CA – Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Aside from those staying in Rose Manor, all the Vampires causing trouble within the Gosse Empire had been completely eliminated. Tang Qiu was now considering her next move against the Black Witches in the empire. Coincidentally, the Holy Knights she had sent to investigate the Black Witches had returned two days ago.
Tang Qiu lowered her gaze to the parchment the Holy Knights had given her. It recorded some of the information they had gathered in the city occupied by the Black Witches.
"The Black Witches are trying to set up some strange dark formation again." Tang Qiu handed the parchment to Lucille, walked over to the table, and poured a glass of water. "I just don't know which family of Black Witches is hiding in Trenton." Trenton was the small city under the Black Witches' control.
If it were the Anderson family, Tang Qiu wouldn't be too worried. But if it were the Garcia family... she strongly suspected this dark formation was likely related to summoning the Dark God again.
Lucille glanced down at the parchment, then tossed it aside. "It's the Garcia family," she said in a low voice. She thought of the Garcia witches who had massacred civilians in Edry, and a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
Tang Qiu keenly sensed Lucille's emotional fluctuation. She gave her a thoughtful look, then walked over with the untouched glass of ice water and pressed it against Lucille's cheek. "Is it cold?" she asked with a smile.
Lucille had wanted to dodge, but realizing it was Tang Qiu, she relented. The icy temperature seeped through the thin glass onto her face, and she nodded, not understanding why.
Bringing the glass to Lucille's lips, Tang Qiu tilted her wrist slightly. She watched as Lucille tilted her head back and took a sip of the ice water, a deep smile coloring her eyes. "Feeling calmer now?" she asked softly.
Lucille pursed her lips, pushed the glass away, and leaned back against the headboard. "I'm fine," she said with a frown. Her irritability was just due to the hunger deep inside her.
But she couldn't tell Tang Qiu that. Otherwise, if Tang Qiu generously exposed her neck, Lucille felt she would definitely be unable to resist pouncing on her.
Since coming to the Gosse Empire, she had been trying her best to satisfy her appetite. Even with the Holy Water of Light to alleviate the physical discomfort, Lucille was concerned about Tang Qiu's body. Although her appetite was growing, she didn't dare to feed too recklessly.
The side effect of constant restraint was greater emotional volatility.
Although Lola had repeatedly suggested she hunt other prey to satisfy her hunger, that was never an option for Lucille. She still detested the blood of anyone other than Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu drank the rest of the water in the glass and casually placed it on the table. She sat down next to Lucille, rested her head on her shoulder, and began to close her eyes to rest. "I feel like your aura has gotten stronger."
Lucille glanced sideways at her, slowly adjusting her position to make her more comfortable. "I might be returning to the fourth generation soon." The recent, frequent hunger was a signal from her body.
Tang Qiu had suspected as much, so she wasn't too surprised. "Were you a fourth-generation vampire before?" she asked curiously.
Lucille hummed in affirmation, seemingly unwilling to discuss it further.
The weight on her shoulder made her feel a little distracted. With a slight turn of her head, Lucille could see Tang Qiu's rosy lips, which looked moist and soft from having just drunk water.
Her gaze darkened, and her throat suddenly felt a little parched, whether from hunger or something else, she wasn't sure.
Lucille still remembered the warm, soft touch of Tang Qiu's lips when they kissed, even though a long time had passed since their night of intimacy.
It wasn't a full moon, nor was she in a poisoned state. Lucille felt she lacked a reason to kiss Tang Qiu.
She had thought that after that night, Tang Qiu would say something to her, but to her surprise, Tang Qiu said nothing at all and never brought up what had happened.
Lucille wanted to bring it up herself but could never find the right opportunity.
How should the relationship between them be defined? Lucille stared at Tang Qiu's profile, lost in thought. Ambiguous lovers?
Lucille's heated gaze made Tang Qiu open her eyes slightly. She met Lucille's gaze, momentarily stunned by the complex emotions in her eyes, then smiled sweetly. "What are you thinking about?"
Lucille averted her gaze and remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "...Nothing."
Tang Qiu shrugged, shifted her body to the side, and then rested her head on Lucille's lap. She pulled the blanket over herself and said in a somewhat weary voice, "Come with me to Trenton tomorrow."
Lucille raised a hand to stroke Tang Qiu's hair and replied in a low voice, "Alright."
