Chapter 16: An Unsettling Reunion in Savigny Village

A torrent of bats streaked across the sky, seamlessly blending into the deepening night. It was not long before Lovelenica reached her objective: Savigny Village.

Seeking refuge in a secluded spot just beyond the village’s edge, Lovelenica watched as countless bats converged on the ground, their forms coalescing until her delicate figure materialized once more.

Only after fully regaining her human form did Lovelenica venture into Savigny Village.

Savigny Village, a mere hamlet nestled on the outskirts of the royal capital, lacked the protection of city walls. Its streets, desolate and eerily quiet under the shroud of night, offered a stark contrast to the bustling capital, with not a soul in sight. At its heart stood a clock tower, faithfully chiming the hours at both midday and midnight.

Even in the vicinity of the royal capital, such minor settlements rarely garnered significant attention due to their exceedingly low productivity. Consequently, few people ever found reason to visit. Typically, in villages of this nature, one of the three prominent organizations would establish a solitary outpost for administrative purposes.

The Church, in fact, was the organization responsible for overseeing Savigny Village. This explained why the Bishop had sensed an anomaly within the village; in such circumstances, it was highly probable that the Savigny Village church had dispatched a sacred writ, pleading for aid from the main Church.

Yet, a persistent unease nagged at Lovelenica. The nun assigned to the Savigny Village church should possess Third-tier strength, more than ample to handle an incident of mere defilement. Why, then, would they have requested assistance for such an event?

Furthermore, even for a small village like Savigny, the silence was unnerving, far too profound. It seemed utterly impossible for there to be not a single soul present.

As Lovelenica pondered these discrepancies, a sudden warmth brushed against her shoulder, as if something had just climbed upon it.

“Ah—”

“Shh!”

Lovelenica, startled into a sharp shriek, found her mouth instantly muffled by the stranger’s hand.

Instinctively, Lovelenica prepared to retaliate, only to freeze in stunned recognition the instant her eyes fell upon the person’s face.

The individual was clad in a black and white nun’s habit, their golden hair cascading from beneath a delicate veil. A flicker of surprise briefly registered in their golden eyes upon seeing Lovelenica, yet it swiftly gave way to composure.

It was Lucia. Lovelenica could scarcely believe she would encounter Lucia in such an unexpected locale. In the original narrative, shouldn’t Lucia have been recuperating from her injuries at this very moment?

No… that wasn’t quite right. Within the original tale, Lucia’s eyes had been pierced by Lovelenica, necessitating her recovery. However, the timeline had since diverged; it was entirely plausible for Lucia, now unburdened by injury, to have received the Bishop’s directive to undertake an investigative mission.

‘Surely… she hasn’t recognized me?’

Lovelenica’s small heart throbbed wildly. Her defining features hadn’t undergone significant alteration; could she truly remain undetected?

“Little one, compose yourself. It’s dreadfully late; why are you here alone? Your attire certainly doesn’t suggest you’re a villager.”

Lucia slowly withdrew the hand that had stifled Lovelenica’s cry, her gaze sweeping over Lovelenica with a hint of wariness. For some inexplicable reason, she found the young girl before her strangely familiar.

“Ahem… I am a freelance demon hunter, typically residing in the royal capital. I heard whispers of defilement manifesting in this village, so I came to investigate.”

While Lucia’s demeanor was undoubtedly cautious, Lovelenica discerned that this was not born from an awareness of her true nature, but merely the natural vigilance one extended to a stranger.

Consequently, Lovelenica concocted a convenient identity, hoping to navigate the situation without further scrutiny.

As a freelance demon hunter, her unconventional attire was perfectly understandable. The members of the other three organizations, as well as the kingdom’s soldiers, were all mandated to wear specific uniforms when deployed on missions; only freelance demon hunters enjoyed such sartorial freedom.

“Oh… a demon hunter so young?”

Lucia expressed a flicker of surprise, yet recalling her own early training, she readily accepted this revelation. Gently, she guided Lovelenica to crouch beside her behind a low wall, their gazes fixed on the village’s unsettling stillness.

“Be careful, little one,” Lucia cautioned. “I have an unsettling feeling about this place.”

In truth, Lucia had overlooked a crucial detail. While a demon hunter of such tender years might be a plausible reality to her, Lucia ought to have requested Lovelenica’s demon hunter badge to verify her identity.

Whether due to their precarious circumstances or that inexplicable sense of familiarity, Lucia had, perhaps unwisely, instinctively placed her trust in Lovelenica.

Lovelenica, while secretly relieved that Lucia had not pressed further into her identity, found herself simultaneously worried by Lucia’s apparent gullibility. Such easy trust, she mused, could readily lead to deception.

Regardless, with matters unfolding as they had, Lovelenica resolved to accompany Lucia for the time being. This mission felt deeply amiss, and Lucia might not be capable of handling it by herself; Lovelenica decided she should offer some measure of protection.

‘Still… the Bishop wouldn’t have dispatched only Lucia and me. Where could the other nuns have gone?’

Lovelenica’s nose twitched subtly, her bloodline’s preternatural senses, far exceeding those of mortals, discerning the pervasive stench of decay and blood hanging heavy in the air.

What struck Lovelenica as particularly unsettling was that this potent stench of blood seemed to emanate directly from the church. What horrors had transpired within? Could it be… that the other nuns, dispatched here earlier, had already met their demise?

Lucia, too, appeared to register the unsettling anomaly emanating from the church’s direction and prepared to investigate its interior.

“Little one, perhaps you should wait…”

“Stay behind me.”

Lucia had intended to instruct Lovelenica to remain outside while she herself assessed the situation within. However, glancing up, she discovered Lovelenica already striding ahead, issuing an almost imperious command for Lucia to follow in her wake.

‘What, precisely, does this child mean by that?’

A flicker of annoyance crossed Lucia’s features at Lovelenica’s presumptuous tone, yet with the mission’s urgency paramount, she refrained from further comment.

The two reached the church entrance. Lovelenica pushed the heavy doors open with a gentle hand, their ancient hinges groaning in protest as they swung inward. Even Lucia could now distinctly perceive the overwhelming stench of blood that billowed forth.

Pitch darkness enveloped the church’s interior. As the doors parted, moonlight streamed in, slowly peeling back the oppressive shadows, revealing crimson blood splattered across the stone floor and the vibrant stained-glass windows.

Lucia’s pupils constricted, trembling faintly. Several nuns’ bodies lay sprawled haphazardly across the floor, some so grotesquely mutilated that internal organs lay exposed, still exuding a faint warmth.

Instinctively, Lucia clapped a hand over her mouth, her stomach lurching violently. Though subjected to rigorous training from a young age, she had never before witnessed a scene of such horrific devastation.

In stark contrast, Lovelenica remained remarkably composed.

Following the path of the moonlight, she gazed towards the altar, where a figure was hunched on the ground, seemingly devouring something. At the sound of the opening door, the figure abruptly ceased its activity, turning its head to reveal a pair of chilling scarlet eyes.

“What… is that?”

Bathed in the ethereal glow of the moonlight, Lucia finally discerned the horror beneath the altar.

It was a nun’s corpse, gruesomely severed into two distinct halves. And the figure, to Lucia’s utter disbelief, was also a nun—yet, from her lips still dripped copious amounts of crimson blood.