This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:
• [Crusader] The orc warrior 261
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I would also like to thank the donators for December 2025 (Ko-Fi account is unavailable at the moment due to technical reasons):
• [Crusader] uxel - $5
This chapter 3/3 for the 1st week of January 2026.
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3:21 p.m.
Blauer'nebel Town, Iron Kingdom.
Vivian and Caleb stepped outside of the Branch Chapter Temple's compound and then began walking down the streets.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, Honored Priest Crusader…"
"Iro-Honored Iro-Priestess Iro-Inquisitor, Iro-Honored Iro-Priest Iro-Crusader…"
Everyone in the street couldn't help but stare. And those they would pass by wouldn't stare that long and quickly lowered their heads to greet them.
For Caleb, it wasn't every day the public would see a Priest wearing a Crusader armor. And if they were here, it would only mean 2 things: They're handing a dangerous case involving Priests, or they're escorting a VIP from the Temple of Priests to attend a gathering involving people from the higher echelons of society.
Meanwhile, for Vivian, it was pretty much the same except for one thing -- it leans more on the "handing a dangerous case involving Priests". But aside from that, there was also another thing they couldn't help but stare at; it was her strange clothes. In their eyes, she looked like a butler, and they couldn't understand why a Priestess would wear such a thing.
Vivian checked her clothes for any bloodstains.
Apart from my right sleeve, everything seems clean…
Or there are no obvious stains at the very least…
She glanced at Caleb, who was walking beside her.
"You seem calm, unlike last time in Plano Town."
Memories of his time with Vivian at Plano Town flashed inside Caleb's head, mainly the part where she decapitated the pickpocketer, their debate inside the carriage, and the time she decapitated Ferdino and almost killed him after he "accidentally" used his family's Lore Magic, [Holy Wrath], on her.
"I'm from the Infantry Division. We are trained to solely follow orders of the Commanding Officer, not question them."
Vivian returned her attention to the streets.
"If I have to step on others to save others, I will do it. Each second we waste is another second of Brother Inquisitor Song and Brother Captain Kian stepping closer to death.
"At least that's what I believe."
"I have no comment," Caleb said.
Vivian let out a scoff.
"If you're not going to say anything pleasant, then don't say anything."
"My apologies, Sister Inquisitor," Caleb said as he gave a slight bow.
Vivian rolled her eyes and then noticed something ahead.
There was a group of people waiting at the sidewalk beside a small booth. Inside the booth, there was a person operating what looked like Origin Crystals with different colors -- it was basically a rudimentary traffic lights design: Blue-green color was go and Pink color was stop.
Right…
People here in the Iron Kingdom have this thing because of the thick fog that can cause accidents…
When they reached the group of people, the people in front of them greeted them.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, Honored Priest Crusader…"
"Iro-Honored Iro-Priestess Iro-Inquisitor, Iro-Honored Iro-Priest Iro-Crusader…"
Caleb was genuinely surprised that Vivian wasn't throwing a bloody tantrum and instead following the traffic rules.
"Brother, is it just me, or does this place not have those public food stalls where you can just buy a quick and easy hand-held snack and enjoy it while walking down the street or sitting at a public bench, like in the Holy City and in Plano Town? Everything here just seems so 'indoorsy'."
Everyone heard Vivian, but no one dared to join in their conversation.
The Branch Chapter Temple Compound was located in a slightly richer neighborhood of the Town, so most people here could understand Zonian. However, that didn't mean they had the guts to join in, regardless of whether they could understand Zonia or not.
Caleb also ignored the people eavesdropping and carefully thought about Vivian's question for a moment.
"I believe there are stalls like that here, but they're mainly on the Market District or in Commoner neighborhoods."
"So only the poor people here do that?"
"It's because of the weather here. Keeping food warm can be challenging. And one of the easiest ways to keep it warm is to keep them indoors.
"I guess that makes sense."
The Traffic Enforcer inside the booth changed the signs, and then the people began crossing the street.
"You know, I met your fiancé."
Caleb immediately threw a side glance at her.
"You did?"
Vivian rolled her eyes.
"I didn't do anything to her."
"I didn't mean that --"
Vivian held out her hand.
"I was simply at She'kel Village and she happened to be one of the minor witnesses involved in the case my Squad and I were handling there."
Caleb nodded.
"I see."
"So you're not yet married, huh. I mean, given your age and background, I was expecting you'd be married by now, like a political marriage. Or perhaps you have multiple wives?"
"I'm not married."
"You have multiple fiances?"
"No."
Vivian's brows knitted together behind her Inquisitor Half-Mask.
"Hold on, something isn't adding up."
A confused expression appeared on Caleb's face behind his helmet, but he didn't say anything.
"Correct me if I'm wrong.
"You're from the Wrath family.
"Sister Ava is from the Vedrix family, which is a Mid-Tier Noble Priest family.
"And Emmanuel -- well, former Brother Emmanuel -- is from the Nummi family, which is a High-Tier Noble Priest family.
"And Emmanuel is the ex-fiance of Sister Ava.
"And you, since you're from the Wrath family, who would dare to give you scraps or second-hand fiances? I mean, if I werewere part of the Wrath family, I'd be insulted, I would literally die from embarrassment. On top of that, you have your family's Lore Magic.
"Is the Wrath family a complete joke or something that High-Tier and Mid-Tier Noble families can just step on them and give them scraps or second-hand things?
"So how did that happen? Because things aren't adding up."
Caleb couldn't help but catch Vivian's words about Emmanuel. As Ava's fiancé, he, of course, knew of him. On top of that, he, Ava and Emmanuel were all on their late 20s, so not only did they attend Basic Training together when they were still young, but they've naturally bumped into one another during Field Missions and also at some events outside of the Holy Crusade. However, this was the first time he heard about Emmanuel not being a Priest anymore, or at least that's what he understood from what Vivian said.
"It's a very long story," he said. "But just to keep it short, I'm the one who's mainly at fault here."
Vivian closed her mouth as she let out a gasp, and then drew in closer.
"Are you being bullied or something, like you're the black sheep or unwanted child of your family?" she asked in a whisper.
For a split moment, Caleb wondered what a 'sheep' was because he had never heard that word before. But overall, he still understood the gist of what Vivian was saying and let out a small chuckle.
"No, of course not."
"So you're the bad guy?"
Caleb's cheerful demeanor suddenly changed.
"In a way..." he said in a bittersweet, melancholic tone behind his helmet.
Tap, tap, tap!
Vivian let out a hearty laugh as she patted Caleb's left shoulder. It caused everyone nearby to stare, but she didn't care.
"This was a nice conversation. God knows it's been a while since I've talked to someone without having to scheme or keep analyzing statuses."
Caleb didn't say anything.
In his head, he doesn't exactly know where to put Vivian. He has met powerful and violent young people before, but not this powerful. The moves she did in taking out the Gray Cloak earlier meant she was overwhelmingly powerful. In fact, he would believe her if she told him that she has 4 Magic Art Affinities and has mastered all of them.
The closest people he could compare her with, at least when it comes to pure and raw power, are the Royal Princes. However, he wasn't close to any one of them, because they live in a completely different circle and they have their own shackles to deal with that are solely unique to them.
Basically, to him, Vivian was a complete anomaly -- she has the power of Princes, but also has the freedom of a "normal" person.
They resumed walking in silence.
And after a couple of steps, Caleb turned to her.
"Sister Inquisitor, where are we going?"
Vivian raised an eyebrow.
"Tierkunst, where else?"
Caleb didn't say anything.
"Are you wondering why we walked instead of riding a carriage? It's simple:
"First, I want to see the streets, get a feel of my new environment.
"Secondly, I don't want to be trapped inside a box with limited visibility in case High Sister Gerda and the others decide to attack.
"Of course, they can't scratch me, let alone kill me, no matter what tactics they use. But there is one thing, well, two things actually, they can do to me -- soil my clothes, or destroy my clothes with some Physical Art.
"I hate it.
"In fact, even I can't use my full power unless I don't want to destroy my clothes and everything around me.
"Like seriously, why is there no magic clothes, or at least a spell where you can just make clothes?
"Look, I get it, if you're a man and your clothes get destroyed, leaving you butt-naked, it's fine, you're still a man. No one cares.
"But a woman? It's a complete nightmare, unless you're an ugly woman, of course. But for beautiful women like me, it's a complete nightmare. There's ALWAYS someone who wants to touch you or see you naked."
Caleb was caught off guard.
