Fredo Village (4)

Everyone was still at the dining hall eating and Vivian was already on her fourth plate and second bottle of wine which surprised many people but no one dared to comment, especially when considering that she was a woman.

Basilio turned to Finley.

"So, Brother Sergeant, how many Holy Crusades have you done so far?"

Finley, who was taking a sip from his glass, placed it down.

"This is actually my 5th Holy Crusade. The first time I joined I was 18 years old. However, I did my first and second with the Air Division, my third and fourth with the Sea Division, and now with the Infantry."

A surprised look flashed across Basilio's face.

Finley scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.

"I know some may find it a bit strange. As much as I want to help in spreading our Temple's teachings and I'm also interested in gathering Holy Crusade points for my Grade Jobs, when it comes to climbing the officer ranks, I'm not that interested in it."

When a Crusader wants to climb the officer ranks in the Holy Crusade, the quickest way is to stay in one Division because each Division has its own specialty.

For example, if a Captain from the Infantry Division decides to transfer to the Inquisitory Division, although they're still technically a Captain, their skill set or experience was built on the Infantry Division, not on the Inquisitory Division. Because of that, they would only be a Captain in name and would be given tasks proportionate to their skill set until they gathered enough experience, making it harder or longer for them to rise up. 

Basilio nodded with an understanding smile.

"I see. Well, we all have our own interests. It would've been a different story if you didn't participate in the Holy Crusade at all," he said and then turned to Trevin. "Knight Trevin, you also have a very colorful background, right?"

Trevin let out an awkward smile.

"I don't know if anyone would consider it colorful, Honored High Priest Basilio."

Everyone looked at him with a curious gaze but no one said a word.

"I've been part of the Iron Knights Chapter since I was 18 years old. But before that, I started as an Adventurer when I was 15 and then switched to being a Mercenary at 16."

A surprised expression appeared on Finley's face.

"You were a Mercenary?"

Although Vivian, Finley and Trevin were part of the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, the length of their contracts differ. Each Holy Crusade lasts 6 months while the people under the Knights Chapter last a year. In fact, all of the members from the Priests Squad started last month or in Aurgus 3023 and will end on Janus 3034. And regardless if they choose to renew their contract right away or not, they would be assigned to a different place unless they're under special circumstances that require them to continue staying at the same location.

"Only for 2 years though."

"How was it?"

Trevin thought about it for a moment before finally answering.

"You have the same freedom as an Adventurer but your reputation is quite poor and there's so much instability because you're dealing with people and you mostly have to operate in a gray area. And after 2 years of that, I had enough and decided to join the Knights Chapter instead."

Finley recalled how Mercenaries without any employers were treated at the border checkpoint.

"I see," he said and nodded. "But what made you join the Adventurer and then quit? I mean, why didn't you choose to join the Knights Chapter right away?"

Trevin let out a faint longing smile as if he was recalling a fond memory.

"I was young and stupid back then who didn't know how the world actually works."

No one said a word but everyone, especially Finley, gave a look that was telling him to elaborate.

"Let me clarify a few things first about the life of an average Adventurer, an average Mercenary, and an average Knight to avoid future complications.

"The average Adventurer has the freedom. However, he has the lowest pay of the three and he also lacks stability.

"The average Knight has the stability. However, he lacks freedom and his pay is slightly lower.

"And lastly, the average Mercenary has high pay and he also has freedom. And as for stability, this is where things can be a bit murky.

"I came from a humble background back in the Iron Kingdom. I also didn't have the Light Affinity or at least 3 Magic Art Affinities to join the Temple of Priests. But just like every young boy at that age, I thought that the quickest way to fame, power and fortune for someone of my background was to become an Adventurer or a Mercenary.

"Unfortunately, reality can be somewhat uncooperative.

"Most Mercenaries would start as an Adventurer at the age of 15 and then switch to becoming a Mercenary at the age of 20.

"As everyone here already knows, Adventurers aren't allowed to participate in any form of politics. So the Quests they take usually involve gathering materials and hunting monsters. And if they do get a Quest that involves people, there's little to no politics.

