The First Pope - Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Although the battle between the God Race and the Sethite wizards ended with the latter abandoning their people and fleeing in disgrace, it could hardly be considered a victory for the God Race.

Chloe had used the Sacrifice and was still in a coma. Nearly every member of the God Race who participated in the battle showed signs of mental exhaustion, to varying degrees. The Light Knights and human knights who had stood at the forefront to protect the God Race also suffered heavy casualties. Nearly two-thirds of the cities in Ochester and the Slade Sea Region had been reduced to ruins by the attacks of Dark Magic, destroying years of hard work by both the God Race and the humans.

However, neither the God Race nor the humans felt pessimistic or resentful. Although the price was steep, they had withstood the attack.

That was enough.

If their homes were destroyed, they would rebuild them. If once wasn't enough, they would do it twice. One day, they would grow strong enough that neither the Sethite wizards nor the Vampires could easily set foot in their territory again.

After the Sethite wizards retreated, Susan rested briefly before mobilizing the knight squads to clear the ruined cities, gradually transferring the humans who had been teleported elsewhere back to their homes.

The human population was large, and this task was not easy. Her knight squads had also suffered many casualties, leaving her with few available hands. But she wasn't anxious. She cleared one city at a time, and eventually, returning humans formed their own volunteer teams to join the effort, slowly increasing their efficiency.

Although the God Race had fewer casualties, they were the main force against the Sethite wizards. Their mental exhaustion was equivalent to a severe injury, requiring a great deal of time to recuperate. Susan didn't want to trouble the God Race with tasks that humans could handle themselves.

She always remembered what Cynthia had told her: if they truly wanted to build a nation, they could not rely too heavily on the God Race. She understood Cynthia's meaning. The God Race needed an independent ally, not a subordinate who would shrink back and hesitate in the face of trouble.

If they still needed the God Race's help just to resettle their own people, Susan felt there would be no point in building this "nation" for humanity.

After checking on Chloe, Cynthia went to the Elf Territory and did not stay in the Slade Sea Region to handle the post-war affairs. It seemed she had deliberately left these matters to Susan. And Darcy, perhaps having received orders from Cynthia, did nothing but lead her people to heal the wounded, spending the rest of her time recuperating in the city.

All matters were left to Susan. Although progress was a bit slow, it was orderly. For humans, this pace was already very fast.

Half of the Slade Sea Region had already been rebuilt. The ruins had been replaced by rows of simple wooden houses. Humans, dressed in ragged clothes but in high spirits, used axes distributed by the knights to chop down the withered trees around the houses. Brownish-yellow seeds were buried in pits in the ground. Though the environment was still barren, one day, lush trees would grow to replace the deadwood.

Everything was changing for the better. Susan, who had only slept a few hours in several days, had dark circles under her eyes and let out a huge yawn. Yet her eyes were constantly fixed on the teleportation array, watching more humans being brought back, a satisfied smile on her face.

Footsteps sounded behind her, slightly hurried. Susan turned around in confusion and saw her subordinate's tense and uneasy face. "What is it?" she asked alertly.

"City Lord, Knight Sophie sent a message saying she detected an aggressive dark aura to the northwest, but she hasn't found the source yet." Although Cynthia intended to train Susan, she was mindful that humans would surely encounter things they would find difficult to handle. So, before leaving for the Elf Territory, she had specially assigned Light Knights to assist them.

The main task of the Light Knights was to investigate any potential hidden dangers within the Slade Sea Region and Ochester.

Discovering a dark aura in the northwest was no small matter. Could the Sethite wizards have returned? Or the Vampires? Several thoughts flashed through Susan's mind. She frowned in thought for a moment, then made a decisive call. "Come with me to see Darcy."

This was a matter for the God Race to investigate.

When Susan found Darcy, she was talking with Doris, who had just returned to the God Race. After the Sethite wizards retreated, Doris received a message and rushed back with the Little Elf and the Little God Race. She had felt a faint sense of unease before she left, and receiving the message that the Sethite wizards had retreated did not dispel it. It wasn't until she returned to the God Race and learned that Chloe was injured and unconscious that she realized her unease had indeed been a premonition.

