CA – Chapter 51
Chapter 51
After Monica sent her attendant priest to inform Reese of her route, she efficiently took one-third of the Holy Knights and left overnight. Tang Qiu did not depart with her, instead staying at the manor for one night.
The next morning, after taking stock of the Holy Knights and priests Monica had left for her, she made a special trip to Reese's room to bid her farewell before leaving.
Reese stood on the balcony of her second-floor bedroom, her hands resting on the railing. Her long golden hair cascaded over her chest, and she had casually unbuttoned a few buttons on her collar. The sacred and formal priest's uniform, when worn by her, exuded a hint of laziness.
She lowered her gaze to the golden-haired priest below who was walking toward a carriage, watching her chat and laugh gently with the priest beside her. The warm light seemed to cast a halo around her. With her outstanding features and her overall aura, a single glance was enough to make one feel an irresistible urge to draw closer.
Reese said thoughtfully, "Grace is truly an outstanding person in every aspect."
Mario stood behind her, also glancing down, and replied, "Yes."
"She looks just like Cambecus's type."
Mario lowered his head and said nothing.
Reese's lips curled into a smile. She withdrew her gaze from outside, turned, and walked to a cabinet to pour a glass of water. She said nonchalantly, "Speaking of Cambecus, have you found out what he was doing at the Bill Empire's church?"
Mario took out a prepared piece of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Reese, replying respectfully, "It seems to be related to the matter of Rose Manor."
Reese raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't Rose Manor been gone for a long time?" She unfolded the parchment and scanned it, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her tone held a hint of surprise. "He wants to erase the Bill Empire's records concerning Rose Manor."
But it had been over thirty years since the destruction of Rose Manor.
Vandent was once a glorious city, and Rose Manor had flourished for decades. At the time, even the bards of the entire continent sang its praises. It was only when the Black Death first broke out that the trend subsided slightly. Later, the King of the Bill Empire ordered the city to be burned down. Vandent, including Rose Manor, was reduced to ruins, and this past of extravagance and debauchery was sealed away in the memories of the nobility.
Aside from a few scattered records in various countries, the story of Rose Manor had long been buried deep underground with the ashes.
Even Reese knew little about it, as the Holy See had no records of Rose Manor at all.
Reese folded the parchment and frowned. "What is he trying to do?"
Mario shook his head. After a moment of silence, he brought up an unrelated matter. "His Holiness the Pope has assigned Archbishop Cambecus to handle the affairs of the Gosse Empire."
"It's said that the church's reconstruction is not going smoothly, and the King of Gosse intends to rebuild Rose Manor."
Reese's hand paused. She looked up and met Mario's eyes, a slow smile spreading across her lips. She let out a low chuckle and said, "What a coincidence. My dear sister assigned me the route through the Gosse Empire."
She tore the parchment to shreds and said casually, "Then I'll take a look along the way and see just what secrets this Rose Manor is hiding."
Traveling from the Bill Empire to the Central Church, even at their current pace and traveling through the night, would take nearly a month.
The carriage traveled for a day and a night, finally leaving the borders of the Bill Empire and entering a small neighboring country. Without Reese present, no one requested to stop and rest. The carriage continued its steady advance under the protection of the Holy Knights.
Jennifer sat in Tang Qiu's carriage, flipping through a book on light magic. From time to time, she would glance up at Tang Qiu, who was sitting opposite her, staring absently out the window, clearly preoccupied.
After they left the Bill Empire, Tang Qiu had sent for her, claiming she was bored being alone in the carriage and wanted someone to chat with and exchange insights on light magic. But in reality, ever since she had entered the carriage, the golden-haired priest had been gazing out the window with a sorrowful expression. Not only was her mood low, but she would also let out a long sigh from time to time.
In this atmosphere, it was impossible to focus on the book in her hands. After hearing another sigh, Jennifer couldn't help but look up and ask, "Excuse me, has something happened?"
It was the first time she had seen Tang Qiu like this.
