CA - Chapter 246

Chapter 246

After receiving the letter of appointment from Tang Qiu, the first country Monica went to was the Shas Principality, the nation most severely affected by the war. She had anticipated that this trip would not be smooth, but she never imagined she would face so many obstacles in the very first country.

While at the Central Church, she had stated that the Holy See would only aid the various nations by treating civilians, helping them stabilize as quickly as possible.

And she did exactly that, but... the actions of those nobles were simply beyond her imagination.

During the dark invasion, many countries chose only to protect their main cities and the few towns closest to them. A single city could only hold a limited number of civilians. Although the Holy See helped with the evacuation of civilians, the number of those abandoned was still terrifying.

Guided by several nobles from the Shas Principality, Monica rescued tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the dead cities. Although they were ambushed by Vampires along the way, they managed to get through it without any major incidents.

However, what angered Monica was not the ambushing Vampires, but the nobles who, after seeing her rescue the civilians, showed no reaction and simply dumped the people on them.

The Shas Principality had only cleared out three cities, leaving no place to house these tens of thousands of civilians. Monica suggested that the nobles send people to clear the ruined dead cities first to settle the civilians, but they showed no response. Worse, they shamelessly used the excuse of having an insufficient number of knights to propose that the Holy See do the cleaning.

Monica could, of course, ignore the nobles' outrageous requests, but she couldn't bear to see those civilians return to the ruins to starve and freeze.

Moreover, the grateful and trusting looks in their eyes prevented Monica from doing so.

This was the ugly face these nobles revealed once the threat of death was gone. They wished the Holy See would just abandon the civilians and leave, so they could then swoop in with their hypocritical masks to win the people's favor, all while slandering the Holy See for its cold-bloodedness.

Before the dark invasion, the Holy See's reputation on the continent had been declining day by day, partly due to the deliberate actions of the royalty and nobility.

Monica had been in the Shas Principality for less than seven days, yet she had already heard rumors that the dark invasion of the continent was the Holy See's fault, and that everyone else was merely a victim caught in the crossfire.

It was both laughable and detestable.

The night wind blew in through the half-open window, making the candlelight on the table flicker. Monica's back was ramrod straight as she held a transparent glass bowl with her left hand. In her right, she held a stone whose edges had been worn smooth, and she was earnestly and patiently grinding a white fruit obtained from the Elf Race.

This fruit was difficult to grind, and the edges of the stone were very sharp. Monica's fingers were covered in small cuts; her index finger and thumb were even wrapped in white gauze.

The scars on Reese's face had mostly healed, but the ones on her body still looked terrifying.

Reese never paid much attention to these scars and didn't apply the ointment properly. If Monica hadn't constantly supervised her and applied the medicine to her face, it wouldn't have healed so quickly.

Thinking of Reese's careless attitude, Monica's brow furrowed slightly. Her middle finger accidentally scraped against the stone, and a bead of blood welled up from the cut.

She put down the stone and casually picked up a strip of white gauze to wrap her finger. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the doorway. Monica looked up to see her attendant priest push the door open and walk in. With a grave expression, he said, "Archbishop Monica, Count Brandy wishes to see you."

Monica frowned and said coolly, "I will not see him."

"But... he said Duke Cass is dead."

Monica's movements paused. She looked up and asked, "How did he die?"

Just a few days ago, these nobles were fawning over her while secretly trying to trip her up. And now, only a few days later, one of them was dead.

The attendant priest shook his head. "He didn't say, but he looks terrified. He said he wants to ask for your help, and also..." He paused, observing Monica's expression, before continuing cautiously, "He claims to have evidence that Archbishop Reese is colluding with the Vampires."

After speaking, the attendant priest lowered his head uneasily. Although Monica, who was wrapping her finger, said nothing, the priest could feel the atmosphere in the room instantly turn ice-cold.

He began to regret relaying the count's words. These nobles still thought Reese and Monica were on bad terms, but he, who had been by Monica's side all this time, knew that the sisters' relationship had long since eased.

Monica finished wrapping her finger carefully, then picked up the stone and resumed grinding the fruit in the glass bowl. Her voice was as cold and indifferent as her expression. "Let him in."

The attendant priest acknowledged in a low voice and turned to leave. A moment later, he returned with a pale-faced Count Brandy following behind him.

After witnessing the gruesome death of Duke Cass, Count Brandy had been on edge day and night, not even daring to sleep for fear that a Vampire would suddenly appear, rip out his heart, and tear him to pieces.

He was truly afraid. When a person is consumed by fear, their mind becomes chaotic. He had forgotten how he had schemed against Monica before; now, he only remembered her identity—a kind-hearted Red-robed Archbishop.

If she could protect those lowly commoners, then she could surely protect him. The moment Count Brandy saw Monica, he fell to his knees, crying and begging, "Archbishop Monica, for the sake of my being a believer in the Light Goddess, please save me! I-I've encountered a devil! Sh-she wants to kill me!"

