CA – Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Ever since the Holy See in the Gosse Empire was burned to the ground, although the king of the Gosse Empire cooperated fully with the Church's investigation, he was secretly scheming how to use this opportunity to weaken the Church's influence within his country.
There isn't a king who doesn't wish for his royal authority to supersede the divine authority of the Church.
The King of Gosse had been delaying the Church's reconstruction project and even tried to move the Holy See to a neighboring city. The two sides were at a standoff for a long time. Just when the King of Gosse felt he was on the verge of victory, he suddenly fell ill.
Moreover, the illness came on fiercely. Within a few days, he was bedridden, unable to even handle state affairs, let alone matters concerning the Church.
The royal family fell into chaos due to the king's illness, and the Church seized this opportunity to begin its reconstruction, right on the original site that had been reduced to ruins. By the time the king had recovered slightly, the Holy See was already rebuilt.
Not only was the Holy See rebuilt, but due to the turmoil in the royal family, the nobles began to grow restless. It was during this time that the proposal to rebuild Rose Manor was put forward.
Although the king knew well not to repeat the disaster of Vandent, he was too preoccupied with his illness to attend to other matters. The prince, incited by the nobles, ultimately allowed Rose Manor to be rebuilt.
The location chosen was Anersai City, right next to the capital.
With the support of the nobility, the reconstruction of Rose Manor proceeded smoothly. Half of Anersai's land was expropriated. Behind its high walls lay a world of sensual pleasures and extravagant indulgence unimaginable to the common folk.
Lucille and Lola stood atop a lighthouse in Anersai City, cloaked in the night, gazing toward Rose Manor. One was deep in thought, the other frowning, as the strong wind blew their cloaks back.
Lucille raised a hand to casually brush aside the red hair by her face. Lowering her gaze slightly, she sniffed the air and said in a low voice, "Many vampires." The lowest eighth generation, the highest fourth generation-that was what she could sense.
Lola took a deep breath, the crimson in her red eyes surging. She touched her lips and said unhappily, "I just know I'm hungry." Following Lucille, even her feeding frequency had decreased.
She glanced at Lucille and asked with a complex expression, "Are you really not hungry?" She could feel the aura around Lucille fluctuating.
This phenomenon usually meant she needed to feed.
Lucille shook her head, her face expressionless.
Lola couldn't help but ask curiously, "How on earth do you endure it?" She thought of Lucille's only provider and pressed on, "And what's the deal with that werewolf?"
Lucille frowned at her incessant chatter. She didn't answer Lola's questions but silently pulled up the hood of her cloak and jumped directly from the lighthouse.
Lola: "..." If it weren't for the fact that Lucille was the only "kin" she had, she would definitely stay far away from this person.
After descending from the lighthouse, Lucille went straight to the entrance of Rose Manor. Knights in armor were patrolling the vicinity. Seeing Lucille and Lola, one shouted harshly, "Who goes there?"
Lola turned her head, a flash of malice in her eyes. She licked her sharp fangs and instantly teleported in front of the knight. The knight froze for a moment, and before he could dodge, he was seized. His sturdy armor was torn apart, and the sharp pain in the side of his neck made him scream in terror.
The other patrolling knights quickly ran over, their longswords aimed at Lucille and Lola. The screams of the knight being fed upon by Lola were chilling in the dark night.
Two vampires leaped down from the high walls of the manor. The one in the lead waved his hand, signaling the knights to stand down. He looked Lucille and Lola up and down, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Welcome to Rose Manor."
Lola glanced at him, casually tossed the man aside, then raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. She chuckled softly, "I hope the blood slaves inside won't disappoint me."
The man spread his hands and said mysteriously, "Believe me, inside is a paradise for vampires."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Lucille, who had been standing silently to the side. Although those dark red eyes indicated Lucille's status as a sixth-generation or higher, the aura the man sensed from her was somewhat strange.
The boundaries of Lucille's aura were very blurry, making it impossible for him to determine her generation for a moment.
The man was suspicious, so his gaze lingered on Lucille a little longer. Lucille sensed it, turned her head slightly, and shot him a cold look. A powerful aura forced the man back several steps. She looked at the horrified vampire and said flatly, "What are you looking at?"
The man raised his hands and said cautiously, "Nothing." He paused, then stepped aside to clear the path. "Two fifth-generation vampires, please enter."
