Chapter 39 Allen: "Don't sleep tonight, we'll leave by carriage late at night..."
The boy turned around with a nonchalant air: "Let's get to know each other again. My name is Allen, and what are yours?"
After the danger had temporarily passed, he became quite at ease again.
"Catherine".
"Lucas."
After a brief introduction, the air gradually quieted down, and the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
Allen glanced at the spot they had just emerged from; clearly, they most likely wouldn't be able to get back. It would probably become the next hideout for those afflicted with the plague.
What should we do next?
Catherine shrugged. "Although the timing isn't ideal, there probably isn't another hotel in this town. We'll head to the next town."
“I’ll go with you!” Allen’s eyes lit up when he heard this.
Catherine: ?
"You're not from this hotel..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted: "Oh dear, actually I'm not an employee of this inn. I was on my way to the capital to find someone and was just passing through, asking to stay here for the night! The owner happened to be going back to hang up his laundry, so he asked me to watch the inn for a while... Who knew he would never come back. When I saw him again, he was already one of those things."
Allen pointed in the direction of the hotel, his face a mixture of frustration, anger, and helplessness at being ripped off.
Catherine and Lucas remained silent. The boy's initially extremely impatient tone suddenly became explained.
"Then... you also said that breakfast is limited every morning?" Lucas asked, somewhat puzzled.
It now seems that the hotel likely only had the two of them as guests, along with Allen, the "hotel staff."
Allen chuckled and scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment in his smile: "Oh dear, this is a 'limited' supply."
No matter how early they get up, they can always say that the limited breakfast is completely sold out.
Catherine: ...
Lucas: ...
Catherine was still reluctant to agree, but Allen said he could help as a driver, as he had been sleeping almost non-stop for the past few days and was already well-rested.
Catherine sensed her drowsiness but still agreed.
Anyway, we're just traveling together to the next town, not all the way to the capital city of Vilandall.
Allen left for a while, then brought back a carriage from somewhere and let Catherine and Lucas sit inside.
Once the carriage started moving, Catherine asked Lucas beside her in a low voice, "So you were looking for the witch because you hoped she could help you eradicate the widespread plague in your homeland?"
Lucas lowered his head dejectedly and nodded.
"But you should have guessed by now that I am not a witch. All along, I have been pretending to be a witch."
“But! The witch has been found, hasn’t she?” Lucas suddenly looked up, his eyes shining.
Catherine didn't reply. She didn't think the person in the Devil's Forest would be a kind-hearted person who would easily agree to other people's requests.
Every act of help offered by the witch comes at a price.
Catherine didn't continue the topic. She waved the bread in her hand at Lucas: "Luckily, the bag was there, so it didn't get dirty and is still edible. Do you want some?"
The hunger he had just ignored suddenly surged up, and after being hungry for so long, he even felt a burning sensation in his heart. Lucas quickly pulled a piece of bread out of the bag, ignoring its hardened texture from the cold, and took a big bite.
After a slightly bumpy ride in the carriage, they finally arrived at the next town just as dawn was breaking.
All three looked exhausted. Resting in the carriage was not as good as resting in the inn. Catherine, who was a light sleeper, hardly slept at all that night.
In these remote towns, entry checks were very lax. The guards glanced at them casually and let them into the town. It was still early, and every household had their doors and windows tightly shut; only a few chimneys were still working.
The three of them found a nearby hotel that was still open and booked three rooms through the staff. Allen paid for his own room, while Catherine paid for the remaining two rooms.
After getting the key, the three of them unlocked the door, went into the room, and lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep. When they woke up again, the sky outside was already tinged with the red of berries. Lucas sat at the foot of the bed, slumped over, touching his stomach.
"I'm so hungry..."
Catherine was amused by his appearance: "Let's go downstairs and see what we can eat."
They woke up at mealtime, and as they went downstairs, the aroma of freshly baked bread from the bakery next door filled the air, easily whetting their appetites.
How much are three loaves of bread?
"Oh, a copper coin, lady."
The shopkeeper smiled and accepted the money Catherine handed over, while Lucas next to him had already picked up a piece of bread from the bag and started eating it.
Catherine gracefully finished a piece of bread, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and looked ahead to Lucas, saying, "Don't sleep tonight, we'll leave by carriage late at night."
Lucas: "Huh?"
He raised his head in a daze and saw that Catherine had somehow walked over to one of the innkeepers and was asking him to hire a carriage for them. She explained that they needed it that night and asked him to get it done as soon as possible.
They heard thumping sounds coming down the stairs next to them. Catherine looked up and saw Allen walking towards them, looking like he had just had a good sleep.
"Hey! You guys just got back from outside? What delicious food did you bring?"
Catherine smiled calmly: "I just got back and bought some bread."
After saying that, he handed over the bag, and the last piece of bread was reserved for Allen.
Allen was clearly touched: "Wow! You're so kind..."
He completely ignored Lucas, who was standing to the side, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
White steam rose slowly from the chimneys of the bakeries on the street, gradually dissipating, and the sky dimmed. As dark clouds devoured the beautiful sunset, everything slowly grew quiet.
Late at night, when almost everyone was asleep, Catherine gently pushed open Lucas's door.
The moonlight seeping in from outside the door gently swept over Lucas, who was sitting blankly on the bed, and his eyes lit up in that instant.
Catherine beckoned, and he jumped out of bed, picked up his already packed bundle, and tiptoed out the door.
As Catherine settled into the carriage, the copper coins in her pocket jingled melodiously with her movements. She was quite pleased with herself, knowing that these were the coins she had saved by successfully bargaining with the shopkeeper.
"Are we really not going to wait for Allen?" Lucas's voice came weakly from outside as he drove the carriage.
"What are we going there for?" Although she knew he couldn't see, Catherine couldn't help but glance in that direction. "Aren't you going to rescue someone? Are you sure you want to take him with you?"
To put it nicely, it's a rescue mission; to put it bluntly, it's two people storming the Vatican, a highly dangerous undertaking. Bringing an extra person means taking on more risk. Moreover, if they're unlucky and Benson has already passed the trial, they'll have to go straight for a prison break.
Upon hearing this, Lucas completely lost any desire to object.
Saving Uncle Benson was the more important thing to him.
The night was deep, and on the quiet street, only one horse-drawn carriage was moving along, clattering along.
-
The longer Benson stays in the Vatican, the harder it will be for them to rescue him.
Seeing Lucas's barely concealed worry, Catherine remained silent. For the next few days, they traveled almost day and night, with Lucas and Catherine taking turns driving the carriage. Finally, on the fourth night, they arrived in the capital, Duis.
After randomly choosing an inn and returning the carriage, the two men, dressed in black robes, decided to rest for a while and make a plan before going to visit their friend (to rescue him) and steal his book.
Duis City truly lives up to its reputation as the capital of Vilander City; even though they arrived late and past mealtime, the streets were still packed with people.
In her hotel room, Catherine glanced casually out the window. Below, crowds gathered at each stall, looking at the items on the shelves and asking the vendors about prices when they found something they liked. After a while, Catherine grew bored and turned back to the papers spread out on the table.
The map drawn on it was a map of the Papacy from her memory. Lucas also added some places that the nun couldn't go to, based on his memories of accompanying his master to the Papacy when he was a servant in the Hazlitt family.
“This is the general layout of the Vatican; I’ve drawn most of the areas. Like… here, here, and—here.” Catherine pointed to the places she was referring to, “These are the places Benson is most likely to be. You should pray that he is indeed in one of these three positions.”
Lucas instinctively asked, "Why?"
"Because if he is not in one of these three places, it means that the sins he committed are very serious in the eyes of the Vatican. Where he might be is beyond my knowledge."
"That means you'll need to search for him place by place, taking more than twice as long as originally planned. My task is just to help the witch steal books. If I complete my task but you still haven't rescued Benson..."
Catherine looked at Lucas and said very seriously, "I will not wait for you. You will be alone, facing the entire Holy See's guard."
"You're sure to die in there." This is a statement of fact.
Lucas knew perfectly well that Catherine was not lying.
When that time really comes, she will decisively choose to abandon herself.
Along the way, they had developed a slight familiarity, but this familiarity was not enough for Catherine to choose to take the risk.
Lucas nodded solemnly: "I understand. But I still want to try."
Catherine raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and from then until she entered the Papacy, she never tried to persuade Lucas again. She had already said what needed to be said; this was a decision Lucas had made after careful consideration.
She will respect this decision.
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