Chapter 73: The Bishop’s Revelation

Three days later, Lovelenica and Lucia’s much-needed vacation finally concluded. Lucia, after a long hiatus, once again immersed herself in rigorous training.

This marked the final week before the Monster Hunt Exercise commenced, the week when their definitive roster would be submitted to the Church. Within the Church’s training grounds, Julie Crimson once again sought out Lucia.

“Lucia, you remember our agreement, don’t you?”

Julie’s voice was icy, her gaze filled with ill intent. Compared to the days when she merely mocked and ridiculed Lucia, a palpable hatred now simmered in her eyes.

“I do, but why are you looking at me like that?”

Lucia, of course, remembered their agreement. They had signed a contract, one she couldn’t possibly forget: she was to transfer two-fifths of her team’s points to Julie.

Yet, what Lucia couldn’t fathom was why Julie was glaring at her with such intensity. She hadn’t provoked Julie recently.

That look made Lucia deeply uncomfortable, sending an unsettling shiver down her spine.

“Heh, whatever look or expression I choose is my freedom, isn’t it? Is it any of your business? Do you think I’m putting on a show just for you? Such a self-important fool.”

“What’s your problem? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed again today?”

Imeline approached from a short distance away, gently patting Lucia’s shoulder as she retorted to Julie.

“None of your damn business.”

“Are you mentally deficient?”

Julie’s crude outburst only provoked a more furious response from Imeline. After hearing Imeline’s words, Julie let out a shout, then stormed away.

“Is that girl going through menopause?”

“Huh? But Julie is only seventeen, isn’t she? Can you go through menopause at seventeen?”

“Oh, Lucia, that was sarcasm, sarcasm, you know?”

Lovelenica, exasperated, explained to the naive Lucia, “I meant that Julie, despite not even being eighteen, has a temper like a menopausal woman.”

Standing nearby, Lovelenica had overheard their conversation. She, too, felt a flicker of confusion. Hadn’t Elena educated Julie thoroughly? It seemed as though Julie hadn’t been corrected at all; instead, she had grown even more aggressive.

Nonetheless, Lovelenica found this situation somewhat acceptable. At least Julie wouldn’t continue to bother her. Let the young ones argue and bicker; most of the time, it was just verbal sparring. She didn’t believe girls of their age truly harbored thoughts of bringing harm to others.

****

After Lovelenica and Lucia had trained for a while, the White-robed Bishop sent for them, commanding them to enter the cathedral to discuss the incidents that had recently occurred in Cariso City and Savini Village.

They entered the grand cathedral. Massive stained-glass windows adorned both sides of the edifice, while rows upon rows of long pews filled the central aisle.

Indeed, not only did Nuns pray in the cathedral, but ordinary citizens and nobles also frequented it, seeking spiritual peace and tranquility.

Beneath the altar stood a black-haired woman, dressed in white robes, clutching a scepter, and wearing a tall hat. Her face bore faint wrinkles, and her skin lacked the tautness and luster of Lovelenica’s and Lucia’s, suggesting she was in her fifties or sixties.

This was the very White-robed Bishop who had previously assigned missions to Lovelenica and Lucia.

She was a White-robed Bishop, possessing the formidable power of a mid-tier Sixth Rank.

“Lovelenica, Lucia, you’ve arrived.”

The White-robed Bishop said, her voice deep, as she watched the two enter the cathedral.

“Bishop, why have you called us here? Have there been any developments in the investigation of that Impure-level incident in Cariso City?”

“Yes, I’ve called you here precisely for that reason. Come closer.”

The White-robed Bishop gestured for the two to approach the altar. Only when they were near did she speak again.

“In this world, the existence of corruptions is inevitable. Even in the Arcadia Kingdom’s Royal City, the safest of places, corrupt entities can still manifest.

“A significant portion of these corruptions stem from human desires and negative emotions. They cause humanity to decay, giving birth to specters, corpses, or even collective manifestations of resentment.”

“However, these corruptions are generally very weak. They cannot instantly kill humans, and Nuns possessing divine power can handle such matters with ease.

“Within the Arcadia Kingdom, especially in and around the Royal City, we have always dealt with corruption incidents of this nature.”

“Yet, within this past month, two Impure-level incidents have shockingly occurred in Savini Village and Cariso City, both perpetrated by Bloodkin. Someone must be secretly manipulating things from behind the scenes.”

As she spoke, the White-robed Bishop produced two dossiers. She placed them on the altar, allowing Lucia and Lovelenica to examine them.

“Lucia, Lovelenica, can you recognize the people in these portraits?”

Lovelenica gazed at the two portraits on the altar. Although the White-robed Bishop referred to them as ‘portraits,’ to Lovelenica, their clarity and recognizability were almost indistinguishable from modern photographs.

The only difference lay in their creation: photos were captured with a camera, while these portraits had been recorded by magic.

She instantly recognized the two individuals in the portraits: one was the Fallen Nun, and the other was Rachel, whom the Fallen Nun had devoured.

However, Lovelenica had never encountered the Fallen Nun in her human form, so she had to feign ignorance.

“I don’t recognize the one on the left. The one on the right is the Bloodkin from Cariso City.”

Lucia then chimed in, supplementing Lovelenica’s statement. “The one on the left is the Bloodkin from Savini Village; she turned the entire village into a source of Bloodkin. The one on the right is the Bloodkin from Cariso City; she transformed all the Nuns there into Bloodkin, turning the villagers into ghouls and slaughtering many of our Church’s Nuns.”

As she spoke of the Fallen Nun, Lucia’s tone even held a hint of ferocity. After all, the Fallen Nun had annihilated an entire village.

“Yes. So, what do you believe they are?”

The White-robed Bishop did not immediately reveal the answer. Instead, she looked at the two women, inquiring about their thoughts.

“They are Bloodkin! Monsters that feast on human blood and consume humans! They are Fantasy Creatures that must be utterly annihilated! They must have infiltrated from a Bloodkin nation, disguised themselves as human professionals, gathered intelligence, and acted as spies!”

Lucia answered without hesitation. Lovelenica glanced at Lucia; whenever such topics arose, Lucia tended to get quite agitated.

Lucia’s assertion wasn’t entirely wrong, though. However, the spies weren’t those two individuals. The true spy was actually standing right beside Lucia.

The White-robed Bishop nodded upon hearing Lucia’s words, then turned to Lovelenica.

“Lovelenica, what about you? What are your thoughts?”

In contrast, Lovelenica appeared much calmer. She slowly began to speak.

“They consume human blood and feed on humans. They possess crimson eyes, powerful physical attributes, and enhanced reflexes. These are indeed characteristics of Bloodkin… However, I sense something amiss about them.”

“They don’t seem to possess the special abilities of Bloodkin. They can’t regenerate, nor can they shapeshift. In short… they feel somewhat strange. Rather than calling them Bloodkin, it would be more accurate to describe them as incomplete Bloodkin.”

“Indeed, both of you are correct. But now, I must tell you a fact.”

At this, the White-robed Bishop paused dramatically.

“These two individuals were once ordinary humans.”