Elena felt a poke on her back.
“Hmm hmm—this esteemed gentleman, and this beautiful young lady…”
“Whoa—”
Startled, but since they were in a crowd, Elena politely lowered her voice.
“I caught you two not listening to the priest’s sermon, you know—”
The silver-haired girl hurriedly bowed her head and bent over in one smooth motion.
“Ugh… Sorr—”
She instinctively started to apologize, but the man beside her pulled her back.
“Hey… it’s Martha…”
“Martha… Sister?”
“Why are you dressed like that?”
The woman before them wasn’t wearing the Church’s nun habit, but instead casual clothes.
Her brown hair wasn’t hanging naturally like during work, covered by a headscarf, but simply braided into a single plait, resting gently on her shoulder.
“Nuns have their own lives too, you know—”
“It’s not my work time now, so naturally I don’t have to wear it~”
She playfully stuck out her tongue.
“Uh…”
Fen found it hard to connect this enthusiastic older sister with the expressionless nun who had received them.
‘Speaking of which… the church clergy are all such contrasts, aren’t they…’
Lila was like that, and so was Martha…
“What’s wrong… Not used to seeing me this way—”
Martha leaned in a little closer to them.
“Nothing… It’s nothing.”
The silver-haired girl snapped out of her shock, blushing as she scratched her head.
“It’s just… you seem… so different from when you’re working…”
The man stole a glance at Elena.
‘Hmm… As for Elena…’
‘Actually, the contrast is pretty big too.’
Though the girl herself probably didn’t realize it.
“You two just got back from outside?”
“If you’re looking for the priest… he should be finishing up soon~”
She pointed at the man on the stage.
“No matter where you come from, you need to know—we don’t need to yearn for distant radiance, because the Goddess has always been watching over us up close.”
Lucas’s sermon was nearing its end.
“So, may each of us hold fast to our true hearts and harbor kindness. The Goddess will surely protect everyone who lives diligently and upholds justice.”
The crowd began to disperse, and the church became much emptier.
Fen and Elena stayed behind with Martha.
“You two are back.”
Lucas spotted the three from a distance and came over to greet them.
“Martha… You changed your clothes so quickly?”
He looked at the nun beside him again.
“Oh, Dad! That doesn’t matter!”
“Speaking of which… Are you done here?”
Martha waved her hand and trotted over to Lucas.
“Not quite yet. I still need to go to the confessional.”
He lovingly ruffled Martha’s hair.
“To hear the confessions of some believers.”
W—Wait!?
“So… Mr. Lucas… is Martha’s father?”
“Martha is my adopted child.”
The white-haired old man smiled noncommittally.
“She’s been with me in the church for over ten years now.”
“I see… Because earlier Sister Martha called you Father Lucas… I misunderstood.”
“Tch.”
Martha made a childish face at the old man.
“That’s all because Dad said—”
“During work hours, use the title.”
Perhaps she was the only one in the entire church bold enough to treat the priest this way.
“Then you two chat?”
Martha seemed to be testing the waters cautiously.
“I’ll just sneak—”
Her feet quietly shuffled toward the door.
“Hold on.”
She felt a merciless iron grip.
“You promised me, Martha.”
“You said you’d take good care of our guests.”
Like grabbing a chick, Lucas lifted her by the back of her collar.
“Ugh… Dad!!!”
The girl tried to wheedle.
“You’re twenty years old. Aren’t you embarrassed acting like this all the time?”
“Oh, I don’t care!”
“You clearly said I could arrange my free time as I pleased!”
“Just let me go out and hang out for a bit!!!”
“Uh… Actually, there’s no need to go to any trouble—”
Elena tried to smooth things over.
“Dad! You hear that! Sister Elena said—”
“No.”
Hearing that, the girl immediately wilted.
“Miss Martha and Mr. Lucas… you two really have a good father-daughter relationship…”
Fen muttered under his breath.
Their conversation seemed even closer than a typical father and daughter.
Just looking at this scene, you’d never guess that one was a dignified priest and the other a devout nun.
“Listen. Elena and Fen are guests from far away.”
“We can’t dampen our guests’ spirits, right?”
“If you want to go out for a stroll, you can take them along.”
