CA - Chapter 244

Chapter 244

If the chaotic battle between the Blood Demon and the Holy See had merely made the Vampires restless, then Lucille's appearance was like a giant boulder suddenly smashing into a calm lake, creating ripples large enough to shake the Blood Domain.

A second-generation Gangrel Vampire never seen before. Aside from a few clans who vaguely knew of Lucille's origins, the rest were investigating her identity as if they had gone mad.

As for the clans that knew of Lucille's origins, they were also investigating in secret, but they were looking into something else—something they cared about: how exactly Lucille had broken through the laws.

A fourth-generation Vampire breaking the laws to become a second-generation. When Vampires who had lived for thousands of years first heard this news, they all thought it was absurdly laughable. But... their hearts, which hadn't beaten fiercely for a long time, now pounded non-stop with excitement.

Because while the matter sounded absurd, they had seen a living example with their own eyes.

The lax and silent Blood Domain instantly became lively. The Xi-Tai Clan, who knew the details of Lucille's background, had long been wiped out, but some Vampires from the Tzimisce Clan, who had once collaborated with the Xi-Tai Clan, were still alive.

The Tzimisce Clan, which had kept a low profile since Evan's death, became the focus of the Blood Domain. All of Evan's former descendants were captured, as every clan wanted to torture some information out of them.

The fact that the Xi-Tai and Tzimisce Clans had used humans for experiments was brought out into the open. The Statu Continent, which had not yet fully stabilized after the Shas Principality campaign, was once again invaded by many ill-intentioned Vampires.

In just one short month, the number of missing people alone reached a terrifying figure, even more severe than the casualties after the invasion of the dark forces.

This was a very grave matter, yet the royalty and nobility who came seeking help never even mentioned it, single-mindedly pleading for the Holy See to help them rebuild their nations.

After another meeting that lasted late into the night, Tang Qiu leaned back in her chair. Her gaze followed the backs of the Saintess and the Cardinal until they disappeared out the door before she slowly retracted it. She toyed with a quill, as if waiting for something.

Footsteps sounded at the door. Tang Qiu slightly raised her eyes. Audrey pushed the door open and walked in with a blank expression, gave Tang Qiu a slight bow, and then sat down opposite her without a word.

Aside from internal Holy See matters that required the Inquisition's presence, Audrey, as the Head Inquisitor, was not qualified to participate in other meetings.

After so many years in the Holy See, Audrey was long accustomed to this rule. She looked directly into Tang Qiu's eyes and asked in a calm tone, "Is there something you wanted to see me about?"

Although she asked this, she actually knew in her heart why Tang Qiu had summoned her.

The Inquisition was a blade. Tang Qiu had called her for no other reason than to begin eliminating dissidents.

Just as Audrey began to ponder which bishops had been unruly lately, and which Cardinals stood behind them, Tang Qiu's sudden words interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you interested in hunting Vampires?" Tang Qiu said thoughtfully. "Recently, a group of Vampires has been hiding on the Statu Continent, using humans to research hybrids. There are quite a few of them, so it might be a bit dangerous."

"Vampires?" Audrey froze for a moment, pointing at herself with a look of disbelief. "You want me to go?"

Tang Qiu looked at her surprised expression, smiled faintly, and raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not willing?"

Audrey shook her head. She stared at Tang Qiu with a complicated look in her eyes, and after a moment of silence, she said, "But this isn't within the Inquisition's scope of responsibility."

Previous Popes only ever used the Inquisition to consolidate their own positions. They were afraid that this blade was too sharp and might wound them, so they never granted the Inquisition any authority beyond its designated duties.

But Tang Qiu intended to put her in charge of hunting Vampires... Audrey stared intently at Tang Qiu, as if trying to discern whether this proposal was a test.

Tang Qiu allowed Audrey to scrutinize her, her expression unchanging. She stroked the quill and said with a smile, "The Inquisition participated in the search for the Godhead in the Mentos Desert before, didn't it?"

"That time, I was just filling in for Bruce. Reese and Vogt were the ones mainly responsible for finding the Godhead."

Tang Qiu chuckled and shook her head slightly. She tossed the quill onto the desk, then leaned toward Audrey and said with a grin, "Audrey, don't you want the Inquisition to escape its current awkward predicament?"

"I can give you the authority of a Cardinal, but you'll have to seize that authority for yourself." Seeing Audrey's expression grow serious, Tang Qiu smiled slightly. "I'll have Abel assist you."

"But he is calculating and cunning, so you must be careful."

Abel would be assisting her, not the other way around. The difference between the two made the corners of Audrey's mouth slowly curl up. Her expression gradually relaxed, and her eyes lifted with a hint of charm. "I'm best at dealing with calculating people."

"He should be the one to be careful of me."

Tang Qiu gave a slightly helpless smile at Audrey's "bold words." She lowered her head to sign the already-written letter of appointment, not noticing that Audrey's gaze, from across the desk, was gradually growing deeper.

Change the Inquisition's awkward predicament? Audrey's hand, hidden beneath the table, slowly clenched into a fist. She had been waiting for this opportunity for over a decade.

She never expected that the one to finally give her this chance would be the person before her. Audrey's expression was complex, but it returned to calm when Tang Qiu looked up.

After Audrey left with the letter of appointment, Tang Qiu leaned back in her chair and casually picked up a document from a tall stack of church affairs to her side, flipping through it.

The closed window behind her opened a crack without a sound. An arm reached over Tang Qiu's shoulder, and slender, pale fingers casually swiped a piece of parchment from the desk.

