CA – Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Tang Qiu knew Monica took the Black Witches of Vandent seriously, but she hadn't expected her to come in person.
As Reese's twin sister, Monica's understanding of the Power of Light and her own constitution were in no way inferior to Reese's. It could be said that if Reese hadn't interfered, Monica would have long since become a bishop.
Having no opportunity to enter the Central Church meant Monica couldn't study high-level light magic, but her Power of Light was still formidable, even stronger than Bishop Ralph's.
This was all thanks to her own innate talent.
Besides deciding to come herself, Monica had also brought two other priests, several clerics, and a number of Holy Knights. The group of more than a dozen people arrived in Vandent via the teleportation array, and their sudden appearance startled Erin, who had received Tang Qiu's message and was waiting for them.
Erin had only wanted to add one or two clerics to the team; she never expected Tang Qiu to bring her more than a dozen... Even for a Black Witch who wouldn't reveal her identity in front of Church personnel, she... she couldn't help but tremble.
Seeing so many live clerics at once, the mix of excitement and agitation, combined with imagining the miserable fate that awaited her if she were accidentally exposed, made the expression on Erin's face quite strange.
Behind her, a certain vampire, whose identity would also not be seen through by the Church personnel, was much calmer. Her gaze swept over the group, pausing only for a moment on Tang Qiu before indifferently looking away.
Monica stopped in front of Erin, her eyes glancing between her and Lucille before turning to Tang Qiu with a questioning look.
Tang Qiu knew what she wanted to ask. She pointed at Erin and said softly, "She's the one who's good at finding Black Witches."
Monica looked Erin up and down, somewhat disappointed by the petite, sickly-looking brown-haired girl, but she still asked, "Can you find the Black Witches hiding in Vandent?"
Erin, who had already received a signal from Tang Qiu, straightened her back, patted her flat chest, and said with great confidence, "Of course."
"What method will you use to find them?"
Black Witches were extremely cunning. Because their bodies were fragile, they always hid themselves in safe places when causing trouble with dark magic. Light magic could only locate the monsters; it was of no help in finding their true bodies.
Erin gave a dry cough and did her best to speak in the tone of a greedy mercenary. "That's a secret. How could I possibly tell you?"
Beside Monica, Priest Cecia frowned, her face showing displeasure at Erin's attitude. She was about to reprimand her but was stopped by a raised hand from Monica. Monica, however, wasn't angry. She simply nodded. "I hope your secret proves useful."
She shifted her gaze to the deathly silent Vandent ahead and said flatly, "Let's go."
Erin raised a hand to stop them. "Wait, there are still people who haven't arrived." Seeing Tang Qiu look at her quizzically, she winked.
Monica ordered her people to rest where they were while she took the priests ahead to scout. Tang Qiu left the group and walked over to Erin, asking in a low voice, "Who are we still waiting for?"
Erin wore a pained expression. "Two swordswomen with monstrous strength." In truth, Erin wasn't very satisfied with Eva and her companion, but since no other swordmasters were available, she had to make do.
Speaking of swordmasters, she thought of the red-haired woman behind her. She stole a glance and then leaned close to Tang Qiu's ear to whisper, "Did you find this person?" The woman had arrived not long after she got to Vandent. Erin had tried to strike up a conversation but had been completely rebuffed.
Tang Qiu glanced in Lucille's direction, her eyes meeting Lucille's by chance. She curved her lips into a faint, gentle smile, her features soft, her eyes deep and affectionate.
Erin stared blankly at the golden-haired cleric who was freely exuding charm. She blinked, then tilted her head to look at the red-haired vampire again. "Why do I feel like she looks a bit like that Marshal from Edry?" she asked, puzzled.
The Marshal Lucille she had seen on the street back then had always worn a black veil, so Erin could only recognize her fiery red hair and dark red eyes... which happened to match this person perfectly.
Tang Qiu shifted her gaze back and said with a smile, "That's probably just your imagination."
On this trip to Vandent, Linda was accompanying Priest Cecia as an attendant cleric, so she had come along as well. She walked over to Tang Qiu and Erin very naturally, acting as if she were quite close to Tang Qiu. She greeted Erin warmly, and after a long exchange of pleasantries, she showed no intention of leaving.
Tang Qiu thoughtfully made way for Linda, leaving a bewildered Erin to face the unfamiliar cleric. At first, Erin thought Linda was a friend of Tang Qiu's from the Church, but when she realized the woman was trying to probe for information, she grew wary and simply played dumb to deflect her questions.
Fortunately, Erin wasn't harassed by Linda for too long. Eva and her companion arrived late, still wearing the same clothes as when they first met, but now with swords slung at their waists. If one ignored the brand-new scabbards and Eva's impatient expression, they almost looked like real swordswomen.
Erin walked up to them, a little exasperated, and muttered under her breath, "...You didn't have to go and buy swords." It wasn't like they knew how to use them anyway.
