Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 145: Black Goat_1
In the dimly-lit underground chamber, a woman dressed in lavish clothes suddenly appeared in Vila’s line of sight.
A fiery red corseted gown, a shawl decorated with vibrant feathers, a bell-shaped hat embellished with a hairband... Each article of clothing and every accessory was in startlingly bright colors; she looked not like a witch but more like a fashion model known for her exaggerated style.
Despite such eye-catching attire, Vila had failed to notice when the other had appeared behind her.
"Yo, I came over following the address you gave me." Qiqimora greeted Vila with an indifferent expression, "The overnight trek was utterly exhausting."
"Since when have you been here?" Vila asked, scrutinizing the other with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
"About five minutes now," Qiqimora responded.
"I’ve warned you before not to sneak into my workshop like this!" Vila exclaimed angrily.
"Ah, why is everyone like this?" Qiqimora leisurely took out a cigarette case and placed a slim cigarette between her lips, "You can’t stop me from coming in, yet you want me to listen to you. It’s too demanding to only want others to accommodate you."
"Don’t give me those twisted excuses! And no smoking in here!" Vila was so angry she clenched her fists and pounded the table, while at the same time a metal bucket in the corner made another strange noise. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"Alright, alright, as you say, it’s your place, your rules." Qiqimora reluctantly put the cigarette back in the case. In truth, she was not afraid of Vila; it was the thing inside that iron bucket she dreaded. freewebnoveℓ.com
"You..." Vila looked Qiqimora up and down, hesitantly beginning to ask a question.
But before she could voice her inquiry, Qiqimora answered preemptively, "It was Abigail who sent me to find you. I heard that Abigail had summoned you alone before but you broke off contact midway and then kept the credentials with you at all times—is that true?"
"Yes," Vila replied irritably.
"What, did your negotiations with her fall through?"
"I wanted her to take out Aiden Galahad for me, but instead, she wanted me to abandon my mission here and go to the outskirts of Banquet Forest to set up wicker men as her guards... I couldn’t fathom what she was thinking!" Vila complained loudly, "So now she sends you... Has she finally changed her mind and decided to let you help me?"
Vila was well aware that Qiqimora had the skills to infiltrate that seemingly impregnable prison. With Qiqimora’s help, the chances of successfully assassinating Aiden would increase dramatically.
Yet Qiqimora shook her head in denial, "No, she sent me to persuade you to leave this place. If you kill Aiden Galahad now, you won’t have the opportunity to rescue Presia and Daili from that prison. Instead, you will draw the full attention of the Inquisition of the Autonomous State to the witches’ gathering..."
"They’ve been watching us for ages, okay!?" Vila interrupted Qiqimora before she could speak, her voice fraught with agitation, "Didn’t you see what I wrote in the letter I sent you? The person who infiltrated our gathering that day was that damn Senior Judge! Presia got caught, someone sneaked into our gathering, they’re practically trampling on our faces, and Abigail still plans to not fight back?"
Qiqimora raised a hand in a gesture to signal Vila to calm down, "What Abigail means is that we now have more important enemies to deal with. You cut the communication that day; she didn’t have time to tell you what happened."
"What?" Vila frowned upon hearing this.
"Actually, the day she summoned you, Banquet Forest was attacked by the ’Black Goat’s’ battle nuns; there were twenty-three of them, and Abigail killed them all," Qiqimora explained, "In fact, since last year, there have occasionally been nuns disguised as witches scouting Banquet Forest, it seems to be preparation for something."
"So the priest who likes selling off his daughters has finally made his move, huh? No wonder Abigail wanted me to come and build fortifications... Turns out she’s the one with a target on her back," Vila said discontentedly, "Then why didn’t she take out Aiden Galahad first before asking for my help?"
"She’s worried about you throwing yourself into danger by dealing with that kind of thing. The Witch gathering has already lost two Great Witches; if we’re to start a war with the ’Black Goat’, we can’t afford any more losses."
"Huh, now she thinks of uniting our forces? What was she doing earlier? Presia and I have tried so many times to persuade her to consolidate the Witch gathering, but she never listened!" Vila slammed the table in frustration.
"It’s not so easy to consolidate the entire Witch gathering," Qiqimora replied.
"That’s why only Abigail can do it! Only with her charisma can the Witch gathering be turned into a coherent organization," Vila said with a fervent gaze, "Qiqimora, are you really content with always hiding from the heretic inquisition, living like a rat in a sewer?"
"I think... it’s actually not so bad," Qiqimora laughed, "You’ve forgotten that I’m a ’hermit’."
"You’re an oddity!" Vila couldn’t help but curse.
"Ah, I’m well aware of that," Qiqimora wasn’t offended, instead, she began to persuade Vila, "Alright, alright, keep calm and listen to me. Even if we succeed in integration, do you think that the nations involved in the Covenant will be deterred from coming after us? You’re wrong. If we do that, we will become the target of the collective, and next time we won’t be facing the Inquisition, but military forces."
"How will we know if we don’t try? It’s surely better than sitting around waiting to be captured and thrown in jail one by one," Vila insisted stubbornly, "Anyway, Presia’s already been caught, and I’ve completely lost faith in Abigail! She selected us only to use us as expendable pawns! Wake up, Qiqimora. The Harvest Mother Cult isn’t after the Witch gathering, but after Abigail herself. That priest only wants the ’scepter of authority’ in her hands; we have no reason to get involved!"
"Oh, foolish child, can’t you do the math? I’m of course aware the ’Black Goat’ is only after Abigail, but she has already promised us, just kill the Black Goat’s priest and the relics can be ours to divide. Haven’t you always wanted divinity? This is your chance!" Qiqimora counseled calmly, "Killing the priest is profitable, killing Aiden Galahad is fruitless and risky. Besides, we can’t just watch Abigail in peril, can we? If she falls, the entire Witch gathering is finished."
Upon hearing this, Vila finally calmed down, indeed, even with her myriad complaints about Abigail, she couldn’t just watch the Harvest Mother Cult make a move against her.
"Fine, I’ll deal with that daughter-selling priest and his lecherous nuns..." Vila said, pausing briefly, then added with unwavering determination, "But it will be after I’ve killed Aiden Galahad!"
