CA – Chapter 22
Chapter 22
In front of the Holy See was a square large enough to hold a thousand people. Every day, a large number of devout Light Believers came to pray. To show his sincerity to the Holy See, the king of the Bill Empire would also specially choose one day each year to bring the members of the royal family to receive a Light Baptism from a bishop.
A sacred cross was placed in the center of the square, and below it, priests in pure white robes could be seen everywhere, praying piously.
Tang Qiu, who had spent two days familiarizing herself with the Holy See, was among them. However, she wasn't here to pray, but to wait for someone.
Erin, still wearing her baggy and oversized cloak, approached Tang Qiu's side stealthily with her arms crossed and head down. She glanced around and whispered, "Grace."
Tang Qiu turned her head to look at her and said with amusement, "You don't act like a witch at all."
Erin subconsciously straightened her back and gave a dry cough, feeling a little guilty. "This is my first time being so close to the Holy See. I'm a bit nervous."
"Afraid of being discovered?"
"Not really." Erin was very confident in her concealment abilities. "Actually, when I was a child, my dream was to become a priest, so I've always admired places like the Holy See."
Tang Qiu raised her eyebrows and asked with some curiosity, "Isn't being a witch hereditary within the family?"
Not just anyone could practice dark magic. Since ancient times, there had only been three major families in the witch world, and almost all witches came from one of them.
Erin sighed and nodded. "Yeah, so my dream was shattered."
A Black Witch who wanted to be a priest... Tang Qiu had always thought Erin was unconventional, but she never expected her to still be able to surprise her.
Erin took the upcoming Dark Feast, organized by the Black Witches hiding in the Bill Empire, very seriously. That was why she had been missing for the past few days, searching for a mercenary squad. The number of Black Witches gathered by Laurel was too large; if it were just her and Tang Qiu, they would be walking to their deaths.
"Have you found a way to break through your bottleneck at the Holy See?" Erin looked at Tang Qiu with a hopeful expression, eager for a positive answer.
There was indeed a positive answer, but it wasn't easy to implement. "I've asked around. It seems I'm lacking a Light Baptism."
When accepted by the Holy See as Light Believers, priests would undergo a Light Baptism, allowing them to practice basic light magic. Upon promotion to priest, they would undergo another Light Baptism, gaining the ability to practice intermediate light magic.
As for high-level light magic, one had to be transferred to the Central Church to have a chance to learn it.
If a priest left the Holy See, stagnation was the only path forward.
Erin seemed to only half-understand. After a moment's thought, she asked, "So when will you receive your Light Baptism?" She felt that with Tang Qiu's abilities, being promoted to priest wouldn't be difficult. "Can it be done before the Dark Feast?"
Tang Qiu glanced at her. "Yes."
Erin was delighted.
"Even being promoted to bishop is possible."
Erin was shocked. "Really?"
Tang Qiu shrugged. "Just kidding."
Erin: "..."
Tang Qiu shot her a look, her tone helpless. "What do you think the Holy See is?"
This wasn't an exam where you could get promoted for outstanding grades. The Holy See was full of turbulent undercurrents, and Tang Qiu, who had only been here for three days, had already seen the tip of the iceberg.
Erin was a little disappointed but knew she couldn't force it. She tightened her cloak, turning her back to the cold wind. "Come with me somewhere in a bit. I've found a place that might be Laurel's hideout."
"Laurel?"
"The Black Witch you met in Edry." Seeing that no one around was paying attention to them, Erin leaned in to whisper, revealing some information about Laurel. "She's from the Garcia Family, a third-generation witch. The Garcia clan calls themselves servants of the Dark God, and for generations, they've made it their mission to awaken him."
"She's the organizer of the Dark Feast. If we can find her beforehand..." Erin winked at Tang Qiu.
However, Tang Qiu shook her head slightly, her voice apologetic. "Unfortunately, I have other things to do today."
Today was the day she had agreed to meet Lucille.
Erin frowned and sighed dejectedly. "Alright."
On days without a Light Baptism, priests could come and go freely. Tang Qiu bid farewell to Erin and went directly to the teleportation array. It was only after she emerged from the chapel in a small town that she put on her black cloak to cover her priest's robes.
On the narrow path behind the chapel, Lucille was already waiting. Tang Qiu was surprised she had arrived so early. "Am I late?"
It was only the afternoon.
Lucille shook her head slightly. "No." It was she who had come too early.
"Follow me." Lucille walked past Tang Qiu, brushing her shoulder. A familiar, cold fragrance lingered by Tang Qiu's nose, making her feel a bit dazed. She sniffed hard, then turned to look at Lucille, falling into deep confusion.
Vampires possessed speed comparable to werewolves; crossing a city wouldn't take them much time at all. However, considering the one following behind her was a priest and not a werewolf, Lucille chose a knight's mode of transport-a horse.
It was a tall, date-red steed, clad in silvery-white armor that gleamed in the sunlight, looking majestic and handsome. Lucille sat atop it, looking down at the blonde priest below, and extended her right hand to her.
Tang Qiu reached out to stroke the horse's smooth coat, then placed her hand in Lucille's and used the leverage to mount. She had intended to sit behind, but Lucille had only left space for her in the front.
