Tivian West Suburbs, by the Moonflow River.
Inside a villa by the river, in an open secret chamber, Smith, the werewolf, sits in his usual spot, while Davic stands beside him.
Smith, his scarred face partially obscured by the smoke from his pipe, gazes forward. In front of him stand two of his subordinates, and between them is the visibly nervous white-robed nun, Vania.
As Smith scrutinizes Vania, puffing on his pipe, Vania, after a moment of hesitation, speaks up.
"Um... Mr. Werewolf, according to many studies, smoking isn’t very good for your health..."
"Hah... Smoking isn’t good for my health? You’re actually worried about my well-being... Do you even know who I am? I’m the villain who kidnapped you, a heretic your church would never tolerate."
Hearing Vania’s words, Smith responds with a hint of amusement. Vania swallows hard and continues.
"Regardless of who one worships, life is precious. All life should be cherished. This is what the Holy Mother has taught me.”
"Mr. Werewolf, your Wolf Blood Society is part of the Afterbirth Cult, so you must have some reverence for the Mother of Chalice, right? As far as I know, many of the teachings of the Mother of Chalice are similar to those of the Holy Mother, including respect for life and unconditional love... If you can understand the teachings of the Mother of Chalice, perhaps you can understand me as well."
Vania speaks with genuine sincerity, and Smith, intrigued, strokes his chin before responding."My primary devotion is to the Proud Gluttonous Wolf, but you’re right. As part of the Afterbirth branch, I do have some understanding and reverence for the Mother of Chalice... What you said isn’t wrong... However, equating your church’s Holy Mother with our Mother of Chalice so casually—isn’t that a major taboo in your church? Isn’t our Mother of Chalice considered an evil god by your church? In your mythology, wasn’t she driven out by the Radiant Savior? You could be branded a heretic for this."
Smith’s tone carries a hint of pressure as he speaks, but Vania remains calm and continues.
"It’s true that my thoughts slightly deviate from the orthodox teachings of the church, but I believe that no ideology should remain static. It should evolve and improve over time. To be honest... I find some of the teachings of the Mother of Chalice quite fascinating. I think there’s much we can learn from them.”
"I’m an orphan. To me, whether it’s the Holy Mother or the Mother of Chalice, they both feel like my own mothers. All living beings are siblings under our shared mothers, so I also want to advise the Wolf Blood Society to show more compassion to our siblings and reduce unnecessary bloodshed..."
Vania continues to share her thoughts, which clearly deviate from the orthodox teachings of the Radiant Church. As she speaks, Smith nods subtly to himself.
“She’s still confused about the teachings of the Mother of Chalice and the Holy Mother, even trying to blend the two... This is typical of the heretical ‘Holy Mother Faction’ in the eyes of the church. It seems Davic was right—this nun has been influenced by the cognitive poison of the True Red Holy Mother... She does have potential value for us.”
As Smith listens to Vania’s unorthodox ideas, he becomes more convinced that she is indeed a heretic influenced by the True Red Holy Mother, as Davic had suggested. Such a heretic could indeed be useful to them.
The conversation continues, with Vania presenting herself as a nun who questions the orthodox teachings of the church and is intrigued by the blending of the Mother of Chalice and the Holy Mother. She even accurately quotes passages from the True Red Holy Mother, further aligning with Davic’s earlier claims.
"Hmm... Indeed, Sister Vania, your words are quite insightful. The rigidity of the church has clearly stifled your potential. I doubt the church would ever accept your ideas."
After their initial exchange, Smith feels he has a good grasp of Vania’s mindset. He sets his pipe aside and speaks, to which Vania nods slightly.
"You’re right, Mr. Werewolf... The church would never accept my ideas, but I will continue to strive for them."
"Strive? It seems like a long shot... I know the church well. Their rigidity is something I’ve witnessed firsthand. If you express your ideas about the Holy Mother too boldly, you might end up on a pyre. We, on the other hand, are much more open-minded about the teachings of the Mother of Chalice. Your ideas make a lot of sense to me and have given me a new perspective on the Mother of Chalice."
"Really...? Thank you so much for understanding, Mr. Werewolf!"
Vania responds with gratitude, and Smith, after scrutinizing her for a moment, continues.
"Sister Vania, thank you for saving Davic’s life. He is very important to us. As a reward, not only will I let you go, but I will also report your situation to my superiors. The Wolf Blood Society can support your research into your new ideas about the Holy Mother. You mentioned that your new ideas about the Holy Mother need to be supplemented by the teachings of the Mother of Chalice. We can provide you with literature on the Mother of Chalice. What do you think?"
