Losa didn't stay in the Holy Sepulchre Cathedral for long before leaving.

Archbishop William already owed him a favor, and now he needed something from him again.

Therefore, after just a few questions about Urding, he agreed to incorporate him into Jerusalem's priesthood system, with the rank of parish priest, more than enough to oversee a barony's parish.

The theft of the werewolf's corpse didn't concern Losa much; he merely ordered a search within the city for the traces of the Turkic people seen that day.

His intuition told him it was definitely related to those Turkic people.

The talent he shared with Hans wasn't werewolf transformation but beast intuition.

On the battlefield, unless absolutely necessary, he would never transform into a werewolf to fight in front of everyone.

So, beast intuition was far more useful to him than the former.

"When searching for the Turks, be on guard and remember my instructions to you—self-preservation comes first. Father Urding, come back to the royal palace with me to meet His Majesty."

Winged Cavalry Urding asked, "Sir, aren't you going to lead the search for that 'holy object' yourself?"

Losa chuckled, "Heh, the one who should be anxious isn't us. I've done enough by cleaning up their mess."

It's Archbishop William who should be anxious. It is said that a few days ago, he had assessed the werewolf's corpse as a "holy object" and sent a messenger to the Pope.

This was supposed to be an inspiring event.

But soon after, the "holy object" was stolen, which could potentially mean that Archbishop William's solid plans to succeed as the "Patriarch" might fall through.

Since Jerusalem City was under lockdown, heavily guarded, those Turks with distinct foreign features were unlikely to leave Jerusalem any time soon.

So Losa planned to hold off Archbishop William, perhaps obtaining a special exemption from all burdensome taxes in his territory from him.

In Jerusalem, only a few church organizations and knight orders had this privilege.

Don't be fooled by Jorgelisburg's current low income; once the war ends and the industries Losa plans to invest in get underway, the tax exemptions would be significant.

On the way back to the royal palace.

A woman clad in a black robe stood right in the middle of the street, facing the swiftly approaching warhorse, and yet she showed no intention of dodging.

With just one glance, Losa felt an intense sense of oppression emanating from the woman.

"Stay alert!"

Losa reined in the warhorse.

Urding silently wrapped the golden chain from the Bible around his fist.

Though Urding was not a combat attendant, he was skilled in equestrian skills and had attributes far superior to ordinary people. Even Losa, without using his borrowed talent, might not be his match.

If a fight broke out, he'd be a strong ally.

The woman in the black robe was wrapped tightly all over, with a black veil covering her face, revealing only her turquoise-like eyes, showing no fear of getting sick in the scorching heat.

"Heh, a rare warlock and another who possesses some special power, no wonder you could defeat a werewolf, Baron Losa,"

The woman spoke.

Her voice was hoarse, and her speech carried a noble Greek accent.

"A witch?"

Losa drew his armed sword, his expression cold, "You realize this is Jerusalem, and I have quite a few subordinates equipped with demon-blocking gold weapons."

The woman chuckled lightly, "Lord Baron, you need not be on guard; I bear you no malice."

Losa shouted, "If you mean no harm, stop concealing your identity like this!"

"Very well."

The witch said, tearing off her black robe to reveal a stunning figure dressed in a green bodice, exposing a snow-white slender waist underneath.

She spread her hand to show a badge depicting a soaring double-headed eagle: "I am Anna of the Ducas Family, also the Empire's noble Purple Robe Princess, and another identity as the Empire's regent, Barcelona, the most devout lady Augusta La Gaia's royal advisor."

Currently, in Europe, only the Eastern Empire used the double-headed eagle emblem.

"So, it is the esteemed Eastern Empire's royalty."

Losa nodded slightly, considering it a gesture of respect. The beast intuition did not sound an alarm, confirming that she indeed bore no malice.

However, the alertness in his heart did not diminish in the slightest.

A powerful witch could completely mislead a werewolf's beast intuition.

As for the Ducas Family, it should be said that it was the former royal family of the Eastern Empire, before the Komnenos Family came to power. Due to their marital connection with the Komnenos Family, they never faded from the Eastern Empire's political stage.

Empress Ragaya also came from this family, so there's often speculation that the Ducas Family might reclaim the throne.

Losa spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, "May I know the purpose of your visit, esteemed lady, to personally visit a small baron like myself?"

Witch Anna smiled, "Lady Ragaya instructed me to form the Levant Witch Association, inviting various magic casters to join. The association is in its infancy; I heard of a baron in Jerusalem capable of killing werewolves, so I thought of coming to see if I could recruit."

"Heh, you jest, as you said, I am a warlock, joining a so-called Witch Association would make me a laughingstock."

"The Witch Association is just what we call ourselves; the association naturally does not exclude the admission of warlocks. We named it that simply because the number of men with magical talent is so few. If there were enough warlocks, not so many witches would devote themselves to secular monarchs for love."

"Compared to mortals' short lives, witches also prefer their partners to gain immortality."

Losa asked in confusion, "Why is that? Does magical talent differ between genders?"

Indeed, it's bewildering.

Anna puffed her chest slightly and hummed, "How would I know? Perhaps it's the Creator's compensation for our monthly bleeding."

"The patrolling soldiers are coming soon. Lord Baron, if you don't mind, we can find another place to talk."

Losa shook his head, "No, I very much mind."

Anna frowned, "Am I that frightening? Look at me, man, with my looks, in the whole of Jerusalem, besides your covert king, no one would refuse to get intimate with me."

Losa's expression darkened, warning her, "Do not insult the monarch I serve; the consequences will be severe."

"Heh, quite the loyal servant."

Anna, unperturbed, quickened her speech, "Then I'll be brief. Henry Caesar is building a Wizard Tower, recruiting magic casters en masse, and enrolling talented apprentices. His ambitions are apparent; everyone knows he aims to unify the magic realm!"

Henry Caesar is what the Eastern Empire calls the emperor of the Great Germania Empire.

"So, you intend to do the same as your Barcelona, Empress Ragaya?"

Anna smiled, "Indeed, but this is merely a response to Henry Caesar's actions. We won't mandate the inclusion of casters. Comparatively, our organization is looser and less binding."

"What are the benefits of joining you?"

"Of course, there are. The Empire Library's collections far surpass what individual casters can explore alone. Even if you don't wish to renounce your title to study at the Association's headquarters, you can still spend contributions to obtain resources and information you seek from the Association."

Anna smiled, "How about it, tempting, isn't it?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.