SWNOVELXO Chapter 369
Suddenly, a pale-skinned woman in a nun’s robe appeared in front of the carriage.
Kurt and his group, startled by her sudden intrusion, quickly stopped the carriage. Fortunately, they managed to avoid hitting her by a hair’s breadth.
However, the woman in the nun’s robe seemed either unaware that she had almost been hit by the carriage or simply didn’t consider it dangerous. Without a care, she pleaded desperately to Kurt and his group.
“Please, help me!”
Honestly, it was suspicious.
In fact, everything about her was suspicious to the point where it was hard to pinpoint just one thing.
Kurt and his group exchanged cautious glances, ignoring her desperate plea.
“…What should we do?”
“At least she doesn’t look like an undead. Her complexion is pale like a corpse, but undead lack intelligence and can’t hold a conversation.”
“…Could she be a vampire?”
“Unlikely. The Blood Masters, who create undead, are known to never take anyone as their subordinate. Besides, the True Blood is male. Unless the Holy Kingdom missed something, there’s no way she’s a vampire.”
“Or maybe she’s a ghost killed by an undead…”
“That’s just absurd.”
Aila shook her head, dismissing the idea.
With Aila’s denial, the possibility of her being an undead or a vampire was ruled out.
Though not as knowledgeable as Daria, Aila was still a holy knight of the Holy Kingdom.
Compared to ordinary people, she could be considered an expert in such matters.
However, just because the pale woman wasn’t an undead or a vampire didn’t mean they could let their guard down.
After all, the threats they needed to be wary of weren’t limited to just undead or vampires.
“…Could she be a special agent like Daria?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t keep track of all the other teams’ movements outside my own missions…”
“Then maybe she’s a tracker from the Holy Kingdom following Aila…”
“That’s possible, but this is a known undead-infested area, so she could also be someone sent here to exterminate them…”
The root of the problem was the nun’s robe she was wearing.
Normally, it wouldn’t be an issue, and Aila, being from the Holy Kingdom, would have welcomed her. But the current situation was far from normal.
In reality, Aila was accused of heresy against the Holy Kingdom, had refused a religious trial, and had even fled.
Though she had managed to escape, the fact that she had been pursued by the Holy Kingdom multiple times made her caution justified.
As they debated the sudden appearance of this woman, she spoke up.
“Excuse me…”
Despite having risked her life by jumping in front of the carriage, the mysterious woman seemed flustered by being ignored and cautiously called out to Kurt and his group.
.
.
.
In the end, Kurt and his group decided to help the mysterious woman.
First, the likelihood of her being an undead or a Blood Master controlling undead was slim. If she were truly a tracker from the Holy Kingdom, she wouldn’t have openly asked for help in a nun’s robe but would have hidden her affiliation or set a trap.
Moreover, she didn’t seem to have any companions, and Aila didn’t recognize her.
Of course, this didn’t prove her innocence, but her appearance was closer to that of a special agent sent to exterminate undead rather than a tracker from the Holy Kingdom.
Coincidentally, this area was known for undead activity, so it wouldn’t be strange for the Holy Kingdom to send someone here.
Thus, while not completely letting their guard down, they decided to lower their vigilance a notch and help her.
They didn’t have much time, but they weren’t heartless enough to turn away someone asking for help in such a dangerous place.
Besides, if she were truly a nun from the Holy Kingdom they happened to meet, helping her might pay off later.
“I’m sorry. I heard there were undead around here, so I panicked…”
“Ah, I understand. Undead do appear here, so it’s best for you to leave this area as soon as possible. Many travelers use this place as a shortcut, but few make it out alive. Even adventurers and Holy Kingdom members sent to exterminate undead often meet gruesome fates and become one of them.”
Mari, speaking on behalf of the group, received an unexpectedly kind response from the pale-skinned nun.
Her pale, bloodless skin reminded one of undead or vampires, but she was surprisingly polite and even expressed concern for Kurt and his group.
“Thank you for your concern. But what were you doing in such a dangerous place? And what help do you need?”
“Ah, well…”
Just as Mari, slightly relaxing, asked her question, the mysterious woman in the nun’s robe suddenly darkened her expression and trailed off.
.
.
.
As the group lowered their guard and conversed with the mysterious woman, Kurt, sitting in the back of the carriage, grew even more tense, sharpening his senses and scrutinizing her.
He was ready to jump out and fight at any moment, keeping a close eye on her.
“This is strange…”
Kurt narrowed his eyes, unable to comprehend what he was sensing.
No matter how sharp his senses were, he couldn’t quite grasp the strange feeling she gave off.
It wasn’t like a skilled warrior hiding their presence.
It was more like she existed and didn’t exist at the same time—a sensation he had never felt before.
Even when she had first jumped in front of the carriage, it was the same.
No matter how thick the fog, it was still just fog.
It shouldn’t have been possible to deceive his senses, yet he hadn’t felt her presence until she appeared.
And now, even as she conversed with his group, her presence felt faint and unclear, as if she were blending into the fog.
It was as if her existence was half-melded with the fog.
If ghosts existed, would they feel like this?
Kurt, confused, carefully observed her every move.
The only reason he didn’t stop his group from talking to her was that he sensed no hostility from her.
And he couldn’t tell if her strange presence was due to her or the thick fog enveloping the area.
Kurt tried to determine whether the cause of his sensory anomaly was the mysterious woman or the fog, but even his heightened senses couldn’t discern it.
Reluctantly, he decided to put aside figuring out her identity for now and thought to at least warn his group.
“Hey, you guys. Be careful…”
“Ah, Kurt! Perfect timing.”
As Kurt emerged from the back of the carriage to warn his group and prepare to step forward if anything happened, Mari, who had been talking to the nun, smiled as if it were perfect timing.
“What’s perfect timing?”
“The reason this nun asked for our help is…”
“Is?”
“She’s run out of food and was asking if we could spare some.”
Grrrrooowl
As if to confirm her words, a loud growl emanated from the nun’s stomach, signaling her hunger.
“Ah…!”
Hearing the sound, the nun clutched her stomach, her pale face now showing a hint of embarrassment.
“I-I’m sorry. I miscalculated the amount of food for my journey…”
“Actually, her pale skin is due to anemia, and not eating properly has made it worse. But Kurt, weren’t you about to say something to us?”
“…”
The pale-skinned nun, now openly expressing her hunger, and Mari, questioning Kurt about what he was about to say.
Kurt, looking back and forth between the two women, finally spoke.
“No, I was just about to say it’s time for a meal.”
‘She doesn’t seem hostile… Ignoring someone in trouble just because they’re suspicious isn’t the Lizardman way… Besides, if anything happens, I’ll step in…’
Given their travel schedule, they had been surviving on dry bread and jerky to save time.
Suffering from the inability to cook, Kurt decided to overlook the slight suspicion and take advantage of this opportunity to legally cook.