CA – Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Kafu Town was in a somewhat remote location. To its north, it bordered a sea of trees that extended beyond the empire's borders. The area was plagued by dark creatures every year, and in truth, fewer and fewer people were living in the town.
Linda and Jennifer had intelligence from the empire, so unlike Tang Qiu, they weren't wandering aimlessly. They moved through the deserted streets with a clear destination: the sea of trees to the north.
That was the vampires' foothold.
"We should have waited for Grace." Linda's tone was filled with regret, as if worried the lone blonde priest might be in danger. She glanced back, her expression anxious.
Hearing her words, Jennifer snorted, tearing down her hypocritical mask. "You could have stayed and waited for her, but you didn't, did you?"
Linda sighed at her. "Between her and you, of course I'd choose you, Jennifer. We've known each other for years."
"But if anything happens to Grace, Priest Monica will surely be angry."
Jennifer said coldly, "Didn't Jonas say her Power of Light has already reached the level of a priest? Can't she handle a few hunting vampires?"
Linda smiled and nodded in agreement. "That makes sense."
To reach the forest to the north, they had to cross the entire town. With the population dwindling, the more remote areas were even more deserted. It was empty and silent, appearing eerie and gloomy in the thick of the night.
A dark figure suddenly darted past the rear of the priests' group. Linda and Jennifer spun around simultaneously, their faces on high alert.
"A vampire..." Linda said, slowly taking out a staff of light. An Illumination Spell instantly fell, lighting up the surrounding dozens of meters as if it were daytime.
Jennifer frowned at the Illumination Spell and reminded her coldly, "Don't startle the group of vampires in the north." Their mission wasn't complete just by scaring all the vampires away; tying them up and bringing them back to the Holy See was what counted as real merit.
Linda put her staff away and said apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't think of that."
The Illumination Spell exposed the vampire's figure. She was carrying a human on her shoulder. She glanced at the priests, then her form flickered and vanished into the darkness once more.
A captured human... Jennifer's expression turned ugly. She pursed her lips. "I'll take some people to rescue her." The human was still struggling, which meant she hadn't been drained dry by the vampire yet. But if they did nothing, that person would certainly not see tomorrow's sun.
The priest's robes she wore wouldn't allow her to stand by and watch someone die.
Linda suggested, "Let's go together."
Jennifer refused. "You go scout the situation in the north first. I'll rendezvous with you after I've saved the person."
She left half of her priests and Holy Knights with Linda, then chased off in the direction the vampire had disappeared.
Linda watched her back as it was slowly swallowed by the darkness, then shrugged and chuckled softly. "Let's go, too. We shouldn't waste any time."
Inside the cozy and comfortable little house, the roaring fire in the hearth continuously drove away the chill, adding a touch of heat to the warm room.
Under the dim yellow light, two overlapping shadows were cast on the smooth wall, wavering and intimate.
However, the owner of one of those shadows didn't feel they were being intimate at all. Tang Qiu looked at Lucille, who had taken her wrist and was staring at it intently, refusing to give up no matter how much she pleaded. Tang Qiu took a step back in resignation and sighed, "...I hope you only plan on taking a small taste."
Lucille licked her lips and brought Tang Qiu's wrist to her mouth, whispering, "I'll do my best."
Tang Qiu paused. She tried to pull her hand back slightly, but Lucille immediately grabbed it. Meeting Lucille's questioning gaze, she gave a faint smile. "I need a definite answer."
Lucille pursed her lips. After a long moment, she finally hummed in agreement. She opened her mouth, her sharp fangs pressing against Tang Qiu's wrist. With a slight push, the soft skin was pierced, and blood rushed to the surface.
A stinging pain pulsed from her wrist, making Tang Qiu instinctively look away to distract herself. She gazed at the fireplace, which was emitting an orange glow. The dim light cast half of her face in shadow, making her expression hard to read.
Lucille... a vampire craving her blood.
Back in Edry, Tang Qiu had noticed Lucille's aversion to blood, but at the time, she had assumed it was just Lucille being a clean freak. But looking at it now, would a vampire be disgusted by their own food?
Tang Qiu frowned and thought about it. Perhaps. After all, she couldn't rule out the possibility that Lucille was disgusted by the "food" from the corrupted bodies of magical beasts.
As Tang Qiu's mind wandered while listening to the swallowing sounds beside her, she didn't notice that Lucille, whose thoughts she was trying to guess, had lifted her eyes and was staring at her. Backlit, her eyes were dark and seemed to hold infinite danger.
The blonde priest's body was always warm, unlike her own, which was like unmeltable ice all year round. Lucille coveted this warmth, just like the warmth she felt as a child when her mother held her.
Lucille's gaze lingered on Tang Qiu's profile—the long, slightly curled eyelashes, the high, straight bridge of her nose, and the rosy, full lips. She knew the blonde priest was exceptionally beautiful; otherwise, Anna wouldn't have been taken with her at first sight and still be so reluctant to let go.
Although Edry wasn't large, it had no shortage of famous beauties. Lucille had lived in Edry for nearly a century and had seen many different kinds of beautiful people. But perhaps it was the dim light in the room that cast a halo around Tang Qiu, or perhaps it was the delicious blood that filled her mouth, but she actually felt that the blonde priest before her was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
The tenderness in those sky-blue eyes was enough to draw anyone in, to make them pursue it even if they drowned, completely unaware.
Lucille's gaze was too intense for Tang Qiu to ignore. Her thoughts were interrupted, and she had no choice but to turn her head, intending to warn the feeding vampire to know when to stop.
However, the moment she turned, she met Lucille's focused and earnest gaze, and the words on the tip of her tongue were slowly swallowed back down.
Suddenly making eye contact with Tang Qiu, Lucille subconsciously lowered her eyes, avoiding her gaze. But perhaps dissatisfied with her own instinctive retreat, she deliberately sank her fangs deeper, her tongue pressing against the soft skin, drinking more of the emerging blood.
Tang Qiu sucked in a sharp breath, her wrist trembling involuntarily. She looked down at the top of Lucille's head and narrowed her eyes. With her free hand, she lifted Lucille's chin, her gaze fixed on Lucille's expressionless face. A smile suddenly touched her lips. "I might need you to do me a small favor," she said softly.
She smiled like a fox that had spotted its prey.
Lucille slowly released her hold, her lips still stained with blood. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "What?"
"...There's a group of vampires hiding in this town." Tang Qiu's expression turned serious. "The Holy See wants to drive them out, so I need to know where their foothold is."
She raised her hand and wiped the blood from the corner of Lucille's mouth. The motion was very natural, and her tone held a faint smile. "That should be simple for you, right?"
The warm pad of her finger gently brushing past her lips made Lucille stiffen involuntarily. She turned her head slightly to avoid it and remained silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "I can."
Tang Qiu looked at her thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow. She had originally thought that Lucille was the predator and she was the prey, but now it seemed their roles could perhaps be reversed.
With the tormentor gone, the blood on the wound on her wrist slowly began to clot. Tang Qiu tried casting a healing spell on it, but it only cleaned away the bloodstains. The bite marks remained, just like last time.
As Tang Qiu was looking down, avoiding the wound while rubbing her stiff wrist, Lucille stared at her for a moment. It was unclear whether she was annoyed at being unconsciously put at a disadvantage and led by Tang Qiu, or if she simply hadn't had her fill yet. She suddenly reached out, grabbed Tang Qiu's wrist, pulled back her sleeve, and bit down on her fair forearm.
"Ah," Tang Qiu couldn't help but cry out, raising her voice. "Lucille!"
Lucille's voice was muffled from drinking blood. "...The payment isn't enough."
Tang Qiu: "..."
What reversal? What prey? She was really overthinking things.
The orange light in the room couldn't warm the darkness outside. Several streets away from Tang Qiu and Lucille, Jennifer and her group were still tracking the vampire that had fled. They followed the vampire's lingering scent for three streets, but it vanished in front of a dilapidated chapel.
"She must be in here." Jennifer looked up at the second floor of the chapel. The shattered windows were covered by tattered curtains, and the mottled walls were overgrown with dark green vines, all speaking to the chapel's desolation.
A priest with Jennifer hesitated. "Shouldn't we go find Linda first?" This place was desolate and eerie; it seemed more likely that the vampire had deliberately led them here.
Jennifer knew her concerns. She frowned and said with displeasure, "Isn't it better if she deliberately brought us here? We can catch them all in one fell swoop."
"If we give up now, won't that person die?"
The priest looked troubled. After a moment's hesitation, she chose to follow Jennifer's lead.
The chapel door creaked at the slightest touch. The Holy Knights scouted ahead. When they pushed the door open, the creaking sound was exceptionally clear in the silent night. Jennifer and the other two priests followed cautiously behind the knights into the chapel. After the last person entered, the chapel door closed on its own, blocking out the faint moonlight. It was so dark inside you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Several Light Balls popped into existence, illuminating the area. Jennifer scanned her surroundings. Other than the broken chairs scattered about chaotically, she saw no one. Her expression turned cold. Just as she was about to say something, a priest next to her caught a glimpse of a dark figure in her peripheral vision. She instinctively turned to look, her eyes widening in an instant. Staring in horror behind Jennifer, she stammered, "Jennifer... behind you."
A chilling sensation, like a venomous snake slithering up her neck, made Jennifer's heart clench. She didn't have time to turn around. The light spell she had prepared was already flying out, its most powerful form condensing into a light arrow that shot toward the dark figure behind her. However, the light arrow stopped halfway through its flight.
By the light, Jennifer turned and saw the vampire standing behind her. She had brown, shoulder-length hair, skin as pale as paper, and light-colored lips, along with the most distinct feature of a vampire—crimson eyes.
Red pupils proved that this vampire was at least a sixth generation.
There was a clear dividing line in vampire ranks. Those below the sixth generation were all abandoned fledglings left to fend for themselves, their faint auras making it impossible to even tell which clan they belonged to. However, those above the sixth generation were different. They possessed the innate abilities of their clans and were definitely not something a mere priest could handle.
The vampire crushed the light arrow, her cold gaze fixed on the side of Jennifer's neck, which was tightly wrapped by her priest's robes. She licked her sharp fangs greedily and chuckled. "Fresh priests."
Jennifer took a nervous step back, still chanting a spell under her breath. But the vampire had no intention of giving her a chance to cast it. She passed through the Holy Knights guarding the front, flashed into the encirclement, and knocked the three priests down. Her gaze swept the area, and the darkness suddenly transformed into a beast. The Holy Knights let out miserable screams before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
The brown-haired vampire carried one priest on her shoulder and held two in her hands. She stepped over the Holy Knights on the ground, passed through the chapel, and arrived at a warehouse-like area in the back. She pushed the door open. The vampires inside, who were excitedly feeding, all looked up at the same time, their hands and faces covered in fresh blood. The thick, bloody stench could have made an ordinary person faint.
She threw the two priests, whose light auras were faint, in front of the group of vampires and said with a smirk, "A gift for you."
The Power of Light on the priests made the vampires wary, but it was also an endless temptation. The vampires let out excited cries, dropped the prey in their hands, and pounced on the priests on the ground. Fresh blood stained the priests' immaculate robes.
After being unconscious for an unknown amount of time, Jennifer slowly woke up. The side of her neck was so painful it had gone numb, and her vision was blackening in waves—a sign of excessive blood loss. She lay on the ground for a while, finally gathering some strength. Propping herself up with her sore, weak arms, she sat up. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could finally see her surroundings.
The empty storage room was filled with people, their life status unknown. On their exposed arms and legs, Jennifer could see purplish bite marks. This was where the vampires kept their blood slaves. The realization sent chills down her spine.
Her gaze fell upon the two priests who had been with her. Their pure white robes were soaked through with blood, and their ashen faces made it clear that they were no longer breathing.
She leaned weakly against the wall, her eyes vacant. Why hadn't the Holy See discovered that a sixth-generation vampire was hiding here?
Outside the chapel.
Tang Qiu looked up at the dilapidated building for a moment, then glanced suspiciously at the vampire beside her. "Are you sure all the vampires are hiding in here?"
This place was too run-down. The town wasn't densely populated; the vampires could have easily found a better place to enjoy their meals.
Lucille hummed in affirmation and pushed the door open, her tone flat. "This is one of the places."
Tang Qiu stood her ground, showing no intention of going in.
Lucille waited for a moment, then turned back to the blonde priest and added, "There's the scent of a priest in here."
Tang Qiu pointed inside the chapel, hinting, "And the scent of vampires."
Lucille pursed her lips, turned, and went inside. After a series of miserable screams, she came back out. "Not anymore."
Tang Qiu rubbed her arm, which had been bitten several times by this insatiable vampire. Seeing that she had obediently dealt with the vampires, some of her pent-up anger dissipated. She walked past Lucille and saw the situation inside the chapel, her expression turning grave.
If the guardian Holy Knights were all down, what about the priests?
The Holy Knights were merely unconscious. Some of the vampires who had drained the two priests were still not satisfied. They had come out and happened to see the knights, so they greedily took another bite, only to have their hearts crushed by Lucille.
"The priest is in the back. Her aura is very weak." Lucille sensed something and looked up toward the entrance, saying in a low voice, "A vampire is approaching."
Tang Qiu nodded. Following Lucille's directions, she arrived at the storage room where the vampires kept their blood slaves. She gestured for Lucille to hide, then pushed the door open. A Light Ball appeared out of thin air to illuminate the darkness for her.
Jennifer, who was struggling to get up, was startled. She looked toward the source of the light with pleasant surprise, thinking Linda had come to rescue her with reinforcements. However, once her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, she saw that there was only one priest standing at the door—the newly appointed blonde priest, Grace.
The light in Jennifer's eyes slowly dimmed, and her brow furrowed.
Tang Qiu quickly found the priest with only a faint aura left in the room. She walked over and bent down to help Jennifer up, but her outstretched hand was pushed away. Jennifer ordered coldly, "Go back to the Holy See and ask Priest Monica for help."
Tang Qiu replied good-naturedly, "Alright, but let me treat your injuries first."
Jennifer rejected Tang Qiu's kindness, her tone still cold. "Don't you understand the situation? The vampires could be back any second. If you don't leave now, do you want to be drained dry and become a corpse with me?"
"...Don't worry. Let's leave this place together first," Tang Qiu soothed patiently, putting her right arm around Jennifer to help her up.
Jennifer glared at her. "How can you be so foolish?"
Tang Qiu: "..."
Tang Qiu was already simmering with anger from being bitten several times by Lucille. Now, her kindness was being rejected, and she was even labeled "foolish." A trace of impatience flashed in her eyes. Tired of listening to Jennifer's nonsense, she stopped supporting her and instead pinned the still-unsteady woman against the wall. She pressed her left index finger to Jennifer's lips, stopping the panicked question that was about to escape. "Shh."
The smile on her lips was still gentle, but her tone was extremely cold. "Be quiet, won't you?"
Jennifer was stunned. Looking at the coldness hidden beneath the gentle surface of those sky-blue eyes so close to her, she bit her lip and angrily turned her face away.
Another person wearing a mask of gentleness.
Looking at the sulking Jennifer, Tang Qiu sighed inwardly. She knew Jennifer was putting on a brave front but was actually terrified. The spark of anger vanished again, and she reverted to the gentle and kind priest. "I will get you out of here safely."
She softened her tone. "Trust me."
Jennifer let herself be led forward a few steps. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said in a low voice, "They have a sixth-generation vampire."
Tang Qiu's steps faltered. Jennifer turned to look at her, her face calm. "If you let go of me now, you can still make it out on your own."
"It's fine." Tang Qiu took out her staff of light and showed it to Jennifer, saying nonchalantly, "I have this."
And she also had Lucille, who was even more powerful than a sixth-generation vampire, hiding in the shadows.
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