Chapter 23: The Nun and the Harpy

The Nun ventured beyond the village, stepping into lands claimed by demons, until she reached the base of a picturesque, deep mountain.

“It’s going to be a long climb…”

As the Nun fretted over the daunting height of the mountain, a woman suddenly materialized before her, seemingly dropping from above.

The term ‘materialized’ was apt, for the woman hadn’t approached by running; rather, her descent was quite unusual. She had simply leaped down from a height, landing gracefully and steadily on her feet.

“Who are you?” the woman demanded, her voice chilling. The Nun’s first thought was that this stranger wielded magic, followed immediately by an overwhelming impression of her beauty.

Her skin was as white as snow, untouched by cosmetics, and her brows, though untrimmed, curved like the feathers of a kingfisher. A crimson lip perfectly framed her face, and just moments before, as she held her words, her presence had been as delicate as a phantom orchid.

Her neck was flawlessly white and elegantly rounded, as if sculpted from soft jade. Her waist was slender, wrapped like fine silk, and her teeth were perfectly aligned, like a string of small seashells.

Her figure, including her long, slender, jade-like legs, was undeniably exquisite—not merely in the central continent, but arguably unmatched throughout the entire world.

Never had the Nun encountered such breathtaking beauty. While she stared, utterly captivated, her subconscious mind still prompted her to greet the stranger.

“H-hello! I’m a Nun from the nearby village… Big Sister, where are you from?”

Instinctively, the Nun sensed that while the woman before her radiated hostility, there was no true malice. It had been a long time since she’d encountered someone like that.

“From the village… What are you doing here?” The oppressive aura, so close, hadn’t diminished in the slightest. The two stood opposite each other, like a tiger confronting a small rabbit.

The Nun felt a tremor of fear, yet she knew precisely why she had come. She would not flinch, nor would she evade the issue.

“Demons are lurking outside the village, and everyone there is terrified, so they pushed me out as a sacrifice…”

“Who said anything about a sacrifice?” The woman’s thoughts at that moment were: ‘I haven’t heard of such an arrangement. It’s unlikely anyone would deliberately keep it from me.’ Unaware of the other’s internal musings, the Nun proceeded to recount everything she knew, without omitting a single detail.

At this, the woman finally understood. “Even the lower-tier demons, those with less intelligence, are smarter than the people in your village!” Her statement was a bit harsh; lower-tier demons weren’t *that* bad. At the very least, they wouldn’t commit the idiotic act of presenting rabbit meat as tribute to a rabbit.

“Big Sister, do you mean the demons don’t need me as a sacrifice?” The Nun’s interpretation was perfectly correct, and in the woman’s eyes, this was a person of considerable wisdom. The main reason for this assessment was that she had just had her perception of humanity’s intellectual baseline thoroughly shattered by a group of utter fools. Compared to those idiots, the woman even felt the young girl before her was so intelligent her mind glowed.

“You’ve come all this way for nothing. Before you waste any more time, go home.” With that, the woman turned to leave. Her movement was only halfway complete when the Nun grabbed her arm.

“Thank you, Big Sister, for telling me this.” She had specifically stopped the woman just to express her gratitude. Whether she said ‘thank you’ or not was irrelevant; the crucial point was: The woman stared silently at the Nun, who, after a moment of stunned realization, understood she had done something improper.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you.” The Nun quickly released her grip and apologized. The woman before her merely shot her a sidelong glance.

“Don’t do pointless things. Go back quickly.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Big Sister… but I still can’t go home!”

The foot she had lifted returned to the ground. The woman turned sideways, raised a hand, and lifted the human’s chin before her. Though the gesture carried a hint of flirtation, the woman harbored no such intent; it was merely an action to express her displeasure: “So, all my words were for naught, were they?”

Fear.jpg (Nun Edition). It was akin to a tiger baring its fangs at a small rabbit; the emotional state of the weaker party was not difficult to imagine in the slightest.

“I-I’m sorry, but based solely on Big Sister’s words, there’s no guarantee that things are exactly as you say.”

“You doubt me!?” The fingers gripping her chin began to exert pressure. It hurt, intensely! Yet, not entirely overwhelmed by the pain and the other’s imposing aura, the Nun stubbornly held to her original stance: “I don’t know where Big Sister comes from, but you are human, and it’s impossible for a human to fully understand the minds of demons.”

“Who said I was human!?” The Nun had intended her words to placate the other, never expecting to hear such an astonishing declaration. “Big Sister isn’t… human?”

Seeing with one’s own eyes proved more effective than any explanation. As magic coalesced, a black whirlwind erupted from beneath the woman’s feet; when the dark wind fully formed, it enveloped its creator entirely. Then, as the magical energy surged within her, the woman’s appearance began to shift; one could say she was transforming into her true form.

