CA – Chapter 97
Chapter 97
When Lucille and Lola emerged from Rose Manor, the night had already faded. The eastern sky was showing the pale light of dawn. Tang Qiu stood beneath the vines, her long golden hair slightly damp with morning dew. Her sky-blue eyes were clearer than a cloudless sky. Even with the profusion of flowers behind her, they couldn't match even a hint of the gentleness in her eyes.
Some people, just by standing there quietly, seemed to be the embodiment of light.
So holy, without a trace of darkness, without a hint of gloom.
Lucille’s steps toward Tang Qiu gradually slowed. She looked up, staring intently at Tang Qiu, who hadn't noticed her yet. A sudden thirst parched her throat. She moistened her lips as a crimson hue began to surge in her dark red eyes.
Lola, who had stopped with her, glanced at her in confusion. Seeing the unstable fluctuations in Lucille's aura, she narrowed her eyes and followed her gaze. The sight of the golden-haired bishop under the vines left her momentarily stunned as well.
This person was truly suited for the Holy See, in both appearance and character.
It was said that when the Holy See was first established, it wasn't as aloof as it was now. The priests within the Church were not cold but very approachable. The first Pope, in particular, was respected by the entire continent. The Holy See of that era was the one that truly had countless believers.
"...It's still early." Lola licked her lips and gave Lucille a suggestive wink, teasing, "If you two go back now, you can still tangle in bed for a while."
After receiving a cold glare from Lucille, Lola chuckled softly. She tactfully turned and walked away, saying, "I'm off to hunt for prey. Contact me if you need anything."
Her figure quickly vanished from sight.
The commotion they made startled Tang Qiu, who had been lost in her own thoughts. She looked up at Lucille and, seeing her standing still, gave her a puzzled look. She beckoned with a finger and said with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Lucille shook her head slightly. She flashed over and took Tang Qiu's wrist. It was ice-cold to the touch. She frowned and said, "You should wear more."
She hadn't wanted Tang Qiu to wait here all this time in the first place.
The golden-haired bishop's body temperature should be warm, not this cold.
Tang Qiu used her other hand to smooth Lucille's furrowed brow, her eyes curving into a smile, her voice as gentle as water. "Are you worried that a bishop who is also a werewolf will catch a cold?"
She loved seeing Lucille worry about her. Although her expression remained cool, her eyes revealed the care deep in her heart.
"You could have waited for me at the Church." Lucille took Tang Qiu's other hand as well and glanced up at the vines above them. She asked quizzically, "Did you run into someone last night?"
The woods were desolate, with only a few new leaves sprouting from the withered branches. This patch of vibrant, thriving vines looked completely out of place.
Tang Qiu nodded. She also looked up at the vines and said softly, "I met that group of elves we saw last time."
"Why are they here?" Lucille released Tang Qiu's hands, then touched her hair, which was damp with dew, and carefully pulled her hood up for her.
Tang Qiu lowered her head slightly to accommodate her. "They said they were following a captured priest from the Cinico Church."
Lucille's hand paused. She took a nameplate from her Space Gem and handed it to Tang Qiu, saying in a low voice, "There are indeed priests locked up in the manor. It looks like they're being used as blood slaves."
The name engraved on the nameplate was indeed from the Cinico Church. Tang Qiu looked down at it for a few moments before putting it away. "Let's go back to the Church first," she said.
She had pondered all night but still had no clue about Delphine's true purpose for coming to the Gosse Empire. This was something she needed to discuss with Lucille.
Perhaps she would have some insight.
Lucille took Tang Qiu and left Anersai City to return to the Church. After they were gone, the gate of Rose Manor suddenly opened. Delia walked out, her arm still around the white-haired doll. She sniffed the air and looked toward the forest as if she sensed something.
Several fifth-generation vampires stood before her with their heads bowed. "One of the two intruders was an Assamite," one said. "She was very familiar with the manor, so they managed to escape."
Delia stroked the doll's long hair without a word. The fifth-generation vampires grew nervous, subtly trying to read her expression. Delia's temper was hard to predict; no one knew what might set her off.
She was often moody and unpredictable. The fifth- and sixth-generation vampires under her command had not yet figured out the temperament of their new lord.
In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the entire Blood Domain who understood her.
The third-generation vampires had not created new progeny for a very long time, and every existing fourth-generation vampire was a lord who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years and held great prestige in the Blood Domain.
But Delia was an exception. She was a human whom Elder Evan had made an exception for and given the Embrace. In truth, she had only been a vampire for a few years.
"If they escaped, they escaped. It's because you're all useless," Delia said. Unwilling to put the doll on the ground, she temporarily stored it in her Space Gem. Once the doll was put away, the smile on her face vanished with it.
The vampires kept their heads bowed, no one daring to speak.
Delia snorted coldly and glanced at one of the vampires. "Have those failed humans been disposed of?"
The vampire nodded. "The bodies have all been dissolved using a secret art of the Black Witches."
