You know, oh good Lord in Heaven, I am starting to regret ever picking up the slag for my sisters. This was supposed to be just another standard patrol, one of many to make sure the Sardegnian Army fell in line with laws and orders. The original intention wasn't to see the complete annihilation of a full-blown army corps!

Having been tailing the corps from start to finish. I've managed to see everything I need to know to make a decision. It's time to, quite frankly, get the fuck out. This is the second time I run into this group of armored soldiers and from what I've seen so far, I am partly glad that I've taken on this assignment instead of my weaker sisters. Had they been involved, I can imagine it would end very badly for them. They're too jumpy for their own good and these soldiers? They don't mess around. They have changed the landscape if it means ending this army corps. So they will stop at nothing to ensure their anonymity.

It's just my luck running into them, again. Or was this by God's will?

I turn around after eliminating any trace that points to my existence in the area. It should have been a clean getaway if not for the sight of an armored soldier with a skeletal face etched on his helmet. "Boo."

"What the fuck!?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't frightened. The suddenness and low visibility only enhanced the experience.

My instinct kicks in almost immediately and I have to use every fiber of my being to not pull out my guns. Why? Well, there's a big freaking weapon pointing at me and I am not a willing participant in testing how my barrier will hold up against that thing. At least, not yet. Seeing me not making any sudden movement despite my twitchy fingers, a gruff voice, presumably coming from the man with the skeletal helmet, says.

"Smart choice. Now nighty-night."

"Wha-" A heavy impact struck my head, cutting off my sentence and my consciousness. The last thing I remember is myself thinking of Kallen and how the Hell did I not detect them sneaking up on me...

And then I woke up on my back, kilometers away from where I was, and unfortunately in the middle of nowhere. "You have got to be kidding me, God." I looked up into the sky as I complained. The only good thing is that they didn't bind me, or well, they did not do anything else aside from transporting me elsewhere. Heck, even my guns are still on my hips, and here I thought they would take the chance to study me or my weapons.

I sit up, checking on my inventory to make sure nothing is wrong. Aside from some supplies, I don't go out and carry any sensitive material so go through everything swiftly, only to stop when I see a new object in my backpack. "Well, this is new." I muttered while picking up a gray tetrahedron with red tips. It's made with an unknown material, but it's light and translucent... And it's tough too. I don't think I can crush it without pouring in a significant amount of strength in my grip, surprisingly. Regardless, I don't think I will test that just yet. Who knows what this thing is that those soldiers left behind? And for what reason too?

"Gotta check this thing out." I muttered before standing up, patting myself of dust as good as I could. After rearranging my attire, I start searching for landmarks to determine where I am. "Great, at least it will only be a short run to get there. Thanks the Lord that those brutes didn't do anything else."

I juggle the cube into the air. "Time to go." And then I almost dropped it due to the weird shape of the tetrahedron. Due to me not knowing whatever the thing is in the first place, it puts me in quite a scare until I manage to get a hold of it with two hands. I breathe out the breath I have been holding in after that. Taking a look at the thing, I complain. "If this thing is something explosive, I was a fool to play with it in the first place..."

"On an unimportant note, this is a stupid shape if it's a grenade of some sort."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok, so let me get this straight." Said a girl with a long white twin-tail, her eyes blindfolded with a strip of black cloth. "You were jumped on, knocked out, then carried 20 km away from a crime scene, dumped in the middle of nowhere alongside a strange, potentially dangerous cube of glass? Need I tell you how insane and how stupid you were to bring that here?!" The girl radiated power when she spoke the last sentence. Behind her, four coffins start floating and Natasha really doesn't want to dance with death beams right now.

Despite her reservation, Natasha raises her hands up in a calming gesture. "Hey, it's not like I have anywhere else to come to! The last thing I need is to place Kallen in the crosshair of these guys! You gals, on the other hand, have been under the radar for the entirety of this war. You're the best bet I have to figure out whatever the Hell this thing is safe!"

"Woman! In case you have forgotten, we used to be nuns! Not spies nor detectives! And like you, I have things to care for! My family, to care for!"

Crap, she is charging her death beams! Natasha thought.

Behind Natasha, the other zombified nuns pick up their scythes. Natasha almost curse at this if not for the fact she had already used up her cursing quota for the day. Conflict seems inevitable when the girl with beamer coffins says. "Look, I am glad that you and Kallen set us up for this place. Thus far, we have been able to make it into a cozy home to stay still we can't. But what you're doing right now, crossed the line."

"... The least I could do was ask for your opinion first. I'm sorry." Truthfully, that thought never crossed Natasha's mind. While she didn't show it back then, Natasha was seriously spooked and had been focusing on getting the Hell away from that spot after making sure she wasn't tailed. And maybe, she could have worded it better instead of just barging in and discarded that tetrahedron on a handcraft table like a hot potato. Yeah, Natasha feels she deserves to get a few beams fired at her for shocking the occupants of the caves like that. Especially when these occupants are not humans, not anymore.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Natasha's hands slowly lower onto the grips of her magic pistols as the tense atmosphere persists. She is surrounded from the front by the Lich and from behind by the four Praetorians with scythes. In a confined space like this, Natasha can work out an escape plan, one that hopefully won't do any harm to these girls. After spending enough time with Kallen, Natasha has gone soft. She sees these zombie girls as no different than other Crusaders. They're the closest thing they can be to a human, just under a different flag and a different skin tone. Natasha chalks it up like that and treats them with the respect and caution they deserve.

Despite wearing a blindfold, Natasha can see the Lich seemingly frown as the Crusader is itching for the weapons on her hip. Their confrontation is interrupted when a cheerful voice interjects from the side. "Hey! I think I figured it out!"

Instantly, the atmosphere cools down. The Praetorians lay off their scythes and go back to do whatever they did earlier while the Lich stacks her coffins in a corner. Natasha sighs before relaxing her body. The Lich then directs a not-so-hidden glare at Natasha through her veil, one that the Crusader can only return with a helpless shrug. But the warning is not lost on her. Nonetheless, the matter is soon dropped as they move to the table. There, another very distinctive girl sits while fiddling with a tetrahedron. She has short white hair, yellow eyes, and a pair of legs that many would kill for. Her chosen attire is a long-sleeve white dress with an orange inner. Coincidentally, the Lich has long since discarded her old outfit that came out from a mental ward and put on a skirt of similar design to the white-haired girl.

"You said you figured it out." Natasha said to the white-haired girl as she pulled out a chair. The Lich levels her a glare as she too mirrors her action. "What? Half of the furniture in this cave came from me, you know."

The white-haired girl chuckles. "Come on, Ana. No need to be so worked up! Natasha wasn't at fault here, she was just scared, much like the rest of us in the first few days. Come, come sit on my lap instead." Instantly, the Lich, Ana is now plopped squarely on the white-haired girl's lap. That seems to do the trick as she mellows out instantly.

Eyeing the sight with curiosity, Natasha can't help but think about Kallen in the process. The white-haired girl gives Ana a peck on her lips before addressing Natasha. "I apologize on Ana's behalf, she gets a bit jumpy whenever it involves me or my sisters." The girl then smiles. "Though I think you also understand the feeling if it's related to Kallen in any way."

Natasha returns a smile of her own. "That I do, Camila."

Camila nods while patting Ana's hair like you would do for a kitten. "Now then, I am not an engineer or a professor but," Camila then points at the tetrahedron. "That thing seems to eat up my mana, or whatever you use to call our energy, and I can determine that it's not dangerous in any way. Rather, it acts like a.. communicator, if I infer correctly from my understanding."

Natasha, who has picked up the cube to inspect, raises an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

Camila shrugs with a light smile. "Perks of being a magic-capable and sentient zombie. Unlike our mindless cousins, we can infer a lot of things from our instinctual abilities, given enough time."

"Fascinating. It seems there are still things that can surprise me." Natasha said honestly. "So, if it's a communicator. Why did they leave it in my bag? This is a deliberate action."

