CA - Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Located in the very center of the Holy See nation, the solemn and sacred Central Church occupied nearly a third of the country’s area. The manors of the Holy Son, the Holy Daughter, and the six Cardinals, along with the Inquisition, took up another third. The remaining third consisted of scattered manors, providing accommodation for visiting Church personnel during major events.
Ordinarily, however, these places were empty.
As the Head Inquisitor’s confidante, Liz’s main responsibility was to screen intelligence. She knew the distribution of the Inquisition’s spies, which areas were under heavy surveillance, and which were left unguarded, with perfect clarity.
Liz changed into a common cleric’s uniform and left the Inquisition through a back door. She took a secluded path to avoid pedestrians and arrived at an empty manor.
The Holy See nation had many uninhabited manors, but unlike those outside, these were always kept spotlessly clean. Not a single withered plant could be seen within the grounds; flowers vied for attention in a riot of color, and the greenery was vibrant with life.
Liz entered the innermost house of the manor. Heavy curtains blocked the windows, plunging the interior into darkness. Only the faint silhouette of a person standing in the middle with their hands clasped could be seen.
Liz’s steps faltered. Standing at the boundary between darkness and light, she said in a low voice, “We could use letters to pass messages. This is a bit dangerous.”
The figure stirred, as if turning around. He took two steps toward Liz, then raised a hand to pat her head, speaking gently, “That would leave evidence, child.”
The hand resting on her head moved Liz. She crossed her hands in front of her, thought for a moment, and asked, “What business do you have with me, Archbishop Cambecus?”
Cambecus’s lips curled slightly in a satisfied smile. “Your mother raised you well.”
Liz lowered her head and said nothing.
Cambecus had countless lovers. Although he never deliberately asked them to bear him children, offspring like Karen and Liz would pop up from time to time.
He held no deep affection for his children, but as long as they were obedient, he didn’t mind letting them live out their lives in peace and prosperity.
Of course, for a child as obedient, intelligent, and useful as Liz, he wouldn’t be stingy with his displays of affection.
“I heard Audrey captured Grace, is that right?” Cambecus’s eyes grew deep as Liz nodded. “What has Audrey found?”
Audrey was personally handling everything related to the blond bishop. Liz had tried to eavesdrop on their conversation before, but the sound was intermittent through the door, yielding no valuable information. The only thing worth mentioning was… “Head Inquisitor Audrey suspects Grace is colluding with other races.”
“Oh? Has she found anything?”
“No.” If Audrey had evidence, the blond bishop would have already been moved to the dungeons. Liz frowned, organizing her words before continuing, “However, Head Inquisitor Audrey suspects Grace may have been involved in the events that occurred in the Gosse Empire.”
Cambecus’s eyes flickered as he recalled something. “Wasn’t she missing at that time?”
“She was indeed missing, but according to reports from the Inquisition’s spies, it’s highly likely Grace was in the Gosse Empire at the time, just hiding her identity.”
Liz had personally compiled the intelligence on the Gosse Empire, so she was quite familiar with it. “The King of Gosse relocating the commoners, the Gosse Church helping the empire’s knights protect them—these must have been Grace’s orders.”
The Gosse Church had long since fallen completely into the blond bishop’s hands; only she had that kind of power.
Before her death, Lisa had eliminated all of Cambecus’s spies in the Gosse Church, which had caused him considerable trouble. One of the consequences was that he had completely lost all intelligence regarding the Gosse Church.
Cambecus knew some of the inside story about the Gosse Empire’s territory being blasted into a wasteland. The death of the third-generation vampire, Elder Evan, had left the Pope in a state of disbelief for a time.
When he sent people to investigate, the trail had already gone cold. They only vaguely found that it might be related to the werewolves and the Brujah vampires.
Their focus had never been on the Gosse Empire or the Gosse Church, so they knew even less about this matter than the Inquisition did.
So the blond bishop was involved in this… Cambecus lowered his gaze slightly, concealing the dark glint in his eyes. A thought occurred to him, and he said reflectively, “So that’s how it is.”
Liz looked at him, puzzled. “What?”
Cambecus just shook his head with a smile, saying nothing. He finally understood why the Pope had suddenly inquired about a mere bishop.
Cambecus was aware of the relationship between the Pope and the vampires. The vampires were likely demanding an explanation from the Pope for Evan’s death. To ensure the Holy Son’s smooth succession, the Pope certainly wouldn’t dare to have a falling out with the vampires.
Having spent decades trying to figure out the Pope’s thoughts, Cambecus knew what he wanted without even having to think about it.
After Liz left, Cambecus unfurled a teleportation scroll and vanished into the darkness.
He returned to his own manor, changed into his Cardinal’s robes, and said to the attendant priest waiting outside, “Prepare the carriage. I’m going to see the Pope.”
The priest acknowledged with a low voice and turned to make the arrangements.
The Pope resided in the Central Church. Cambecus instructed his attendant priest to wait outside, then proceeded alone to the manor the Pope used for rest.
The Holy Knight guarding the manor gate saw Cambecus and proactively approached. Cambecus nodded at him and inquired, “Is His Holiness resting?”
The Holy Knight led the way for Cambecus. “His Holiness is meeting with Archbishop Vogt.”
Cambecus raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Vogt?”
That was truly rare. That man seldom left his manor, except to attend the Light Baptism Assembly at the Central Church.
The Holy Knight nodded and said in a low voice, “He’s here to discuss the matter of suppressing the darkness.”
Cambecus nodded in understanding. Seeing that they were getting closer to the reception hall, he fell silent.
Just as Cambecus entered, Vogt was coming out. The two met face to face. The latter’s brow furrowed; he gave Cambecus a nod and then strode away.
Cambecus glanced at Vogt’s retreating back before the Pope’s voice pulled his thoughts back. He composed himself, walked to the foot of the steps, and called out in a low voice, “Your Holiness.”
Besides being used to receive Church personnel, the Pope would occasionally pray in this hall. Behind him stood a statue of the Light Goddess.
The Pope was propping his forehead with one hand, looking rather weary. He grunted in acknowledgment and asked faintly, “Are the Holy Son and Holy Daughter still in seclusion?”
Cambecus shook his head. “There has been no news from Eden.”
The Pope frowned but said nothing more.
Cambecus observed the Pope’s expression, then asked tentatively, “Did Vogt come for something specific?”
“He came to discuss the expulsion of the Black Witches.” The Pope thought about Vogt’s proposal for a moment, then raised his eyelids to look at Cambecus below. “He wants the Holy See to ally with the werewolves and elves, suggesting we send an envoy to negotiate with them. What do you think of this proposal?”
Cambecus’s eyes darted about as he said with a smile, “Vogt’s proposal happens to coincide with Gabriel’s.”
The Pope hummed, closing his eyes slightly. His tone was indifferent. “He recommended Bishop Grace as the envoy for the negotiations.”
Vogt’s recommendation of an envoy was just a pretense; his real goal was to get someone out of the Inquisition’s clutches. Everyone knew the blond bishop was with Vogt when she was taken away by the Inquisition. Cambecus let out a soft laugh, directly exposing Vogt’s intentions. “He wants to use Your Holiness’s authority to get someone out of Audrey’s hands.”
The Pope rubbed his temples without speaking.
Cambecus glanced at the Pope, then changed the subject. “But this is an opportunity we can use.”
The Pope opened his eyes, glancing at Cambecus. “What opportunity?”
Knowing the Pope’s mind well, Cambecus unhurriedly recounted the intricate connections between the blond bishop and Evan’s death. Then, with a composed air, he said, “Grace is a problem. Why not hand her over to Elder Eden and let him deal with her himself?”
As for how Eden chose to dispose of the blond bishop, that would be his business. The moment she was handed over, the blond bishop would be considered a dead person as far as the Holy See was concerned.
The Pope lowered his eyes, as if in thought. “Then I’ll leave this matter to you to handle?”