Eva's eyes widened, and she said angrily, "How could you..." Before she could finish, the brown-haired girl beside her raised a hand to stop her. She stared at the group of clerics behind Erin, her tone unreadable as she said, "You didn't say there would be clerics with us."
Eva froze for a moment, following the brown-haired girl's gaze. Her expression changed instantly. She clenched her fists, making a cracking sound. "Clerics..."
Erin thought they were angry because there were more people to protect, so she leaned in and whispered, "You only need to protect me."
Seeing no reaction from them, she reminded them softly, "Thirty bottles of Holy Water of Light."
The brown-haired girl was the first to recover. She sized up the group of clerics, weighed their strength against her own, and frowned.
Eva asked in all seriousness, "Do these clerics have thirty bottles of Holy Water of Light on them?" If they did, they could just rob them directly.
Erin: "...Calm down."
The brown-haired girl stopped the hot-tempered Eva, saying in a low voice, "Don't be rash." Due to problems with procreation, the number of werewolves was dwindling. Before they left, their leader had specifically warned them not to cause trouble.
Facing a large group they likely couldn't defeat counted as causing trouble.
Although they had to deal with the detestable clerics, the temptation of thirty bottles of Holy Water of Light was too great. With a sour look on her face, Eva followed the brown-haired girl over. When she caught the scent of light from the clerics, her entire body tensed up.
Erin noticed Eva's strange behavior and was surprised by her intense aversion to clerics.
Since Monica wasn't paying much attention to the others, she led the priests and clerics to the front as soon as they could enter Vandent. This suited Eva and her companion, who didn't want to get too close to them. They followed from a distance, casually keeping an eye on their employer, Erin.
Startled by Tang Qiu's group last time, the Black Witches of Vandent were all on high alert. They summoned monsters to intercept them layer by layer along the way. Upon spotting the intruders, black crows flew out from their hiding places in the tree trunks, their staggering numbers blotting out the sky and dimming the daylight, their cawing exceptionally piercing.
The black crows circled above their heads. Some dived straight down, trying to tear at their flesh, but they crashed into a transparent barrier of light. Gray-black feathers rained down, instantly carpeting the ground.
The two priests beside Monica lowered their staves. Monica lifted her chin slightly and said coldly, "Move."
The light barrier moved with the group. The crows fearlessly slammed against it. Occasionally, one or two would break through, specifically targeting the clerics with weaker Power of Light. A few were indeed injured in the chaos. The faint scent of blood drifted to Lucille's nose. She frowned, a flicker of revulsion once again flashing in her eyes.
Her face cold, she stepped out of the light barrier, and with a flicker, her figure vanished.
Tang Qiu glanced back just in time to see Lucille's departing figure. Her eyes searched the area and saw several clerics clutching their bleeding arms, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
It seemed Lucille's aversion to blood remained, even when the subjects were clerics.
Only she herself was outside the scope of Lucille's repulsion. Tang Qiu had vaguely sensed this from the beginning, and now she could confirm it.
What a vampire full of secrets, Tang Qiu mused, distractedly rubbing her wrist. And after all this time, she still hadn't figured out what generation of vampire Lucille was.
With priests clearing the path ahead and two girls with monstrous strength covering the rear, Erin felt incredibly safe in the middle. She crossed her arms and walked over to Tang Qiu, bumping her shoulder. Tang Qiu glanced at her, and the two tacitly slowed their pace.
Erin lowered her voice. "We have to find a chance to split up from them."
Tang Qiu was surprised. "Don't you need cover?" From her perspective, with three priests present, as long as Erin could successfully locate the Black Witches, the Dark Feast would have absolutely no chance of proceeding.
Erin looked a little embarrassed. "...I thought about it later. They'd be pretty good as a distraction."
Tang Qiu narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked with a smile, "Your goal was never to stop the Dark Feast, was it?"
If it were just about stopping the Dark Feast, Erin could have simply watched from the sidelines and let the Church personnel deal with the Black Witches.
Seeing that Tang Qiu had seen through her lie, Erin's face fell. She still tried to argue, "...One of my goals was indeed to stop the Dark Feast."
"And the other?"
They had already fallen a certain distance behind the clerics up ahead. Erin's gaze darted around for a moment before she stammered, "I want to take something from Laurel."
Her initial plan had been perfect. Under the cover of Tang Qiu's light magic, Laurel and the others would never have guessed she was there. Then, she would sneak into their hiding place and find the right moment to take the item.
However, she hadn't expected Tang Qiu to bring such a large group of clerics, including three priests.
She now seriously suspected that Laurel might have already been scared off.
"Our deal didn't include this."
The golden-haired cleric's tone was still gentle, but Erin's face immediately crumpled. She apologized without much conviction, "It's all my fault."
Seeing the cleric unmoved, she gritted her teeth and tried to tempt her with payment. "I'll add more Holy Water of Light."
Tang Qiu shot her a sideways glance. A thought seemed to occur to her, and a slight curve appeared on her lips. "A teleportation scroll."
