CA – Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Night had fallen silently. A cold wind blew, pushing back Glanna’s hood. Strands of hair whipped across her face, obscuring her eyes. She raised a hand to tuck them behind her ear, the corner of her mouth curling into a slight smile.
Everything happening within the manor seemed like a well-rehearsed play to her.
She watched the panicking werewolves with delight, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being high above, casually controlling their lives and deaths.
I wonder how the werewolf clan leader will feel after learning she’s lost another tenth of her people?
Glanna let out a low chuckle and directed the monsters carrying torches to continue advancing on the werewolves.
Vera, who had been standing quietly beside Glanna, looked down at the manor below. Her gaze followed Erin’s figure, so she didn’t miss her panicked expression. She stared at Erin for a moment before asking in a toneless voice, “What’s wrong with them?”
Glanna raised a hand to pat Vera’s head, saying with a smile, “They’ve discovered the gift I sent them.”
“What gift?”
“A little bit of powder.”
Powder… A flicker of confusion crossed Vera’s eyes. She continued to stare down without blinking, and then she saw a cloud of pink smoke suddenly erupt from within the dense black fog. The sound was deafening, and the ground shook violently.
She steadied herself, a look of shock in her eyes. Looking up at Glanna, she said in a low voice, “Erin…”
Glanna glanced at her, sighing with a hint of sorrow. “It’s because Erin is too disobedient.”
“So, I can only teach her a little lesson.” Glanna stroked her chin, her eyes crinkling at the corners as a thought occurred to her. “I wonder if Erin will fall into despair again, watching the friends who came to save her die because of her?”
“If only I could erase the kindness in her heart.”
Glanna shook her head helplessly. “A Black Witch has no need for things like friends.”
Vera stood quietly beside her, saying nothing.
Glanna looked at her and asked softly, “What do you think, Vera?”
Vera lowered her gaze, her tone indifferent. “…My purpose for existing is to awaken the Dark God.”
“You truly are a good child.” Glanna gently stroked Vera’s hair. Below, two more massive explosions rocked the manor, the pink smoke standing out starkly against the night sky.
The E Leaf powder had almost completely encircled the manor. Even with Erin’s timely warning and the werewolves’ swift interception of the approaching monsters, there were simply too many of them. They charged in fearlessly, and inevitably, a few torches landed near the E Leaf powder.
A spark fell onto the powder, and the detonation was instantaneous. The werewolves were sent flying by the heatwave, letting out pained howls. Tang Qiu was near the explosion. Although Lucille had shielded her in time and a light barrier had been cast beforehand, she still felt a massive force slam into her. Her face paled, and she bent over, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Lucille wasn’t in good shape either. She had absorbed most of the impact for Tang Qiu, and her back felt as if it had been torn apart. With a grave expression, she carried Tang Qiu to a temporarily safe spot. She lifted the chin of the person in her arms with her index finger, examining her carefully. Her calm tone was laced with worry. “Are you hurt?”
Tang Qiu wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and cast several healing spells on herself. Only when the tightness in her chest eased did she let out a slow breath and shake her head. “I’m fine.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead. The injury was making her consciousness begin to blur again.
Lucille wiped the bloodstain from Tang Qiu’s chin with her thumb, then pulled her fallen hood back over her head. As she arranged her hair, she noticed that her long, golden locks had turned snow-white.
A warm palm grabbed Lucille’s wrist, sharp nails pressing against the back of her hand. Tang Qiu stretched her sore neck and glanced at their surroundings. She frowned and asked, “Where’s Erin?”
Before Lucille could answer, Erin ran out of the dense fog. She had been farthest from the blast and was uninjured. Hearing the commotion, she had rushed over. “Are you hurt?” she asked worriedly.
A monster carrying a torch ran out behind her. Tang Qiu’s gaze hardened. She gently squeezed Lucille’s wrist, then her figure flashed forward. She moved with incredible speed, appearing before the monster just as it was about to drop the torch. Her hands clamped around its neck, nails digging into its flesh, and she brutally tore its head off.
Erin, who had been running toward Tang Qiu, skidded to a halt. She froze for a moment, then, as if remembering something, hastily took out an item that concealed one’s aura from her Space Gem and stuffed it into Tang Qiu’s hand.
Tang Qiu took the item and asked calmly, “What are our chances of breaking out of here directly?”
More and more monsters with torches were appearing; it was impossible to stop them all.
Erin swallowed hard and said with difficulty, “About thirty percent, I guess.”
In truth, she wanted to say ten percent. She knew Glanna, and with Glanna’s personality, she wouldn’t set up a trap without ensuring her enemies had no chance of escape. These monsters with torches were just toying with them. Erin knew that the moment they showed any sign of breaking out, a sky full of flames would be waiting for them.
