Several days later, after another batch of towns fell under attack by the Black Nightmare Army, considerable panic had already spread within The Church.
"Where the hell are they hiding?"
The bishop stood in the Meditation Room of St. Peter's Cathedral, looking utterly haggard, the hollows beneath his eyes far deeper than before. The Black Nightmare Army's disappearance had already frustrated them enough. Yet after all this time, they had searched every place they could think of and found nothing. Meanwhile, right beneath their noses, attacks continued to strike all across the kingdom, as if the enemy were mocking their incompetence.
Yet he could not even summon any anger. All that remained was profound bewilderment.
How was this possible?
They had carefully studied the cities attacked by the Black Nightmare Army, trying to uncover some clue, but... the more they investigated, the more chilling it became. From the kingdom's eastern border to its central regions, the Black Nightmare Army appeared back and forth with astonishing frequency, seemingly crossing the hundreds of kilometers in between with ease in just a few hours.
That was impossible... at least, it was not something a human army could accomplish in his understanding. Coupled with the Black Nightmare Army's uncanny comings and goings, the bishop even felt as though they were facing an army of ghosts.
"We have searched everywhere. There are no signs of them making camp, and we have scarcely even found traces of marching," the Paladin reported from his knees. "Unless they are hiding underground, no one could accomplish this."
"Underground? What underground place could hide an entire army?"
"...I don't know."
The bishop could not help closing his eyes and pressing a hand to his forehead. He felt that this was probably the only possibility, but if the Black Nightmare Army