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8:08 p.m.
Holy Crusade Squad's Meeting Room, Branch Chapter Temple, Gru'n Town.
Mabel, Jamaal, Vivian, and a pale-skinned Gray Cloak Priest with brown hair and in his late 30s were sitting on a long table.
"Thank you for coming, High Brother Korn," Mabel said to the Gray Cloak.
Korn nodded.
"It's a pleasure lend a helping hand once again."
Mabel turned to the rest.
"At around 3:45 p.m., Brother Inquisitor Song, Brother Captain Kian and Brother High Lieutenant Stale went to a restaurant-sauna called Burning Gem to secretly meet with someone that Lord Fasner introduced to us.
"The name of the person wasn't disclosed, but it was Lord Lukas from the Kohler family, a Mid-Tier Noble family mainly involved in auctioning art pieces and materials, and is currently residing here in Gru'n Town.
"Lord Lukas is believed to have vital information related to the remaining unknown culprits involved in smuggling and reverse-engineering a lost and forbidden Rune Art that could block Affinity Crystals.
"However, until now, no word from Brother Inquisitor Song and the others has been heard.
"High Brother Korn and I would be heading over to Burning Gem."
She focused her gaze on Vivian and Jamaal.
"Meanwhile, Sister Inquisitor Monad and Brother Lieutenant Jamaal would head over to the Lord Fasner and ask for more details about Lord Lukas."
She returned to focus on the rest.
"We will regroup here at 9:00 p.m. to assess whatever new information we've gathered and then decide the next move. However, in case anything unexpected happens, light a flare.
"Are there any questions?"
Vivian raised her hand.
"I have one."
Mabel nodded.
"Go on."
"Brother Inquisitor Song and the others didn't gather enough information about this 'Lord Lukas' before meeting with him?"
"The meeting was suddenly and secretly arranged this morning by Lord Fasner. Aside from not having enough time to do a deep background check, Brother Inquisitor Song also said that if we did a deep background check on Lord Lukas, it might alert the remaining unknown culprits involved in smuggling and reverse-engineering that lost and forbidden Rune Art that could block Affinity Crystals."
"This 'Lord Fasner' is from the ruling Aristocratic Noble Family, correct?"
"He is the uncle of the current ruling Viscount of the Iron Kingdom's Marques Faction, Viscountess Ethel."
"Assuming that something happened to Brother Inquisitor Song, Brother Captain Kian and Brother High Lieutenant Stale, what are the chances that this Lord Fasner could be involved in it?"
"I can't deny that possibility, but the probability of it is low. Lord Fasner has been one of the biggest contributors in helping us to uncover this case. We were even able to arrest several people from Mid-Tier Noble Families because of the information and connections he has provided for us."
"Has Brother Inquisitor Song considered the possibility of him being involved in smuggling and reverse-engineering this lost and forbidden Rune Art that could block Affinity Crystals?"
Mabel nodded.
"At the beginning, we considered everyone in this Town as possible suspects, including our fellow Brothers and Sisters. But after more than 2 months of investigation, we were able to slowly rule out the ones that were innocent, and that includes Lord Fasner."
Vivian's eyes turned to slits behind her mask.
Based on the file that Pen gave me…
This Squad has been here since the month of Septus…
Truth be told, the details in the file that Pen gave Vivian weren't complete. This case was actually an "accident".
Back in the month of Aurgus this year, Mabel received a Field Mission about a Sister from the Orion Chapter Temple named Nesia, who suddenly vanished during Basic Training at the Holy City.
Mabel tried all possible angles.
It was around the second week of the month of Septus when she started to investigate an angle about a former acquaintance turned stalker of Nesia, a non-Priest male Noble from a Mid-Tier Noble family here in Gru'n Town. And while she was investigating that angle, she accidentally uncovered that the Noble she was investigating was involved in smuggling a lost and forbidden Rune Art that could block Affinity Crystals via an Auction House, and a couple of people had already started to reverse-engineer it without the consent of the proper and legal authorities.
In the course of a little over 2 months, they were able to arrest people involved in it. However, they have yet to arrest everyone.
"Have you tried using [Halo] on all the suspects?"
"Only on the ones that were arrested."
