CA - Chapter 167

Chapter 167

The Holy See, which had always proclaimed itself the guardian of the Statu Continent, reacted swiftly after only a brief period of chaos when darkness stole millennia of peace from the land. It dispatched the Holy Knights stationed within the Holy See's borders to escort Light Priests to various nations as reinforcements.

Though darkness had descended, the light remained unstoppable.

After the Holy See took action, the number of casualties in various countries slowly began to stabilize. Some small and medium-sized nations that had not established a church within their borders realized the Holy See's importance and hastily sent envoys to request aid.

The arrival of darkness unexpectedly made the world realize how indispensable the Holy See was on the Statu Continent. Its prestige, far from diminishing, actually increased. Even certain nobles who were hostile to theocracy, believing it encroached on their own power and status, obediently kept their mouths shut.

After all, no matter how important power was, it couldn't compare to one's own life.

Without the Holy See to deal with the forces of darkness, humanity could only watch as the Statu Continent fell.

Although the Holy See had managed to control the collapsing situation as soon as it acted, the Dark Formations still existed. All nations, including the three great empires, were waiting for the Holy See's next move. They hoped the Holy See would dispatch the Red-robed Archbishops to completely expel the darkness from the Statu Continent.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Holy See, for some unknown reason, made no further moves.

Compared to the hell on earth outside, the nation of the Holy See remained sacred and beautiful. The darkness stopped a hundred miles from its borders, and even the plants and flowers here were unaffected, flourishing with the same vibrant life as always.

Mario escorted Tang Qiu to the Holy See's nation under the radar. With a large number of Holy Knights dispatched elsewhere, the security was not as strict as usual. He drove the carriage, avoided the guards, and returned to Reese's manor via a small path.

The carriage stopped at the manor's entrance. Tang Qiu opened the door, stepped out, and adjusted her hood, giving Mario a slight nod.

Mario led Tang Qiu inside and brought her to the garden. He glanced at Reese, who was sitting on a bench resting with her eyes closed, and said to Tang Qiu in a low voice, "Give me your nameplate."

The blonde bishop was currently listed as "missing" in the Central Church's personnel records. He needed to take her nameplate to the department in charge of such matters and have the record corrected.

Tang Qiu handed the nameplate to Mario. After watching him leave, she turned and walked toward the bench. She took off her hood and sat down opposite Reese, skillfully picking up the teapot in front of her and pouring herself a cup of tea.

Hearing the sound, Reese half-opened her eyes to glance at Tang Qiu and asked lazily, "Are you done with your business?"

Tang Qiu hummed in acknowledgment and took a sip of the warm tea. The fragrance of roses spread in her mouth. A slight smile touched her lips as she said, "It seems the Black Witches haven't caused the Holy See much trouble."

The outside world was in utter chaos, yet within the Holy See, not only the Red-robed Archbishops but even the bishops were still leisurely staying in the Holy See's nation. She wondered if they even knew that as time passed, the monsters created by the Dark Formations would grow stronger and stronger.

Tang Qiu felt that Reese was probably unaware.

Just as Tang Qiu guessed, Reese was indeed ignorant of this. Only the Pope knew the information brought back by the knights the Holy See had sent to investigate. Although she had also sent people to look into it, the information she obtained was pitifully scarce.

She only knew that the darkness was temporarily under control, and she had thought the Black Witches wouldn't be able to make much of a splash this time.

Reese's expression slowly turned serious. She sat up straight and met Tang Qiu's gaze for a moment before frowning. "...From your description, are the Black Witches planning to overthrow the Holy See?"

"But after the darkness descended, the Black Witches disappeared. Are they still plotting something?"

After Dark Formations appeared one after another in every corner of the Statu Continent, aside from the endless stream of monsters to be purged, the Black Witches had made no other moves.

Tang Qiu had noticed the suspicious point Reese raised even earlier. She had discussed it with Erin before coming to the Central Church, and in the end, they could only conclude that the Black Witches must be plotting something more important than the Dark Formations.

For instance, the one thing they had always persisted in and regarded as their lifelong belief... summoning the Dark God.