"Meanwhile, for Mercenaries, it's the complete opposite. With that, because they have to deal with people, they need to have a certain level of Physical and Magic Force.

"But at that time, I was still young and full of unfounded confidence so I didn't care. And I have to admit, it really humbled me because I almost got thrown into prison for something I didn't sign up for.

"When it comes to Mercenary jobs, only seasoned and famous Mercenaries can get the best Contracts, regardless if they're long or short-term and if they involve politics or not. The rookie or unfamous Mercenaries have no choice but to take the bad Contracts.

"Now, you must be wondering: Isn't it normal for rookie or unfamous Mercenaries not to get the best Contracts? After all, they have yet to make a name for themselves so they need to start at the bottom and slowly climb their way up.

"If it were that clean and simple, yes, I would agree. But the problem with the bad Contracts is that they come with too many issues such as the employer not being completely honest with the details of the job, changing details in the middle of the job, and also some issues with the pay. So the probability of you dying on the job or getting involved with something you didn't sign up for is very high. And since Mercenaries don't usually have the most positive reputation because of the nature of their job, nobody would really care if they die or go missing.

"And in my case, back when I was still working as a Mercenary, I got set up by my employer because he changed the details of the Contract in the middle of the job -- from a simple escorting mission to a capturing mission. But he did offer to give us extra pay thought. However, not only did I almost die from the job because I wasn't prepared for such a job, I was later charged with theft, assault and kidnapping after the job was done. Fortunately, a Knight that I barely knew vouched for my innocence and I was freed from all charges. But after that incident, I immediately quit being a Mercenary and joined the Iron Kingdom's Knights Chapter."

"I see. I'm very sorry to hear that," Finley said with an apologetic expression.

Trevin turned to him and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you for your concern, Priest Sergeant, but that was almost a decade ago. I'm happy with where I am right now."

Finley nodded with a smile before turning to Basilio and Hugo.

"What about you, High Brothers? If you don't mind, can I ask what were your officer ranks before retiring?"

Basilio smiled.

"Me? I was a High Captain for the Exploratory Division and then retired at the age of 40."

Hugo threw some sign language.

"High Brother Hugo was a Captain for the Infantry Division and retired three years ago," Basilio said and then focused on him. "So that makes it or you 41 years old when you retired?"

Hugo nodded.

Finley wore a look of amazement on his face and turned to Basilio.

"High Brother, if you don't mind me asking again, given your esteemed background and all of your achievements, is your name also listed in the DG International Laws' database like High Brother Hugo?"

Basilio let out a chuckle.

"Since you're giving me that look, then I don't mind at all. But be prepared to be disappointed. As embarrassing as this may sound, I only managed to enter the list a year ago, at the age of 51, a far cry from High Brother Hugo who got into that list at the young age of 28 years old despite the fact we both have the same number of Magic Art Affinities."

In fact, Basilio's actual stats were:

• Str - 10 (+225)

• Vit - 10 (+225)

• Agi - 10 (+225)

• Int - 10 (+225)

Meanwhile, Hugo's stats were:

• Str - 10 (+270)

• Vit - 10 (+270)

• Agi - 10 (+270)

• Int - 10 (+270)

And Vivian's stats were:

• Str - 11 (+286)

• Vit - 9 (+262)

• Agi - 12 (+273)

• Int - 8 (+280)

Hugo threw in a few sign languages, causing Basilio to smile bitterly.

"High Brother, even if you say it's because we focus on different skill sets, the fact that we both have the Light Affinity still negates it."

Hugo threw in another set of sign languages.

"Okay, I will accept that, High Brother," Basilio said and smiled as he gave a slight bow.

"High Brother Basilio," Finley said. "You mentioned that you both have the same number of Magic Art Affinities. And if the both of you don't mind me asking once again, does this mean you have 4?"

Basilio let out a hearty laugh while Hugo chuckled soundlessly, leaving Finley and Trevin dumbfounded.

"Sorry to disappoint you again, but High Brother Hugo and I only have 3. So you can just imagine how talented High Brother Hugo is for reaching beyond Spirit Steel at the age of 28 years old."

