Letters, Experiments & Training (2)

Vivian held the envelope from Joshua and her brows knitted together.

What kind of problem is it gonna be this time…?

As far as Vivian can remember, even though she and Joshua weren't close, despite his "friendly" demeanor, he didn't strike as the type who would send out letters just for fun.

What am I going to lose and gain this time…?

Another aspect that Vivian fears from receiving a letter from Joshua is that she would always gain and lose something whenever she interacts with him.

The first time she met him, she ended up joining the Temple of Priests. Although this gave her free food and lodging, social status, and a new stream of income, the downside is that quitting the Temple of Priests won't be easy because of her debt.

And when she received a letter from him, although it came along with the platinum coins reward, it also led her to join the Holy Crusade which then made several people learn that she has four Magic Art Affinities and both her Physical and Magical Force are abnormally high for a 24-year-old woman who isn't even part of the Nobility, let alone royalty.

I still have an Inquisitor who suspects me of being the one behind the destruction of the Sarcoise Colony and the disappearance of the people at the Northwest Exit Outpost...

He also knows that my Physical and Magic Force was at least Spirit Steel...

Vivian tore the envelope and took out the letter.

Her face was painted with a serious expression as she read the contents before finally putting it down.

They want to offer me the title of Nobility, a mansion in Luxen City, and also a last name…?

Based on what she learned at Basic Training and the Course Training, when it comes to Nobility, compared to the world she came from, there were both similarities and differences.

In this world, excluding royalty, each kingdom has its own Duke/Duchess, Marquis/Marquise and Count/Countess. These three ranks would have their own estate, town and village to manage. They also have their own Viscount/Viscountess and Baron/Baroness who also have their own estate, town and village to manage.

Meanwhile, for the titles such as Lord and Lady, although they don't have their own estate, town and village to manage, they have their own mansion within the city.

Why are they giving me this…?

And what's the catch--…

Wait…!

They know that I'm an Adventurer and it was revealed at Basic Training that my Physical Force was Adamantite and my Magical Force was Orichalcum-Adamantite…

And as far as I know, Adventurers can't hold titles…

Are they trying to isolate me and make me more reliant on the Temple of Priests and Luxen City…?

And if I were to accept this, would Felize, Torr and Gaze still be allowed to associate with me without jeopardizing their profession as Adventurers…?

I need outside ears…

The last thing I want is to be trapped in an echo chamber…

However, they're only Copper I rank…

On top of that, it's not like they're anything special…

Gaze has no Magic Art Affinity…

Torr has one True Magic Art and another one that could be a False Magic Art Affinity…

And Felize, she only has two True Magic Art Affinities…

Vivian recalled her meeting with the Guildmaster of the Luxen City Adventurer's Guild branch.

Perhaps something happened…?

Like maybe he made a move or is trying to make a move…?

If yes, what is it…?

Vivian continued thinking deeply until a couple of minutes passed.

I...

I can't think of any…

So many what ifs…

So many blank spaces…

Should I ask those kids…?

She shook her head.

No…

If I ask those kids and something bad happens, it would mess up the investment I placed in them…

But what if something good happens…?

Maybe I should ask Marie…?

Or anyone who's part of the Nobility…?

But it would be nice if it was someone who has both the of experience of being an Adventurer and part of the Nobility…

Tch!

She clicked her tongue.

God…

It's times like this that I wish there was the internet…

Now I regret being rude to those Adventurers who wanted to associate with me…

But then again, I was busy at the time or my focus was elsewhere…

They didn't match my desires at that time…

She leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

"Lady Vivian…" she muttered softly under he breath.

Wait…!

The letter said that they also want to offer me a last name…

Another thing she learned from Basic Training and the Training Course is that in this world, not everyone has a last name. All people without any last name were from the Commoner background and most of them were from small villages.

Would they even give me a cool last name…?

But does that even matter…?

So what if I don't have a last name…?

It's not like I can even pass it down because I'm a woman…

Pointless…

She glanced at the letter on her hands.

Since I opened it, I guess I have no choice but to reply…

However, I'm really not interested…

Nobility title…?

It's not even part of the big three -- Duchess, Marquise and Countess…

I mean, hello…? 

I have 10 True Magic Art Affinities and a x5 boost to all Affinities…!

I'm a future goddess…!

A mansion in Luxen City…?

I don't think I even have the money for the upkee--...

Aha…!

So they really are trying to isolate me and reduce my freedom…!

Since I don't even have the money for the upkeep, they're going to give me some task where I can earn money…!

And the next thing I know, I'll be so intertwined with the businesses concerning the Temple of Priests and Nobility that breaking away from them would deal a huge blow to my finances…!

Vivian scoffed.

"Got you!"

She grabbed a pen and paper and began writing.

'Septus 6, 3023 A.M., day of Westar.

'Dear Brother Joshua.

'Thank you, I'm doing well here in the Holy Crusade. I hope you and everyone there at Luxen City are doing well as well.

