This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:
• [Crusader] The orc warrior 261
• [Mercenary] Tafadzwa Kungwengwe
• [Crusader] uxel
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 1/3 for the 3rd week of January 2026.
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Underground Chambers, Fifth Hallway.
Caleb, who was donned in a full set of the Crusader Armor from head to toe, was standing behind a closed large double door. In front of him, there was no one in the hallway, but there were still a handful of people in the Main Hall.
Ka-cha!
The door behind him opened, and Vivian emerged.
"Did you encounter any issues?"
"No, Sister Inquisitor. But most of the people have left the Underground Chambers, and there are still a few at the Main Hall.
"I wasn't sure if you would need to talk to them, so I didn't stop them. I only told them they can't stay in this hallway."
Vivian nodded.
"I see. Where's my cloak?"
Caleb took out a folded and rolled White Cloak from one of the pouches of his belt and then handed it over to her.
A deadpanned expression appeared on Vivian's face as she unrolled and unfolded the cloak.
Now it's all creased…
What the fuck was I thinking when I handed this to him…?
She shook her head mentally as she began wearing it.
To be fair, I was thinking:…
Since I would be fighting Aristocratic Nobles without having to kill them, or while greatly suppressing my strength, I would need fewer distractions…
Who knows, I might end up getting naked again from an Explosive Art…
So I will need my cloak as a backup…
I sure as hell don't want to be stealing and wearing used clothes from strangers…
It's just so disgusting….
Yeah…
I rather wear my own creased clothes…
When she finally finished wearing her White Cloak, she began walking.
"Let's head back to the Branch Chapter Temple."
Caleb quickly followed her.
Once Vivian and Caleb reached the Main Hall, they were immediately approached by a group of 5 people; all of them had pale skin, but 4 of them had purple hair, while 1 had red hair.
"Greetings, Priestess Inquisitor, I am Lord Scholar Fynn, a direct kin of His Excellency Count Karlsten of the Fal'len family," a man in his late 30s with purple hair and wearing a rich nobleman's attire said, and then gave a slight bow.
Vivian raised an eyebrow behind her Inquisitor Half-Mask as she glanced at him and subconsciously stopped.
Purple hair…?
I remember reading that one of the main features of the Iron Kingdom's Count Faction is having purple hair…
And their purple hair is a result of Lore Magic, just like the members of the Golden Families that have white hair…
However, the difference is that only the ones with white hair among the Golden Families have their familial Lore Magic…
But for the Count Faction, even if someone was born with purple hair, it doesn't automatically mean they have the Count Faction families' Lore Magic…
I have no idea if this body I'm inhabiting has ties to Iron Kingdom's Count Faction…
Hell, I have even yet to meet someone who has two natural hair colors like mine…
The combination with gray hair doesn't count because that's just being old…
Anyhow, so this is what purple hair looks like from another person…
Noticing that he had caught Vivian's attention, he raised his head.
"I must say, it was both a surprise and not a surprise to see someone like you perform such feats.
"I'm surprised to see a kin to be part of the Temple of Priests, yet I am not surprised that my kin holds a position that deals with high intellect, such as an Inquisitor, but is also very powerful.
"A natural state of our bloodline indeed."
"What do you want?" Vivian asked with a cold and distant tone.
"Whatever you and your companions are looking for from the Baron's family, we, from the Count Faction, will be happy to offer our assistance.
"I will here at Blauer'nebel Town until the morning of the Day of Monar. However, I will be happy to leave two of my closest and trusted family subordinates with you at your disposal."
Two people stepped forward.
The first one was a long-haired Knight in his early 40s with purple hair and wearing purple armor.
The second was a bespectacled man in his mid-30s with purple hair and wearing a nobleman's clothing.
"Greetings, Priestess Inquisitor," the Knight said and saluted.
"Greetings, Priestess Inquisitor," the bespectacled man said and gave an elegant bow.
"Lord Major Knight Otto is my personal bodyguard and Lord Scholar Fritz is one of my assistants.
"Lord Scholar Fritz is well-versed in politics, business economics, Magic Items, and Auction Houses here in the Iron Kingdom. He can help you with whatever you need to discover from the Baron's family.
"Meanwhile, Lord Major Knight Otto may not be as powerful as you, but he has adequate strength. And most importantly, he doesn't question any orders."
