Chapter 117 - 103: Disease Witch Dora (2)

Chapter 117: Chapter 103: Disease Witch Dora (2)

"Grand Priest Cosme, our time is precious. An army of 200,000 consumes immense resources for every day it’s garrisoned. Please give me a specific time. When can we enter Blue Moon Territory?"

Lian asked directly.

Catherine squeezed Lian’s hand. It was her first time meeting someone of such high religious standing, and it made her inexplicably nervous.

At the mention of the 200,000-strong army, Hickman opened his eyes from his feigned rest.

A smile remained on Grand Priest Cosme Pizarro’s face. He extended a hand, and a white-robed attendant supported his deeply creviced hands, helping him to a seat on the long bench.

"I don’t know how long it will take, either. We can wait for the Disease Witch’s Magic Power to run out. We are favored by the God of Tiger; no one should take risks for personal gain. When I left Yalong City, I swore an oath to the god that I would bring all the believers back to Yalong City whole."

The Grand Priest spoke with painstaking slowness.

A normal person could have said three sentences in the time it took him to say one. Yet, no one felt he was wasting time, as if every word he uttered was worth savoring.

Except for Lian.

A white-robed attendant brought him a cup of clear water.

He lifted the cup, his eyes crinkling with his smile.

A vein throbbed in Lian’s brow.

He thought of the efficient Simo. ’This Grand Priest really ought to take a lesson from a heretic.’

"Grand Priest Cosme, I... Can I see Dora? If she still has her sanity, I think I can convince her... convince her to leave this place."

Catherine said, mustering her courage.

Grand Priest Cosme Pizarro raised his eyes slightly, looking at the noble girl shrouded in a black veil.

"How could an out-of-control Witch have any sanity left? If she had even a shred of reason, she would have retreated to the Wilderness to live out her days and die alone."

Five-star Glory Knight Hickman suddenly spoke, his tone filled with ridicule, likely mocking the noble girl for her naivety.

Just as Catherine’s head drooped in disappointment, the Grand Priest slowly spoke,

"If it’s Miss Catherine, perhaps there really is a way to make her leave."

Catherine froze, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

’Maybe I can see Dora one last time.’

The Grand Priest continued in his extremely slow cadence, "I believe she has been lingering around Blue Moon Territory because she is waiting for someone. Even if she has completely lost her mind, she might regain a sliver of clarity if the person she’s waiting for appears."

"Miss Catherine, doing so would be extremely dangerous," a black-robed Priest warned.

The Grand Priest gave a slight nod. "Yes, a meeting would be very dangerous. But we have another option."

"What is it?"

Catherine looked at the Grand Priest, tense.

The smile never left the Grand Priest’s face as he spoke in a benevolent tone,

"Miss Catherine, the key is with you, isn’t it? Why don’t you grant the Disease Witch her release?"

Catherine’s pupils widened.

She understood what the Grand Priest meant.

The key was, in fact, the detonator for Dora’s Collar. One press, and Dora would be gone for good. The cleanup teams could then enter smoothly.

"The key is not with me."

As Catherine said the words, she felt a sense of relief wash over her.

She was glad the key wasn’t with her.

"Oh? Perhaps you’ve forgotten. I believe Patriarch Jackson must have left it to you, as you are the legal heir."

The Grand Priest coaxed gently, prompting Catherine.

Catherine had an excellent memory; she could recall anything with perfect clarity. She had a memory palace in her mind, and even things she briefly forgot could be found by searching it.

Now, she subconsciously began to browse through this memory palace and found the wooden box that had been delivered to her along with the Inheritance Document.

Inside the wooden box was a ring of keys—the keys to the Lord’s Mansion in Blue Moon Territory.

Among that ring of keys was one set with a Ruby.

’Perhaps... that key is the detonator.’

At the thought, a fine sweat broke out on Catherine’s palms.

Lian could even feel her body trembling slightly.

He knew the Grand Priest was probably right. The key was indeed in Catherine’s possession.

