Training & Etc (3)

11:37 a.m.

Inquisitory Division Headquarters, Holy City, Holy Kingdom.

A Priest wearing a Gold Cloak and an Inquisitor Full-Mask was walking down a hallway. He continued walking until he finally reached an open door.

Upon entering, he found himself inside an office space with a small private office room on the corner and a woman wearing civilian clothing and a full-mask sitting behind a table and reviewing some documents.

Unlike the mask he was wearing, the woman's mask didn't have a sun symbol on the forehead.

"Good morning," said the Priest.

The woman stopped what she was doing and raised her head to see who it was.

She got up from her seat and bowed.

"Good morning, Honored Priest Inquisitor Blanch. How may I help you?"

"I've heard that Brother Inquisitor Pen has returned. Is he here? I wish to speak with him."

"Yes, he's inside his office right now signing some papers."

"He's busy?"

"I believe so, Honored Priest Inquisitor."

"Once he's no longer busy, please tell him that I came to visit and I want to have a chat with him."

"Yes, Honored Priest Inquisitor."

Just as Blanch was about to turn away and leave, the office door of Pen opened.

"Nina, I need an extra copy of the -- Brother Inquisitor Blanch?" a Gold Cloak Priest with an Inquisitor Full-Mask said.

"Brother Inquisitor Pen, I came to visit you but I was informed that you were busy at the moment so I decided to just leave a message and come back later."

"Oh… It's fine but..." he said and then turned to the secretary. "Nina, I need an extra copy of the Azatea City's Sea Monsters Index Volume III. You don't need to hurry up, you can take your time."

"Yes, Honored Inquisitor Pen," Nina said and nodded.

Pen returned his attention to Blanch.

"Please come inside, brother."

"Thank you, brother," Blanch said and nodded.

***

Pen sat behind his desk while Blanch sat at one of the chairs in front of the desk. The former was in his early 50s while the latter was in his mid-30s.

"So how much of a headache do you want to give this old man this time around?" Pen asked.

Blanch let out an awkward chuckle behind his mask.

"I pray to the God of Light that your evaluation of me will change one day."

Pen chuckled.

"I've known you long enough to know that you only come to my office if it's a problem you can't handle."

A serious expression appeared on Blanch's face behind his mask.

"The truth is, I'm in need of your council, brother. There is this person where I'm not sure if things just happen around her by coincidence or if she's indeed the source. However, this person is an Inquisitor and is quite favored by her Chapter Temple due to her gifts so I won't be able to share that many specific details because I don't want to involve you in case I'm wrong."

"Okay, sounds interesting. Go on."

"First of all, let me give you some context from what I've gathered about this Inquisitor.

"This Inquisitor is favored by her Chapter Temple that not only are they making it hard to gather information about her that I literally had to hire outsiders, but they also gave her a recommendation letter and medal to ensure her safety during the Holy Crusade. She also seems to get along with her brothers and sisters for the most part.

"However, she also comes with questionable circumstances.

"Back in the city of the Chapter Temple she belongs to, she got accused by another organization of overhunting and physical assault.

"When she arrived here at the Holy City for Basic Training, during her time there, a sister from the Orion Chapter Temple disappeared without a trace. However, no suspects were found and arrested.

"When she arrived here for the Training Course, during her time here, two things happened.

"The first one: A Sarcoise Colony that the Holy Kingdom is managing nearly got wiped out.

"The second one: The Priests, Knights and other personnel at the Northwest Exit Outpost all disappeared.

"But again, no suspects were found and arrested.

"And then after she graduated and arrived at her post, in less than a week, a rogue settlement about 2 days of travel from her location was wiped out. And what's interesting about the said rogue settlement, the leader of that settlement was supposedly the strongest in the location.

"And as usual, there were no suspects found and arrested."

Pen mused for a moment before answering.

"You mentioned that this person came here for Basic Training. So she's still young?"

"She's young but not that young. She's about a decade younger than me. However, she's quite gifted."

"How gifted?"

"During her time here for the Training Course, I had her Physical and Magic Force checked and they were, at the very least, Spirit Steel."

Although Pen didn't say anything and his face was covered by a mask, Blanch could easily imagine what he was thinking and the expression on his face.

"Now you know why I'm hesitant in pursuing this Inquisitor and seeking your advice."

"What about her family background?"

Blanch hesitated for a moment.

"It's complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"As I said earlier, her entire Chapter Temple seems to be blocking off a lot of information about her so I had a hard time gathering them. And although that's normal for gifted members, there seems to be an ongoing investigation that involves her but she isn't the main suspect. Instead, the main suspect is an Aristocratic Noble family. Anyhow, this is what I've gathered and I'm not 100% if it's true:

"Prior to the month of Aprus this year, this Inquisitor was supposedly a completely normal person. She was just a simple housewife married to a commoner and she wasn't even part of any Temple.

"She joined her first Temple in Aprus after an unfortunate incident that happened within that month and then joined the Temple of Priests in Julus.

"But between that month of Aprus and of her coming to the Holy City for Basic Training, she reached the Physical Force Adamantite and the Magic Force Orichalcum-Adamantite.

"And then after graduating Basic Training and got transferred here for the Training Course, she became Spirit Steel or at least Spirit Steel in both Physical and Magic Force."

Pen's brows knitted together behind his mask.

When it comes to Class, people are only allowed to get one once they become 15 years old. However, not everyone has aspirations to be a fighter. So although uncommon, there are people out there who wouldn't bother to get a Class because aside from the fact they don't have any interest in developing it, changing Classes can be quite a hassle. And one of the "hassles" of changing a Class is that they would have to pay a fee of 10 gold coins.

At least that's from the perspective of the commoners.

"Could she be a gifted Aristocratic Noble who defected from her family and joined the Temple of Priests? Some Aristocratic Noble families can be quite protective when it comes to sharing information. And as for the difference between her Physical and Magic Force between Basic Training and Training Course, her Temple must've made prior arrangements with the officials of the Basic Training when registering. "

Since all of the young and abled members of the Temple of Priests are "encouraged" to join the Holy Crusade, this gave way to several complications. One of the biggest complications is the dangers faced by the young and gifted or talented members who will be targeted by enemies.

So in order to let the young and gifted or talented members grow while still participate in the Holy Crusade, the Temple placed several rules such as:

One - Only allowing the registration process to measure up to Spirit Steel.

Two - To downplay the Physical and Magic Force of the member if it's too out of the norm.

Three - To restrict them from joining other Divisions aside from the Infantry Division and the Inquisitory Division.

If they joined the Infantry Division, they would be given another identity at the start of their career and they could abandon that identity once they become strong enough. And although they would be sent to the battlefield, they would be surrounded by powerful bodyguards or be working with powerful people.

Meanwhile, if they joined the Inquisitory Division, aside from hiding their identity, they would mostly be tasked with office and investigative work.

Blanch shook his head.

"The first one, I don't know if it's true or not. But since she's linked to an investigation involving an Aristocratic Family, then there is a possibility. However, for the second one, I was able to ask one of the people who was present during her registration and they said that her Physical Force was Adamantite and her Magic Force was Orichalcum-Adamantite at that time."

Pen nodded.

"I see. So what exactly is your concern here, brother?"

"As I mentioned earlier:

"During her Basic Training, a sister from the Orion Chapter Temple vanished. However, no suspects were found and arrested.

"During her Training Course, a Sarcoise Colony that the Holy Kingdom is managing nearly got wiped out, and a group of Priests, Knights and Guards personnel at the Northwest Exit Outpost disappeared. And again, no suspects were found and arrested.

"And then after she graduated and arrived at her post, in less than a week, a rogue settlement lead by a powerful being and about 2 days of travel from her location was completely wiped out. And as usual, no suspects were found and arrested.

"I don't know if these are just coincidences. But if this Inquisitor truly has anything to do with it, then I can only imagine what the future would bring."

Pen began tapping his finger on the table for a moment.

"I think I've heard about the case regarding the disappearance of a Sister from the Orion Chapter Temple. I believe Sister Inquisitor Mabel is handling it, correct?"

"Yes, she's currently at the Iron Kingdom. But if you ask me, she chasing a different case."

"What makes you say that?"

"The suspect that Sister Inquisitor Mabel is chasing is a former stalker, a noble from the Iron Kingdom, of Sister Nesia, the sister who disappeared. On top of that, he was already interviewed with [Halo]."

Pen didn't say anything.

"Even without [Halo], it was already obvious from the start. If you were going to kidnap a member of the Temple of Priests participating in the Holy Crusade, why at the Holy City where there are so many eyes? If I were the culprit, I would wait until the target graduates from Basic Training and the Training Course and get assigned to her post. And when she's out on a mission, I would kidnap or attack her. That way, in case she disappears, the officials would only list it as something related to the mission."

"Let's go back to the Inquisitor you're suspecting. Putting aside the incidents you believe she's responsible for, do you have any proof?"

Blanch shook his head in defeat.

"That is where the problem lies, brother. There aren't any witnesses who could accuse her of those incidents. The only witnesses available was for the incident where she was accused of overhunting and physical assault by another organization."

"I see," Pen said and nodded. "You mentioned that this Inquisitor is quite gifted. How many Magic Art Affinities does she have?"

There was a moment of hesitation in Blanch.

"Do you believe she's responsible for those incidents, brother…?"

"I'm still deciding."

Once again, Blanch hesitated before answering.

"According to reports, she has 4."

"Four, huh? I thought you were going to say 5 or more because that would be too scary to think."

"I know. Imagine if a person like her becomes a Light Saint."

