CA - Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Waiting, laced with worry and unease, always feels exceptionally long.
At the designated meeting spot, Erin’s hands were clasped tightly together. She frequently gazed into the distance, her face etched with anxiety. Little Fur Ball, who had been sleeping in her hood, had been forcefully woken up and was now perched atop her head, looking at the vast night with a dazed and pitiful expression.
“…Shouldn’t we go check on the manor?” Erin faintly heard a few wolf howls and couldn’t help but turn to Lola, her voice filled with concern.
Lola stared in the direction of the manor without speaking, but her expression gradually grew heavy.
Time ticked by. Just as Erin was about to give in to the urge to go back and check, Kama, who had been standing at the top of a tree staring intently ahead, vaguely spotted a dark figure. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she nimbly scrambled down the trunk.
By the time Kama was down, Lola, who had spotted Tang Qiu and Lucille even earlier, had already flashed forward to meet them. The thick scent of blood made her pause mid-stride. She rubbed her nose, suppressing the urge to feed, and strode forward with a tense expression.
Upon seeing Lola and Erin, Tang Qiu’s taut nerves finally relaxed a little. She gently placed the still-unconscious Lucille on the ground, then her legs gave out and she slowly knelt beside her, her consciousness growing dim. Tang Qiu covered her mouth and let out a muffled cough, fresh blood seeping through her fingers.
Erin ran over. Her face changed when she saw Tang Qiu, who was practically bathed in blood. She quickly took out several vials of Holy Water of Light, uncapped them, and held one to Tang Qiu’s lips, her voice frantic. “Didn’t you say the third-generation vampire wasn’t at the manor?”
How could she be so heavily injured?
Tang Qiu pushed Erin’s hand away and whispered before losing consciousness, “Go.”
The smell of blood was affecting Lola, so she didn’t dare get too close. Seeing Tang Qiu pass out, she reminded Erin in a low voice, “The teleportation scroll.”
Erin, who had been stunned by Tang Qiu’s collapse, snapped back to her senses. She took a scroll from her Space Gem, gestured for Lola to stand closer, then took a deep breath and unfurled it. A black mist materialized out of thin air, enveloping them. When the mist dissipated, all five of them had vanished.
Not long after they left, a dozen vampires appeared in the area. Evan, his face grim, circled the vicinity. He reached out and grabbed a handful of air, and a black mist appeared in his palm. He lowered his head and sniffed, recognizing the scent of a teleportation scroll, which made his expression even uglier.
“Useless, a bunch of useless fools.” Evan dragged Delia from the back of the group and threw her to the ground, his eyes as cold as ice. “Who was it that rescued her?”
Before summoning Evan back with the scroll, Delia had preemptively faked injuries on her body that looked like they were caused by a werewolf. She was ruthless even to herself; to make it look real and avoid any flaws, the injuries she inflicted had nearly cost her half her life. She lay prone on the ground, her expression pained as she said, “…It was werewolves.”
She clutched her chest, her head bowed, a sinister light flickering in her eyes as she said in a low voice, “It was Faye. She led her people and rescued Lucille.”
Evan kicked her in the shoulder. Delia’s back slammed into a tree trunk, aggravating her wounds and causing her to spit out a large mouthful of blood. She curled up in pain, but her hatred for Faye allowed her to endure the nearly fainting agony. Her voice trembled as she said, “Faye… she can’t have… gotten far.”
Evan looked at her coldly and raised a hand, activating his Blood Domain. It covered a distance of nearly a thousand miles. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment but found no trace of Faye’s presence. He retracted the Blood Domain and said with displeasure, “Truly useless.”
If Delia weren’t still somewhat useful for tracking Lucille, Evan would have crushed her heart on the spot.
Evan left in a rage with the other vampires. Delia, lying on the ground, bit her lip. Unwillingness and hatred filled her heart, twisting her expression into a ferocious mask. Faye… she would kill that woman.
The person who had caused her to lose almost everything.
When Lucille awoke from her unconsciousness, the last image that flashed before her eyes was of a strange, white-haired werewolf trying to ambush Tang Qiu.
She sat up in bed, a dull pain radiating from her back. Lucille warily surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was somewhat simple, but comfortably arranged. On the clean table sat a bouquet of trimmed red roses, their faint fragrance drifting through the room.
Lucille’s brow furrowed. Because she had been unconscious, she didn’t know what had happened afterward. Her hand, resting on the bed, touched something warm. She turned her head to see Tang Qiu lying on the other side of the bed, her face pale, deep in a heavy sleep.
Her stiff body slowly relaxed. The coldness on Lucille’s face gradually softened at the sight of Tang Qiu. She leaned against the headboard and reached out to touch Tang Qiu’s face. The familiar sensation brought a slight smile to her lips.
