Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Buried in ice and snow like this, I doubt we'll find anywhere to try the key."

The Countess sighed as she surveyed their surroundings.

"Indeed."

More than ninety percent of the Old City must be buried. On their entire way down, they hadn't seen a single place where a key might be used.

Fu Qian nodded and pulled the Starlight Key straight from his pocket.

In the darkness, it remained crystal clear and radiant, but showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Yeah, just put it away for now."

The Countess glanced at it, showing little disappointment.

"The problem we're facing now is far more severe than the colorless curse. We can't afford to worry about it right now."

Fu Qian quietly tucked the key away.

In truth, he had never intended to use it to open anything.

Having witnessed the entire creation of the Starlight Key, he knew perfectly well it wasn't meant for unlocking doors.

He judged that the Witch had merely used it as a vessel, imprinting it with a trace of her aura.

He had already confirmed that the key hadn't changed; otherwise, he never would have shown it to the Countess.

There was, of course, one thing he hadn't told her: right at this moment, near the top of the church, a stained glass window was glowing with a quiet, distant light.

There were no light sources inside the church, so logically, such a sight shouldn't exist.

And judging by the Countess's reaction, she clearly couldn't see it.

This kind of thing had happened before.

During the mission where he first met Su Gao, the Ritual Notes had contained a special cipher that no one else could see—only him.

Now that a similar situation had arisen, Fu Qian guessed it was related to his inspiration.

...

After a short rest, the two headed straight back the way they came.

The Countess was eager to return, leading the way in complete silence.

She didn't relax until they had escaped the blizzard and the Seven Lights shone in the sky once more.

It was obvious that the sudden, back-to-back battles had taken a heavy toll on her.

The Small Town was as quiet and peaceful as ever, but after everything he had experienced today, Fu Qian knew the twisted reality hiding beneath that silence.

Especially for ordinary people.

Fu Qian had originally wanted to go straight back and rest, but the Countess clearly wasn't about to let him off the hook. She dragged him right to the Seven Lights Church.

They went straight to the Priest's resting room, only to be told it was too late and he had already gone to bed. Unapologetic, the Countess demanded he be woken up.

"Why are you here so late? Is there an emergency?"

After a long moment, the Priest opened the door, looking at the two of them in confusion.

"Let's talk inside."

The Countess pushed her way in without another word. She took a seat, pointed at Fu Qian, and cut straight to the chase.

"The two of us made a trip to the Old City."

"What!"

The Priest's expression instantly changed.

"Don't panic. I know this violated the prohibition."

The Countess kept a straight face, her tone completely flat.

"But we found something far more terrifying than any broken rules."

"Those monsters... they're here."

"What did you say? Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!"

It took a moment for her words to sink in. When they did, a strange tremble entered the Priest's voice, and his eyes began to turn red.

"Steady your emotions."

The Countess offered an icy reminder. The price of the Priest's Spire Sequence was inescapable emotional impulses that had to be constantly suppressed.

Clearly, the news had been too shocking, causing his emotions to slip out of control.

Realizing his state was slipping, the Priest immediately closed his eyes and focused his mind.

After a long while, his complexion slowly returned to normal, and his gaze instantly snapped back to the Countess.

"What exactly did you see down there?"

"Heavily corrupted corpses, armor with its own consciousness, and... black fluid inside that armor."

The Countess stared the Priest down, enunciating each word clearly.

Even having left that place far behind, she couldn't hide the shock in her voice.

"I've read in certain notes that this is a very typical manifestation of the monsters outside."

"Furthermore, the Old City is almost entirely buried under ice and snow."

"How could... how could this happen..."

After hearing all of this, the Priest's reaction was identical to the Countess's earlier—he looked completely incapable of accepting reality.

"This is an absolutely safe place. It's impossible for them to find us..."

"There's no point agonizing over that now."

"And that's not the main issue."

"That's not the main issue?"

"The main issue is that we found a Pus Stone in town earlier. I believe there's a high probability the two are connected."

"You mean..."

The Priest immediately caught on.

"Exactly. The corruption has likely already spread into the town, and we just didn't realize it."

"That's why we came to find you the moment we returned. We need to prepare a response as soon as possible."

The Countess took a deep breath and laid out her plan.

"We need to inspect everyone, including sequence members, while preparing to evacuate... We have to relocate somewhere far away from the corruption."

...

"Absolutely not!"

After the Countess finished, the Priest remained silent for a long time before resolutely shaking his head.

"That would cause unnecessary panic. Order is barely being maintained as it is because of the colorless curse. If the awakened fall into chaos as well..."

"So you want this place to become the next Old City?"

"We don't need to rush this very second. Besides, where could we even move to?"

"Think this through. Utter annihilation could strike at any moment. Even if you're immune to the colorless curse, you aren't immune to the corruption those monsters bring..."

"Regardless, I disagree! I believe we should conduct a secret investigation first..."

The two of them argued, neither willing to yield. Bored out of his mind, Fu Qian stood to the side, observing his surroundings.

It was apparent the Priest had lived here for a long time. Though the furnishings weren't luxurious, he had everything one could possibly need.

"In short, you must keep this an absolute secret. We cannot bear the consequences of this information leaking right now."

The Priest finally showed a rare stubbornness, glaring sternly at the two of them.

His years of built-up authority still held weight. The Countess scoffed and turned her head away, offering no further rebuttal.

...

"Go back and rest for now. You worked hard today."

Leaving the church, the Countess was clearly in a foul mood, but she still addressed Fu Qian.

Regardless of everything else, his performance today had been exceptionally good.

Not only had he braved danger multiple times, but she herself had been momentarily distracted in the Old City. Had it not been for his warning, she might not have dodged that second sneak attack.

"Alright."

As he made his way back to his quarters, Fu Qian's mind lingered on what he had just seen.

The Priest's room had been incredibly orderly, with every little thing neatly arranged. He wondered if the man did it on purpose to suppress his emotions.

Among those neatly arranged items was a pristine row of formal suits.

If there were suits, then a brooch was entirely possible.

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