Tang Qiu turned to look at her mournfully and sighed again. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked, her face full of worry.
Jennifer closed her book and put it away, placing her hands properly on her knees and assuming a listening posture. "Not at all."
Tang Qiu turned her head back to the window. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "Before I joined the Bill Empire's church, I had a mercenary friend."
Most priests collaborated with mercenary squads during their training. Jennifer had gone through that period as well, so she wasn't surprised by Tang Qiu's words and simply nodded.
"She saved me many times. I'm very grateful to her," Tang Qiu said, offering Jennifer a small smile.
Jennifer felt the smile was forced. A bad premonition suddenly rose in her heart, and she couldn't help but frown.
Sure enough, the next moment she heard Tang Qiu sigh and say, "But she's run into some trouble recently."
Jennifer looked at her silently, asking tentatively, "So..."
"I don't know what to do either." The golden-haired priest looked extremely troubled, and even the color of her hair seemed to have dimmed. "I really want to help her."
Jennifer frowned and interrupted her, "But you have to escort the Light Believers back to the Central Church."
Tang Qiu turned to look out the window, remaining silent.
The atmosphere in the carriage grew a bit cold. Jennifer opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She understood Tang Qiu's anxiety for her friend, but as a priest of the Holy See, there were too many times when one's hands were tied. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and offer some words of comfort.
She hoped the golden-haired priest could see things in perspective.
Tang Qiu listened quietly. After a while, she turned to Jennifer with a smile and said, "Thank you for comforting me."
Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief. "The Light Goddess will bless your friend and see her through this crisis."
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded. After Jennifer left, the sorrow on her face vanished completely. She took out an intermediate-level magic book and began to read.
Jennifer got out of the carriage, her heart heavy with worry. Back in her own carriage, she was still thinking about Tang Qiu's situation.
She wouldn't sneak away, would she? Jennifer opened the window, poked her head out to look ahead, and muttered to herself, "She probably wouldn't."
Still, she hadn't expected her to be someone who cherished her friends so much. Jennifer had unexpectedly learned another side of the golden-haired priest.
The carriage traveled for another three days and three nights. Jennifer would occasionally go to Tang Qiu's carriage to check on her. Seeing her always sitting inside, quietly reading, the stone in her heart slowly began to lift.
Until the seventh day. Jennifer knocked on Tang Qiu's carriage door as usual. This time, however, there was no response.
Puzzled, she pushed the door open. The carriage was empty.
Jennifer: "..."
"Cleric Jennifer, is something wrong?" a Holy Knight asked, noticing her standing dazedly by the carriage.
Jennifer snapped back to her senses and said with a blank expression, "It's nothing." She bent down and entered the carriage.
A piece of parchment lay on the table in the middle of the carriage. Jennifer picked it up and read it carefully, her expression growing uglier by the second. "That wretched Grace."
She angrily slammed the parchment down on the table, her face flushing red and pale by turns. With so many eyes on her, how on earth did she manage to slip away?
How reckless! What if she ran into danger all by herself? Jennifer took a deep breath, a trace of worry hidden beneath her icy expression.
Tang Qiu, who had disappeared from the carriage, hadn't gone far. She was standing on a giant tree, looking down at the Holy See's convoy below.
Lucille stood behind her, following her gaze. "Is it alright to just leave like this?" she asked in a flat tone.
Tang Qiu didn't turn around, her eyes still fixed on the carriages below. A hint of a smile was in her voice. "It's fine."
Jennifer must have seen the letter she left after getting into the carriage. As long as Jennifer was willing to cover for her, there wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, before she left, she had already informed the other priests that she would be practicing light magic on the road. She had stayed in her carriage for seven consecutive days, and no one had dared to disturb her.
The journey to the Central Church was still long. As long as she could make it back before they arrived, it would be fine.
A skeleton rat slowly crawled up from the base of the tree to the branch where Tang Qiu was standing. A folded piece of parchment was tucked inside its body. Tang Qiu glanced down, took the parchment, and unfolded it, her eyes scanning it rapidly. "...Erin has provoked someone quite powerful this time."
Her opponent was actually a Red-robed Witch, which was equivalent to a Cardinal of the Holy See.
Lucille took the parchment and glanced at it. "Where did you get this information?" she asked, puzzled.
"Mark."
Lucille didn't know much about Mark's Grocery Store. She read the contents of the parchment and said in a low voice, "We can't deal with a Red-robed Witch."
Tang Qiu nodded thoughtfully in agreement. "Indeed."
A Black Witch's dark magic, witchcraft, summoned monsters, and arrays were all extremely offensive. Their purpose was to kill, so compared to a Cardinal, they were far more dangerous.
Lucille looked up at Tang Qiu. Tang Qiu winked at her, her tone mysterious. "That's why I've found some outside help."
"Who did you find?"
Tang Qiu shook her head with a light laugh. "You'll know when we get to the Shas Principality."
The golden-haired priest was beautiful when she smiled. Lucille stared for a moment, then suddenly raised a hand to touch the corner of Tang Qiu's mouth. Meeting her questioning gaze, she averted her eyes and changed the subject. "I can carry you to speed things up."
Tang Qiu stretched her body, which had grown stiff from sitting in the carriage for too long. When Lucille's hand rested on her waist, she pressed it down and said with a grin, "Carrying me on your shoulder would be uncomfortable."
Lucille's hand paused. Then she bent down slightly and lifted the person into a princess carry. The golden-haired priest was very light; for a vampire, this amount of weight was nothing at all.
Tang Qiu's legs, suspended in the air, swung unconsciously. She had originally wanted Lucille to carry her on her back, but on second thought, this position seemed pretty good too.
A woman's body wasn't hard and unyielding like a man's. Leaning against Lucille, the soft touch made Tang Qiu close her eyes slightly. She let out a yawn and said softly, "Don't get lost."
Lucille, who was about to jump from the tree, paused. "...I won't."
"Don't let anyone see us."
"Mm."
"Rest if you get tired."
"...Alright."
"Call me if you get hungry."
Lucille was silent for a moment, her tone tinged with helplessness. "Just go to sleep."
She could tell the person in her arms was doing this on purpose.
Tang Qiu smiled silently, resting her head against Lucille's body and no longer disturbing her.
Vampires were incredibly fast, and their speed was even more astonishing when they traveled at full tilt. Furthermore, Lucille's clan was Gangrel, making her even faster than those of other clans.
In just one day, they had cut the journey in half.
While Tang Qiu and Lucille were on their way to the Shas Principality, the "outside help" Tang Qiu had mentioned had already arrived.
Dozens of tall, massive white and gray wolves stood on a barren mountaintop, looking down at the Shas Principality below. They crouched low, letting out dissatisfied growls.
The gray wolf in the lead was twice the size of the others. Its massive body stood over three meters tall, with sharp fangs and a ferocious gaze. The intimidating aura it exuded was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
Two white wolves approached the gray wolf, their voices grave. "We can't smell Eva's or Jillian's scent."
The gray wolf sniffed the air forcefully, its tail sweeping back and forth irritably. It said in a cold voice, "Search."
"Search every inch of Shas for me."
Upon hearing the command, the white and gray wolves behind it leaped from the mountaintop one after another, transforming into slender figures in mid-air. In a few flashes, they had vanished from sight.
The gray wolf also transformed into a human. She looked down, her brown eyes glinting with a cold light. In her hand, which hung at her side, she clutched a piece of parchment that was crumpled beyond recognition.
Although they still hadn't found out who had sent this letter to their werewolf territory, its contents were something they couldn't afford to ignore.
Their clan currently had fewer than a thousand werewolves in their prime. The loss of even one was something they could not tolerate.
No one could harm a werewolf without facing the full wrath of the entire Wolf Race.
Not even a Black Witch.
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