CA - Chapter 109
Chapter 109
The wasteland on the west side of the Mentos Desert was occupied by the Dark Elves, the east side by Delphine and her people, the south saw castles suddenly rise from a dense red fog, and to the north, a lone city several hundred miles away had been seized by the Black Witches, its streets filled with patrolling skeletons and flocks of black crows.
The Mentos Desert was surrounded on all four sides. Tang Qiu flipped through the intelligence reports on the desert delivered by the Holy Knights, her fingertips tapping on the table. She looked up at Reese, who was across from her, basking in the sun with her eyes closed. Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow and said, “The Elves, Vampires, and Black Witches have all made their move. Is the Holy See going to keep waiting?”
Waiting any longer would put them in a passive position.
“We’ll talk after the other two Cardinals arrive.” Reese opened her eyes and raised a hand to block the dazzling sunlight. A ray of light slipped through her fingers, making her turn her head slightly to avoid it. “It’s nothing important, anyway,” she said distractedly.
With two more senior Cardinals, Vogt and Bruce, present, the credit wouldn’t fall to her, so she couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.
Seeing her lack of interest, Tang Qiu’s lips curved into a faint smile. She said meaningfully, “I, on the other hand, think it’s worth our attention.”
Reese narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu took out a Light Gem and held it in her hand. She winked at Reese and said with a smile, “After all, it’s a Godhead.”
No matter how ethereal it might be, the moment it was associated with the word “God,” it meant it possessed a value worth pursuing.
Reese chuckled and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. After all, it’s a Godhead.”
She rose from her chair, smoothing her wind-tousled hair with her hand. “If you can get your hands on it,” she said nonchalantly, “I’ll help cover for you in the Holy See. How about it?”
Tang Qiu toyed with the Light Gem in her hand, quite satisfied with the proposal. She smiled, “I can try.”
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from a distance. Tang Qiu put away the Light Gem and turned toward the sound. A moment later, Jennifer emerged from behind a rose bush. Her expression was grave, her brow furrowed with anxiety. Before she even reached Tang Qiu, she called out, “Bishop Grace, Karen might not make it.”
Tang Qiu’s hand, which was toying with the gem, paused. She frowned and asked, “Where’s Lisa?”
“Priest Lisa drove all the other priests away. And some Holy Knights came from somewhere and are guarding the door, not letting anyone in.”
Tang Qiu nodded. She pushed aside the church affairs on her desk and stood up, preparing to leave with Jennifer.
Reese watched them leave, raising an eyebrow. A flicker of interest in whether the Forbidden Technique would succeed sparked within her, so she decided to follow them.
Relying solely on healing spells to sustain a life couldn’t last for long. It was already remarkable that Karen had held on for this long, but this was the end of the line. Unless the Forbidden Technique Lisa was using proved effective, only the Light Goddess herself could save Karen’s life.
Lisa had the Holy Knights drive away everyone not involved. Only she remained in Karen’s room. She clutched her staff nervously, silently reciting the incantation for the Forbidden Technique in her mind. A growing sense of unease and panic spread through her, making it almost impossible to control her trembling body.
She walked to the bedside and knelt, looking with sorrow at Karen, who was almost skeletal from the corrosion of the Power of Darkness. Her eyes stung, but she had shed so many tears recently that she could no longer cry.
“Don’t be afraid. If Mom can’t save you, I’ll come and be with you.”
She raised a hand and gently caressed Karen’s face, her fingertips carefully tracing her features. Her expression gradually softened. Only at times like this could she touch this person so intimately. Lisa sighed and reluctantly pulled her hand back.
She opened two bottles of Holy Water of Light and drank them to ensure she was in perfect condition. Once the Forbidden Technique began, it could not be stopped. Lisa had no confidence that she could withstand it after transferring all of Karen’s negative conditions onto herself.
Regardless of success or failure, this might be their last time together. Lisa lowered her gaze, deeply engraving Karen’s appearance in her heart. She bit her lip and pressed the tip of her staff against Karen’s forehead.
A difficult and ancient incantation echoed through the room. White light gradually converged around Lisa. Her grip on the staff tightened as she continued to chant the unfinished spell with focus and determination. The tip of the staff flickered with white light, which swirled around Karen’s forehead, attempting to enter her body.
Lisa, who had been watching Karen intently, was nervous. It wasn’t until she saw the white light successfully enter her body that half the weight on her heart lifted.
A reaction to the white light meant the Forbidden Technique was halfway successful. Lisa’s nervousness slowly dissipated, and she closed her eyes slightly, immersing herself in the spell.
There was a reason the Forbidden Technique was known as the most overpowering healing art. Lisa could feel her Power of Light gushing out like a flood. Before long, she felt exhausted and weak.
First, her Power of Light was devoured. After it was completely gone, her life force began to drain away. A piercing pain shot through her right arm, nearly causing Lisa to mispronounce the incantation. Her hand started to lose its grip on the staff, and its tip slid from Karen’s forehead onto the bed.
Lisa tossed the staff aside and pressed her own hand to Karen’s forehead. Her face was as pale as paper, and dark energy coursed beneath her fair skin. Her right arm withered in an instant, and the pain caused large beads of sweat to drip from her forehead.
Though her body and mind were being tormented, Karen’s condition was, thankfully, improving bit by bit. When Lisa saw this through her blurred vision, her expression was pained yet contorted. She managed to pull at the corners of her mouth, forcing a faint smile.