"The Black Witches came prepared this time, and it's not just the Garcia family we need to pay attention to." Tang Qiu thought of the "werewolf" army created by Glanna, her expression turning grave. "The Anderson family will definitely take this opportunity to stir up even more chaos on the Statu Continent."

As for whether the last, most mysterious Black Witch family would appear, no one could say for sure.

"Oh? That's truly good news." Reese leaned back in her chair, a mocking smile on her lips, and said slowly, "The Pope is still planning to use this opportunity of suppressing the darkness to build up prestige for the Holy Son."

"I hope the Black Witches can live up to expectations and not disappoint the Pope."

Using the suppression of darkness to build momentum for the Holy Son? No wonder the Holy See hadn't sent out any Red-robed Archbishops to deal with the Dark Formations yet. It seemed the Pope had realized that the current situation was a perfect opportunity to build prestige among the commoners and even the nobility... But why was he being so considerate of the Holy Son?

"The Pope is truly devoted to the Holy Son." Though she had never met him, Tang Qiu was already intensely interested in the Holy Son.

Reese merely sneered at Tang Qiu's remark. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing. With a blank expression, she picked up the cup before her and took a sip of the now-cold tea.

Everyone in the Holy See was currently focused on the movements of the dark forces. Even Cambecus and Audrey, who had nearly torn off all pretenses of civility, had tacitly called a truce. Under Reese's cover, the return of a missing bishop caused no ripples. It wasn't until the Pope gathered everyone to discuss the suppression of the dark forces that some people who knew the blonde bishop were surprised to find she had returned.

After the Pope came out of seclusion, Reese, who had always been arrogant and haughty in the Central Church, reined in her personality and became much more transparent. But no matter how much she reined it in, she was still the most eye-catching presence the moment she appeared.

In the Central Church's hall used for discussing important matters, Red-robed Archbishops like Vogt had arrived early to wait. Most of the bishops were also present, with only three empty seats closest to the steps.

Reese arrived with Tang Qiu and Monica, neither early nor late. The areas for Red-robed Archbishops and bishops were separate. After watching Monica lead Tang Qiu to their designated spots, Reese nonchalantly walked to her own position.

Her position was opposite Vogt, with one empty space between her and the steps.

Below the steps, the positions to the left and right belonged to Cambecus and Gabriel.

The hall was so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Tang Qiu raised her eyes and scanned the few Red-robed Archbishops standing at the very front, then lowered her gaze and waited quietly for the Pope's arrival.

After an unknown amount of time, the Pope finally arrived, flanked by Cambecus and Gabriel. Holy Knights with golden longswords at their waists and clerics in plain, unranked robes guarded his safety from behind.

Hearing the commotion, Tang Qiu raised her head slightly, discreetly observing the Pope. She had been in the Holy See for a long time, but this was the first time she had seen him.

For more than a decade, the Pope had used poor health as a reason to rarely make public appearances, and later went into seclusion altogether, gradually transferring his authority to the Holy Son and Holy Daughter.

He certainly had the intention to abdicate, but his severe aging was also a contributing factor.

The Power of Light could slow aging, and the Pope had already lived several hundred years longer than an ordinary human. He appeared to walk with a steady gait and seemed to be in high spirits, but his hair was completely white, and his face was covered in the marks of old age.

The Pope walked to the steps, slowly raised his head, and stared at the throne above for a moment. Then he walked up, turned, and sat down. He rested his left hand on his right, rubbing the ring that symbolized his status as Pope, his expression profound and inscrutable.

Cambecus and Gabriel stood in their positions before the steps, their hands hanging at their sides, their faces so placid that no emotion could be discerned.

While rubbing his ring, the Pope's gaze swept over the Red-robed Archbishops without a change in expression. He began to speak slowly, "The Light Goddess loves the world. The first Pope, Excellency Cynthia, inherited the will of the Light Goddess. Even though the Black Witches were cold-blooded and evil, she still did not annihilate them."

"But facts have proven that dark creatures deserve no pity." The Pope paused, turning the ring on his finger as he said in a deep voice, "If we do not exterminate them, more innocent commoners will die at their hands."

