CA - Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Gosse Empire.

After the Dark Formation was mostly sealed, the demonic creatures within the empire were almost completely eliminated. Only a few stragglers roamed the remote, desolate wilderness.

A figure in a wide, black, hooded cloak, their face obscured, stood amidst a patch of ruins. The bright moonlight enveloped her. Strands of golden hair peeked out from under the cloak as she tilted her head up, her red lips slightly upturned. Even though her expression was unclear, one could feel an intoxicatingly gentle aura emanating from her.

A vampire who had been watching her from the shadows narrowed their eyes when she looked up. They teleported to appear right behind her, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from suddenly pulling out a staff. In a low, somber voice, they said, "Don't move, or I'll snap your neck."

Despite being suddenly restrained, Tang Qiu showed no signs of panic. Her voice even carried a faint hint of a smile. "Just you?"

The vampire frowned at Tang Qiu's composure. She raised her other hand to grab her neck, but it was stopped mid-air before it could touch her. The vampire froze for a moment, struggling instinctively, but the grip on her wrist was astonishingly strong.

Tang Qiu gripped the vampire's wrist and pulled her away. The hood slipped from her head, revealing sky-blue eyes filled with a gentle smile that rested on the vampire. She repeated her question: "Just you?"

The vampire was startled by her strength. Her blood-red eyes flickered. "You... you're not from the Holy See..."

She struggled, trying to run, but a sudden pain in the back of her knees forced her to the ground. A powerful aura pressed down on her, making it difficult to even breathe.

"Why are you Tzimisce vampires so stubborn?" Tang Qiu sighed helplessly. She bent slightly and plunged her hand into the vampire's chest, crushing her heart before she had time to use any dark magic.

Unsure how many vampires she had dealt with by now, Tang Qiu took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood from her hands. The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed nearby. She looked up to see Lucille emerging from the darkness. "They're all fifth and sixth-generation vampires," Lucille said faintly.

Ever since dealing with a Tzimisce vampire in Sevia, many more Tzimisce had infiltrated the Gosse Empire, secretly and openly tailing Tang Qiu, looking for a chance to strike.

It seemed her relationship with Lucille had been exposed. However, judging by the reactions of these vampires, they were unaware of Tang Qiu's werewolf identity.

It seemed Delia had her reservations as well.

"The Tzimisce Clan is looking for you." Tang Qiu finished wiping her hands clean. Catching sight of bloodstains on Lucille's hand, she shook her head, pulled Lucille's hand over, and began to wipe it, saying, "There's been some unrest within the Holy See recently, too. I suspect they've found someone in the Church to investigate me."

Many unfamiliar faces had appeared around her lately, gathering information both overtly and covertly. Even Karen and Jennifer had been harassed.

Who was helping the Tzimisce Clan investigate her? Judging from the Tzimisce's appearance in Sevia, it had to be either the Holy Son or Gabriel.

Tang Qiu suspected it was the latter.

Lucille stared for a moment at Tang Qiu, who was diligently wiping her hand. With her other hand, she tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind Tang Qiu's ear, then hooked a finger under her chin, prompting her to look up. Her cool eyes softened slightly in the moonlight. "I received a letter from Elder Teresa a couple of days ago. The Tzimisce lord who was captured and brought back to the Blood Domain for interrogation is dead, but they couldn't force out the clan's hiding place."

Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow and remarked, "So tight-lipped."

"Let's start with the Holy See then." Tang Qiu released Lucille's hand and said with a smile, "We'll sever the connection between the Holy See and the Tzimisce Clan first. It won't be too late to find them after that."

Focusing solely on suppressing the darkness was no longer feasible. It was better to follow Reese's lead and change the plan to clean up the Holy See first.

Otherwise, if the Tzimisce Clan actually managed to uncover something and teamed up with the Holy See's upper echelons to target her, the advantage Tang Qiu currently held would immediately turn into a disadvantage.

Night slowly turned to day. Tang Qiu leaned against Lucille, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned. They were in the wilderness with a wide, open view, so any teleportation fluctuations would be visible at a glance.

A tall, thin figure appeared in an open area, enveloped in white light. As the light faded, he raised his staff and cautiously scanned his surroundings. His expression relaxed only when he saw Tang Qiu. Abel lowered his staff, walked over, and complained with a frown, "Why would you contact me at a time like this? What if someone finds out?"

Tang Qiu sat up from leaning on Lucille. Facing Abel, she put on a proper smile and replied softly, "You went out of your way to send me news about Monica. Of course, I had to thank you in person."

Hearing her mention this, Abel's expression softened slightly. "You've already rescued Monica?"

A thought occurred to him, and he frowned. "Since you've rescued Monica, what is Archbishop Reese's intention now?"

Reese's disappearance had been exploited by certain parties, causing internal strife in the Holy See. The Church's operations to seal the Dark Formations and expel demonic creatures had been forced to a halt.

From the bishops down to the priests, the emerging faction that admired Reese was now secretly clashing with the old guard. Not even the several Cardinals and the Holy Son could suppress it.

In truth, Reese's influence alone wasn't enough to cause all this. Abel had long since discovered Gabriel's involvement.

"Who said Monica has been rescued?" Tang Qiu lowered her eyes, her golden hair obscuring her expression. Only a hint of gravity could be heard in her voice. "Archbishop Reese is furious. How could she possibly remain calm at a time like this?"

Abel was stunned, and his expression changed. After a moment of silence, he sighed. "...Even so, what... what does she want to do? Only a third of the Dark Formations have been sealed, and the Black Witches surely have more tricks up their sleeves. What good would it do her if the Holy See is overthrown by the darkness?"

At a time like this, Abel shared Erin's sentiment: he wanted the Holy See to focus on suppressing the darkness first before dealing with other matters.

Hearing Abel's words, Tang Qiu gave him a subtle look and smiled. "Do you think it's Reese's fault that the Holy See has become like this?"

Abel's gaze drifted, and he looked a little uncomfortable.

Seeing his strange expression, Tang Qiu let out a low laugh and said calmly, "Isn't this the result of the Holy Son and Gabriel making a move on Monica first?"

Abel was left speechless. He gave a dry laugh and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. Why did you ask me to come here?"

"I just told you, it was to thank you." Tang Qiu looked down and straightened her clothes, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "And also to give you a piece of advice: stay away from Gabriel for a while. Be careful not to run into any danger."

Abel froze, narrowing his eyes as he studied Tang Qiu. "...Isn't Reese's target the Holy Son?"

Tang Qiu gave a faint smile. "The Holy Son is Gabriel's target, isn't he?"

"...Did you call me here to try and get information out of me?" Abel suddenly became vigilant.

"You're overthinking it." Tang Qiu shook her head. "My advice was simply to thank you for telling me Monica's whereabouts."

"We're not enemies, after all." She tilted her head and said with a smile, "By the way, Erin asked me to say hello to you for her."

At the mention of Erin, Abel's expression grew complicated. "Little Erin, is she well?"

"She's doing fine. Though she was quite surprised to learn that Physician Abel, who raised her but would often go out, is actually a bishop of the Holy See."

Abel: "..."

Seeing the embarrassment in his expression, Tang Qiu asked curiously, "Who is the real owner of Mark's Grocery Store? Is it Rona?"

That store was truly incredible. For someone of Abel's status to be mixed up in it, taking orders from others, filled Tang Qiu with questions.

Especially since Abel seemed genuinely devoted to the Holy See, not like an undercover agent planted inside.

"It's not Rona... The boss, she..." Abel hesitated, then said vaguely, "She hasn't woken up yet. When she does, you'll be able to see her by Little Erin's side."

But whether her awakening will be good or bad for the Holy See is still uncertain, Abel sighed sorrowfully. The Holy See has too many outstanding debts.

His mood dipped for a second before he quickly recovered. Abel took out a teleportation scroll and bid Tang Qiu farewell. "Archbishop Gabriel may be ambitious, but he's very capable. He's more suited to manage the Holy See than the Holy Son."

"From the very beginning, all I've wanted is to see the Holy See return to its peak." Abel distanced himself from Gabriel, adding in a joking tone, "Of course, if you have that ability, I could follow you as well."

Without waiting for Tang Qiu's response, he unfurled the teleportation scroll. As the white light enveloped him, the smile on his face slowly faded, and his expression became complex and unreadable.

The reason he followed Gabriel was that he believed the man was the only archbishop who could lead the Holy See back to the top. But now... Abel was starting to feel uncertain.

This woman, Tang Qiu, whether intentionally or not, always managed to place heavy chips on her side of the scale.

Little Erin... Abel sighed, a melancholic look on his face. Why is it so hard to protect this Holy See?

After seeing Abel off, the sky had brightened considerably. Tang Qiu and Lucille returned to the main city. Just as they reached the city gates, they were stopped by Karen, who had been waiting there for a while. Karen visibly relaxed upon seeing Tang Qiu. "Bishop Grace, the Holy Daughter is waiting for you at the church."

"The Holy Daughter is here?" Tang Qiu was a little surprised. "Did she say why she came to Gosse?"

Didn't she just leave not too long ago?

Karen shook her head. "She didn't say." Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Kama somehow found out the Holy Daughter was here and ran off to the church too."

The Holy Daughter was one of Kama's people, so it wasn't strange for Kama to go looking for her. Tang Qiu unfastened her cloak, exchanged a glance with Lucille, and said in a low voice, "I'll go see her. You should go back to the manor and wait for me."

Lucille hummed in agreement but didn't leave. Instead, she raised her hand, grabbed Tang Qiu's wrist, pulled her closer, sniffed her, and then opened her mouth and bit down.

Karen gave a dry cough and tactfully turned around, walking a good distance away before stopping to admire the scenery while waiting for Tang Qiu.

After what felt like a long time, she finally heard familiar footsteps behind her. She discreetly glanced to the side and saw it was only Tang Qiu, sighing in relief.

Although she had, by chance or not, stumbled upon Tang Qiu and Lucille's intimate moments several times, Karen honestly still wasn't used to it.

It was mainly because she was used to seeing Lucille's icy demeanor. Catching a sudden glimpse of the aggressive and scorching gaze she directed at the golden-haired bishop always sent a chill down Karen's spine.

Only the golden-haired bishop would enjoy being stared at with such a dangerous gaze.

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