a rope, tightly constricting its neck.
The Half-Human Monster let out a piercing shriek, its cracked hands desperately clawing at its neck, trying to throw off the "rope."
For dark creatures, any form of light aura was enough to cause them harm.
Yelena and Jane, who reacted next, followed Tang Qiu's lead and used their most powerful light magic, aiming for the Half-Human Monster's head.
The light magic blinded the Half-Human Monster. David seized the opportunity, leaped, and brought his broadsword down on the monster's neck from above. With a crack, its head was severed and rolled under a tree. Its body, due to inertia, pitched forward, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Without the monster's wailing, it instantly became much quieter. David sheathed his broadsword and turned to look at Tang Qiu and the others. Facing the companions of his mission target, his expression was much more natural than the baby-faced man's. "It's very dangerous here. I suggest you leave as well."
No matter what, the plan could no longer be carried out. David felt a little regretful, his gaze discreetly glancing at Lucille's tent. Despite all the commotion outside, she hadn't come out to see.
David felt he needed to investigate Lucille more carefully.
Apart from Anna, no one else present knew what was on David's mind. Tang Qiu stared into the dense fog, a trace of worry in her sky-blue eyes as she said softly, "We can't leave."
David was stunned. He followed her gaze and saw two massive figures, each over two people tall, slowly emerge from the dense fog. The beast's claws left prints on the ground. The Half-Human Monsters looked at their companion's corpse, then bent down and roared at Tang Qiu and the others.
One high-level swordsman could only handle one Half-Human Monster. The baby-faced man and the others were mid-to-low-level swordsmen who could withstand the monster's attacks but couldn't hold out for long. Fortunately, there were three priests present. Healing spells were cast one after another, making this team of pure swordsmen begin to envy other mercenary groups that had priests.
The priests' light magic could harm the Half-Human Monsters, but because its attack power was insufficient, it couldn't kill them directly. They could only coordinate with the swordsmen to delay, waiting for David to finish off one first.
However, David wasn't having an easy time.
Tang Qiu calmly analyzed the situation. A healing spell landed on David, instantly stopping the bleeding from his injured arm. Chanting a spell in a low voice, she decided to help David deal with this Half-Human Monster first.
David turned his head and nodded gratefully at Tang Qiu. This blonde priest's light magic was the most powerful of the three, and even her healing spells were more effective.
With Tang Qiu focused on helping David fight the Half-Human Monster, the situation for Yelena and the others became tricky. Although there were many of them, few could actually harm the monster. After resisting for a while, they couldn't hold on any longer. The baby-faced man and the other mercenaries were sent flying again.
The Half-Human Monster let out an angry roar, slammed its fists on the ground, and then leaped toward where the mercenaries had landed, stomping a magnificent tent under its foot.
Tang Qiu's peripheral vision caught the situation over there, and her brow furrowed slightly. The tent the Half-Human Monster had stomped on was Lucille's...
Suddenly, a loud "bang" drew everyone's attention. The Half-Human Monster that had been arrogantly stomping on the tent while looking for the downed mercenaries was suddenly sent flying.
An afterimage flew toward the Half-Human Monster. A slender, delicate arm grabbed its massive head and, with a forceful tug, ripped it clean off.
Lucille jumped down from the Half-Human Monster's shoulder, casually tossed the head aside, and looked down at the blackish-red blood splattered on her body and hands, her brow slowly furrowing.
Beside her, Tang Qiu was quick to act, casting a cleaning spell on her.
Lucille paused, then glanced up at her. Her gaze met those sky-blue eyes that seemed to always hold a gentle warmth. Her eyes flickered slightly before she coolly averted her gaze.
"That's not a swordsman..." David, having just beheaded the Half-Human Monster, turned around just in time to see Lucille fly out of the tent. Her movement speed and the astonishing power contained in her slender arms made him gasp.
This was simply not an ability a swordsman would have, not even a sword saint.
That speed isn't something a human can achieve... David stared blankly at Lucille, suddenly regretting taking on Marquis Davis's mission.
Tang Qiu heard David's muttering, turned to look at him, and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"
David composed himself and shook his head cautiously. "It's nothing." He glanced at Lucille again, then bent down to help his companion who was still on the ground.
"Marshal, what should we do now?" Anna came to Lucille's side, her expression grave as she looked toward the Fallen Crow Forest. The mist there had not yet dispersed, and there was no telling how many more Half-Human Monsters were hidden inside.
Lucille looked down, wiping the blood from her hand with a handkerchief, and said nothing.
After helping all his companions up, David went directly to Tang Qiu to say his goodbyes. "A Black Witch who can summon Half-Human Monsters is at least a fourth-generation witch. She should still be in the Fallen Crow Forest right now. If you're not leaving, you should be careful."
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded. "Alright."
David supported his companions and left without looking back. The sudden encounter with the Half-Human Monsters had already caused their squad heavy losses, and Lucille didn't seem to be human. David had already decided to abandon this mission.
Anna frowned as she watched them leave but ultimately didn't stop them. If it weren't for the need to deal with the Black Witch before them, she certainly wouldn't have let this mercenary squad hired by Charles II leave.
Yelena and Jane were healing the injured knights. Tang Qiu walked over to Lucille and Anna. Seeing Anna still staring at the backs of David and his men, she said in a somewhat helpless tone, "They'll be back."
Anna looked at her in confusion.
Tang Qiu explained, "Because they can't get out." She sighed. "Haven't you noticed the fog has spread?" They were now also within the dense fog.
According to the Holy See's records on dark creatures, the dense fog was a Black Witch's Dark Domain. It was an ability they gained after submitting to the Dark God. Within the Dark Domain, the only way to escape was to find the Black Witch's true body and defeat or kill her.
Otherwise, one could only starve to death or be killed by monsters inside.
Anna instinctively looked at Lucille. Lucille coldly threw the handkerchief away, found an empty tent, and went inside without saying a word.
The knights whose injuries had improved began to clean up the mess. David, who had been leading his companions away, came back after walking in a circle. Meeting Tang Qiu's gaze, he said with relative composure, "The witch's Dark Domain has formed. We can't get out anymore."
Tang Qiu smiled, her tone gentle. "I think we worked well together, don't you?"
"The more people we have, the better our chances of defeating the Black Witch." David had also run back with the intention of joining forces with Tang Qiu's group.
Tang Qiu nodded. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "What about your mission?"
David's expression was natural. "We can't complete it, so we gave up."
"Oh?" Tang Qiu lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly curled her lips into a smile and lowered her voice. "If we can get out, I might have a small mission for you. Interested?"
David looked at her questioningly.
Tang Qiu smiled slightly, took out a bottle containing only a third of the Holy Water of Light, and handed it to David. The smile on her lips was friendly and gentle. "A deposit."
The battle with the Half-Human Monsters had left the main combatants, David and the other swordsmen, extremely exhausted. In the dense fog, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night. Anna arranged for knights to stand guard while everyone else returned to their tents to rest, waiting to be fully refreshed the next day before venturing into the depths of the forest to find the Black Witch.
Tang Qiu returned to her tent, first stretching her still somewhat stiff body, then casually ate some food before leaning against the head of the bed and starting to flip through a spellbook, hoping to find a way to break the witch's Dark Domain.
Outside the fog, night quietly fell. Tang Qiu didn't know how long she had been reading, only that her eyelids were growing heavier and heavier. She couldn't stop yawning as waves of sleepiness washed over her. Helpless, she could only put the book down, tidy up, and get under the covers, ready to sleep.
The soft bed sent her directly into a state of sleep, and her breathing gradually became steady.
Time ticked by. Only the sound of Tang Qiu's steady breathing could be heard in the quiet tent. But as time passed, her breathing grew heavier. She restlessly pushed the blanket away, and the button at her collar popped with a faint sound. Beads of sweat formed on Tang Qiu's forehead. Her long golden hair began to fade from the tips, the strands gradually turning snow-white.
Tang Qiu opened her eyes in a daze, feeling as if her body was engulfed in flames. All her joints began to itch, an itch that made her irritable. The clarity and calmness in her mind slowly disappeared, replaced by a ferocity and a desire for destruction that filled her entire being.
Something was wrong. Tang Qiu sat up, clutching her head and shaking it. She felt a little more awake. However, the snow-white strands of hair falling over her chest made her freeze. She picked up a lock of hair and examined it carefully to confirm she wasn't seeing things.
"Is this a hallucination? Or a dream?" Tang Qiu tried to find a reasonable explanation for her abnormality. "Is it the Black Witch's magic?"
A series of cracking sounds came from her knuckles. Her hands became longer and more slender, her sharp nails glinting with a cold light.
As Tang Qiu stared at her hands in a daze, her chest and the side of her neck suddenly burned hot. She frowned and pulled her collar open a bit, surprised to find that some white, totem-like patterns had suddenly appeared on her body. Unlike the mark of light on her arm, this pattern felt as if it were innate.
She reached up to touch her neck. Although there was no mirror in front of her, she knew the same pattern was on the side of her neck.
"What is this..." Tang Qiu murmured to herself, her eyes fixed on the totem imprinted on her body. The pattern felt somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.
The totem suddenly flickered in the darkness. Tang Qiu instantly looked up, the color of her sky-blue pupils gradually deepening. Her bones shifted and moved out of place. Tang Qiu got out of bed, feeling much lighter, filled with inexhaustible power.
She clenched her fists, the clarity in her eyes replaced by ferocity. The power surging within her made her desperate to find a place to vent it.
Otherwise... she would be driven mad.
Outside the tent that Anna had designated for heavy guarding, knights stood on all four sides. Even though it was late at night, the knights remained loyal to their duty, not missing any sign of movement.
However, even under such tight security, Tang Qiu managed to slip into the tent unnoticed.
The darkness did not affect Tang Qiu's vision. Her gaze fixed on Lucille, who was still sleeping on the bed. She took a deep breath, her eyes profound. She had found the source of the fragrance.
The cold fragrance calmed Tang Qiu's violent emotions significantly.
She moved closer involuntarily, hesitating by the bedside, uncertain about her own abnormal behavior. In her moment of indecision, Tang Qiu didn't notice that Lucille had already opened her eyes.
"What did Charles II pay you?" Along with Lucille's cold voice came a hand reaching for Tang Qiu's shoulder. However, the same hand that had effortlessly torn a Half-Human Monster in two during the day was stopped mid-air.
Lucille was somewhat surprised. She withdrew her hand and moved to the other side of the bed, studying Tang Qiu in the faint light. A look of astonishment appeared in her usually placid eyes. "...A werewolf?"
Tang Qiu froze, even more surprised than Lucille. "A werewolf?"
She was a werewolf?
The entire continent knew that werewolves and the Holy See were enemies. Why would a werewolf become a priest of the Holy See?
Tang Qiu hadn't expected the original owner of her body to be hiding this secret. She looked down at her hands, lost in thought, not noticing Lucille watching her quietly.
For the first time, the priest had lost her smile. Lucille's eyes flickered, somewhat curious to know if Tang Qiu's heart was now filled with nothing but despair.
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