The breathing of the person on her lap gradually became even. Lucille's hand on her hair paused, then slowly moved down to her lips, gently caressing them.
The soft touch made her reluctant to pull away. Lucille looked down at Tang Qiu for a while. Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, she suddenly felt a wetness on her fingertip.
The person she thought was asleep had suddenly licked her.
Lucille instinctively pulled her hand back, looking down at the blonde bishop who was feigning sleep, and pursed her lips.
In the darkness, Tang Qiu's lips curled into a smile. She suddenly spoke, "How many lovers can the Marshal of Edry have?"
Lucille was taken aback, and the aura around her suddenly softened. She replied softly, "The Marshal of Edry is a knight."
"A knight guards only one love in their lifetime."
"Oh?" Tang Qiu's voice was now tinged with unconcealable amusement. She wrapped her arms around Lucille's waist, her tone gentle. "I didn't expect the Marshal of Edry to be so devoted."
A long, cold finger suddenly hooked Tang Qiu's chin, forcing her to look up. She opened her eyes in confusion and saw Lucille leaning over, looking at her with a serious expression. "Why didn't you expect it?" she asked.
Tang Qiu blinked and said with a smile, "How would I know if you don't tell me?"
In truth, ever since their first kiss, Tang Qiu could tell that this person's romantic history was a blank slate.
She had been waiting for Lucille to be the one to define their relationship, but Tang Qiu had also noticed that a trace of apprehension still lingered in Lucille's heart.
She tilted her head up and gave Lucille a reassuring kiss on the lips, then lay back down. "I know my knight isn't ready to guard her love yet," she said softly.
"But it's okay. I'll wait for you."
Lucille raised a hand to touch her lips. Hearing Tang Qiu's words, her eyes flickered. Instead of refuting her, she leaned down and silently kissed Tang Qiu's forehead.
Tang Qiu was right. She wasn't ready.
She was a knight, but she was also a vampire.
Because of her vampire identity, Lucille had already lost one of the most important people in her life. She was terrified of losing a second.
If her vampire identity—something she had always detested and refused to accept—were to cause any harm to Tang Qiu, Lucille couldn't imagine what she would do.
She still hadn't figured out how to protect the person in her arms.
Trenton was located on the western side of the Gosse Empire. The small city was very remote, surrounded by mountains on all four sides. However, its population was double that of other small cities, and its economy was at an upper-middle level. But because it was too far from the main city, news of the incident took three days to spread.
Three days was more than enough time for a Black Witch to kill people and summon monsters. By the time the King of Gosse sent a team of knights to provide support, the small city had already fallen under the Black Witch's control. A Dark Domain enveloped it. Wave after wave of knights entered, but less than a third managed to escape.
Because the Holy See refused to provide support, the Gosse Empire tried a few more times but ultimately had to give up.
Tang Qiu's decision to retake the city of Trenton led everyone in the Church to believe she would mobilize at least two-thirds of the Church's forces to go with her to expel the Black Witches.
However, just as priests like Willie were all prepared and waiting for the new bishop's command, she unexpectedly still only took Priest Angelica and Karen's group of Holy Knights.
She wasn't going to give them any chance to "atone for their mistakes." Willie felt anxious and uneasy.
Lisa was also very surprised by Tang Qiu's decision. After her surprise, her expression turned grave. There was definitely more than one Black Witch hiding in Trenton, and they had occupied it for so long, who knew how many monsters they had summoned.
The Holy Knights were the first line of defense against monsters. Lisa couldn't sit still. She went to the chapel, trying to find Karen.
Karen was at the entrance of the chapel, wiping her sword while waiting for Angelica. Since coming to the Gosse Church, she had spent most of her time with Tang Qiu, so she saw Lisa less often.
She had almost forgotten about this person. So, when Lisa approached, her subconscious reaction was to frown, forgetting to run away.
"Trenton is very dangerous. Let me go with you." Lisa knew Karen disliked her, so she didn't get too close, and her voice was subconsciously much softer.
Karen looked at her impatiently, holding her golden longsword horizontally between them. She used the words Tang Qiu had used to scold her to pressure Lisa. "Priest Lisa, do you know whose orders you are to follow in the Church?"
"Bishop Grace did not order you to go to Trenton."
