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By the way, The orc warrior 261, I received a notification from Patreon that you "upgraded" your membership, but it didn't mention which one. As far as I know, at least based on the Membership log, I have 2 Patreons on [Adventurer] and 1 Patreon on [Mercenary]. Maybe after 12-24 hours it would finally show.
Thank you for understanding and I'm very sorry for the inconvenience :(
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Novus 21, 3023, Day of Tuar, 11:04 a.m.
Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, South Office Building.
Two Gold Cloak Inquisitors were inside a private guest office: One was in his mid-40s with soft brown medium-length hair, while the other one was in his mid-30s with medium-length brown hair. Each of them was sitting behind their own desks and reviewing some documents.
The two Inquisitors were Freed and Blanch.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
When Freed and Blanch raised their heads to see who it was, they saw that it was one of the Inquisitors stationed at the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint: A White Cloak Inquisitor in his late 20s.
The Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint was the "Main" out of all of the Inner Stanza Border Checkpoints. Because of that, their compound was larger, they had more buildings, they had more people stationed here, and the people stationed here were "stronger".
The total number of people assigned in this place was 66 -- 13 from the Priest Squad, 13 from the Knight Squad and 40 from the Guard Squad.
From the Priest Squad, this is how they are divided:
Main or First Squad
• High Captain - Infantry Division
• High Lieutenant - Inquisitory Division
• Captain - Exploratory Division
• Captain - Air Division
Left Wing or South Squad
• Captain - Infantry Division
• High Lieutenant - Infantry Division
• Lieutenant - Inquisitory Division
• High Lieutenant - Exploratory Division
• High Lieutenant - Air Division
Right Wing or North Squad
• Captain - Infantry Division
• High Lieutenant - Infantry Division
• Lieutenant - Inquisitory Division
• High Lieutenant - Exploratory Division
• High Lieutenant - Air Division
The Inquisitor who knocked was part of the Left Wing Squad or South Squad. His team was in charge of managing the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoints, and also the South Gate.
He had several envelopes on his hand as he entered the office, and then saluted.
"Brother Inquisitor Freed, Brother Inquisitor Blanch, this just arrived today for both of you," he said and then placed the envelopes on top of Freed's desk.
Normally, Inquisitors wouldn't be tasked to deliver letters like couriers. However, these letters were sensitive and related to the special case related to the "Giant Demon of Stanza". On top of that, a lot of people wanted to speak with Freed and Blanch about the case, mainly the families of the victims.
Freed nodded.
"Thank you, Brother Inquisitor Flamenco."
Flamenco nodded back to him and then also gave a nod at Blanch.
"I'll be heading back to deal with today's people who are trying to inquire about the case."
"Thank you for really working hard."
Flamenco waved his hand.
"Please, I'm just like everyone else who's praying to the God of Light that we'll be able to catch and destroy that cursed demon as soon as possible."
"I see."
Flamenco gave a slight bow.
"Excuse me," he said and then left the office.
Freed started checking the sender's name on each envelope. Meanwhile, Blanch resumed reviewing the document he was reading.
"Same old names… same old names…" Freed muttered to himself and then stopped when he picked up an envelope from Pen.
Riiip…
He opened the envelope and then took out the letter.
"Brother Inquisitor Pen is asking for an explanation on why we released the names of the True Death victims right away."
Even though Pen ordered them to conduct a swift and thorough investigation about the Giant Demon of Stanza without causing any mass panic or hysteria among the Crusaders, Knights, Guards and civilians, for high-profile cases like this, unless it was necessary, the names of the victims would usually be released at the end of the investigation or when enough information has already been gathered. However, to Freed's surprise, once the victims were identified, Blanch immediately suggested informing the family of the victims.
Naturally, Freed asked why. But Blanch simply said that it was part of his plan and gave a brief explanation without disclosing everything.
Normally, Freed wouldn't accept such an explanation. However, given that Blanch was a Gold Cloak, he had known Blanch for years, and he was aware of Blanch's reputation of being one of the best Inquisitors in their Division, he accepted it.
Blanch stopped what he was doing and then looked at Freed.
"Tell him I discovered an angle that could possibly reveal the demon's identity and location, but I can't reveal the full details at the moment."
Freed nodded.
"Okay," he said and then let out a small chuckle. "I can just imagine him right now being pressured left and right by the higher-ups."
"I can certainly imagine that as well."
***
4:31 a.m.
A Black Draghorn was flying in the sky.
On the back of the monster was a pale-skinned man with wild, medium-length brown and gray hair in his mid-50s and a beard. He was wearing an open and loose long black coat with that fluttered in the air and revealed his massive and hairy chest, a loose and stretchable black pants, and a pair of stretchable fingerless gloves and sandals.
He pulled the reins, ordering the monster to descend to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint without giving any signal.
As he stared down at the border checkpoint, he noticed the people already gathering to "meet" him, causing his lips to form into a huge grin and revealing his semi-canine fangs.
When he finally landed on the ground, he was greeted with Knights and Guards glaring at him, and others already had their weapons out, all ready to pounce at him at any moment. But he didn't care and casually climbed down from the Draghorn.
"Who here can take to me to Priest Inquisitor Blanch!?" he said with an Ironian accent.
One of the Knights who recognized him had his eyes turned wide and then he quickly turned to the rest.
"Everyone, stand down! This is Lord Konrad, an Aristocratic Noble from the Halb'hund and the Halb'mensch family of the Iron Kingdom's Duke Faction! His family members helped us track the remains of our comrades! But most important of all, he's the former Supreme Captain of the Iron Kingdom!"
Everyone relaxed, some even stared at him in amazement and tried their best to record his appearance in their heads. The highest-ranking Knight present stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, and then lowered his head.
"Please excuse our insolence, Supreme Captain! We didn't mean to disrespect you and we are all grateful for your family's contribution!"
Seeing and hearing the Knight, all of the Knights and Guards nearby also knelt down and lowered their heads.
"However, we would like to request that you please use the proper signals when entering our border checkpoint next time to avoid any future confusion..."
Konrad huffed.
"Didn't you hear? I'm the former Supreme Captain."
The Knight lowered his head even further.
"Forgive me, Lord Konrad!"
"Where is this Priest Inquisitor Blanch?"
The Knight raised his head.
"Honored Priest Inquisitor Blanch, he's at the South Office Building. I can escort you there, My Lord!"
"Very well."
The Knight rose to his feet and then saluted.
"Thank you, My Lord!"
Although Knights are not required to use "Honored" when referring to a Priest, there was an unspoken rule that one should if the Priest or Priestess was a Gold Cloak. After all, Gold Cloaks have the Class Magic Spell [Resurrection]. The last thing that any non-Priest combatant would want is to disrespect or earn the ire of someone who has the power to literally bring them back from the dead.
***
Thud, thud, thud…!
Konrad strutted into the private guest office that Freed and Blanch were in, and he quickly made his way to Blanch, who stood up and gave a slight bow once Konrad reached him.
"Welcome to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, Lord Konrad," Blanch said and then gestured his hand over to one of the vacant chairs in front of his desk.
Sniff, sniff…
Konrad sniffed before folding his arms in front of his chest and raising an eyebrow.
"So you're now called Inquisitor Branch," he said with a knowing grin and then sat down at one of the chairs.
Seeing Konrad sit, Blanch gestured his hand over to Freed.
"May I also introduce you to a colleague of mine, Brother Inquisitor Freed."
When Konrad turned to him, Freed nodded.
"Welcome to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, Lord Konrad. I hope you had a pleasant journey coming here."
Sniff, sniff…
Konrad sniffed.
"'Inquisitor Freed', huh. I've smelled you before," he said and then returned his attention to Blanch. "What's wrong with my kin that your brethren and the others are wanting someone like me to interfere? They even offered quite a hefty sum. They also lifted a lot of political restrictions for me to work with."
Blanch thought about it for a moment.
"If I were to make an educated guess, I believe they want someone of your caliber to be part of the investigation in order to give people more hope."
"More hope?" Konrad said and then chuckled.
"Or assurance, whatever you prefer to call it, Lord Konrad."
Konrad scoffed as he waved his hand.
"Drop the lies. No one calls someone like me for simple tasks. So, what kind of opponent do I have to track? And how powerful is the opponent?"
