CA – Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Two slender, white figures emerged from the darkness. They wore the unique robes of the Inquisition, with cuffs and collars edged in gold thread. The hems of their pure white garments were embroidered with exquisite patterns in light green silk, a clear distinction from the dark green patterns on a bishop’s vestments.
Although the Inquisitors held a status within the Holy See equivalent to that of bishops, the pale colors of their robes earned them considerable ridicule.
Even the Head Inquisitor, whose rank was equal to a Red-robed Archbishop, had one less gold thread on her robes compared to a Cardinal’s.
It was as if their status was a tier lower, just like their attire.
The Inquisition’s position in the Holy See was indeed awkward. Although they were subordinate to the Holy See, entering the Inquisition was tantamount to being distanced from the center of power, as they could never become candidates for the papacy, even if they reached the very top.
Furthermore, their purpose was to supervise and punish the members of the Holy See, so they were always treated with hostility.
However, the people of the Inquisition paid this no mind. Once they joined, their sole responsibility was to protect the honor of the Holy See and prevent anything that might tarnish its reputation from occurring.
As for other matters… they had nothing to do with them.
The Inquisitor with long, grayish-white hair, Liz, holding a silver-white staff, walked up to Lola, who was trapped by light magic. She looked down and assessed her. “A fifth-generation vampire.”
She tossed a Light Crystal into the barrier. The crystal exploded against Lola’s body, releasing a mist of blood. Liz stated with a deadpan expression, “Her clan should be Assamite.”
Tang Qiu stood aside, quietly watching them identify Lola’s clan. Her expression was natural, without a trace of panic or unease.
The other Inquisitor, June, was observing the golden-haired priest’s reaction while sizing up Lola. Seeing her look so calm, she thought it was not the reaction one should have when a companion was captured.
In her many years with the Inquisition, she had seen plenty of people feigning composure, but she could always see through them. This person, however… she frowned. It was as if she were truly facing a stranger.
Could the intelligence be false? She glanced over at Linda.
After confirming Lola’s clan, Liz paid her no more attention and walked toward the golden-haired priest. Lola tried to break through the light barrier trapping her, but she only ended up more grievously wounded.
These two had come fully prepared; the light barrier they used was specifically designed to counter vampires.
The sound of Lola ramming against the light barrier like a trapped beast was particularly jarring in the night. Tang Qiu glanced over from the corner of her eye before calmly looking away.
Liz had already reached Tang Qiu. Her brown eyes studied her from head to toe with a probing gaze before she asked coolly, “What are you doing here, Priest Grace?”
Tang Qiu tucked a strand of hair that the wind had blown to her cheek behind her ear. Her sky-blue eyes radiated a gentle light as she replied in a natural tone, “I was just returning from Duke William’s banquet.”
“I didn’t expect to be targeted by a vampire.” She gave Liz an elegant curtsy and thanked her in a soft voice, “I must thank you, Your Excellency Inquisitor, for saving me.”
No member of the Holy See would dare approach a vampire before it was restrained by light magic. Perhaps they had seen her talking with Lola, but Tang Qiu was certain they hadn't heard the content of their conversation.
Indeed, Liz and June had not heard Tang Qiu and Lola’s conversation, only seen them standing together. Liz and June exchanged a look, and the latter suddenly spoke up, “Someone reported that your movements were suspicious and that you might be colluding with vampires. We need to detain you for investigation.”
Her tone was polite enough, if one ignored the staff she had slightly raised.
“Are you suggesting that someone believes I have betrayed the Holy See?” The smile on Tang Qiu’s lips slowly faded. She said in a low voice, “I am the Light Goddess’s most devout believer.”
June frowned slightly. Then she saw the beautiful, golden-haired priest smile at her and say, “I hope you will be able to prove my innocence.”
June lowered her staff and stepped aside. “We will,” she said flatly.
Tang Qiu walked past her. As she brushed past Linda, she glanced at her. Her gaze was gentle, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down one’s spine.
Linda shivered and subconsciously reached out to grab Liz, who was walking in front of her, but Liz sidestepped her with a frown. Linda composed herself and insisted, “She really has betrayed the Holy See.”
Liz glanced at her and said expressionlessly, “We will investigate.”
The Inquisition was far away in the Central Church, so Liz and June could only take Tang Qiu and Lola back to the Bill Church. Every church had a place to imprison vampires or dark creatures, with light formations inscribed in all directions. Once inside, escape was impossible.
Lola was locked in the center of the formation, her hands and feet bound by chains. The power of darkness within her was completely suppressed. Constantly eroded by the power of light, she was covered in wounds and in a wretched state.
Tang Qiu was brought outside the formation. Liz walked up to her and reached out, attempting to unfasten the button on her collar. Tang Qiu’s hand, hanging at her side, twitched, but she did not stop her.
The button was undone, and the lingering marks on the side of her neck made Liz’s gaze deepen. She took a step back and demanded, “How do you explain this?”
Tang Qiu raised a hand to her neck and said innocently, “This is an injury I sustained when I went to the Shas Principality to rescue Priest Monica. I accidentally fell into a vampire’s trap and was captured by them.”
She lowered her hand and said with a smile, “It’s almost healed. Priest Monica can testify for me.”
She wasn’t exactly lying. Monica had seen her get captured with her own eyes.
