[Spirit Doll Who Slightly Likes You]!
"Hm?"
Kurose Akira was mildly surprised. He hadn't expected the Spirit Doll's trait to change.
But he quickly realized that this kind of fluctuation seemed to occur only before recruitment. Once a character was officially recruited, their traits would become fixed.
"Um~ c-can you give me that stone?"
The Spirit Doll suddenly spoke up, pleading softly.
"The stone?"
Akira thought for a moment, then took out the strange black stone again.
Although the stone was clearly connected to witches, he still didn't understand what a Spirit Doll would want it for.
"You want this?"
"Mm-hm~!" The Spirit Doll nodded eagerly."The witch's aura is the best nourishment for my soul~ please~ my dear master~ reward me with it~"
"Alright, then."
Akira placed the black stone into the Spirit Doll's tiny hand.
Despite being nothing more than a cloth doll, she mysteriously emitted a faint suction force, pulling the stone snugly into her palm.
A soft pink glow shimmered—almost like magic itself—and in the blink of an eye, the small black stone vanished without a trace.
At the same time, an exquisitely crafted scissor-shaped hairpin emerged from the fading light and clipped itself neatly into the Spirit Doll's pink, curled hair.
"Thank you, Master~"
The Spirit Doll whispered her gratitude.
[Notice!][Spirit Doll Who Slightly Likes You] has evolved into [Spirit Doll Who Kind of Likes You]!
"…?"
Akira stroked his chin thoughtfully.
If he kept treating the Spirit Doll well, wouldn't she eventually upgrade to [Spirit Doll Who Really Likes You]?
Starting the game with max favorability—wouldn't that be completely broken?
"Ah~ I'm sleepy~ Master~ want to sleep… sleepies…"
Suddenly, the Spirit Doll's voice grew drowsy, then faded into silence.
"A witch's creation…"Akira glanced at the doll in his hand and murmured to himself."How did something like this end up with Emily?"
...
Bathed in a flash of white light, Akira returned to the church once more.
It was now 4:30 p.m. The nuns were busy preparing dinner.
Curious, Akira asked Ivsha,"What's all this for? It looks pretty elaborate."
Ivsha explained patiently,"Today is the last day of the month. We prepare a special dinner to thank everyone for their hard work over the past month."
"I see."Akira nodded thoughtfully, glancing around.
It couldn't quite be called a banquet, but the care put into the preparations was evident. The tables were laid out with fresh fruits and vegetables grown by the nuns themselves, along with chicken and other ingredients donated by the townspeople and believers.
"Kurose Akira, would you like to have dinner here at the church?"Several nuns smiled warmly as they invited him.
"Sure," Akira agreed without hesitation.
"That's wonderful~ we hope the food suits your taste~"The nuns beamed, then hurried back to their preparations.
As an honored guest, Akira only needed to sit quietly and wait. Loserine remained by his side the entire time.
Before he realized it, the time had crept toward 6:00 p.m., and dinner was drawing near.
It was then that Akira noticed Sister Kelly's expression growing anxious, as if something were wrong.
"Sister Kelly, is something the matter?" Akira asked gently as he approached.
"Kurose Akira…"Sister Kelly looked up, her plump face filled with worry. She spoke softly,"Sister Moran went out this morning and hasn't come back. I'm very worried about her."
"Did she say where she was going?" Akira asked.
"I believe she said she was going to Baron Noda's estate," Sister Kelly replied.
Baron Noda had once served as an enforcement knight in Silvermoon Town. Later, after earning royal favor, he was assigned to the capital.
Now that he had returned to his hometown, everyone understood he hadn't come back without a purpose.
"I'll go check on it," Akira said proactively.
"That's wonderful~ please, we're counting on you, Kurose Akira!"Sister Kelly said gratefully.
...
Inside Baron Noda's estate, Noda sat calmly in the garden, sipping coffee.
Several photographs of nuns lay spread across the table before him—Ivsha among them.
He examined each photo carefully, sharp eyes glinting with cold light.
"Who exactly is the princess looking for…?"
Noda murmured to himself, lost in thought.
His mission was to capture a demon hiding within Silvermoon Town's church and bring it back to the capital. However, the sudden appearance of another demon in Silvermoon Town had repeatedly disrupted his progress.
After days of investigation, he had narrowed his suspects down to five nuns.
And then—
Noda picked up Ivsha's photograph.
Her breathtaking beauty had kept her firmly within his sights, yet no matter how closely he watched, he could never track her movements. Every attempt ended in failure.
Still, Noda was convinced that if there truly was a demon in the church, Ivsha had the highest probability of being it.
He continued searching for evidence to confirm this theory.
What he couldn't understand was why the princess would issue such an order—sending him thousands of miles away from the capital to capture a single demon in a remote town like Silvermoon.
What was her true intention?
"Ivsha…"
Noda murmured her name, unable to grasp the reason.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound reached his ears.
His focus sharpened instantly as he turned toward the source.
There—
A demon with blood-red skin, grotesque features, and massive wings slowly descended onto a tree branch, its wings beating heavily…
...
"Kurose Akira, you mean you sold all those Nun Amulets?"
Ivsha asked in surprise.
"Yes. I sold them all—and made quite a nice profit too,"Akira replied with a grin and a nod.
"Then… what about the Nun Amulet I gave you?"
Ivsha's beautiful eyes shimmered. She didn't seem concerned about the money at all—only about the answer to that question.
"The one you gave me? Of course I'm still carrying it."
Akira gently patted the pocket over his chest, where Ivsha's amulet rested.
How could he ever bring himself to sell something so precious?
"Ah~ that's such a relief~"
Hearing this, Ivsha let out a soft sigh. A faint glimmer of tears welled in her eyes.
Not long after, they arrived at Baron Noda's estate.
But as they approached the grounds, Loserine suddenly came to a halt.
"There are sounds of fighting inside the estate,"Loserine warned.
"Fighting…?"
Akira froze for a moment, then immediately recalled the contents of Idith's letter.
Could it be—
"Let's go in quietly," Akira instructed.
Idith and Sister Moran should know each other…
So does that mean Sister Moran is fighting Baron Noda right now?
The thought was quickly dismissed.
Sister Moran simply wasn't strong enough to stand against Baron Noda.
The moment they stepped into the estate, they saw Baron Noda being driven back step by step, chased by a mysterious black shadow.
Suddenly—
The shadow burst forward with terrifying speed.
Its claws sharpened into blades and pierced straight through Baron Noda's heart.