[Special Quest "The Hunt for the Killer" activated]
[Quest Objective: Find the true culprit behind a series of incidents]
[You have been drawn into a mysterious murder case. Find the true culprit behind it and uncover the truth.]
If, at first, Duanmu Huai had only intended to quietly infiltrate Todheim through this warp-projected soul fragment to retrieve the Crown of Sorcery, now his interest was clearly piqued by the mysterious murderer. He had a strong premonition that this killer might be inexplicably connected to Olgis.
Although Olgis herself had no idea why, it was obvious that things were far from simple.
Finding a doll in such a vast city—especially with limited manpower—was no easy task. But Duanmu Huai had his own methods.
"Excuse me, can this really help find her?"Standing atop the church bell tower, Lorena looked at Duanmu Huai with curiosity and couldn't help but ask.
"While it's not 100% guaranteed, there's a decent success rate," Duanmu Huai replied, glancing at Olgis, who was sitting quietly on his lap, silently watching over the city.
He certainly wasn't about to patrol the streets like those knights. That was inefficient and purely luck-based. Instead, he had activated the reconnaissance servo-skull to scan the entire city. This would not only generate a detailed map of the holy city but also highlight potential anomalies.
Fortunately, due to the string of murders, the church had already imposed a citywide curfew, which helped avoid unnecessary trouble.
However...
"By the way, are you sure you should be following us?" Duanmu Huai turned to examine Lorena, his gaze skeptical.
Upon learning that Duanmu Huai and his companions were also investigating the killer, the priestess had volunteered to assist. While he appreciated having someone from the church to ease logistical issues, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but question her suitability.
After all, no matter how you looked at her, this young lady seemed like a fragile priestess with zero combat capabilities.
"Ah, please don't worry, Sir Knight."Hearing his concern, Lorena closed the holy book she had been reading and smiled confidently. Clenching her fists, she looked up at him with conviction.
"I, too, am a believer in the gods. I have the power to protect myself—and purify evil!"
"Ah… well, that's good."Since Lorena was so confident, Duanmu Huai didn't press the issue. He simply turned his gaze back toward the cityscape unfolding before them.
Soon, the sky gradually darkened. According to the established pattern, the killer doll always acted at night—sometimes in the early hours, sometimes late at night. Since a murder had just occurred the previous evening, by the time night fell today, the streets of the entire city were nearly deserted.
Only the fully armed knights continued to patrol, searching for the elusive killer.
"Hmm… nothing out of the ordinary so far." Staring at the map displayed on his helmet, Duanmu Huai muttered to himself. At this moment, the entire city map was laid out in front of him in full detail.
Tiny white dots moved through the streets—those were the patrolling knights. Apart from that, there were no suspicious movements.
Time ticked by, minute by minute. Standing guard was never easy, and even Duanmu Huai began to feel the weight of fatigue. Lorena had already leaned against a nearby pillar, eyes closed and lightly dozing.
After an unknown amount of time, a strange fluctuating signal suddenly appeared on the map in front of Duanmu Huai!
"Here!"His spirit instantly revived. Duanmu Huai stood up sharply. "Olgis, Miss Lorena! There's movement—let's go!"
"Huh? Ah, yes!"Startled awake, Lorena blinked a few times before quickly gathering herself. As for Olgis, the moment Duanmu Huai stood, she had already deftly leapt into his arms.
With Olgis cradled in one arm, Duanmu Huai reached out with the other and wrapped it around Lorena's slender waist.
The jetpack on his back roared to life, blasting out powerful streams of air. With a startled yelp from Lorena, the trio shot into the night sky!
"K-Knight, Sir Knight—y-you can fly?!"Suspended high above the city, Lorena cried out in surprise. But Duanmu Huai didn't answer—his focus was entirely on the target.
He quickly locked onto the source of the anomaly and adjusted his trajectory, soaring rapidly toward it.
Soon, they arrived at the scene.
"There!!"Under the glow of the silver moonlight, Duanmu Huai immediately spotted a small white figure walking alone along the street. It was clearly not a knight.
Which meant… the answer was obvious.
Boom!!!
Duanmu Huai dropped from the sky, landing squarely on the street and blocking the white figure's path. Then he looked up, locking eyes with her.
Even Duanmu Huai was slightly startled by the sight.
Just as the witnesses had described, it was a doll-like girl wearing a sleeveless white dress. Her mechanical nature was immediately evident from the spherical joints at her elbows. She had long white hair like Olgis, but unlike Olgis's twin ponytails, hers hung loosely over her shoulders.
Aside from that, her appearance and build were nearly identical to Olgis.
Hmm, Olgis's corrupted version?That was roughly the feeling Duanmu Huai got.
"Who are you?"At that moment, Olgis also noticed the doll-like girl. A rare flicker of surprise crossed her usually expressionless face.
Hearing Olgis's question, the doll-like girl looked at her—and then, as if discovering something precious, she broke into a strange, eerie smile.
"Hahahaha, ah hahahaha! Isn't this Sister Olgis? I never thought I'd see you here!"
"Huh?"Both Olgis and Duanmu Huai were stunned by her words.
But the doll-like girl offered no explanation. She only let out a frenzied laugh, then looked up with wild eyes.
"This is good… this is very good! As long as I kill you, Master will know that I am the most perfect doll! Sister Olgis—die!!"
With a shriek, countless crimson threads suddenly sprang from the girl's fingertips. They burrowed directly into her own shadow and yanked violently. A moment later, a massive female doll with a featureless white mask emerged from the darkness behind her.
Good heavens… she even copied the weapon? Is that even allowed?
"..."Seeing this, Olgis's eyes glinted. Without hesitation, she threw out the travel case in her hand. Instantly, a massive doll clad in a black dress and cloak, its face hidden by a white mask, rose from it.
"Master, may I fight her?" Olgis asked, her voice calm but resolute. "I don't know why… but I can feel this is very important to me."
"Go."Duanmu Huai nodded without hesitation. He was just as curious about the connection between these two.
Since the other girl had called Olgis "Sister," she was probably created after her. But if Duanmu Huai recalled correctly, the puppeteer who created Olgis had already driven a Gundam into the royal city and self-destructed right after completing her. So—who created this doll-like girl? And when?
Still, now wasn't the time to ponder such questions.
Shifting his gaze away from Olgis, Duanmu Huai gripped his warhammer and stared ahead. Lorena leaned against his back, while at the same time, eerie shadows began slithering in from all directions, surrounding them both.
They were twisted figures resembling young girls, each wearing an emotionless white mask and wielding twin daggers. They let out hollow, chilling laughter—like ghostly demons prowling the night.
"Hehehe… hehehe… we smell it… the scent of strength…""Hehehe… our prey…"
We'll see who's the prey.
Hearing the masked women's words, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly, his expression grim.
"Miss Lorena, are you alright?"
"Please rest assured, Sir Knight."Lorena nodded firmly, her eyes filled with unwavering faith.
"Under the guidance of the gods, we shall surely achieve victory!"
"Then—let's go!"
With Duanmu Huai's shout, he and Lorena charged straight into the masked women before them.
(End of this chapter)