The First Pope - Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Finding Chelsea and Betty wasn't difficult. Cynthia already knew the location of the teleportation array, and with Olivia by her side, they found the witches and the others while Eunice was still on her way.
The people Betty and Chelsea had rescued from the temple were only a fraction of those captured, but the number was still considerable. There were nearly a thousand witches, a few members of the God Race, and the rest were all human.
The witches had been forcibly taken from their territory and all bore injuries. When Cynthia and Olivia arrived, Sarah and Jenny were busy healing the witches' wounds, while the few rescued God Race members gathered around to watch with curiosity.
Polly watched Sarah and Jenny, who were surrounded by the others, and asked in surprise, "Is that white light a Healing Spell?"
Elven eyesight was superior; even from a distance, she could see a festering wound on a witch's arm slowly close up with a single touch of the white light from Sarah's fingertip.
It reminded her of another of the Power of Light's formidable abilities: healing.
Although Olivia didn't express her curiosity as directly as Polly, her steady gaze on the crowd revealed that she was also very interested.
"It is indeed a Healing Spell." Cynthia turned her head to look at Olivia, proactively answering her unspoken question. "After hearing you mention that the Power of Light had healing properties, I gave it a try and found the results were quite good."
"And Healing Spells are much easier than other forms of magic." Cynthia pointed to Jenny for Olivia to see, her voice soft. "See that human? She's a human I found who possesses a Light Constitution."
Olivia followed Cynthia's gesture, her eyes scanning Jenny up and down, her expression shifting slightly.
They had indeed discussed whether there might be humans capable of using the Power of Light. She hadn't expected this God Race member to actually find one.
Olivia glanced at Cynthia, her cold expression softening a little.
While this God Race member wasn't exactly proper in certain respects, she wasn't without her merits.
Cynthia keenly sensed the change in Olivia's mood. With a quick turn of thought, she deliberately adopted a somewhat mournful tone. "Finding her really wasn't easy. If Her Majesty the Queen had been by my side, I wouldn't have had to struggle so much."
"The moment our pact was established, Her Majesty the Queen abandoned her ally and left." Cynthia sighed. "If I didn't trust the character of the Elf Race, I would have thought I'd been deceived."
She lowered her head slightly, looking utterly heartbroken, but a closer look would have revealed a faint, teasing glint in her golden eyes. Unfortunately, Olivia wasn't looking closely.
Leaving without a word was indeed her fault. Although her reason for doing so was that she had been annoyed by this silver-haired God Race member, Olivia still frowned and explained expressionlessly, "...I had matters to attend to back in my territory."
"Oh?" Cynthia asked curiously. "What matters?"
Olivia didn't want to tell her too much. "That has nothing to do with you."
Cynthia subtly observed Olivia's complexion, noticing it was still just as pale. Her own brow furrowed unconsciously, and just as she was about to say something, Susan's voice came from behind her.
After emerging from the teleportation array with the witches, Susan, no longer under guard, had successfully returned to the protection of her knights. She had noticed Cynthia's arrival much earlier but had hesitated to approach because of the elves with her.
"Cynthia." Flanked by her knights, Susan stopped about twenty meters away from Cynthia and called out.
Cynthia turned and gave Susan a slight nod. She said something to Olivia, who was beside her, then walked toward Susan.
Susan stared at Olivia and the elven guards behind her, her eyes narrowing. "Elves..." she murmured.
Cynthia nodded, then turned her head to look back at Olivia and introduced her with a smile, "That is Olivia, the Elf Queen."
Susan's eyes widened in astonishment. "You actually know the Elf Queen?" she said in disbelief.
She had only sensed that the leading elf was extraordinary, but she never imagined it would be the Elf Queen herself.
Olivia's fame was widespread across the Sitatul Continent. Some were curious because she was hailed as the continent's greatest beauty, while people like Susan were more interested in her strength, which was said to rival that of a Second Generation Vampire.
"Olivia and I have known each other for a long time." Noticing the faint hint of admiration in Susan's eyes, Cynthia stated calmly, "We are allies."
Susan repeated blankly, "Allies?"
"The Elf Race has always resisted the Vampires' invasion, wanting to drive them from the Sitatul Continent. The God Race is the same," Cynthia said with a smile. "The beliefs of the Elves and the God Race are one and the same."
Although she had yet to find the leader of the God Race, she was a member of the God Race herself, so there was no issue with her speaking for herself. Of course, if Susan happened to misunderstand, that couldn't be blamed on her.
Susan did indeed misunderstand. After hearing Cynthia's words, her expression flickered. "The Elves and the God Race are preparing to unite against the Vampires?" She glanced over at the witches, musing, "What about the Witches? And the Wolf Race?"
Cynthia also glanced toward the witches but didn't answer Susan's question directly. Instead, she said softly, "Of course, they also want to drive the Vampires out."
Betty, who was talking with her kinswomen, sensed someone staring at her. She turned in confusion, and when she saw it was Cynthia, her eyes lit up, and she waved happily.
Cynthia smiled back at Betty before retracting her gaze. Seeing Susan looking down in thought, she curved her lips into a smile and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Susan looked up, met Cynthia's golden eyes, and shook her head. "...Nothing."
The Elves, the Wolf Race, even this God Race member before her-they all had the power to fight the Vampires.
But humans... did not yet have that strength.
So it was pointless for her to even think about it.
"Have you seen a map?" Cynthia took a map from her Space Gem, waved it at Susan, and asked.
Susan paused, not understanding what she meant. "I have."
Cynthia spread the map on the ground, casually broke off a twig, and pointed to the area of Hatz City. "The Sitatul Continent is vast," she said pointedly. "Don't you think your Hatz City is a bit small?"
Susan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "So?"
Cynthia circled the Slade Sea Region and Ochester with the twig, her tone casual. "Wouldn't it be good to expand your Hatz City a little?"
"That way, you can also train more knights."
Susan shrugged. "I'd like to, but the Vampires probably wouldn't agree."
Managing Hatz City as a human was already like walking on thin ice. Expanding her power would only make the Vampires wary of her.
"The Vampires shouldn't have time for you at the moment." Cynthia tapped the area of Nobi City with the twig and said seriously, "The Vampires here were wiped out by a joint force of Elves and the Wolf Race. You can start here."
"The temples in the Slade Sea Region and Ochester have collapsed. The Vampires' attention will certainly be focused elsewhere now. As long as you're careful, it won't be difficult to raise another company of knights."
Susan's forces in Hatz City weren't weak; she was just too cautious. Although she didn't know why the Vampires were so intent on destroying the temples, this was the perfect opportunity to expand her power.
Besides, she had already asked Olivia. There were only two temples here, and both had been destroyed. The Vampires wouldn't be paying attention to this area again for a while.
Susan had ambition and means, as well as a sliver of conscience that hadn't yet been extinguished. Cynthia believed that, given time, her company of knights could perhaps even expand into an army.
The human population was vast. If they could be organized, they would become a formidable force. Uniting them through Susan was undoubtedly the most convenient method at present.
Cynthia's words swayed Susan. She straightened up slightly and asked in a low voice, "How do you know the Vampires won't be paying attention to this area for the time being?"
One wrong step, and her Hatz City would be doomed beyond recovery. Susan had to be cautious.
"The Elf Queen said so." Cynthia brought Olivia into it, speaking with a straight face. "That Elder Della from Manden City was injured and has left. This place will certainly be quiet for a while."
"As for the Vampires in the other cities, I imagine you're already quite skilled at dealing with them."
The word of the Elf Queen was indeed far more reliable than that of an unknown God Race member. Susan was half-convinced, half-skeptical. She glanced at Cynthia a few more times before asking with a complicated expression, "Aren't you afraid I'll raise a company of knights only to side with the Vampires?"
They had clearly been enemies at the start. Where did this God Race member get the confidence to trust her so much?
The map on the ground had served its purpose. Cynthia bent down to pick it up. In response to Susan's question, she just smiled serenely and said casually, "I think that for the Elf Race, getting rid of you would be much simpler than getting rid of the Vampires."
Susan: "..."
She really had no comeback for a threat like that.
However, if she chose the Vampires, her situation would remain unchanged. But if she chose the Elves, and the Elves won... Susan's gaze gradually deepened.
Cynthia put the map away and glanced up at Susan, seeing right through her thoughts. She smiled, placing one hand on Susan's shoulder and naturally taking Susan's hand with the other. "This is a gamble," she said gently. "And the stake is the future of humanity."
"If you bet on the Vampires, you won't have any chance of winning."
Although the two of them spoke quietly, elven hearing was extremely sharp. They weren't intentionally eavesdropping, but the conversation still reached the elves' ears.
Polly and the other elves exchanged glances. She leaned close to Olivia and whispered, "Her Majesty the Queen, when did we form an alliance with the God Race?"
She remembered Olivia telling them they were going to help the God Race find their people, and then rely on them to find the Temple of Light.
How had that turned into them fighting the Vampires together in Cynthia's version?
Declaring war on the Vampires wasn't a decision to be made lightly. The Elves and the Wolf Race hadn't even decided on an alliance yet.
Olivia's gaze was fixed on Cynthia and Susan's clasped hands. Hearing Polly's question, she was silent for a moment before saying faintly, "Let her say what she wants."
This God Race member certainly has her own plans.
Susan and her knights had played a crucial role during the expedition to the temple. The hostility between them had dissipated after they left, and their decision to leave and return to Hatz City was met with no opposition.
Susan had left Hatz City with over a hundred knights, but after emerging from the temple, her company had suffered nearly a third in casualties.
Though the losses were heavy, Susan had also obtained the information she sought.
"After we return, send people to search for the humans hidden by the witches." Susan lifted the hem of her skirt, carefully navigating the edge of the swamp under her knights' protection. She spoke in a low voice to her knight commander, "Also, find more people with excellent constitutions and bring them to Hatz City."
She paused, then added, "And while you're at it, check on the situation in Nobi City."
The knight commander noted her orders carefully, then asked, "What about their families?"
Susan raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Find a place to settle them," she said quietly.
With her current abilities, this was the most she could do.
Susan recalled her first conversation with Cynthia and suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile. Lucky, unlucky... if she had the power, wouldn't she want to make all humans 'lucky'?
But she didn't have that power.
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