Her desire for Chloe to leave with her before was not without reason. But given Chloe's identity as the clan leader and a member of the God Race, she certainly would not have left with her at that time, even if she knew she would face danger.

But seeing the comatose Chloe covered in wounds, Doris's heart ached with sorrow.

Darcy gently comforted the weeping Doris. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and was a little surprised to see Susan. "Why are you here?"

She knew how busy Susan had been lately, so busy she barely had time to sleep.

"Sophie said she detected an aggressive dark aura to the northwest," Susan said, sitting down and pouring herself a glass of water, drinking as she spoke. "I don't know if it's related to the Sethite wizards."

Another dark aura? Darcy's brow slowly furrowed. She pondered for a moment and was about to lead some people to investigate when Doris suddenly looked up. Her eyes were still a little red and swollen from crying, and her voice wasn't as clear as usual. "The northwest?"

Susan nodded.

Doris sniffled, then closed her eyes. After a moment, she spoke with uncertainty, "I think I saw... Magic Dragons..."

Under a gloomy sky, massive dragons exuding a dark aura appeared in Doris's mind, much larger than the one they had driven away before.

"Magic Dragons?" Susan was surprised. "Wasn't that Magic Dragon already driven away by Cynthia?"

Doris shook her head. "It's not that one." Monsters liked to slumber in environments they favored, and she didn't know what it was about the Slade Sea Region that was so popular with Magic Dragons. "It seems like it's here to sleep."

Having a Magic Dragon sleeping in one's territory was not a happy thought. Susan looked at Darcy with a grave expression. After Darcy took Doris's hand and scanned her memories, she said in a low voice, "I'll take some people to confirm..."

Before she could finish, the room suddenly darkened. Susan's eyes flickered, and she quickly walked to the window. She pushed it open and looked up at the black shadows that flashed across the sky, flying in a certain direction. Her tone was heavy. "No need to confirm. It's definitely Magic Dragons."

And there was more than one.

Although monsters rarely attacked people proactively these days, that didn't mean they were easy to deal with. They were extremely particular about their sleeping spots. Once they set their sights on a place, you either had to drive them away or give up the territory, because no one knew when these monsters might suddenly go berserk.

After all, during the era of the gods, monsters were extremely hostile to all living beings, including the gods themselves.

Darcy and Doris walked to Susan's side and looked out the window. The Magic Dragons circled in the air as if choosing a place to slumber. They showed no interest in the humans or the God Race in the Slade Sea Region. Despite their dark aura, they made no aggressive moves. This was why Doris and Darcy hadn't yet summoned their people, even after seeing so many Magic Dragons appear.

"What should we do? We can't just give the Slade Sea Region to them," Susan said worriedly. She had just finished planning the layout of the Slade Sea Region, and now these Magic Dragons were here to claim the territory. If they gave it up, the adjacent Ochester would have to be abandoned as well. After all, who would dare to live next to so many Magic Dragons?

But driving them away... that would be another war, no less difficult than the one against the Sethite wizards. And the Magic Dragons' size and defense made them much harder to deal with than the Sethite wizards. A single breath of dragon fire could disrupt their formations.

This was a very tricky situation.

Darcy rested her hand on the window frame, her golden eyes staring at the circling Magic Dragons for a while. She sighed helplessly. "Let's go to the Elf Territory and ask for Cynthia's opinion. We can take the little elves back at the same time."

Retreat or expel—neither choice was easy to make. If it were up to her, she would of course choose the latter, but... their mental energy had not yet recovered. They simply didn't have the strength to initiate another war.

Cynthia, far away in the Elf Territory, was still unaware of the God Race's predicament—having their territory targeted by Magic Dragons right after repelling the Sethite siege. After Olivia woke up, she spent most of her time by her side, just like her last visit to the Elf Territory, but she seemed even more clingy than before.

Olivia couldn't pinpoint exactly how she was being clingy, but she just had that feeling.

Although the Elf Territory had not fully recovered, thanks to the power of nature, the flowers and plants destroyed by the Vampires had bloomed again overnight. Fresh flower nectar finally reappeared on the wooden table. The sweet floral fragrance was very much to the elves' taste, and Olivia sampled a few bottles every day, a habit Cynthia had also picked up.

