This question needed a careful answer so as not to raise their suspicions. Sefina pondered as she spoke, following the background setting she had checked with Versie earlier.
“Help? Three Scoops has always longed for the peace and dedicated life of the Church, so we… came from the North District of the capital city. It was only recently that we gathered the courage at home to come here.”
Sefina deliberately let a little discomfort with the “new environment” show in her voice.
“The North District, huh? That’s not too far from here.” Isabella nodded.
“Thank you, Lady Sheng Nü.”
Sefina bowed her head in thanks once more, playing the role of a polite yet somewhat shy newcomer.
Feliel followed with a slight nod of her head.
“There’s no need to be so polite.” Isabella’s smile grew even softer. “By the way, a new batch of candlesticks and ritual utensils needs to be organized and cleaned this afternoon.”
“Little Sefina, Little Feliel, would you two be willing to help out? It would be a good way to get familiar with the process of keeping the sacred vessels.”
“Of course we would be glad to, Lady Sheng Nü.”
Sefina agreed immediately.
“The sacred vessels are not magical artifacts kept by the Church, but items mostly used for rituals, so being able to help organize them is naturally for the best.”
Isabella nodded with satisfaction and turned back to the other nuns to continue their previous conversation, though she still occasionally steered the topic toward Sefina and Feliel.
For example, asking their opinions on a certain season in the capital city, or what types of books they liked to read, making an effort to help them integrate into this small group.
Sefina handled it cautiously, answering strictly within bounds, neither standing out too much nor appearing overly slow-witted.
Feliel maintained her reticent character, answering briefly only when addressed directly.
Most of the time, she just listened quietly, her dark eyes often lowered, though when she occasionally raised them, her gaze would sweep across the surroundings quickly and calmly, maintaining her habitual alertness.
This lunch came to an end under the gentle guidance of Sheng Nü and the cautious responses of Sefina and her companion.
As night fell, the winter Church felt even more silent and chilly.
After assisting in organizing and cleaning a batch of ritual utensils in the afternoon, Sheng Nü Isabella thoughtfully had Deacon Pohl arrange night accommodations for Sefina and Feliel.
Deacon Pohl brought them to a room at the end of the dormitory district on the second floor of the Church.
“Here we are, Sisters. The room is quite simple, but all the daily necessities are complete. The bathroom and shower are separate and right inside the room.”
“If you need anything at night, you can knock on the door of the duty Deacon’s room at the end of the hallway.”
Deacon Pohl gave a few instructions and then departed.
Sefina pushed open the heavy wooden door. The room was indeed not large, but it was cleaner than expected.
Two simple single beds were set against opposite walls, made up with plain sheets and bedding. In the middle stood a small desk with two chairs, and against the wall was a small wardrobe.
Although the private bathroom and shower room were cramped, they were clean and bright, and the hot water supply seemed sufficient.
Overall, it was simple yet functional, fitting the tone of a nun’s austere life.
Feliel closed the door behind her without relaxing immediately. Her dark eyes swept sharply over every corner of the room—the ceiling, the wall seams, behind the furniture—and she even checked the window latches and curtains.
She walked to the only window, gently lifted a corner of the curtain to look out, seeing the night view of the Church’s inner courtyard, silent and empty.
Next, she carefully checked the door lock and leaned in to listen for any movement outside the door. After a moment, she finally turned to Sefina and gave a slight nod.
“Safe for now. No obvious surveillance magic fluctuations or physical eavesdropping devices, and the soundproofing is decent.” Feliel kept her voice extremely low, ensuring only the two of them could hear.
“There’s currently no one in the hallway outside either.”
Sefina nodded, walked over to sit on one of the beds, and let out a soft breath.
Playing a newcomer Nun during the day required constant attention to her words and deeds, and her tense nerves only now relaxed slightly.
“What do you plan to do tonight?”
Feliel walked over to the other bed, but rather than sitting down, she looked toward Sefina.
“Go directly to explore that Archive?”
Sefina shook her head, her wine-red eyes appearing exceptionally tranquil under the dim light.
“No, that’s too risky. Those ‘things’ are highly alert, and we know nothing about their nighttime activity patterns. Approaching rashly is very likely to alert them, or even expose us directly.”
She paused, recalling her past experience, her tone turning grave.
“We must go to the Archive, but not now. The prerequisite is to first figure out Pope’s movement patterns.”
“He’s the biggest variable and threat. Back then… it was precisely because of his sudden appearance that I…”
Sefina did not finish her sentence, but Feliel understood her meaning.
“We need to know when he’s usually near the Archive, when he leaves, or if he has a fixed schedule. Only by confirming he’s not in that area can our investigation proceed relatively safely.”
Sefina analyzed calmly.
“However, with your cooperation this time, we can split the work. One person will be responsible for keeping watch from a distance, monitoring the movements of Pope or other personnel, while the other takes the opportunity to search quickly.”
“That way, even if something happens, we can retreat in time, offering a higher tolerance for error than acting alone.”
Feliel nodded in agreement.
“Understood. Observing and recording movements will take time.”
“Yes, so for the next few nights, our main task isn’t to break in directly, but to observe and gather information.” Sefina added.
“Also, to be safe, we had better take turns on night watch. Although I think our disguise is fairly successful, don’t forget that the things hiding in this Church are real man-eating monsters.”
“The two of us, as new ‘Nuns’, might not avoid becoming ‘alternative food’ in their eyes. We can never lower our guard at any time.”
Feliel’s dark eyes glinted, clearly well aware of the underlying dangers as well.
“It seems you need rest.”
Her gaze rested on Sefina’s face for a brief moment, and though her tone remained flat, it seemed to carry a subtle implication.
“That works. I’ll take the first half of the night, and you take the second half. You look like you need rest today.”
A faint heat rose to Sefina’s face as she immediately understood what Feliel was referring to—that embarrassing farce from this morning that made her want to crawl into a hole, along with the mental exhaustion of pretending to be calm all day long afterward.
Sefina indeed felt a sense of fatigue from the inside out, not merely physical.
“Alright…”
Sefina did not push herself further and nodded.
“Then I’ll trouble you. Wake me up immediately if anything happens.”
“Mm.”
Sefina said no more, got up to perform a simple wash, and changed into the soft pajamas she had brought.
When she slipped into the blanket, the cold bedding made her shrink back slightly, but her body heat soon made it gradually warm up.
The room was quiet, with only Feliel’s profile seated before the desk and the “bible” in her hand used as a cover.
Sefina closed her eyes, and exhaustion surged over her like a tide, yet her thoughts remained somewhat chaotic.
The primary reason her thoughts were in disarray was still…
Still that scalp-numbing scene from the morning.
Versie’s mischievous smiling face, the shocked eyes of the Three Scoops, and her own helpless feeling of dying from shame and embarrassment…
When she went back, had they… completely forgotten about the morning’s incident, or at least believed it was truly just a ridiculous misunderstanding?
Hopefully… hopefully, by the time this Church affair comes to an end, they will have developed other guesses?
As for what those three children were actually thinking in their hearts?
Did they believe Versie’s loophole-filled explanation, or did they secretly have other guesses?
Who knew.