He had no idea that Vivian had this side of her -- a normal human female with normal angst and desires.
"You know what, Brother? It always makes me laugh whenever I see someone brag about being strong or wanting to be strong.
"All they see is the glory and prestige of being strong, they don't see the little things behind the scenes. And if they knew about those little things, they would quickly realize that the world isn't fit to accommodate powerful people -- sleep, hair, nails, food, touching or interacting with things, rules, etc. is a constant and daily battle.
"They really have no idea how stressful it is to always be on guard about not accidentally breaking things, because everything is so fragile."
***
4:08 p.m.
Vivian and Caleb were standing in front of a two-story high-end alehouse located in a Noble neighborhood near the Market District.
As they entered the main entrance, a very handsome receptionist stepped out of a reception desk and then offered an elegant bow.
"Welcome to Tierkunst, Honored Priestess Inquisitor and Honored Priest Crusader," he said and then raised his head. "Would you like a table, a lounge, or a private room?"
Vivian took out one of the folded documents from her suit.
"This is a Summons Document for Lord Ansgar. Where is he?"
"I believe Lord Scholar Ansgar is in his main office."
"Take me to him."
"Yes, Honored Priestess Inquisitor," the receptionist said and escorted them.
As they entered the main hall, all eyes were on Vivian and Caleb.
The main hall was filled with round tables in the middle, lounging tables at the sides, and luxurious furniture. Half of the tables and lounges were occupied by customers who looked like they were from the affluent class aged 15-50 years old, attractive hosts and hostesses of different types were entertaining the customers, and waiters carrying and serving drinks.
As the receptionist led Vivian and Caleb, Vivian couldn't help but notice something.
Neon lights…?
These people have neon lights…?
The neon lights in this world weren't powered by the same technology as back in her original world. Instead, they were Origin Crystals engraved with Runes.
Well…
Now that I think about it…
This kingdom also has the traffic sign or lights concept…
I guess it's only natural they would start tinkering with other uses or applications for such lights…
Different worlds, same curiosity about lights…
Very fascinating…
I wonder if they'll eventually develop bikes and cars…
After all, they figured out the concept of the wheel, and therefore have carriages and wagons…
"Iro-Where iro-is iro-a Iro-Priestess iro-dressed iro-like iro-a iro-butler?" one of the drunken male customers blurted out.
Everyone nearby or who heard him looked at him. Some had the look of concern, others shock, and a few were waiting in anticipation for him to be punished.
Vivian absently glanced in the direction of where the drunken man was and noticed something.
So even in a high-end place like this, the beer mugs are pitcher size…
As for the wine glasses, they're still the same…
So Iron Kingdom loves pitcher-size mugs for beers...?
I didn't know that…
The receptionist led Vivian and Calb to a flight of stairs leading to the 2nd floor. And when they reached the 2nd floor, it was filled with private rooms of different sizes, and where the office of Ansgar was located.
On their way to Ansgar's office, Vivian saw 2 Knights standing outside a double door. And upon reaching the door, the receptionist stopped and the Knight saluted.
"Iro-These Iro-Honored iro-guests iro-are iro-here iro-to iro-see Iro-Lord Iro-Ansgar."
The Knights dropped the salute and then opened the double door, causing Vivian to raise an eyebrow behind her half-mask.
We have to ask permission to come inside…?
We, the Holy Crusade, the representatives of the Holy Kingdom, have to ask permission to enter the property of an Aristocratic Noble of an Subsidiary Kingdom…?
What Vivian failed to realize was that the entire establishment was already giving her and Caleb so much face. Had they been normal people:
• the receptionist would just accept the Summons Document and then tell them that he would give it to Ansgar
• the Knights, they would ask them if they have a scheduled appointment with Ansgar. If they don't, they wouldn't let them in and tell them to leave right away. On the other hand, if they do have a scheduled appointment, one of the Knights will go inside the office, inform Ansgar of their arrival, and then deliver Ansgar's answer, whether they're allowed to see him or not
The receptionist moved to the side, and then turned to Vivian and Caleb.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, Honored Priest Crusader, this is Lord Scholar Ansgar's main office," he said as he gave an elegant bow.
Vivian stepped inside without acknowledging the receptionist.
