CA – Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Tang Qiu, who had fallen into a deep sleep at Lucille's manor waiting for the full moon night to pass, had no idea that this particular night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Bright moonlight spilled onto the city's empty streets. A small black cat nimbly leaped onto a pointed rooftop, leisurely licking its paws and enjoying the tranquil, beautiful night. However, it was interrupted by a group of uninvited guests.
Eerie green lights flickered in the darkness, and heavy, excited breaths filled the air. One by one, gray shadows darted out from the dark, densely packing the entire street. The successive roars of the bizarre-looking monsters caused lights to flicker on throughout the city. They crowded together and, at a certain moment, as if guided by a signal, frantically charged toward the largest building in the city—the king's palace.
The knightly guard reacted with extreme speed, raising their shields to form an impenetrable defense around the palace. Unable to break through for the moment, the monsters scattered, destroying surrounding buildings and tearing at ordinary citizens. Screams, cries, and monstrous roars echoed throughout the capital.
The king, awakened late at night, grimly mobilized a higher-ranking knightly order and sent men to the Church for help. He suppressed his fury as he sat on his throne, awaiting news.
The capital of the Bill Empire and his own palace had been attacked so silently. It was a complete loss of face for his powerful empire.
People from the Church arrived at the palace quickly. A bishop led the clerics outside to deal with the monsters, while Monica went in to meet the king.
The king's expression softened slightly upon seeing Monica. "Priest Monica, was the attack outside carried out by demonic beasts?"
Monica's expression was grave. "I don't believe so."
"Oh?"
"They don't have the aura of darkness." Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to surround the palace so silently without alerting them.
The king frowned. "Then what are they?"
Monica shook her head. "They will need to be sent to the Central Church for identification."
"I have great faith in the Church's abilities." The king's tone was unreadable. "I hope you will not disappoint my subjects."
Monica bowed her head, her tone neither servile nor overbearing. "His Holiness the Pope also holds the Bill Empire in high regard. The Holy See will not disappoint a single Light Believer."
The king looked down at her for a moment. Just as Monica was about to leave, he suddenly spoke again. "Archbishop Reese has submitted a letter of visitation to the empire."
Monica's expression changed. She looked up, staring intently at the king, hoping to hear him say he had refused.
Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed. As long as they hadn't completely broken ties with the Holy See, no country would refuse entry to a Red-robed Archbishop.
"You can ask her for help."
Monica said expressionlessly, "This is an internal matter for the Holy See."
The king's face darkened. He watched Monica bow and leave, but ultimately did not call her back to charge her with contempt for the crown.
The attacking monsters were like a surging tide, coming in wave after wave, seemingly without end. The surrounding corpses piled up into small hills, and their numbers were still increasing.
Monica came outside, her gaze sweeping over the Church personnel one by one. She asked coldly, "Where is Grace?"
The clerics, who hadn't had much interaction with Tang Qiu, looked at each other. Linda, waving her staff, answered, "Grace is not in her room."
The Church didn't restrict the clerics' freedom of movement, so Monica just frowned and said nothing more.
After a night of fierce battle, the monsters only began to retreat when the eastern sky turned pale. All that remained were corpses and ruined streets.
Because the Church's clerics had arrived so promptly, casualties in the capital were kept to a minimum. However, when daylight broke, a flood of urgent letters arrived at the palace, causing the king to overturn his table on the spot.
A third of the cities in the Bill Empire had been attacked by monsters. The capital had the Church present, so the casualties were controlled, but the other cities did not.
The Bill Empire was placed under martial law overnight. Patrolling knight squads and search parties with shields could be seen everywhere in the city. Even a portion of the army stationed outside was recalled.
Tang Qiu, having just woken up, was still unaware that the capital's palace had been attacked by monsters. She sat up, looking blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings, and raised a hand to rub her forehead, trying to recall what had happened last night.
Her memory stopped at the image of being ambushed by a monster. The rest was a complete blank.
Where was Lucille?
Tang Qiu looked up, her gaze sweeping the room, but she didn't see any sign of Lucille.
The room was not large, with sparse furniture and a very simple decorative style. Tang Qiu threw back the covers and looked down at her hopelessly wrinkled robes. Frowning, she took out a new set to change into and cast a cleaning spell on herself. Only then did her groggy head feel a little clearer, and her body less heavy.
She walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and took small sips, moistening her dry lips and throat.
"Are you all right?" Lucille entered through the doorway and asked in a low voice, looking at the absent-minded, golden-haired cleric holding a glass.
Tang Qiu looked at Lucille, meeting her gaze in silence for a moment before asking probingly, in a joking tone, "Was I attacked by a monster yesterday?"
Only when she spoke did she realize her voice was a bit hoarse.
"No." Lucille walked to Tang Qiu's side, gently placed a prepared parchment on the table, and pushed it toward her. "You killed them all."
Tang Qiu looked down at the parchment and asked in confusion, "What is this?"
"You can open it and see."
Tang Qiu furrowed her brow, but her curiosity won out. She picked up the parchment and unrolled it. When her eyes fell upon the familiar handwriting, her expression stiffened slightly, and her face darkened for the first time.
Lucille leaned against the table, tilting her head to quietly watch the golden-haired cleric.
The handwriting on the parchment was her own. After realizing this, Tang Qiu's brow remained furrowed.
She read the contents of the paper word by word, going over it several times before slowly folding it up. She remained looking down, lost in thought, without saying a word.
A werewolf... How could she be a werewolf? Tang Qiu kept her head down as her long golden hair mischievously slipped from beside her ear, hiding the side of her face and concealing her expression.
Lucille gave Tang Qiu enough time to accept her werewolf identity. She didn't rush her, just stood quietly to the side. Although her dark red eyes were on the golden-haired cleric, a closer look would reveal that she was completely lost in her own thoughts.
"...Do I have to be with you on the full moon night?" After the initial shock, Tang Qiu reluctantly accepted the truth and began to think about how to hide this identity.
The parchment didn't contain much, but it was all key points she had left for herself, and Lucille's name was a prominently marked presence among them.
Lucille snapped back to her senses slightly. Hearing Tang Qiu's question, she inexplicably recalled the cleric's predicament from the previous night. She was silent for a moment before saying softly, "...Perhaps it would be better for you to be with your own kind."
Werewolves were very exclusive and never mated with other races. They needed to find their own kind to get through their heat.
"My own kind?" Tang Qiu narrowed her eyes, a faint, unreadable smile on her lips. "Are you referring to clerics or werewolves?"
Lucille paused, then changed the subject. "I will help you conceal it on the full moon night."
Tang Qiu smiled. "And the payment?"
Lucille stared at the golden-haired cleric for a moment, then pointed to her wrist.
Tang Qiu's lips curved. She destroyed the parchment with a light spell, then picked up the glass, her gaze drifting carelessly out the window.
She was only reassured because payment was required. If it wasn't... Tang Qiu would have to suspect Lucille's motives. Otherwise, why would a vampire help her for no reason?
After confirming with Lucille that she would temporarily stay at this manor while in the Bill Empire, Tang Qiu left to return to the Church.
On her way back, she noticed that there were half as many pedestrians on the streets as yesterday, while the number of patrolling knight squads had multiplied. Tang Qiu thoughtfully observed the hurried passersby, keenly sensing that something was amiss. She stopped and raised a hand to halt a young boy who was walking with his head down, asking gently, "Excuse me, did something happen last night?"
The boy looked up, stunned. "The palace was attacked. You don't know?"
Tang Qiu pulled back her hood. Her eyes were gentle, and her long golden hair fell smoothly over her chest. Her friendly tone naturally made people feel well-disposed toward her. "I must have been sleeping too soundly last night."
The boy's sharp eyes noticed her cleric's robes, and his attitude immediately became respectful. "Ah, Your Excellency the Cleric."
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded.
The boy spoke about last night's events with great worry. "Last night, the palace was besieged by a group of monsters. Three main streets were affected, and my house collapsed, so I came here to find my cousin." The boy couldn't distinguish between different types of monsters; he considered any terrifying beast to be a creature of darkness.
He paused, and his tone suddenly brightened. "But because the Church arrived in time, my family wasn't hurt. Your Excellency, thank you so much. My family and I will believe in the Light Goddess for the rest of our lives."
"The Light Goddess will bless you as well."
