The black, form-fitting robe rippled soundlessly as the nun broke free from the constraint of the power sword and stood up once more. Gray, drifting embers wrapped around her skirt and long hair, their light dazzling.
Fran reached out and touched a patch of darkness nearby; her fingers passed through it effortlessly, encountering no resistance.
"It seems you've inherited more from Ahern than just the title of Burial Primus..."
That spot originally held a wooden counter. If the effect of these shadows was merely to obscure vision, then she should have been able to feel an obstacle... Yet she felt nothing.
Hmm... Perhaps the shape of space has changed, or perhaps my bodily senses are being deceived.
Between the two answers, Fran leaned towards the former. She didn't think anyone could deceive her with false sensations.
"Dr. Fran, shall we continue trying to restrain her?"
Haida gripped the hilt of the power sword "Nirvana" tightly, her gaze flickering. Compared to before, the aura and demeanor of the nun before her had undergone a profound change.
The previous nun was desolate and sorrowful, like a lost ghost. But since the glowing embers surrounding her burst forth, her eyes held only a fanatical obsession.
"No need. Just stay by my side and wait. She has activated the middle-rank first-category secret art, [Incarnate to Ashes]. She's very dangerous now."
Before Fran's words finished, the nun's figure flickered forward, the shadow scythe already closing in on her neck.
Simultaneously, countless mutated, aberrant eye nerves emerged from the shadows, embedding themselves into Fran's wrists and ankles, pinning her firmly in place.
"[Drive Away Dust and Filth]."
As Fran's lips moved, a sphere of clear, bright light expanded from her center.
The countless eyes hidden in the shadows were laid bare, revealing their swollen, fleshy bodies.
"Dear Sister, please look closely... what exactly are these things now swarming around you? And what have you truly become?"
The nun suddenly halted her movement. Her previously resolute killing intent was tinged with a hint of confusion.
Fran smiled, reaching out to lightly touch the nun's eyes with her fingertips. The pitch-black darkness receded, revealing bright hazel irises.
Within the area of [Drive Away Dust and Filth], countless eyeballs, writhing like fish in water, were struggling madly with their fleshy bodies, unable to reintegrate into the shadows.
"As I said, the 'Divine Pestilence' has perished. Where does this pollution, so thick it can manifest physically, come from? They come from your shadow... from the 'Decapitation Throne'!"
The nun's pupils contracted slightly. The hand holding the shadow scythe trembled inexplicably.
The scythe's blade was already against Fran's neck. A light flick could have taken that exquisite head, yet she hesitated.
Beside them, Haida pursed her lips slightly, also feeling a touch of surprise.
Was it exogenous pollution, or was that inherent flaw always within Father's scythe?
"No, absolutely impossible..."
The nun looked around dazedly. Countless foul eyeballs writhed on the ground like dying fish.
Fran's voice sounded unhurried, clear and crisp.
"Why is there no pollution or evil spawn in the other districts, yet the closer to the city's inner ring, the worse the pollution becomes?"
"Why haven't we or the other survivors, none of us wearing protective gear, shown any signs of Divine Pestilence infection?"
"Why was that dragon-type Sacred Spawn so terrified of you, yet didn't flee Norlington?"
"Why are those people hiding in the Lamp Moth's secret realm in the West District unwilling to escape this city?"
She questioned smoothly and continuously, arms slightly spread, not even waiting for the nun to respond before beginning to answer herself.
"The answer is simple yet absurd, so much so that even though I suspected it early on, it was hard to be sure... You used yourself and that scythe as a key connecting two realms, sinking all of Norlington into the shadows."
"That is why neither the plague nor the living could escape."
Fran spoke quickly and clearly, with practiced ease, even with the cadence of someone telling a story.
"A mad yet resolute plan, truly in the style of the Secrets-Hunters."
The gold-red embers on the nun dimmed slightly. Her reverse grip on the shadow scythe loosened, and the Decapitation Throne fell to the ground, melting back into the shadows.
"That was too long ago. I... can't remember."
"Hmm, that's why I often remind patients not to abuse secret arts that burn spirit and memory; they really affect intelligence... Have you considered writing a linear algebra textbook to recover some?"