Finley and Trevin's eyes widened and their jaws dropped as they stared at Hugo. They then subconsciously stole a glance at Vivian who has been mostly silent before returning their gaze to Hugo.

"High Brother Hugo, you must be very powerful now…" Finley said.

"You must be able to tear any metal like it's a piece of paper…" Trevin said.

Hugo shook his head and then threw in sign languages.

"Just powerful enough to protect our Brothers and Sisters here, but not enough to go against a leader of an Aristocratic Noble family," Basilio said.

A serious expression appeared on Finley's face.

"Right… To become a Viscount or Baron, one must have at least 4 Magic Arts. And to become a Duke, Marquis and Count, one must have at least 5 Magic Arts."

"Don't forget that they also have Lore Magic and Lore Items," Trevin said.

"Right," he said and nodded before turning to Basilio and Hugo. "I know this is a very personal question, but I also want to ask this if you don't mind once again, do the both of you have Lore Magic?"

Basilio smiled and waved his hand.

"If I did, I would mind. But given that I don't have any, then there's nothing to mind about."

Hugo threw a few sign languages.

"I do, but it's nothing worth mentioning and I'll leave it at that," Basilio said.

Finley and Trevin's eyes widened and their jaws dropped once again. 

Basilio turned to Vivian who had been eating and silently listening for the most part.

Since she was an Inquisitor and had to hide her true identity, no one dared to ask her personal questions so they didn't find any offense of her being quiet or not engaging with the conversation that much. And most important of all, it's not like she was the only Inquisitor in the Holy Crusade and she was still young.

"How's the food, Sister Inquisitor?"

Vivian picked up her glass and swallowed the piece of meat inside her mouth before taking a sip and putting her glass down.

"It was more delicious than I expected. But I think it's because the God of Light has blessed me to be with great company," she said and smiled behind her Inquisitor Half-Mask.

"I share the same sentiment," he said and nodded with a smile. "By the way, sister, how did your shopping go? Were you able to purchase everything you need or do you still need to go to Estana Town? In case you were able to buy almost everything you need but there are still a few things you need to buy because they weren't available, I can have someone fly to Estana Town for you to buy the things for you there and then bring them back here. It's actually a common problem."

Vivian gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, High Brother. You and the rest of our brothers and sisters here are excellent hosts."

Basilio held out his hand and smiled.

"Please don't mention it."

"I was able to find all of the things I need to buy but I haven't yet bought them because the shops still need to gather all of them."

A surprised expression flashed across his face.

"You bought that many things?"

Vivian nodded.

"Hopefully, everything will be packed by tomorrow. Once that's done, my group and I would be traveling back to the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint the next day."

"I see. Do tell me in case there's a problem."

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I would need an extra cart or carriage."

"Consider it done."

"Thank you once again, High Brother," Vivian said and gave another slight bow before raising her head and looking at Basilio and Hugo. "By the way, High Brothers, I have a question if you don't mind me asking."

Everyone turned to her.

"Of course, Sister Inquisitor," Basilio said and smiled. "What is it?"

Vivian cleared her throat.

"I will be honest with you. My knowledge regarding the geopolitics between the Holy Kingdom and the Marbleam Kingdom is very limited. Or to be specific, I only know from the perspective of the Holy Kingdom. How are our brothers and sisters treated here?"

A puzzled look appeared on everyone's face.

"What do you mean, sister?"

Vivian shared what happened earlier during her meeting with Julietta.

Once she was done, an awkward silence loomed over the dining hall with everyone's eyes locked on Vivian, Basilio and Hugo. Even Finley and Trevin had an anticipating look on their faces. After all, they knew how strong Vivian was despite her age which made them believe that she must be someone from a big-shot family or has powerful backers. On top of that, she was an Inquisitor which was a Division not easy to be a member of.

Basilio, who looked calm and collected, had an air of seriousness around him and spoke.

"That happened, sister?"

"Yes, High Brother. I mean, to be fair, I understand that the Marbleam Kingdom is an independent kingdom. But regardless, I'm wondering how are our brothers and sisters treated here, like, are they being bullied or not respected?"

He nodded.

"I will not deny that the influence of the Temple of Priests in this kingdom is not as strong compared to other kingdoms. However, I can assure you that our brothers and sisters, including their families, do not suffer from any form of harassment because no matter how powerful the Royal and Aristocratic Noble families are in this kingdom, they still need our Temple's Class Magic spells, especially [Resurrection]."

Bam!

Someone suddenly slammed their fist against the table and everyone turned to see who it was.

And to everyone's surprise, it was Hugo.

Seeing that he had Basilio's attention, he immediately began throwing a series of sign languages.

Once he was done, a White Cloak Priest stood up.

"High Brother Hugo is right! They think so little of our Temple!"

Another White Cloak Priest stood up.

"I've served in the Holy Crusade for more than 10 years and I have always tried to fulfill my vows as a member of the Temple of Priests to the best of my abilities. But even I have a limit to my patience." 

Mateo, the leader of the Feeding and Teaching Holy Mission from Marbleam City, got up as well.

"Mar-I mar-wouldn't mar-mind mar-having mar-to mar-remind mar-this mar-kingdom mar-every mar-now mar-and mar-then mar-about mar-the mar-power mar-of mar-not mar-only mar-of mar-the Marbleam Chapter Temple, mar-but mar-also mar-of mar-the Holy Kingdom mar-and mar-the mar-rest mar-of mar-the Chapter Temples mar-across mar-the mar-continent."

"Mar-I mar-stand mar-with Brother Mateo!" said another Priest.

A few other Priests began standing up as well to voice out their opinions. Even the young Priests and Priestesses from the Feeding and Teaching Holy Mission seated at the other end of the table with Milagros and Frederico were pumped up as well.

Vivian's eyes blinked a couple of times behind her mask.

What the hell…?

What's going on…?

Truth be told, she didn't expect this kind of reaction. The atmosphere seemed jolly earlier and she was simply trying to add to the conversation. Sparking a war was the last thing on her mind.

She was about to open her mouth and speak when Basilio's voice echoed throughout the dining hall.

"Mar-Everyone, mar-stand mar-down!"

All of the people in the hall became quiet and looked at him.

He glanced at Vivian who cast her gaze down sheepishly before returning his gaze to the rest.

"As a devoted and loyal member of the Temple of Priests, I understand your feelings, I truly do. However, we also have to understand that we're not the only people living here. We also have family and friends that we care about."

He turned to Hugo who was emanating with killing intent and trying so hard to restrain himself from going out and starting a fight.

"High Brother Hugo, let us wait for their reaction. If my guess is correct, they would be sending an envoy tomorrow to offer a proper apology. And the reason for the delay is that they're still thinking of a proper gift."

Hugo threw in some sign languages.

Basilio turned to Vivian.

"Sister Inquisitor, you expect the things you need to buy to be prepared by tomorrow and will leave the day after that, correct?"

"Um… Yes, High Brother."

Basilio returned his gaze to Hugo and then shifted his gaze to everyone.

"If they don't offer a proper apology before Sister Inquisitor Monad leaves, then we shall proceed with the necessary actions as loyal and faithful members of the Temple of Priests. Does anyone here have any objections or can offer a better suggestion?"

Everyone looked at each other before returning their gazes to Basilio.

"We support your decision, High Brother Basilio," said Frederico.

"I as well," said Milagros.

"I support your decision," said a White Cloak Priest.

The rest gave the same answer.

As for Mateo, he didn't say anything and sat down.

"Brother Mateo?" Basilio asked.

He hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

"Mar-As mar-the mar-head mar-of mar-this Branch Chapter Temple, mar-I mar-will mar-respect mar-your mar-decision."

Basilio nodded and then turned to Vivian.

"Sister Inquisitor Monad?"

"I support your decision, High Brother Basilio."

"Me too, High Brother Basilio," said Finley.

Basilio turned to Hugo.

"High Brother Hugo?"

Hugo stared at Vivian and studied her for a moment before shifting his gaze to Basilio.

He nodded.

"Then it's decided."