"What about this Lord Fasner?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I don't know if you're aware of this, but you just can't use [Halo] without any solid evidence to back it up."
"If it's solid evidence we're looking for, why don't we just head over directly to the Burning Gem and to this Lord Lukas?"
"First off, we're not even sure if something indeed happened to Brother Inquisitor Song, Brother Captain Kian and Brother High Lieutenant Stale. So before we head over to Lord Lukas' residence, I would like to gather as much information as possible under this short amount of time we have left without alerting anyone."
Vivian's brows knitted together behind her half-mask.
Is it just me or are all Inquisitors like this…?
Too afraid to be direct…
***
8:13 p.m.
A carriage that had 2 gold-colored lamps at the front and another 2 gold-colored lamps at the back was being pulled by a Karfax traveling down a foggy street.
Vivian, who was inside the carriage, looked outside through the glass window.
The fog has grown too thick…
Too thick compared to when I first arrived here…
Can't even see beyond 8ft…
Also…
Too many Guards and what looked like volunteers patrolling the streets…
In the Iron Kingdom, the whole kingdom would be covered in fog all year round. Even in summer, although there won't be any fog during the day, at night, there would be, but it wouldn't be as thick as the night fog that occurs during the other seasons. Because of this, in order to ensure public safety, aside from Guards patrolling the streets, there were also part-time volunteers, which involved Adventurers and civilians.
Vivian suppressed the urge to bite her lower lip and touch her stomach.
I want to eat a group of blueies…
"Wew, another thick and foggy night!" a male voice said.
It was Jamaal and he was sitting right across from Vivian.
Vivian only paid him a quick glance and then resumed staring out of the glass window.
"As beautiful as this kingdom is, I can never get used to this kind of weather," Jamaal said to himself.
Vivian continued staring at the window.
"One of the things I can never get used to is having to wear Magic Items that have the Active or Passive Vision Magic Effect if you go out at night," Jamaal said to himself once again.
Vivian let out an internal sigh.
Oh God…
Lord help me…
He's one of those types, isn't he…?
Wait…
She was about to raise her hand and touch her ear, but then stopped.
The only Magic Item on my body is the Earring of Spirit…
Do I have a Magic Item with the Vision Magic Effect…?
I think I have one, but I left it at the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint…
She didn't have one.
I believe I bought it back at Luxen City…?
Or was it at the Holy City…?
I can't remember…
The carriage suddenly started to slow down and then stopped.
Vivian looked out of the window.
What the hell…?
The carriage stopped at an intersection. In two of the corners of the intersection, top left and bottom right, there were small booths, each with a person inside it, and the person inside was manually managing what looked like Origin Crystals with different colors.
It was basically a rudimentary traffic lights design: Blue-green color was go and Pink color was stop.
So they also have this concept here…?
Well…
Given the fog, I guess it's actually not surprising that they would eventually develop something like this to avoid unnecessary carriage-related accidents…
However…
Why is it pink…?
There aren't even any other carriages around…!
What Vivian didn't know was that the men inside the booths and the coachmen of carriages were following a strict time schedule on when the lights would switch colors. During the day, the colors would switch every 4 minutes. Meanwhile, at night, the colors would switch every 6 minutes. Because of this, some would argue that it would be faster to travel on foot. However, at night, traveling on foot also comes with its own challenges.
"Interesting, isn't it?" Jamaal said. "They call it 'Iro-Road Iro-Lights' and it was created by an Aristocratic Noble from the Iron Kingdom's Count Faction to avoid accidents on roads mainly caused by thick fogs or limited visibility."
"I see."
Jamaal's eyes brightened for a brief moment after hearing Vivian finally speak.
"I heard that they plan to apply this invention in the Verglas Kingdom and also in some Towns and Villages in the Holy Kingdom that face extreme cold winters."
Vivian resumed focusing outside the window.
"I can't imagine having these in the Heisen Kingdom, because there's no need. But I like the order it brings, where it can avoid people fighting over who gets to move first. However, the delay it causes, because you have to wait for your turn to move, I can see another sort of frustration and possibly even fights being born out of it."
What is wrong with this guy…?
Can't he see I'm a woman and he's a man…?
Why is he so pushy…?
How is this any different from sexual harassment…?
Or perhaps he thinks he's better than me because he's older and then therefore thinks his rank is higher than mine…?
Well…
I am still just a Sergeant…
But I'm an Inquisitor and he's just an Infantry…
Or perhaps it's a gender thing…?
She tried to recall Jamaal's interaction with Mabel.
He has a crush on me…?
The food inside her stomach almost came back up, but she managed to push it back down.
I have to keep a good amount of distance from this idiot…
Man, I'm starting to wonder if I could do a Field Mission with just myself…
An image of her stabbing her own eye with [Dark Arrow] while in Primordial Beast form flashed inside her head.
Oh, I guess not…
***
8:26 p.m.
The carriage that Vivian and Jamaal were in stopped in front of the gate of a mansion's compound.
"I'll talk to the Guards," Jamaal said.
Ka-cha.
And then stepped out of the carriage.
Vivian raised an eyebrow behind her half-mask.
Did the idiot just say 'talk to the Guards'…?
She recalled the file that Pen gave her.
Iron is a Subsidiary Kingdom of the Holy Kingdom and the Twin Kingdom…
Sure, among the Aristocratic Noble Factions, the Marques Faction is the one 'closest' to the Holy Kingdom…
The Duke Faction is closer to the Twin Kingdom…
And the Count Faction is neutral…
But still…
These people are under us, the Holy Kingdom…
They should be on our beck and call…
This is literally Colonization 101...
These people are our slaves -- in a metaphorical sense...
Is the business relationship between the Marques Faction and the Holy Kingdom that important, that vital…?
She recalled something.
Hold on…
The Golden Family that resides in the Iron Kingdom is the Dis'cus family…
I believe they're the 4th oldest Golden Family…?
Anyhow, the Dis'cus family and the Has'tam family, the 2nd oldest Golden Family, are part of the Lance Faction…
Sure, the Lance Faction is reportedly the richest Faction among the Priest Factions…
But are they that weak that they would need to ask permission to enter the home of an Aristocratic Noble from a Subsidiary Kingdom…?
However…
The Lance Faction are mainly part of the Infantry and Explo--…
Wait…!
I just remembered…!
In the other previous file that Pen gave me, it was mentioned that the current Light Saint is from the Dis'cus family…
Was the information of the file wrong…?
Or perhaps Priests, including Light Saints, aren't that powerful…?
I mean…
Sure, they have [Halo], which can be super OP, at least based on my experience with those lower lifeforms that I encountered in Mount Vald'mir…
Tak.
She gently tapped her half-mask. Had she tapped too hard, it would've broken into two or possibly even shattered.
You stupid fucking idiot…
The only reason why [Halo] was so OP was because your Magic Force is higher…
If your Magic Force was lower, it would've been no different from a fucking lamp or flashlight…!
She was about to touch and massage her chin, but stopped after realizing she wasn't wearing her full-mask.
I see…
So I guess the Light Saints and Priests in general are weak against Aristocratic Nobles…?
I mean…
Even their Lore Magic, assuming that all of the Golden Families' Lore Magic operates in the same general principle, then it truly is…
Even back in the videogames in my world, Priests or Crusaders have never been damagers, they were more like tankers…
And if they do become damagers, it's usually against undead-type monsters or enemies…
So tankers and healers, and with a lot of soft political power due to their [Greater Heal] and [Resurrection] Class Magic Spells, huh…
Her brows knitted together.
Am I slowly losing touch with reality…?
If yes, when…?
I mean, all the information was there…
It was basically handed to me by Pen…
And yet, I failed to realize this simple concept…
Should I start carrying a small diary with me to remember all of the information I receive...?
But if someone were to steal and read it, they might use it against me...
I seriously can't take that risk…
She recalled the time she arrested an old woman in Luxen City and then her underwear was stolen by an Adventurer back via the Thief's [Steal] Class Magic spell.
Yeah…
Too many sick weirdos in this world…
There was even those so-called clients who wanted to not only hire me, but also low-ball me via the Adventurer's Guild…
"Fucking parasites."
She nodded.
Okay…
For the time being…
Try to act like a normal human being…
Try to look at things from their perspective…
Try to understand their worthless and pitiful lives, dreams, aspirations and whatever BS they think of…
Ka-cha.
