Plano Town (2)

4:03 p.m.

Plano Town, Marbleam Kingdom.

Four members of the Temple of Priests were inside a moving carriage.

On one side, Pen and Gusto sat. And sitting opposite of them were Caleb and Vivian.

After exiting the Coliseum and saying their goodbyes, each group rode their own carriages. And in the case of Pen, Gusto, Caleb and Vivian, since they were all going back to the Branch Chapter Temple, they all rode together.

However, during the trip, no one said a word. Everyone sat in silence.

Vivian let out a small sigh behind her mask.

Finally going home…

I can't wait to go back to my room and enjoy a cold temperature…

This place is just too hot that my armpits are constantly sweating…

Despite the fact I'm wearing a sleeveless dress…

She discreetly swept her gaze on everyone, sizing them up one by one.

Her gaze landed on Caleb first.

This guy is the only one here wearing a Crusader Armor...

He's also from the Infantry Division and a Lieutenant…

His accent also tells me he's from the Holy Kingdom…

Basically, he's the same as Anthony…

In terms of attitude…

I should just be careful in disrespecting or saying anything rude about the Temple of Priests…

And in terms of strength…

Well…

I guess I can assume he's at least Adamantite…?

Ever since she was assigned to the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint and met people, she started to get a sense of the average Physical and Magic Force of Priests and Knights.

Well…

It's not 100% accurate…

But at least it's close…

Regardless if it's +1 or -1…

Her gaze landed on Gusto.

This guy is a Red Cloak…

And he's in his late 30s…?

Hmm…

Given that he's a Red Cloak…

And most Red Cloaks I've have been weak so far…

They're more like managers rather than fighters, jocks or whatever you want to call it…

I was even able to kill one back in Training Course…

And my stats were only 220-240 points back then…

I guess…

She began counting inside her head.

Iron = 30 points…

Silver = 60 points…

Mithril = 90 points…

Orichalcum = 120 points…

Adamantite = 150 points…

Rainbow Steel = 180 points…

And Spirit Steel = 210 points…

Well…

Since he's in his late 30s…

I'm going to assume that this guy is Rainbow Steel…

Her gaze finally landed on Pen.

Now this guy…

This fucking sexist old man…

First of all...

Inquisitors are the biggest nerds…

So they're definitely Red Cloaks…

However…

This guy is a Chapter Master…

And if I were to guess his age, I'd say anywhere between 50 to 55…

Um…

I don't know…

But if there was a gun pointing at my head and I had to give a number…

I'd say anywhere between 200-300 points…

No…

250-300 points…

I think…?

But that's not the scariest part…

The scariest part about this old man is his position as a Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division…

I can only imagine how much reach this person has…

But I guess that wouldn't mean anything once I become strong…

Or even just a year from now…

"So you're the Inquisitor that Brother Inquisitor Pen mentioned," Gusto said in Zonian.

Vivian turned her gaze on him.

"Huh? Um… I guess, High Brother?"

And now that I think about it…

Who is the VIP I'm supposed to guard…?

Is it Pen…?

Or this Red Cloak…?

Pen nodded his head.

"Yes, Sister Inquisitor Monad is one of the best Inquisitors in the Inquisitory Division which is why I requested her to be here."

Both Gusto and Caleb stared at Vivian with a focused gaze and only the Elemental Gods knew what was going inside their heads.

Vivian, on the other hand, was staring at Pen with sharp eyes behind her mask.

What's that supposed to mean…?

"Thank you, Brother Inquisitor Pen. Although I honestly don't feel like I'm one of the best Inquisitors in the Inquisitory Division because of REASONS..." she said and stressed the "s" of the last word. "The fact that you've given me such praise means so much to me."

"Please don't mention it. I'm simply stating facts."

"I see. Thank you."

No one said a word after that and an awkward silence filled the air.

