CA – Chapter 12
Chapter 12
When vampires capture their prey to feed, their fangs pierce soft skin, and a toxin that paralyzes the nerves renders the prey unable to struggle. Despair and fear flood the prey’s every thought, leaving them to await death in agony.
Of course, some vampires who fancy themselves elegant and noble believe that this state of fear taints the flavor of the blood. Thus, they alter their toxin, choosing to feed while their prey is in a state of extreme pleasure.
Lucille belonged to neither the former nor the latter category. Tang Qiu’s mind remained perfectly clear, but it was also true that she was restrained and unable to struggle.
The golden-haired priest had lost her staff and couldn’t even utter a single incantation. Lucille’s sharp fangs sank deeper into her wrist. She lowered her gaze to the weak and helpless Tang Qiu beneath her, slowly releasing the hand she held pinned down. Her fingers, now warmed by the priest’s touch, forcefully tore open her collar, exposing the fragile, elegant line of her neck.
The pads of her fingers slid slowly across the side of her neck. The skin beneath her touch was delicate and soft. She felt the pulse beating beneath it, gently caressing the spot…
Lucille didn’t know what others’ blood tasted like, but the priest’s was truly delicious. Though she had been reluctant to swallow it at first, she was now becoming somewhat addicted.
This was a vampire’s instinct. Even if she constantly fought against it, as long as she was a vampire, she could never abandon this sinful act. A self-mocking glint flashed in Lucille’s eyes.
“Stop, Lucille.” Tang Qiu couldn’t help but tremble slightly as Lucille’s fingers touched her neck, her usually gentle voice now tinged with urgency.
Lucille tilted her head, her arm obscuring her face, revealing only a pair of intensely aggressive eyes. When Tang Qiu met her gaze, her breath caught, and regret began to set in.
She had only ever seen that look in nature documentaries. It was the look of a predator that had locked onto its prey.
She was a true fool to have trusted a vampire just because Lucille had saved her a few times.
Perhaps due to the significant blood loss, Tang Qiu’s thoughts grew hazy. She could feel her wrist being slowly released as hot breath fanned across the side of her neck. She subconsciously raised a hand to press against Lucille’s shoulder, but the force was so feeble it seemed more like a coquettish gesture.
Lucille looked at the drowsy Tang Qiu, her brow furrowed. She began to doubt whether the werewolf she had seen that day was truly the priest beneath her. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered her head and opened her mouth. Just as her fangs touched a patch of soft skin, the hand resting limply on her shoulder suddenly shot up and seized her arm.
The force was so great it felt as if it could shatter her bones.
“…Are you trying to kill me?” Tang Qiu’s low, hoarse voice was thick with anger. “Lucille.”
Without any warning, Lucille was suddenly thrown over and pinned down, her knees pressed heavily into the ground. Sharp nails rested against the most vulnerable part of her neck. The priest who had been so weak just moments ago had now completely subdued her.
In the dim light, the golden hair slowly faded, and the tips of snow-white strands dangled before Lucille’s eyes. She frowned. Her right hand was pinned tightly, so she could only raise her left, throwing a black-hooded cloak over Tang Qiu’s head.
Tang Qiu paused, her grip loosening slightly. She looked down at the still-calm Lucille, and her anger gradually subsided. She slowly released her, pulling the large cloak tighter around herself and complaining in a low voice, “If you wanted to force me to turn into a werewolf, I think you could have used a gentler method.”
She truly felt as if Lucille was about to drain her dry.
Lucille lay on the ground without moving. She lifted her right hand, staring at the beads of blood that stained her palm and trickled down her arm… This was Tang Qiu’s blood.
She raised her head slightly, her crimson tongue darting out to lick the droplets away.
Tang Qiu looked up just in time to see this. Lucille had delicate features, and her translucent white skin lacked Tang Qiu’s healthy glow, instead always carrying a hint of frailty. Lying there so quietly, her mesmerized expression as she tasted the blood was surprisingly not terrifying.
Instead, it evoked a sense of pity.
However, that sliver of pity vanished the moment Tang Qiu met Lucille’s gaze.
The flames were now only a meter away, but Tang Qiu was no longer as anxious as before. She glanced at them casually before taking a piece of parchment and a quill from her Space Gem.
She chewed on the tip of the quill, thought for a moment, and then wrote a few words on the parchment.
Lucille had already gotten to her feet. She walked over and glanced at it, discovering she couldn’t recognize the words Tang Qiu had written. “The script of the Wolf Race?”
Tang Qiu gave a perfunctory hum in response, then carefully placed the parchment on her person. She didn’t dare put it in the Space Gem, because she felt that once she was back to her senses, she definitely wouldn’t think to check inside it.
Lucille noticed the cold shift in Tang Qiu’s attitude toward her. After a moment of silence, she emphasized in a low voice, “You asked me to save you.”
Tang Qiu glanced at her and asked curiously, “What if I hadn’t turned into a werewolf? Would you have drained me dry?”
Lucille averted her gaze and said coldly, “No.”
Tang Qiu smiled. “Thanks. Your answer puts me a little more at ease.”
Lucille frowned, seeing that Tang Qiu didn’t believe her at all.