He glanced at Cambecus, who sensibly chimed in, "Your Holiness is right. If the Light Goddess saw what the Black Witches have done to this continent, I believe she too would be furious."

The Pope nodded, his gaze passing over the faces of the Red-robed Archbishops one by one before he said faintly, "I plan to entrust the matter of purging the Black Witches to the Holy Son."

His gaze jumped from the Red-robed Archbishops to the bishops behind them. "My energy is failing. You will assist him in handling this matter properly."

The bishops responded in low voices. Standing in the front row, Reese lowered her eyes to the hem of her robe, a flash of ridicule in her eyes.

The Pope's spirit was indeed weak. After speaking for a short while, he felt tired and simply waved his hand to dismiss everyone.

Following the crowd out of the hall, Tang Qiu and Monica stood to the side, waiting for Reese, who had not yet emerged. Since arriving in the Holy See's nation, Monica had been staying in the manor Reese had prepared for her. Freed from tedious church duties, she had calmed her mind to practice light magic and had made considerable progress.

Although Monica didn't have a thorough understanding of the internal power struggles of the Central Church, having been in the Holy See's nation for a long time, she could still glimpse the turbulent undercurrents, even if she didn't want to pay attention.

Nearing abdication, the Pope was suspicious of all the Red-robed Archbishops.

Tang Qiu could naturally see what even Monica could see. However, compared to Monica's worried mood, Tang Qiu was much more relaxed.

Tang Qiu and Reese had long suspected this, so they weren't surprised at all.

The Red-robed Archbishops, like the Holy Son, had the right to inherit the Pope's position. How could the Pope be willing to let them steal the show and build up prestige by suppressing the dark forces?

The Red-robed Archbishops didn't stay in the hall for long before coming out. Reese was the first to emerge. Tang Qiu glanced in her direction, about to go meet her, when her peripheral vision suddenly caught a somewhat familiar figure.

She paused for a moment and turned her head to look. The person had already walked behind a Red-robed Archbishop, and the two were speaking with their heads lowered.

Reese followed the blonde bishop's gaze and asked, puzzled, "What are you looking at?"

Tang Qiu came back to her senses, pointed at the familiar-looking man, and asked in a low voice, "Who is that person?"

Reese glanced over. "The Bishop of the Sevia Church, a trusted subordinate of Gabriel."

"What's wrong?"

The Sevia Church? Tang Qiu raised a hand to her chin and said thoughtfully, "Nothing, I just thought he looked a little familiar."

"Be careful if you run into him. This person is as cunning as Gabriel." Reese didn't have a very good impression of him. She withdrew her gaze and led Tang Qiu and Monica away.

Cambecus, who had just come out of the hall, happened to see them from the side. He looked at Tang Qiu's back in surprise and said to the attendant priest beside him, "Is that Grace? Wasn't it said that she was attacked by Black Witches and went missing?"

Reese had kept the news of Tang Qiu's return under tight wraps, so the attendant priest was also at a loss. "This... I'll send someone to investigate when I get back."

Cambecus narrowed his eyes, about to say something when his shoulder was suddenly bumped hard. He lurched forward, nearly falling.

"Audrey," Cambecus growled through gritted teeth, looking at the bewitching woman who had just walked past him.

Audrey shot him a contemptuous glance, snorted coldly, and strode away.

"That woman!" Seeing people around him watching, Cambecus could only suppress his rising anger. He took a deep breath and left with his priest, his face cold.

Audrey strode to catch up with Reese and the others, who were about to leave the Central Church. She raised a hand to block the three of them, her probing gaze fixed on Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu let her scrutinize her with poise and grace, even offering a smiling greeting.

Audrey stared at Tang Qiu for a while, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter. A hand reached out from the side, pinching Audrey's chin and turning her head. Reese raised an eyebrow and said with a grin, "Need something from me?"

Audrey slapped her hand away and said expressionlessly, "The Inquisition has the right to investigate suspicious individuals."

She glanced at Tang Qiu. "You'd best come to the Inquisition voluntarily and state what you were doing during the time you were missing."

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