A bitter feeling spread through her heart. Erin lowered her head and said sadly, “I’m the one who got you into this.”
Tang Qiu glanced at her and lightly tapped her on the head. “Don’t be so quick to give up,” she said helplessly. “Let’s think of a way.”
She didn’t believe for a second that they would die here today.
After speaking, she turned and walked back toward Lucille. In the time she had been talking with Erin, the E Leaf had been detonated twice more. A werewolf had been thrown in their direction, covered in blood and unconscious.
Tang Qiu glanced at the werewolf, whose condition was unknown, bent down, and dragged her to a safer spot, pouring a bottle of Holy Water of Light down her throat for good measure.
Lucille came up behind Tang Qiu and asked in a low voice, “Does Erin have a plan?”
Tang Qiu shook her head. “Probably not.” She could see that Erin was at a complete loss in this situation.
“…I’ll get you out.” Lucille straightened her back slightly. It still throbbed with waves of pain, making her movements a bit sluggish, but she didn’t want Tang Qiu to notice.
Tang Qiu looked at her with a smile and pushed Lucille’s shoulder with her index finger. Lucille stumbled back a few steps, looking at her in confusion.
“I’m not a helpless priest right now.” As Tang Qiu spoke, she caught sight of a monster sneaking toward them out of the corner of her eye. She flashed over and dealt with it, then walked back. “If you’re injured, just stay behind me obediently.”
Lucille’s expression flickered. Her dark red eyes stared intently at Tang Qiu for a moment before she lowered her gaze, looking away. She didn’t refute her, but she didn’t nod either.
They were still in great danger. Tang Qiu told Lucille to stay put while she went into the dense fog to inspect the powder on the ground. Only two or three spots had been detonated. She followed the trail of powder for a short distance and tried a few light spells, but their dispelling effect wasn’t very good.
As Tang Qiu stood there, pondering what other spells she could use, another explosion suddenly went off not far from her. The shockwave pushed her back several steps.
She heard the howls of werewolves up ahead. Just as she was hesitating whether to go check, she heard Erin’s joyful cry from behind her. “Grace, we’ve found a way out!”
Tang Qiu’s eyes flickered. She turned and walked in the direction of Erin’s voice. But just as she took a step, an oppressive force suddenly enveloped her. She calmly turned her head. A massive gray wolf, over three meters tall, emerged from the fog. Its brown eyes were fixed on her, and sharp fangs occasionally peeked out from the sides of its mouth.
Tang Qiu froze. She reached into her cloak and touched the aura-concealing item Erin had given her. She tilted her head up slightly, meeting the gray wolf’s gaze with a blank expression.
The gray wolf’s oppressive aura reminded Tang Qiu of the white-haired werewolf from the original body’s memories. However, comparing the two, she felt the white-haired werewolf’s presence was even more powerful.
The emotions hidden deep within the gray wolf’s brown eyes were complex and difficult to discern. After they stared at each other for a while, Tang Qiu’s heart sank, and she almost thought her identity had been seen through. But unexpectedly, the gray wolf was the one to look away first. It walked past her. “Didn’t that little witch say she found a way out?”
Tang Qiu turned her head to stare at the gray wolf’s back, her eyes deep in thought. After she had lost control and transformed, she had already prepared herself for her identity to be exposed.
It… didn’t notice?
She frowned, a thoughtful look in her eyes, and started walking, following behind the gray wolf.
The gray wolf and Tang Qiu appeared beside Erin, one after the other. Lucille was there too. Hearing footsteps, she glanced over. When she saw the gray wolf, her expression changed slightly, and she instinctively looked at Tang Qiu. Tang Qiu gave her a slight shake of her head.
Erin hadn’t noticed the subtle atmosphere around her. She was still immersed in her excitement. During the last explosion, she had accidentally fallen, and the gray furball had tumbled out of her arms, rolling right next to the E Leaf powder.
Worried for the furball’s safety, Erin had gone over, intending to pick it up and stuff it back in her clothes. However, when she bent down, she was shocked to see it licking up the powder on the ground.
By the time she got there, the furball had already eaten a considerable length of the powder trail.
Erin’s shock was followed by immense joy. E Leaf powder was extremely adhesive, and removing it required special techniques and a certain amount of time. That was why she had been so desperate when she saw it sprinkled on the ground.
She crouched beside the furball, watching it eat its way forward. Its tiny figure was soon obscured by the fog. Erin silently calculated the time, then suddenly turned to Tang Qiu beside her and said happily, “Let’s follow it. Quickly!”
Tang Qiu glanced at the gray wolf. The wolf flicked its tail, then suddenly threw its head back and let out a long howl. From all around them, other howls answered in response.
