Chapter 565 The Volkovitch Family
[Main Church in the city of Svarograd in the southern part of the Novgorod Empire]
When Jeremiah heard Catherine's threat, he stepped back, but before he could retort, a messenger ran over to the three.
Natalia giggled when she saw her big sister tell off her useless husband and gave her a sweet smile.
But soon, the two women listened in to the messenger. ''My Holiness. All our subjects in Celesta City are gone. The soldiers dispatched said they couldn't even find a bird.''
When Catherine heard this, a smile appeared as she stood up and approached Natalia, who was still listening. She leaned in and whispered. ''It's the white dragon again. He must have done something to cause this reaction.''
The green-eyed woman nodded and stood up before speaking. ''Jeremiah, I will be going now. No need to wait around for me or Lysandra. I'll be taking her with me.''
Catherine grabbed her hand when she finished speaking, and the two vanished. The Pope wasn't bothered about the women and rushed into the church to figure out what had happened.
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[Natalia & Catherine Volkovitch's POV]
Meanwhile, Catherine and Natalia reappeared not far from Celesta City. The sisters walked toward the city while chatting. The red-eyed woman asked with a grin. ''Do you think it's the boy's doing? He seems to hate your husband.''
The younger sister, Natalia, sighed as she answered. ''Yes, most likely big sister. My husband has provoked him more than enough. I only recently learned that Jeremiah has been hunting him since the boy was thirteen.''
Catherine nodded. ''It's true. Your foolish husband has a vendetta against him for some reason, but there will be war if it doesn't stop. There is only so much he could do to the boy before he snaps and comes after all of us.''
They pressed on, moving until they reached the city, now eerily deserted. Catherine sensed nothing and detected no signs of life, while Natalia saw a lonely landscape with no visible movement.
The air in Celesta City was heavy with a bizarre silence as the Volkovitch sisters walked through the deserted streets. The once busy city now stood lifeless. Its former residents had vanished.
Natalia observed the empty surroundings with a furrowed brow, her green eyes scanning the buildings only to see nothing. It was strange experiencing a city that was once bustling with life to be devoid of anything.
Catherine, the elder Volkovitch sister with beautiful blood-red eyes, seemed unbothered. Instead, a knowing smile graced her lips. Her senses tingled as they ventured deeper into the city.
Though invisible to Natalia, the mana in the air was a symphony to Catherine's heightened senses. She halted and closed her eyes, a serene expression crossing her face. Natalia watched with curiosity as her sister connected with something beyond the visible.
Her body heated up, and her cheeks flushed when she felt the mana seeping into her body. It powered her up, but it was only minor and not worth it to someone as strong as her.
The older woman with silvery locks suddenly opened her eyes, radiating a glow as she smiled, "The lad's mana is simply exquisite, Nat. Focus on it, and allow the mana to course through your being. The sensation is beyond compare. I would love to absorb it from the source."
Natalia did as she said, feeling refreshed when the mana entered her body. She felt her body growing a little stronger, but only minimally. But it shocked her when it happened, and she looked at Catherine for answers.
But when she looked at her elder sister, Catherine had a lewd smile and was panting heavily, which shocked Natalila, who quickly shook her.
She came to and shook her head before apologizing. ''Sorry, baby sister. The mana is so pure that I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy. The boy is certainly different. I can't wait to meet him.''
When Natalia heard her, she sighed because she knew her older sister was a lost cause when she found something that caught her interest. She silently prayed for the boy's well-being when the two met.
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[Lysandra Volkovitch's POV]
Lysandra was a beautiful woman who stood close to six feet tall and was curvy like her mother, Natalia. The two would usually be mistaken for sisters as she was the spitting image of her mother, just with burgundy hair.
Her husband died in a church plot, which her aunt Catherine discovered and put an end to, but it was too late as he was poisoned, leaving her alone. She loved the man, but it was so long ago that she was starting to forget his appearance.
She ignored all things love and concentrated on raising her daughter Sofia, who was studying at the Novgorod Magic Academy. She is talented like her aunt and is the apprentice of the black witch who guards the capital, Vostov.
But she was due home for a holiday as the emperor declared it a bank holiday after Princess Yevdokiya Volkovitch recovered from a severe illness. Lysandra was worried about her distant relative even though the two hadn't spoken in years.
Lysandra ordered the maids to clean the mansion when her mother and aunt appeared in the main hall. A smile appeared on her face when she saw them, but when she saw Catherine's expression, she wondered what had happened.
The grey-haired woman rushed off after quickly greeting Lysandra, who giggled when her mother just stared at her aunt's back. With a shake of her head, Natalia spoke with an amused voice. ''That woman will suck that boy dry if they meet. He would have to be at least a demi-god to escape her clutches.''
''Mother, what happened out there? I felt you summon me, but I was busy preparing for Sofia's arrival from the academy.''
When Natalia heard this, she smiled when remembering her granddaughter and started speaking. ''I'll tell you later when your Father is ranting in his office. It will only anger the old man, which will cause him to attack again.''
Lysandra was confused before asking in a curious tone. ''Boy?''
She witnessed her mother sigh and didn't know what was wrong until she grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the living room. Lysandra let it happen as she was curious. Natalia entered a backroom.
The older woman ushered her daughter into a chair before handing her a recording crystal and commenting. ''Watch it, and you'll see Lysandra.''
The crystal was the size of a tennis ball and looked like a crystal. It uses mana to recreate scenes the holder is watching. She put it to her eyes, and a scene showed her a white-haired boy fighting with show church knights in a castle courtyard. Lysandra noticed she was young and worried for him.
But what she saw next shocked her. The boy changed into a half-dragon with claws, wings, and everything else before attacking the church knights.
'Why would they attack him? Even if he's a dragon he doesn't deserve that.' The burgundy-haired woman thought to herself.
Lysandra wasn't used to violence and didn't like it, but felt the boy was justified in defending himself against the knights. Natalia saw the look on her daughter's face and took the crystal from her.
When Natalia did that, she explained. ''You see, my lovely. Your Father has been attacking that boy for years, and his name is Archer Wyldheart. A banished noble who doesn't care for titles or wealth because he has his own. The Church of Light has been targeting him for three years now.''
After speaking, the grey-haired woman saw the worried look on her daughter's face and smiled when she remembered how caring her daughter was and reassured her. ''Lysandra, don't worry about the boy. He knows how to avoid your Father's schemes.''
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[The Pope's POV]
Jeremiah left his mansion and headed straight for Celesta City with his bodyguards, who were high-ranked church knights. He knew who did it and worried about the treasures he had hidden throughout the city.
The wealth generated in the city was one of the church's primary incomes, along with several other cities, making up the backbone of their wealth. But Jeremiah knew from rumors that Archer loved treasure and knew the banks in Celesta City couldn't stop him.
They took the church's only mana ship and flew over the continent's lush landscape. Jungels, forests, and woods passed by while the mountains were covered in their forests.
Most people who visited Verdantia were lost in its beauty. Thriving farmlands produced abundant food that fed the continent—forests and jungles where hunters roam. The central continent was thriving thanks to the mana that flowed through it.
But as the landscape passed by, they came upon a darkened city. The Pope ordered the mana ship to land so he could check on the aftermath. Jeremiah and the knights searched the town but found nothing. They found nothing worth it, and all the Church of Lights vaults were empty.
They returned to the Pope's residence, and he locked himself away. He ordered all the church cities to increase their security and make sure the white dragon couldn't rob them as well.
[If there are any mistakes, point them out, and I'll edit it. Thanks]
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l