It was just that Catherine hadn’t realized it until now.

"Compared to my time, your time is perhaps more pressing," the Grand Priest said meaningfully.

Catherine lifted her beautiful eyes to Lian, wanting to know what she should do now.

Lian gently patted her shoulder. "No matter what you decide, I will support you."

"I... I, I want... I want you to save her."

Catherine forced the words out, one by one.

Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

But Lian heard her perfectly.

"If she has any sanity left, I will help you."

Lian could perform a Cleaning Entry, but he wasn’t sure if it would work on someone who was completely insane. She was the Disease Witch, after all. Even though he was now a Five-star Glory Knight and practically immune to all illnesses, he could still be affected.

"She’s waiting for me. She has been waiting for me. She must still have her sanity."

Catherine’s words were spoken with absolute conviction, as if trying to convince herself.

Lian nodded slightly. "Then let’s go see her."

"Miss Catherine, I advise you to think clearly. Dora is just an out-of-control Witch. The best solution is to blow her head off right now and save everyone the trouble. Wanting to see her now is a completely irrational act," Five-star Glory Knight Hickman said, displeased.

Catherine’s Knight, the elderly Kage Mori, stepped forward and drew the sword from his waist.

"Lord Hickman, watch what you say to Miss Catherine. She is the new Lord of Blue Moon Territory."

Hickman frowned, looking at the tall, stout, square-faced Old Knight with a resolute expression. He drew his own longsword.

"Do you have any idea who you’re talking to? You foolish country Knight."

"Lord Kage, sheathe your sword. Do you look down on my army of 200,000? I will make anyone who offends Catherine be trampled beneath iron hooves. Please do not rush to defend my fiancée before I do. It makes me look rather bad," Lian said sternly.

Kage Mori sheathed his longsword.

Hickman’s frown deepened.

He had heard the threat in Lian’s words.

But he didn’t believe Lian would actually do such a thing.

No rational person would ever dare to offend the Church Court.

The Polestar Knight Order was one of the thirty Knight Orders under the Church Court, enjoying supreme honor and status in the mortal world.

That was, until his second-in-command reminded him that Lian was a man of the Moria Clan. Was there anything they wouldn’t do for a woman?

Hickman could only swallow his anger and sheathe his longsword.

At that moment, the Grand Priest once again spoke slowly.

"If you want to see Dora, then go inside the High Wall. I will have Hickman escort you."

And so, Lian’s army made a temporary camp outside the High Wall.

A small team of fewer than ten people entered the High Wall.

Lian and Catherine, Kage Mori and Hickman, two Priests, and two Four-star Knights.

Excluding the Grand Priest, this was nearly the highest concentration of combat power that could be gathered outside the High Wall.

Aside from Catherine, all the others were Transcendents.

The Knights held up their shields, and the Priests cast Defense Magic upon them.

The shields formed an invisible Barrier, enveloping the group and keeping any airborne viruses at bay.

Catherine had mixed feelings returning to Blue Moon Territory once more.

The empty streets were lined with various buildings with pointed roofs. By now, there were no survivors left inside; their bodies had long since been cleared away.

The entirety of Blue Moon Territory was a ghost town.

Catherine had once dreamed countless times of leaving her High Tower to see the bustling markets, the holy church, the magnificent castle. But now, she no longer had any such desire.

Because it all felt like a dream—a Nightmare from which she had not yet woken.

Catherine didn’t know how long it would take for life to return here, how long until Blue Moon Territory regained its former prosperity and its wounds could heal.

With every step she took, her spirits sank a little lower.

Until she saw a flash of red on the church steeple.

Lian followed Catherine’s gaze and saw a woman in a red dress.

Her fiery red hair cascaded down like a waterfall, caught by the gentle breeze like a fiery blossom blooming at dawn.

Her eyes were hollow, like a bottomless, dark Abyss, holding neither the light of hope nor the trace of despair’s tears.

The church steeple swayed gently in the wind. She was curled up there, like a forgotten ragdoll, lonely and yet defiant.