CA – Chapter 75
Chapter 75
What did Lola want to eat?
Mario understood Reese's meaning. After leaving her, he didn't go straight back but went to where Linda was staying. Linda, uneasy and anxious, hadn't been able to sleep. When the knock came at her door, she sat up in bed and asked warily, "Who is it?"
Mario spoke in a low voice from the other side of the door, "Priest Linda, Archbishop Reese has something for you."
Archbishop Reese... Linda's expression changed slightly. She got out of bed, opened the door, and looked at Mario with trepidation. She managed to say, "It's so late. Why would Archbishop Reese be looking for me?"
Mario said expressionlessly, "You'll know when you get there." With that, he turned and left.
Linda was hesitant, but she didn't dare disobey the order. She could only lower her head and follow behind him.
Mario led Linda through the main hall and out of the Holy See. The night wind was cold, making one shiver uncontrollably. Linda looked around uneasily, her voice trembling slightly. "Priest Mario."
Mario ignored her, crossed the wide street, and quickly vanished around a corner. Linda watched his figure disappear into the darkness and subconsciously chased after him for a few steps. However, when she rounded the corner, only darkness met her eyes; Mario was nowhere to be seen.
A chill ran down Linda's spine. She glanced around nervously, then turned and quickened her pace, wanting to return to the Holy See. However, a crisp sound of footsteps suddenly echoed in the silence, causing her to freeze stiffly.
She called out tentatively, "Priest Mario?"
A familiar, low chuckle instantly turned Linda's face pale. A cold sensation, like a venomous snake slithering over her body, spread through her. Linda's feet were rooted to the spot. She muttered in disbelief, "Lola, this is impossible..."
A vampire with short brown hair and crimson eyes emerged from the darkness. She licked her fangs, a vicious glint in her eyes, and said with a low laugh, "Little Linda, how do you want to die?"
"No..." Linda trembled, trying to pull out her staff for a final resistance. "I was wrong, Lola."
Lola sneered, and her figure vanished from before Linda. Linda spun around in a panic, searching for her. Suddenly, a body pressed against her back, and a cold hand mercilessly gripped her neck.
Mario stood quietly in a dark alley, listening to the screams coming from just beyond the wall, his expression completely unmoved. He only emerged from the darkness after the screams slowly faded, keeping a certain distance from Lola.
Lola had known all along that Mario was nearby and that he had deliberately led Linda out. She casually tossed aside the now-cold corpse. A low-level vampire ran out, picked up the body, and continued to feed on the residual warmth of the blood.
Lola recognized Mario as the subordinate of the red-robed archbishop who had gotten her out of the Holy See. She frowned, took a wary step back, and lifted her chin slightly, asking coldly, "Have you been following me all this time?"
Ever since she left the Holy See, she had vaguely sensed someone watching her. But because the person never got close, only observing her movements from a distance, and because she was very weak, she hadn't made a move.
Mario didn't answer her, instead saying in a low voice, "Archbishop Reese wants to see you."
Lola's eyes flickered. After a moment of silence, she suddenly curled her lips into a meaningful smile. "Where? The Holy See?"
Mario turned slightly to the side, gesturing for her to follow him. "Of course not." He turned and walked away.
Lola watched his back expressionlessly, her eyes lowered in thought for a moment. Unable to resist her curiosity, she flashed into the darkness.
Exiting the dark alley, Mario boarded a carriage parked on the side of the street. Inside, Reese was leaning against the carriage wall, staring absently into the night. Hearing the movement, she glanced over and asked, "Did she follow?"
Mario nodded.
Reese raised her hand and knocked on the carriage wall. The knight in front cracked his whip, and the white steed pulled the carriage into a gentle, swaying motion.
After crossing half of the main city, the carriage finally stopped in front of a remote and inconspicuous manor. Reese stepped down from the carriage, glanced at the darkness behind her, and waited patiently for a moment.
Lola slowly emerged from the darkness, looking Reese up and down. Her red lips curved slightly. "You summoned me here. Don't tell me you want to hear a 'thank you' from a vampire?"
Reese raised an eyebrow. "What good would your thanks do for a red-robed archbishop?"
Lola frowned.
Reese's tone was laced with mockery. "To bite people for me? To be a loyal little dog?"
Dog... Lola's eyes darkened, and her anger turned to laughter. "You're calling me a dog?"
Reese shrugged. "If it's not a dog that bites, what is it?" Seeing Lola's face darken, she stopped teasing her. She glanced at the manor hidden in the darkness, her eyes growing dim, and said in a low voice, "I'll feed you a bishop. Interested?"
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and entered the manor, acting as if she was certain Lola would follow.
Lola's face was grim as she stared at Reese's back, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. A bishop's blood... She had just fed on an Inquisitor, and to be honest, the blood was truly delicious.
She pursed her lips and followed after her.
This was the first time Anthony had seen Reese since being locked in the manor's dungeon. His dull eyes slowly brightened. He stood up from the ground, cautiously approached Reese, and called out respectfully, "Archbishop Reese."
Reese glanced at him, her tone gentle. "How does it feel to be imprisoned?"
Anthony didn't dare show any resentment. He forced a smile and said fawningly, "If it can appease Your Excellency's anger, I'm willing to be locked up for a while longer."
Reese let out a laugh, her tone meaningful. "I've been very lenient with you. After all, I didn't put you in a cage, did I?"
Cold sweat beaded on Anthony's forehead. He said carefully, "I am loyal to you."
"I've already told you everything I know." Anthony betrayed Cambecus without the slightest hesitation. "Archbishop Cambecus places great importance on the matter of the Gosse Empire rebuilding Rose Manor. He has suggested transferring me to the Gosse Church more than once."
"As long as you're willing to release me, I will be your pawn by Archbishop Cambecus's side from now on."
"A pawn..." Reese chuckled softly. She raised her hand, and Mario placed a dagger in her palm. She drew the dagger, glanced at the sharp blade, and said with a faint smile, "I think you're better suited as food."
Anthony's face changed when he saw Reese draw the dagger, but her words left him confused. It wasn't until a red-eyed vampire stepped out from the shadows behind Reese that he realized something, and his face turned deathly pale.
Lola's cold gaze fixed on Anthony. She asked suspiciously, "Are you really letting me feed on him?"
Reese didn't speak. Mario stepped forward and forced Anthony to the ground. She walked over with the dagger and plunged the sharp blade viciously into Anthony's arm. Anthony screamed in pain.
The scent of blood filled the air. Lola sniffed, her eyes deepening.
Reese casually tossed the dagger aside. Mario muttered a spell, and the wound on Anthony's arm slowly healed, but the pain left Anthony dazed for a long time.
"Do you understand?" Reese turned to look at Lola calmly.
Lola licked her lips, walked over, and lifted Anthony up. She snorted coldly and said, "Isn't it just to not let him die too easily?"
Reese's lips curved, but her gaze toward Anthony was utterly cold. She said to Lola, "You can take your time and enjoy your meal here."
"He might enjoy the pleasure of having his blood drained bit by bit."
Anthony, his face pale, wanted to beg for mercy, but his collar was ripped open. A sharp pain in the side of his neck prevented him from saying anything but screams. He watched Reese's retreating figure, a wave of despair washing over him, and he abruptly lost consciousness from fear.
Lola impatiently threw him to the ground, licked the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stared at Reese's back with a playful glint in her eyes.
Unaware that Lola had been lucky enough to get another bishop as prey, Tang Qiu woke up to find herself lying with her head on Lucille's lap. She was startled for a moment, then sat up. Looking at the composed Lucille, she raised an eyebrow and said, "When did you get back?"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted downward to Lucille's legs, her expression a little strange.
Come to think of it, vampires were quite convenient in some respects. If Lucille were human, her thigh would have probably gone numb and immobile after being used as a pillow for a whole night.
Lucille raised a hand to smooth Tang Qiu's slightly messy hair, then picked a fallen strand of blonde hair from her shoulder and said faintly, "I came back last night."
"What about that Inquisitor?"
"You threw her to Lola, who drained her dry."