Catching sight of Angelica walking towards them, Karen sheathed her sword, glared at Lisa, and said coldly, "Don't follow me."
Just as Angelica reached them, Karen grabbed her arm and led her past Lisa, striding away. Lisa watched her retreating back and subconsciously took a few steps to follow, but ultimately stopped.
Priest Willie, who had been watching them, walked over pretentiously, attempting to strike up a conversation with Lisa, but only received a cold look and her mercilessly turned back.
Karen and Angelica met up with Tang Qiu in the outer square. The Church had set up teleportation arrays in every city of the Gosse Empire. Although using them consumed a considerable number of Light Crystals, it was undoubtedly a good way to save time.
Using the teleportation array, they arrived in a small city adjacent to Trenton. Because of its proximity to Trenton, it had also been harassed by the Black Witches, with people disappearing or getting injured from time to time.
Tang Qiu observed the city for a while, then said to Angelica, "You and the clerics stay here to heal the injured."
"I will leave four Holy Knights with you. If you find any Black Witches hiding here, kill them on sight. No need to take them alive."
Angelica was surprised that the blonde bishop only intended to take three Holy Knights to Trenton. She paused for a moment, then nodded, not questioning Tang Qiu's decision out of curiosity.
After receiving her orders, she began to assign tasks to the clerics. Tang Qiu listened for a while and nodded in satisfaction.
She always kept Angelica with her because the woman was both excellent and knew her place.
Tang Qiu only took three Holy Knights to the city of Trenton, one of whom was Karen. Although she had never seen a Black Witch during her time in Eden, it didn't shake her confidence.
Compared to the other two Holy Knights, who became cautious in the face of unknown danger, Karen actually seemed excited.
Tang Qiu's footsteps halted at the entrance to Trenton. She looked up at the Dark Domain that completely enveloped the small city, raised her staff, and summoned a flame of light that flew towards the dense fog ahead.
The flame ignited a four-to-five-meter stretch of fog, exposing a corner of the city to their view. Tang Qiu retracted her staff, thoughtfully watching the still-flickering flame of light. "It's the Dark Domain of a white-robed witch," she said in a low voice.
Judging from the strength of the Dark Domain, this witch was considerably more powerful than the white-robed witch she had encountered in Edry.
But she was far weaker than Erin's mother, Glanna, the red-robed witch.
Karen stood behind Tang Qiu, eager to go. "Bishop Grace, when are we going in?"
They had already been waiting here for a while.
Tang Qiu glanced at her and shook her head slightly. "Wait a little longer."
Karen didn't know what Tang Qiu was waiting for. She wanted to ask, but she remembered her last lesson and stood quietly by Tang Qiu's side, waiting patiently with her.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Karen's patience was about to run out, a tall woman in a large, pure black cloak approached them. Her hood was pulled down so low that only her nose and mouth were visible.
Karen and the other two Holy Knights stood guard vigilantly in front of Tang Qiu, about to question the newcomer's identity when the blonde bishop suddenly said, "Stand down. She is my knight."
Tang Qiu walked past Karen to meet Lucille. Not even a Cardinal could discern Lucille's identity from her aura, so Tang Qiu wasn't worried that her appearance before Karen and the other two would expose her.
Tang Qiu told Lucille the information she had gathered from the Dark Domain. "The Dark Domain comes from a white-robed witch, but it's still unclear how many Black Witches are hiding inside."
The Holy Knights she had sent to investigate hadn't dared to get too close to where the witches were staying.
Lucille nodded. She moved closer to Tang Qiu, tilted her head slightly, and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "No matter how many Black Witches there are, leave them to your knight to handle."
Tang Qiu looked down to hide the smile she couldn't suppress. She squeezed Lucille's arm, then turned to Karen and the other two Holy Knights with a smile. "Let's go in."
The two Holy Knights voluntarily walked ahead. Karen gave Lucille a suspicious look, then, after a moment's thought, walked by Tang Qiu's side.
Lucille's steps faltered. She glanced sideways at Karen, her brow furrowing slightly.
Just as Karen stepped into the Dark Domain, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She paused, turning to look around, but could see nothing but white fog and the figures of Tang Qiu and the others.
She raised a hand to her neck in confusion, assuming the chill she had just felt was simply the discomfort of entering the Dark Domain.
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