A carriage door opened. Jamaal climbed in and returned to his seat.
Neither of them said a word and the carriage resumed moving.
Vivian looked outside the glass window.
The fog is too thick…
I can't see how wide the land area of this mansion's compound…
The carriage continued moving until it finally stopped in front of the mansion's front entrance, where there was a butler and 2 Guards waiting.
Ka-cha.
The butler stepped forward, then opened the carriage door, and then gave an elegant bow.
"Welcome, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Honored Priest Crusader Jamaal."
Jamaal climbed down first, turned around, and then offered his hand to Vivian.
"I'm fine," Vivian said and then climbed down herself.
Jamaal turned to the butler.
"Thank you for welcoming us, Denis. We would like to speak with Lord Fasner."
Denis, who was still bowing, continued to lower his head even lower.
"It is but a great pleasure for our Lord to be graced with your presence, Honored Priest Crusader Jamaal. I have already sent word to the Head Butler to inform our Lord of your arrival," he said and then raised his head a bit. "May I escort you both to the waiting room to wait for our Lord's reply?"
Jamaal turned to Vivian.
God, it's cold..
I can literally feel my underwear freezing underneath my skirt...
She nodded at Denis.
Denis lowered his head once again.
"Thank you for the pleasure, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Honored Priest Crusader."
***
Vivian and Jamaal were in the "waiting room". Although it was a "room", in Vivian's eyes, it was more like a hall.
The room itself was wide, almost twice as large as 2 basketball courts. On the west side of the wall were four 10-foot-long windows overlooking the front yard of the mansion. On the south wall was a single open entrance that led to the main hall. On the east wall were 3 doors; on the left corner was a single door, at the center was a double-door, and on the right corner was another single door. And on the north wall was a fireplace with actual wood being burned. Next to the fireplace were 2 one-person sofas and 1 three-person sofa gathered in a half-circle with a monster's fur rug in the middle. Next to the sofas was a long table with chairs and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. And then finally, the entire room was decorated with paintings, vases and other art pieces.
Vivian went over to one of the art pieces near the west and north wall. It was a 1-meter-tall Origin Crystal carved in the shape of a Knight.
So a raw Origin Crystal is transparent…?
I mean, it's not completely transparent, but it's just white, just like the Affinity Crystals…
However…
I never expected that an Origin Crystal could be this big…
Was it attached together…?
She leaned closer to search for signs.
I can't see any…
The fingers on her right hand twitched.
I'm tempted to touch it…
But that would be too rude…
Even I would be pissed if someone touches my things without my permission…
Ka-cha!
As she was about to check the other art pieces, one of the doors on the east wall opened; the one in the left corner, revealing a maid pushing a cart carrying tea and sweets.
She curtsied.
"Please allow me to offer you some food while you wait, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Honored Priest Crusader."
Jamaal, who was sitting at one of the chairs at the long table, turned to her.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine."
The maid turned to Vivian.
"I'm fine too."
"Shall I leave this cart here just in case?"
Noticing that Vivian wasn't responding, Jamaal answered for them.
"We're fine, thank you."
The maid curtsied.
"Yes, Honored Priest Crusader. Please excuse me," she said and then left with the cart.
Vivian resumed checking the art pieces and then she found herself looking at something that looked like an old and rusty dark green scale that was the size of two adult open hands side-by-side, kept inside a glass box plastered to the wall.
What the fuck is this…?
From what animal or monster is this from…?
Assuming that this is really a scale, to be this large, the overall height of the animal or monster should be at least 6 --…
She shook her head mentally.
No…
At least 8 meters…
7-8 meters…
7.5 to be fair…
Her gaze fell on her boots. A small smile broke out on her lips, and then she scoffed.
So people don't remove their shoes inside a mansion…
Tak, tak, tak…
The sound of a stick hitting against the tiled floor began echoing throughout the mansion, and it was getting louder.
Tak, tak, tak…
Jamaal stood up from his chair and then faced the double door on the east wall.
Tak, tak, tak…
Vivian, on the other hand, had her eyes turned to slits behind her half-mask as her gaze bounced between Jamaal and the double-door.
Ka-cha!
The double door on the east wall opened and revealed two men.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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