Smith’s tone is persuasive, and Vania, hearing his offer, smiles and replies.
"Really? You would really help me... That’s wonderful! I truly want to learn more about the Mother of Chalice!"
Vania responds with delight, and Smith continues with a smile.
"Of course, it’s true. Heh... It seems you’ve accepted my proposal, Sister Vania. In that case, I’ll report your situation to my superiors. Davic, take Sister Vania to rest for now."
"Understood, Mr. Smith."
With that, several subordinates escort Davic and Vania out of the secret chamber. Once everyone has left, only Smith remains in the room.
Seeing the others depart, Smith slowly stands up and walks to the center of the chamber, where a blood-and-bone altar stands. He places his hand on the edge of the altar, and the writhing flesh within begins to churn and gather, eventually forming a pair of ears, a mouth, and an eye that rise from the flesh.
The blood-drenched eye looks around before fixing its gaze on Smith, who stands before the altar. Then, the mouth opens and speaks in a hoarse, distorted voice.
"Smith... How are things on your end?"
"Everything is going smoothly, Elder Duval. Through our cooperation with the Spider’s Nest, I’ve successfully rescued the captured researcher. The information he holds is no longer at risk of being leaked. Additionally, during this rescue operation, I’ve made an unexpected discovery."
Smith speaks respectfully to the altar, and the mouth on the altar responds in a raspy tone.
"An unexpected discovery? I’d like to hear what you’ve found that’s worth reporting to me..."
"It’s like this, Elder Duval. During the rescue, I accidentally discovered a nun who might be able to help us infiltrate the Tivian Church and obtain what we’ve been unable to acquire before... the original text of the True Red Holy Mother..."
After Smith finishes speaking, the mouth on the altar falls silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Explain in detail. What’s the situation with this nun?"
…
Inside the villa, in a room.
After being led into the room by Smith’s subordinates, Vania sits down and lets out a deep breath, her body relaxing.
"Phew... That was so nerve-wracking. I almost thought I’d been found out. Thank goodness for Miss Dorothy..."
Vania, relieved, thanks Dorothy in her mind. The version of her that had been speaking to Smith wasn’t truly her—it was Dorothy controlling her through the marionette mark.
Thanks to Dorothy’s guidance, Vania was able to perfectly play the role of a nun who had strayed from the orthodox teachings of the church, aligning perfectly with the lies Dorothy had fed to Smith through Davic. Without this coordination, Vania would have been exposed the moment Smith probed her.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoes in Vania’s mind.
"Great Aka, please establish a communication link with Sister Vania..."
"This is... Miss Dorothy!"
"Shh... Keep your voice down. You’re still in danger, inside their base. Who knows where their eyes and ears are..."
Dorothy’s voice continues in Vania’s mind, and Vania, startled, realizes that Dorothy is speaking to her through Aka’s link. After glancing around the room, she responds silently in her mind.
"Ah... Miss Dorothy, when can I get out of here? From what the werewolf said earlier, it seems like he plans to let me go..."
"Yes... He does have that intention for now. But given the current situation, you won’t need him to let you go. The people coming to rescue you will be here soon."
Dorothy communicates through the information channel, and Vania, hearing this, is momentarily stunned before asking curiously.
"People coming to rescue me? The church? Or the Serenity Bureau?"
"Both. These guys have crossed both the Serenity Bureau and the church by hijacking their vehicles and kidnapping their people... They’ve made enemies on both sides. The rescuers are almost at the door."
Dorothy’s tone is serious as she continues.
"The rescuers will be here soon. Once they arrive, this villa will be in chaos. The moment Smith realizes he’s under attack, his first suspicion will be you. So, you need to protect yourself. If you’re in danger, remember to run to the right after opening the door. Do you understand?"
"U-understood!"
Vania swallows hard and nods solemnly, then sits quietly in the room, anxiously waiting.
…
Somewhere in the forest near the villa, on a small path.
Dorothy’s carriage continues to move forward. Inside, Dorothy, her brow furrowed, monitors the situation with a hint of worry.
"The Serenity Bureau and the church need to hurry. Otherwise, my Chalice reserves will run out..."
Observing the information from afar, Dorothy thinks to herself. Today is the first time she’s used the living marionette ability so frequently and for such extended periods. The heavy consumption of Chalice is becoming too much for her to bear.
