Chapter 230: To Fredo Village

This chapter is sponsored by The Bitch in the Fantasy World Patrons:

• Adventurer GrimV

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Septus 18, 3023 A.M., day of Monar, 11:42 a.m.

Dark clouds hovered in the sky as a convoy carrying a banner of the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint was traveling down a muddy road surrounded by trees and hills. The convoy consisted of a Knight and three Guards each riding a Karfax, and another Guard as the coachman for the carriage with a Karfax pulling it.

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Inside the carriage.

Vivian was sitting on one side. She dressed in her usual attire with her White Cloak and Inquisitor Half-Mask and was reading a book.

Sitting opposite her was a skinny orange-haired man with average height. He was also dressed in a White Cloak and holding a book on his hand but had his gaze looking outside the window.

It was Finley.

Vivian closed the book on her hands and suppressed the urge to remove her mask and massage her eyes. In the end, she settled to just push her mask against her face.

Finley turned his head and landed his gaze on her.

"Already done reading, Sister Inquisitor?"

"It's just just taxing to read while your entire surrounding is shaking."

A smile appeared on his face.

"Which is why I stopped earlier. Not to mention there's also the monster attacks."

Vivian pretended she didn't hear the second sentence and recalled the time she traveled from Luxen City to the Holy Kingdom.

The carriages were huge so the shaking wasn't that obvious…

The carriage that she was riding was a standard one. However, it had enough space for three people to sleep in -- bench, floor and the other bench. There were also other secret compartments for luggage and whatnot.

"I heard that you plan to go to Estana Town to purchase things for your training. What exactly are you going to buy if you don't mind me asking, Sister Inquisitor?"

At the moment, they were on their way to Fredo Village which takes about 2 days to travel from the border checkpoint that Vivian was assigned to. And it will take another day from Fredo Village to Estana Town.

As for why she was being accompanied by six personnel despite her Physical and Magic Force, part of it was due to rules and regulations, while another part of it was because people get bored being stuck all the time at the border checkpoint. So to put it simply, going to the nearby village or town was actually considered as a reward or mini-vacation for the people at the border checkpoint.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, Brother Sergeant, but most of them I'm not sure what they're called because the places I used to train at already had or was enough for what I needed. But once we arrive at Fredo Village, if I could buy all the things that I need there, then we wouldn't have to go to Estana Town."

Finley wanted to ask what were the places she used to train but bit his tongue. After all, she was an Inquisitor and one of their responsibilities was to hide their identity in order to prevent retaliation due to the nature of their responsibilities within the Holy Crusade.

"I understand, Sister Inquisitor."

Silence enveloped the carriage for almost a good minute until Finley cleared his throat.

"Sister Inquisitor, if you don't mind me asking another question, what is it like to be that powerful at your age? Forgive me for saying this, but I like to imagine that being so powerful at your age and also smart to become an Inquisitor, you must be constantly surrounded by people trying to invite you to parties and events and offer you gifts or favors to be your friend."

Vivian blinked her eyes a few times behind her mask.

How do I answer this…?

Or should I even answer this…?

"Um... The things that you mentioned, I spend a lot of training and studying so it's not like I have time to entertain such things."

"So it's isolating?"

"Which part? The part where people fawn over me or the part where I spend a lot of time training and studying?"

"Both I guess…?"

"Then it's both."

"I see, I see…"

Silence enveloped the carriage once again. But before Finley could open his mouth to talk about another topic, Vivian beat him to it.

"Tell me, brother. What are your thoughts about humans interacting with demon-kins?"

"They're heretics and must be punished," he answered immediately without even blinking which caught Vivian in a bit of a surprise. "There's also the possibility that a person would catch a Chaos-related disease that cannot be cured with any potion or magic from interacting with such vile beings."

Oh…

So this guy is no different from Anthony…?

However… 

They don't seem to have the same accent or anyone I can remember back when I was at the Holy City…

He also doesn't sound like someone from Luxen City and Heisen City either…

"What if they only interacted with them in the past but no longer interact with them in the present?"

Finley became silent.

"Don't worry, brother," Vivian added. "I'm not asking you as an Inquisitor. I'm also not asking you as a member of the Temple of Priests. I'm simply asking you as an individual and this conversation would only be between you and me."

She saw the hesitation on his face but he still ultimately gave in at the end.

"To be honest, I don't know, Sister Inquisitor."

Vivian held up her hand.

"Sister would do. Since this is a private conversation between you and me."

He nodded. 

"Okay, sister," he said and then paused for a moment. "If… If that person benefited greatly in the past in dealing with demon-kins but did nothing in the present to correct it, then he should be branded as a heretic and must be punished. A quick death would only be a mercy. Other than that, I guess he's okay. But I'd still be wary of him because of the Chaos-related disease."

"I see," Vivian said and nodded.

I don't recall people can get a Chaos-related disease from interacting with demon-kins…

Is he perhaps talking about getting the Lesser Chaos Affinity…?

"What about you, sister? What's your stance? I heard about what you did yesterday with that Mercenary group that tried to cross the checkpoint."

"Ah, that one. 

"One of my main duties as an Inquisitor at the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint is to make sure that the people assigned there perform their duties in accordance with the rules and regulations in place.

"And yes, I will admit that it is a possibility that Emiliano and his group have had dealings with demon-kins in the past. So in the eyes of the Temple of Priests, they are indeed heretics. But in the eyes of other organizations, they are not branded as criminals. On top of that, we must also consider the fact that the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint isn't just ruled by the Temple of Priests. 