The room was quite spacious. There was a small lounging area on the bottom left, a mini-bar at the top left, 5 tables on the right side, and a narrow hallway at the top that had a toilet on the left side, a bathroom on the right, and a door in the middle which led to Ansgar's private office.
Regarding the 5 tables, they were for Ansgar's assistants. The one at the top was for the Vice Headmaster and was an Aristocratic Noble, while the other 3 were for the Assistants and were Nobles. However, only 2 were present: The Vice Headmaster and one of the Assistants.
The Vice Headmaster, a pale-skinned Aristocratic Noble with blue hair in his mid-30s wearing a purple Scholarly robe, got up from his seat.
"Welcome, Priestess Inquisitor, Priest Crusader, I am Lord Scholar Benno. To what pleasure do our establishment owe this visit?" he said with a business-like smile.
"Where's Lord Scholar Ansgar? I have a Summons Document from the Holy Crusade and I need to ask him some questions."
"Lord Scholar Ansgar is out for the moment hosting a private event and he will be back later."
"Where?"
"Unfortunately, it's a private event, so I can't disclose any more information."
"I also have a Search Warrant Document if you don't wish to comply. I doubt you want me to use this on your family's little Auction House business and find some 'questionable' items, and then have your family face the Holy Crusade, do you?"
"Questionable items? I have no clue about such things. My Blauer'nebel family's Auction House only deals with authentic and legal items."
Vivian went over to Benno and stood about 5ft away from him.
"This is your last chance. Are you going to tell me where he is, or not?"
Benno stared at Vivian's purple hair with red highlights for a moment, and then glanced at Caleb, who was covered from head to toe in a Crusader Armor set, before returning his gaze to Vivian.
"He is currently hosting a private auction filled with many powerful, important and loyal customers.
"And just as I mentioned earlier, my Blauer'nebel family's Auction House only deals with authentic and legal items, so we keep all of the event's details, such as location, items and attendees a secret, and will only reveal them after a week the event is done.
"On top of that, we also have the legal documents signed by the authorities from the Iron Kingdom, Holy Kingdom and the Twin Kingdom to protect this rule."
"You do realize that I'm an Inquisitor, right? All of the cases we deal with involve heretics," Vivian said. "So all of your rules are invalid unless you want you and your entire family to be labeled as heretics for blocking an ongoing investigation of the Holy Crusade."
Benno nodded.
"I understand, Priestess Inquisitor. But my Blauer'nebel family has the legal documents to protect the interests of our auction business and our client list, which we have painstakingly worked for over centuries.
"Why don't we come to trade instead?
"If you're so inclined to talk to Lord Scholar Ansgar right away, you may offer my family something that would make me consider breaking one of the rules of my family's legal, authentic and successful Auction House business.
"What do you think? Let us help each other, Priestess Inquisitor."
Vivian's eyes turned to slits behind her half-mask.
Based on everything I've learned about Aristocratic Nobles…
They don't care about their family members…
Instead, what they care about is their family's honor, reputation and power…
So blackmailing them with their family members is pointless…
Meanwhile, destroying their family's reputation would take a great deal of time and effort…
She discreetly glanced at the Assistant on the side, who was a bespectacled chubby man in his late 20s with black hair and wearing a purple scholarly robe.
Based on the document that Inquisitor Craft gave me…
There are 4 Aristocratic Nobles in this shop…
Ansgar is the Headmaster of Tierkunst…
Laurin is a Headmaster of Security and his main duty is to guard Ansgar…
Benno here is the Vice Headmaster…
And Fabian is the Vice Headmaster of Security and his main duty is to guard Benno…
The rest are just Nobles and Commoners…
I'm guessing Laurin is with Ansgar…
But for Fabian, I don't know…
She returned her attention to Benno.
"Where are Lord Laurin and Lord Fabian? I also need to speak with them."
"They're with Lord Scholar Ansgar."
A smile spread across Vivian's cheeks as she crossed her arms.
"By the power granted to me by the Holy Kingdom under the Holy Crusade, and in the name of the God of Light, I hereby charge you, this business establishment and its employees, and your entire family with illegal possession of forbidden and sensitive items, smuggling, conspiracy, blackmail and heresy."
[Mana Fist].
Voo-pah!
Before Benno could react, Vivian turned into a blur as she rushed forward and then slapped away his head like it was made out of butter, causing blood and pieces of meat and bones to splatter around.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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