CA - Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Returning to the Central Church day and night would still take several days. Mario had specially sent a few Holy Knights to break away from the group and ride ahead to the Holy See to report the news of Cambecus's death.

The group stopped for a day to rest while passing through the Gosse Empire.

Late at night, Tang Qiu stood by a half-open window, gazing at the faint crescent moon in the sky. The night wind ruffled her hair, and a mischievous strand caught on the clothes of Lucille, who was standing behind her.

Lucille leaned against the table, her eyes lowered to glance at the strand of hair caught on her sleeve. She raised a hand to free it, then wrapped it around her finger. While toying with the hair, she said flatly, "I don't think Delia is a trustworthy person."

Tang Qiu returned to her senses slightly, turning her head to look at Lucille with a smile. "I don't find her trustworthy either."

She raised her hand for Lucille to see. "The Light Mark has been broken." It had disappeared just as they were leaving the Shas Principality.

What was intriguing, however, was that the sudden fluctuation of the Light Mark Tang Qiu had detected in the Shas Principality was actually Delia, who was nearby, actively 'greeting' her.

Tang Qiu was the caster of the Light Mark. If she didn't actively search for Delia's whereabouts, the mark wouldn't appear.

"She's a fourth-generation vampire. The one who broke the Light Mark must be at least as powerful as a third-generation elder." Lucille looked down, still winding the hair around her finger, and said distractedly, "Who was it? Faye?"

The only person with that kind of power near the Shas Principality was Faye. However, the Witch City was also nearby, and among the Black Witches were several powerful Red-robed Witches.

Tang Qiu denied Lucille's guess. She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "It was probably someone from the Tzimisce Clan."

With Evan dead, Delia wouldn't dare return to the Blood Domain. Seek refuge with Faye? From Tang Qiu's observations, the relationship between Faye and Delia was not friendly.

Besides Evan's original collaborators—the Tzimisce Clan—Delia had no one else to turn to for support.

And Delia 'greeting' her in the Shas Principality was likely a hint, since the condition for letting her go was her promise to provide information about the Tzimisce Clan.

Lucille's hand paused. She looked up, meeting Tang Qiu's gaze, and said with a frown, "Their clan is skilled in dark magic. They might have a way to contact their kin."

This meant Tang Qiu's guess was very likely correct.

Lucille released Tang Qiu's hair and frowned. "You trust her?" She was, of course, aware of the conditions Tang Qiu had set for Delia's release.

Tang Qiu shook her head with a smile and said nonchalantly, "There's nothing trustworthy about her." She took a step back to lean against Lucille. "She probably gained the trust of a third-generation vampire by selling out our identities."

Tang Qiu thought of something and let out a low laugh, changing her tone. "But I believe she's someone who cherishes her life, which means she can be used."

People who cling to life and fear death have one 'advantage': they can betray anyone.

Delia is a very clever person. As long as she sees an opportunity, she will seize it at all costs. This was precisely why Tang Qiu had chosen to spare her life.

The Tzimisce Clan was hidden too deeply. Whether the information was true or false, Tang Qiu needed to know something.

Alternatively, using Delia to make them come to her was also an option.

Waiting passively for death was not Tang Qiu's style. The exposure of their identities might bring danger to her and Lucille, but in reality, that danger had always been hanging over their heads. It wouldn't disappear just because they were cautious.

Lucille's thoughts didn't run as deep as Tang Qiu's, but she trusted her. Seeing the calm composure in Tang Qiu's expression rather than anxiety, she said no more.

They were leaving for the lands of the Holy See tomorrow, so Tang Qiu didn't want to continue discussing Delia. She took a bottle of wine from the Space Gem Faye had given her. The bottle was still covered in a thick layer of frost.

Lucille glanced at it and asked, "What's this?"

"A specialty of the Wolf Race?" Tang Qiu took out two glass tumblers and poured the wine with a smile. "I think you'll definitely like it."

Lucille picked up a glass, lowered her head to smell it, then brought it to her lips. The glass tilted, and the cold liquid slid into her mouth.

"It's alright." Lucille set the glass down. Though her tone was cool, she was already reaching for the bottle.

Tang Qiu caressed the frost forming on her glass, watching Lucille with a gentle smile, her sky-blue eyes full of tenderness.

She didn't know when it started, but she and Lucille had spent more time apart than together. It had been a long time since they had simply spent time with each other like this.

Returning to the Central Church this time, she didn't know when she would be able to leave again. Tang Qiu lowered her gaze slightly. But it didn't matter. They would have plenty of time together in the future.

The Holy Knights sent by Mario arrived at the Central Church three days ahead of Tang Qiu's group. The story was that while Tang Qiu was negotiating with the werewolves, Cambecus's convoy was ambushed by Black Witches. Archbishop Cambecus was killed, his entire guard was annihilated, and his body was even thrown into the bloody swamp of a Dark Array by the Black Witches.

The news caused shock and commotion as soon as it reached the Central Church. Fellow Red-robed Archbishops like Vogt were furious at the insulting nature of the Black Witches' actions. Among the bishops, those who sided with Cambecus were filled with a mixture of anger and panic.

As soon as Tang Qiu returned to the Holy See, she was summoned to the Hall of Light without even a chance to meet with Reese. However, she had anticipated this and was not flustered. She signaled for Mario to have someone carry Cambecus's remains and proceeded unhurriedly toward the hall.

Inside the Hall of Light, all five Red-robed Archbishops and a hundred bishops were gathered, but the Pope's figure was absent from the high seat.

Upon entering the hall, Tang Qiu's expression took on a hint of sorrow and gravity. She walked to the center and gestured for the Holy Knights behind her to set down Cambecus's remains. With a sad sigh, she said, "The Light Goddess should punish me. I was only able to bring back Archbishop Cambecus's bones."

A Holy Knight lifted the white cloth, revealing a set of blackened, withered bones. A broken staff lay beside them.

It was indeed Cambecus's staff. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his back, and said nothing.

Vogt looked at Cambecus's remains and said with a frown, "Bishop Grace, can you explain in detail how Archbishop Cambecus was ambushed by the Black Witches?"

"What? Hasn't Archbishop Vogt grown tired of hearing it?" Reese glanced at the bones and scoffed. Her tone was soft, but her words were sharp. "The knights who returned have reported it several times. You still want to hear it again?"

A flash of anger crossed Vogt's face. He restrained himself and ignored Reese, continuing to look at Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu nodded at him and said politely, "Of course, Archbishop Vogt."

She gathered her thoughts and began, "Archbishop Cambecus was ordered by the Pope to protect me on the road. Perhaps to avoid interfering with my mission, he did not accompany me into the elven and werewolf territories, but waited in nearby cities instead."

"Everything was normal when I went to the Elf Race, but I never expected something like this to happen on the way to the werewolf territory." Tang Qiu sighed. "The Witch City is near the Shas Principality. The environment there was too advantageous for the Black Witches. Archbishop Cambecus must have unwittingly fallen into a trap."

"When we returned from the werewolf territory, Archbishop Cambecus and his guards were already gone. There were fluctuations of both light and dark energy in the area. We later recovered the Archbishop's body from a nearby Dark Array."

Too much of the Shas Principality's territory had fallen into the hands of the Black Witches, and the Shas church could barely fend for itself. Coupled with the great distance from the Holy See, no one except those present knew what had truly happened there.

To Vogt and the others, Tang Qiu's story had no flaws. But to someone like Gabriel, who knew Cambecus well, her words were riddled with holes.

Gabriel knew exactly what Cambecus's mission was. He also knew that Cambecus possessed a teleportation scroll that could ignore domains.

Combined with the few Tzimisce sent by Eden, Cambecus should have had the ability to escape if he encountered danger.

Gabriel looked up at the blonde bishop, his expression placid but his eyes unusually deep.

Tang Qiu's account didn't differ much from what the knights who returned early had reported. Vogt had nothing more to ask and could only say in a grave voice, "The Black Witches are too rampant. If the Holy See doesn't suppress them soon, even the Light Goddess will be disappointed in us."

Archbishop Bruce, who was beside him, agreed. "That's right. We can't let this continue."

Gabriel and another Red-robed Archbishop remained silent in contemplation. Reese sneered at this and said nonchalantly, "The Holy Son has not yet emerged from his seclusion. Who is going to suppress the Black Witches?"

"Did the Pope assign this task to you, Archbishop Vogt?"

Vogt's face turned red with anger. He glared at Reese coldly. "Reese, don't go too far."

Reese's red lips curved into a smile as she looked at Vogt. "What about me? Cambecus is dead. Am I not allowed to speak?"

Vogt said angrily, "Reese, how can you say such things at a time like this?"

"What are you all arguing about?"

A strange man's voice sounded from outside the hall. Hearing it, Vogt's expression changed slightly. Reese frowned, but her expression quickly smoothed out, replaced by a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Dressed in noble and holy white robes, with dazzling short silver hair, the man who walked in was handsome. His unique golden eyes seemed to hide all his emotions. He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the Red-robed Archbishops one by one, his expression arrogant. "What are you doing?"

When the man entered, Tang Qiu had consciously stepped back to Reese's side. She looked up and studied him for a moment, surprised to see that his hair and eye color were the same as Kama's. Weren't silver hair and golden eyes a trait exclusive to the God Race Descendants?

After the man appeared, Gabriel was no longer silent. He took a step forward and explained, "Cambecus was ambushed by Black Witches and unfortunately died. Bishop Grace brought his body back."

The man frowned slightly. "I've heard about this." He looked down at the blackened bones and said coolly, "So this is Cambecus?"

"How useless, to actually die at the hands of Black Witches."

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