Tang Qiu nodded. She saw Lucille take out a teleportation scroll and then pick up her strand of blonde hair. She asked, puzzled, "What are you doing?"
Lucille used a secret technique to merge Tang Qiu's blonde hair into the teleportation scroll, then handed it to Tang Qiu. "Next time you're in danger, you can summon me."
This way, she could be considered to be by the blonde priest's side at all times.
Tang Qiu took it and looked down at it, a thought stirring in her heart. She thought for a moment and said, "Can you make a few more?" It sounded quite convenient.
Lucille gave her a slightly helpless look. "I can only make one." This was a secret vampire technique, but once used, the scroll had to be expended before it could be made again.
The first time she left Edry, she had taken a strand of the new little king's hair and made a scroll for Anna, but she had destroyed it after returning this time.
Tang Qiu put the scroll away. Noticing Lucille's gaze frequently landing on her neck, she said with a smile, "I should be getting back to the Holy See."
Lucille pursed her lips, her eyes lowered to hide the crimson hue within them.
Tang Qiu slowly rolled up her sleeve. "So, let's not waste time."
Lucille glanced up at her, then suddenly reached out and pulled her over. She held Tang Qiu's arm up, leaned in, and sniffed her wrist. "Biting here is too obvious," she said in a low voice.
The wrist was indeed very obvious... Tang Qiu frowned, tilted her head, and gestured for her to feed on the side of her neck.
However, Lucille was even more cautious than Tang Qiu, especially since Tang Qiu had already been arrested once for colluding with a vampire.
Lucille thought for a moment, pushed Tang Qiu down, then knelt on the bed with one knee. One hand grasped her ankle as she leaned down slightly.
Tang Qiu froze, subconsciously trying to retreat. She looked at Lucille suspiciously. "What are you doing?"
The hem of her robe was lifted, and a cold hand slipped past the soft fabric clinging to her ankle. Lucille's palm slowly moved up to grip her calf. She said seriously, "This place is more concealed."
Tang Qiu: "..."
It was concealed, alright, but this spot also seemed a little too intimate.
While Tang Qiu was still hesitating, Lucille had already lowered her head. Her cool lips pressed against warm skin, making Tang Qiu shiver uncontrollably. She instinctively wanted to stop her, placing a hand on Lucille's shoulder. "Wait... ah..."
Sharp teeth piercing her skin made Tang Qiu suck in a sharp breath. Her hand on Lucille's shoulder slowly tightened. "...Gently."
Since her calves weren't touched often, they were more sensitive than places like her wrist, both to pain and other sensations.
While sucking the delicious blood, Lucille looked up at Tang Qiu. She saw her brow slightly furrowed. Perhaps because she had just woken up, her face was very flushed, and her eyes were bright and clear. Lucille found herself mesmerized, and the force of her bite unconsciously increased.
"...Lucille." Tang Qiu's hand on Lucille's shoulder moved up to grab her hair. She applied a little pressure, forcing her to look up, and said with a half-smile, "You're not even focused when you're feeding?"
Lucille licked the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her peripheral vision caught blood welling from the wound and trickling down Tang Qiu's fair calf. She frowned, then lowered her head again to carefully lick the blood away. "Can't let it go to waste."
Tang Qiu: "..."
On the way back to the Holy See from Lucille's manor, Tang Qiu felt a lingering tingling sensation in the leg that had been bitten, making her frown in discomfort.
As soon as she returned to the Holy See, Jennifer ran to find her, her expression strange and complicated. "This morning, the guard knights found Priest Linda's body outside. From the looks of it, she was killed by a vampire."
Moreover, it looked like more than one vampire. The body was horribly mutilated, as if it had been devoured by several of them.
Tang Qiu was a little surprised. "What was she doing running out at night?" She had thought someone as attached to life as Linda wouldn't dare leave the Holy See during this time.
Jennifer shook her head. "I don't know. Her attendant cleric doesn't know why either."
Tang Qiu nodded, saying without much interest, "Priest Monica will handle this."
