Volume 1 Chapter 171

Volume 1 + Chapter 171: Where’s My Mother?

The young girl before her possessed neither Vivian’s status nor her revered prestige. Even her most basic living conditions were vastly inferior, as if they hailed from two entirely different worlds.

Yet, despite this, Vivian’s gaze as she looked at the girl was full of envy, an emotion that had even spread to the depths of her eyes, unnoticed by Vivian herself.

She lived in the most prosperous, most expensive district of the imperial capital, owning a vast and luxurious estate on that land worth its weight in gold. The deep courtyards, carved beams, and painted rafters all proclaimed nobility at every turn.

Each morning, before she even opened her eyes, maidservants waited quietly outside her door. She didn’t have to lift a finger regarding meals or daily life. The world’s most exquisite delicacies, most opulent garments, most comfortable living environment, all were objects of others’ envy. Merely possessing a fraction of these would be enough to make countless people yearn.

However, such a life had long become routine for her. In the end, it was just… so.

People always yearn for the unattainable when they are most secure and carefree, as if that is what they truly desire.

But when they go through immense hardship and finally grasp that once-distant wish, turning it into a habitual part of their lives, they will, in some unguarded moment, look back at the path they traveled and wistfully sigh, wondering if the things they lost unknowingly along the way were actually the most precious…

Vivian was exactly like this…

“I see. Then we’ll take our leave now. I haven’t had dinner yet. The Church has been terribly busy lately, one thing after another, hardly a moment to catch my breath.”

The young girl sighed softly, seeming somewhat helpless. “His Holiness the Pope has recently dispatched many missionaries, aiming to vigorously promote the Church’s teachings across various regions. But not long after the plan was implemented, we encountered significant resistance. I heard a mysterious cult organization has emerged within the Empire, operating in the shadows. Strange rumors have started circulating in many places, making missionary work particularly difficult.”

Hearing this, Vivian instinctively paused, her gaze involuntarily settling on the girl’s face, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

“A cult?”

She repeated the word softly, a note of doubt in her tone.

These past few days, her mind had been almost entirely occupied with renting the apartment.

The apartment’s location was extremely prime, so the rent was naturally exorbitantly high. Moreover, its owners were not ordinary wealthy merchants but high-ranking, influential figures within the Empire. Merely having money wouldn’t make them nod in agreement.

To secure the lease smoothly, she had exhausted her efforts maneuvering in all directions, leaving her no time to pay attention to the Church’s activities.

Yet she never imagined that in the brief few days she was distracted by these trivial matters, such astonishing news had emerged from within the Church, a mysterious cult had appeared?

“Your Holiness, you haven’t been at the Church these past few days, so you might not be aware of the situation.”

The girl’s tone was urgent, her eyes carrying a hint of anxiety. “The existence of that cult has severely hindered His Holiness’s plans and greatly affected the Church’s development. Originally, there were many aspiring believers dedicated to the Church’s great cause, filled with reverence and yearning for the Church. But now, under the cult’s influence and bewitchment, these people have begun to hesitate, waver, and some have even chosen to distance themselves from the Church entirely, preventing them from serving the Church any longer.”

She paused slightly before continuing, “His Holiness has ordered the complete eradication of this cult organization that harms the Church’s foundation and disrupts the Empire’s order. We cannot allow them to continue running amok, misleading the faithful, or the consequences would be unthinkable.”

At this point, the girl couldn’t help but sigh softly, a trace of unconcealed weariness flickering between her brows. She then looked up earnestly at Vivian, her tone carrying a note of entreaty. “Your Holiness, once you’ve finished your current tasks, please return to the Church as soon as possible to oversee matters. These past few days, we’ve been overwhelmed by various affairs, almost at our wits’ end. If this continues, I’m afraid…”

Before her words fully trailed off, a glint of sharpness flashed in her eyes, a keen, dangerous edge that didn’t belong to her age, like a blade hidden beneath a gentle surface. It carried an almost gnashing hatred.

It was as if, given the chance, she would personally tear apart the so-called cult she spoke of, utterly erasing it from the world to demonstrate her loyalty to the Church and His Holiness the Pope she believed in.

“I see. I understand. You’ve all worked hard…”

Vivian’s voice was somewhat detached, carrying a thoughtful tone as if weighing something in her heart, or contemplating matters not easily spoken aloud.

Her gaze dropped slightly, not immediately looking at the girl before her, as if lost in some boundless train of thought.

Her expression was calm, even bordering on casual. But only she herself knew that her mind was not on the surface-level conversation at all.

Of course, she had heard the girl’s words, but she was willing to believe only half of them, maybe not even half.

Because if others might not understand the Church’s true nature, Vivian knew it all too well.

After all, she had served as the Saintess for two years, personally executing countless unsavory, underhanded deeds. She had witnessed too much darkness and decay barely concealed beneath the so-called “justice” and “faith.”

If witches were seen as the embodiment of evil, denounced and hunted by all, then the Church was the most venomous face condemning witches while secretly engaging in deeds more despicable than any witch.

It cloaked itself in a mantle of holiness, mouthing vows of light and truth, but in reality, it was merely a wolf in sheep’s clothing, using lies and deceit to maintain its rule, using high-sounding banners to mask its own greed and cruelty.

The Church’s methods had always been simple and direct, yet incredibly effective, using ornate rhetoric to bewitch minds, using ethereal “grand principles” and unattainable “promises” to manipulate ordinary people whose minds were not yet mature and who hadn’t truly seen the world’s darkness.

Controlling people equaled controlling profit. And if these people were not only ignorant but fanatical to the core, their faith in the Church reaching near-delirious levels, then the benefits and value they could bring were simply immeasurable.

Therefore, regarding the so-called “cult” the Church spoke of… Vivian did not dare agree. One could even say she held immense skepticism.

“Your Holiness is the one who has worked hard. Then I won’t disturb you any further. Goodnight, Your Holiness.”

The girl reined in the fanaticism and sharpness that had flashed in her eyes moments earlier, her expression relaxing again into the cheerful demeanor appropriate for her age.

She waved at Vivian with a smile, her tone warm and natural, as if those earlier emotions had been mere illusions.

With that, she turned sprightly and followed her mother onto the path home, gradually fading into the distance.

However, Vivian did not respond to her farewell, not even letting her gaze follow their retreating figures.

At this moment, her entire mind was occupied by the matter of the “cult.” The girl’s words echoed incessantly in her mind, and a faint, unsettling feeling spread in her heart.

She didn’t understand, why would the Church, which had always lain low and remained dormant, suddenly embark on vigorous missionary work during this period? This did not align with the Church’s previous modus operandi.

Even more suspicious was that the Church had barely begun its missionary efforts when a so-called “cult” organization immediately emerged, obstructing the Church’s progress, even stirring unrest among the higher echelons and alarming the Pope himself, who personally ordered a thorough investigation.

One must know, that fat old man usually maintained an amiable, smiling demeanor. No matter the situation, his emotions remained as stable as stagnant water, rarely showing true loss of composure.

Things that could anger him so, that could break through his defenses, were truly few and far between.

Yet now, he was so agitated by this sudden “cult.” The whole affair reeked of strangeness.

Vivian had a vague intuition, neither the Church’s sudden accelerated expansion nor the bizarre appearance of this “cult” could possibly be mere coincidence.

There must be some close connection between the two.

And all of this was likely related to the news she had heard a few days ago… the demise of the Empire’s monarch.

Perhaps the power struggle between the Church and the Empire had already begun.

But Vivian wasn’t overly concerned about this matter. After all, her own affairs were already overwhelming enough; she truly had no energy to spare for the conflict between the Church and the so-called “cult.” Compared to these, what she cared about more was still… Eve.

Beside Eve, whom she had constantly worried about and missed to this day, even if the sky fell, it would be an insignificant trifle in her eyes.

Thinking this, she looked down at the carefully prepared bouquet in her arms.

Due to the earlier frantic hiding, the flowers were somewhat crushed and deformed, petals slightly curled, looking rather pitiful.

Vivian looked at the flowers, couldn’t help but sigh softly, but held them tighter and continued walking toward the cemetery.

Only this time, she was no longer as relaxed and off-guard as before. As she walked, she paid attention to her surroundings, fearing she might run into colleagues who had just gotten off work from the Church. After all, this was not a place she should be, nor was it the time she should appear.

Fortunately, there were no sudden incidents along the way. The streets under the night sky were silent and empty, allowing her to smoothly reach the cemetery, a place she had glanced at on the day of Eve’s burial but never wished to set foot in again.

Vivian stood at the cemetery entrance. Relying on fuzzy memories, she walked slowly among the haphazardly distributed tombstones, carefully searching for the one belonging to Eve.

The tombstones here varied in shape, many already weathered and mottled by time, inscriptions blurred, making her search particularly difficult.

Yet she patiently examined them, finally managing to locate Eve’s resting place based on several distinctive landmarks.

However, when she finally stood before the grave, the sight before her froze her completely in place, 

Eve’s tombstone had long since collapsed, lying askew to the side, the inscription on it appearing especially faint due to exposure to wind and sun.

But what was most chilling was that the earth beneath that tombstone had been dug up!

The loose soil had long since dried, baked to a light brown by exposure, clearly not recently disturbed. Even more horrifying was that within that mess of soil, a corner of the opened coffin was visible.

The coffin lid had been completely pried off. And inside was empty.

There was nothing.

“Where… where’s my mother?!”

Vivian’s voice echoed through the entire cemetery. A flock of jet-black birds was startled, causing a chain reaction, as tumultuous as the shock raging within Vivian’s heart.

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