After bidding farewell to the reluctant boy, Tang Qiu put her hood back on and looked down, pondering the information he had just revealed. Monsters had attacked the palace... on last night's full moon...
Could it be that there were more of those defective werewolves, those monsters, hiding in the Bill Empire than just the ones she and Lucille had encountered last night?
Lucille's manor was a considerable distance from the Church. Tang Qiu quickened her pace, but it still took her nearly an hour to reach the square in front of the Church. Because of the attack on the palace, the number of people coming to pray had increased.
Tang Qiu bypassed the crowded square, planning to enter the Church through the back gate. As she walked along the stone-paved garden path and neared the Mirror Lake, she looked up and saw a familiar figure.
She had the same long golden hair, but the ends hanging down her back were slightly curled. She was bending over to pick a wild rose, her red lips curved into a beautiful arc. Her face was even more stunning than the rose, alluring but not vulgar.
It was Priest Monica...
Tang Qiu's steps faltered for a moment. Then, composing herself, she walked forward to greet her. "Priest Monica, good day."
Hearing the voice, the cleric looked up and glanced at her lazily. She didn't respond, instead choosing a blue rose and walking over to Tang Qiu. To Tang Qiu's astonished expression, she tucked the rose behind her ear and said softly, "Only a beauty is worthy of such a delicate rose."
Tang Qiu raised a hand to touch the rose, stunned. She stared blankly at the cleric before her. Her emerald green eyes were identical to Priest Monica's, but they held no coldness or distance, only a faint playfulness.
Her gaze shifted upward, glancing at the cleric's forehead. Then she took two steps back and said apologetically, "I've mistaken you for someone else."
She had been careless. The person before her was wearing an ordinary cleric's robe, not the priest's robe embroidered with silver patterns. Moreover, this person had no scar on her forehead.
The cleric chuckled, looking at the golden-haired cleric with great interest. "Are you new here?"
"I just joined the Church a few days ago."
"Oh?" The cleric looked Tang Qiu up and down, then said softly, "But from the aura of light around you, I'd say you're already powerful enough to be promoted to priest."
Her tone was knowing. "Still just a little cleric. Is it because Monica is suppressing you?"
Tang Qiu shook her head, her expression natural as she denied it sincerely. "Priest Monica takes good care of me. I've only just joined the Church, so my qualifications aren't yet sufficient for a promotion. There are many clerics in the Church more outstanding than I am."
The cleric wasn't satisfied with her answer. She raised an eyebrow, placed a hand on Tang Qiu's shoulder, and suddenly leaned in close. Tang Qiu didn't move, letting her approach. As she listened to the soft whispers in her ear, her brow furrowed imperceptibly before relaxing again. Just as she was about to respond, she was interrupted by a voice from behind.
"What are you two doing?" The icy voice belonged to Monica. She stared coldly at Tang Qiu and Reese, her lips pressed into a tight line, her entire being radiating rejection.
Tang Qiu turned. "Priest Monica," she called out. She moved naturally away from Reese's side to stand behind Monica.
Monica looked at her with a dark expression and snorted. "You can go back first."
Tang Qiu nodded and left. As she passed through the small gate, she glanced back one more time, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
Just who was this cleric who looked exactly like Monica?
After Tang Qiu left, Monica's gaze toward Reese was filled not only with coldness but also with disgust and deep hostility. She said, word by word, "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see my dear sister." Reese's smile was radiant. Monica's coldness and hostility seemed to bring her great pleasure.
"Disgusting," Monica said coldly.
Reese shrugged. "Don't be so hostile toward me." She continued picking wild roses, her tone gentle, but her words made Monica grit her teeth in anger. "I am a Red-robed Archbishop, you know. If anyone saw this, you'd be taken to the Inquisition."
The Inquisition was the branch of the Holy See dedicated to investigating and punishing errant Church personnel.
Monica bit her lip, slowly suppressing her fury. She sneered and said, "Is Grace one of your people?"
"Sent specifically to target me?"
No wonder her power of light was so strong, and she tried to snatch the priest position that was already decided for her as soon as she arrived. So, she was sent by Reese to cause trouble.
Reese smiled slightly and, surprisingly, didn't deny it. She said nonchalantly, "You found me out."
"How boring."
Monica stared at her hatefully. "You..."
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