A Conversation with the Nun

Field had noticed before that the Mini-Map did not display Chosen Ones who had already entered a contract. Even if Ashina did not conceal her aura, he could not find a symbol representing her on the Mini-Map.

If they had not entered a contract, the Mini-Map marked their location.

But once they did, they disappeared.

"No wonder I've been so lucky. It turns out a beautiful nun has been praying for me." Field spouted nonsense without batting an eye. The Church had never helped him in any way, and Ashina was not a Holy Light Chosen One, but a demihuman Winter Chosen One. He slowly stepped forward and asked with a courteous smile, "Did you seek out my pioneering expedition specifically to preach?"

"Not only for that, honored Baron Field. We hope to work with you." Elisa clasped her hands together, her immense, soft mounds swaying as her arms squeezed them together. She looked both seductive and holy.

The sight left Field a little dazzled. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Please elaborate."

"Our mission has always been salvation and purification, Baron Field. You are isolated and without support in the Nightfall Territory, constantly facing the threat of the dead, and your subjects are lost lambs as well. However, the Church can establish a church in your Nightfall Territory, along with a garrison camp for our warriors. I believe this is an excellent proposal that would ease the burden of defending your lands."

Though Elisa spoke in a highly persuasive tone, the longer Field listened, the stranger it sounded. If he had not been so good at controlling his expression, his brows would have twisted into knots long ago.

Isn't this just stationing fucking troops on my land? As they say, inviting a god in is easy; sending one away is hard.

With a chest that big-no, damn it, with a third-tier Chosen One like you planted in my territory, the whole place would probably become yours in an instant.

Besides, the Church had not given Field the slightest support when he first went to the Nightfall Territory.

Now that he had secured a foothold, the Church had caught the scent and come running. Shameless.

"I'm sorry, but I must refuse. In truth, we haven't established a firm foothold at all. If you wish to help, gold coins and Mist-Driving Lamps will do. My subjects and I will certainly pray every night, praising the Goddess's grace."

"In that case, we can discuss it later." Elisa wore a pitifully aggrieved expression.

Great!

Discussing it after we screw wouldn't be out of the question.

Field patted his head, driving those stray thoughts away.

"By the way, Sister Elisa, where are you headed? Perhaps we could travel together for a while. You could even ride in a carriage," Field suggested shamelessly. If they agreed, he could lead them straight into one mass of corpses after another, freeloading off a Chosen One's combat strength to clear out all the gathered corpse monsters in the Nightfall Territory.

Of course, if they wanted to visit his camp, that was out of the question.

Elisa could have figured out Field's intentions with the tips of her white-stockinged toes. She immediately refused. "There's no need to travel together. Purifying monsters is itself a trial and an ascetic practice the Goddess has set for us. Thank you for your kindness."

Field pursed his lips. "What a shame. Speaking of which, are you going to the Northern Frontier Province just to destroy monsters?"

"That is part of the reason, but our main purpose is to recover lost divine artifacts." Elisa traced a strange pattern over her chest, sadness spilling into her gaze. "To repel the orc invasions and save corrupted living beings, the Church has sent out armies and Chosen Ones many times. Many of our sisters died in the Northern Frontier Province. As divine emissaries, we have a duty to recover their artifacts and keep them from falling into filth."

After a Chosen One died, their soul and divine power remained in their weapon, forming a divine artifact. However, these artifacts also degraded over time, eventually turning into a handful of sand.

"Our route will not take us through the Nightfall Territory, so we appreciate the offer, but must decline."

"How many divine artifacts are there in the Northern Frontier Province? Are there any in the Nightfall Territory?" Field's eyes sparkled. Noticing Elisa's displeased expression, he adopted a compassionate tone. "Oh, I mean perhaps I could help you search for them. If I find any, you could simply exchange more Mist-Driving Lamps and Purification Potions for them."

"Thank you for your kindness, but we cannot meet either of your requests. The divine artifacts belong to the God of Holy Light, and Mist-Driving Lamps and Purification Potions are not mass-produced either. They use the Holy Light Chosen One's... um, in any case, production is very limited."

Field refused to give up. "So, do you have the coordinates of any of the Empire's divine artifacts? Are there any in the Nightfall Territory?"

"I don't know, Baron Field. I still hope to establish a church in the Nightfall Territory." Elisa was beginning to realize how difficult Field was to deal with, but she refused to give up either. Her gentle hands grasped his arm, and then something even softer pressed against him, like a cushion of wind with considerable resistance, enveloping him in the beauty of nature.

"That day will come. Once my pioneering expedition has secured a foothold and can just about sustain itself, I'll be sure to let you know."

Field shamelessly continued enjoying himself while ruthlessly dangling an empty promise before Elisa. He worried that refusing too firmly might get him killed, though the likelihood of that was zero.

The Church's influence had been declining in recent years, and the great empires were all doing their utmost to free themselves from it. If the Church started attacking nobles on top of that, it would probably be finished immediately.

The two talked for ages without reaching even the slightest agreement.

"Pick out fifty strong slaves and issue them spears. We're entering the Gray Fog." After loudly announcing his orders, Field mounted his warhorse again and inclined his head slightly toward Elisa from the saddle. "Farewell, charming Sister."

"Farewell." With her long legs, Elisa mounted her warhorse effortlessly. "May the holy light protect you."

Returning to the Nightfall Territory was no easy task. With the slaves and prisoners included, the party numbered roughly three hundred and fifty, making an encounter with a Corpse Tide highly likely.

Things went just as Field had expected. The moment they entered the Northern Frontier Province, the unwieldy transport convoy came under relentless attack.

Corpse ghouls roared as they emerged from ruins, corrupted forests, and the soil itself, charging toward them with hideous faces.

"Goddess! What am I seeing? Devils in the flesh!" Tate wore exactly the same expression as the slaves. In a panic, they looked back, trying to find a way home, but all they could see was gray haze stretching up to the sky.

Tate had a creeping suspicion: I've been fucking had.

He had heard before that the Northern Frontier was full of monsters and death, but had never taken it seriously. Such abstract ideas could not compare with the shock of seeing it firsthand.

Yet Tate immediately shut his mouth, and not because he had nerves of steel.

Shing!

The "black knights" beside Field drew their cavalry sabers in unison. More terrifying still, the blades did not gleam. They were coated in reddish-brown dried blood and yellow-white grease.

No more than two days!

Drawing on his years of experience managing death-row prisoners, Tate could tell at a glance that those blades had recently cut people down-and their wielders would not mind cutting down a few more things.

"Slaves, stay orderly! Don't run off!" Tate did not dare stick his neck out. As he calmed the slaves, he cast a worried glance at his family's carriage.