"Those women at the Orion Chapter Temple would pleased if that were the case."

"Unfortunately," Blanch said and let out a weak smile.

"So…" Pen said and tapped his desk. "So not only does she have 4 Magic Arts, but her Physical and Magic Force are quite high for her age, and she's an Inquisitor?"

"I also forgot to mention, her test scores are almost perfect. Back in the Training Course, she received a total score of 280 out of 300 for the three Final Exams and another 100 for the ongoing practical exam. She received 80/100 during her Final Practical Exam because she and her partner missed one detail."

"Oh? She's that smart as well? Doesn't matter. Knowledge and wisdom are two different things. You're a veteran and we're the Inquisitory Division. You should already know that by now."

Blanch chose not to comment.

Pen, on the other hand, resumed tapping his finger on his desk.

"So what do you want to do? Find evidence that she's responsible for the incidents you mentioned?"

Blanch shook his head.

"I don't want you to be part of this, brother. I simply wanted to hear your opinion if I'm just being biased or if she truly is the culprit."

"Too late," Pen said and then continued. "Among the Priests that you suspect she killed, were any of them important figures?"

"There was a Red Cloak Priest named Sack who was assigned at the Northwest Exit Outpost."

"Who is that?"

"A member from the Holy Chapter Temple who got his position due to family connections."

"Ah, a Nepo Brother. What about the sister from the Orion Chapter who disappeared?"

"A White Cloak teenager with 2 Magic Arts. She was formally from the Iron Chapter Temple but transferred to the Orion Chapter Temple due to personal reasons."

Pen took in a deep breath.

"Let's assume that this Inquisitor you speak of is indeed the one responsible for those incidents. If that is the case, only two scenarios will happen:

"The first one, if we pursue an official investigation and arrest her now, given her talent, the fact that she hasn't killed any important figures yet, although the Temple of Priests would punish her and limit her freedom a bit, she would still be an active member and be used as a weapon.

"The second one, we wait until she kills an important figure, preferably someone from the Temple of Priests. Once she does that, that's when we arrest her and the Temple of Priests would have no choice but to give her True Death."

"Are those the only options, brother?" Blanch asked.

Pen didn't say anything.

"How many people must die before we act? Also, if she managed to reach at least Spirit Steel within 3 months, how strong will she get by the end of the year? I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up mastering all 4 of her Magic Arts by then."

"But those two scenarios that are our only choices," Pen said.

Blanch looked at the side for a moment and then leaned forward.

"Brother, how about assassination…?" he said in a whisper.

Pen raised an eyebrow behind his mask.

"I thought you were here just to ask for advice because you weren't sure if she is indeed the one responsible or the things around her were just coincidences?"

Blanch leaned back on his chair.

"I'm sorry, brother. I just can't shake the feeling about her. And plus, you're my mentor. I'm simply applying all the things you've taught me."

Pen let out a sigh.

"Before we decide on an assassination, we have to first confirm whether she's guilty or not. This is a 4-Magic Art being we're talking about. It would be a huge loss to the Temple to lose such a talent. And I have an idea on how we can do it without attracting the attention of others, including her Chapter Temple."

Blanch perked up.

"What is it?"

"We'll have her participate in Field Missions."

"Field Missions? Brother, she came with a recommendation medal and letter so she can't be deliberately put in harm's way. Only the Light Saint can question those things.

"On top of that, she doesn't have any officer rank. She has to at least be a High Sergeant to participate in Field Missions near her assigned station. And she has to be a Lieutenant in order to be qualified to be sent out for Field Missions to different locations far away from her station."

Pen waved his hand.

"She's an Inquisitor, right? I am the current Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division and I will talk to Brother Cardinal Val."

"You're going to involve a Cardinal in this?"

"Not directly. You and I would be the only ones who would be mostly aware of the details."

"But wouldn't it be safer to just let a Cardinal handle this?"

"You know that's not possible because of the many political lines they have to cross. If he handles it directly and we turn out to be wrong, he would be dealing with a lot of political backlash in the public eye and that would also greatly compromise our position within the faction in the next Light Saint elections. But if you and I are the only ones who are mostly aware of the situation, even if we're wrong, there won't be that much attention."

Blanch didn't say anything.

"The Field Missions would be simple. She could act as a support for a high-ranking member of the Inquisitory Division."

"Why do I get that this feeling that you want to volunteer as the high-ranking member that she needs to support?"

Pen chuckled.

"Well, after hearing all of the things you told me about her, I'm interested in meeting her."

"What about her duties at the station she's assigned to?"

"It won't be affected because the Field Missions she would be getting are the short-term ones."

"And what if she turns on you?"

"If she turns on me and I die, you will by then have a strong case to arrest her and the Temple will have no choice but to sentence her to True Death regardless of how gifted or talented she is."

Blanch didn't say anything.

"Okay, so tell me now who this Inquisitor really is."