CA - Chapter 106
Chapter 106
The fact that Karen was Lisa’s child did indeed surprise Tang Qiu, mainly because she hadn’t expected Lisa to be so audacious.
Having a child in secret was a crime punishable by death in the Holy See. After all, every member of the clergy, on the day they joined, swore an oath before the statue of the Light Goddess to remain unmarried for life.
Giving birth and keeping a lover were both violations of the rules, with the former being more severe, as it involved leaving behind a descendant.
However, according to rumor, the Holy See did not actually have a strict rule against marriage for Light Believers when it was first established.
It was just that at the time, everyone in the Holy See, from the Pope down to the priests, were fervent followers of the Light Goddess. They believed in her and were willing to dedicate their entire lives to her.
There were believers in the Holy See who married, but their numbers were almost negligible.
After the first Pope stepped down, the Holy See’s cohesiveness began to weaken. The three great empires—Bill, Gosse, and Gru—seized the opportunity to develop rapidly, sparking a millennia-long struggle between royal and divine authority.
Divine authority was challenged by royalty, but this did little to shake the Holy See’s position. The Vampires, who had been defeated in the Holy War and fled back to the Blood Domain, and the Black Witches, who were always stirring restlessly in the Witch City, were still firmly suppressed by the Light, not daring to even think of causing trouble.
The Light’s suppression of the darkness remained unchanged until just over a thousand years ago. The Elves and Werewolves successively broke ties with the Holy See, and the Vampires and Black Witches finally had a chance to set foot on the continent of Statu again.
During this period, the Holy See also began to change. Cold, hard rules against marriage, consorting with other races, and so on, all appeared around this time.
Along with them came the institution known as the Inquisition.
The Inquisition guarded the honor of the Holy See, and it was their responsibility to eliminate anyone who might tarnish its reputation. They imposed severe and unforgiving punishments on any member of the clergy who violated the rules. In its early days, countless Light Believers died at their hands, including even a high-ranking Red-robed Archbishop.
However, as the Inquisition developed, it no longer wielded the same level of power. Because it had always been detached from the Holy See’s center of power, its position had become somewhat awkward.
But regardless of their power, the members of the Inquisition never gave up on defending the honor of the Holy See.
For a member of the clergy to disregard the law and secretly have a child was, to the Inquisition, a blatant act of contempt for the Holy See.
Some things were permissible, while others were absolutely not. Any priest or bishop with even a little knowledge of the Inquisition should have understood this.
That was why Tang Qiu felt that Lisa, who had lived in the Central Church for decades, should not have done such a thing.
Or was she so certain that if something happened, the child’s father would be able to protect them?
“Did you come here just to drink tea?” Reese asked with an amused smile, looking at Tang Qiu, who sat opposite her, teacup in hand, eyes lowered in thought.
The blonde bishop had been absent-minded ever since she arrived, just a few pleasantries into their conversation.
Reese took the now-cold tea from Tang Qiu’s hand and replaced it with a hot cup. She propped her chin on her hands, her green eyes sizing up the person across from her. “What are you thinking about?” she asked with a smile.
She had assumed Tang Qiu was here to discuss the matter of Rose Manor, but now it seemed there might be something even more important.
Reese was intrigued by what could make the blonde bishop so pensive.
The cup before her exuded a faint, soothing aroma that seemed to calm one’s tense nerves. Tang Qiu raised her eyes to meet Reese’s, her fingertips gently stroking the side of the cup. She spoke slowly, “Karen is Lisa’s daughter. I’m wondering who her father might be.”
“Lisa’s daughter?” Reese’s hands slowly lowered from her chin, her brow furrowing. “Do you mean that knight who’s beyond saving?”
“How do you know she’s Lisa’s daughter?”
This was truly an unexpected, yet somehow not entirely surprising, piece of news.
Back in Eden, when Lisa had said their pursuits were different, Reese had her suspicions. But she wasn’t particularly interested, so she never sent anyone to investigate.
Knowing that Lisa had once been Cambecus’s kept lover, it wasn’t strange that she would suddenly have a daughter.
What was surprising was her audacity in placing her own daughter within the Holy See.
Reese didn’t seem shocked, merely seeking confirmation. Tang Qiu’s expression shifted slightly as she raised an eyebrow. “You know who her father is?”
Reese tapped her fingers on the table and curled her lips into a smile. “You answer my question first.”
“She exposed herself,” Tang Qiu said, taking a sip of water. Her tone was a mixture of lament and complexity. “It must have been a genuine outpouring of emotion.”
Although Lisa’s feelings for Karen were indeed genuine—her grief-stricken, near-maniacal wailing on the floor had even moved Tang Qiu—it didn’t erase all the evil deeds Lisa had committed in the past.
Tang Qiu’s sigh was simply out of pity for Karen… The blonde girl had just escaped one cage, pursuing the light in her heart, only to now be plunged into darkness.
If Tang Qiu felt a sense of sorrow for the blonde girl’s fate, Reese was far more detached. She shrugged and said coolly, “Perhaps it’s retribution for all of Lisa’s evil deeds, visited upon her daughter.”
She paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, let out a low, mocking laugh. “Oh, right. Her father has done even more evil.”
Seeing the coldness that tinged Reese’s expression, Tang Qiu’s heart stirred. She frowned and said, “Karen’s father is Cambecus.”
Her tone was not a question, but a statement.
Cambecus certainly had the power to protect Lisa and Karen. No wonder Lisa wanted to send Karen to his side.
A Red-robed Archbishop having a child with a priest. She wondered how the Inquisition would handle this if they found out.
Reese glanced at Tang Qiu, discerning her thoughts, and immediately dismissed them. “Don’t even think about it. Cambecus would never let Lisa walk into the Inquisition alive.”
And even if the Inquisition managed to interrogate something out of Lisa, they couldn’t touch Cambecus in the slightest.
Because the real power in the Holy See was currently in his hands.
“Now that Lisa has exposed herself, it won’t be long before the Inquisition sends someone to investigate.” The Inquisition’s spies were in every church; not even Reese could guarantee she didn’t have one by her side. “You’d better bury your Holy Knight before they arrive, or they might even take the body.”
Tang Qiu frowned but said nothing. When Lisa had said those words, two other priests were in the room, not to mention the Holy Knights and clerics standing guard outside. It was probably too late now to order them to keep quiet.
Reese glanced at her, shook her head slightly, and pushed an envelope across the table. She lifted her chin. “Open it and see.”
Tang Qiu picked up the envelope, took out the parchment inside, and quickly scanned it. Her eyes slowly narrowed. She waved the parchment at Reese with a faint smile. “The Gosse Church is to cease all operations and assist the Red-robed Archbishop in investigating the Divine Ruins?”
“What is the meaning of this?” Tang Qiu methodically folded the parchment and slipped it back into the envelope. She smiled. “Am I to give up on expelling the vampires from Rose Manor?” Though she was smiling, the mirth did not reach her eyes.
The Gosse Empire was currently in turmoil. Although Tang Qiu had been trying to improve the Holy See’s reputation among the commoners and the royal family, the relentless evil of the vampires and Black Witches had already caused widespread grievances among the populace.
If she were to obey the Central Church’s order and halt the expulsion of the forces from Rose Manor and the Black Witches, then once the commoners and royalty of the Gosse Empire were pushed to their limit and revolted, the Central Church—in order to stabilize its believers, and Cambecus, in order to eliminate a rival—would surely come after her, the Bishop of the Gosse Church.
Reese could naturally see what Tang Qiu could, but since the order had been delivered to Tang Qiu, it meant Reese had no good solution either.
“Who issued this order?” Tang Qiu asked suddenly, her hand holding the envelope pausing.
Reese looked up at her and said in a low voice, “The Pope.”
Tang Qiu: “…”
She placed the envelope on the table and calmly picked up her cup to drink.
Reese reached out, took the envelope, and a small white flame erupted from her fingertip, setting it alight. She watched with downcast eyes as the envelope and the parchment inside were reduced to ash. Her gaze grew deep. “Let’s put aside the expulsion of Rose Manor until after the matter of the Divine Ruins is settled,” she said softly.
It seemed that was the only option. Tang Qiu frowned, not at all satisfied with this outcome.
In her effort to expel the forces from Rose Manor, Tang Qiu had gone two days and a night without sleep. Upon her return, she had first checked on Karen and then come straight to Reese’s, with no time to rest. She had only consumed several vials of Holy Water of Light to stay awake.
Reese noticed the fatigue in Tang Qiu’s eyes and gestured for her to go back and rest, suggesting they could discuss the Divine Ruins in detail the next day.
Tang Qiu was indeed tired, so she didn’t refuse Reese’s suggestion. After exchanging a few more words, she stood up and left.
Not long after Tang Qiu departed, just as Reese was preparing to rest, her room received a new guest.
Mario blocked Lisa, who was trying to force her way in, and said with a blank expression, “Archbishop Reese did not summon you.”
Lisa’s eyes were red and swollen, her face pale. Grief and anxiety had stripped her of her usual aloofness. She grabbed Mario’s arm, her voice hoarse. “I have something to discuss with Archbishop Reese. Let me in.”
Mario remained unmoved and was about to forcibly remove her when Reese’s voice came from inside the room. “Let her in.”
Mario glanced toward the door and slowly released his grip. Lisa nervously pushed the door open and went inside.
Lisa had also sustained some injuries at Rose Manor. Her pure white priest robes were stained with blood, but she was in no mood to change. She was in a very fragile state, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.
This was the first time Reese had ever seen Lisa in such a disheveled state. Her red lips curved into a slight, mocking smile as her gaze swept over Lisa from head to toe. “Karen is beyond saving,” she said softly. “It’s no use coming to me.”
Lisa pressed her lips together and, under Reese’s cold gaze, suddenly knelt. She lowered her head and stated her purpose directly. “I want to know the incantation for the forbidden technique.”
The smile on Reese’s face vanished instantly. She stared coldly at Lisa.
Lisa looked up to meet her gaze and pleaded, “I know you’ve secretly studied the forbidden techniques. Reese, it’s the only way to save Karen. I can’t just watch her die like this.”
The forbidden technique Lisa spoke of was not some powerful offensive spell; in fact, it was a healing spell.
A very domineering healing spell.
It could transfer all of the injured person’s negative conditions to the caster, an act that was practically an exchange of one life for another.
But this healing spell had one condition: it could only be used between two people with a close blood relationship.
After the Holy See established the rule against marriage, this healing spell became useless. It was later labeled a forbidden technique, and the original manuscript of its incantation was sealed away in a corner of the Holy See’s archives.
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