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9:42 a.m.
Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, Northern Continent.
Lennon and Edgar were standing outside the Main Office building. And in front of them were the rest of the members in their station, standing in attention and forming 3 lines.
In the first line, starting from the left were the rest of the Priests Squad: Vivian, Anthony, Juana and Finley. And next to Finley were the Knights Squads: Lamont, Arabella, Trevin and Garcon. And then behind the Priests and Knights Squads were the Guards.
Lennon took out a scroll and opened it.
"A message was sent this morning from the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.
"Attention to all personnel of the Inner Stanza Border Checkpoints.
"All personnel are banned from speaking about the incident that happened on the night of Novus 17, 3023, unless given special orders by the Commanding Officers of the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint to do so. This is to avoid unnecessary confusion and misinformation while the proper authorities conduct an investigation.
"All personnel are also expected to continue performing their duties as usual to the best of their abilities.
"Any personnel who fail to comply with these orders will face the following penalties: a fine, demotion, leave without pay, and imprisonment.
"To the Crusader personnel, may the God of Light always watch over you.
"To the Knights under the Twin Kingdom, the King's Spirit is with you.
"And to the Knights of the Marbleam Kingdom, His Majesty protects.
"That is all."
When Lennon placed the scroll away, he and Edgar couldn't help but notice some of the worried faces of their companions.
"If anyone has any questions, this is your chance," Edgar said.
No one said a word, but the expressions on some of their companions' faces told them a different story.
Lennon swept his gaze around everyone.
"I know some of you have already heard what Guard Dani and Guard Sonia said. But have no fear. Just as Sister Inquisitor Monad said last night, if any enemy comes to the Inner Stanza Border Checkpoints, the most powerful members in their group would go to the Main or the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint to disrupt the chain of command. If they won't or can't do that, then they have no chance of winning.
"If they decide to attack the First or Second Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, they would be facing the Marbleam Kingdom's Count Faction.
"If they decide to attack the Ninth or Eighth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, they would be facing the Heisen Kingdom's Marquess Faction and Count Faction.
"And if they decide to attack anywhere between the Third, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Border Checkpoints, not only would they have to face the powerful Crusaders and Knights in the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, but they would also have to face the Marbleam Kingdom's Duke Faction.
"So as you can see, there is nothing to fear because the Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint is, frankly speaking, quite impenetrable."
Some of the worried faces in the group started to brighten.
"And to top that off, everyone now is on high alert because of last night. So if any demon or enemy, regardless of how powerful they are, decides to cross, they would no doubt meet their end and be sent back to the Void.
"As a matter of fact, if anyone would ask my personal opinion, I personally believe that there is a very high probability that there won't even be a next attack, because the enemy has already lost the element of surprise."
Now all of the worried faces in the group started to brighten, that some of them began nodding at each other.
"But regardless, we still shouldn't drop our guard. After all, these are demons we're talking about. They are driven by nothing except for mindless slaughter and destruction. And if they truly decide to attack, we will make sure that they would regret messing with humans as we send them back to the Void just like all of the demons in the past who tried to mess with humanity!"
Everyone raised their fist and let out a battle cry -- Vivian also raised her fist, but it was late, and she didn't let out a battle cry.
***
11:52 a.m.
Zzz… Zzz… Zzz….
Vivian was laying on the three-person sofa inside her office and was fast asleep. Her White Cloak was hung on a rack near her desk, her gloves were on the top of the coffee table along with a bottle and an empty glass of wine, and her boots were on the corner of the sofa. She wore her full-mask, her signature black dress and stockings, and had a white blanket all over her body.
Zzz… Zzz… Zzz….
Although it was hot and sunny outside, inside her room, thanks to the Magic Panel, the atmosphere was a cold and rainy autumn day.
Knock, knock.
Vivian's eyes immediately opened as she heard the knock.
She shut her eyes for a moment to recover from suddenly opening them, and then she opened them once again as she sat up and covered her legs with her blanket.
God, what is it this time…?
"Sister Inquisitor Monad…?" Juana's voice came from behind the door.
"Come in."
Pop, pop, pop…!
She stretched her arms and moved her head side-to-side, causing her joints to make some popping sounds.
On the rare occasions I decide to take a nap, these people would find a way to interrupt it…
What a life…
Ka-cha!
The door opened and Juana entered with a pale expression on his face.
"Sister Inquisitor... you have visitors…"
Visitors…?
And she said 'you'…
So for me…?
"Who is it?"
"Lord Alejandro from the Viscount's family under the Duke Faction and Lord Ferdino from the Duke's family..."
Vivian's brows knitted together.
"What…?"
***
Vivian stepped out of the Main Office building and her jaw dropped.
"What the…?"