"Save me, I don't want to die!"

"That... that Reese... she's with the Vampires." Count Brandy recalled the rumors he had heard, as if grasping at a final straw. "She was always targeting you in the past, wasn't she, Archbishop Monica?"

"I swear to you, I saw a Vampire by her side with my own eyes. Duke Cass was killed by a Vampire! She has betrayed the Light Goddess. Don't you want to send her to the Inquisition?"

"I-I can..." Count Brandy mustered his courage. "If you need, I can testify, as long as you guarantee my safety."

He finished speaking in a hurry and looked at Monica with an expectant expression. Though his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them, his spirit was unusually agitated.

He had been frightened out of his mind.

After an unknown amount of time, Monica finally deigned to give him a response. She raised her eyes slightly, glanced at Count Brandy, and said in a cold voice, "Are you finished?"

Count Brandy nodded blankly.

"You may leave."

Count Brandy was taken aback. He asked cautiously, "Then... can you send someone to protect me?"

A thought seemed to strike him, and he quickly added, "The civilians... you can leave the matter of the civilians to me." He finished with an ingratiating smile at Monica.

Monica replied succinctly, "Very well." She gave her attendant priest a look. The priest understood immediately and escorted Count Brandy out, then returned to await her orders.

"Hand him over to Mario to deal with." Monica scooped the finished ointment from the glass bowl, then put a few new fruits in and continued to grind. "Don't let him appear before me again," she said, her face expressionless.

When she had just been promoted to Red-robed Archbishop, Reese had worried that she would be given a hard time in her new position, so she had sent Mario to her to handle matters on her behalf.

Mario was truly Reese's most capable subordinate. Whenever Monica gave him something she didn't want to deal with, he always resolved it perfectly.

Though his methods were as ruthless as Reese's... Monica's hand, holding the stone, paused. Her emerald eyes looked somewhat dim against the light. She stared at the glass bowl, lost in thought, her mind drifting to who knows where.

Monica didn't have to think to know why Reese was targeting these nobles. She always protected her quietly like this, but she never told her about these things.

The attendant priest had already left, leaving her alone in the empty room. The faintly glowing candlelight was finally extinguished by the night wind, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Monica looked up in the darkness. Outside, the night wind whipped small pebbles against the window, adding a touch of horror to the dark environment. But Monica was reminded of some memories from her childhood, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a faint smile.

She and Reese had been sent to the Holy See when they were very young. Having left home at a young age without her parents' company, and with her health always being poor, Monica developed a habit of being afraid to sleep alone.

She was afraid of the dark, of strange noises, of all sorts of things.

But Reese, who was just as young as she was, was not afraid.

Back then, Monica had to hug Reese's arm every night, resting her head on her shoulder to fall asleep. At five or six years old, their bodies hadn't fully developed yet. Reese's shoulders were narrow and soft, and aside from being very warm, they couldn't exactly be described as reliable.

But in young Monica's heart, Reese had always been the sister she relied on most. She was outstanding and powerful, always protecting her from behind, shielding her from the wind and rain.

Although she always liked to brew strange-tasting rose tea, Monica felt that tea was the most delicious thing she had ever drunk.

She loved seeing the way Reese focused on her tasks, so regardless of whether she might get sick, rain or shine, she would run to the garden every day to pick a large bouquet of roses for Reese, just to see that earnest expression on her face as she brewed the tea.

She wasn't as outstanding as Reese... but she also wanted to do something for her.

Monica once thought they would always be together. They would be promoted from believers to clerics, and then with Reese's excellence, she would surely become a Bishop. At that time, she would be by her side as her attendant priest.

She had never thought of competing with Reese for anything, not even for the opportunity to go to the Central Church that everyone coveted.

After reconciling with Reese, Monica would occasionally recall the period of their falling out. She had truly hated Reese back then and genuinely never wanted to see her again.

She didn't hate Reese for the ridiculous reasons rumored by the outside world; she hated Reese because Reese had abandoned her.

All she wanted was to stay by Reese's side; she didn't care about power or status. But Reese didn't want her.

She felt wronged.

This feeling of being wronged peaked especially when Reese appeared before her, bearing the halo of a Red-robed Archbishop. This person, appearing before her so dazzlingly and triumphantly, seemed to be telling her that she had abandoned her but had obtained something she liked even more.

Monica could not face such a Reese with composure.

The past was in the past. The hatred had long since dissipated from her heart. Perhaps a little of the grievance remained, but it had been replaced by heartache. Since Reese didn't bring up the past, she didn't ask.

The Monica of the past had been fixated on getting an answer. She always wanted to ask Reese why she had abandoned her. Were power and status really that wonderful?

But now, she no longer wanted to ask. Monica lowered her gaze to the fruit in the glass bowl, not yet ground into ointment. The coldness in her eyes melted a little, because she already had her answer.

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