Melanie did not let Olivia know the results of the interrogation. She left Olivia in the meditation room to continue her practice while she departed.
But this could not be hidden from Olivia.
In the depths of her heart, she silently called out to the magic mirror.
'Mirror, mirror, was the vampire I brought in earlier named Cyril Booker?'
【Yes, Master.】
'What did the interrogators learn from Cyril?'
【They learned many things...】
As information from the magic mirror continuously surfaced in her mind, Olivia quickly gained a clear understanding of the situation.
After she had killed Ashley Hewitt at the orphanage, the Bloody Sickle had indeed planned to retaliate against her. However, they did not take her seriously, so the matter was handed over to Cyril. This was why Cyril had only made his move today... The previous times she had left the church, she had been with Ronan and the others, so Cyril naturally did not dare to act.
Cyril simply didn't know that every time she went out, it was a trap. Today, he had finally fallen into it.
'Melanie used me as bait, clearly wanting to catch a big fish. Unfortunately, I'm too small a bait myself; the big fish didn't take the hook,' Olivia thought to herself.
Through Cyril's interrogation, they also discovered a Bloody Sickle hideout located in the South District. The big fish Melanie wanted to catch might be right there.
At this moment, Melanie had already mobilized many clergy members. Whether they could catch a big fish was still hard to say.
Previously, the interrogation room had learned the location of a Rose Legion hideout from Robert, but by the time they rushed there, few traces remained. It was evident that the Rose Legion was very well-informed.
Olivia didn't dwell on such matters. She stayed obediently in the meditation room, swinging Cross Grace to continue mastering her combat techniques.
During this process, she couldn't help but marvel. The existence of a transcendent was truly miraculous. She had only become a Pilgrim yesterday, yet at this moment, her mastery of combat techniques had already become exceptionally exquisite, as if she had studied this field for over a decade. This speed of improvement was enough to drive ordinary people who studied combat techniques to despair.
...
Although Duran Street was not bustling in the afternoon, it wasn't deserted either. People occasionally hurried across the wide street. Trash like paper cups and newspapers rolled along with the wind, while fallen leaves from the trees lay scattered along the edges of the road.
After Melanie led a large group of church personnel to the area, she immediately had people set up a barrier ritual. Her own gaze was fixed on a tavern not far away.
It was a Late-Night Tavern that did not open during the day, only opening its doors after nightfall. It looked quite ordinary, yet this was the Bloody Sickle hideout Cyril had revealed.
"Sister Melanie, the barrier is almost complete," a report came from beside her.
"Then begin dispersing the pedestrians. Once everyone is cleared out, immediately complete the final step of the barrier," Melanie instructed skillfully.
Whenever the church conducted operations in the city, setting up a barrier ritual was inevitable. This effectively avoided accidental injuries and prevented targets from escaping.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. With the church's involvement, bystanders did not dare to linger, and in the blink of an eye, the large street became cold and empty.
After confirming there were no unrelated personnel, the clergy setting up the barrier completed the final step. The invisible barrier was like an inverted bowl, covering the target tavern and the surrounding area.
Then, at Melanie's command, numerous church transcendents charged into the Late-Night Tavern!
...
An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
In the meditation room, after practicing combat for a while, Olivia murmured in her heart.
'Mirror, mirror, has Melanie returned?'
【Not yet.】
Olivia continued her practice, asking every half hour to ensure she understood the situation as soon as possible.
After all, she had some history with the Bloody Sickle, so she naturally needed to pay attention to information regarding this organization.
Four hours later.
'Mirror, mirror, has Melanie returned?'
【She has returned.】
Olivia's eyes lit up.
'Mirror, mirror, did Melanie return in victory or defeat?'
【She returned in victory.】
'Mirror, mirror, did she capture any transcendents from the Bloody Sickle?'
【Yes.】
'Mirror, mirror, how many people did Melanie capture in this operation?'
【A total of five people were captured.】
Five people—it didn't sound like many, but for a heretical organization, it wasn't a small number. Heretical organizations didn't have the church's resources; they couldn't recruit members on a large scale, and training transcendents was very inconvenient. Thus, their member count was never very high.
Olivia continued to ask for related news. Even though she was in the meditation room and hadn't stepped outside, she was perfectly clear about the intelligence of the entire Daylight Cathedral.
Upon inquiry, she learned that among the vampires captured this time, there was even a heretic whose class rank had reached Transcender. This was already considered a mid-level class rank transcendent.
These captured vampires were immediately sent to the interrogation room for questioning. However, as higher-ranking transcendents, they possessed tougher wills and resistance. It would likely be impossible to get anything out of them through special methods in a short amount of time.
So, before long, Melanie returned to the meditation room.
"Olivia," Melanie smiled as she entered. "I left the church just now to carry out an operation. I know you're very curious about it, so I can tell you the result: this operation was a great success."
"What exactly happened?" Olivia tried her best to make her expression look curious.
Although she already knew the situation through the magic mirror and wasn't curious at all, it would be too strange if she didn't act the part.
With a smile, Melanie leisurely recounted the operation, concluding with: "This should be the last of the Bloody Sickle members in Kaliron. Now that these fellows have been captured, your mission as bait is considered complete. Olivia, you can return to the monastery."
Olivia felt somewhat dazed upon hearing this. Without realizing it, she had already been away from the monastery for several days.
Her thoughts circled back to the present. "It is indeed time to go back. I still have many lessons to learn. Although it wouldn't hurt if I didn't, learning more is equivalent to increasing my strength in a roundabout way. I think it's necessary to learn."
Whether it was advancing her study of Sylvan Runes, making more complex talismans, or learning ritual layouts, everything seemed full of value to her.
For example, when dealing with the vampire Cyril earlier, if she hadn't had talismans, the process would have definitely been much more difficult. And her talismans were made by herself; if she didn't know how to make them, how could she ensure she had them available for any situation?
Therefore, knowledge was power!
"However, Deacon Ronan was the one who asked me to assist the church. If I'm leaving, I should go and tell him."
Olivia thought about the matter Ronan was in charge of. That matter seemed like it would end without a result as well, so she might be able to return to the monastery very soon.
Right, while going back, she had to find a way to contact the Rose Legion. Fiona Cortez had specifically come to contact her before, so they definitely wanted to communicate something. She couldn't just leave them hanging.
Leaving them hanging for a short while might be fine, but if she took too long and angered them, they might expose her identity as an undercover agent, which would be troublesome. When she met Fiona, she would have to pretend she was absolutely loyal to the Rose Legion...
After several questions flashed through her mind, Olivia thought of one more thing and looked at Melanie.
Rate on N.U.