The horse's back was broad, so it didn't feel crowded with two people. Lucille's hands wrapped around Tang Qiu's waist to grip the saddle, urging the horse forward. Tang Qiu's back occasionally brushed against Lucille's soft parts, making her straighten her body uncomfortably. Because they were so close, Lucille's unique scent enveloped Tang Qiu, making her somewhat absent-minded.
She silently reflected on herself. She clearly wasn't the type to lust after beautiful women.
The atmosphere was too quiet. Tang Qiu cleared her throat and found a topic. "Did you bring this horse from Edry?"
Lucille hummed in affirmation. Although she was a Vampire, she had grown accustomed to living as a knight for the past century, with the recent exception of drinking the blood of the blonde priest in front of her.
Tang Qiu praised, "It's beautiful."
"I can give it to you," Lucille said. Seeing Tang Qiu turn her head, she added, "If you like it."
Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lucille from the corner of her eye. She noticed that the gloom in her eyes from a few days ago had completely faded. She said teasingly, "Our relationship isn't that close yet, is it?"
Lucille explained succinctly, "Compensation." Her period of weakness had passed, and her craving for blood was not as intense as before. Her reason had gradually returned.
Naturally, she felt sorry for having bitten the priest several extra times due to a momentary emotional impulse.
Tang Qiu patted the horse beneath her, her eyes filled with reluctance. "A pity. A priest doesn't need to ride a horse."
They rode from broad daylight until the sky grew dim. Lucille finally pulled the reins tight, stopping the horse. Tang Qiu took off her hood and turned to survey her surroundings, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Where is this?"
"The outskirts of the Bill Empire's capital city." Lucille dismounted, then reached up to help Tang Qiu down. "A few days ago, someone here was killed by a monster."
"Because the knight squad hasn't found the culprit yet, the Holy See doesn't know about it."
The population in the suburbs was sparse. The area was mountainous and wooded, with villagers mostly concentrated in one place, leaving large tracts of empty, uninhabited land. The overgrown environment was perfect for a monster to hide in.
Tang Qiu walked to a messy thicket of bushes, bent down slightly, and tentatively cast a search spell into it. However, she found nothing.
Lucille stood behind her, watching her back fixedly, occasionally glancing up at the darkening sky and the faint full moon hanging above.
"...This monster might really not be a dark creature," Tang Qiu said thoughtfully as she straightened up.
Night fell, and a cold wind blew through Tang Qiu's long golden hair. The chill made her shiver involuntarily. She raised a hand to tighten her cloak. Just as she was about to turn back to Lucille, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the bushes beside her, pouncing at her.
A circle of light appeared abruptly, binding the monster that had already touched the corner of Tang Qiu's clothes. Lucille teleported to her side and stomped the struggling monster under her foot.
The monster couldn't break free. Its murky eyes stared intently at Tang Qiu, and it suddenly threw its head back and let out a wolf's howl.
As the sound faded, another howl answered from not far away, one after another, making Tang Qiu feel as if she and Lucille were completely surrounded by wolves.
She stared blankly at the eerie green lights appearing in the darkness. Something suddenly flashed through her mind. She frowned and shifted her gaze to search for Lucille, but her consciousness suddenly began to blur. The joints all over her body ached and throbbed, and her eyelids grew heavy.
The ends of the blonde priest's hair, hanging down her back, seemed to be dyed with moonlight. A silvery-white color gradually crept upwards until it covered all her golden hair. Tang Qiu slowly opened her eyes, flexing her wrists, which were sore from the transformation. She looked thoughtfully at the monster under Lucille's foot.
"So it's a werewolf," Tang Qiu said, smelling the faint scent of a werewolf on the creature.
Lucille kicked the monster away and said flatly, "A defective one among werewolves."
A true werewolf was like Tang Qiu.
Hearing Lucille's voice, Tang Qiu turned her head to look at her. After a moment's thought, she said, "Thank you."
If Lucille hadn't called her out on the night of the full moon, she, with no memory of this, might have transformed inside the Holy See.
She pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of parchment and a pen from her Space Gem. She briefly recorded her werewolf identity on it, then handed the parchment to Lucille.
Lucille took the parchment and found that it was once again written in characters she couldn't understand. She looked at Tang Qiu questioningly.
"I'll be with you all night. When you wake up tomorrow, give this to me." She refused to believe something would go wrong this time.
"Are you sure you'll believe it?"
"I will."
What she had written were Chinese characters that only she could understand. Besides, Tang Qiu knew she had already sensed something was wrong; it was just that the werewolf identity was too incredible, so she hadn't considered that possibility yet.
Lucille rubbed the parchment's not-so-smooth surface and gazed at her deeply. Backlit, her eyes were dark. "You trust me?"
Tang Qiu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I do."
Rather than trust, it was more that she believed Lucille didn't want her werewolf identity to be exposed, though she still didn't know why.
Lucille slowly folded the parchment. Just as Tang Qiu thought the topic was over, she suddenly spoke, "Aren't you afraid I have other motives?"
Motives... Tang Qiu lowered her eyes and chuckled softly. "For blood?" she asked in a gentle voice. "As long as you don't go too far, I can feed you."
As a priest, she would be wary of Lucille, but as a werewolf... Tang Qiu felt she should have the upper hand.
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