"So you want me to include outsiders in the business of the Holy Crusade?" Vivian asked.
"It may look that way, but that is not my intention," Fynn said. "Since your investigation involves an Aristocratic Noble family, that can only mean you will require a great deal of manpower and insider information. Forgive me for saying this, but although the Holy Kingdom has unrivaled might, gathering and extracting information, especially when an Aristocratic Noble family is involved, is not an easy feat."
"There's no need," Vivian said and resumed walking.
Looking at Vivian and Caleb's departing figures, he had a couple of conclusions.
First one was that Vivian was definitely from the Luxen Kingdom based on her accent.
Second one, Vivian didn't have the grace, eloquence, or mannerisms of someone from a prestigious family, but she also didn't have the mannerisms of someone from a poor family.
The third one, putting aside her family background, she seemed to be used to ordering people.
And the fourth one, she had the typical arrogance or ego of someone young and powerful who has never tasted defeat.
As Vivian and Caleb continued to head over to the Third Hallway, another group approached them.
This time, it was a group of 6 people. However, 4 of them stopped about 10ft away from Vivian and Caleb, 1 stopped about 5ft away from Vivian and Caleb, and the last one stood in front of Vivian and Caleb.
The last one was a tanned, thin and fit man in his early 40s with a crew-cut hairstyle and wearing a fashionable nobleman's hat and clothing.
He removed his hat, revealing his pink-colored hair and crew-cut hairstyle, and then offered a "bow" which looked more like a pose.
The person who stopped 5ft away from Vivian and Caleb, grabbed a handful of glitter and then threw it up in the air near the man in his early 40s.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, Honored Priest Crusader, may I introduce to you Lord Scholar Delisle, the prominent elder among the elder members of the House of Fashion in Azatea City, the owner and genius behind the Delisle Clothing House, and the owner of Love Theater!" he said with an Azatean accent.
Clap, clap, clap…!
The 4 people who stopped about 10ft away from Vivian and Caleb clapped their hands.
"Aza-That aza-pose aza-is aza-from aza-scene aza-#12 aza-of Hello, My Prince…!" one of them, a skinny man in his mid-30s with long and braided gray hair, said.
"Aza-Such aza-a aza-perfect aza-execution…!" another one, a black and bald model-like looking man in his early 30s, wiped the tears of joy in his eyes.
Tak!
And another one, a petite and cute woman in her mid-30s with brown hair wearing large glasses, stopped clapping and dropped a folder she was carrying, and then quickly placed her right hand on her chest while her left hand held onto one of her companions.
"Aza-The aza-execution aza-was aza-too aza-perfect…! Aza-I aza-can't aza-breathe…!"
Her companions immediately began trying to help her.
Hearing the commotion behind him, a satisfied smile spread across Delisle's face and he nodded in approval. But when he opened his eyes and returned to a normal standing position, he saw Vivian and Caleb already walking away and heading over to the Third Hallway.
Clak, clak, clak…!
The sound of the 4-inch heels on his boots echoed throughout the hall as he rushed over in front of Vivian and Caleb.
"Aza-Excuse aza-me?" he said with a dramatically shocked and confused expression written all over his face.
Vivian subconsciously took a step back. Even Caleb, who saw Vivian taking a step back, couldn't decide whether to step forward and shield Vivian, or step back as well.
"What do you want from me? And don't come near me, you pervert."
What was already a dramatically shocked and confused expression on Delisle's face, became even more dramatic. Even his companions from behind were too stunned to react.
"Did… did you just call me a pervert...? Me, the Great Delisle, the Scholar of Patterns, the youngest and most successful Underscholar of Lord Scholar Huguette, The Velvet Scholar, a pervert…? Do you know how many people would kill to wear my designs…?"
His companions rushed over to him and began consoling him.
Vivian, on the other hand, turned to Caleb.
"Brother, what are you doing?! Get him away from me!"
Caleb blinked a couple of times behind his helmet before answering.
"They seemed to be preoccupied already. Let's go."
As Vivian and Caleb were about to walk away, Delisle dramatically pushed his companions away.
"Aza-This aza-just aza-proves aza-that aza-my aza-journey aza-in aza-the aza-world aza-of aza-fashion aza-is aza-far aza-from aza-over…! Aza-There aza-are aza-still aza-more aza-mountains aza-I aza-must aza-conquer…!"
