Plano Town (4)

11:44 a.m.

A carriage was traveling down the busy and festive streets of Plano Town.

Inside the carriage, Vivian and Caleb sat opposite each other in silence as they headed back to the Temple of Priest building.

They could walk back just like how they arrived at the street food stalls. However, they needed to get back before 12:00 noon so that they could leave at 12:30 to attend the opening of the Feugo Tournament.

With their superhuman stats, they could also just run and jump across buildings. However, Vivian had absolutely no intention of doing that. For starters, she couldn't care any less about the Feugo Tournament.

Hmph…!

Even if I decide to befriend or kiss their butts…

What good will it benefit me…?

I've accumulated this much power in less than 6 months…

What can they do after a year…?

Not to mention they're foreigners and most of them aren't even part of the Temple of Priests…

They should be the ones grateful to be in my presence…!

Looking at the hot and sunny weather outside the window, she let out a sigh.

This is just so annoying, man…

I really miss just staying inside my cold office back at the border checkpoint…

At least there…

No one would dare to bother me with pointless things…

And I don't need to get sunburned…!

Caleb, who heard Vivian letting out a sigh, turned to her.

"Sister."

Vivian turned her attention to him.

"Hmm?"

"Was that necessary?"

Her brows knitted together behind her half-mask.

"What was necessary?"

"That young man back there."

"You mean the thief?"

Caleb didn't say anything.

"Like I said back there, a criminal is a criminal. Moreover, we aren't in the Holy Kingdom or a subsidiary kingdom under the Holy Kingdom."

"So you're afraid of the Marbleam Kingdom?"

Vivian's lips curled up into a smile.

"You know, not long ago, I used to have the same mindset as you. However, that changed after I met a certain Red Cloak. Don't get me wrong, as a fellow member of the Temple of Priests, I understand where you're coming from. After all, the core of learning our Class Magic is to ease the pain and suffering of others. However, not everyone can or must be saved for the sake of others."

Caleb's brows furrowed for a moment before he smiled and shook his head.

"So you're different from them."

Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I said you're different from them."

She didn't say anything but she pursed her lips.

Caleb let out a sigh.

"Since you explained yourself, I will also explain myself.

"Brother Inquisitor Pen personally requested for you, an Inquisitor I've never met or heard of, to be in this Field Mission where we would be surrounded by very high-profile people in a public and civilian setting. With that, I assumed that you must be a new member of the faction. However, based on your answer, especially the way you handled that incident, I honestly can't imagine that you are.

"You're no different from the Priests, Aristocratic Nobles and Royalty from long and ancient families who believe that they're above everybody else."

Vivian suddenly let out a chuckle.

"Aren't you part of such families? From what I heard, your last name is Wrath, an old and prestigious family related to several Light Saints and Cardinals from the Holy Kingdom."

Caleb's face hardened.

"That's exactly why I don't believe that we are above everybody else. Everyone should be treated with respect because we all contribute to the world. The world is where it is right now due to the achievements and contributions of everyone."

"Everyone should be treated with respect because we all contribute, huh?" Vivian said with a playful smile. "Even demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics?"

Caleb's eyes widened.

"Of course not…! Those are different things…!"

"Oh, how so?"

Noticing Vivian's relaxed and playful demeanor, Caleb forced himself to calm down by taking a deep breath.

"Because they cause nothing but harm. The demons eat and destroy everything they lay their eyes upon, the demon-kins are descendants of humans who sided with demons, the Cult of Infinity are Necromancers whose Class Magic is to inflict pain towards others for the sake of immortality, and the heretics are traitors of humanity."

"But you said it yourself, EVERYONE should be treated with respect because we all contribute to this world and this world is where it is right now due to the achievements and contributions of everyone. I mean, doesn't that apply to both positive and negative contributions? Because some positive contributions are born out of fixing existing problems caused by others."

"No, because the demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics have crossed a line where only true evil lies. Or maybe, sister, it's you who believe that demons --"

Vivian pointed at him.

"Don't you dare accuse me, an Inquisitor, of being a heretic. You are the one who brought up the logic and I simply pointed out its flaws."

Although Caleb didn't say anything, the emotions on his face said a million words.

"Brother, you are talking from a position of privilege.

"You were born into a powerful family so I can just imagine all the gifts, talents and privileges you possess. You have no idea what is it truly like to be a normal person, let out at the bottom of society.

"First of all, whether you like it or not, there will and should always be a form of hierarchy in society because most people are inherently selfish and lazy.

"I mean, just think about it: If all people are beings that should be treated with respect, why are there still laws? In fact, why would we be reminded to treat people with respect? Why are their crimes? Why are there wars? Why is there inequality? How is it fair that you're born with all these gifts, talents and privilege while others aren't and most of them can't get all of it even if they dedicate their whole lives?"

Caleb looked like he was about let out a scoff but stopped mid-way.

"You think my life is perfect, sister? You think I asked for all of this? I still --" he said.

"I'm not done," Vivian said with a stern tone.

"That fact that you're so comfortable to go against an Aristocratic Noble of an independent kingdom just shows how privileged and out of touch you are.

"I get it, in your head, you must be thinking: An Aristocratic Noble or a person from a very privileged position should never take advantage of the people under him/her. And I'm going to bet, so many people, especially from the lower or commoner class, are going to agree and applaud you for that kind of mindset. And I'm also going to bet that you will be so proud of it because it makes you the good guy, the person fighting for the little people, the people fighting for justice -- oh, how noble!

"However, what about other the things that an Aristocratic Noble represents?

"What are you going to do when the relationship between the Branch Chapters Temple and the ruling Aristocratic Noble family here in Plano Town goes sour?

"What about the relationship between the Marbleam Branch Chapter Temples and the Marbleam Kingdom Duke Faction?

"What about the entire Marbleam Chapter Temple and the entire Marbleam Kingdom?

"Also, what about the families and businesses of the Priests, Priestesses and normal people here in the Marbleam Kingdom who will be affected by the feud?

"Based on your accent, I'm assuming that you're from the Holy Kingdom. What, you're going to relocate all the victims to the Holy Kingdom? Even if you relocate them to your mansions, what about their livelihood?

"Or perhaps you're thinking of leading a rebellion here in the Marbleam Kingdom? And if you're going to lead a rebellion, who are you going to ask to join you? And if you win, who are you going to assign as the new rulers? Your family? The people who helped you? And what if they turned out to be no different from the previous rulers, what are you going to do?

"Tell me, brother, have you considered these things from your desire to help that thief who dared to pickpocket in the presence of an Aristocratic Noble and was caught? And for all we know, theft isn't just the crime he has done in the past."

It took almost a minute before Caleb replied.

"What if the victim was a Sister, a Brother or a child?"

A wide smile spread across Vivian's face.

"That's a pointless question because the victim was neither of those."

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

***

12:46 a.m.

Coliseo, Plano Town, Marbleam Kingdom

Pen, Timoteo, Caleb and Vivian entered the lounging hall of the Royal Box.

Gusto was the Red Cloak in charge of attending the Feugo Dance. Now, for the Feugo Tournament, it would be Timoteo's turn. However, on the grand finals of the Feugo Tournament or the last day of the Feugo Festival, all officials and representatives will attend.

And just like Gusto, Timoteo was the other Red Cloak assigned in the Branch Chapter Temple of Plano Town. He was in his early 50s, tanned skin and short blue hair.

Everyone was already present and were waiting in the lounging hall.

Aside from the Pen, Timoteo, Caleb and Vivian, there were 10 people -- 7 were wearing civilian clothing and 3 were wearing a set of armor engraved with runes.

There were also butlers, maids, waiters, waitresses, and chefs who were ready to assist and receive any order.

Caleb, who was also wearing his Crusader Armor set without the helmet, parted ways with Pen, Timoteo and Vivian to join the 3 people wearing armor.

Pen and Timoteo who was being followed by Vivian, made their way to Lozario who was talking to 6 people.

"Mar-Your Mar-Excellency, mar-how mar-do mar-you mar-do?" Timoteo said and bowed.

"Your Excellency," Pen and Vivian said and bowed.

"Mar-High Mar-Priest Timoteo, Inquisitor Pen and Inquisitor Monad, I'm glad to see you all," Lozario said and smiled.

"Mar-Thank mar-you mar-for mar-inviting mar-us, Mar-Your Mar-Excellency," Timoteo said.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Pen and Vivian said.

Lozario simply nodded.

"Your Excellency and everyone," Pen said.

Lozario and the rest turned to him.

"Please allow me to properly introduce my colleague," he said and turned to Vivian.

