A Sluggish Morning and an Unsettling Halt

As the carriage rolled on, Anto leaned against the window, watching the landscape slowly recede before his eyes, a yawn of weariness escaping him.

“Hah… what a sluggish morning,” Brother Anto murmured, burying his head in his arms.

He sighed.

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?” One of the other sisters noticed his weariness. Anto offered a wry, helpless smile. “Perhaps the surroundings were a bit too… natural, or something. I didn’t sleep very soundly.”

“Oh, really? I doubt that’s the main reason, though.” Lu Wei suddenly interjected, her tone deceptively casual. “Little Anto… did you and Knight Ilivy sleep last night?”

“Of course we slept,” Sister Antolia replied naturally. “Who doesn’t sleep every night?”

“That’s not the question. It’s… wait, let me rephrase.” Lu Wei took a moment to gather her thoughts before asking,

“When she slept, did she perhaps engage in… certain indescribable and overly intimate actions? Actions that, while you’ll experience them someday, are utterly inappropriate for your current age—actions born from mutual affection, evolving from emotional feelings into physical acts, and quite possibly leading to overexcitement and sleeplessness?”

“…Sister Lu Wei,” Anto said, bewildered. “Could you possibly explain that incredibly long sentence to me in, say, under ten words?”

“Did you two… *do it* last night?” Lu Wei whispered, leaning close to Anto’s ear. After she spoke, Anto slowly raised his head, staring at her with utter disbelief.

“Did… what?”

“The things I just mentioned!” Lu Wei said, looking helplessly at the suddenly dumbfounded brother before her. She leaned in closer and continued,

“Little Anto, it’s about… purity. Yes, as long as one doesn’t lose their purity, the world remains beautiful… that sort of thing. But your identity is special, and Lord Rhys should be informed about such matters…”

“So what exactly are you talking about? Could you please stop speaking in riddles?” Brother Anto said, abruptly stopping what he was doing and stiffly turning around.

“Wait, you don’t mean to say that Knight Ilivy and I… did…”

“Don’t say that word!” Lu Wei immediately clapped a hand over his mouth, speaking seriously. “Don’t utter that word! Be more discreet!”

“…Sister Lu Wei, what on earth fills your mind? Of course, nothing of the sort happened,” Anto said, frowning.

“Knight Ilivy is a very proper knight. She would never do such… things to me. We simply shared a tent as roommates for the night, naturally. Our evening chat just ran a bit late, which is why I didn’t sleep well. That’s all there is to it.”

“Is… is that so?” Lu Wei felt a weight lift from her heart. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Thank goodness, thank goodness. I thought you, Anto…”

“It seems those are just your own thoughts, Sister Lu Wei. After all, even the Holy Scripture says, ‘To the impure, all things are impure…'”

“Stop it, I’m mortified! Isn’t it because you two weren’t clear about things in the tent? And Little Anto, you’re so adorable! I might not think this way about others, but you, Anto… there must be so many people who covet you!” With that, Lu Wei stepped forward and embraced Anto.

“That’s why I worry, because Little Anto is just so, so cute!”

“Ah, don’t rub against me like that, it’s bothersome,” Anto said with a helpless chuckle.

“And it turns out you *were* eavesdropping by the tent.”

“Oh, it wasn’t eavesdropping! It was accidental… well, perhaps it’s better to say a passing angel carried the words from the tent into my ears.” Lu Wei finished, making the sign of the cross. Anto merely chuckled helplessly in response, then slumped down on his other side. “Alright, alright, I’m going back to sleep now. Don’t disturb me…”

“Mm, if Little Anto truly needs to rest, you could always lie down on the infirmary bed in the carriage, you know.”

“That won’t be necessary, as the infirmary bed is meant for others,” Anto replied. Just then, he heard a commotion ahead; the horses around them seemed to fall into a momentary panic. At this, the sisters began to peer out of the carriage.

“Uncle, what’s happening up ahead?”

“It seems something has appeared. Someone at the front of the main contingent just issued an immediate halt order.” The coachman turned his head as he spoke. “Please, sisters, do not go out. The situation ahead is unclear, and we must be ready to depart at any moment.”

“What’s happening up front?” Anto asked Lu Wei as she returned. She shook her head. “We don’t know yet. We should be reaching the rallying point in about half a day, where we’ll join the Draynes Royal Army to reinforce the border defenses… So why are we stopping now?”

“Refugees are coming from the front!” At that moment, a mounted messenger galloped forward.

“They’re from… the villages near the border watchtowers. Can the Sister Aid Team send a few people forward? We need to confirm if everyone is safe, and indeed, some require treatment.”

“We stopped our advance just for this?”

“No, it’s mainly because of the intelligence they brought,” the messenger explained. “Several border villages have already fallen, and many people have become Undead. This spreading dark tide has swept in from the northwest, causing numerous casualties. Ahead, a sea of Undead is advancing towards the other side of the forest, and we want to avoid contact with them. Some of our scouts have also been attacked by the walking dead, so the general ordered us to slow down.”

“…This road is already swarming with walking dead,” a sister at the front announced. “We must proceed slowly to avoid those creatures, and at the same time, the aid team must begin its work now.”

“Is it time?” The leading priest stepped down from the carriage and declared, “All sisters, disembark! Follow the established plan and proceed to your designated positions within the ranks to perform Holy Light activations and vigilance duties. Sister Antolia, please take Sister Lu Wei to the front to attend to the wounded. Should a crisis arise, do not panic; everyone will protect us. And by that same token, we must protect everyone else. Is that clear?”

“Understood,” the sisters replied. They disembarked, gathered their equipment, and began moving to various sections of the contingent. Their duty was to use Holy Light for vigilance and to support the general populace within the ranks, acting as temporary medics.

“Let’s head to the very front of the contingent,” Lu Wei said, taking Anto’s hand and walking towards the vanguard.

“I hope nothing serious happens.”