Chapter 239.5: Training & Etc (2)

My VIT is still lower compared to my INT…

Although Vivian doesn't have any proof, she believes that when it comes to the issue that an owner's Magic Force shouldn't exceed their Physical Force by 2 grades or else a vein inside their head will pop, resulting in death, it was a difference between the VIT and the INT, not STR and INT.

At least my [Whip Mastery] leveled up…

The Main and Body of her [Whip Mastery] rose by 2 levels.

She glanced at her Lore titles.

Right…

I think I got those three during that time at the rogue settlement…

She closed the Status Panel and then went over to her bloodstained clothes hanging on the door before wearing them.

Good thing I bought a number of clothes back at Fredo Village…

Wipes, napkins and medicine for period as well…

Once she was done, she exited the training room and was greeted by the sun.

There were Guards around and they all had a surprised expression when they saw her.

Unlike Priests or anyone with healing magic, they couldn't do the self-harm training method in order to level up their Physical and Magic Art. So to see her White Cloak and Inquisitor Half-Mask painted in blood was quite a sight, especially when considering that Inquisitors aren't exactly known for their fighting prowess, they were more known as academics or scholars, or just for their intellect due to the nature of their job description.

Vivian turned to one of the Guards.

"You, come here."

The Guard quickly rushed to her and offered a salute.

"G-Good morning, Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad…! H-how may I help you…?"

"Please clean the interior. I will be using it again later tonight so I need it to at least not stink of blood."

"Yes, Honored Inquisitor Monad!"

"Thank you," Vivian said and nodded before walking away.

When she was already far away, the Guard turned to the entrance of the training box. He could smell blood coming from it and the closer he got, the stronger the stench became. Nevertheless, an order was an order, so he decided to step in and take a look first, to see how much cleaning he needed to do.

His eyes widened and his face became pale as a ghost.

"Elemental Gods…! What is this…?!" he exclaimed before covering his nose and taking a couple of steps back.

The training box or room had windows and light. However, thanks to the sun above the sky which touched the entrance, he was still able to make out a few things.

The walls, ceiling and door were painted with dried and fresh blood that some were still dripping. Meanwhile, the floor, which was just a patch of dirt, has turned into mud. And given that there were no windows or anything for ventilation, the smell was extremely nauseating.

If he didn't know that this was a training room and had not seen Vivian come out of this room, he would've assumed that this box was a torture or butchering room that claimed that countless victims.

Two Guards nearby noticed the Guard and decided to approach to see what was all the ruckus so early in the morning.

"What in the Gods happened here…?!" they both said and then turned to him.

"It was Inquisitor Monad, she was training here."

"Training?! What kind of training?! Are you sure she wasn't slaughtering or torturing at least a dozen of people inside here?" one of the other Guards asked.

"Hey, do you think Knight Lieutenant Lamont one of them…?" the other Guard asked.

The two Guards looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"If the Priests and Knights heard what you said, you're going to be in big trouble."

"Sorry, my bad," he said and scratched his head with an awkward smile.

They all turned to the training room once again.

"But seriously, did she slaughter a dozen of people inside here?"

"What are you guys looking at?" an unknown voice rang in their ears.

When they turned around and saw who it was, they all saluted.

"Honored Priest High Lieutenant Lennon!"

"At ease," Lennon said and then focused on the training box. 

The Guards moved to the side to give him a better look and he stepped closer to get a better look.

"God of Light!" he exclaimed as he covered his nose and took a step back before turning to them. "What happened here?!"

All of the Guards had a surprised look on their faces.

"Even you, Honored Priest High Lieutenant…?" one of the Guards asked.

Lennon turned to him.

"What do you mean even me?"

Given that both Vivian and Lennon were Priests, they expected that such a sight would be normal to him.

"Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad was training here, Honored Priest High Lieutenant," another Guard said.

Lennon turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Training? What kind of training was she doing here?"

"We're not sure... Perhaps Magic Arts…?"

Lennon remembered that Vivian had this made when she returned from Fredo Village. He returned his gaze to the training box and slowly approached the room while covering his mouth to get a better look one more time.

"This is training…?" he murmured under his breath.

No matter how he looked at it, it looked like a slaughterhouse. He then suddenly recalled something so he turned to the Guards in full alert. 

"Where's Lamont? Is anyone hurt?"

"Knight Lieutenant Lamont wasn't part of last night's duty so perhaps he's still in his room. And in regards to your second question, we don't know."

"Go check where he is but don't say anything."

"Yes, Honored Priest High Lieutenant!" the Guard said and saluted before running to the building where the Knights live.

Lennon turned to the rest of the Guards.

"The two of you, go check if anyone is missing but don't make a big fuss about it or let anyone, especially Sister Inquisitor Monad, know what you're doing."

"Yes, Honored Priest High Lieutenant!" the two Guards said and saluted. However, only one moved.

Lennon looked at the Guard who remained.

"Why are you still here?"