“You can take them anywhere you want to play. I’ll cover the expenses.”
“Really!?”
Martha’s face had been drooping, but when she heard the word “money,” she perked up instantly.
‘S—So fast with the mood change…’
“Hey! Wait—”
Elena and Fen’s wrists were grabbed tightly.
Then, an immense force yanked them out of the church.
“Hey! Don’t walk so fast!”
‘This girl… has terrifying monstrous strength…’
‘Or maybe… she’s just that obsessed with “free stuff”‘
Even Fen himself could be pulled by her…
“W—Wait! Miss Martha!”
Elena’s panicked voice came, tinged with tears.
“Don’t… Don’t run so fast!”
“Pull… Pull any harder and my clothes will fall off!”
It was true. Elena’s clothes were already a bit loose, and the hint of her chest was starting to peek through.
But Martha seemed afraid Lucas would change his mind.
She held both their wrists and sprinted toward the church entrance.
“You said it!”
“No going back on your word, old man!”
Before leaving, she waved her arm at the old man standing there.
The setting sun gradually descended, and night began to fall over Novalis.
Novalis’s evening seemed no different from the Holy Capital’s.
Flowing crowds, bustling streets, even the shouts and cries were similar.
Everyone had their own business to attend to.
It was equally lively.
Of course, that was after setting aside the hum of machinery from nearby factories and the distinct scent of mana in the air.
A worker named Jack staggered home.
“Ugh—”
He’d had a few drinks after his shift at the factory, and now he was hurrying home before the drunkenness and drowsiness overwhelmed him.
Drifting along with the crowd, relying on muscle memory, he turned off at an intersection into a quiet alley.
The alley was empty.
The man’s vision started to blur, and his steps grew heavy.
But it didn’t matter—once he reached the end, he could go home and lie down.
He pulled out his keys from his pocket as usual, ready to open the door.
Maybe because he was drunk and couldn’t see clearly, but when he got close to his front door, he noticed a dark shadow standing in the corner of his doorway.
“What the hell!”
The man yelped, his drunkenness and drowsiness vanishing instantly.
Jack saw clearly—it was a tall robot, standing facing the wall.
“Damn it, you scared my booze right out of me!”
The man shouted angrily.
“Hey! Dead tin can!”
“Who’s your owner? Why are you just standing here?”
“Got lost?”
The tall robot turned around slowly.
The robot’s head, legs, body, arms—every part seemed more intricately designed than the average robot on the market.
That surprised him a little.
Its eyes glowed red, and its mechanical joints creaked as they rotated.
But it still didn’t answer.
‘Cre… Creepy…’
Jack shuddered.
Come to think of it… his factory specialized in producing robots.
As a worker, Jack had some knowledge of the robot models circulating in Novalis.
But he’d never seen such a tall, exquisitely crafted creation.
Whose work was this?
“Hey! I’m talking to you—”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Does it not have a language module installed?”
The robot still kept silent.
But the red light in its eyes kept flickering.
Jack wasn’t sure if it was his imagination… but he felt like it was staring at him like he was trash.
“Hey…”
His voice was trembling completely.
At that moment, he felt like prey caught in a trap.
Jack had heard the news over the past six months… but he thought things like that were far from ordinary people like him.
Now… not…
He didn’t want to think too much.
Frantically, he fumbled with his key ring.
The rustling sound was especially clear in the narrow alley.
‘This place is cursed!’
‘Fi—First get inside!’
‘Then report to the Enforcement Bureau! Get this thing away from my door—’
His thoughts suddenly stopped.
Whether it was instinct or fear, his intuition told him something was approaching from behind.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
The “clomp, clomp” of footsteps confirmed his suspicion, though it wasn’t good news.
Jack tried to turn his head immediately.
But it was too late.
A sharp pain exploded in his chest.
A jet-black blade thrust through his chest before his terrified scream could even escape.
“Ugh…”
He couldn’t even let out a pained groan.
The person behind him pulled the dagger straight out.
The man collapsed heavily to the ground.
Filthy blood flowed like a stream on the ground, blurring Jack’s vision entirely.
But before his eyes closed forever, he finally saw the figure of his killer.
A person in a dark cloak and black hood.
And that face, hidden in the shadows, whose features were impossible to make out.
…