"The opponent is a demon that's capable of defeating people with at least Spirit Steel, by our estimate. It is also said to be capable of transforming into a height of over 30 meters, some of the survivors said that its skin had a faint glow, leading others to suggest that it could be some sort of Lore Magic. But we would also need you to track other scents because we have yet to fully confirm if we've recovered all remaining lost limbs."
"I believe you're already aware that demons have no scent. And as for the remaining limbs, my younger kins are more than capable of tracking such things," Konrad said.
Blanch nodded.
"You are correct, Lord Konrad. And as expected of a former Supreme, you immediately saw through it.
"In all honestly, this is basically a publicity stunt. Some of the victims were from the higher echelons of society, both from Priest and Knight families. And among the Priest families, one of them is even from one of the Golden Families. We would truly be grateful it if you could go to the crime scene and do your thing, even if just once.
"And as a form of apology, I'll also accompany you."
Konrad's eyes turned to slits.
"Fine, I'll play along."
***
7:02 p.m.
Four flying mounts landed on the crime scene around Mount Vald'mir.
There was Konrad on his Black Draghorn.
There was Blanch on a Gray Rhonea.
A Crusader was on a Blue Rhonea.
And a Knight was on a Red Draghorn.
Konrad climbed down from his mount and then swept his gaze around his surroundings.
[Menschenhund].
Crack, crack, crack…!
When he activated his Lore Magic, he gritted his teeth as the bones in his body started making cracking noises.
Once the transformation was completed, his entire body was covered in brown fur, his fingernails and toenails became longer, he grew up to 2 meters in height, and a giant head of a Kraine monster appeared in front of his chest and stomach.
"Awoooooooo…!"
"AWOOOOOOOO…!"
Both Konrad and the giant Kraine head on his chest and stomach howled.
The Lore Magic [Menschenhund] doesn't require any mana to activate or maintain. However, it still comes with its pros and cons:
• it can only be activated at night
• if it's not activated, the owner still has minimal animal or monster-like senses, specifically that of a Kraine, where their eyesight is clearer, their hearing is sharper, and their sense of smell is keener
• once activated, it will give the owner (+60) to their Physical and Magic Force and also full-on animal or monster-like senses specifically that of a Kraine
And at the moment, his Physical and Magic Force was 360 (+60) (+60).
The first (+60) was from his Warrior Class Magic passive Spells: [Warrior's Body], [Warrior's Mind], and [Warrior's Heart].
Meanwhile, the second (+60) was from the transformation of his Lore Magic.
Furthermore, he also has a personal Lore Magic called [Jäger der Beute]. Once Konrad finally lands his gaze on his target or prey, the target will automatically receive a (-30) on their Physical and Magic Force.
Sniff, sniff…
SNIFF, SNIFF…
When it comes to scents, they usually last for only about 7 days before completely vanishing. However, the closer it gets to 7 days, the harder it becomes to track, because a lot can happen during those 1-7 days that could affect the scent -- rain, more scents added by people or animals, strong winds, etc. Because of all these reasons, it takes a skilled and experienced member of the Halb'hund and the Halb'mensch family to truly be able to properly track a scent. If they don't have the proper skills and experience, they could easily lose it or even mix up scents.
Naturally, due to how powerful this tracking ability is, provided that the user knows how to properly use it, a lot of restrictions have been placed upon the Halb'hund and the Halb'mensch family. And in order in to use their services, a lot of paperwork and compensation must be signed and approved by the proper authorities.
Blanch approached Konrad.
"Lord Konrad, I want you to focus on the scents from the night of Novus 17, which is 4 nights ago.
"Focus on the female scents.
"One with a perfume that costs at least 100 gold coins."
Konrad turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"That's oddly very specific."
"Yes, but just do it," Blanch said.
Sniff, sniff…
SNIFF, SNIFF…
Sniff, sniff…
SNIFF, SNIFF…
Konrad started moving around.
Sniff, sniff…
SNIFF, SNIFF…
Sniff, sniff…
SNIFF, SNIFF…
He stopped and then turned to Blanch.
"There are 4 scents:
"The first one is Priestess Esmeralda of the Mano de Luz family. But it's still here.