The Guard wore a sheepish expression.

"Um… You see, Honored Priest High Lieutenant, Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad instructed me to clean the interior because she will be using it again tonight."

Lennon nodded.

"Okay. Do as she says. But don't mention anything about what I've ordered."

"Yes, Honored Priest High Lieutenant!" the Guard said and saluted before leaving to fetch some cleaning materials.

A worried and serious expression flashed across Lennon's face.

"And here I thought I would have an easy and relaxed crusade when I was assigned here…"

***

8:05 a.m.

Somewhere in the sea.

A beautiful woman in her early 20s with short blue hair and wearing a White Cloak was walking down a corridor of a large ship. She glanced at the stack of envelopes on her hand for a moment before raising her head and focusing on reaching her destination.

When she finally reached her destination, she found herself standing in front of a cabin door and then opened it without knocking. Upon entering the room, she glanced at a half-naked tall and beautiful woman in her late teens with long brown hair sleeping on the lower bunk bed before shedding off her cloak and then placing the letters on top of a desk.

There was a sound of sheet rustling which was then followed up with a voice.

"You've been out, Elena…?"

The blue-haired woman sat down on a chair and turned to the woman lying on the bed.

"I was out at the deck when the mail arrived. I grabbed yours as well, Marie."

Since they were on a boat, the mail was sent via air. Usually, the ones for the Priests would be sent through the Holy Crusade's Air Division while the ones for the Knights and Guards would be sent through a division similar to that.

Marie got up from the bed and stared at the envelopes on top of the desk. By her estimate, there were around 30 letters.

"Which ones are mine…?" she asked and then covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. 

"Most of them," Elena said and then picked up one of the envelopes. "You and Franz have been exchanging letters quite a bit lately."

Marie rubbed her eyes and stretched her body.

"You know why…"

"About Sister Vivian?"

"Yes. He's been constantly asking about her."

"But you barely know anything about her."

"That's what I've been telling him."

Elena studied the envelope from Franz but didn't open it.

"Why doesn't he ask -- what was her name again? That older sister with short blond hair."

Marie thought about it for a moment before finally answering.

"You mean Sister Criselle?"

"Yes, her."

"He's not close with her and I doubt it if she even knows more than me."

"Want to bet if she finally replied to him?"

Marie looked at Elena with a deadpan expression.

"That's not nice, you know."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"It's not like there's so many things to do in this ship."

"Remind me again whose idea it was that we join the Sea Division?"

Elena pouted her lips to the side.

"But seriously, why is Franz trying to force things? Everyone has seen it. Sister Vivian isn't fazed by men. She didn't even have a reaction when she was interacting with Carr and the others, not even a negative one. It was like she was looking at a wall."

Marie shrugged.

"All I know, based on the short interactions with her, is that she's quite industrious and has shown a lot of interest when it comes to training and anything related to fighting."

"She also likes food and she's a widow," Elena added.

A smile appeared on Marie's face as she recalled something.

"Sister Kara told me that during their Basic Training, Sister Vivian made deals with her classmates: She would train them as long as they would smuggle food for her."

Elena mused for a moment.

"Speaking of training, was Kara telling the truth?"

"About what?"

"About Sister Vivian's Magic Art Affinities and her Physical and Magic Force."

"Oh… That one."

"You mentioned that you sparred with her once, right?"

"Yes."

"And you defeated her."

"Yes."

"Then how is it possible that her Physical Force is Adamantite and her Magic Force is Orichalcum-Adamantite?"

Marie shook her head.

"I don't know."

"And that time she went to the Training Grounds to do an Awakening Ceremony, it was for the [Fire] and [Wind Mastery], right?"

"Like I said, I don't know much about her. All I know is that she's quite industrious and has shown a lot of interest when it comes to training and anything related to fighting. I'll also add that she's quite intelligent that she came with a recommendation medal and letter."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Didn't you also come with a recommendation letter and medal? Anyhow, no matter how industrious a person is, it's literally impossible for someone to jump from Silver-grade to Adamantite and Orichalcum-Adamantite-grade in the span of a single month. There's something weird and strange about that woman. I bet she has so many secrets that she's hiding."

Marie recalled the [Nemesis of Beasts] Lore Magic that Vivian shared with her.

"Elena, everyone has their own secrets. It's rude to pry. Also, now that Sister Vivian turns out to be someone with 4 Magic Art Affinities and has that level of Physical and Magic Force, as a noble yourself, you know first-hand how dangerous it is to stick your nose in the business of someone like that. Furthermore, don't forget, she also passed and became an Inquisitor."

Elena rolled her eyes once again.

"You and I can be Inquisitors if we wanted to."

Marie didn't say anything.

"I guess this is why Franz is so adamant in pursuing her because he wants a prestigious wife that he can parade around? I wish him all the luck and blessing in the world because he's really going to need it -- and that's before and after he gets with her."

Marie continued to remain silent.

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Chapter end