Tang Qiu tilted her head slightly. Long red hair fell across her arm, and she smilingly reached out to catch it.

Lucille leaned against the desk in front of Tang Qiu, her long, straight legs crossed. She glanced down at the contents of the parchment, her black boots tapping lightly on the floor. Her voice was as cool as the night. "The Ventrue Clan captured that descendant of Evan's who ran to the Xi-Tai Clan. It seems she has quite a few Elf Fruits in her possession."

Evan's descendant? Tang Qiu thought for a moment and asked in surprise, "You mean Dini?"

Lucille frowned slightly and gave a small nod.

"She's actually still alive?" Tang Qiu was a little surprised, but thinking back carefully, she didn't seem to recall seeing Dini's figure after the battle in the Oscarld Sea began.

This person... she has a truly keen sense for death.

"She was captured by Lars." Although she was alive, falling into the hands of the Ventrue Clan was perhaps worse than dying along with the Xi-Tai Clan.

Having just escaped the Xi-Tai Clan only to be controlled by the Ventrue Clan now, Tang Qiu's expression was a bit strange as she thought of Dini's fate. She rubbed her chin and said, "Then it seems the Ventrue Clan must be the ones leading the hybrid experiments on the Statu Continent."

Lucille turned her head to look at Tang Qiu. "Do you need me to handle it?"

Tang Qiu shook her head. "No need. This is a war between the Vampires and the Holy See."

She could certainly have Lucille go to the Blood Domain and kill these third-generation Vampires, but other second-generation Vampires were still slumbering in the Blood Domain.

Lars and the other third-generation Vampires had delayed waking the second-generation elders in their clans only to preserve their own supreme status in the Blood Domain. But if their lives were threatened, they would awaken the second-generations at any cost.

The awakening of the second-generations would not be good news for the Holy See.

Lucille understood this reasoning as well, so when Tang Qiu refused, she just nodded and didn't bring it up again.

The night wind carried a chill as it blew in through the half-open window, sweeping Lucille's red hair back from her chest. She glanced up, and an invisible force shut the window tightly.

A mischievous lock of red hair brushed past Tang Qiu's face. Her gaze followed the trajectory of the falling hair, finally coming to rest on Lucille's waist.

The tight-fitting knight's attire outlined her slender waist, making it seem as if it could be encircled by a single hand.

But in reality, it couldn't be, because Tang Qiu had tried.

Tang Qiu leaned back in her chair, tilting her head up slightly. Her gaze swept over Lucille from bottom to top, and her sky-blue eyes slowly narrowed.

Lucille noticed Tang Qiu's somewhat scorching gaze on her. She lowered her eyes to meet Tang Qiu's, a faint smile flashing in her dark red eyes.

The atmosphere suddenly grew a little heated. Lucille licked her lips, bent down directly, gently lifted Tang Qiu's chin with her fingers, and pressed her lips against hers.

They were too familiar with each other; a single glance was enough to know the other's intentions.

While returning Lucille's kiss, Tang Qiu naturally placed a hand on Lucille's waist. She pulled the other woman toward her, pressing her palm suggestively against the small of her back.

Lucille paused. She released Tang Qiu's lips and moved to bite her neck, but Tang Qiu stopped her.

The red cracks on Lucille's face and body had almost disappeared, only reappearing faintly when her emotions fluctuated greatly. Tang Qiu raised a hand to caress Lucille's cheek, her fingers gently tracing the faint red lines as she said with a smile, "Come with me to the Dark World in a few days."

Lucille buried her face in the crook of Tang Qiu's neck and took a deep breath, then looked up to place a kiss on Tang Qiu's forehead and replied in a low voice, "Alright."

Tang Qiu felt the light kiss on her forehead, the smile on her lips growing even more tender. She straightened up and, under Lucille's questioning gaze, wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed her back onto the desk.

The desk made a scraping sound, which seemed rather jarring in the quiet night. The attendant priest guarding the door heard the commotion inside, knocked tentatively, and asked, "Your Holiness the Pope, did something happen?"

After a moment, the gentle reply of the blonde Pope came from inside. "It's nothing, I just accidentally pushed the desk."

"Sorry to have worried you."

"Ah, not at all," the attendant priest hurriedly replied. "Your Holiness is working late into the night. Please take care of your health."

She waited for a while, but this time she received no response from the blonde Pope. She felt a little disappointed, but the attendant priest quickly adjusted her mood.

She glanced at the night outside, then at the closed door, and shook her head with a sigh. The Pope was working so hard.

Inside the room, Tang Qiu glanced toward the door, then reached out and tapped the staff beside her. A soundproofing barrier enveloped the two of them.

Lucille steadied herself on the desk with one hand and grabbed Tang Qiu's arm with the other, bringing it to her lips and biting down. Sweet blood flooded her mouth, slightly easing the restlessness in her heart.

Tang Qiu let her feed from her arm, while her free hand once again found its way to the small of Lucille's back.

Lucille released Tang Qiu's arm, turned her head, and asked with a frown, "...What are you doing?"

Tang Qiu shifted her gaze from the small of her back to her face, leaned in close to her ear, and said teasingly, "I want to see you wag your tail."

Seeing that Lucille didn't understand her meaning, she gave a low chuckle, her tone thick with suggestion. "I wagged mine for you yesterday. Today, it's your turn."

Lucille froze for a second. Whatever she thought of, the red cracks on her face became more pronounced. She turned around and pulled Tang Qiu into her arms, her cool voice somewhat deep. "Then you should demonstrate it again."

"I haven't learned how yet."

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