At some point, Fran had taken out the brass pocket watch again, holding its slender metal chain and swinging it lightly.
"You stopped the spread of the Divine Pestilence. But after staying in the Shadow Realm for so long, an unspeakable deity has turned its gaze upon this city. It has scented you, seen you, and is about to touch you..."
"Waiting in the Shadow Realm leads only to sinking and drowning... Sister, let Norlington return to its native soil."
The nun's body trembled noticeably for an instant at the word "native soil." In that moment of hesitation, a sudden change occurred.
The darkness that had enveloped the entire room receded like a tide, being absorbed back into the nun's body.
Countless eyeballs churned densely on her scythe, each gaze fixed intently on the faces of the two.
"Too late... humans."
The nun hissed in a hoarse voice, reached into her own reflection, and drew out two ominous, large shadow scythes. Her fingers twitched incessantly, eerie and uncoordinated, like a marionette's.
"Oh, we've reached my favorite part—'the mastermind flies into a rage from shame.'"
"Pretty much as expected. A nun with a scythe should have three phases... We can proceed to the final treatment."
Fran took two steps back, nimbly hiding behind Haida.
Facing this dual-scythe-wielding "self," Haida genuinely felt a sense of urgency. The pounding of her heart in her chest sounded as if it were in her ear.
After activating [Incarnate to Ashes], this nun already possessed an oppressive aura nearly equal to that of a Chief Hunter. Now she also displayed a grand and sinister divinity, purer than the "Cup's Servant," almost approaching that of an "Apostle."
"Dr. Fran, should we attempt to disengage?" Haida glanced back at Fran standing behind her.
Her phrasing was formal and official, but the meaning was very clear.
To summarize simply: "Do we need to run?"
The identities of hunter and prey constantly shift with the flow of strength. Sometimes avoiding an overly dangerous situation can be an excellent decision...
"If things spiral out of control, we'll have to ask Yvonne to think of something with her invincible Darkmoon Greatsword... For now, observation is primary. Based on my experience, the Sister's condition is still somewhat optimistic."
Fran maintained the clear, bright spherical area of [Drive Away Dust and Filth], continuously dispersing the increasingly thick haze of polluting darkness in the room.
"This situation can still be considered 'optimistic'..."
Haida couldn't help but narrow her eyes, her expression rather subtle.
The nun before her seemed to be wearing a mask; her face was completely covered by shadow, her features and contours blending into pure black.
Simultaneously, twelve spinal vertebrae extended from her back, like spider limbs or the wings of a crow.
The nun's previously fragmented murmurs gradually became clear, like a bard's recital or a first-person narrative.
"...The bird that peeks at the turning wheel of fate is trapped in a net, falling in panic. The hunter takes its eyes with a sword, leaving six eyes with only five; stains its feathers with blood, so the thief gains nothing more; makes its coffin from oak and banyan, so the corpse sinks forever into deep darkness."
"Exiled into the shadows to await decay, I instead stole that hunter's beloved favored one. Heh, how fortunate. This mercy and mockery from the wheel of fate..."
Scattered crow feathers drifted around the nun. Her presence grew stronger, almost unbearable to look at. With just a glance, Haida felt a splitting pain in her head.
Gazing at the nun whose aura grew increasingly profound, Fran's amber eyes held a gentle smile.
"You see, she's enduring the parasitism and blessing of an alien deity, yet she can still maintain a human form and retain language ability... That's almost a miracle in itself."
"Modern medicine is advanced, but in the end, the patient must still face the illness themselves. Most of the time, all a doctor can do is provide some support..."
Black plasma spilled from Fran's mouth and eyes; she showed symptoms of acute contamination almost instantly.
She coughed lightly. Just as she was about to collapse, Haida caught her.
"Dr. Fran, are you taking on the erosion for her?"
Haida noticed rash-like eyeballs and crow feathers appearing on Fran and made a guess.
"Connecting two minds is one of the basic applications of the 'Swaying Heart-Clock.' If I bear the erosion, she should regain control of her body. Hmm... It's just an emergency measure, lasting about five seconds, I think?"