Since Pen and Vivian were Inquisitors, there were a lot of topics that were off-limits. Because of that, Gusto and Caleb couldn't exactly jump in and piggyback on their topic.

"So tomorrow is the start of the Feugo Festival, right?" Caleb asked.

Gusto nodded.

"Yes. The schedule would be the same on the first and second day of the Feugo Dance. We have to be there before 1:00 p.m."

"The preliminaries would be tomorrow, the semi-finals would be on the day of Fratur, and the grand finals would be on the day of Satur, right?"

Gusto nodded once again.

"And on the grand finals, it would be like today but more grandiose. Aside from having to go there before 12:00 noon to have a lunch meeting with the Viscount and the rest of the officials of Plano Town and Tapa Village, there would be more guests -- representatives from the Holy Kingdom, representatives from the Marbleam Chapter Temple, representatives from the Branch Chapter Temples under the Duke Faction, Duke Freca and his family, Baron Ricardo and his family, and a representative from the Royal Family -- most likely one of the Princes, like Prince Alecedes."

"Just thinking about those names makes me nervous already. So many big names."

"Isn't that rich coming from you, a member of the Wrath family, an old and prestigious family related to several Light Saints and Cardinals?"

Caleb waved his hand.

"My family is my family and I am me. It's not like my enemies would run away if they knew my last name. As a matter of fact, they'll just be more motivated to kill me if they knew it."

Gusto nodded.

"Right. You're part of the Infantry Division so you must've been stationed at the Southern Continent in the past. Does head-hunting still exist there?"

Caleb knitted her brows and pursed his lips as he nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. But it only happens in the villages and the outskirts of the La Spada Kingdom."

Gusto massaged his chin.

"So it's just the same back when I was still doing Holy Crusades and I was part of the Exploratory Division -- well, most of it. Anyhow, the older generations used to share stories with us that head-hunting was so prevalent that some would even do it in the city in the middle of the day."

Gusto and Caleb turned to Pen. But after remembering that he was an Inquisitor, they stopped and chose to remain quiet.

"When I first started my Holy Crusade career, the cases of head-hunting within the city already stopped and were already rare in towns," Pen said with a matter-of-fact tone. "I've never encountered a case where someone was a victim of head-hunting in broad daylight. The ones I've heard of only happen outside of human settlements."

"I see. Thank you for the information, Brother Inquisitor Pen," Gusto said.

Caleb nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

The carriage stopped and they were in front of the Branch Chapter Temple building.

Just like at Fredo Village, the Temple of Priest office building and the compound where the members and guests could live are combined into one.

The carriage door opened and Caleb stepped out first.

He offered his hand towards Pen as he stepped out.

For Gusto, he didn't.

And for Vivian, he also offered his hand.

Pen turned to Vivian.

"Sister Inquisitor, I would like to have a word with you at a meeting room."

***

4:14 p.m.

Ka-cha!

A door opened and Pen stepped inside one of the meeting rooms located within the Temple of Priests building. And following behind him was Vivian.

There were different sizes of meeting rooms; some were enough to accommodate less than 6 people while others were for 20 people. The one that Pen chose was the former.

On one side of the room, there were two large sofas and two single sofas with a coffee table in the middle. And on the other side, there was a table that had six chairs. There were also paintings and plants around the room. There was no fireplace like the one Vivian was sent to back in Luxen City after she arrested Mrs. Belfair and her sons because there was no winter season in the Marbleam Kingdom.

Speaking of the fireplace, it was something that only the extremely rich and the extremely poor -- the former only uses it for aesthetic purposes and would rely on the Magic Panel to keep the temperature of the room warm, while the latter either couldn't afford or their place doesn't suit having a Magic Panel.

Pen sat at one of the single sofas so Vivian sat at the other.

"First off, I want to thank you for coming here despite your busy schedule and I hope that you've finally recovered," Pen said.

Vivian knitted her brows behind her mask.