The Forbidden Technique reached its final stage. The white light was gradually covered by a bloody hue. Karen’s ashen complexion slowly improved, but Lisa had already fallen into a semi-conscious state.
By the time Tang Qiu and Reese arrived, the Forbidden Technique was over. The small room was filled with a dense Power of Light. Lisa lay unconscious on the floor, and Karen had not yet awakened.
Tang Qiu walked over to Lisa and looked down at her, a hint of surprise in her expression. “Such an overpowering healing spell?”
She hadn’t held much hope for the Forbidden Technique, but the result was beyond her expectations. The spell had transferred all of Karen’s negative conditions to Lisa, which surprisingly included her right arm that had been devoured by the Power of Darkness.
The once-bare arm had been reformed with flesh and blood. Karen lay quietly on the bed, the rise and fall of her chest returning to a normal rhythm.
Reese walked to Tang Qiu’s side, bent down, and turned Lisa over for a look. “She’s actually still alive,” she said, surprised.
Karen’s injuries were severe. Reese had thought that given Lisa’s strength, transferring the negative conditions would be nothing more than a life for a life. She hadn’t expected the Forbidden Technique to spare Lisa’s life.
However, seeing her deathly pale complexion, it was clear she was only clinging to life. After all, the Power of Darkness that had invaded her internal organs could not be expelled.
Karen, who had been unconscious on the bed for a long time, suddenly let out a muffled cough. Tang Qiu glanced toward the bed and gestured for Reese to have someone take Lisa away. Then she walked to the bedside and touched Karen’s forehead.
The skin beneath her hand was warm, finally free of the corpse-like coldness from before.
Karen’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at the ceiling until the blonde-haired bishop entered her field of vision. Only then did a glimmer of life return to her eyes. She opened her mouth and called out in a hoarse, slow voice, “Bishop Grace.”
She tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but a sharp pain in her right arm made her fall back again. Karen frowned in pain, but then something seemed to occur to her. She turned her head and stared at her right hand, her expression dazed.
She remembered her arm… Karen turned her head and looked at Tang Qiu in a daze, asking uncertainly, “Who saved me?”
The moment she lost consciousness, she had thought she was going to die.
Tang Qiu took out a bottle of Holy Water of Light, opened it, and handed it to Karen. After watching her obediently drink it, she said softly, “It was your mother.”
Karen clutched the empty bottle, taking a moment to process the words. “I’m an orphan,” she said, looking bewildered. She had been taken in by a small church as a child and went to Eden when she was older. No one had ever told her she had parents.
“You’re not an orphan.” Tang Qiu chose to tell Karen the truth. “Lisa is your mother.”
The bottle suddenly fell from Karen’s hand. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, “That’s impossible.”
How could Lisa be her mother? That woman… that confidante of Archbishop Cambecus. A trace of panic appeared in Karen’s eyes.
How could this be possible?
Tang Qiu patiently waited for Karen to slowly accept this fact. Suddenly, Reese’s voice came from the doorway. Tang Qiu turned to look, then walked toward her with a frown.
Mario was also standing at the door. Seeing the blonde-haired bishop emerge, he said in a low voice, “The people from the Central Church are here.”
Tang Qiu nodded and subconsciously glanced at Reese. Noticing the intriguing smile on her face, a bad premonition rose in her heart. She asked calmly, “Who is it?”
“Archbishop Vogt and Head Inquisitor Audrey.”
Head Inquisitor Audrey… Tang Qiu’s eyes darkened slightly, and she raised a hand to rub her brow. She had thought the Inquisition would send a couple of Inquisitors, but she hadn’t expected the Head Inquisitor herself.
Beside her, Reese touched her lips and chuckled. “What a coincidence. Audrey won’t even have to look for evidence.”
Any church member with some seniority knew about the existence of the Forbidden Technique.
Tang Qiu sighed and glanced back at Karen’s room, her tone laced with helplessness. “Yes, what a coincidence.”
They had arrived at the perfect time, leaving her no opportunity to cover anything up.
Reese turned to Mario, who was standing nearby. “Take Lisa to Audrey. Tell her it’s a gift from me.”
Mario nodded. He was about to turn and leave when Tang Qiu called out to him.
Tang Qiu instructed him, “Remember to put her in Detention Cell Number Three.”
Mario looked at Reese. Seeing her nod, he agreed and then left.
After Mario left, Tang Qiu and Reese also headed toward the church’s main hall. On the way, Reese gave Tang Qiu a brief introduction to Audrey. Seeing her thoughtful expression after she finished, Reese smiled and said, “Are you thinking about how to save that little knight?”
Tang Qiu didn’t hide it, nodding openly. “Karen is innocent. She shouldn’t be imprisoned by the Inquisition.”
Reese shook her head and chuckled lightly. “The Holy See is full of innocent people.”
Simply being labeled “innocent” wasn’t enough to be saved. Karen wasn’t the only innocent one, and there were plenty of people whose fates were far more tragic than hers.
In Reese’s view, offending a Head Inquisitor for a mere knight was not worth the cost.
Tang Qiu understood Reese’s point but said nothing to refute it. She simply gave a serene smile and said softly, “The decadent Holy See must be overthrown and rebuilt.”
At the blonde-haired bishop’s bold declaration, the smile on Reese’s lips gradually deepened. She nodded in agreement. “I’m very happy you have this ambition.”
“The Holy See has long been due for a major cleansing.”
Comments
Post a Comment