The First Pope - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The vine bridge was spacious, so Cynthia's presence didn't make it feel crowded. Although Olivia had seemed unwelcoming when Cynthia first came up, she didn't chase her away as the night deepened, tacitly allowing her to rest there.
A table and a chair. Even without the nectar this time, it was far more comfortable than resting in the forest below, especially with the beautiful scenery to admire.
Cynthia stayed on the bridge until dawn before leaving, fully satisfied. After she left, Polly, who had stood guard below all night, jumped up and approached Olivia from behind. "Her Majesty the Queen, where do we go next?" she asked in a low voice.
A fog had risen in the forest at dawn. The orange morning sun was faintly visible through the mist, but the fog didn't reach the height of the bridge. Olivia could see a stretch of golden sunlight just by looking down. It was rare to see the sun without needing a hurricane to blow the dark clouds away. A bit of the chill left Olivia's pale green eyes, and a hint of pleasure could be heard in her voice. "We'll go with the God Race."
She had come this time to fulfill her agreement with Cynthia.
Polly thought for a moment and suggested, "Then should we let them go first, and we can follow behind to protect them?"
Olivia was a little puzzled by her suggestion. "We will travel with the God Race."
Polly hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.
"What is it?"
"...Her Majesty the Queen, what do you think of Cynthia's appearance?" Polly carefully observed Olivia's expression.
Olivia was startled at first, then looked down at Cynthia's figure walking through the forest. The God Race were all exceptionally beautiful, and Cynthia was certainly no exception.
The beauty of the God Race was one of holiness and elegance, but Cynthia's beauty was actually somewhat flamboyant, merely concealed by her constant smile.
When Olivia first met Cynthia, she had thought the God Race member's personality was too gentle. But after spending time with her, she realized it was all a facade.
In reality, this God Race member was calculating and skilled at deception, her actions casual and... frivolous.
She had intended to give an objective assessment of Cynthia, but the sudden memory of some unpleasant things made Olivia swallow her prepared words. "Just the looks of an ordinary God Race member, I suppose," she said coolly.
After speaking, she turned her head to look at Polly, frowning. "Why do you ask?"
Seeing that Olivia showed no unusual reaction when mentioning the silver-haired God Race, Polly felt relieved. "It's nothing," she said, shaking her head.
Fearing Olivia would see through her guilt, she hastily turned and ran, saying, "I'll go see when the God Race are setting out."
Olivia watched Polly hurry off the bridge and shook her head slightly. Polly was good at everything, except she wasn't the least bit composed.
After studying the map, Cynthia found that their current location was relatively safe. So, she had Sarah and the others tell the humans who were rescued from the temple with the witches to stay and live here for a while.
Nowhere on the Sitatul Continent was safe now; having a place to settle was a blessing.
Five other God Race members had been rescued along with the witches. Like Sarah, they had been separated from their kin. They also carried Divine Stones and had been unfortunately captured by vampires while searching for their people.
After meeting these God Race members, the Divine Stone stopped flickering and, just as before, guided them westward.
Although the God Race were born with the ability to sense the Power of Light, each individual's talent varied. Cynthia had taught Sarah the incantation for Light Fire countless times, but the results never satisfied her.
However, among the God Race rescued from the temple, two of them were able to use it proficiently after just a few lessons.
This brought Cynthia some comfort. At least now she could be certain that the God Race could do more than just serve as healers in battle.
While the Healing Spell was very useful, only by mastering powerful offensive magic could they truly intimidate their enemies.
If the God Race wanted to be respected, they had to possess sufficient strength.
With Olivia traveling with them, they no longer needed to detour to Ochester. They could go directly through Manden City and continue westward.
The Beast God's temple had already collapsed. Della, following Talia's orders, had gone to arrange for the destruction of the Fire God's temple. The vampires in Manden City left one after another. By the time Cynthia and her group arrived at the city walls, only some fifth and sixth-generation vampires remained.
Fifth and sixth-generation vampires were nothing to the elf guards. Clearing out an entire city of them was merely a matter of time.
There were many humans imprisoned within Manden City. Seeing that the elves had nearly finished clearing out the vampires, Cynthia had Sarah take the other God Race members inside to rescue people.
Sarah and Jenny were now very proficient in the process of rescuing people, healing injuries, and searching for Light Believers. The newly joined God Race members were a bit lost, but they were learning diligently.
Olivia stood atop the city wall, looking down at the God Race members testing the humans one by one to see if any could sense the Power of Light. Hearing footsteps approach, she turned her head and saw it was Cynthia.
Cynthia walked to Olivia's side. The narrow city wall was nearly a hundred meters high, but she walked as if on level ground.
Olivia withdrew her gaze and looked down at the crowd again, speaking first. "Believers of the Goddess of Light. Aren't you afraid your lie will be exposed?"
"Exposed by whom? The Goddess of Light?" Cynthia also looked down at the crowd below and said with a smile, "If the Goddess of Light were to appear because she was displeased with my lie, that wouldn't seem to be a bad thing."
Olivia was silent for a moment before pointing out Cynthia's objective. "You want to establish a new power in the name of the Goddess of Light?"