Now that I've heard enough of his voice…

Based on his accent, I can say that this guy is from the Holy Kingdom…

But then again, he's old…

So maybe he simply migrated to the Holy Kingdom…

"Thank you, brother."

"You don't have any questions?"

"I have a few."

"Why was I chosen for a Field Mission? I don't even have an Officer Rank."

Pen nodded.

"I understand that you're in possession of a recommendation letter and medal to guarantee your safety. I also understand that you're quite gifted in Magic Arts and your Physical and Magic Force are quite high for your age. And lastly, I also understand that your test scores are quite remarkable. As a matter of fact, even when I first saw you at your Training Course Graduation, my gut told me that you're quite the talent."

Huh…?

He was at my Training Course Graduation…?

Where…?

In Vivian's defense, she still couldn't tell Inquisitors apart for the most part unless they introduced themselves. But for people like Blanch, Mila -- the one in charge of the dormitory, and Freed -- one of the teachers, she could more or less recognize them because she always meets Mila and Freed, while Blanch left a big impression on her.

"With that being said, since you're quite the talent, I decided to talk to His Holiness the Light Saint and he agreed with me that it would be a waste to not properly guide you. But of course, this is under the condition that the Inquisitory Division would ensure your safety and you will also be properly compensated."

Vivian raised an eyebrow behind her mask.

Properly guide me…?

Who the fuck are you people…?

You're nothing but food…

She clicked her tongue mentally.

But what should I do…?

If I were to agree, I would be getting attention…

If I were to refuse, I would still be getting attention…

I could care any less about compensation or whatever because that would only mean I would just be getting extra responsibilities…

Back in Vivian's world, due to the several technological advancements her world has achieved, many things opened but at the same time, many things also became obsolete.

One of the things that became obsolete was company loyalty.

Gone are the days when a loyal and hardworking employee would be properly compensated. Sure, there were still companies out there who would properly reward their loyal and hardworking employees. But they were the extreme minority.

For the most part, the ones who are properly compensated are the employees who are great at their craft and would constantly hop from one company to another company every 2-3 years.

Meanwhile, the ones who chose to be loyal would only receive a slight increase in their pay every 1-3 years along with some fancy title every 3-7 years. And if they're hardworking, they would only be given a lot of responsibilities.

I just want to focus and train peacefully back at my station…

Once I become powerful, I wouldn't need to rely on anyone's generosity, force myself to socialize with people or kiss anyone's ass…

I could take whatever I want and do whatever I want…

And no one would be able to do anything about it…

I didn't come to this world to become a corporate drone…

Fuck all of you…!

"Is this a one-time Field Mission? Please don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a member of the Temple of Priests and to serve the God of Light's purpose through the Holy Crusade so I want to give my best efforts in guarding the station I'm assigned to. But given that I'm just a new Inquisitor, I don't know if I would be able to juggle both things."

Pen nodded his head once again.

"I understand. Don't worry, His Holiness and the entire Inquisitory Division are here to support and guide you so there won't be any problems."

"But what if I fail a Field Mission? Would the --?"

"Sister Inquisitor Monad," Pen cut Vivian off. "Like I said, you don't have anything to worry about because His Holiness and the entire Inquisitory Division are here to support and guide you. And as a Chapter Master of the Inquisitor Division, I can at the very least guarantee the Inquisitory Division's part."

"Brother Chapter Master --"

He held out his hand.

"Please, just call me Brother Inquisitor Pen or just brother. I'm not a god or anything. I'm a member of the Temple of Priests and Holy Crusade just like you and everybody else."

Vivian nodded her head.

"I see. Brother Inquisitor Pen, what I was trying to say is: Is there a possibility to reject this?

"As I mentioned earlier, I'm really proud to be a member of the Temple of Priests and I'm also really proud to serve the God of Light's purpose through the Holy Crusade. But given that I'm just a new Inquisitor, I honestly don't know if I would be able to juggle both things and I don't want to put anyone's life in danger.