"This is Sister Inquisitor Monad. She is one of the brightest Inquisitors I've met and I hope that you will all treat her well."

Lozario turned to Vivian and simply nodded.

A black-haired man, the same as Lozario, but in his late 40s wearing a nobleman's clothing approached Vivian and asked for her hand.

He held her gloved hand and planted a small kiss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Fernando T. Plano, the Town Chief of Plano Town."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Fernando."

Another black-haired man but in his mid-40s and also wearing a nobleman's clothing approached Vivian and asked for her hand.

He held her gloved hand and planted a small kiss as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Antonio T. Plano, the Village Chief of Tapa Village."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Antonio."

This time it was a dark-blonde-haired man in his late 30s and was wearing a green-colored scholar-like robe. He also performed the same gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Estevan G. Chitarra, the Royal Adviser of Plano Town."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Estevan."

This time it was a green-haired man in his mid-30s who also wore a green-colored scholar-like robe and he also performed the same gesture.

"I am bewitched by your intelligence, beauty and grace, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Santiago F. Martello, the Royal Adviser of Tapa Village."

"Thank you and it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Santiago."

This time it was another dark-blonde-haired man but in his late 20s. And although he wore the same green-colored scholar-like robe, it had fewer designs. He also performed the same gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Pablo G. Chitarra, the Assistant Royal Adviser of Plano Town."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Pablo."

And the last one was a man with orange hair, in his mid-20s and wearing the same less-designed green-colored scholar-like robe as Pablo. He did the same gesture.

"The slits on your masks that highlight your ruby-like eyes tell me that you're not only a very wise and intelligent woman, but also very beautiful, Priestess Inquisitor Monad. I am Sergio M. Frusta, the Assistant Royal Adviser of Tapa Village."

"Thank you and it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Sergio."

Vivian turned to the three men wearing armor and standing beside Caleb in the corner.

I don't think I also have to offer my hand to them, right…?

However, they didn't approach her, let alone turn to her. They were busy having a conversation with Caleb.

But thank God I'm wearing gloves…!

***

1:05 p.m.

In the middle of the Coliseo was a wide and spacious arena. There were groups of people performing breathtaking acrobatic stunts that some parents even had to cover the eyes of their children.

A few meters away from the Royal Box, there was a small stage and a podium. And on the podium, there was what looked like a microphone made out of a combination of Origin Crystals and metals engraved with Runes.

All of a sudden, the sound of trumpets blowing and drums rumbling played around the Coliseo.

The performers quickly dispersed from the arena, while an obese man with black curly hair and wearing a gaudy nobleman's clothing approached the podium.

The obese man raised his hand and the trumpets and drums abruptly stopped.

"Greetings and welcome to the good people of the Marbleam Kingdom and guests!" he said in Marbleam through the microphone.

"I am Carito T. Plano and I shall be your host.

"Today is the first day of the Feugo Tournament for this year's Feugo Festival.

"And this year marks the 527th year since the patriarch of the Plano Family, Lord Fe'Nix "Pajaro del Feugo" T. Plano., became an Aristocratic Noble, a Viscount, the ruler of Plano Town and Tapa Village, and protector the Marbleam people at the age of 34 years old."

Carito turned to the Royal Box and gestured with his hand.

"So without further ado, may I present to you, the current Viscount of Plano Town and Tapa Village, and a direct descendant of Lord Fe'Nix "Pajaro del Feugo" T. Plano, His Excellency, Viscount Lozario T. Plano!"

As the sound of trumpets blowing, drums rumbling and crowd cheering rang around the coliseum, Lozario and a group of people entered the Royal Box.

Lozario, Fernando, Antonio, Estevan, Santiago, Pen and Timoteo went over to the front row and began waving to the masses.

Pablo, Sergio and Vivian went over to the second row but didn't wave to the masses.

And lastly, at the back near the wall were Caleb and three other men wearing a set of armor who also didn't want to the masses but had a watchful and careful eye as they swept their gaze around.

The sound of trumpets blowing, drums rumbling and the crowd cheering stopped when Lozario sat down.

Seeing Lozario sit, everyone in the Royal Box followed suit.

"When the Great Patriarch was still a young Knight and not even a Noble, he used to volunteer in expeditions to exterminate dangerous beings at the Great Plains of Stanza," Carito said and then gestured towards one of the main gates of the arena. "And in honor of the Great Patriarch, His Excellency would like to present to you…. A DEMON-KIN HORDE!!!"