The ground was filled with pink and red flower petals, there was a group guitarists and dancers (they were part of the Los Bailarines del Fuego, the winners of this year's Feugo Dance at Plano Town), there was the Mercenary group called Nessuno, led by Emiliano, the bodyguards of Alejandro, and there was Alejandro himself, standing at the center with a bouquet of flowers on his hand.
Once they saw Vivian, they immediately started performing.
"Baby, don't you know I'm just human~~?" Emiliano, who was a Bard, was the one singing on behalf of Alejandro.
"And I've got thoughts like any other man~~
"And sometimes I feel myself alone regretting~~
"Some foolish thing, some foolishing I've done~~"
Alejandro started approaching Vivian.
"Cause I'm just a soul whose intentions are good~~
"Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood ~~"
He knelt down on one knee and then offered the bouquet of flowers.
"Please accept my apology," he said with a bright and sincere smile.
The hair on Vivian body stood, causing her to subconsciously take a step back.
"What in the hell…?" she said and then looked around.
Everyone was present and looking at her.
Alejandro's entourage was looking forward to Vivian accepting his apology.
Meanwhile, Vivian's companions, apart from the fact that they were just curious to see something new in a boring place like the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, they were also all curious about how she was going to act, considering how she reacted the last time an Aristocratic Noble tried to cause problems.
She returned her gaze to Alejandro.
"Get out of here... How… why… h-how did you even find me...?"
Some of the people from Alejandro's entourage gasped. However, Alejandro showed no negative reaction, and continued wearing a bright and sincere smile on his face.
"I've been searching for you. And once I've gotten word about what happened between you and Luka, from that fish family, I immediately rushed here."
He stood up and presented the bouquet of flowers he was holding once more.
Vivian took another step back.
"Stay away from me."
Someone suddenly laughed and stepped forward.
It was Ferdino; he had a black eye-patch on his right eye and he was wearing a pair of white gloves that matched his overall white nobleman suit.
He was accompanied by a man in his mid-40s with long red hair and mustache, who didn't have a black eye-patch, revealing his purple gemstone right eye, and was wearing a dark purple-colored set of armor.
"Mar-You've mar-failed, Mar-Alejandro. Mar-Worry mar-not, mar-I mar-shall mar-avenge mar-your mar-honor mar-and mar-mine mar-in mar-one mar-magnificent mar-swoop."
Wooh…
He turned to Vivian, removed one of his gloves, and then threw it at her, but she evaded it and also took 2 steps away.
"I challenge you to a duel to regain my honor and I will have my champion fight you in my stead."
Vivian knitted her brows behind her mask.
"Champion?"
She glanced at the Ferdino's "Champion".
Brother Caleb told me about the Lore Magic of the Duke family…
They're able to see an extra second or seconds into the future…
One Magic Art is 1 second…
Two Magic Arts is 2 seconds…
Three Magic Arts is 3 seconds…
And so on and so forth…
Her eyes bounced between Ferdino and his "Champion".
These two…
I have no doubt that I can easily defeat these two…
But there are 2 issues…
The first one - Duke Freca is old and has 5 Magic Art Affinities…
So apart from the +5 seconds vision into the future, he has at least 500 points raw stats, and there's the extra stats or buffs from his Class Magic…
Also, I can't remember who said it, perhaps it was Lennon or Edgar, the Duke has a Lore Item handkerchief that automatically revives him…
The second issue - I've caused too much damage lately, I want to stay low for a while…
"We're currently very busy. Leave this border checkpoint."
Ferdino raised an eyebrow.
"Leave? We're Aristocratic Nobles and this is part of our kingdom's territory. We can do anything here as we please," he said and then a playful smile appeared on his lips. "But if you really insist on us leaving, then you have no choice but to defeat my Champion."
Vivian looked at him with a deadpan expression and then turned to Alejandro.
"You want to be forgiven, right? Take this companion of yours with you and don't bother me ever again. I'll forgive you then. Now go."
A confused expression appeared on Alejandro's face.
"What would be the point of being forgiven by you if I can't see or talk to you ever again?"
"Ha…?"
"I've fallen in love with you, Priestess Monad. Ever since that day, you've always been --"
Vivian held out a hand.
"Hold on, aren't you engaged with the female Aristocratic Noble named Julietta?"
"That we are, but that was just something decided for political reasons. There is no love between her and I. It is you that my mind, heart and soul aches for."
What the fuck…?
"The both of you… Leave here at once or I'll go to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint to report you for disrupting our work here and also harassing me!"
A confused expression appeared on Alejandro's face and he turned to Emiliano, one of his bodyguards.
"Mar-Did mar-I mar-say mar-anything mar-wrong?"
Emiliano rushed over to him and shook his head.
"Mar-Of mar-course, mar-not, Mar-My Mar-Lord. Mar-You mar-were mar-honest mar-and mar-direct, mar-like mar-a mar-true mar-romantic."
"Mar-Is mar-it mar-the mar-flowers?"
Emiliano shook his head again.
"Mar-I mar-asked mar-a mar-hundred mar-flower mar-shops mar-and mar-women mar-and mar-they mar-all mar-said mar-that mar-those mar-flowers mar-are mar-very mar-popular mar-among mar-women mar-because mar-of mar-their mar-beautiful mar-and mar-scent. Mar-On mar-top mar-of mar-that, mar-I mar-made mar-sure mar-to mar-freeze mar-them mar-on mar-their mar-way mar-here mar-and mar-then mar-spray mar-them mar-with mar-water mar-before mar-giving mar-it mar-to mar-you."
"Mar-Could mar-it mar-be mar-the mar-music?"
Emiliano shook his head once more.
"Impossible, My Lord. This Los Bailarines del Fuego, the winners of this year's Feugo Dance and have been winners for 4 years straight."
"Mar-Then mar-what mar-could mar-it mar-be?"
"Mar-This mar-may mar-be mar-shocking mar-to mar-hear, Mar-My Mar-Lord, mar-but mar-I mar-believe mar-she's mar-just mar-blissfully mar-overwhelmed mar-but mar-wants mar-to mar-maintain mar-a mar-dignified mar-appearance mar-in mar-front mar-of mar-her mar-colleagues. Mar-After mar-all, mar-she's mar-a Mar-Priestess."
Alejandro raised an eyebrow.
"Mar-But mar-I'm mar-an Mar-Aristocratic Mar-Noble, mar-and mar-I'm mar-handsome, mar-charming, mar-cultured, mar-and mar-with mar-4 Mar-Magic Mar-Art Mar-Affinities."
"Mar-I mar-would mar-like mar-to mar-stress mar-it mar-once mar-again, Mar-My Mar-Lord. Mar-She's mar-a Mar-Priestess mar-and mar-she mar-wants mar-to mar-act mar-dignified mar-in mar-front mar-of mar-her mar-colleagues."
An understanding smile broke out on Alejandro's lips and he shook his head.
"Mar-Women..."
Emiliano smiled and nodded.
"Mar-Indeed, Mar-My Mar-Lord."
Ferdino, who got tired of listening to Alejandro and Emiliano, turned to Vivian and let out a smirk.
"You can run and report to wherever, but that will not stop me from avenging not only my honor, but also my family's honor. And I have every right to do so."
Vivian turned to Juana.
"Sister High Sergeant, fly me to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint."
Juana, who was watching the spectacle or whatever confusing thing this was, blinked a couple of times before Vivian's words finally sunk in.
She saluted.
"Y-Yes, Sister Inquisitor!"
***
A green-colored Draghorn was flying in the sky and heading over to the Fifth or the Main Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint. On its back were Juana, donned in her Crusader armor set, and Vivian, dressed in her usual Inquisitor attire.
"Sister!" Vivian shouted while her arms were wrapped around Juana's waist.
Due to the strong winds and Juana wearing a helmet, in order to communicate with each other, one has to shout.
Juana turned her head slightly to the side, indicating Vivian now has her attention.
"Change course! Head over to the Holy City!"
"What?!"
"I said, head over to the Holy City!"
***
Holy City, Holy Kingdom.
A green-colored Draghorn landed on a wide and open green field.
Vivian deactivated her [Halo] before climbing down.
I didn't bring anything with me other than the clothes on my back…
But I had no choice…
If those 2 creepy idiots figured out that I'm leaving for days, they would chase me…
Might as well let them suffer a bit by making them wait for nothing…
She turned to Juana.
"Sister, you're coming with me to the Inquisitory Division Headquarters."
Although Juana's face was covered with a helmet, Vivian could tell there was some hesitation on her face.
"Even if we return there right away, those 2 idiots won't be leaving right away, because of their backgrounds. That's why I didn't even bother heading over to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.
"In order to really drive those 2 idiots away, I will need to hit them with something really hard and legal, so I will need a Chapter Master to do handle it.
"And knowing how slow people move, despite being superhumans, I won't be surprised if we would be stuck here for 2-3 days."
A confused and shocked expression flashed across Juana's face.
Putting aside the fact that she can't even imagine a Crusader ordering a Chapter Master, because those people were at the pinnacle of the Holy Crusade's chain of command, outside of the Light Saint, this was her face time hearing Vivian talk about a Chapter Master. And hearing her needing a Chapter Master to do her bidding, it only solidified the rumors she heard in the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint that Vivian was indeed part of the powerful Priest families. She also started to assume that Vivian was closely related to the Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division.
Vivian pointed at the airport building.
"Let's go there and have someone take care of your pet or whatever arrangement you want to do. Don't worry, I'll stake my name on it. You have my word that I will PERSONALLY deal with them if they refuse or do a stupid job."
"Um… Yes, Sister Inquisitor…" Juana said and then climbed down from her mount.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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