Cambecus smiled and nodded. “I will absolutely ensure that Elder Eden is satisfied.”
The Pope nodded slowly. He leaned back in his chair and, after a long silence, suddenly said, “Audrey has become too arrogant.”
“Once the Holy Son takes his position, let him choose a more suitable Head Inquisitor.”
A meaningful smile touched Cambecus’s lips. He lowered his head slightly to hide the cold glint in his eyes. That woman should have been taken down long ago, always causing him trouble like a mad dog.
Tang Qiu, who had tried to drag her ally into the mess to share some of the pressure, waited quietly for two days, only to find that things were not developing as she had expected.
Not only was there no movement from Reese’s side, but even Audrey had disappeared. She was once again in a state of being completely ignored.
This couldn’t continue.
Tang Qiu frowned, pondering for a moment. She walked to the table and sat down, taking out a piece of parchment from her Space Gem and spreading it on the table. She twirled the quill in her fingers, carefully went over the content she wanted to write in her mind, then dipped the pen in ink and began to write.
Neat and elegant handwriting appeared on the parchment. Tang Qiu blew the ink dry, then walked to the door and glanced outside. She beckoned to the Holy Knight on guard. “Could you help me deliver this letter to Archbishop Reese?”
The Holy Knight looked at her for a moment, then took the letter and turned to leave.
Tang Qiu watched his back disappear, smiled faintly, and returned to her room to wait patiently.
About half an hour later, Audrey strode into Tang Qiu’s room, clutching the parchment. She slammed the door shut with force, glared at Tang Qiu, and demanded, “What is this?”
Tang Qiu glanced at the crumpled parchment and said with a smile, “A letter.”
“I mean the contents.” Audrey pressed the parchment onto the table, her gaze burning and her voice low. “Based on what you’ve written, I could have you imprisoned.”
This letter was never meant for Reese. After opening and reading it, Audrey knew it was the blond bishop’s tactic to force a meeting with her.
Tang Qiu shrugged nonchalantly. She leaned back in her chair, appearing much more relaxed than the tense Audrey. “Relax, Head Inquisitor. It’s better to know you have a traitor in your midst than to be betrayed without a clue.”
Tang Qiu pulled the parchment from under Audrey’s hand and said with a smile, “I swear by the Light Goddess, the contents of this are true.”
Audrey pulled out a chair and sat down, sneering, “How do you know there’s a traitor in the Inquisition?”
“Lisa.” Tang Qiu met Audrey’s gaze and said flatly, “She told me before she died, in exchange for me saving her daughter.”
What she had written in the letter was what Lisa had once told her: Cambecus had children within the Inquisition, and more than one.
Of course, Lisa had never explicitly stated whether they were traitors, but her warning to be careful was in itself a hint.
Using this to lure Audrey out for a negotiation was an excellent choice.
Audrey’s brow furrowed tightly, her expression ugly. After a moment of silence, she looked up and stared intently at Tang Qiu, saying word by word, “Tell me everything you know, and I can let you leave.”
Regardless of whether the person before her was telling the truth or just spinning a lie to escape, once the information about the traitor was revealed, she could naturally discern its authenticity.
She would not tolerate the existence of a traitor in her Inquisition.
Tang Qiu’s red lips curved slightly. Just as she was about to speak, the door was suddenly knocked. The somewhat frantic voice of a Holy Knight came from outside, “Head Inquisitor, the Knight Commander who serves His Holiness the Pope has been ordered to take Bishop Grace to see the Pope.”
Audrey and Tang Qiu were both stunned. They exchanged a look. The former rose with a blank expression, opened the door, and asked in a hushed voice, “What’s going on?”
The Holy Knight whispered something. As Audrey listened, her expression grew increasingly grave.
Equally grave was Tang Qiu, who remained in the room. She glanced at Audrey’s expression, her heart sinking. There were nearly a hundred bishops in the Central Church. Why did the Pope want to see her?
Was it because of what happened in the Gosse Empire?
Comments
Post a Comment