"What about those monsters?"
The vampire hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "We haven't had time to deal with them yet."
Delia narrowed her eyes and turned back toward Rose Manor. "I'll handle it myself," she said nonchalantly.
The vampires didn't suspect a thing and followed Delia back. Upon entering the manor, Delia found a random excuse to dismiss them all.
The cages holding the monsters were all specially made to prevent them from escaping. Delia walked alone to the cages, glanced down, then reached out to unlock one. She grabbed one of the creatures by the neck and lifted it out.
The small monster struggled in her hand, its pair of red eyes flashing with a strange light.
These monsters were shaped like human infants but had large hands and feet. Their skin was bright red and wrinkled, and their red eyes made them look more like hideous demons than vampires.
A flash of disgust crossed Delia's eyes. She threw a bottle of a special potion made by the Black Witches into the cage. The glass bottle shattered, and the transparent liquid sprayed out, melting all the other monsters in the cage into pools of blood.
The monster in Delia's hand was terrified and slowly stopped struggling. Delia glanced at it and curled her lip slightly. "If you know what's good for you, stay quiet."
The monster curled into a ball, motionless.
Delia left the room, still holding it by the neck. She avoided the vampire guards along the way and leaped onto the high surrounding wall. Standing atop it, she gazed into the distance, the other, bustling half of Anersai City coming into view.
She let out a low, ambiguous laugh, then extended her hand forward, slowly loosening her grip on the monster's neck. The monster sensed this and, with a tentative struggle, easily escaped her grasp and fell to the ground.
Once free, the monster sprinted toward the other half of the city and soon disappeared from sight.
Delia watched the spot where the monster had vanished and slowly drew her hand back. She took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped her hand, muttering to herself, "They say the light envelops the continent of Statu..." A sarcastic look flashed across her face. "How ridiculous."
"As I thought, the Church is just for fooling ignorant humans."
Delia tossed the handkerchief aside, took the white-haired doll out of her Space Gem, and jumped down from the wall.
The monster she had released ran wildly, leaving the grounds of Rose Manor and entering the bustling half of the city. The streets were crowded with people. The monster hid in the shadows of a corner, its red eyes shining brightly, its fangs faintly visible in its slightly open mouth.
A young man happened to walk past it. The monster's nose twitched. It planted its hands on the ground and leaped onto the man's back, sinking its teeth hard into his shoulder through his clothes.
The man screamed in pain, grabbing the monster and flinging it off. After taking a few gulps of blood, the monster was thrown off. It wiped its mouth and immediately sought another target.
The entire street suddenly descended into chaos. The monster bit more than a dozen people, and after drinking its fill of blood, it scurried away.
The street was in shambles. The bitten people sat on the ground, clutching their wounds and beginning to feel cold all over. On some, the skin around their wounds had already started to fester.
The knights were quickly dispatched. Some went to track the monster, while others maintained order.
The injured were isolated from the others. Just as the situation was finally brought under control, a man who hadn't been bitten scratched the back of his hand, which had started to itch. An excruciating pain made him look down, and he was shocked to find his hand beginning to decay.
His face turned pale. Realization dawned on him, and he shouted in panic, "It's the Blackening Disease!"
Others also noticed something was wrong. The street fell into an eerie silence for a moment, then erupted into a frenzy. The knights froze when they heard "Blackening Disease," then decisively retreated. Ignoring the cries of the people inside, they sealed off the entire street.
The chaos in Anersai City was quickly detailed in a letter and sent to the Holy See. All letters from the various cities first passed through Jennifer's hands, who would then select the important ones to send to Tang Qiu.
After quickly scanning the letter, Jennifer's brow furrowed tightly. Not daring to delay, she took the letter directly to Tang Qiu's residence.
Tang Qiu still only had Jennifer as her attendant priest, so the manor was empty, without another soul in sight.
Jennifer arrived at Tang Qiu's room and knocked on the door. She raised her voice and said, "Bishop Grace, the knights of Anersai City have sent a letter of distress."
"A biting monster appeared in the city and is now missing. The wounds of those it bit have begun to fester, and it's contagious. It's suspected to be the Blackening Disease."
She briefly summarized the contents of the letter and waited quietly for a response. However, after a moment, there was no sound from within. Puzzled, Jennifer called out again, "Bishop Grace?"
The door creaked open. The golden-haired bishop emerged and closed the door behind her. Her face was flushed, her eyes glistening, and her lips were slightly, though not obviously, swollen and red. She licked her lips and looked at Jennifer, asking, "What did you just say happened in Anersai City?"
Jennifer handed her the letter. As Tang Qiu looked down to read it, Jennifer glanced at her and noticed that her collar was missing two buttons. "What happened to your clothes?" Jennifer asked, confused.
Tang Qiu continued reading the letter and replied calmly, "I accidentally ripped them while changing."
Jennifer: "..."
Honestly, she didn't quite believe that.
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