It picked up the unconscious werewolf from the ground with its mouth, tossed her onto its back, then looked up at Tang Qiu. “Get on my back.”
Tang Qiu was taken aback for a moment. She pointed at Erin and said, “Please, Your Excellency, take her out. We’ll follow behind you.” She gestured toward Lucille beside her.
The gray wolf was silent for a moment, then said nothing, simply extending its head toward Erin. Under Erin’s stiff expression, it picked her up with its mouth and tossed her onto its back.
The gray wolf followed the trail cleared by the gray furball, breaking into a run. Along the way, white and gray wolves periodically joined their group.
Lucille walked to Tang Qiu’s side and habitually put an arm around her waist, but Tang Qiu stopped her.
Tang Qiu grabbed Lucille’s arm, signaling her to be quiet. She deliberately waited until all the werewolves had followed the gray wolf before bending down slightly and lifting Lucille onto her back.
Lucille’s hands were forced to wrap around Tang Qiu’s neck. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes. She tilted her head from behind Tang Qiu, trying to see her expression, but her hood got in the way.
“Don’t move,” Tang Qiu reminded her softly. She followed the last white wolf at a safe distance.
Lucille was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “I’m actually fine.”
Not so injured that I can’t move.
Tang Qiu’s hand, holding Lucille under the knees, moved up and pressed against her back. Feeling the person on her back stiffen for an instant, she chuckled softly and sighed helplessly.
The gray furball had not only eaten the E Leaf, but it had also unwittingly guided them.
Glanna watched the werewolves running through the fog, assuming they were making a desperate last stand. She laughed with delight. Her hands emerged from her red robes, and a faint black aura emanated from her pale palms. Fireballs rained down from the sky above the manor, like stars falling to earth, instantly illuminating the dark estate.
Pink smoke erupted one after another within the manor. The estate was blasted into ruins, the ground riddled with deep craters. Even the building beneath Glanna and Vera’s feet developed cracks and collapsed with a roar.
The desolate little town was instantly reduced to rubble.
The pink smoke continued to explode, but the smile on Glanna’s lips slowly faded. The path the werewolves were taking was the calmest one in the manor. Although the ground beneath them also cracked from the explosions, at the werewolves’ speed, they could leap out of the manor long before the cracks turned into craters.
The manor’s surrounding walls had already collapsed. The gray and white wolves disappeared into the night one by one. Glanna gazed into the distance where the werewolves had fled, her gray eyes dark and dull. She slowly brought her hands back, clasping them in front of her.
“They’ve escaped,” Vera said flatly.
Glanna summoned a skeleton and commanded it to pick her up and carry her toward the manor.
Vera followed behind her.
The explosions within the manor had not yet ceased. Glanna directed the skeleton to the path the werewolves had just used to escape. She jumped down from the skeleton and bent over to inspect the ground for E Leaf.
However, the ground was clean. There was no trace of the powder.
Her eyes flickered. She took out a bone staff and began chanting a spell in a low voice. Black energy seeped out of the staff, swirled around on the ground for a moment, then dejectedly returned to the staff.
Glanna looked astonished. After a long moment, she suddenly let out a laugh, shook her head slightly, and said, “My dear Erin always manages to surprise me.”
Vera stared blankly in the direction the werewolves had fled, saying nothing.
Amidst the ruins on the west side of the manor, a handsome vampire dramatically clutched his chest. “My heart nearly stopped,” he said to the skeleton beside him.
The ghostly light in the skeleton’s eye sockets flickered. Its jawbone clacked open and shut, making a sharp sound as if mocking the vampire.
The vampire restored the crumpled rose to its former vibrant beauty, then tucked it into his breast pocket. He straightened his sleeves and said nonchalantly, “Little Erin and that priest are safe. Our mission is complete.”
He stretched. “Let’s go, let’s go. I need to feed.”
The vampire turned and left in the opposite direction of the werewolves. The skeleton shambled along behind him. Soon, both their figures vanished into the night.
Erin lay on the gray wolf’s back. The high speed made the cold wind feel like knives scraping her face, forcing her to bury her head deep in the wolf’s long fur. Her back was slightly arched, hiding the gray furball that had just eaten its fill. Erin could even hear it hiccuping from time to time.
After running for what felt like an eternity, the gray wolf finally slowed down. It stopped and shook Erin and the now-conscious werewolf off its back, then transformed into a human and stood quietly, waiting for the rest of its clan to regroup.
White and gray wolves gradually regrouped with them. Once out of danger, they all shifted into their human forms, gathering in small groups to tend to their wounds.
Quite a few werewolves had been injured by the E Leaf explosions in the manor. Although they had all escaped successfully in the end, several were severely wounded and would need a long period of rest before they could transform again.
They had nearly been wiped out this time. A heavy atmosphere settled over the werewolves.
Erin’s heart was heavy too. She clutched the still-hiccuping furball, anxiously staring ahead. There was still no sign of Tang Qiu and Lucille.
As she worried about Tang Qiu and Lucille’s safety, she caught a glimpse of Fanny out of the corner of her eye. She, too, was quietly staring into the darkness ahead.
Erin was startled. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a sound from ahead. She looked up and saw Tang Qiu and Lucille walking calmly out of the darkness.
Erin breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you hurt?”
Tang Qiu shook her head slightly. She walked over to Erin and looked down curiously at the gray furball in her arms, her expression strange. “What kind of monster is this, anyway?”
She reached out and poked the furball’s head. The poke made it nod, and then it started hiccuping even more violently.
Erin gave an embarrassed laugh. “…I think it ate too much.”
Tang Qiu’s lips curled. She picked up the furball by the scruff of its neck and examined it. “It seems to have grown a little,” she said thoughtfully.
She held the furball up to her face, looked into its eyes, and raised an eyebrow. “And it’s not as dazed anymore.” With that, she returned the furball to Erin’s arms.
Erin held the furball and glanced at it, looking a bit lost. “Really?” she asked doubtfully. She hadn’t noticed.
They were currently stopped in the wilderness on the border between the Shas Principality and the Gru Empire. Aside from the city they had just escaped, the nearest city required them to enter the Gru Empire.
Tang Qiu pulled her hood down lower. She was about to go say goodbye to Fanny when, unexpectedly, Fanny approached her first and invited them to the werewolf territory.
If this were the Tang Qiu who hadn’t seen the original body’s memories, she might have readily agreed. Now, however, she hesitated.
Anyone who knew that a powerful werewolf wanted to kill them, without knowing their identity, would be cautious about an invitation to the werewolf territory.
She was tempted, of course. It was an opportunity to investigate the identity of the white-haired werewolf, and also the seal-like restraint within her body…
But Tang Qiu still wanted to refuse, and indeed, that’s what she did.
However, Fanny had no intention of giving up so easily. She glanced at her surrounding clan members and said flatly, “You have done the werewolves a great service. The clan leader wishes to thank you personally.”
“I don’t know why Glanna captured your friend, but knowing her personality, she certainly won’t give up this easily.” Fanny glanced at Erin, then said to Tang Qiu, “The werewolf territory is safe. You can stay there for a while and recover from your injuries.”
“While we may not like people from the Holy See, we would never harm those who have helped us.”
Her words left Tang Qiu no room to argue. Erin was swayed by Fanny’s speech and looked at Tang Qiu expectantly. Tang Qiu exchanged a glance with Lucille and frowned. Fanny’s words sounded less like an invitation and more like a mandatory request.
Especially since the werewolves who had finished bandaging their wounds were now slowly gathering around them, staring at them without blinking.
They looked ready to carry them off by force if they didn’t agree.
After leaving the manor, Tang Qiu had deliberately lingered on the road with Lucille to wait for her transformation to end. She was now in her priest identity… Tang Qiu lowered her eyes in thought. After weighing the pros and cons, she slowly nodded and replied with a smile, “Thank you for your invitation, Your Excellency.”
Surprisingly, Fanny gave her a nod, her attitude so mild that the other werewolves watching looked astonished.
They still had some distance to go to reach their territory. Seeing that Tang Qiu had agreed, Fanny gave the order to continue moving.
Erin was handed over to Jillian. Tang Qiu remained with Lucille. Since they didn’t need to travel at high speed anymore, carrying one person wouldn’t aggravate Lucille’s injuries.
The werewolves transformed one by one, carrying their injured companions on their backs. Jemma and a few other werewolves snuck over to Tang Qiu’s side. “Can you heal us when we get to the territory?” she asked in a low voice.
Tang Qiu was startled for a moment, then smiled. “Of course.”
Jemma’s eyes lit up. She patted the companion beside her and said to Tang Qiu, “She can carry you.”
Tang Qiu politely declined with a smile. Seeing that Jemma was still lingering, she thought for a moment and took out two bottles of Holy Water of Light for her. Jemma took the holy water and left, satisfied.
Lucille: “…”
Tang Qiu watched Jemma run over to Eva with the Holy Water of Light. The two huddled together, whispering about something and occasionally glancing back at her. She couldn’t help but shake her head and remark, “Such simple-hearted werewolves.”
If it weren’t for the potential enemy lurking among the werewolves, she really felt that getting along with them might be much simpler than being in the Holy See.
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