CA – Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Tang Qiu spent a day taking stock of the retinue that would accompany her to the Gosse Church. The Holy Knights she had previously selected in Eden were all in the group, including Karen.
When Mario had been selecting people, Lisa had indeed forcibly locked Karen in her room. When Karen heard that the selections were complete and they were preparing to depart, she thought she had lost all hope of ever leaving the Holy See's domain. But to her utter surprise, Mario appeared in Eden that very night and specifically requested that she join the Holy Knights' ranks.
The feeling of hope rekindling from despair was so exhilarating that Karen had been in a state of excitement ever since leaving Eden. Upon seeing the blonde priest, she broke into a brilliant smile and shouted, "Bishop Grace, I will definitely protect you!"
Tang Qiu: “…”
She glanced at Karen, then at the composed team of knights behind her. She raised a hand and wagged her index finger, signaling for her to be quiet.
Karen understood Tang Qiu's signal, covered her mouth, and nodded cautiously, but her brown eyes were still sparkling.
The group of priests she had reviewed yesterday had been called back to Eden for some unknown reason. Tang Qiu sat in the carriage, leaning against its wall and gazing outside with a slight frown, lost in thought.
Not long after Tang Qiu boarded the carriage, the group of priests arrived, but the lineup was slightly different from the day before.
Karen's face changed dramatically when she saw Lisa among the group. Her eyes flashed with anger as she furiously shouted, "Why are you haunting us like a ghost?"
Lisa stared down at the ground, ignoring her anger. Her long, golden curls cascaded down her back, with a few strands falling beside her face, obscuring her expression.
Karen's questioning voice brought Tang Qiu back to her senses. She opened the carriage door and stepped out. Upon seeing Lisa in the group of priests, she narrowed her eyes, a gentle smile gracing her face as she called out, "Priest Lisa."
Lisa looked up to meet her gaze and bowed expressionlessly. "Bishop Grace."
"I left Eden in such a hurry that I forgot to thank you." Tang Qiu paused, the corners of her lips curling slightly. She deliberately slowed her speech, making her voice exceptionally soft. "Thank you for your attentive care in Eden."
"The Light Goddess must be pleased to have such a devout believer as you."
Lisa averted Tang Qiu's gaze and said flatly, "It was my duty." She paused, and when Tang Qiu didn't ask why she was there, she had no choice but to explain herself. "Priest Sunny has gone to serve Archbishop Cambecus, so I am here to take her place." Sunny was the one who was originally supposed to be in the group of priests.
"Oh? Are there no other priests in Eden?"
"The Central Church has assigned tasks, and the other priests have been reassigned."
Tang Qiu nodded with a smile. "A very good reason."
Lisa lowered her head and retreated, standing quietly among the priests like any ordinary member.
Karen came over, clinging to the carriage and looking at Tang Qiu with pleading eyes. She lowered her voice and complained, "She's lying. Send her away."
If it were possible to send her away, Mario wouldn't have let Lisa get this far. Tang Qiu looked up and met Mario's eyes in the distance. He gave her a slight shake of his head. She lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment, then said to the knights at the front of the procession, "Depart."
Karen's eyes widened. She glanced at Lisa in the priests' group and asked Tang Qiu with a frown, "What about her?"
Tang Qiu glanced over and said flatly, "She is now a priest of the Gosse Church." There were still many of Cambecus's people in the Gosse Church. She actually hoped Lisa would join forces with them to oppose her after arriving.
That way, it would save her the time of having to identify them one by one.
It was more convenient to wipe out her enemies when they were all gathered in one place.
The journey back to the Gosse Empire was peaceful and dull. Tang Qiu leaned against the carriage window, enjoying the cool breeze from outside while casually flipping through a book on advanced light magic. She was now able to practice high-level light spells.
The higher the level of a light spell, the longer and more obscure its incantation. It was impossible to master a spell in just a few days as she could with intermediate magic.
Moreover, some advanced spells also depended on the practitioner's talent.
The cool spring breeze did well to dispel the monotony of Tang Qiu's spell practice. She turned to the next page with interest, seriously contemplating the incantation, when Karen's chirping voice reached her ears. "Bishop Grace, look over there."
Tang Qiu kept her eyes on the incantation in the book, waiting patiently for a moment before hearing Karen say excitedly, "There's a bard!"
Tang Qiu calmly turned the page, though a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes. It was normal for a child who had never left Eden to be excited upon seeing the outside world for the first time.
Even though Tang Qiu didn't respond, Karen continued to chatter away, sharing her joy. In the carriage behind them, Lisa peeked out the window. When her gaze fell upon the unconcealable excitement on the blonde girl's face, a complex and somber look flickered in her eyes.
The carriage traveled day and night, finally entering the territory of the Gosse Empire more than ten days later. Ever since its church was burned to the ground, the empire had been in turmoil. Later, the King of Gosse fell gravely ill, causing instability in the royal family, and the reconstruction of Rose Manor plunged the common people into even deeper misery.
