Seia had no intention of following them. She had already made up her mind to withhold any direct assistance; after all, a brush with death at the right moment would only sweeten the joy of the faithful once they cleared their trials, deepening their conviction that the Lord was shielding them.

Rather than sticking by their side, she was far more curious about the current state of the abbey.

After finishing dinner for herself and her little round bird, Seia stepped out of her room, intent on scouting the grounds.

Crumbling castles were nothing new to her—she’d seen more than her fair share in other worlds—so the dilapidated abbey didn’t immediately strike her with the typical "haunted house" dread.

However, the moment she stepped into the inner courtyard, a freezing chill brushed against her ankles. She instinctively glanced back.

There, on the third floor of the dormitory she had just vacated, a nun dressed in black flickered past her vision.

At this hour, the sisters should have been either taking turns praying in the Great Hall or resting in their rooms. She hadn’t seen a soul on her way out, so by all accounts, the dormitory should have been empty.

The unexpected development left Seia a bit perplexed.

Does Valak want to make a move on me? Why?

Not wanting to draw Valak’s attention, Seia had played the part of a mere bystander, carefully concealing the vast majority of her so-called "Holy Power." To anyone else, she looked like nothing more than a slightly gifted child—one who lacked the actual strength to back it up. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

While a weak child appearing in a place like this was certainly suspicious, Father Burke—with his long list of achievements—and Sister Irene—with her incredible talent and the supposed blessing of the Virgin Mary—were far more logical targets.

She had intentionally adopted a "mediocre" persona, aiming to be neither a standout nor a straggler.

Surely the demon isn’t just looking for the easiest target to bully?

As it turned out, that wasn’t quite it.

Valak didn’t actually think much of Seia. To put it bluntly, the demon had seen plenty of humans with her level of talent. The original twelve sisters who had sealed the exit back in the day were all top-tier elites.

But... for some reason, she just didn’t like this blonde girl. To put a finger on it, even if the girl wasn’t much of a threat, she was an absolute eyesore.

So, Valak decided to stir up some trouble for her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Seia decided to play along.

She lightly lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing a holster strapped to her thigh. With a fluid motion, she drew an automatic pistol—white-bodied with elegant gold filigree.

From the holy aura radiating from it, it was clearly a blessed weapon.

It was modeled after a 1913 Webley Automatic, but having been consecrated as Seia’s personal sidearm, it now bore the name [Sharp Glare].

Stepping back into the dormitory, the once cozy lighting and hallways felt significantly dimmer. A thick, ominous atmosphere choked the air.

As she scanned one side of the corridor, the frantic patter-patter of footsteps sounded behind her. When she whipped around, all that remained was the hem of a habit disappearing around a corner.

Horror games are scary because of the atmosphere, yes, but the protagonist’s vulnerability is the real key.

The premise that "the hero cannot fight the ghosts head-on" is the foundation of all terror. Without that, the genre shifts abruptly toward something more like Devil May Cry.

Fortunately, while the Amber of the distant past might have been afraid of ghosts, the Seia of today was not.

"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"

The chubby bird had also noticed the eerie vibe. Once upon a time, it might have been terrified, but now it felt more indignant than afraid. It desperately wanted to charge ahead and see what was what, but it couldn’t bring itself to leave Seia alone, so it simply hopped around on her head in a frantic, angry fidget.

Valak noticed the little bird’s strange behavior too.

Sentient? A blessing that allows communication with animals? Is that what makes this girl special?

The demon felt a surge of disdain.

Did these humans think that because his familiar was a snake, they could counter him with a "bird" and a "girl who talks to animals"? It was almost laughable.

However, he finally understood why he felt such an inexplicable loathing for this human girl.

Setting aside the sheer difference in power, their fundamental natures were indeed a bit "tricky" for him to deal with. But... one could never truly set aside the difference in power.

That said, the annoyance drove Valak to harbor even more malice toward Seia. He had already decided: he would save this girl for last.

He wanted to savor the sight of her helplessness and despair once she realized there was absolutely nothing she could do.

Seia, meanwhile, had no idea Valak was busy daydreaming.

Under the puffed-up encouragement of her bird, Seia feigned a cautious stance and moved toward the other end of the hall, finding nothing at the corner.

But right then, a chill lunged at her from behind. Seia dove forward, her petite frame allowing her to slip right through the reaching hands of a Faceless Nun.

She spun around and, without a second’s hesitation, emptied the entire magazine.

The bullets, fired from the blessed pistol, shredded the Faceless Nun into a mist of wicked black energy, shattering the window behind it in the process.

Seia panted slightly after the exertion. She ejected the empty clip, catching a fresh one the bird had somehow conjured from who-knows-where, and slammed it into the gun.

She’s got something, but not much.

Valak offered a silent, mocking critique. If one were to use a gun for exorcism, the most famous would be the "Holy Flame" Winchester; its power, caliber, and legendary status made it the ultimate tool for an exorcist.

But looking at this girl—huffing and puffing after just one little scuffle—it was no wonder she only carried a small pistol.

How much damage could that tiny thing do? It might kill a few restless spirits, but to a demon—especially one of his caliber—it was nothing more than a toy.

Convinced the girl was no threat and was merely there as an assistant, Valak temporarily dropped his interest in her. Compared to this little brat, the priest was a much higher priority.

The report of [Sharp Glare] wasn’t deafening, but in the deathly silent abbey, it was unmistakable. Father Burke and Sister Irene, who had been mid-confession, immediately sprinted toward the sound.

Seia knew they were coming, so she simply waited where she was.

Taking in the shattered glass on the floor and the faint, lingering scent of evil, Father Burke realized instantly what had just happened to Seia.

His expression twisted into a mask of grim concern. He hadn’t expected that before they had even properly entered the inner courtyard—or before the sun had even fully set—the demon would already be launching attacks.

It wasn’t that demons couldn’t strike during the day; powerful entities certainly had the strength to haunt under the sun.

But... this was a convent, for heaven’s sake.

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

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