It was just that the one who bit her wasn’t the one who had captured her.
Liz lowered her eyes slightly. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Lola, trapped in the formation, suddenly let out a cold laugh.
She looked over with an icy expression and said loudly, “Is this priest your companion? If you’re honest, I can make your suffering a little less painful.”
Lola’s cold gaze fell upon Liz. She curled her lips and said mockingly, “Companion?”
“Since when were members of the Holy See qualified to be companions to vampires?”
She snorted coldly. “Your only role is to be a group of disobedient food.”
Flames of light ignited around Lola. The searing pain made her frown, but her gaze toward Liz and the others remained disdainful.
“You’re courting death.” June’s anger turned into a sneer. She raised her staff and began to chant a spell. Liz glanced at her, then motioned for a nearby knight to take the golden-haired priest away.
As Tang Qiu left the room, she glanced back. Lola was kneeling on the ground, struggling in agony. Tang Qiu lowered her eyes, concealing the dark glint within them.
The Inquisition moved with extreme speed. The moment Tang Qiu was brought back to the church, they rounded up and imprisoned all her attendant clerics and Holy Knights.
Jennifer and Avra, as the golden-haired priest’s attendant clerics, were locked up together.
Because the Inquisitors had told them nothing when they were arrested, both were on edge, unsure of what had happened.
Avra had a vague guess. She said tentatively, “Could it be because of Priest Grace?”
Jennifer glanced at her and said coldly, “Be quiet.” Someone was guarding the door just outside.
With Lola fearlessly drawing fire with her taunts, Liz and June had no time to deal with Tang Qiu for the moment. Tang Qiu was taken to an adjacent room and locked up.
As a room for prisoners, the facilities were naturally very crude. Tang Qiu walked around the room, gave up on the dilapidated wooden bed, and went to the long table in the center. After casually casting a cleaning spell, she pulled out a chair and sat down.
She had been too complacent lately, to think she would actually fall into Linda’s trap. Tang Qiu clasped her hands on the table; the cold surface made her thoughts exceptionally clear.
The Inquisition, which never let a single traitor go… regardless of whether they could find evidence of her colluding with vampires, she would not be released easily.
In the end, she would certainly be taken to the Inquisition and imprisoned.
This was their usual style of operation, as evidenced by the number of clerics locked up in the Inquisition’s cells.
Innocent or not was simply not within their scope of consideration.
Tang Qiu leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling in calm contemplation. The only thing she could do now was wait—wait for Liz and June to escort her back to the Inquisition.
The Inquisition was in the Central Church, a great distance from the Bill Empire. The travel time would be more than enough for her to escape.
However, that was absolutely the worst way to escape. Unless necessary, she did not want to give up her identity as a priest.
She needed another way out… She just didn’t know if a certain party would be willing to bet on her. Tang Qiu closed her eyes slightly and began to rest.
Monica didn’t find out about Tang Qiu’s situation until the next day. After Jonas carefully gathered information from the Inquisition, he ran to Monica and reported everything in detail. Then he kept his head down, not daring to look at Monica’s expression.
Monica’s face was cold, her eyes shifting as she remained silent for a long time.
Jonas remembered something and spoke again with a pained expression, saying cautiously, “Inquisitor Liz said that for the sake of fairness, no one is allowed near the detention cells during this period.”
Monica slammed the quill in her hand onto the desk and said coldly, “This is the Bill Church.”
Seeing that her anger was directed at the Inquisitor, Jonas felt a sense of relief for the golden-haired priest.
“Mobilize a squad of Holy Knights to replace the Inquisitors guarding the detention cells.”
Jonas hesitated. “If they ask…”
Monica frowned and said, “Just say it’s Bishop Ralph’s order.” After all, an Inquisitor held the same rank as a bishop.
After Jonas left, the room instantly fell silent, with only the sound of pages turning from time to time.
Monica leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. Her brow furrowed tighter and tighter. The Inquisition had no precedent for releasing people they arrested, unless… She subconsciously turned her head to the right, where a person was leisurely reading a book.
Reese sensed Monica’s gaze and glanced over. The other woman didn’t look away, which brought a flash of surprise to her eyes.
She curled her lips, her emerald eyes holding a faint gentleness.
Monica looked away uncomfortably, biting her lip. Her voice was hard. “Grace being taken by the Inquisition must be a misunderstanding. You…”
Before she could finish, she heard Reese say in a knowing tone, “Ah, another one of your Holy See’s internal affairs. So you want me, an outsider, to leave, is that it?”
“I understand.” Reese considerately picked up her book, rose briskly, and walked toward the door.
Monica’s face darkened. She watched her back, her mouth opening and closing, but in the end, she didn’t call out to her. It wasn’t until the door closed that she pressed her lips together, unable to suppress her anger. She reached out, grabbed the quill from the desk, and threw it.
How annoying.
Outside the door, Reese heard the sound of the quill hitting the door panel. She shook her head helplessly, gave Mario a look, and then turned to leave.
Inside the room, once Monica’s anger was spent, she slumped back in her chair. Thinking of Reese, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over her. In truth, when Reese had abandoned her for the Central Church, she had been heartbroken but had not yet hated her.
It was Reese’s repeated dismissal of her concern, her relentless and heartless suppression, that had made her heart grow cold and filled her with hostility.
What she hated most was Reese’s nonchalant attitude.
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