Jennifer opened her mouth, then closed it again. Linda's death was suspicious, but she didn't plan to investigate further. Seeing the blonde priest turn to leave, she called out to stop her, "Priest Grace, Archbishop Reese has been looking for you."
Tang Qiu paused for a moment, then turned and walked directly toward Reese's residence. "Alright, I know."
Even if Jennifer hadn't reminded her, she had planned to go find Reese in a little while anyway.
When Tang Qiu went to see Reese, she was on the balcony, trimming the wild roses she had transplanted from the garden. Her expression was serious and her gaze focused, as if the roses in her hands were some priceless treasure.
Tang Qiu walked to a chair in front of the balcony and sat down, gazing at Reese's profile. After a moment's thought, she spoke first, "Inquisitor June is dead."
"It's just a pity Inquisitor Liz wasn't with her at the time."
Reese snapped off a red rose, lowered her head to smell it, and said nonchalantly, "One June is enough to keep the Inquisition quiet for a while."
Losing one Inquisitor was just right. If Liz were added to the count, Reese suspected Audrey would take a desperate risk and retaliate against her, even if it meant mutual destruction.
After all, that woman was a ruthless character herself.
Tang Qiu didn't yet have a clear understanding of the power dynamics within the Inquisition and the upper echelons of the Central Church, so she just nodded and then asked, "What are you planning to do next?"
Since Reese had reached a consensus of cooperation with her, Tang Qiu wanted to hear her future plans.
Reese walked over to the seat opposite Tang Qiu and sat down. She then passed the red rose in her hand to her, saying with a light laugh, "I can promise you the position of a bishop. It just depends on whether you dare to take it."
Bishop... Tang Qiu felt no joy. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the rose by her hand and fell into deep thought. "Which country's bishop?"
"The Gosse Empire."
Tang Qiu's eyes flashed. The Gosse Church was the one the original Grace had completely slaughtered. Was she going back there now?
Tang Qiu asked calmly, "The reason."
Reese pointed to the rose by her hand and asked, "Do you know about Rose Manor?"
Tang Qiu was taken aback. She hadn't expected Rose Manor to be involved in this, which surprised her. She nodded and said, "I know a little."
"The Gosse Empire intends to rebuild Rose Manor. I suspect this is related to the Holy See." Reese's face darkened slightly as she recalled something. "I once sent an attendant priest to investigate, but he died at the hands of vampires."
Her attendant priest's Power of Light was almost at the level of a bishop; he just hadn't undergone the Light Baptism and thus couldn't use high-level light magic.
Lucille had indeed said that Rose Manor was actually a "paradise" for vampires, but what did that have to do with the Holy See... She heard the deeper meaning in Reese's words and asked thoughtfully, "What do you suspect?"
Reese glanced at her and suddenly smiled. "I don't suspect anything. I just want to know the truth."
Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "You want me to investigate?"
"You can have that little dog help you," Reese said, referring to Lola.
It had to be said that Tang Qiu's possible connection to vampires was one of the reasons Reese had been moved to recruit her. She needed someone like that to investigate Rose Manor.
Of course, if Tang Qiu hadn't revealed her "knight" and had instead directly accepted her recruitment, she wouldn't be promising her a position as high as bishop now.
Tang Qiu pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Alright." Lucille was already interested in Rose Manor. Even without Reese's request, if she later learned that the Gosse Empire was rebuilding it, she would definitely cooperate with Lucille to investigate.
Reese's proposal was a win-win for her.
"Your Power of Light is still a bit short of a bishop's level." Reese leaned back in her chair, met Tang Qiu's gaze, and said with a smile, "I'll send you to Eden first."
Eden was a sacred place within the Holy See. The light elements there were extremely dense, making it an excellent place to enhance one's Power of Light. Every cleric and believer who entered the Central Church had one opportunity to go into seclusion in Eden.
Those who emerged from Eden would have a purer Power of Light, which would be more potent against dark creatures.
Tang Qiu knew of Eden, so she wasn't surprised and simply nodded.
Reese stared at her for a while, her eyes flickering. But when Tang Qiu looked over, she calmly averted her gaze.
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