"This flavor is too sweet; it lacks a certain light fragrance," Cynthia said casually, resting her chin on one hand while swirling the wooden cup in the other. "It's not as good as the nectar you sent to the God Race."

She was still wearing the flower crown Olivia had given her, and she looked directly at Olivia as she spoke, her golden eyes seemingly full of affection.

Olivia, who was drinking nectar, didn't deliberately look at Cynthia, but she could still feel her scorching gaze. The sweet taste of the nectar spread in her mouth. She pursed her lips, not feeling displeased by Cynthia's somewhat bold and invasive stare. She caressed the cup in her hand and said lightly, "The brewing time was too short, so the sweetness is a bit heavy."

But to her, any level of sweetness was delicious. "If you don't like it, you can have this one."

Olivia took out a new bottle of nectar and pushed it toward Cynthia.

Cynthia glanced at the nectar beside her but made no move to take it. Instead, she stared at Olivia's cup. "Maybe the one in your hand tastes better."

It was all nectar from the same bottle. Seeing her staring at her cup, Olivia silently pushed it over to her.

But Cynthia didn't take it. Instead, she suddenly reached out. Her long, fair fingers gently brushed across Olivia's lips, then she brought them to her own and kissed them. Her eyes, fixed on Olivia, held a hint of playfulness as she said softly, "The Queen's taste is a little sweeter."

When Cynthia suddenly reached for her, Olivia had wanted to dodge, but in the end, she didn't move. She didn't know how to respond to the other's provocative actions and words. She was slightly annoyed, and the heat rising to her face added a touch of brilliance to her stunning features. "...What kind of frivolous words are these?"

How could this God Race member say such incredibly ambiguous things without batting an eye?

She had never seen any elf tease their partner like this!

Seeing Olivia glaring at her in annoyance, Cynthia's red lips curved up slightly. Her gaze lingered on Olivia's lips for a moment before she said with a smile, "Her Majesty the Queen can't just wake up and pretend what happened that night never occurred."

"I accepted the flower crown that expressed your feelings, and you didn't refuse the kiss that sealed our bond. Her Majesty the Queen isn't thinking of going back on her word now, is she?"

She had given the gift, and she had tacitly accepted the kiss. Of course, she wouldn't go back on her word, but... Olivia was silent for a moment, a hint of helplessness in her tone. "I have no intention of going back on my word, but you... you shouldn't always say such outrageous things."

Every time Cynthia said something like that, she didn't know how to respond. If any outsider dared to tease her like this, an arrow would have already formed on her longbow.

If she didn't respond, Cynthia might think she was being too cold. But to respond... Olivia felt she was no match for Cynthia in this area.

So, it was better to make this God Race member be more serious.

When Cynthia heard Olivia say she had no intention of going back on her word, the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably. She didn't reject Olivia's subsequent "suggestion" but instead actively offered a solution. "You can use another method to shut me up."

Olivia looked at her suspiciously. "What method?"

Cynthia took Olivia's hand and brought it to her own lips, saying with a smile, "Block my mouth."

...She knew she wouldn't come up with any serious suggestions. Olivia wanted to pull her hand back, but Cynthia held it tightly. She tried once and gave up. Feeling the sensation of being kissed on her fingers, Olivia's eyes flickered. Her light green eyes subconsciously lifted, meeting Cynthia's gaze.

The kisses on her fingers tickled, which suddenly reminded Olivia of the feeling of being kissed that night. She unconsciously pursed her lips, and a strand of light green hair slowly slipped from her shoulder to her chest.

Cynthia, who had been gazing at Olivia, didn't miss her small movement. Her gaze shifted slightly downward, landing on Olivia's lips. Her eyes darkened. She let go of her hand and was about to stand up when footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

The footsteps approached from a distance. Olivia sensed something and glanced toward the door, then placed her index finger on Cynthia's lips, stopping her from getting up.

The door was knocked on gently. Polly's voice came through the wooden door. "Her Majesty the Queen, the God Race has brought the little elves back. Excellency Darcy has something to discuss with Excellency Cynthia."

Olivia and Cynthia looked at each other. Cynthia pulled Olivia's hand away with a look of regret, then said softly to Polly outside, "Please bring Darcy here."

Polly responded in a low voice and left quickly. A moment later, the wooden door was knocked on again, and Darcy pushed it open and walked in.

After a few days of rest, Darcy's complexion had improved a lot. She walked in, first giving Olivia a slight bow and addressing her as "Her Majesty the Queen," before taking a seat at the table.

The wooden house was simply and neatly furnished. Cynthia and Olivia sat on opposite sides of the wooden table, which held wooden cups and flower nectar. Before she arrived, it looked like the two were just chatting idly, but after stepping into the house, Darcy inexplicably felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. However, after observing Cynthia's and Olivia's expressions, she couldn't see anything amiss and could only hide her doubts in her heart.

Although she had been interrupted, getting a positive response from Olivia meant Cynthia had achieved her goal. The rest could wait. She took out a new cup, poured some nectar for Darcy, and asked with a smile, "How is the Slade Sea Region?"

"Not bad. I listened to you and didn't let the God Race interfere. Susan is handling everything." Darcy picked up the cup and took a sip of nectar. The overly sweet taste made her frown. "It's a bit slow, but there haven't been any mistakes."

Cynthia smiled faintly. "The Slade Sea Region will be human territory from now on. Susan will definitely be dedicated."

Darcy glanced at her and shook her head. "It might not be human territory. It could belong to the Magic Dragons."

Cynthia paused, a flicker of confusion on her face. "What do you mean?"

"A group of Magic Dragons appeared out of nowhere in the Slade Sea Region. It looks like they want to slumber there." Just mentioning this made Darcy feel helpless. The Sitatul Continent was so vast, why did these Magic Dragons have to pick their territory? "Some of these Magic Dragons are even stronger than the one we drove away before. It won't be easy to expel them."

"Magic Dragons are very protective of their territory. Once they choose a spot, they rarely give it up willingly," Olivia, who had been listening, said lightly. "The previous one was a special case."

That Magic Dragon seemed to have been scared off rather than driven away.

"Monsters," Cynthia frowned in thought. "Could it be related to the Sethite wizards?" She looked up at Olivia.

Such dark creatures easily brought the Sethite wizards to mind, and their appearance in the Slade Sea Region was too coincidental.

Olivia thought for a moment and shook her head. "Magic Dragons existed during the era of the gods. Although their power has weakened, their mental strength remains. The Sethite wizards' Dark Magic probably can't control them."

If the Sethite wizards' Dark Magic had reached the point where they could control these Magic Dragons, they wouldn't have needed to rely on the Vampires.

Darcy nodded in agreement, adding, "These Magic Dragons seem to only be interested in the Slade Sea Region. They haven't attacked any humans."

Before she came to the Elf Territory, the Magic Dragons were still carefully selecting a place to sleep. Perhaps they really liked the environment of the Slade Sea Region; after all, one had slumbered there for over a decade before.

"The Slade Sea Region and Ochester are territories promised to Susan for her nation. We can't give them to these Magic Dragons." Cynthia stroked her chin, pondering. "I'll go back first and see what the situation is."

Darcy nodded. She felt the same way as Cynthia; she didn't want to give up the Slade Sea Region for monsters to inhabit either.

Although the Magic Dragons hadn't attacked the God Race or humans before she left, they were still powerful monsters. Darcy was worried about the safety of her people. After Cynthia finished speaking, she put down her cup and stood up, ready to leave.

Cynthia stood up with her but didn't rush to leave. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, extending a hand toward Olivia across the table. A faint smile graced her face as she invited, "Would Her Majesty the Queen like to stay with the God Race for a while?"

Olivia looked at her quietly, saying nothing.

Cynthia wasn't in a hurry. Her hand remained steadily outstretched, her golden eyes bright and clear, as if she was certain Olivia would agree.

Olivia was silent for a moment before placing her hand in Cynthia's. "...Magic Dragons are not easy to deal with. I'll go help you."

Cynthia chuckled softly and replied gently, "Alright."

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