"So for now, I just want to dedicate all of my efforts to guarding the station I'm assigned to and accumulate more experience. And perhaps in my next Holy Crusade, once I have enough experience, I would finally have enough courage to do Field Missions."

"That is a valid point, sister," Pen said and nodded. "As expected from you."

Vivian leaned in a little closer.

"So you understand where I'm coming from, right? I'm really thankful for the opportunity -- the God of Light knows how thankful I am -- and the confidence that His Holiness, you, and the entire Inquisitory Division have placed upon me, but I honestly don't think I'm ready for such responsibilities at the moment."

Pen stared at her for a moment before answering.

"If you fail a mission, you won't be held accountable. However, like I said, there's nothing to worry about because His Holiness and the entire Inquisitory Division would be here to support and guide you so the probability of you failing a Field Mission is very low unless you would deliberately fail. And as a Chapter Master, not only would I make sure that the Inquisitor Division would do its part but I would also handpick the Field Missions that would be assigned to you. And of course, you will be properly compensated."

Vivian stared at Pen with a deadpan expression.

What the hell…?

He's not listening at all…!

He's just repeating the same shit and adding more things…!

Should I just talk to the Light Saint instead…?

But I really don't want to get that much attention…

It's too early…

And my gut is telling me that it's not going to end well if I do that…

"I was informed that I was going to escort a very important person. Is that you or High Brother Gusto?"

"It's High Brother Joseph, a Red Cloak from the Holy Kingdom. He will arrive in the afternoon on the day of Fratur to attend the last day of the Feugo Tournament and other things."

"I see."

Neither Pen nor Vivian said a word after that and an awkward silence enveloped the air.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Do I have to attend the Fuego Tournament or do I only have to attend the grand finals?"

"You, me and Brother Lieutenant Caleb would continue attending every afternoon. Meanwhile, High Brother Gusto will be replaced by High Brother Timoteo. But on the grand finals or the last day of the Feugo Festival, all officials and representatives will arrive and attend."

"I see."

The awkward silence returned once again.

"If you don't have any other questions, you may leave. I will see you later at dinner."

Dinner…?

Her experience back at Fredo Village flashed inside her head.

Oh…

Fuck…

"Yes, brother."

***

7:11 p.m.

People of all ages were in the streets of Plano Town with bright and festive smiles on their faces except for one.

In the sea of happy people, a man in his mid-30s who stood around 6ft tall with long pink hair, tanned skin, and a striking and angry face covered by his dark hood was walking alone. The joys and laughter around him meant nothing as if he was immune to them or he couldn't see them. There was only one thing inside his head as his left hand gripped tightly around the handle of his sword hanging on his waist that was oozing with a dark ominous flame-like aura underneath his dark cloak.

Bam.

Someone bumped his shoulder. It was a burly and muscular man who was also in his mid-30s, standing around 5'10, tanned skin, wearing a set of leather armor, and carrying a few weapons on his body. He was with two other men and three women who looked like ladies of the night.

The lone man continued walking as if nothing happened.

Thud.

"Hey you!" the burly man grabbed his shoulder and pulled, forcing him to face his. "Do you know--!?"

When the burly man saw the face of the lone man, the blood on his face quickly faded away and he let go of the shoulder. Even the two male companions of the burly man more or less shared the same facial expression and got into a semi-fighting stance. Aside from the angry and dead eyes of the lone man, they knew him, but not personally, just enough not to mess with him.

"Las-I'm las-sorry, las-man, las-I las-didn't las-know las-it --"

As the burly man was apologizing, the lone man already turned away and continued walking.

When the lone man was already a couple of feet away, one of the women turned to the three men.

"Who was that?"

"Fiamma Oscura Elio of the La Spada Kingdom."

***

Elio continued walking on the busy and festive street until he reached a dimly lit narrow alley and then entered it. There were still some people in the alley but they looked "a bit rough". And when he finally exited the alley, he found himself in what looked like the slums.