Thud!
His companions began shedding tears. One of them couldn't help themselves and fell to the floor, and then began sobbing uncontrollably.
Clak, clak, clak…!
Delisle once again rushed over in front of Vivian and Caleb.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, I --"
This time around, Caleb stepped forward between Vivian and Delisle. And as he was about to grab Delisle's collar to push him away, Delisle performed what looked like a dance move as he expertly evaded Caleb's hand, while still wearing his boots that had 4-inch heels.
The move was so unexpected that Caleb was too stunned to follow up with another grab.
Vivian, on the other hand, was simply left speechless.
"Aza-That aza-move aza-is aza-from aza-the aza-scene aza-#5 aza-of First Dance With The Cold-Blooded Summer Prince…!" one of Delisle's companions said in astonishment.
"I only have one question, Honored Priestess Inquisitor: Who is the Scholar that created your attire?"
Chud.
Caleb finally caught Delisle, placing his right hand on Delisle's left shoulder. He was about to shove him away, but he noticed that Vivian was contemplating his question.
"What…?"
"To the untrained eye and less skilled eye, it's only natural they could not see it. But for a masterfully trained eye like mine, I could tell at first glance that this combination has gone through not thousands, not hundreds of thousands, but millions of iterations until it has achieved this perfect and final harmonious pattern.
"There's only so little you can add, and adding more than that will only destroy the perfect harmony.
"And if you take anything from the base, it will only destroy the perfect harmony.
"Please grant me the honor of knowing the name of the person who created the masterpiece you're wearing."
His companions gasped, because this was the first time they had heard Delisle give someone such praise. In the rare occasions he has given praises, it always came with a few or a couple critiques. Even his own mentor, Lord Scholar Huguette or The Velvet Scholar, has never received such praise from him.
"Huh…?"
"I promise to personally create 10 years' worth of clothing for all seasons and all kinds of occasions for you for free if you tell me their name."
Vivian raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
Noticing Vivian's reaction, Caleb pulled Delisle and then shoved him away.
"We're currently conducting an investigation. If you continue to bother us, I will have to use lethal force."
Delisle moved to the side to look at Vivian.
"Honored Priestess Inquisitor --"
"Brother, just use [Halo] to drive them away."
[Halo].
A golden ring appeared on his back.
"Begone!"
Delisle, his companions and everyone nearby who was weaker than Caleb got caught in a trance and began leaving right away.
However, something happened.
Delisle stopped mid-way and turned back.
"Aza-I… aza-made aza-a aza-vow… aza-I aza-will aza-not --…"
"I said leave!" Caleb commanded.
Delisle resumed leaving. But a few seconds later, he stopped and turned back once again.
"AZA-I AZA-WILL AZA-NEVER… AZA-TURN AZA-MY AZA-BACK… AZA-ON AZA-FASHION…!!!"
Caleb was about to move when Vivian spoke.
"You may turn off your [Halo], Brother. And stand down."
He deactivated his [Halo], and Delisle was released from the semi-charm state.
Delisle staggered and took a few deep breaths dramatically before returning his gaze to Vivian.
"I… I swear to the Elemental Gods that I will trade everything I own…. even all my Patents…. also my own life if it even means anything at this point, just to know the genius Tailor that created the masterpiece you're wearing…!"
Vivian let out a chuckle.
"So there are people like you in this world, huh. I must admit, although you are a creep and a pervert, I also can't help but respect the passion you have. And as a sign of that respect, I will tell you the answer.
"The original creators of this business suit, even I don't know their names and have never met them. And forget about searching them, you won't find them, no matter what, not even their past works."
Tap, tap.
She pointed a finger at the side of her head and then tapped.
"The only person in this world who has their knowledge is me.
"Now go and stop pestering me. Or I will have my Brother take care of you once and for all. And I don't need any of the things that you offered, unless you have a Lore Item, like a ring or bracelet, that can store clothes, or can magically make clothes."
She turned to Caleb.
"Brother, let's go," she said and then resumed heading over to the Third Hallway.
Caleb quickly followed her.
As for Delisle, he was staring blankly at Vivian's departing figure.
"Business suit…?"
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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