Lucille and Lola entered Rose Manor one after the other. The man stared at their backs, took out a piece of parchment and a quill from his person, and recorded diligently, "Two fifth-generation vampires, an Assamite and... a Gangrel."
After all, Rose Manor had only been rebuilt for a short time; it was merely a prototype. Although it was luxurious, it couldn't compare to even one ten-thousandth of its former glory. Even so, it couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the nobles.
On the wide road, carriages passed one after another. The scent of cosmetics and powder made Lola involuntarily rub her nose. She looked at the servants trotting behind the carriages and curled her lip. "If these people are the blood slaves, then this manor is nothing special."
Lucille also glanced over, her tone flat. "I don't think it's them."
"Oh?"
A woman in a magnificent dress walked past them, her face partially hidden by a feathered mask. She was arm-in-arm with a handsome vampire, heading toward a nearby building.
Lucille glanced to the side, pulling her hood down a little lower. "It should be more interesting inside than you and I imagine," she said in a low voice.
Rose Manor had an auditorium that could accommodate over a thousand people. It was a place specially designed for the nobles' entertainment.
The guards at the door were two seventh-generation vampires disguised as humans. Lucille and Lola entered the auditorium. The interior was resplendent, and everywhere one looked, there were lavishly dressed nobles wearing masks to hide their identities. Lucille's gaze swept across the room, and she even spotted a noble from Edry.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Just as she was about to walk in that direction, the lights in the auditorium suddenly dimmed, and a faint yellow light focused on the open space in the center.
A golden cage suddenly appeared out of thin air in the open space. A small, thin figure was huddled in a corner of the cage. Her wheat-colored skin appeared even darker under the dim light.
A vampire in a black formal suit walked to the front of the cage. His red eyes sparked whispers among the nobles, but some who had been at the manor for a while had already started to cheer.
The vampire gracefully opened the cage. The person inside instinctively shrank back into the corner but was roughly dragged out.
A white veil could not hide her wheat-colored skin or her graceful figure. Her long gray hair cascaded to her waist, and her delicate, beautiful face was exposed to everyone's view. However, what caused the commotion was not her face, but her pointed ears.
This was an elf, and a dark elf at that.
The vampire held the elf, showing the armband on her arm to the surrounding nobles. His red eyes scanned the crowd as he said with a smile, "Does anyone want an exotic and lustful encounter with an elf?"
There were a few seconds of silence, followed by a sudden burst of enthusiastic cheers.
They were nobles of distinguished status, with boundless wealth, and they stood high above others. They had grown tired of ordinary life; only something this bizarre and novel could bring them satisfaction.
Listening to the rising and falling sounds of bidding, a cold indifference flashed in Lucille's eyes. She looked away in displeasure and muttered, "The foul air..."
Lola didn't hear Lucille's whisper. With her arms crossed, she stared at the elf in the vampire's hands, licking her lips, wondering what elf blood tasted like.
Tang Qiu had no idea that Lucille and Lola had infiltrated Rose Manor and were waiting for an opportunity to investigate its master. She remained in the almost completely isolated Eden, seeing no one besides her training.
Ever since Lisa told her that her placement here was Cambecus's idea, Tang Qiu had been on high alert. She hadn't even used the purer Holy Water of Light that Lisa had brought her.
However, a month passed slowly, and nothing happened around her, which made Tang Qiu begin to wonder if she was overthinking things.
Lisa continued to bring Tang Qiu Holy Water of Light at regular intervals, never missing a delivery, regardless of whether she used it or not.
Usually, when Lisa came to deliver the Holy Water, Tang Qiu was in the middle of her training. So, Lisa would just put the water down and leave, and they hadn't spoken since their first meeting.
This time, however, when Lisa arrived, Tang Qiu was at the window, watching the Light Believers playing below. Hearing the sound, she turned her head, glanced over, and greeted with a smile, "Priest Lisa, good day."
Lisa paused in the act of setting down the Holy Water, then looked up at Tang Qiu. "Good day."
Tang Qiu closed the window. A vine that had crept in from outside was caught by the window, and a small white flower attached to it fell to the floor.
Tang Qiu glanced at it but paid it no mind. She walked over to Lisa and collected the bottles of Holy Water one by one.
Lisa's peripheral vision caught the small white flower on the floor. She then looked away expressionlessly and said to Tang Qiu, "If you have nothing else to do, I'll take you to select your Holy Knights."
"Holy Knights?"
Lisa nodded. "It's an order from Archbishop Reese." Normally, one only needed to select their own guarding Holy Knights after being promoted to Bishop.
However, she was just a priest; she couldn't possibly defy an order from a Red-robed Archbishop. All she could do was wait for an opportunity to report this to Archbishop Cambecus.
Lisa's thoughts churned, but she maintained a cold expression on her face and gestured for Tang Qiu to follow her.
The Holy Knights lived in the other half of the area Lisa had mentioned, and Tang Qiu finally saw what she imagined Eden should look like.
Clerics and priests gathered in twos and threes, talking and laughing. When they saw Lisa and Tang Qiu, they all took the initiative to bow, showing particular respect for Lisa.
Tang Qiu followed behind Lisa, discreetly observing this lively part of Eden. Recalling the place where she was staying, she frowned imperceptibly.
The aura of light here was clearly no weaker.
Holy Knights were external knights recruited by the Holy See, who were granted a certain amount of the power of light, but their strength ultimately had a limit. Holy Knights, however, were different.
Holy Knights were specially trained by the Holy See to protect the safety of Church personnel at the rank of Bishop and above. They would stay in Eden until they came of age, learning swordsmanship and cultivating their sensitivity to the light element.
Those who could become Holy Knights were certainly favored by the light element, though their aptitude might be slightly lower.
Lisa led Tang Qiu to the Holy Knights' training room. The moment Tang Qiu stepped inside, a sharp, golden longsword swung out and stopped right in front of her, its blade only a centimeter from the tip of her nose.
Tang Qiu froze for a moment. The joints in her fingers suddenly felt sore and swollen. She closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the sudden restlessness welling up inside her.
A hearty laugh came from her right. A girl with curly golden hair was beaming, looking at Tang Qiu with a mischievous smile. The sword in her hand didn't tremble in the slightest despite her laughter.
"Karen," Lisa said softly, looking at the curly-haired girl.
Karen acted as if she hadn't heard, still sizing up Tang Qiu, her sword held steady.
Only after the soreness in her fingers subsided did Tang Qiu have time to look at the sword's owner. She glanced at the curly-haired girl, raised her hand to slowly push the sword away, and said good-naturedly, "That's very dangerous."
Even a swordmaster probably wouldn't dare point a sword at a werewolf.
The curly-haired girl didn't know what Tang Qiu was thinking. After her sword was pushed aside, she simply sheathed it at her waist and asked Tang Qiu curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Before Tang Qiu could answer, Lisa spoke first, "She is here to select Holy Knights."
Karen frowned unhappily. "I wasn't asking you."
Tang Qiu discreetly glanced at Lisa, surprised to see that she wasn't angry at being slighted by a Holy Knight. She raised an eyebrow and answered Karen, who was still staring at her persistently, "Archbishop Reese sent me to select Holy Knights."
Karen's eyes suddenly lit up. "Archbishop Reese?" A thought occurred to her, and she took another step toward Tang Qiu. "You're Priest Grace, the one sent by Archbishop Reese, right?"
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded, but her gaze toward Karen held a hint of inquiry. How did this Holy Knight know so much?
Karen, unaware that she had aroused Tang Qiu's suspicion, patted the sword at her waist, stood up straight, and said proudly, "I am the most outstanding Holy Knight among these people. I am willing to follow you."
Tang Qiu was taken aback. Before she could speak, the silent Lisa finally couldn't help but interrupt Karen. "Karen, don't be ridiculous."
Karen frowned. "I'm not being ridiculous."
Lisa said in a low voice, "You will stay at the Central Church in the future, by Archbishop Cambecus's side..."
Before she could finish, Karen cut her off coldly, "Just because you're willing to follow Archbishop Cambecus doesn't mean I am."
Lisa's face turned a little pale. Just as she was about to say more, she remembered the blonde priest beside her and cast a wary glance at Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu caught Lisa's gaze and decided not to watch the drama unfold any longer. She patted Karen's shoulder and said with a smile, "You are very outstanding, but allow me to refuse."
She didn't want a Holy Knight with a childish temper to guard her.
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