Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [9]

The young Sisters Hospitaller Elena and the scribe Sister Atoria both nodded solemnly. They had very important tasks.

Among them, Sister Hospitaller Elena's task was relatively simple—she just needed to survive and leave safely, bringing the gene-seed back. On the other hand, Scribe Sister Atoria had a heavier responsibility.

Originally, all the intelligence on that large, earth-toned monster had already been collected. However, now that the creature had fully recovered its combat strength—perhaps even returned to full health—it was likely that she would need to gather even more information.

Their miniature communication systems would remain active at all times. When the Space Marines carried out their final mission, they would continuously transmit information about the monster to her.

"Go now, sisters. You are not members of the Adepta Sororitas' Battle Sisters and do not need to participate in this fight," the Canoness said, patting the shoulders of the two young Sisters.

To die in battle, never retreat, serve the Empire with unwavering loyalty, and dedicate one's soul to the Golden Throne—these were the unbreakable vows of the Battle Sisters.

However, these rules did not apply to non-combatant Sisters—such as Sisters Hospitaller, scribe Sisters, and Sisters Famulous who served the aristocracy.

Sister Hospitaller Elena nodded and, along with another scribe Sister with white hair, headed toward the cave where Rhodes was hiding.

...

Elena wore a white robe and had delicate features, appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen years old—likely a new addition to the Sisterhood.

Meanwhile, the scribe Sister wore a brown robe and appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six.

As the two Sisters approached, Rhodes couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

Damn it, why are you coming back?

Aren't you supposed to be loyal to the Empire? Loyal to the Emperor?

But the problem was that he had no place left to hide. Rhodes sighed in resignation.

He began considering his next move. If these two Sisters were hostile toward him, his only option would be to activate his monster-enhancement ability—to at least have a chance at self-defense.

Soon, the two Sisters stepped into the cave where Rhodes had been hiding. The initial moment of their meeting was quite awkward.

Rhodes was fully prepared to activate his monster enhancement and take down the two Sisters if necessary. Meanwhile, the Sisters were completely caught off guard—they hadn't expected to find a civilian hiding here!

Yes, despite Rhodes's rather odd attire, the Sisters could tell he was a pure human. Naturally, they classified him as a civilian.

"Uh… hello! Bonjour! Konnichiwa!" Rhodes greeted them with an awkward smile, waving his hand.

A moment earlier, he had considered picking up some Astra Militarum uniforms and pretending to be a Guardsman.

However, he had heard that the Empire's Sisters loved executing deserters—so he quickly dismissed that idea.

Better to try communicating first. If that failed… well, then he'd activate his monster powers and fight his way out.

"Atoria, what language is he speaking? I can't believe there's still a civilian survivor here!" Elena said in surprise.

"Hmm… his language is a bit strange. It sounds like three different ancient Terran languages, all used for greetings. I can understand a little," Atoria replied.

As a competent scribe Sister, she was required to master vast amounts of knowledge—including ancient Terran languages.

Atoria had joined the scribe order at a very young age and had spent over a decade studying within the organization. With her extensive knowledge, she could comprehend at least some of what Rhodes was saying.

"Do you understand Nihongo?" 

Never mind! Better to just speak his native tongue.

If that didn't work, he'd try English. As for the other greetings—well, he only knew some basic Japanese phrases from certain educational videos, so that probably wouldn't help.

"This language is indeed very old—it's an ancient dialect from the Terran era. I can understand a little. Hold on a moment."

Atoria took out a device that resembled a Bluetooth earpiece.

She tapped a few buttons on her smart device, adjusted some settings, and then placed the earpiece on Rhodes.

"This is a translator. It will convert your speech into High Gothic, and you will also be able to understand our High Gothic speech," Atoria explained.

This translator was a standard tool carried by scribe Sisters. It contained records of numerous ancient Terran languages and was particularly useful for deciphering old texts.

Moreover, it didn't just include human languages—it also stored information on certain alien dialects.

"Thank you. As you can see, I am just a civilian," Rhodes said, nodding cautiously.

Elena gave him a gentle smile and stepped forward, placing a hand on his forehead.

She then took out a small device, plucked a strand of his hair, and conducted a genetic analysis.

After completing the test, she returned to Atoria's side and nodded in satisfaction.

His skull was perfectly shaped and showed no signs of mutation. His genetic profile was purely human—in fact, too pure.

There were no signs of corruption, mutation, or exposure to strange radiation—he was a perfect citizen of the Imperium.

"Civilian, you're very lucky to have met us," Atoria said. "If you had encountered the Battle Sisters instead… they would have immediately decapitated you with a chain sword."

She wasn't joking. The Battle Sisters were fanatically devoted to the Emperor. If they found civilians on the battlefield, they would execute them on sight—to prevent them from falling to Chaos or being preyed upon by Xenos.

This way, their souls could return to the Golden Throne.

And why use chainswords instead of guns? Well, ammo was precious, and a civilian wasn't worth a bullet.

Compared to the ruthless Battle Sisters, Hospitaller Sisters and scribe Sisters were far more gentle.

As long as you weren't a Chaos heretic or an alien abomination, you had nothing to fear.

It was no secret that Astra Militarum soldiers adored Hospitaller Sisters—after all, who would prefer the company of muscle-bound, fanatical Battle Sisters?

They were always fierce, some were borderline unhinged, and they were utterly terrifying.

Meanwhile, Hospitaller Sisters were kind, gentle, and devoted to healing and comforting the wounded.

Elena smiled warmly, her expression full of compassion. She knelt before Rhodes, placed a delicate white hand against his chest, and spoke in the softest, most reassuring tone possible:

"Don't be afraid. You will soon return to the Golden Throne."

"... … …"

Rhodes: WTF?!