CA – Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Lola fed so close to the Holy See that Tang Qiu suspected her prey was likely a priest.
At the time, a wall had separated them, and Lola had insisted her prey had escaped before they arrived. Logically, the chances of her being discovered should have been slim.
However, Tang Qiu remained on high alert after returning. She observed for several days but didn't notice any priest acting abnormally.
Monica had been cooperating with the Inquisition's investigation into Anthony during this time. When she finally had a moment to spare, she sent Jonas to summon Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu assumed Monica wanted to continue their discussion about the Central Church, but when she arrived at the meeting room, she found that Monica was not alone.
When Tang Qiu arrived, Monica was sitting behind a desk with a cold expression, her arms crossed, exuding a chill that kept everyone at a distance. She stared intently at the doorway, not even sparing a glance to her right. When Tang Qiu's figure appeared, her expression shifted, and she called out, "Grace."
Tang Qiu gave Monica a slight smile, her peripheral vision catching the other figure in the room. She subconsciously glanced over. Reese was sitting by the window, bathed in sunlight, engrossed in a book.
Under the sunlight, her focused and serious demeanor looked peaceful and beautiful.
But someone didn't think so. The coldness emanating from Monica was almost tangible, making the very air feel as if it were freezing over.
Even though the meeting room was spacious, with both Monica and Reese present, even Tang Qiu found the atmosphere oppressive.
Her steps faltered, and she paused at the doorway. Facing Reese, she said with a smile, "Archbishop Reese, good day."
Reese looked up from her book, her expression languid. "Good day."
She closed the book and stirred the floral tea in her cup with a spoon.
Monica coldly ordered her to leave. "The Holy See has internal matters to discuss. Unrelated people should leave immediately."
Reese glanced sideways at Monica, a slight curve on her red lips. "Unrelated people? Who might that be? Grace?" She looked at Tang Qiu.
With a gentle expression, Tang Qiu called her bluff. "I believe Priest Monica was referring to Your Excellency, the Archbishop."
Reese chuckled lightly. "Is that so." She picked up her book, then reached out to touch a large bouquet of fresh wild roses on the table and shrugged. "Then I'll be going."
Before getting up, she pulled out a rose and casually handed it to Tang Qiu as she passed by. "A gift for you," she said nonchalantly.
Tang Qiu glanced down and accepted it naturally, replying in a soft voice, "Thank you, Your Excellency."
Reese let out a low laugh and brushed past Tang Qiu's shoulder on her way out. Mario, who was waiting outside, saw her emerge and fell into step behind her.
"Remember to go to the garden later and pick up the flowers," Reese said as she walked down the corridor. From a distance, she saw Cambecus walking toward them. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Cambecus saw her too, stopped in his tracks, gave a distant greeting, and turned to walk in another direction.
Reese snorted coldly and headed in the direction Cambecus had gone.
After Reese left, Monica's tense nerves slowly relaxed. She called Jonas in, pointed to the large bouquet of roses Reese had left behind, and said coldly, "Take these and throw them away."
After speaking, she glanced at the rose in Tang Qiu's hand.
Tang Qiu tactfully stored the rose in her Space Gem, then walked over and sat down opposite Monica, bringing up their previous topic. "After I returned, I carefully considered your proposal and have decided to decline."
She intended to enter the Central Church, but not by accepting Cambecus's olive branch.
What she wanted was something Cambecus couldn't help her achieve, and besides, she didn't know him well.
After hearing her out, Monica's expression grew complicated. She remained silent for a moment before saying, "You still want to side with Reese, don't you?"
She remembered how Tang Qiu had just accepted Reese's rose, and her expression became even more complex. "You..."
Seeing her reaction, Tang Qiu knew she had misunderstood. She said, somewhat amused, "You're overthinking it."
"I haven't spoken with Archbishop Reese about the Central Church yet."
Monica frowned, her expression shifting for a moment before she simply pursed her lips and said, "Just be careful."
Tang Qiu nodded and replied softly, "I will."
The reason she chose Reese over Cambecus was not only because she already knew a little about Reese, but also because she felt their personalities were somewhat similar.
Reese was ambitious, and as it happened, so was Tang Qiu.
After leaving Monica, Tang Qiu was about to return to her room to rest when she was whisked away by Jennifer to deal with a marquis sent by the empire.
On the way, she happened to run into Linda, who was delivering Holy Water of Light. Linda handed Tang Qiu a month's supply and asked with a hint of concern, "Priest Monica said you were bitten by a vampire, so she had me prepare a double portion for you. Is your injury serious?"
Tang Qiu accepted the Holy Water of Light, shook her head, and said with a smile, "It's almost healed."
A glint flashed in Linda's eyes as she nodded. "That's good." She then stepped aside to let her pass, watching the blonde priest's departing figure as the smile on her face slowly vanished.
The blonde priest's voice was clean and clear, yet carried a certain gentleness due to her habit of speaking slowly, making it very distinctive.
That was why Linda was certain that the voice she had heard call out "Lola" in the alley that night belonged to the blonde priest.
Tang Qiu's figure was no longer visible. Linda raised a hand to her neck, lowered her gaze, and returned to her room.
Closing the door tightly, Linda took out all the Holy Water of Light she had stored in her Space Gem. She walked to the mirror, unbuttoned her collar, and tilted her head slightly, looking at the still-red and swollen bite mark on the side of her neck.
Vampires belonged to the forces of darkness, so wounds inflicted by them were affected by the Power of Darkness and healed very slowly.
Linda stared grimly at the bite mark on her neck, bit her lip, and took out a dagger of light.
She no longer wanted to be under Lola's control. Lola had indeed helped her a great deal, but she felt she had paid a sufficient price.
She was going to the Central Church; how could she continue to be entangled with a vampire? A ruthless glint flashed in Linda's eyes. She gripped the dagger and began to slice open the bite mark on her neck, cut by cut. Blood spurted out, and she pressed her hand against it, murmuring an incantation.
A healing spell stopped the bleeding. She poured the Holy Water of Light over her neck, and the jagged cuts slowly began to heal, but a red mark remained due to the residual Power of Darkness.
Linda picked up the dagger again and continued to cut open the red mark, rinsing it with Holy Water of Light. After several repetitions, the Power of Darkness was finally purged, and the wound on her neck healed completely.
Her face was pale from the blood loss. Linda wiped the blood from her hands, changed her clothes, and opened the door to leave.
The rooms prepared for the visitors from the Inquisition were very close to their own. Linda walked to the door, took a deep breath, and then raised her hand to knock.
The door opened from the inside. Linda looked at the person and said in a low voice, "There's a priest in the Holy See whose movements are very strange. I suspect she is colluding with vampires."
"Her name is Grace Barton."
This was an opportunity to get rid of both Lola and the blonde priest in one fell swoop. Linda lowered her eyes to hide the darkness within them. The shadows that enveloped her and the stumbling blocks that stood in her way—she would eliminate them all.
Unaware that she was being targeted, Tang Qiu had devoted herself to handling church affairs ever since Lucille returned to Edry.
She spent her days at the Holy See and her evenings attending banquets, occasionally having to find time to practice light magic. Tang Qiu's schedule was packed.
Only during the walk back to the Holy See after leaving a banquet each night could she relax her mind and find time to think—about Lucille, about the Holy See, the werewolves, or even the entire continent.
Since arriving at the Bill Empire's Holy See, she had grown accustomed to being alone. Therefore, if a banquet wasn't too far from the church, she would politely decline the carriage the nobles had prepared to take her back.
Jennifer had once suggested that she be accompanied by a few Holy Knights, but Tang Qiu, thinking it would be a hassle for her occasional meetings with Lucille, had refused.
She never expected that this oversight would give Linda an opportunity.
After leaving the banquet, Tang Qiu once again walked along the quiet, secluded path toward the Holy See. She was lost in thought as she walked, and when she reached the same alley as before, she was surprised to see Lola again.
Lola was also a bit surprised to see her. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Tang Qiu paused, her brow furrowing. She retorted, "Why are you here?"
"I'm waiting for prey." Lola licked her lips and looked Tang Qiu up and down, shaking her head with regret.
Prey... Tang Qiu's eyes flickered. She suddenly recalled the prey that had escaped from Lola here last time. Her heart sank. She looked around; the night seemed to make the air heavy, and for some reason, a bad premonition rose in her heart.
"Go." Tang Qiu pulled her hood down to cover her face and said in a low voice, "Quickly."
Lola was taken aback but also keenly sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. She frowned and took a step back into the darkness.
There was a fluctuation of light energy. Tang Qiu's bad premonition came true. Just as she lifted her foot to leave, two golden rings of light abruptly appeared in mid-air. Lola's figure was forcibly exposed, ensnared by the golden rings, and thrown to the ground.
Lola was immobilized by the Power of Light, her crimson eyes flashing with a cold glint. The backs of her hands, her wrists, and her face, all exposed, turned various shades of bruised black from the corrosion of the light energy.
These two light spells were high-level techniques used by bishops.
Furthermore, judging by the intensity of the Power of Light, they came from two different bishops.
Tang Qiu calmly retracted the foot she had been about to step forward with. After a moment of thought, she had already guessed who was behind the spells.
They had to be Inquisitors from the Inquisition. In terms of rank, they were equivalent to bishops.
How did they know Lola was here? Tang Qiu stared expressionlessly at Lola, who was trapped and in agony from the light spells, her eyes deep in thought.
The timing of these two spells clearly indicated they were well-prepared.
Tang Qiu's confusion didn't last long. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Linda looked at Lola, then at Tang Qiu, a mocking smile playing on her lips. She mouthed to Tang Qiu, "Goodbye."
Tang Qiu watched her quietly for a moment before proactively removing her hood and returning a warm and friendly smile.
The blonde priest's composure flustered Linda for a moment, but then a thought occurred to her, and she felt confident that victory was hers.
Lola would certainly not survive falling into the hands of the Holy See. As for the blonde priest... Linda was sure she wasn't the only one who had witnessed her conversation with Lola just now.
The Inquisition would rather kill a thousand innocents than let a single traitor to the Holy See escape. There was no chance the blonde priest would ever be released.
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