Night

Rain poured in torrents, lightning flashed, and thunder roared.

Rumble...!!

Hearing the thunder outside, the Novice Priestess, who had been cleaning the temple, immediately shuddered.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing the Novice Priestess's pale face, the nun beside her looked at her uneasily. The Novice Priestess gave a wry smile.

"I-I'm just afraid of thunder..."

As she spoke, the Novice Priestess lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry. This is the Lady of the Lake's convent."

Seeing the Novice Priestess like this, the nun reached out and patted her shoulder.

"The Lady of the Lake is protecting us, so there's nothing to worry about."

"B-but..."

As she spoke, the Novice Priestess looked uneasily out the window.

"I heard there have been signs of Necrotic Beings nearby lately... I'm a little worried..."

"..."

Hearing this, the nun also fell silent. For ordinary people like them, who possessed no fighting ability whatsoever, praying for the goddess's protection was the only thing they could do. But how long could that last?

Bang—!!

At that moment, the temple doors behind them suddenly flew open. Startled by the sound, the two turned around to see a tall black figure striding inside. He wore an enormous cloak, his entire body covered in pitch-black armor. Two crimson lights glowed from the eyes of his grotesque and sinister helmet.

"W-who are you!?"

The Novice Priestess and the nun recoiled in fright, hurriedly taking two steps back. Then they saw the terrifying Knight spread his right hand and sweep aside his cloak. A white-haired girl dressed in lavish clothing, like a noble young lady, stepped out from beneath it. She merely raised her head, glanced at the two women, then withdrew her gaze and quietly stood to the side.

"May I ask... who you two are...?"

Perhaps the white-haired girl's appearance had calmed them somewhat. After hesitating, the nun stepped forward and asked in a trembling voice.

"..."

The Black Knight pointed at his chest. Only then did the Novice Priestess and the nun notice the emblem of a Holy Grail there. Seeing that mark and sensing the Lady of the Lake's presence upon it, both women were shocked and hurriedly lowered their heads.

"Lord Grail Knight!"

"No need for all that."

Duanmu Huai waved off their salute.

"I'm only here to retrieve something... Who manages this convent? I need to speak with her in person."

"Ah, I'll go get the Mother Superior right away!"

Hearing Duanmu Huai's words, the nun froze for a moment before hurriedly replying. Then she quickly turned and left the temple. The Novice Priestess hesitated, then took out a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to him.

"Um... Lord Knight, please wipe off the rainwater..."

"It's fine. This armor is waterproof, so don't worry about it."

Duanmu Huai declined the Novice Priestess's kindness, then looked around.

"Come to think of it, your security here is awfully weak. On my way here, I didn't see a single guard."

"Huh?"

The Novice Priestess tilted her head in confusion at Duanmu Huai's words.

"Really? But I remember the convent having lots of guards. Did everyone go shelter from the rain because of the weather?"

"Hm?"

Hearing her answer, Duanmu Huai's eyes flickered. He looked around again. The next moment, the case behind him opened, and a Recon Servo-skull flew out.

"Eek—!"

Seeing the white skull hovering in midair, the Novice Priestess jumped in fright.

"L-Lord Knight, what is that thing...?"

"..."

Duanmu Huai did not answer her question. He swiftly glanced at the map floating before him, and his expression changed.

"Damn! Follow me!!"

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai gripped his Warhammer and charged out of the temple, with Okegis close behind. The Novice Priestess was left at a loss, but she still forced herself to follow them.

Passing through the temple, they reached the convent's rear courtyard. It was utterly silent. Only the patter of rain echoed through the corridors. Rainwater streamed down from the eaves like waterfalls, as if the entire convent had been submerged. Everything around them was swallowed in darkness, and they could barely see anything.

"W-what's going on?"

Having followed Duanmu Huai and Okegis outside, the Novice Priestess was startled by the sight before her. She remembered that when she had gone to clean the temple earlier, the nearby rooms had all been lit. Yet now, the surroundings were pitch-black, without a single sound...

Duanmu Huai strode forward and shoved open a nearby door. Illuminated by the white searchlight, the room was empty. Only an extinguished oil lamp sat on the table, with several pieces of clothing beside it, as though the room's owner had merely stepped out for a moment.

"Where are they?"

The Novice Priestess saw the situation inside as well. She did not even have time to be astonished by the glowing thing beside Duanmu Huai's head before she was stunned by the scene before her.

"Where's the Mother Superior?"

"S-she should be in her own room..."

"Lead the way!"

"Ah, y-yes...!"

The Novice Priestess now understood that the situation was urgent. She hurried forward, with Duanmu Huai and Okegis following behind her. They passed through dark corridors filled with nothing but the sound of rain and arrived on the other side.

"It's this way. The Mother Superior's room is just past here...!"

As she walked, the Novice Priestess turned to explain it to Duanmu Huai. But as she rounded the corner, she suddenly collided with someone. Looking up, she saw that it was none other than the nun who had separated from her earlier.

"Ah, you're here! Thank goodness. Where did everyone go? Where's the Mother Superior?"

Seeing someone she knew, the Novice Priestess breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked. Yet to her surprise, the nun, who would normally answer her with a smile, did not respond. Instead, she let out an incoherent roar, then suddenly lowered her head and lunged at the Novice Priestess like a wild beast, jaws snapping!

"Huh?"

The sight was so far beyond the Novice Priestess's expectations that she could not even react. She could only stare blankly as the other woman's mouth split wide open, sharp teeth reeking of blood rushing toward her—then her vision suddenly went black.

Clang!!

Duanmu Huai reached out and blocked the nun in front of the Novice Priestess. The nun's gaping jaws clamped down hard on his Power Armor, shattering a large number of teeth. Duanmu Huai then grabbed her head with his backhand and slammed it violently against the wall. Her skull burst like a watermelon, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere. Yet even then, the nun did not give up. Instead, she raised both hands and clawed at Duanmu Huai again.

At the same time, Duanmu Huai had already drawn his Warhammer.

Boom!!!

With a thunderous flash of lightning, the nun was blasted backward, charred black and smoking. She did not move again.

"Th-this, this..."

Everything had happened so suddenly that the Novice Priestess did not know how to process it. However, Duanmu Huai gave her no time to think. He grabbed her and marched straight to the end of the corridor, then shoved open the door—blood was splattered everywhere inside, yet not a single corpse was in sight.

"Urgh... Aah..."

At the same time, waves of agonized moaning echoed through the passageway. Everyone turned to look and saw dozens of swaying figures appear behind them, blocking the three of them in.

"I hate this kind of plot development the most!"

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai could not help grumbling as he gripped his Warhammer.

"Hey, are you ready? We're breaking out!"