'Regarding the matter that you mentioned, unfortunately, it doesn't align with my goals at the moment which is to eradicate the demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity, and the heretics plaguing this world. So with that being said, I have to respectfully decline the offer.

'May the God of Light continue to watch over you and everyone else there.

'Sincerely yours, Sister Vivian.'

She folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope, sealed it with her Crusader Stamp and then tossed it inside the box.

"Done, on to the next," she said and then noticed that there was no other letter left.

It was from Franz.

"I'll have breakfast first."

She got up and went over to the cart.

"I think I can finish all of these and still have some space inside my stomach for the feast later."

The food in the cart was enough for four people. But considering Vivian's current appetite due to her other form, the Greater Demon form, she needed at the very least 9 meals per day just to feel satisfied.

She grabbed a fork and one full cake.

***

10:53 a.m.

Vivian was in the dining room inside her suite. She wore nothing underneath her long silk robe and had her mask lying down on the side of the table. There was no one around except for her and she was eating the feast she ordered earlier when she woke up.

After putting a piece of meat in her mouth with a fork, she grabbed a glass of wine and took a sip, causing her to let out a burp.

"Excuse me," she said and then wiped her lips with a napkin.

Hmm…

I've been eating the meat for 10 minutes already and my skin is still pale…

For the meat, she specifically ordered an animal that could cast Magic Art.

However, even when I used my demonic eyes, it was neither red nor blue nervous system…

When Vivian uses her demonic eyes, living beings that can't use Magic Art have red-colored nervous systems while living beings that can use Magic Art have blue-colored nervous systems.

But come to think of it…

When an animal is long dead, it doesn't show any color anymore…

I don't know how long will it take though…

30 minutes…?

1 hour…?

12 hours…?

24 hours…?

I honestly never bothered to check on that…

She let out a sigh.

At the very least, with the current data I have right now, this means I can only eat living beings…

She got up from her seat, went over to the side of a wall and pulled a string.

Ring…!

Ring…!

She then grabbed her mask from the table and headed to the front door.

Knock.

Knock.

"Room service," a male voice said behind the door.

Oh…

That was fast…

Vivian opened the door and saw the old butler assigned to her.

"How may I be of service, Honored Priestess?" the butler said and bowed.

"Bring me a live animal here that can cast Magic Art."

The butler's face didn't even flinch a single muscle as if he was used to hearing crazy requests.

"Certainly, Honored Priestess. But if I may ask, do you have any animal in particular in mind?"

"Any will do, as long as it has meat and can be eaten." 

"I will fetch the animal right away," the butler said and bowed before leaving.

***

A couple of minutes later.

The butler came back and was pushing a cart. On top of the cart was a steel cage and a small wooden box.

Inside the steel cage was a sleeping animal called a Red Chirper which looked like a squirrel with red fur and was at least five times bigger than the squirrels from Vivian's original world. 

"This Red Chirper can cast Silver-grade Fire Magic, specifically, [Fire Arrow]," said the butler. "It's currently been drugged to keep it from causing any problems but will wake up after an hour. In case you want to put it to sleep even further, there's a couple of serums inside the box. Also, you don't have to worry about the drug causing any effect on you in case you decide to cook and eat this animal. The dosage used is only enough to put a small animal like this asleep." 

"I see. Thank you. That will be all."

"Please do call me in case you need anything else, Honored Priestess," the butler said and bowed before leaving.

When the butler finally stepped outside the suite and closed the door, Vivian took off her mask and activated a spell.

[Greater Origin Transformation].

Blaaak.

Her eyes turned to her demonic eyes.

It's blue…

She unsashed her robe and let fall to the floor, revealing her naked and deathly pale body.

She cast another spell.

[Greater Origin Transformation].

Blaaak!

She transformed into a 3-meter-tall demon.

She opened the cage and grabbed the sleeping animal. As she pressed it closer to her face, the tentacles on her mouth reached out and slithered around the animal's body before finally shoving it down to her monstrous mouth underneath which was a circular orifice with four layers of teeth and a very long tongue.

"Meee…"

Crunch…

Crunch…

The animal let out a small whimper as its body was crushed inside Vivian's mouth.

When the animal finally reached her stomach, Vivian sat down on the floor and waited for at least 15 minutes for her stomach to digest the animal.

15 minutes later…

[Greater Origin Transformation].

Blaaak!

Vivian transformed back into her human form.

She immediately checked her skin and a smile spread across her face.

"Finally back to looking healthy!"

She grabbed her robe, stood up and wore it.

"Now time to do that thing I always wanted to try but couldn't when I was at the Inquisitory Division's Headquarters."

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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Please note that the chapters posted there are only drafts. So when those said Chapter Drafts will be published here, there will be some edits. They also involve a few secret outline notes/details that I won't publish here because they contain spoilers or dispel some of the mysteries. And at the moment, Chapter Drafts 273-277 are posted there.

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