Fran's lips curled into a smile.
Though her muscles trembled uncontrollably and red-black plasma gushed like a spring, her tone remained calm and orderly.
Meanwhile, the nun, now almost indistinguishable from an Apostle, let out a sigh of relief.
"...Five seconds. That's enough."
At the moment the "Apostle's" ascension ritual was about to complete, she struggled, slowly reversing her grip on the Decapitation Throne and bringing her own neck to meet its blade.
A dull thud echoed as something hit the floor.
With the separation of head from body, this last Burial Primus of the Secrets-Hunter Cult finally closed her eyes.
[The confusion and chronic illness of 'Burial Primus' Haida Moira have been cured. This quarter's house call task is complete. Completion Rating: S. Your next cross-dimensional house call will be randomly triggered next quarter.]
[This session's payment: Unknown Technology x1 (Fine Quality. Unidentified), Unknown Processing Module x1 (Fine Quality. Unidentified).]
"Phew, it's great we didn't have to clash head-on. A nun with three phases and an alien evil deity's 'Apostle'—either one would have been a hassle to deal with."
Fran let out a long sigh of relief. The contamination symptoms were visibly fading.
Haida then, quite skillfully, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sticky blood from the corner of Fran's mouth.
"Dr. Fran, is there truly a deity hidden within the shadows of the Decapitation Throne?"
This matter concerned her obsessive father. After a moment's thought, Haida finally asked.
"That scythe is just a key to the Shadow Realm. The reason it drew attention is because sinking an entire city into the shadows alongside it is not something a person with a sound mind would do."
"The Shadow Realm has no celestial bodies. Therefore... it has been watching us for a long time."
Fran stood up from Haida's arms and casually opened the silk curtain on the window.
High in the night sky, a blood-red moon nearly covering the entire firmament was moving its pupil's focus like an eye. The hatred in its gaze was nearly tangible, sending shivers down one's spine.
"Being noticed by an evil deity isn't really a big deal. The house call is complete; we can leave right away."
She patted Haida lightly, then stretched comfortably.
"...Does a patient's death count as completing a house call?"
Looking at the peacefully resting head of this other self, Haida's mood was indescribably complex...
"Hmph, just answer me: was the illness cured or not?"
Fran gave a light humph. She then picked up the nun's head, opened her medical case, and began taking out medical instruments.
"Besides, it's just losing a head... I never said she was dead. Around me, death requires my permission."
If a patient's life ended, the completion rating of the treatment would also be affected. That's why she often said only quack doctors abuse death...
---
The nun's eyes snapped open; she gasped violently for breath.
The sunlight was bright and dazzling. The morning breeze, carrying the scent of dew, scattered the haze and dust that had shrouded this city for countless years.
The material world felt beautiful yet fragile, like smoke cupped in one's hands, liable to drift away at any moment.
"I thought Hell only had molten fire and ashes..."
In her daze, a tear silently traced her cheek. Then, the stinging pain on her neck brought her back to reality.
Puzzled, the nun reached up and touched her neck. Over the skin and artery was a black suture line.
---
Passing through the ethereal, swirling gray mist, Haida turned the wooden doorknob and returned to her room.
The comforter on her bed was neatly folded, exuding the lingering scent of sun-drying. The succulent plant on her bookshelf was inconspicuous but thriving, blooming with small, pale pink flowers.
Haida removed the firearms and folding knives loaded under her nun's robe, then placed the power sword on its rack, shedding this heavy armament.
She then entered the washroom, cupping some cool water in her hands and splashing it on her face. It helped clear her mind.
After witnessing the city she grew up in reduced to ruins and familiar faces turned into high piles of corpses... she needed some quiet time now to let her tense, sensitive mind relax.
Rubbing her temples, Haida glanced at the ticking pendulum clock on the wall, thoughtful.
"Come to think of it... today is Ms. Marian's routine health check."
As she was thinking, Marian's call, accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels, came from outside the door.
"Little Haida, are you there? Hmm, the door isn't locked... May I come in?"
"...Please, come in."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL