Norlington Main City District. Secrets-Hunter Cult Headquarters, General Affairs Division Head's Office.
"The Confidential Division's damnable bastards who can't speak plainly now know how to bow and apologize? Don't they love riddles? Why are they all mute now?"
"Damn it!"
"A routine outer district patrol task actually encountered an Outrider Deacon… did you hire gorillas to do the task rating?"
Even though Head Alwin was consciously trying to suppress his emotions, his towering rage was hard to conceal. His already robust build now made him look like an enraged brown bear.
"But the mission site has been cleared now. We found the remains of that Outrider Deacon… his head was ripped out."
Vivian from the Confidential Division, looking quite intimidated, reminded Head Alwin.
"Do I care whether that damned cult leader bastard is alive or dead? He sacrificed himself to transform all the believers in the entire nest into lesser Evil Spawn, how could he possibly survive?"
The veins on Alwin's forehead throbbed uncontrollably.
The anger he had already forcibly suppressed earlier now blazed anew, precisely fueled by the Confidential Division assistant's talent for saying the wrong thing.
"What I care about is the whereabouts of Haida Moira. She's the most outstanding among her cohort of Burial Attendants!"
"Do you know what a 100% mission completion rate represents? Do you know what it means to defeat three instructors in unarmed, melee, and firearm-based combat after only two years of training?"
"Do you know who Chief Hunter Ahern Moira's daughter is?"
Vivian stood trembling in Alwin's over-two-meter-tall shadow, not daring to say a word, afraid to anger him further.
"But… we didn't find her body either…"
After a long silence, she pursed her lips and finally mustered the courage to reply.
Unexpectedly, Alwin did not erupt in anger again.
He shuddered slightly, as if forcibly swallowing his rage. Soon, his bearing became composed and deep, losing that aggressive edge.
Alwin knew well that getting angry at a little girl chosen by the Confidential Division to take the fall was useless… He took a deep breath, his expression calm as water, yet seeming to sigh.
"Not finding the body is what worries me most. There were pools of her static blood at the scene, estimated to be at least 2000ml of massive blood loss. Besides that, there were drag marks."
"You mean…" Vivian's face instantly paled.
"Yes. If she truly died in battle, and her body was obtained by those cult lunatics… it's unimaginable what kind of desecration she might undergo after death. As her superior, as the head of the General Affairs Division, how should I face her father?"
"Just thinking about it, I…"
"I'm back."
Suddenly, a familiar female voice rang out, causing both Alwin and Vivian to startle.
Alwin turned his head somewhat stiffly and, upon closer look, saw Haida standing at the door. Not only was she unharmed, but judging by her complexion and tone of voice… she didn't seem to have suffered severe injuries.
"Haida, you're alright? That's wonderful. What exactly happened that night?"
Alwin's voice trembled slightly, a mix of joy, surprise, and a hint of disbelief. Simultaneously, his hand slowly and discreetly moved toward his waist.
—That was where his gun holster was.
Alwin knew exactly what 2000cc of blood loss meant. He had personally experienced the power of a Deacon-level heretic's sacrificial ritual.
So… even in the most optimistic scenario, it was hard for him to deceive himself into believing Haida could have survived.
Was the person before him really the original Sister Haida? Hard to say… What was visible now was that she wasn't wearing that snug platinum pendant.
Haida glanced at Head Alwin, a flicker of understanding in her eyes.
She casually placed her customary firearms and wooden-handled switchblades to the side. Then hung her robe, which could conceal weapons, on the coat rack.
Within moments, she had removed all her armaments.
Then Haida walked quickly to Alwin and placed a stack of documents in his hand.
"Here's the mission brief I received before departure, the logistics receipts, and the mission report I just wrote… Additionally, there's a personal medical bill. Remember to reimburse me."
After that, she turned directly and headed straight for the Medical Division.
"I urgently need a health check and mental evaluation now, so I'm leaving first. The specifics are in the report; read it yourself."
Haida's tone was as indifferent as ever, but her slightly unsteady steps betrayed her hidden anxiety.
She wasn't worried about losing a kidney or something similar. But judging by the crazy behavior of that doctor girl at Fog Street Clinic, what she probably needed to worry about was gaining an extra kidney…
"This…" Alwin, holding a handful of paper documents, was momentarily speechless.
Decisive, highly efficient, and meticulous—it perfectly matched the Haida he remembered.
"Head… Head… Our headquarters here is a Pure Land, and we have a complete set of inspection procedures. If an Evil Spawn were truly parasitic, Sister Haida couldn't possibly have made it to your office."
Vivian quietly reminded Alwin.
"Ahem, of course I know that. But staying cautious is the sentiment of us old monster hunters… sentiment! Ahem, you go back to the Confidential Division and do whatever you need to do. You're not needed here anymore."
After driving her out somewhat irritably, Alwin collapsed into his leather chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
Even after spending most of the night building psychological defenses, he could hardly imagine the scene of conveying the obituary to Chief Hunter Ahern… Although the situation was still unclear, Haida being alive was the best news.
Coming back to his senses, he picked up the list and receipts in his hand and read them in detail.
Mission brief, correct.
Supplies receipts, correct.
Hmm, a medical bill with specific details torn off… Total 1145.14 Norlington Silver Coins, address North District 13 Fog Street Clinic, attending physician Fran Herschel.
"Over a thousand, quite expensive. But reasonable for cutting-edge surgery. Just why does this string of numbers feel somewhat malicious…"
"Wait, the North District only has 12 streets total. Where did number 13 come from?"
Alwin's brows furrowed. He then turned his gaze to the final "Mission Report."
In about two minutes, he finished reading the report and subsequently fell into a prolonged silence.
⸻
"Ms. Marian, what is the condition of my body now?"
Inside the Medical Division.
Having completed her physical exam and mental evaluation, Haida sat on the white hospital bed, waiting for Ms. Marian to inform her of the final results.
Marian was one of the most senior physicians in the entire Medical Division and had always been responsible for Haida's health and protection.
Probably no one in the entire Secrets-Hunter Cult knew Haida's body better than she did.
"Hmm…"
This experienced, elegant physician now frowned slightly, lightly biting her lip. Her expression showed both excitement and puzzlement.
She paced slowly, filling the room with the rhythmic tapping of her high heels. Although appearing calm, the small gesture of constantly touching the beauty mark at the corner of her eye revealed her restlessness.
"How to describe it? Little Haida. Your mental evaluation is as flawless as always. And you are currently very healthy."
"But…" Marian's expression carried a trace of unease.
"Too healthy. To the point of nearing the limits of what humanity can endure. Your heart has become unusually strong, and the toughness and activity level of your flesh have reached a very dangerous level…"
Suddenly, she changed the subject and asked, "Haida, do you remember your height?"
"Yes, one hundred and seventy-eight centimeters."
"Your current height is one hundred and eighty centimeters."
Marian held a physical examination report, her brows completely devoid of any playfulness.
"Your body is in a state of high activation. Without intervention, your ribs will fuse together to form bone plates, and your muscles will swell along with your skeletal expansion… This process will continue until you grow into a three-meter-tall giant."
"…Is there a way to stop it?"
Haida sighed, seeming relieved as well, as if she had long expected this outcome.
She had a premonition from the start that the cost of that doctor girl's treatment wouldn't be as simple as just over eleven hundred Norlington Silver Coins… Of course, that price wasn't cheap, roughly equivalent to a year of her salary.
"Curses can be purified, malevolent thoughts can be dispelled. But the changes about to occur in your body originate entirely from yourself… Very troublesome. The intervention plans I can think of are all extremely harmful to the body."
"Forget it, then." Haida shook her head slightly.
Since Dr. Marian said "extremely harmful," it meant these plans carried tremendous risks not worth attempting.
By her standards, even limb loss wouldn't warrant that term… What could qualify likely had to reach the level of high paraplegia.
Between becoming an overwhelmingly powerful monster and becoming a completely incapacitated invalid, she would still choose the former.
A flicker of concern passed through Marian's eyes. She then took out a quartz test tube filled with a colorless solution from her chest pocket.
On the label on the back of the quartz tube, a line of clear small text could be seen.
"Plan One. Note: This product is for oral use."
After coming to the Medical Division, besides self-examination, Haida had also given Marian the potion she received from Fran for testing.
Although she had accepted that doctor's treatment, she couldn't quite put her mind at ease about this bottle of strange potion with unknown components…
"It's not all bad news, little Haida. We've completed sampling and preliminary testing on the potion that doctor gave you. We can confirm it is completely non-toxic and harmless, even mint-flavored."
"So… I suggest you drink it. It might alleviate your current symptoms."
"Is that so?" Haida calmly took the potion back. "No other findings?"
"None. Although somewhat unwilling, I must admit the components of this reagent are extremely complex and completely unknown… I didn't dare take too much of a sample; it might have damaged the medicinal properties."
"I understand." Haida nodded slightly. She then opened the vial of reagent and drank it in one go.
Viscous, thick, somewhat difficult to swallow.
The reagent slowly slid over her tongue and down her throat, bringing a chilling coolness deep into her limbs and bones. The medicine… was indeed mint-flavored, bitter upon entry, slightly sweet in the aftertaste.
She exhaled a wisp of frosty white mist, feeling the almost restless, wild heat in her muscles and blood fade rapidly. The seemingly uncontrolled proliferation of flesh and blood also gradually became orderly and harmonious.
The readings on the nearby monitoring instruments began to quickly fall and stabilize.
Marian, holding her face with one hand, fingertips gently stroking the beauty mark at her eye corner, looked somewhat entranced. As if to say, "As expected."
"Miraculous. Although the medicine is supposed to be taken orally, it actually only needs to be absorbed through mucous membranes for effect, and the onset is astonishingly fast…"
"Haida, for the next half month, you'll need a daily physical exam. Your body is now our department's most important research subject… I will come find you every evening on time. Remember to be prepared."
Haida initially wanted to decline, but seeing Marian's almost glowing eyes, she knew this matter would probably not be easy to refuse…
⸻
Inside Fog Street Clinic, Fran was doing daily chores.
Not much to do. Namely, dealing with the blood on her coat, socks, the blood dripping on the floor, the blood on the hospital bed, and the blood on the surgical instruments.
There actually wasn't much bleeding during the surgery; most of these traces were left during transportation… And Fran had high standards for the cleanliness of her living space, absolutely refusing to allow the entire clinic to be filled with the smell of blood and disinfectant.
Although public medical facilities inevitably require frequent disinfection, to the point where most doctors and nurses are almost pickled in chlorine-based disinfectant…
But Fran's place was a private clinic with few visitors, and for indoor disinfection, she just needed to activate her special ability [Drive Away Dust and Filth] and walk around the room once.
Whether it's fine dust, bacterial spores, or viruses, any tiny particle not on the whitelist would be driven away. Not only usable for surgical disinfection, but also for cleaning—truly a lazy person's blessing.
"Huff, finally done."
After hanging the laundry, Fran collapsed into the leather chair in the reception room, nearly turning into a puddle of mud.
"Couldn't Sister Haida have bled a little less? It got everywhere. Should hire a maid sometime to help me clean up the mess…"
"Luckily, the recent weather has been fairly dry, no need to consider dehumidifying. Being cold is nothing, just light the stove and wear an extra layer."
It was mid-March in Norlington now. Although spring hadn't arrived yet, the coldest period had passed.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, her expression turned somewhat strange.
"System, when is the cross-world house call scheduled for?"
[Your cross-world house call for this quarter is in 15 days. Given that you often forget the house-call rules, would you like them announced again?]
"No need, stop! This is already the 4th time you've repeated the rules…"
Fran hurriedly tried to stop it, but unfortunately, she was a bit too slow.
[House-call Rules: Conduct one main-world house call per month, triggered randomly within the month. Conduct one cross-world house call per quarter. The location will be in an unknown realm, scheduled for the end of March, June, September, and December respectively. Difficulty increases in order, then repeats.]
"…Forget it."
Fran didn't dwell on the system's strange obsession with reiterating rules. Instead, she started counting on her fingers.
"Fifteen days is enough time to visit Sister Haida for a follow-up before the cross-world house call. Hers was purely physical trauma, so she should recover well… But she'd better still follow the medical instructions and finish my medicine properly."
⸻
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL