Lessa returned to her room.
Something was off.
Very off.
As the youngest genius of the Goddess Church, she had accepted this daunting mission to investigate the anomalies in Nameless Village.
This village was utterly bizarre—it would vanish from the world at regular intervals, only to reappear decades later with its villagers unchanged, as if time had frozen within its boundaries.
Other than that, it posed no apparent threat.
But the Church wanted to uncover the truth behind this phenomenon. Just because it seemed harmless now didn’t mean it would remain so forever. Any anomaly was an unstable bomb, and no one knew when it might explode.
Landa was indeed a nun of the Church… She had been in Nameless Village even before it was classified as an anomaly, yet she seemed completely unaware of anything unusual after living here for so long.
Today, four adventurers arrived in the village.
It was strange—so many outsiders entering at once.
For outsiders to enter Nameless Village, there was an extremely strict condition: the village had to be cognitively observed. The village’s location was on a lake, and the slightest doubt about its reality would cause the intruder to be instantly expelled, plunging them into the waters below.
In other words, anyone entering had to genuinely believe this was just an ordinary village.
In reality, rumors about this village circulated in nearby cities. Anyone who had heard of its existence was already barred from entering.
Nameless Village rejected strangers. Adventurers from elsewhere would be attacked by the village… and those who sensed something amiss wouldn’t dare venture in recklessly.
Lessa had managed to stay here for so long only by relying on special means.
But how did those four adventurers get in?
Lessa subtly probed Mo Lini, the adorable girl among them, for information. Mo Lini herself seemed unclear about how she had arrived, as she had been inside a carriage the whole time.
Lessa hadn’t considered this method of entry—Mo Lini hadn’t come here intentionally but had been passively brought in… so she naturally wouldn’t harbor any suspicions about the village.
Hmm… Lessa’s fear of thunder wasn’t an act to get closer to Mo Lini. There was no shame in it. Everyone had things they struggled with, and even as the most exceptional genius the Goddess Church had seen in a century, she was still just a young girl.
Still, Lessa wouldn’t have come here alone without some assurance.
She bent down, crawled under the bed, and lightly tapped three times on a hidden compartment at the bottom. A carefully wrapped object tumbled out.
Unwrapping the outer layer of clothing revealed a thick, aged tome—a sacred scripture.
This was a divine artifact passed down by the Goddess Church: the Pious Scripture. It was only through its power that Lessa had successfully infiltrated the village.
"Your Holiness," Lessa whispered to the scripture.
"I’m here," a deep, resonant voice answered from within.
"Today… four adventurers suddenly arrived in Nameless Village," Lessa explained the situation.
The scripture fell silent for a moment before exclaiming, "What a powerful magic formation!"
Lessa blinked. "You just went to—"
"I probed them. Those adventurers… are incredibly strong," the voice inside the scripture rumbled. "I couldn’t break the barrier they set up in their room. Don’t provoke them."
Lessa nodded. The mere fact that they had entered Nameless Village was proof enough of their extraordinary nature.
"Did they mention their purpose?"
Lessa shook her head. "They said they were just passing through and would leave tomorrow."
She paused, Mo Lini’s image flashing in her mind, then added, "I don’t think they’re bad people."
"Good."
The scripture muttered, "If they were hostile, I wouldn’t have been able to protect you…"
——
Aina’s eyes narrowed as she lifted her head slightly.
She was not pleased to be disturbed at a time like this.
But the intruder hadn’t even dared touch the magic formation she had constructed before retreating.
"What’s wrong, Aina?"
Xia Lun noticed his wife slowing down above him.
"Nothing… keep going."
Aina gripped Xia Lun’s wrist, guiding his hands to her slender waist.
Finally, with a trembling sigh, Aina collapsed onto Xia Lun’s chest like a wilted seedling, drained of energy.
Once again, the hero had emerged victorious.
After their business was concluded, they turned to more serious matters.
"Who was it? Someone from the village?" Xia Lun asked.
He had noticed Aina’s momentary distraction—clearly, something had happened.
Aina shook her head. "No idea. They retreated too quickly, leaving only a faint trace of consciousness."
Xia Lun was surprised. To evade Aina’s detection, the intruder must have been formidable.
…Or perhaps Aina had simply been too preoccupied to pursue them.
Aina adjusted her position, resting her head on Xia Lun’s arm and draping her wings over him like a blanket.
Xia Lun recognized this posture—she was ready to sleep.
"Let’s rest."
——
In the neighboring room.
"Liyana, what are you doing?"
Mo Lini watched curiously as Liyana pressed her ear against the wall.
"I think that girl Lessa is suspicious," Liyana said seriously. "I’m trying to eavesdrop and see if I can uncover anything."
Mo Lini tilted her head. "But that’s Xia Lun and Aina’s room."
Liyana stiffened. "Oh… no wonder I couldn’t hear anything."
With a nimble flip over the bed, she pressed her ear against the opposite wall.
"I don’t think… Lessa is a bad person," Mo Lini murmured, sounding slightly disapproving of Liyana’s snooping.
"Besides, can you even hear anything like this?"
"Heh, elves have sharp hearing," Liyana boasted, pointing to her long, pointed ears. "And most mages only bother shielding against mental probes, forgetting to guard against the simplest form of eavesdropping—"
Aina, of course, wouldn’t make such a mistake. She had set up soundproofing spells properly.
Mid-sentence, Liyana’s expression turned grave.
"What’s wrong?" Mo Lini tensed.
Liyana raised a finger to her lips, signaling silence. Mo Lini quickly covered her mouth.
After a moment, Liyana straightened up, her eyes wide.
"Lessa’s room… has a man’s voice in it!"