The moon hung high in the night sky, its light shimmering on the still-snowy ground. In the stillness, a dark shadow slipped silently into the Wollaston family manor.
The estate was located in the Perpetual Resting Quarter under the jurisdiction of Bishop Marshall, quite a distance from the core area. Phil Gray arrived after midnight.
However, at this time, everyone in the manor should already be resting, which would give him a good opportunity to investigate.
The architecture of the manor is solemn and majestic, with sharp, angular roofs that stretch towards the sky like fangs. The windows of the houses are narrow and dark, through which cold winds blow from time to time, making a low, whistling sound. The trees planted in the garden are tall and gloomy, with only bare branches remaining due to the cold.
Phil Gray carefully navigated through a maze of alleyways and corridors, searching for anything suspicious.
Most of the rooms were already dark, but one two-story building was still lit, and two maids carrying lanterns and something were walking inside.
Phil Gray darted into their shadows and followed them into the small building.
“Your Highness, please don’t make things difficult for me. This is an important time for the selection of the Pope… I will have someone send you back to Twilight Snow City. Little Leya is still waiting for you there.”
"How dare you mention little Leah! Do you know what kind of life she's living in the palace? She's your daughter, the bishop's daughter! Now she has to pretend to be a servant's child, bullied by those naughty children. Can't you take responsibility as a father...?"
As soon as I stepped into the building, I heard Marshall arguing with a woman.
What they said was quite intriguing, and Phil Gray perked up his ears.
The maids' arrival temporarily ended their conversation. They opened what they were carrying, revealing gold and silver jewelry.
“Marshall! Do you think I would want these things?” the woman demanded, knocking the priceless jewels over her face.
The maids stood trembling in place, not daring to utter a sound.
Phil Gray, hiding in their shadows, seized the opportunity to see the princess's true face. She was tall, wearing a black cloak over a wine-red dress, with a deep-set face, looking to be around thirty years old, and exuding an air of elegance and nobility.
Twilight Snow City? That seems to be the capital of the Laimo Empire. Could this princess be a princess of the Laimo Empire?
So Marshall and the princess of the Lemo Empire are having an affair? The archbishop said the other day that he would never marry in order to better serve the gods, but it turns out he already has a child. Phil Gray never expected to be suddenly fed a piece of gossip as soon as he sneaked in.
“I know, but can you please consider me? These days are important for the papal selection. What exactly are you planning to do by coming at this time?” Marshall’s voice was cold and impatient.
"Can't I come at this time?"
"Or does your father know something?"
"Do we have to get involved in all that hypocritical politics? Can't I just come over and cheer you on?"
Marshall fell silent, then reassured her, "If you go back and take good care of Leya, I will be at ease. The carriage is ready and is right at the manor gate. You should set off now. When I become Pope, I will personally send someone to pick you and your daughter up."
"I'm not leaving. The papal selection will be over in a few days, won't it? I'll just wait for the results before I leave." The princess looked at him stubbornly, as if she had made up her mind.
Marshall stared at her intently, a fierce expression on his face turning his handsome and refined features into a sinister one. He raised his hand, conjuring a ball of black divine power, and a flicker of panic crossed the princess's beautiful face.
Phil Gray was also surprised. Was he going to lay a hand on the princess? This guy was too ruthless.
Marshall's black divine power transformed into a long sword. He flicked the blade lightly, and the two maids standing beside him suddenly collapsed to the ground, each with a bloody mark on their snow-white necks.
Phil Gray quickly disappeared into the shadows of the table. He patted his pounding heart. Good heavens, he almost got caught. The two maids were dead, lying on the ground. He couldn't hide in their shadows any longer.
"You! Marshall, are you threatening me?"
The princess frowned, her voice trembling slightly.
“No, they just shouldn’t know these things. Rebecca, you should leave now—” Marshall turned around, put his hands behind his back, and stopped looking at the princess.
Princess Rebecca gritted her teeth, gave him a deep look, and ran towards the door.
Phil Gray was a little puzzled; he didn't seem to have seen a carriage at the manor gate.
Marshall didn't even glance at the maid lying on the ground. He slowly walked down the stairs, and Phil Gray took the opportunity to hide in his shadow.
They walked through the dark along the longest path in the manor, at the end of which stood the manor gate, where Princess Rebecca stood with her back to the half-open door.
“I knew you hadn’t left yet, Rebecca. Trust me, I’ll have someone come and pick you up in a few days,” Marshall sighed and said to the woman.
"I just wanted to see you one last time. Take care. I'm leaving now." Rebecca's eyes curved slightly, leaving behind a dignified smile. Then, she lifted her skirt, turned around, and pushed open the door.
“I know you’ve come all this way to see me, but I…” Marshall’s mutterings made Phil Gray, who was in the shadows, roll his eyes.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the silence of the night.
Phil Gray quickly leaped out of the manor into the darkness, only to see a green-skinned zombie swallowing Rebecca's head whole.
In this emergency, he was no longer afraid of exposing himself and immediately drew his Blazing Sun Sword, plunging it directly into the zombie's body.
This zombie was only of the "attention level" caliber; it was instantly sliced in two by the Blazing Sun Sword, allowing Rebecca to escape from its gaping maw.
But it was too late; her head had already been devoured by the zombies and was now a bloody mess.
She made a weak sound and collapsed to the ground, but it was impossible to hear what she was saying.
"No! Rebecca!" Marshall walked forward blankly, completely ignoring Phil Gray beside him. He held Rebecca in his arms, watching blood gush from her mouth, and then closed his eyes in despair.
Phil Gray didn't bother pretending to be passing by; instead, he pointed his Blazing Sun Sword directly at Marshall: "There's no carriage at the door, so you lied to her? You sent this zombie? You never intended for her to leave? And the giant zombie that tried to assassinate me and Eli today was also your doing?"
Although they are different sizes, the little zombie that killed Princess Rebecca is exactly the same as the big zombie in every way, clearly they were raised by the same force!
“Shut up!” Marshall roared.
He stared blankly at the woman in his arms, and said in disbelief, "How could this be?"
Phil Gray narrowed his eyes. Was this person faking it or was there something else going on?
“I won’t allow you to go to the Abyss first! You should be taking care of our little Leya! You shouldn’t be going so soon! You’ve broken our promise…” Marshall stood up and shouted, “Who is it? Who is it!”
His loud voice startled the sleeping manor, and one by one the lights came on. However, before anyone else in the manor could come over, a patrol of undead knights appeared in front of them. Their speed caught Phil Gray completely off guard.
Thinking about Marshall's reaction just now, he frowned. Could there be something fishy about this?
“Bishop Marshall, what’s going on here?” The leading knight recognized him as their district’s bishop, a rising papal candidate. He stepped forward, bowed, and asked, looking at the woman in his arms whose face was indistinct.
“It’s nothing.” Marshall’s face twisted in pain as he stood up. “You guys go back to patrolling elsewhere. I’ll handle things here.”
The knight ignored him. After surveying the surroundings, he looked at the woman in Marshall's arms and asked with certainty, "Has an attack occurred here?"
"yes."
"The archbishop has instructed that any unexpected events in the city during the papal selection period must be reported to him to prevent people from other sects from infiltrating Gilga City and causing trouble. Do you mind if I report what's happening here to the archbishop?" The leader hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously.
Marshall glanced at him, clenched his fists, and his anger seemed to engulf everyone present.
Phil Gray strongly suspected that Marshall would have killed these people to silence them if he hadn't been there.
After all, for the Church of the Dead, killing someone is as simple as sending them home.
"Who sent you here?" Marshall moved swiftly, grabbing the leader by the neck, his eyes bloodshot as he asked viciously, "And who sent these zombies? You should know very well, right?"
The other undead knights were stunned. Why did their bishop of the Eternal Sleep District seem to have gone mad?
"Is it him?" Marshall asked, pointing to Phil Gray standing to the side.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com