"I don't know. If they are elusive as you said they are, yet you ran into them twice, then maybe they have something on their minds for you?" Camila hypothesized as Ana tuned out the conversation and dived into the former's bosom.

Natasha ponders before saying. "If they wanted me dead, they could have done it twice. One with literal bombs, I think, and the other would be killing me outright instead of knocking the living daylight out of me. Maybe, just maybe, they want to talk? They did express interest in me before... At least, their leader was."

The table then falls into a strange silence as each person has different scenarios running through their mind. It's soon interrupted when the Praetorians come back, carrying trays of food to the table. Camila, smelling the delicious cooking, smiles. "Well, we can discuss more when we're rejuvenated. Yesterday, Isabella caught a boar, and Dolores is the one to handle the cooking today. Trust me, her cooking is delicious."

Natasha smiles as a plate of roasted meat is presented before her. "Thank you. This is so kind of you all."

"You and Kallen are always welcomed as friends here, Natasha. We have been infringing on your hospitality without much to offer in return."

"Well, you helping me with this matter is more than what I could have asked for right now. I just wish I could learn more about this group instead of running into them in the dark like earlier."

Natasha should be careful of what she wishes for.

Just when she finished her sentence, the tetrahedron activated itself as circles of lights appeared at the tip of the cube, shocking Natasha, Ana, and the Praetorians into grabbing their weapons. Camila, however, gestures for them to stand down as the lights condense into the image of a young woman, dressed in formal attire with her face hidden with a mask that covers her upper face. The young woman looks around the cavern before looking down at them.

"Well, well, well... This is a surprise indeed." The woman, seated in an elaborate wooden chair, said. "It appears some interesting individuals come up and you, my little Raven, are not alone as expected."

Natasha recognizes this voice all too well. "You were the one from that prisoner camp."

With her grin visible, the figure replies. "Indeed, it is I. I see you have made friends with very special girls, it does explain the strange energy readings that we weren't expecting from your end."

"Hey, whatever you want from me, you best leave them out of this." Natasha said defensively, not wanting to get the zombie sisters involved in her mess.

The figure just maintains her smile while staring at Natasha. "I smell a story here."

The pair then holds a staring contest of sorts, which Natasha finds herself losing, knowing that right now she doesn't have any good card to play. Thankfully, the woman on the other end smirks, shrugging her shoulders. "But luckily for you, I will not ask you to divulge any information about them as a sign of goodwill."

Natasha eyes Camila, who just nods without offering any word. She will leave it for Natasha to handle as it's her business unless she needs help. "I guess I should say thank you. Although how your men treat me leaves much to be desired."

The masked woman laughs. "Oh please, if it weren't for my order, you would have never seen Kallen Kaslana ever again. Quite frankly, you keep stumbling into our businesses like a magnet, little Raven. You should feel lucky that you have caught my interest, you and your loving S-rank Crusader. The same can be said for your friends nearby. Spain is truly a land full of wonders at this rate."

"... Should I be worried, lady?" Natasha asked, instantly on guard. Ana who is next to Camila hisses audibly as a warning to the masked stranger.

The woman in question just laughed. "Oh, where are my manners?" She stands up before performing a small bow. "You may call me Overlord, though if you're as smart as I think you are, you will know my true identity soon enough. And to be truthful with you, the original intention of leaving behind this communicator was just to keep a tab on you every now and then. And maybe offer an exchange of information between the two sides when the situation calls for it. But as of five minutes ago, your... collective worth has arisen so much that we can't just ignore anymore."

Overlord then leans in, interlocking her fingers together. "Now then, ladies, I am offering to establish a cooperative relationship with you all. I assure you that whatever is it that you're required, I will be able to help easily with the resources I have at my disposal."

"... And what will we have to do in return?" Camila, surprisingly, was the one to interject. Natasha glances at her but not saying anything. She too is interested in seeing what this Overlord has to offer.

"That, my fair lady, is a matter worth negotiating, don't you think?" Overlord smirked. "But please, we can eat and discuss at the same time. I am just about grabbing a plate of my own on this end."

Natasha has a feeling that this meal will be a long one.