The First Pope - Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Capri Plains.
During the era of the gods, the Tremere wizard family betrayed humanity to become the twelfth clan of the Vampires. However, not all of its members followed their leader in rebellion. Three branches resolutely drew a line with the Tremere family and established new ones, which are now the three witch families.
The three great witch families had lived on the Capri Plains since the era of the gods. Even after the gods left Sitatul and the Vampires began to control the continent, they still did not seek another territory.
The witches had lived here for generations; to them, Capri was more than just a home.
So when Chelsea, Betty, and the others followed Elder Kana back to Capri, they could hardly believe their eyes at the sight of their home, which now resembled a wasteland. Even Eunice's brow furrowed slightly.
"H-How could this happen?" Betty stood at the entrance to the witch city. As far as she could see, there wasn't a single intact building. The place was desolate and deserted, like a city of the dead.
It hadn't been like this before they left.
Kana and the other witches who had narrowly escaped death were remarkably calm about the city's state. To capture them, the Vampires had gone so far as to dispatch third-generation Vampires. The clan's elders had either died in battle or been taken away. Although they had been praying for a miracle on their journey, it was clear that no such thing existed on the continent of Sitatul.
"Don't cry," Kana said in a low voice, glancing at the young witches behind her who could no longer hold back their tears. "First, let's see if there are any other survivors."
The witch clans were numerous, and while their witchcraft wasn't powerful in terms of attack, their ability to conceal their presence and evade pursuit was formidable. She refused to believe the Vampires had managed to capture every last witch.
Hearing Kana's words, the witches wiped their tears and began to enter the city to search for people. Betty and Chelsea joined the search party. Eunice and Camille did not join them, instead returning to the area where the Anderson Family lived.
"The Vampires are truly vicious," Camille said with a sad expression, hugging her skeleton rat. "If all of Sister Betty's clan members are dead, she'll be heartbroken."
Although Eunice said nothing, her expression was grim. It was obvious she was also worried about whether Betty could bear the deaths of her people.
The Anderson Family's territory was also in ruins, even more so than that of the Garcia and Morgan families. Scarcely a trace of anything resembling a house could be seen here.
Camille walked up to a pile of rubble, kicked at the debris on the ground, and complained softly, "My poor house. I hate those Vampires."
Eunice glanced at Camille and said with displeasure, "Stop dawdling. See if Elder Molly and the others are still alive."
Camille was used to Eunice's harsh attitude. She bent down and cleared a space amidst the ruins, then placed the skeleton rat on the ground, took out her staff, and began to chant a spell in a low voice.
A wisp of black energy appeared above the skeleton rat's head and slowly drilled into it. Two green flames suddenly erupted in the rat's eyes. It circled Camille fawningly before lowering its head and burrowing into the earth.
Camille sat on the ground, hugging her staff and waiting patiently.
Eunice leaned against a long-withered tree with her arms crossed, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, the skeleton rat finally emerged from the ground. With it was a skeleton squirrel.
Camille's eyes lit up, and she said happily to Eunice, "Elder Molly is still alive."
If Elder Molly was alive, it meant there were surely survivors from the Garcia Family as well.
After all, no matter what happened, the witches of the Anderson Family would never abandon the Garcia clan.
"That's wonderful." Camille picked up the skeleton rat and stomped her feet with joy. "I'm going to tell Sister Betty the good news."
Like the Anderson Family, the Morgan Family had its own unique method of communication. Chelsea found an open space and tried to contact an elder. After an anxious wait, she finally received a response.
In the battle against the Vampires in the witch city, the three witch families combined had suffered nearly one-third casualties, with another third captured. Only one-third of their people remained.
Among them, the Anderson Family had the fewest casualties and captives. With the Anderson Family's protection, the Garcia Family had also managed to save many of their members. Only the Morgan Family had suffered heavy losses.
When the witches regrouped, the atmosphere was somewhat stiff, especially between the Morgan and Anderson families. When the two sides met, the tension was almost palpable.
Kana set aside her joy at seeing her kin and asked, "What's wrong with you all?"
A witch from the Morgan Family glanced at the Anderson witches and said expressionlessly, "The Anderson Family violated the rules of the witch clans by secretly practicing Dark Magic."
Betty, who had been happy that there were survivors, heard this, and the smile on her face instantly froze. She instinctively moved closer to Kana.
"What's wrong with us practicing Dark Magic?" an Anderson witch said with a half-smile, spreading her hands. "The fact that you're standing here alive… shouldn't you be shedding tears of gratitude to us rule-breakers?"
"What, you still want to cast us all out of the witch clans?"
The Morgan witch who had spoken earlier fell silent. The Anderson witches had indeed played an indispensable role in helping them escape capture by the Vampires. That was why, before Kana and the others returned, the relationship between the three families had only been strained, not completely broken.
Of course, this was also directly related to the fact that the leaders of all three families had died in battle and some of the older elders were missing. There was no one left who could keep the three families in line and make such a momentous decision.
Not even Kana could be the one to decide.
The surviving elders of the witch clans gathered together, discussing something with grave expressions. Betty walked away by herself, found a relatively clean stone to sit on, and held a piece of parchment, wanting to write something, but ultimately put it away.
She took out the ruby Cynthia had given her from her Space Gem, held it up before her eyes, and stared blankly at the not-so-clear sky.
Eunice's voice suddenly came from behind her. "You like that God Race that much?"
Her voice was thick with displeasure.
Betty lowered the ruby, turned to look at Eunice for a moment, then made room beside her and said softly, "I just like this gem."
Eunice didn't go over to sit down. Instead, she stood there with her arms crossed, looking down at Betty.
Under her gaze, Betty sighed and said in a low voice, "Eunice, I know you're practicing Dark Magic too."
Eunice's eyes deepened, her calm tone laced with a hint of nervousness. "And? Do you also think we should be cast out of the witch clans?"
Betty was silent for a moment, looking somewhat lost. "I don't want you to be cast out of the witch clans."
"Besides you, no one can cast me out of the witch clans." Hearing Betty's words, Eunice relaxed. She walked over and sat beside Betty, resting her head on her shoulder and letting out a yawn. To her, being a witch was just an identity. As long as Betty wasn't angry, it didn't matter to her whether she was a witch or not.
Betty reached out and stroked Eunice's hair. After a moment of thought, she said, "Even though you practice Dark Magic, I know you weren't the one who killed Chief William back in Hatz City."
Eunice looked up at Betty. A gentle smile touched Betty's lips. "Because I know you would never do anything to make me angry."
Eunice's lips curled into a rare, unclouded smile. "I wouldn't deign to kill those weak humans."
Betty's mood also improved because of Eunice's smile. She stroked Eunice's hair, her tone tinged with worry. "Still, the Power of Darkness is too dangerous."
The Power of Darkness could devour a person's will. The longer one was in contact with it, the more one would become indifferent to blood and death.
"Is surviving on this continent any less dangerous than coming into contact with the Power of Darkness?" Eunice reached out, pulled Betty down to face her, and pressed their foreheads together. Staring into her eyes, she said seriously, "Betty, the weak have no right to choose between life and death."
The Power of Darkness could make them stronger. To Eunice, it was merely a means of survival.
Betty was slightly taken aback. She had been about to refute Eunice, but when her gaze fell upon the group of Anderson witches, the words died on her lips.
Chelsea walked over from where the elders, including Kana, were gathered. She stopped about ten meters from Betty and Eunice and called out with a blank expression, "Betty."
Betty pushed Eunice away, looked up at Chelsea, then stood and walked over to her, asking with concern, "Have you reached a conclusion?"
Chelsea shook her head. "No."
Betty sighed. "Then what do we do now?"
The Vampires were hunting other races. They couldn't stay here any longer.
"I suggested to the elders that we seek help from the Wolf Race." Chelsea looked at the ruins before them, her expression momentarily lost before hardening with resolve. "The Vampires definitely still have some of our people. We have to rescue them."
Her maternal grandmother, Elder Hettie, had some history with the current Wolf Race leader, Helen. If only the Wolf Race would help them for the sake of an old friend.
The Ice Lake had become a deep pit. The underground tunnels had all collapsed, the blood pool had long since dried up, and the blood coffins within had been turned to ash by Andre's Power of Darkness. The Elves and werewolves had searched the area for three days but found no clues as to what the Vampires had been planning.
While the Elves and werewolves were searching, Cynthia had been in a deep sleep, only slowly waking on the morning of the fourth day.
The bed woven from vines wasn't particularly soft, but it was very comfortable to lie on. When Cynthia opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a sea of green, interspersed with vibrant flowers blooming among the verdant leaves and branches.
It had to be said that waking up after a long slumber to a view as beautiful as a painting could certainly lift one's spirits.
Cynthia sat up, stretched her arms and legs, and looked at her arm, which had completely healed without a single scar. Even she found it miraculous.
Still, the more she thought about that Sacrificial Spell, the stranger it seemed.
A gentle breeze lifted Cynthia's long silver hair, which was spread across the bed. Suddenly, footsteps sounded on the bridge. Cynthia looked up slightly and saw it was Olivia.
Olivia walked to the bedside, looked Cynthia over, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Cynthia thought for a moment, then raised a hand to her forehead and said in a weak voice, "My head hurts so much."
Olivia looked at her with a deadpan expression.
Cynthia peeked at Olivia's expression. Seeing that she wasn't falling for it, she lowered her hand and said with a smile, "Just kidding. You're so serious."
She patted the bed, gesturing for Olivia to come and sit.
Seeing that she was fine, Olivia averted her gaze. She raised her hand slightly, and a wooden table and two chairs appeared on the bridge. She walked to the table, sat down, and poured herself a cup of flower nectar.
When Cynthia saw that she wasn't coming over, she got up herself and sat down opposite her.
She rested her cheek on one hand, her golden eyes fixed on Olivia. Olivia, who was drinking the nectar, felt a little uncomfortable under her stare. She put down the cup and asked with a frown, "What are you looking at me for?"
She pushed the cup in front of Cynthia.
Cynthia had little interest in the sickly sweet nectar, but seeing that Olivia was a little annoyed, she shifted her gaze. She picked up the cup and toyed with it, her tone casual. "When I was using the sacrifice, I kept thinking that I might never get to see you again."
Olivia's hand, holding her cup, paused. Her eyes were complicated. "You…"
"After all, what a shame it would be to never again see a beauty like Her Majesty the Queen." Cynthia's red lips curved slightly, her raised eyes filled with mirth as she teased, "So I want to look my fill."
Olivia's face darkened. Her hand on the table twitched, but she didn't throw Cynthia off. She just snorted coldly. "Frivolous."
Cynthia chuckled softly. "I did just narrowly escape death, after all. Her Majesty the Queen should be a little more tolerant."
Olivia glanced at her, then looked away and took a sip of nectar from her cup.
The morning sun wasn't harsh. The orange light enveloped Cynthia, softening her overly exquisite features. Her eyes were downcast, her lashes trembling slightly, and her soft, rosy lips were turned up in a slight smile. The noble and elegant temperament of the God Race was perfectly embodied in her.
When this God Race wasn't talking, she was quite pleasing to the eye, Olivia thought distractedly, glancing at Cynthia out of the corner of her eye while stroking the cup in her hand.
Olivia had a habit of drinking flower nectar every morning. Cynthia had intended to stay quiet and let her enjoy this time, but Olivia's occasional glances in her direction were both amusing and made her want to tease her.
Cynthia looked up at Olivia's cup, which was only a third empty, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a smile, "Is the nectar not to your taste today?"
Olivia glanced at her cup and shook her head. "No."
"Then why are you drinking so slowly?" Cynthia thought for a moment, then said with a smirk, "Could it be that you were so worried about me you didn't even have the heart to drink your nectar?"
Olivia frowned and denied it without a second thought. "No."
She truly hadn't had much of an appetite for nectar recently, but Olivia wouldn't admit it had anything to do with Cynthia.
"I just don't feel like drinking." Seeing Cynthia still smiling at her, Olivia suddenly found the half-full cup of nectar by her hand an eyesore. She raised her hand and stored the cup in her Space Gem.
"Really?"
Olivia nodded. "Of course."
"You really weren't worried about me?" Cynthia reached out and grasped Olivia's wrist, her smile gone as she asked with a serious face.
Olivia was taken aback by her sudden serious tone. Seeing her earnest expression, devoid of any hint of teasing, she lowered her pale green eyes. After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "…It's not that I wasn't worried."
Weren't they allies? Worrying about an ally… was a perfectly normal thing to do, right?
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