Even in her werewolf state, she could still use light magic. Tang Qiu bent down to pick up her staff, then looked up at the approaching flames, lost in thought. After the night of the full moon, aside from the physical discomfort, her memory of being able to transform into a werewolf had completely vanished.
Not a single trace remained.
Tang Qiu couldn’t figure out the reason, but she strongly suspected that once her werewolf form disappeared again, she would once more lose that part of her memory.
This was not good news, as it meant she could easily expose her identity without any preparation.
A werewolf priest… Tang Qiu felt she could already foresee a future where she was hunted by both factions.
She mulled it over for a moment, then took out the parchment again. After the words she had already written—“Can turn into a werewolf, be careful not to get exposed”—she added another line: “Don’t get too far from Lucille.”
Lucille… she was the key to why Tang Qiu hadn’t turned into a mindless beast on the night of the full moon.
Watching Tang Qiu’s series of actions, a thought struck Lucille. She said in a low voice, “You… have no memory of being a werewolf after you change back?”
That would explain why Tang Qiu had been so oblivious to her hints.
Tang Qiu didn’t answer. After securing the parchment, she took a deep breath, turned to Lucille, and proposed, “I’ll handle the Dark Formation. You distract the monsters and the Black Witch’s eyes?”
Having been ignored twice in a row, Lucille’s expression turned cold. Without a word, she strode into the flames, her figure instantly swallowed by them.
Tang Qiu touched the still-stinging bite marks on her wrist, pulled her hood up, and followed behind Lucille.
The Black Witch had already written off the two people trapped in the dark flames as ashes. The moment Lucille bit Tang Qiu, she had lost interest and turned her attention back to guiding the Half-Human Monsters to create more creatures.
The flames gradually converged, the blaze leaping over two meters high with an aura that could incinerate everything. However, just as the flames surged, two black figures darted out from within.
Tang Qiu waved her staff, unleashing a prepared Light Spell. A brilliant white light suddenly erupted, illuminating the dim clearing as if it were day. The Half-Human Monsters and black crows caught in the light, unable to dodge in time, let out sharp shrieks before turning to ash.
A scarecrow shifted its gaze. It had just seen a flash of white light, but before it could register what was happening, a pair of slender hands flew past its eyes. The head, perched baldly on its wooden stick, was torn in two down the middle. Its decorative button eyes fell to the ground, only to be stomped into the dirt by a black boot.
Far from Fallen Crow Forest, the Black Witch’s true body had already reached the main city of Edry and was hiding in an inn. Suddenly, her vision went completely black. The black gemstone placed within the array on the floor flickered once, then slowly shattered.
Laurel, dressed in a white robe, slammed her hands onto the ground with a ferocious expression, cracking the now-useless array. Her palms were cut by the sharp debris, and fresh red blood began to flow.
“Damn priest.” She clenched her fists, her face a mask of fury at her ruined plan and an irrepressible killing intent. Outside, the thick fog that had been invading the main city was beginning to dissipate. Gritting her teeth, she summoned a skeleton, which embraced her and burrowed directly into the ground.
A moment later, the room’s door was suddenly kicked open. A squad of elite knights stormed in with swords drawn, but the room was empty, save for the array and blood on the floor.
The knight captain searched the room several times before asking, “Where’s the informant?”
A knight shook his head. “Slipped away.”
The captain ordered another thorough search. They finally discovered a clue to the Black Witch’s escape and immediately gave chase.
Within the main city, the villagers had been gathered together due to the monster infestation and were being protected by Lucille’s personal army.
As the squad of knights hurried away from the inn, they were surrounded by many curious villagers. Among them was the Black Witch who had snuck into the city at some point to inform on her companion—Erin.
She hugged her arms, sniffling constantly from the cold. Seeing that the knights hadn’t caught Laurel, she shook her head in regret, then turned and melted back into the crowd of villagers, disappearing from sight moments later.
With the Black Witch Laurel’s “eyes” in Fallen Crow Forest eliminated, the situation was now out of her control. Lucille tossed aside the useless straw in her hand and cleared out the nearby monsters, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward Tang Qiu, who was enveloped in white light.
Tang Qiu’s Light Spell was ineffective against the Black Witch, and it probably couldn’t destroy the Dark Formation she had left behind either. Seeing the white light persist, Lucille assumed Tang Qiu was struggling with the formation. Just as she was about to walk over and help, she saw Tang Qiu suddenly put away her staff, lift her foot, and stomp on the container of the Dark Formation—a black jar. The jar was instantly crushed to pieces.
The bubbling in the stream of blood slowly subsided.
Tang Qiu calmly retracted her foot and took out her staff again. Her peripheral vision caught Lucille, who had stopped halfway. She tilted her head, twirled her staff, and said with a smile, “While I’m still in this state, let me help you eliminate all the monsters in Edry.”
As she raised her arm, her wide sleeve slipped down a little, clearly exposing the bloody bite marks on her wrist to Lucille’s view. Lucille glanced at it, felt a slight itch in her throat, and immediately looked away, flustered. “As long as you don’t lose consciousness halfway through.”
Tang Qiu paused, then sighed. “Then never mind.”
Lucille: “…”
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