"Hey handsome," a lady of the night standing nearby called.

Elio ignored the woman and continued walking.

As he passed by the houses, shops and alleys, he encountered all manner of things.

Outside the houses, there were women gossiping and kids playing.

Outside the shops, which were mostly alehouses, there were drunks drinking or lying on the pavement along with vomit and piss.

And on the alleys, there were ladies of the night servicing male patrons.

He continued walking until he finally reached the place he was looking for.

It was an alehouse, different from a tavern or inn, that looked like it had seen better days and would make anyone with a sane mind question if it was even safe to partake in anything from this establishment.

In this world, inns or hotels are establishments that offer room to sleep. And in some inns, they would also offer food, but it can be quite expensive.

Taverns, on the other hand, offer rooms to sleep in, and they also have a section in their establishment where their patrons can go there to eat food and drink alcohol. However, because taverns offer all three, their usual customers are Adventurers and Mercenaries who are still starting out.

And as for alehouses, these were establishments that only offer alcohol and food. However, the food wasn't something for breakfast or dinner, it was more like for drinking. On top of that, they would open around 10:00 am or before "lunch break" where people who want to relax and unwind for a bit can go there before returning to their jobs at 1:00 p.m. 

There were also brothels, host or hostess clubs, eateries, cafes and restaurants. But that's a topic for another day.

Elio entered the alehouse and swept his gaze around.

Just like its derelict exterior, the interior was no different.

Most of the interior was made out of wood and it gave off this old and rotten wood smell.

The lights, there were three kinds -- busted, not so busted but weak, and normal -- with most of them on the not so busted but weak part.

And the personnel and patrons, they were what anyone would imagine would lurk in such places. The personnel gave off this sly and distant demeanor as if they were angry that there were patrons around. Meanwhile, the patrons themselves looked like they are or were on the other side of the law.

Elio finally spotted the person he was looking for.

It was a fat and suspicious-looking man in his late 30s with tanned skin and a bushy beard wearing a plain white open shirt, a vest and brown pants. He was sitting alone at a table and playing cards.

Elio made his way towards the man and pulled a chair before sitting down.

"So what's the news?"

The fat man threw a card on the table and then raised his gaze to meet Elio.

"Which part? The overall plan or the one about Saa'liha?"

"I don't give a fuck about the overall plan…!" he said in a harsh whisper filled with bloodlust and he was gripping the handle of his sword.

The fat man raised both of his hands.

"Hey, I was just kidding, just trying to lighten up the mood like I usually do. You haven't forgotten little ol' me, Gardo, right?"

Elio noticed Gardo's eyes looking at his hand that was holding the handle of his sword. He let go of it and relaxed.

"Sorry, it's been a while since I've used this sword."

Elio's sword was a Lore Item called [Fiamma Oscura]. And before anyone would dream of stealing it from him, once they know about its Lore, Magic Effects and requirements, most people would immediately forget about it.

The appearance:

The [Fiamma Oscura] was a curved sabre-type sword. Its blade was transparent and emitted a dark ominous flame-like aura despite being kept inside a scabbard. And given that it's a Lore Item, it can't be repaired or upgraded and its appearance is stuck at the time it became a Lore Item -- it had a few chips and scratches on its blade and handle. However, despite it only having the strength of a Mithril-grade weapon, it had a self-repairing feature.

The Lore:

Elio did not create this sword. He simply "inherited" it from someone else who also inherited it from someone else.

According to legends, the [Fiamma Oscura] was created by an unknown blacksmith from the La Spada Kingdom during a long and bygone era who decided to fuse Mithril-metal, crushed Origin Crystals for the Runes, and the remains of an unknown creature or creatures.

Naturally, when people heard of this, many tried to replicate the idea -- some even tried to use other "remains". However, no one was successful in creating a Lore Item with the same method.