The main gate that he was pointing opened and a group of 15 demon-kins stepped out, causing the crowd to cheer.

There were different kinds of demon-kins.

The first kind were Larkers. They generally had a humanoid appearance, but where they differ is that they have white hair, their skin is dark-red and they have sharp teeth. Moreover, they're blessed with the Dark Affinity. Furthermore, when a Wave is imbued with the Dark Affinity and a human is struck by its curse, they would turn into a Larker.

The second kind were Monkeighs. If anyone were to ask Vivian what they specifically looked like, she would compare them to the monkeys in the old Planet of the Apes movies. In addition to that, they're blessed with the Earth Affinity. And if a Wave is imbued with the Earth Affinity and a human is struck by its curse, they would turn into a Monkeigh.

The third kind of demon-kins were called Waruks. If one were to ask Vivian what they looked like, they were bi-pedal walruses. They were at least 2 meters tall, have 2 protruding tusks facing forward on their faces, have brown wrinkled thick skin, and are usually fat. Moreover, they're blessed with the Ice Affinity. So if Wave is imbued with the Ice Affinity and a human is struck by its curse, they would turn into a Waruk.

All of the demon-kins standing in the middle of the arena were abnormally thin, including the Waruk whose species are usually fat. They were adorned with simple clothing and armed with simple fighting gear.

"And to reenact the glorious feats of the Great Patriarch, His Excellency would also like to present to you…" Carito said and gestured towards the sky. "Last year's Feugo Tournament Champion, EITHAR THE BURNING FIGHTING FIGHTER FROM THE HEISEN KINGDOM!!!"

The crowd cheered wildly with bloodlust as a tall dark-skinned bald man in his late 30s wearing a set of armor with red garments and riding a Fire Draghorn descended from the sky.

He raised his hand.

[Mana Spear].

A trident that was at least 3 meters long and made out of blue mana appeared on his hand.

[Enchant Fire].

The trident was imbued with fire.

The Fire Draghorn was already about 15 meters from the ground when Eithar jumped off.

Thud!

He landed on the ground and then licked his lips as a dark glint shone in his eyes.

"Now let's give this people a fiery show, shall we?!"

Vooom!

He rushed into a group of demon-kins but didn't use his maximum speed. Instead, he was only using the Physical Force of Silver.

Two demon-kins with bloodshot eyes rushed over him with their full speed which was Mithril.

There was a promise given to them. If they could survive a battle in the Feugo Tournament, win or lose, they would not only be set free but would also be escorted back to the Southern Continent under the flag or sigil of Viscount Lozario T. Plano.

Wooo--rrrg! Brrrg!

Eithar whipped his flaming trident horizontally at an impossible speed and the two demon-kins were not only sliced into two but their bodies also ended up engulfed in flames.

The crowd went wild with some people shouting and crying for blood as saliva sprayed out of their mouths.

"KILL THEM ALL!!!"

"SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!!!"

"BURN THEM ALL!!!"

Seeing the impossible speed that Eithar showed, one demon-kin threw away their weapons before turning around and running away.

Eithar deactivated the [Enchant Fire] on his [Mana Spear].

[Mana Throw].

A large rock made out of mana appeared on his hand.

[Enchant Fire].

The rock was imbued with fire.

[Explosive Throw].

Wooo--BRRRGGG!!!

Either threw the rock imbued with fire to the escaping demon-kin and its body exploded into a mist of blood and fire.

The crowd went crazier and they began chanting his name.

"EITHAR!!! EITHAR!!! EITHAR!!! EITHAR!!! EITHAR!!!"

Although the Plano family promised that the demon-kins who could survive in a battle, regardless if it was a win or lose, that didn't mean that they could be pacifists and run away. After all, the Feugo Tournament is a fighting tournament. Those who would choose not to fight would be killed by the guards nearby. Meanwhile, the participants who would deliberately choose not to kill demon-kins without giving a good show will be dealt with immediately or secretly if they're too famous.

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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.

https://www.patreon.com/Immortal_Shades 

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.

I would like to thank these Top 5 Immortal Power Voters:

• First Seat: DaoistL27fr7

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And in case you really like what I do and want to support me even further, do consider joining my Patreon group worth $2 a month. 

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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 :)