Her hand moved slowly down from the side of Tang Qiu’s face. The blanket was lifted, revealing that the sleeping Tang Qiu was wearing only a thin robe, with crimson bloodstains seeping through the fabric over her chest.
Lucille frowned. She undid Tang Qiu’s clothes and carefully examined her injuries. A werewolf’s healing ability was excellent, but even so, wounds that had not fully healed still covered Tang Qiu’s entire body.
The flesh of some wounds was still turned outward, a shocking sight against her fair skin.
The gentleness on Lucille’s face slowly vanished. Her palm rested on Tang Qiu’s shoulder for a moment. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the Holy Water of Light placed nearby. She uncorked the vial, and ignoring the way the holy water would burn her own palm, she began to meticulously clean Tang Qiu’s wounds, one by one.
The burning, painful sensation from the wounds slowly faded under the holy water’s touch. The sleeping Tang Qiu’s brow relaxed slightly. Her eyelashes trembled, and though she wasn’t fully awake, she subconsciously moved closer to Lucille.
Lucille gathered her into her arms and lowered her head to kiss Tang Qiu’s forehead.
“…I ran into a lunatic.” A hoarse voice sounded by Lucille’s ear. Lucille looked up slightly. Tang Qiu had opened her eyes at some point. She wrapped her arms around Lucille’s waist, her tone carrying a subtle disdain when she mentioned Ophelia.
Lucille gently stroked Tang Qiu’s hair and said in a low voice, “Was it that werewolf?”
She didn’t know Ophelia, but from the attack she had blocked for Tang Qiu before passing out, that werewolf was far stronger than any other she had ever seen.
Tang Qiu hummed in agreement, not elaborating on how dangerous that night had been. She lay lazily against Lucille, the dual exhaustion of body and mind making her unwilling to leave this embrace, which, while not particularly warm, was one she cherished. “I rescued you safely. Is there a reward?”
Having just woken up, Tang Qiu’s eyes looked exceptionally moist. Paired with the faint smile on her lips and her teasing tone, it successfully caused Lucille’s gaze to darken slightly. She lowered her head, her lips brushing against Tang Qiu’s, and whispered, “…There is.”
Her lips tickled. Tang Qiu parted them slightly, her gentle eyes holding a faint smile. Her hand slid down from Lucille’s shoulder to grip her arm. The sound of kissing was especially clear in the quiet room.
A gentle, watery kiss was no longer enough to satisfy. Lucille rolled over, covering Tang Qiu’s body. While kissing her, she took the hand gripping her arm and gently pinned it above Tang Qiu’s head.
Lucille had already memorized the location of every injury on Tang Qiu’s body while cleaning them. Her hand slid down, avoiding the wounded areas, while her lips moved from the corner of Tang Qiu’s mouth to kiss her chin and the tip of her nose.
“…Wait, Lucille.” Tang Qiu felt Lucille trying to undo her clothes and couldn’t help but raise a hand to stop her wrist, saying with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “Are you trying to make my injuries worse?”
Any slightly larger movement could tear open her newly healed wounds.
Lucille didn’t speak, but she didn’t stop either. She bent Tang Qiu’s leg and then lowered her head to lick the wound on her inner thigh.
Tang Qiu had two particularly severe injuries on her leg. Even after being cleansed with Holy Water of Light, a few beads of blood still oozed out.
Lucille licked the blood around the wound clean, then glanced up at Tang Qiu, whose face was now slightly flushed. She licked her lips and said suggestively, “…Wait until you’ve healed.”
Tang Qiu’s expression was a little complicated. She wanted to put on a stern face, but her lips curled up into a smile against her will. She pinched Lucille’s chin, pulling her up, and said softly, “Does a vampire’s saliva have healing properties?”
“Are you hungry?”
Lucille followed Tang Qiu’s lead and rested her head against her, closing her eyes. “…No.”
Tang Qiu chuckled softly, holding Lucille and shifting into a more comfortable position. Overcome with exhaustion, she fell asleep again.
Although Lucille wasn’t sleepy, she didn’t push Tang Qiu away. She rested a hand on Tang Qiu’s body and began to rest with her eyes closed.
When she woke again, the sky outside was bright. Tang Qiu got out of bed and walked to the table to pour a glass of water. The roses on the table had been replaced with fresh ones, still dotted with dewdrops.
Tang Qiu drank a glass of water to moisten her dry throat. A faint sound came from the door. Kama carefully poked her head in. She first glanced at the bed, a flicker of confusion on her face when she didn’t see Tang Qiu. As her gaze searched the room, the door was suddenly pulled open, and she stumbled inside.
“Be careful.” Tang Qiu, who had opened the door, bent down slightly to help Kama up. She glanced outside and asked in confusion, “Where’s Erin?”
Kama hugged Tang Qiu’s leg, looked up with a brilliant smile, and pointed outside.
Tang Qiu stroked Kama’s head and smiled. “How many days was I asleep?”
Kama thought for a moment, then held up three fingers.
Tang Qiu raised her eyebrows in surprise. Her external injuries had all healed, but her internal ones still needed time to recover. However, for a Bishop, recuperation wasn't a particularly difficult matter.
She gently moved Kama aside and said softly, “Go play outside for a while.”
Kama reluctantly left Tang Qiu’s side, thoughtfully closing the door for her.
Her clothes were wrinkled and stained with blood. Tang Qiu rummaged through her Space Gem, hesitating between her Bishop’s robes and other clothes, ultimately choosing the latter.
As Tang Qiu was changing, Lucille came over and leaned against the table, looking her up and down. The simple shirt and trousers gave Tang Qiu a unique charm.
The Bishop’s robes made her look noble and holy. The shirt and trousers toned down those qualities, but made her appear gentler and more elegant, like a young noble lady of distinguished status.
Lucille stared at Tang Qiu, momentarily lost in thought, but she quickly came back to her senses. “The Holy See…” She paused, as if considering how to ask. “Is the Holy See alright?”
If it weren’t for rescuing her, Tang Qiu should be at the Central Church right now.
Tang Qiu shook her head and answered honestly, “It’s a bit tricky.”
Lucille pressed her lips together. She knew how much Tang Qiu valued the Holy See, so she didn’t say something like asking Tang Qiu to return to Edry with her, as she might have in the past. She was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry. I was too careless.”
Tang Qiu glanced at her and said softly, “Don’t blame yourself. It’s not like I can’t go back to the Holy See.”
“It’s just that before I go back, it would be best to deal with Evan first.”
At the mention of Evan, Lucille’s expression turned cold. She told Tang Qiu about the collusion between the vampires and the Holy See.
Tang Qiu was surprised by this, but it did answer some of the questions she’d had about the Holy See.
The Holy See’s authority had been maintained on the continent of Statu for thousands of years. She had wondered how it could have degenerated so severely in just a few hundred years. It turned out the former high-ranking members of the Holy See had been purged.
A light tap on the window interrupted Tang Qiu and Lucille’s conversation. Tang Qiu opened the door and went outside, immediately spotting Erin loitering by her window. Erin’s eyes lit up when she saw Tang Qiu. She walked over, looked her over carefully, and asked with concern, “Are your injuries healed?”
Tang Qiu had been so badly hurt before; the sight of her covered in blood still made Erin’s heart pound with fear when she recalled it.
Tang Qiu smiled and nodded. She looked up, observing her surroundings, and realized they were in a small town that was beautiful but clearly very remote.
The air was fresh, with the faint scent of flowers wafting through it. As Tang Qiu observed, she asked in confusion, “Where is this?”
When they first arrived in the Gru Empire, they had discussed where to go after rescuing Lucille. Because they needed an absolutely safe place, Tang Qiu had been very cautious.
The final location was suggested by Erin—the very town they were in now.
This was the safest place in Erin’s heart.
“We’re in the Gosse Empire. This town is called Masuri.” Erin’s face was full of pride as she introduced the town. “This is my home.”
When she was young, she had been deceived by Glanna and misunderstood her own identity. After seeing through her scheme, she escaped from Witch City with Vera’s help. The Holy See she had yearned for only wanted her dead, and the “common sense” Glanna had instilled in her made it impossible for her to integrate with humans.
Erin would never forget those days. She was like an outcast, a monster, wandering while hiding from Glanna’s pursuit, with no place that would accept her.
Later, she was taken in by the villagers of Masuri and had lived here ever since. The town’s population was small, but everyone was exceptionally kind to her. They not only corrected her mistaken beliefs but also dispelled the gloom in her heart.
And it was safe here. She had lived here for several years, and Glanna had never found her.
Erin took Tang Qiu’s arm and enthusiastically introduced her to the town’s villagers. She couldn’t wait to share her “family” with her friend. She pointed to a small wooden cabin nearby and said, “This is Senna’s house. He’s a carpenter. He’s very steady, just not very talkative.”
As Erin spoke, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. The door opened from the inside, and a tall man walked out. He reached out and patted Erin’s head. His gaze paused for a moment when it landed on Tang Qiu, but he quickly returned to normal. He nodded at Tang Qiu and then politely extended his hand.
Tang Qiu glanced at the hand offered to her, then took it and said with a smile, “Hello, I’m Erin’s friend, Grace.”
Senna nodded. He turned and retrieved an axe from the room, then made a gesture to Erin. Erin nodded in understanding. “Are you going to chop wood? We won’t disturb you then.”
Erin waved at Senna.
Senna used his hand to pull the corners of his mouth into a smile, then walked away with his axe, swaying with every few steps.