Cynthia didn't deny it. Instead, she curved her lips and said, "Only a god can make them overcome their fear of the vampires."
"Although humans and the God Race were both created by the Goddess of Light, they are still different races," Olivia said faintly. "A power not bound by race has never existed on the Sitatul Continent."
"Just because it's never existed doesn't mean it never will," Cynthia said nonchalantly. "Why not give it a try? Even if it fails, there's nothing to lose. The situation can't get any worse than it is now, can it?"
"Only in the name of a god can they find hope, and without hope in their hearts, they can achieve nothing." Cynthia gazed at the crowd below, her tone calm. "Humans may not have the great strength of the elves, but only when they are victorious can the Sitatul Continent truly return to peace."
A long time after she finished speaking, she heard no response from Olivia. She couldn't help but turn to look, only to find Olivia staring intently at her. Cynthia raised a hand to touch her face and asked with a raised eyebrow, "What is it? Is there something on my face?"
Olivia averted her gaze. "No," she said in a low voice.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes, then suddenly let out a soft laugh. "Then it seems I'm just too good-looking," she teased, "and Her Majesty the Queen was captivated."
Olivia: "..."
A whirlwind appeared and swept Cynthia to the bottom of the city wall. Cynthia steadied her nearly-falling body by grabbing a nearby pillar. She looked up at Olivia with amusement.
The Elf Queen's way of expressing her anger was truly unchanging.
After throwing Cynthia down, Olivia's hand hanging at her side unconsciously curled into a fist. Her thumb gently rubbed the knuckle of her index finger as she fell into deep thought.
She wasn't an easily angered person, so why was it that every time she faced this silver-haired God Race, she couldn't control her temper?
Olivia couldn't figure out the reason, and her brow slowly furrowed. An elf jumped up from below and approached her side. "The scout has returned," the elf said in a low voice. "She said that if we continue west, we'll encounter many fleeing humans."
"Fleeing humans?"
"Yes, they all fled from the villages and towns of the next city. The humans said a white-haired woman rescued them from the vampires."
A white-haired woman... Olivia thought for a moment. "A wolf?" she asked.
The elf scratched her head. "The scout didn't find this white-haired person."
But white hair combined with the strength to rescue people from vampires easily brought the Wolf Race to mind.
However, the Wolf Race was a communal species, and Olivia hadn't heard of any wolves coming here.
In a village at the foot of a mountain over a thousand kilometers from Manden City, more than a dozen fifth-generation vampires were trapped within a wolf's domain by a massive white wolf. One by one, they were torn to shreds, her snow-white fur stained with dark red blood.
This bloody and brutal scene made the rescued humans on the side tremble in fear. Only Avira, standing at the very edge, remained calm, looking at the white wolf in the domain with a hint of speechlessness.
Although Avira's face was covered in dirt and her long red hair was a mess, her stunning beauty was still apparent. The somewhat tattered gray dress she wore couldn't hide her impressive figure. Even a casual gesture of brushing her hair aside was filled with a seductive charm.
But that seductive charm vanished the moment the white wolf dispelled her domain and returned to human form. Avira mimicked the humans beside her, wrapping her arms around herself. Her watery brown eyes filled with tears, making her look like a pitiful and timid young girl.
After dealing with the vampires, the white wolf strode toward the crowd while cleaning the blood from her body. She looked very young, with clear and bright sky-blue eyes and a brilliant smile on her face. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're safe now."
Her voice was full of energy, bringing an inexplicable sense of peace.
The white-haired girl ran to the crowd, took out all the cloaks she had scavenged from the vampires, and handed them to the thinly-clad humans, chattering tirelessly, "You're all too weak. Don't keep running toward the cities. The barren mountains and forests may have less food, but at least they're safer."
"Listen to me. Head east from here. There are more barren mountains there. Hide in the mountains for a few years, and when you come out, you might find that the wolves have driven all the vampires away."
Standing at the edge, Avira heard the young wolf's naive words and let out a soft scoff.
A pair of black boots appeared in Avira's line of sight. She looked up, her innocent and harmless expression returning, and gave the young wolf a grateful smile.
The young wolf, who was about to give her a cloak, studied Avira carefully. "Have I seen you before?" she asked in surprise.
Avira nodded timidly. "You saved me two days ago," she whispered.
The young wolf thought back and remembered that she had indeed saved this person once two days ago. "You're really unlucky, getting caught again," she said sympathetically.
Avira raised a hand to wipe her tears and nodded silently. She was indeed quite unlucky to have run into this wolf again.
The young wolf draped the cloak over Avira's shoulders and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. You've been saved again, haven't you?"
"Now, do as I say and head east. Find a safe place to hide. Don't worry about any more vampires coming to get you. I'll kill them all."
Avira: "..."
Seeing the young wolf move past her to speak with the other humans, she reached out and grabbed her arm. "May I ask your name?"
The young wolf nodded happily, reached out to ruffle Avira's hair, and grinned. "My name is Hanni."
Her hair, now even more disheveled, worsened Avira's mood. She stared at Hanni's back, her eyes narrowing slightly. A little wolf cub, barely an adult, had ruined her plans twice.
Since when did wolves become so fond of meddling in other people's business?
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