Unlike normal corpse marionettes, each activation of the living marionette consumes 1 point of Chalice, and maintaining it requires an additional point every twenty minutes. Dorothy’s frequent use of the living marionette on Vania and Davic has drained her Chalice reserves significantly. Although Dorothy has tried to minimize the duration of her control to conserve spirituality, her Chalice reserves are nearly depleted.
After helping Adèle find her teacher, Dorothy’s Chalice reserves had dropped to 9 points. During the train incident with Gregor, she used the Scent-Tracking Sigil, Devouring Sigil, and the living marionette, consuming another 4 points. This left her with only 5 points of Chalice, and today’s extensive use of the living marionette has nearly exhausted even that. Fortunately, she has some reserves.
Dorothy could have saved a lot of Chalice by letting Davic die and switching to controlling a corpse marionette, but she hasn’t had the opportunity to do so—whether it was the Hunters or Smith’s men watching over him, she couldn’t make a move.
With a serious expression, Dorothy takes out her magic box and retrieves two pieces of jerky. These were given to her by Adèle to activate the Scent-Tracking Sigil, but Dorothy had saved them, preferring to use her own Chalice for activation.
Without hesitation, Dorothy eats the jerky. Each piece contains 2 points of Chalice, replenishing her reserves by 4 points. Now, she can continue using her abilities.
"Phew... This has been a huge drain on my Chalice... I hope the rewards will be worth it..."
After swallowing the jerky, Dorothy lets out a long sigh.
…
By the Moonflow River, near Smith’s villa.
The wide Moonflow River continues to flow quietly in the night, and Smith’s villa remains still on the riverbank. In the villa’s courtyard, guards keep watch, vigilant for any threats.
At this moment, two figures float in the air above the villa, looking down at the building below.
One of them wears the black trench coat of a Hunter, though without a mask. This is Edmond, one of the captains of the Serenity Bureau in Tivian. The other is clad in white robes and armor, with a helmet and the sun emblem of the Radiance Church engraved on his armor—a knight in every sense.
The wind summoned by a Wind Summoner holds the two men aloft, their robes fluttering wildly. Edmond looks down at the villa and speaks.
"Priest Anrecius, according to the tracker, the den of those wolf cubs is right below us. We’ve found our target."
"Finally, we’re here. I can’t wait to purify these hungry wolves. Let’s get started!"
The knight, Anrecius, replies, his voice booming from within his helmet.
"Hold on, Priest Anrecius. Most of our people are still on the ground, just finishing the encirclement. My men will use the wind to conceal their presence and infiltrate for reconnaissance. Once we’ve gathered enough information, we’ll launch the attack."
Edmond speaks calmly, but the knight snorts dismissively.
"Reconnaissance? Hmph! Under the light of the Lord, all evil will be exposed!"
With this declaration, Anrecius pulls out an object and raises it above his head. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a dried human hand.
"The Lord’s glory turns to flame, burning away sin and revealing all evil!"
As Anrecius chants, the dried hand in his grasp bursts into flames, the fire enveloping it completely. Within the light of the flames, the knight’s eyes, hidden in the shadows of his helmet, gleam faintly. Edmond, seeing the flaming hand, exclaims in surprise.
"Is that... the Radiant Hand of the church?!"
Holding the flaming hand aloft, the knight seems to see through everything. After scanning the villa below, he suddenly laughs.
"Hah! Found the biggest one! Trying to hide? Afraid of running out of Shadow and affecting your combat ability? Perfect—I want to judge you personally!"
With that, the knight, Anrecius, extinguishes the Radiant Hand and draws his sword.
"The time for purification has come! O Holy Son, ignite the sacred flames for me!"
As he prays, the knight raises his sword, and flames burst forth, far more intense than those of the Radiant Hand. Seeing this, Edmond exclaims in alarm.
"Priest Anrecius! What are you doing?!"
"What am I doing? Purifying evil, of course! I’ll go first, Captain Edmond!"
With that, Anrecius slaps a sigil onto his armor, infusing it with Stone spirituality to double its weight. The sudden increase in mass causes him to plummet from the sky, breaking through the wind’s support.
And so, in the eyes of Edmond and countless others, the knight, wielding a flaming sword, transforms into a blazing meteor streaking across the night sky, trailing a long tail of fire as he hurtles toward Smith’s villa.
"Prepare for purification!!"