Along the way, they frequently saw refugees in rags. Some recognized the Church's carriage but only stopped to watch, their eyes holding reverence but also a trace of doubt. Tang Qiu put down her book and observed through the window, her brow slowly furrowing. The situation in the Gosse Church was even worse than she had imagined.
Thanks to Monica's diligent management of the Bill Church, the common people's reverence and faith could be seen just by looking into their eyes. The situation in the Gosse Church, however, was essentially the opposite.
The commoners had already begun to doubt the Church. Doubt was often the first step toward a collapse of trust, and the Gosse Church was on the verge of infamy.
The carriage stopped in the square in front of the church. Tang Qiu disembarked, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Seeing the empty square, she lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the deep thought within them.
The priests and clerics of the church came out to welcome their new bishop. Tang Qiu withdrew her gaze, and by the time she looked up again, she had composed herself. She gave a slight nod to the priests at the front and was escorted into the church, her every move exuding an air of effortless grace.
The church's power was fragmented and scattered, and its affairs were a mess. After entering, Tang Qiu didn't rush to reclaim all authority. She instructed the priests who had followed her from the Central Church to cooperate with the local priests in handling church matters, while she herself picked up a pile of long-neglected letters from the Gosse Empire.
The thick stack of parchment was covered in dust. A priest said to Tang Qiu in embarrassment, "Your Excellency, these letters were all set to be disposed of."
Tang Qiu cast a cleaning spell to purify the dust from the parchment. She noticed the priest anxiously trying to take the letters back and a beautiful curve formed on her lips. She soothed him in a gentle voice, "Don't be nervous. I'm just taking a casual look. I'll dispose of them after I'm done."
Seeing the priest's unease, she shook her head slightly, turned, and left with the letters in hand. "For the time being, I'll leave the church affairs to you. I will find people to assist you."
After she finished speaking, Tang Qiu departed. The remaining priests exchanged glances, unable to fathom the intentions of their newly appointed bishop.
The bishop's residence was located behind the church, a small, separate manor. Tang Qiu dismissed the Holy Knights guarding the area, then walked to the table and sat down. She began to read through the letters, her brow furrowing a little more with each one she finished.
These letters were all delivered by knight squadrons from the Gosse Empire, coming from various cities. But the content of each was nearly identical: they were all seeking the Church's support.
Black Witches and Vampires were causing chaos within the Gosse Empire. Several small towns in remote areas had already been massacred, and even more seriously, an entire small city had been almost completely overrun by Black Witches.
Human knights could slay monsters and deal with low-level Vampires, but they were powerless against white-robed witches or Vampires of the sixth generation or higher.
This was because human knights lacked the ability to pursue them.
The Church's role in dealing with dark creatures was self-evident, but only if they were willing to act.
Judging by the dust accumulated on this stack of letters, the priests of the Gosse Church had no intention of intervening whatsoever.
Tang Qiu casually set the letters aside and sighed silently.
The window in the room suddenly flew open. Lucille leaped in nimbly from outside, her thick-soled knight boots making a dull thud on the floor. The breeze from outside ruffled her red hair. She casually tied her hair back, then walked over and sat down opposite Tang Qiu. "...Was the journey smooth?"
She studied Tang Qiu carefully, her gaze lingering for a moment on the bishop's vestments she was wearing.
Tang Qiu nodded. "It was fine." She met Lucille's eyes, and when she saw her look away uncomfortably, she raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What's wrong with you?"
This was the first time they had met since that night. Lucille thought her emotions were calm, but the moment she met Tang Qiu's sky-blue eyes, her heart seemed to beat much faster of its own accord.
Lucille pressed her fingers to her brow, concealing this strange feeling. Her peripheral vision caught the letters on the table, and she asked in confusion, "What are these?"
"Distress calls from the Gosse Empire." Tang Qiu pushed the letters toward her. Resting her chin on one hand, she stared at Lucille for a moment before asking nonchalantly, "You've been here for a while. Have you run into any Black Witches?"
Lucille casually flipped through a few of them and said flatly, "There are Black Witches at Rose Manor."
A flash of surprise crossed Tang Qiu's eyes, followed by a hint of resignation. "An alliance between Vampires and Black Witches?" Just the thought of it sounded difficult to handle.
Lucille looked up and watched Tang Qiu quietly, averting her gaze again when the other woman looked over. She asked softly, "Are you going to check out Rose Manor tonight?"
Tang Qiu pondered for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "The matter of Rose Manor isn't urgent." She casually picked up a piece of parchment and said with a calm expression, "First, we'll purge the dark creatures within the Gosse Empire."
She couldn't let the reputation of the Gosse Church continue to plummet. Otherwise, she would be the one to face the consequences in the end.
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