Tang Qiu blinked. She turned to watch Senna’s retreating back, a flicker of confusion on her face. Why did this person seem so out of place?
The introduction of the first “family member” was a bit of a failure. Erin scratched her head in embarrassment. She looked around and pointed to the farthest cabin. “I’ll take you to meet Rona. Her cooking is delicious.”
The town was truly small. Including the house Tang Qiu was staying in, there were only about a dozen small wooden cabins, and several of them were empty.
Erin led Tang Qiu to Rona’s house. Rona had already heard their footsteps and opened the door before Erin could knock. She leaned against the doorframe, yawning lazily. “Little Erin, your friend…” Her words trailed off, her yawn half-finished.
Rona rubbed her eyes and looked at Tang Qiu several times. Tang Qiu let her look, even offering a friendly smile.
Rona cleared her throat, turned, and stepped aside to let them in. “It’s good that you’re awake. I made some mushroom soup. Come in and have some.”
She turned and went inside, with Erin following behind her. Tang Qiu lingered outside for a moment longer, turning to once again survey the small town that could be taken in with a single glance.
The houses in the town were dilapidated, but the environment was exceptionally beautiful. Despite its remote location, if you ignored the wooden cabins, the place could rival a nobleman’s manor.
A clear stream, vibrant flowerbeds, an exquisitely crafted swing, and lifelike small animal statues scattered casually on the ground—everything about it was strange.
Tang Qiu lowered her gaze slightly, lost in thought.
While Tang Qiu was outside observing the town, inside the room, Rona ladled a bowl of mushroom soup for Erin. She glanced at Tang Qiu standing by the door and asked Erin in a hushed voice, “I remember your friend had white hair before?”
When Erin had brought Tang Qiu and Lucille to the town, it was late at night. Both were covered in blood, their faces almost completely obscured. Rona and the others had only glanced at them from a distance, not paying too much attention.
…If they had known, they would have paid more attention.
Although Erin had nothing to hide from Rona, explaining the werewolf situation would be complicated and troublesome, so she simply nodded. “Yes.”
Rona frowned but didn’t press further. She leaned against the table, her eyes fixed on Tang Qiu, her thoughts unreadable.
On the other side of the town, Lola stood in the shadow of a wooden cabin, her arms crossed, watching with great interest the two figures, one large and one small, in front of the flowerbeds.
Lucille came to her side and followed her gaze, frowning. “Who is that person?”
There were two people in front of the flowerbeds. The smaller one was Kama, who was squatting on the ground, observing the brilliantly blooming flowers.
Across the flowerbed from her stood a young man. He had an ordinary face, but his silver, curly hair was dazzling in the sunlight. He wore simple clothes and was trimming the branches with a large pair of shears, humming a little tune and occasionally taking a few dance steps, looking leisurely and content.
Although the gardener’s appearance and clothes were unremarkable, his aura was anything but ordinary.
He had a very noble temperament.
Lola had been observing the man for a while. Hearing Lucille’s voice, she first turned to look her over. Seeing that she was mostly fine, she said with a low laugh, “The gardener here. His name is Thor.”
“Gardener?”
Lola shrugged and said nonchalantly, “That’s how Erin introduced him.”
As they spoke, Thor was still trimming the flowers. He cut a bouquet of roses and, with a few elegant dance steps, moved around to Kama’s side. He placed his right hand on his shoulder, bowed slightly, and presented the roses in his left hand to Kama.
Kama was startled for a moment, then turned and ran, hiding directly behind Lola.
Thor sighed sadly. He discreetly glanced in Lola and Lucille’s direction before turning back to his flowers as if nothing had happened.
Lola clicked her tongue and shook her head. “How strange.”
Lucille stared at Thor for a while before saying flatly, “He’s a vampire.”
Although his eyes weren’t red, vampires often started with their eyes when disguising their identity.
Besides, this person gave Lucille a sense of familiarity.
Although the aura Thor exuded was ordinary, Lucille’s intuition told her that his true identity was a vampire.
Erin spent the afternoon introducing Tang Qiu to the town’s villagers and showing her around the vicinity. It wasn’t until evening that she reluctantly parted ways with her.
Although Erin had spent the whole afternoon introducing the villagers, she had actually only introduced five people. According to her, some people might have gone out and hadn’t returned yet.
When Tang Qiu and Erin returned to their respective rooms, Lucille was standing by the window, staring outside in a daze. Hearing the sound, she turned her head and said in a low voice, “This place is strange.”
Tang Qiu nodded. “It is indeed strange.”
Erin had arrived here when she was at her most lost, so she hadn’t noticed the strangeness of the place. But for them, a careful observation revealed the sense of dissonance.
However, this was Erin’s “home.” Strange as it was, Tang Qiu had no intention of investigating anything.
They were only staying here temporarily.
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