As the wind dispersed, the demoness stood revealed before the observer! The outer sides of her arms were covered in magnificent feathers; even with visible wings, her slender, delicate hands remained. It was as if, with her wrists as the dividing line, one being possessed both wings and hands simultaneously. Her thighs remained unchanged, but her calves had transformed into tarsi, and her jade-like feet had become avian talons—three white digits, two forward and one back. Behind her were crimson tail feathers; other parts of her body remained as before.

The Nun understood. What she now faced was a demon with an appearance remarkably similar to a human. A Harpy—that was what people typically called them!

This type of demon possessed a figure far more alluring than most human women; and among her own kind, the one before the Nun was exceptionally well-proportioned, perfect in every regard. While Harpies typically favored daring attire, exceptions existed in every race. The ‘Big Sister’ the Nun had addressed was precisely that rare exception. Both before and after her transformation, she had kept her chest tightly swathed in clothing; her legs, while in human form, had been deliberately concealed beneath fabric. Indeed, her modest dress could only be rivaled by the Nun’s own everyday habit.

“Have you ever seen a human like me?” The Harpy raised her proud head, deliberately showcasing her current form to the observer. “Yes, Big Sister is a demon; I understand that now…” To have finally met someone who harbored no malice towards her, only to discover they weren’t even human, left the Nun feeling a pang of sadness.

“Now that you know I’m a demon, leave this place at once. Don’t wander around here.” The Harpy’s emphasis lay on the latter part of her warning: “Otherwise, if anything happens, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” She had said enough, but the Nun was exceptionally stubborn.

“I won’t leave! I need to see the leader of the demons here.”

“Oh?”

“Is there a problem? Ah, could it be that Big Sister is the leader?” The Nun seemed utterly oblivious to the blunder she had just made. Towards this fearless little rabbit, the Harpy was growing somewhat annoyed.

This time, she didn’t pinch the Nun’s chin; she pinched her cheek instead. The smooth cheek molded into various shapes in the Harpy’s grasp. Facing the demon, the Nun felt no fear at this moment. The terror had been so intense that she had become numb to it…

“Don’t get carried away! I haven’t harmed you because there’s no need, but I won’t guarantee that will always be the case.”

“I know Big Sister is kind to me. If I’ve angered you, then please, do what you must.” It was precisely because of the Harpy’s attitude towards her that the Nun spoke thus: “If I am to die by Big Sister’s hand, I accept it! This outcome wouldn’t be bad for me at all!”

What an utterly foolish person, to risk her own life so carelessly. After surveying the little idiot from head to toe, the Harpy let out a snort. “What do you want with my boss?”

“Even if Big Sister isn’t the leader, you’re still one of the demons in this area, right?”

“Otherwise, where do you think I’m from? Stop prattling and answer quickly.”

“To prevent your boss from harming the village where I live, I wish to communicate with them.”

“You’re so fond of the villagers who pushed you out as a sacrifice?”

“No, I don’t care what happens to the villagers.”

“Then why are you doing this…?”

“The village is where I live. If it’s destroyed, I’ll be homeless!”

That was a good answer. Her actions weren’t for others, but for herself. While the Harpy didn’t particularly care for the Nun as a person, she appreciated her response! For this reason, the Harpy’s tone softened slightly in her subsequent words.

“Rest assured, we have no intention of causing destruction.” The reason was simple: “Such a strenuous endeavor would yield no benefit.”

“Thank you, Big Sister, for saying that. But you’re not the boss, you can’t speak for all demons… Ow, ow, ow!” The Harpy was attempting ‘extreme stretching’ (literally): seeing how long she could pull the foolish face before her without using magic or causing permanent damage. After her torment, the Harpy released the Nun and stepped back.

“Little idiot, wait here. I’ll go report to the boss and let her decide your fate.” With a push of her talons, the Harpy flapped into the sky, circling against her flight path. After a few feathers drifted down, her figure vanished from the Nun’s sight. The Nun then rubbed her face for a while.

“I hope to meet a kind leader! If they won’t listen to me…” The Nun tightly clutched the iris pendant worn by clergy around her neck, closing her eyes and murmuring, “If I don’t survive today… then Papa, Mama, and my brother, our family can all be reunited on the other side!” The Nun waited patiently in place, utterly unaware of the experiences that awaited her.

When the Harpy met the leader, her tone sounded somewhat cheerful: “I encountered a human girl. A bit foolish, but foolish in an interesting way.” Hearing this, the leader stroked her chin, her expression one of apparent surprise at the words. “It would be a pity to send this person back…” After a brief deliberation, the Harpy finally made up her mind. This was not an impulsive decision, but a thought that had been carefully considered and ultimately retained. “Let’s just keep her here!” How to describe it? It truly was an intriguing proposition.