CA - Chapter 166

Chapter 166

After darkness descended upon the continent of Statu, besides the nation of the Holy See, two other places were least affected: the territory of the werewolves and the territory of the Elves.

Of the two, the Elves' territory, far removed from human populations, was even more tranquil than that of the Wolf Race in the Gru Empire.

A forest as vast as a sea provided a natural barrier for the Elves. Any demonic beasts that wandered nearby would give up upon seeing the seemingly endless woods.

The Elves lived within their territory, completely unaffected, but Delphine's expression grew heavier with each passing day.

A massive influx of dark power had invaded the continent of Statu, causing the Tree of Life to wither at an even faster rate.

Could it be that the continuation of the Elf Race now depended solely on the Dark Elves? Delphine raised a hand to stroke a leaf of the Tree of Life, her eyes lowered in deep thought.

An elf ran over, interrupting Delphine's contemplation. "Your Majesty the Queen, the Dark Elves are outside the territory."

Delphine paused, puzzled. "What do they want?"

The elf shook her head, equally baffled. "I don't know. They're just standing outside. They haven't tried to break in, but they don't seem to be leaving either."

A thought occurred to Delphine, and she asked, "Have you seen Patricia?"

The elf shook her head. "No."

Was she wrong? Delphine frowned slightly and turned to follow the elf out.

At the border of the territory, the Elves and Dark Elves faced each other, one group inside the barrier, the other outside. When Delphine arrived, the Elves parted to form a path, protecting her as she moved to the front.

The Dark Elves' expressions flickered upon seeing Delphine, but they ultimately said nothing, merely standing silently behind the trees, clutching their longbows.

Delphine's gaze swept over them before she lifted her head slightly to look at the top of a particular giant tree. The dense foliage blocked her view, but she stared fixedly in one direction and said with a hint of resignation, "Come down."

The mark of the guardian's contract wasn't just for show.

Patricia hadn't expected to hide from Delphine. She leaped down from the treetop, her long, silver-gray hair cascading down her back. She planted her jet-black longbow on the ground.

She looked Delphine up and down, and only after confirming that she seemed to be in good spirits did she slowly lower her gaze.

The corrosive power of the blood-colored swamp was too strong. Although the wounds on Patricia's arms had healed, they still left clear, bloody marks. Her palms, which had been most severely injured, were covered in scabs.

Delphine's eyes lingered on Patricia's hands for a moment. She frowned and said softly, "Follow me."

With that, she turned and walked back into the territory.

Patricia looked up at Delphine's retreating back, hesitated for a moment, then followed.

After they left, the Dark Elves leaped into the treetops, concealing themselves among the branches.

The continent of Statu was not at peace. They had to be on guard against invasions from demonic beasts.

...Even if they couldn't live in the territory, they didn't want to see the place where they grew up destroyed.

---

Delphine brought Patricia back to her treehouse. She rummaged through a basket in the corner for a while but only found a single tube of ointment of uncertain efficacy.

Dark Elves were repulsed by the Holy Water of Light; otherwise, it would have been better to clean the wounds with it.

"Where did you go?" Delphine gestured for Patricia to sit, then walked over with the ointment and took her wrist, examining it for a moment. "...Was this caused by the Power of Light?"

Because Patricia had some natural immunity to the Power of Darkness, Delphine saw that the wounds were slow to heal and assumed she had been attacked by light magic, not considering that the power of the Dark Formation was simply too terrifying.

Patricia shook her head. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "I went to Witch City."

Delphine, who was applying the ointment, paused. She looked at her disapprovingly and said, "That was too dangerous."

"I wanted to get the Godhead of the Earth Mother." Patricia thought of the Godhead sinking into the blood-colored swamp, her lips tightening. A trace of unwillingness flashed in her silver-gray eyes. "If only I had arrived a little sooner."

Delphine tapped her on the forehead, not too hard, not too soft. "Even if you had gotten it," she said gently, "the Red-robed Witches would never have let you leave."

"If you're this reckless again, I'll confiscate your longbow."

Patricia's free hand subconsciously reached for the longbow she had placed beside her... It was a coming-of-age gift from Delphine, given the day before she was exiled from the territory. A gift she both loved and hated. The unpleasant memory made Patricia's expression turn cold. She gripped the bow, stroking it for a moment, then suddenly said, "Aren't you being reckless too?"

"Sustaining the Tree of Life with your own life force."

Delphine glanced at her and corrected, "That is my duty."

Seeing Patricia turn her head away, her face stern with disagreement but unable to find a rebuttal, Delphine couldn't help but tap her forehead again. She shook her head and smiled. "You're such a child."

It seemed her earlier thoughts had been wrong. Patricia was just a bit rebellious; at heart, she was still a petulant child.

A faint smile on her lips, she continued to apply the ointment to Patricia's hand, not noticing that the person she called a "child" was staring at her intently, her eyes dark and heavy.

The ointment had lost its effect; applying it did nothing. Delphine let go of Patricia's hand. Just as she was hesitating whether to continue, Patricia offered her other hand.

The gentle, warm touch of fingers on the back of her hand sent Patricia's mind racing. She averted her gaze, staring at the door of the treehouse, and said in a low voice, "...I met that golden-haired bishop in Witch City."

"Oh?" Delphine was a little surprised. "You mean Grace?"

Patricia nodded. She glanced at Delphine's expression out of the corner of her eye. Seeing only surprise and no other emotions like joy, her tense expression finally relaxed a little. She told Delphine about Tang Qiu's proposal.

"She wants the Elf Race to side with the Holy See against the Black Witches?" Delphine lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then shook her head decisively. "As long as the Pope's bloodline survives," she said flatly, "the Elf Race can never reconcile with the Holy See."

Patricia wasn't surprised by this answer. She nodded, and just as she was about to respond, she heard Delphine add, "But we can help Grace."

Patricia's expression was complicated. "...You trust her that much?"

"It's not so much trust as it is that she's rather special." Delphine finished spreading the ointment evenly and released Patricia's hand. She smiled and said, "Do you remember that little girl who follows her around?"

"Legend says that the God Race Descendants have the ability to see the future. Perhaps that little girl saw something, which is why she sticks so close to Grace."

Over a thousand years had passed. The God Race Descendants had either died or gone into hiding; there probably weren't many left. As one of the few remaining, for this little girl to not hide but instead brave danger to stay by the golden-haired bishop's side was strange, no matter how you looked at it.

Kama, who had been labeled "strange" by Delphine, had indeed been acting a bit "strange" lately. It seemed she knew Tang Qiu was going to the Central Church, so she had been following her around, not leaving her side for a moment, hoping to be taken along.

Tang Qiu felt helpless about this. After explaining the dangers of the Central Church to Kama and seeing her conflicted yet unwilling to give up, she had no choice but to leave her in Jennifer's care.

The departure time was drawing near, and Tang Qiu still needed to investigate the situation with the Dark Formation, so she had no time to look after Kama.

Ever since entering the Gosse Empire, Erin had stayed near the Dark Formation, studying ways to break it day and night.

Erin felt she was half-responsible for the darkness that had descended upon Statu. This feeling of self-blame intensified tenfold, especially after seeing innocent humans killed and devoured by demonic beasts.

Studying the formation all night had left Erin exhausted. She squatted on the ground and yawned, then slapped her face to try and wake herself up, not caring if her hands were dirty.

Little Fur Ball, who had been keeping her company, was also awake. It curled into a ball, watching her quietly, its eyes a little less dull and a little more spirited.

A heavy cloak was draped over Erin's shoulders. Tang Qiu looked up, past the cordon formed by the knights, toward the area shrouded in black clouds in the distance. That was where the Dark Formation was located.

"Is there a way to break it?" Tang Qiu turned her head to look at Erin. "Or can we just blast it away with a Cardinal's light magic?"

Erin bit her finger and shook her head dejectedly. "Probably not. The Pope's forbidden technique might be worth a try, though."

"The main formation is in Witch City. Even if a Cardinal destroys the one here, it will repair itself before long."

Unless the main formation was destroyed, the outer ones were practically invincible.

Tang Qiu nodded. She stared at the demonic beasts outside for a while and frowned. "Have the demonic beasts gotten stronger again?"

Erin sighed. "You're not mistaken. That's right."

"The longer this drags on, the more it benefits the Black Witches."

Tang Qiu reached out and stroked Erin's hair. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself," she said softly. "The Holy See will step in to resolve this."

Unless the Pope wanted to hand the continent of Statu over to the Black Witches directly.

Erin shook her ruffled hair and looked up at Tang Qiu. "Are you going back to the Holy See?" she asked seriously.

Tang Qiu smiled and nodded.

Erin began rummaging through her Space Gem, looking for some defensive gear for Tang Qiu, while muttering, "Be careful, then."

Tang Qiu nodded with a smile. "Okay."

The nation of the Holy See.

In a manor behind the Central Church, located at the very heart of the nation, the Pope dismissed the guarding knights and priests. He entered a white castle behind the garden alone.

There were no lights inside the castle, and the windows were covered by heavy curtains. The dim light barely illuminated the path ahead. The Pope was extremely familiar with the castle's layout; the darkness didn't affect his vision. He ascended the steps and sat on the papal throne, his left hand resting on his right, slowly stroking the ring on his index finger.

A vortex suddenly appeared in the darkness. Black mist seeped out and slowly coalesced into a shadow. The shadow faced the Pope, two red flames flickering in its eye sockets.

The Pope glanced at the shadow, unable to contain his impatience. "Eden," he called out.

The shadow made no sound in response.

The Pope waited for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly to hide his displeasure. "You must know what those disobedient rats in Witch City have done, right?"

"I will make them pay the price," the Pope said in a low voice.

After the Pope had said so much, the shadow finally responded. Eden let out a cold snort. "Evan is dead," he stated flatly.

The Pope frowned. He tapped his finger on the armrest of the throne and said slowly, "I am already aware of this tragic news."

"He died at the hands of a werewolf, but the Holy See was also involved."

The Pope was silent for a moment, then distanced himself from the matter. "Perhaps it was some disobedient child."

Eden sneered. "Just a disobedient child?"

"I will investigate this matter," the Pope said, staring at the shadow with narrowed eyes. "I need your help with the Black Witches."

"Then first, show me your sincerity."

After Eden's cold words, the black mist slowly dissipated into the air, not even giving the Pope a chance to detain him.

After the black vortex disappeared, the Pope raised his hand and summoned a Light Ball to dispel the darkness. He leaned back on the throne, staring down at the ring on his hand, and remained motionless for a long time.

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next