"The second one is unknown. But it's also still here.
"The third one is also unknown. But it moved northwest.
"And the fourth one is also unknown. But it moved north."
"I want you to focus on the fourth one," Blanch said.
"Would all of you be able to keep up?"
"Lord Konrad, with all due respect, you are quite powerful. Whether we run on foot or we fly with our mounts, there is no chance of us matching your full speed."
Konrad scoffed.
"Fine."
***
Vooooooooom…!
Konrad, in his humanoid Kraine form, was running across the desert and leaving a huge trail of desert dust behind him.
Sniff…
SNIFF…
He sniffed as he focused his gaze on the settlement a few miles away from him.
Iro-It's iro-coming iro-from iro-here…
It was the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.
Booom!
A red flare was shot into the sky from the border checkpoint.
Booom!
Another flare was shot into the sky, featuring the color yellow.
But this time, it was from the flying mounts following behind him.
Konrad ignored the flares and continued heading over to the border checkpoint.
Wooom!
Thud.
When he finally reached the border checkpoint, he immediately leapt over the south wall, and then landed in the middle of the compound.
"WHO ARE YOU...?!" a Knight in his mid-30s with wild orange hair and a thick beard shouted.
It was Edgar and he had a two-handed Mana Hammer imbued with [Enchant Earth] on his hands.
Meanwhile, the rest, a Knight in his late 20s with long blue hair, which was Lamont, and a couple of Guards, also drew out their weapons.
When Edgar and the rest first saw the large trail of dust from afar, one of the guards was immediately ordered to shoot a red flare, and they all immediately prepared for battle.
But when they saw the yellow flare, most of them calmed down a bit, but they all still had their guard up just in case.
However, when they finally saw Konrad in his inhuman form up close and personal, they all immediately returned to battle mode.
[Explosive Arrow].
Woooh!
An arrow made out of blue mana came flying at Konrad, but he easily evaded it and it landed on the ground.
"DIE, DEMON-KIN!!!" a female voice shouted.
It was Juana with a dark and twisted expression on her face. She was at the window of her room, holding a Mana Bow on her hands and still dressed in her sleeping attire.
[Explosive Arrow].
Woooh!
Booom!
Konrad evaded the skill once again.
"Stand down, Crusader! I'm not your enemy!"
Vooom!
Juana was about to shoot another arrow when someone appeared right below and outside her window.
"Sister High Sergeant, stand down!"
This time, it was Lennon. He barely had any time to wear his White Cloak and was simply wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and a pair of boots.
Konrad's flying companions finally arrived.
Blanch immediately climbed down from his Gray Rhonea.
"Everyone, stand down. The being you're speaking to is human and his name is Lord Konrad. We are currently conducting an investigation here."
As everyone was still trying to process what Blanch just said and the rest of the members of the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint began coming out, Konrad resumed what he was doing.
Sniff…
SNIFF…
Iro-Here…
His gaze landed on three buildings.
The first one was the Main Office Building. The second one was the Priest Quarters Building. And the third one was the personal windowless training box that Vivian paid and ordered to build.
Sniff…
SNIFF…
He sniffed once again and then focused on the Priest Quarters Building.
Vooom!
He entered the Priest Quarters Building, climbed up the stairs to the second floor, and then reached a closed door.
Sniff…
SNIFF…
Iro-This iro-one...
Ka-kag.
He placed his hand on the doorknob and tried twisting it, but it was locked.
Iro-Locked…?
Braa-kak!
Ka-cha!
He punched through the door, creating a hole, and then opened the door from inside.
Sniff…
SNIFF…
He sniffed as he stepped inside.
Iro-This iro-is iro-it…
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
He heard a couple of footsteps coming. And when they finally arrived, there was Blanch, Lennon and the Crusader that Blanch and Konrad came with.
Blanch didn't show any reaction.
Lennon's jaw dropped at first, and then his face completely turned ghostly pale.
And the Crusader, a curious expression flashed across his face as he tried to sweep his gaze around the room to look for anything strange.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
By the way, I've posted this chapter at WebNovel, Royal Road and Patreon. However, the main is P-a-t-r-e-o-n (Immortal_Shades) because I want to post pictures and videos there without any restrictions.
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