"So as much as I want to exercise our Temple's beliefs at that incident, I would only be undermining the authority of the other organizations. And I don't think I'm that special that the Temple of Priests would wage a war with them for the sake of protecting me or any of the Priests in our border checkpoint who supported the arrest of Emiliano and his group."

"So it all still boils down to politics? I guess even with your talents you're still bound to it," said Finley.

Vivian raised an eyebrow behind her mask.

"Talents? Brother, I think you're giving me too much credit. Of course, I am."

"But I just thought that because of your talents, there's only so little things that you can't do."

She shook her head.

"It's actually the opposite. The more powerful or influential you get, the less freedom you have."

A puzzled look flashed across Finley's face.

"Take for example the current Light Saint," Vivian said. "He's the leader of the Temple of Priests which is the most powerful Temple out of all the Temples, he has 5 Magic Art Affinities, and to become the Light Saint, one must have all of the Class Magic of a Priest and have the highest Magic Force among the candidates. So you can say that he's not only a very powerful being, but he's also a very influential figure, right?"

"Yes."

"Let's say one day, during dinner, he jokingly says to the people around him that he plans to invade the Twin Kingdom. And then after the dinner, the people at that table shared that story with the rest of the world. What do you think will happen?"

"Nothing. It was only a joke as you said. No one would take it seriously."

"It doesn't matter. As a very powerful and influential figure, every word, every move he makes can affect the lives of millions of people."

"Then he can just make a public announcement and explain that it was only a joke. Meanwhile, the ones who spread the joke should be punished accordingly."

"It still won't matter because he's a powerful figure."

"But sister, I don't think people are that ignorant. Surely they would understand if the Light Saint himself explained that it was only a joke among friends at dinner. Moreover, just like everyone else, the Light Saint is also a person. Is he not allowed to make a joke?" 

She nodded her head.

"Yes, the Light Saint is also a person just like us. However, you can't control everyone's opinion or how they interpret things, especially your enemies. In fact, I'm pretty sure there were times in your life when you accidentally hurt someone's feelings, right? Now imagine that on a very, very large scale where everyone hangs on every word you say and every move you make."

Finley became silent.

"Forgive me, brother, I didn't mean to start a debate with you."

He immediately raised his hands.

"No, no, no, it's fine, sister. The truth is, I really appreciate it. It's nice to see and hear the perspective of powerful beings such as yourself. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand that powerful and influential people must be careful about what they say, but I was expecting that for truly powerful people such as yourself, not to mention you're also an Inquisitor, you would be able to bypass such things."

"I'm not that powerful though."

"Sister, I heard that you ripped Knight Lieutenant Lamont's Orichalcum-grade armor with your bare hands like it was made out of paper and you can jump over the two-story wall surrounding the border checkpoint without even using [Power Leg]. If that's not powerful, then I don't know what is."

"True, but there are far many more powerful people than me."

"Yes, sister, but there are far more weaker people than powerful people. How many people can rip an Orichalcum-grade metal with their bare hands compared to how many people who can't do that?"

Vivian chuckled.

"Okay, you got me there. But still, trust me, there are far more powerful people than me. On top of that, because I can be considered strong, my words and actions have a greater effect on my surroundings so I need to only think twice, but three or four times."

"So what's your personal stance with people who interact with demon-kins, sister? Let's say there was no politics involved, it's just you and the person, sister. What would you do or what is your stance?"

"Then my answer would be the same as yours."

"What if it's a child?"

"A child knows nothing and is therefore innocent by default. And plus, personally, I believe that anyone who has the heart to harm a child… I just can't imagine how anyone could continue living carrying something in their conscience. I would have a lifetime of nightmares at the very least if I committed such things."

Finley's eyes blinked a couple of times.

"Then what if the person is an adult and the demon-kin is a child…?" he said in a very small voice as if he was afraid of getting caught by his parents and being severely reprimanded.

Vivian let out a chuckle.

"Brother, let's drop the topic for now or else our conversation will devolve into a series of never-ending circumstantial scenarios."

Finley let out a chuckle as well but didn't say anything.

"I'll return to reading," she said and then opened the book on her hand.

"Okay," he said and then turned to the window once again. But just after a couple of seconds, he returned his gaze to her. "Sister Inquisitor."

Vivian raised her gaze and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"For what it's worth, I never would've sided with Knight Lieutenant Lamont. I would take your side no matter what."

"What?"

Finley cleared his throat.

"I'm from the Orion Kingdom and part of the Orion Chapter Temple. I was raised in a single-parent household by my mother and aunts. So although I'm a man, given that I grew up in an environment surrounded by women who fled from their families and sought asylum at the Orion Kingdom, I know how hard it is for women, which is why I'm a huge supporter of women's rights."

Vivian's eyes blinked a couple of times behind her mask.

"Oh… Okay… Um… Thanks for the support."

Finley raised his hands.

"Please forgive me, sister. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or make you think that I'm weird. I just want you to know that I'm a true ally of women. In my eyes, all women are Queens."

Vivian's jaw dropped.

"Huh…?"

"ENEMY INCOMING AT 3:00!" one of the people outside the carriage shouted.

Finley turned to the window and a serious expression flashed across his face. 

"This is already the seventh time we've been attacked by monsters. There's really something strange going on with the monsters here."

Vivian discreetly let out a sigh of relief and immediately went back to reading as if nothing was happening.

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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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Chapter end