Erin's eyes widened. "That's too expensive."
Tang Qiu spread her hands and sighed. "I also think your request is too dangerous."
As they whispered in the back, they walked slower and slower. Monica had reached the spot where Tang Qiu had seen the scarecrow before. She stopped and looked back for the golden-haired cleric. Seeing her so far behind, she frowned and called out coldly, "Grace."
The priests and clerics behind her turned to look at Tang Qiu with varied expressions.
Tang Qiu walked calmly to Monica's side and said composedly, "I was asking Erin if she'd found any clues."
Monica's expression softened slightly. "Are there any?"
Tang Qiu looked at Erin. Receiving the signal, Erin stepped forward and said with a serious face, "I need a little time."
"Fine."
It just so happened that Monica wanted to study the scarecrow clones here and was in no hurry to venture deeper into Vandent.
Erin moved away from Monica and the others to an open area. She carefully took out a few strange leaves from her sleeve, squatted down, and began to work with them.
Sensing someone walk up behind her, Erin knew who it was without looking. She muttered something under her breath, then sighed inwardly and agreed to Tang Qiu's request. "You can have the teleportation scroll, but you have to guarantee I can get the item."
Tang Qiu was unyielding, smiling as she said, "I can't guarantee that."
Erin: "..." This cleric is so annoying.
Using an ancient form of witchcraft that wasn't quite dark magic, Erin looked at the strange pattern formed by the powdered leaves. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "To the east."
Tang Qiu gazed at Monica, who was examining the scarecrow, and said softly, "Now is not the time to leave."
Erin hesitated. She was afraid Laurel would be scared away, so she wanted to find her as soon as possible.
Just by looking at Erin's expression, Tang Qiu knew what she was thinking. She immediately dismissed her idea. "With only three priests here, the Black Witches won't flee."
"Not if the Dark Feast is really that important to them."
Black Witches were extremely cunning and cautious. They already knew this location had been exposed yesterday. Given that the Bill Empire had a branch of the Holy See, their choice not to flee indicated that the Dark Feast was far more important than anything else.
While Erin was still hesitating, a burst of light magic suddenly erupted from Monica's position. A dazzling white light showered down from above, suppressing the ghastly white bones that were emerging from the ground.
A black aura suddenly surged from the scarecrow's body, and two eyes made of minced flesh appeared on its face. It twisted its body bizarrely, as if observing everyone present.
Erin subconsciously lowered her head, hiding her face.
Tang Qiu was already experienced in dealing with scarecrows. Seeing the eyes appear on its face, she immediately used light magic to cover its head. The scarecrow's twisting body instantly froze.
Receiving the order, the Holy Knights drew their swords and chopped the scarecrow into several pieces.
There were five or six scarecrows nearby, and all were cut down and dismembered. Monica frowned and walked toward Tang Qiu and Erin, intending to ask if they had any clues. But just as she was halfway there, a wooden stick that had been part of a scarecrow suddenly twitched on the ground.
Monica's steps faltered. She instinctively looked down. The stick spewed a cloud of black gas, and the towering body of a Half-Human Monster emerged from it, reaching out to grab her.
A white light wrapped around the Half-Human Monster's thick arm, giving Monica time to react. She whispered an incantation, and a light barrier appeared above her, escorting her into the protective circle of the Holy Knights.
Once out of danger, she turned to look at Tang Qiu, who had just lowered her staff of light. The latter was looking up at the Half-Human Monster with a worried expression.
The wooden sticks scattered on the ground all transformed into Half-Human Monsters. Their massive bodies, several meters tall, instantly threw the clerics' formation into disarray. Light magic bloomed everywhere, and the roars of the monsters were occasionally punctuated by the screams of clerics.
Erin clumsily dodged the attacks of a Half-Human Monster. Just as she was getting worried, Eva and her companion suddenly appeared beside her. With one kick each, they easily sent the lunging monster flying.
Eva even played a mean trick, deliberately kicking the Half-Human Monster toward an unlucky cleric, a triumphant smile on her lips.
That unlucky cleric happened to be Linda. A whooshing sound filled the air, and by the time she turned her head, the Half-Human Monster was already upon her. Her face paled; it was too late to chant a spell.
Just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared beside her. It raised a hand and effortlessly tore the Half-Human Monster in two.
Linda, having survived, was stunned for a moment. Seeing the black shadow, she felt a flash of panic. She subconsciously glanced around, and only when she saw that no one had noticed the situation over here did she breathe a small sigh of relief. She said in a low voice, "Go, quickly."
The black shadow let out a low laugh, raised a hand, and squeezed Linda's injured arm hard. Then, it licked the blood from its fingers, and with a flicker, its form vanished again.
Cold sweat beaded on Linda's forehead from the pain. With a trembling hand, she cast a healing spell on the wound and then, still uneasy, looked around again.
The Half-Human Monster attack had thrown the battlefield into chaos, and as it happened, she was all alone in her area.
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