The pros:

Firstly, the [Fiamma Oscura] wouldn't get destroyed by using Physical and Magic Arts, regardless of how powerful the user is. And if it does get destroyed, it has a passive self-repairing Magic Effect to repair itself. However, that doesn't mean that a person can't destroy it once and for all.

Secondly, it gives the user a Physical and Magic Boost of two Grades. So if a person with a Physical and Magic Force of Iron uses it, they will have a Physical and Magic Force of Mithril.

And thirdly, the sword can summon a 3-meter-tall version of the user covered in dark flames and it will mimic the user's movements.

The cons:

The [Fiamma Oscura] is somewhat sentient. It chooses its own master and it will only be loyal to one master at a time.

First off, for the sword to choose a new master, the current master must die. However, even if the person who desires the sword kills the current master, there is no guarantee that the sword would recognize them as its new master because the sword itself desires a master who is not only strong but also has a kind and righteous heart.

And before all the strong people with a kind and righteous heart line up to acquire the [Fiamma Oscura], they must know that there is a reason why the sword requires that kind of master.

In exchange for the Physical and Magic Boost of two Grades and its summoning spell to summon a 3-meter-tall version of the owner covered in dark flames that will mimic the owner's movements, the owner's mind would constantly be plagued with dark thoughts, specifically about slaughtering and burning living beings. On top of that, each time the owner uses the sword, he/she would pay a month or months from their remaining lifespan but it won't affect their physical appearance -- one of the sword's subtle and sinister tricks to encourage the owner in using it -- until they finally run out of lifespan and die.

Gardo put down his hands.

"We still haven't located Saa'liha. Security is too tight. But one thing is for sure, she would definitely be used as one of the sacrifices on the Feugo Tournament -- assuming that the rumors are true that the Viscount is collecting beings, dead or alive, who have completed their Fire Mastery."

"The overall plan is to have someone from the Royal Family attend the last day of the Feugo Tournament and that's when everyone with strike, right?"

Gardo nodded.

"That's the plan."

"If Saa'liha appears tomorrow or on the second day of the Feugo Tournament, or I find her location within those two days, I'm going to save her no matter what."

A serious expression appeared on Gardo's face.

"We all know you're going to do that, there's no doubt about that. In fact, if I were the leader of this operation, I would've captured you and then locked you up somewhere already to prevent this operation from failing. But since HE said to leave you alone, all we can do is ask you not to. However, please understand this: Once you do that, you and Saa'liha will definitely die. And although we will be able to escape, we won't be able to save the others and we will also fail the main objective of this mission."

Elio shook his head.

"It makes no difference. It's not like I'll have enough time left in me."

********************

********************

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

By the way, I posted the drafts of Chapters 278-313 which is up to the end of Volume II for free at my Patreon account.

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Please note that those are just drafts and I didn't even edit them so there will still be changes once I post them here.

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This novel would never have a chance to get a contract because of WebNovel's rules. Despite that, I still don't want to drop this novel because of that. First of all, I'm not saying I don't want to be a famous writer or have monetary gains because, I'm not gonna lie, those things would be very nice. However, as I mentioned at the end of Volume I, my main reason for writing this novel came out of my own selfish desire to read a novel about grinding. Hell, even my first novel was the same though I can't remember the exact reason why. I think it was because I ran out of reading WebNovels with evil protagonists? Furthermore, no one in my real or personal life even knows that I'm writing novels (they just assume I'm just a weirdo who spends countless of hours staring at his laptop everyday lmao).

With that being said, I would like to give my special thanks for this month's Immortal Patron(s):

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I also created social media accounts for Vivian:

Instagram: vivian_lightstorm

Facebook: Vivian Vivian

TikTok: vivian.lightstorm

On these socials, I will be posting extra details about Vivian and the world she inhabits that I couldn't post here in WebNovel because it would break the story's immersion and other reasons such as the limitations of the WebNovel site.

Thank you once again and I will see you in the next chapter :)