Chapter 264: Inquisitory Division

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• Adventurer GrimV

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Octus 8, 3023 A.M., day of Sunar, 10:00 a.m.

Vivian’s eyes slowly opened and she found herself in an unfamiliar place.

The temperature in the room was perfect -- just enough for her to wear a sleeping gown without sweating and without needing a blanket while she drown herself with 4 pillows; 1 pillow for her head, 1 pillow she was hugging, 1 pillow on her left side in case she needs to hug it with her legs, and 1 pillow on her right side in case also needs to hug it with her legs.

The bed, although soft, was too soft and it carried a different smell. The smell wasn’t bad or anything, it was just different from the smell she was used to from her bed at the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.

But what really caught her attention was the lights. The main light was off while the lamplight on top of the bedside desk was dimmed to just the right intensity that’s perfect for sleeping but still able to see things in case she needed to get up to drink water or go to the toilet or bathroom.

She shut her eyes and then opened them back.

Her brows knitted.

It’s dark…

It's still night…?

Her gaze lingered around until she noticed the stack of papers on the desk of a small working table a few feet away from her bed.

Her eyes turned to saucers.

"Shit…!" she said as she jumped out of the bed. She turned to the bedside desk and grabbed her pocket watch.

9:54 a.m.

"Fuck...!"

Vooom!

She moved into a blur as she began preparing.

Vivian was currently the Inquisitory Division's headquarters in the underground tunnels of the Holy City. Yesterday, when she, Pen, Joseph, Zacharias and Caleb arrived here at the Holy City from Plano Town, they immediately went their separate ways. 

Joseph, Pen and Zacharias headed to the Temple of Priests Palace.

Caleb headed to one of the local Main Offices of the Temple of Priests.

And Vivian was sent to the Inquisitory Division's headquarters.

She wasn't allowed to return immediately to her station, the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, just yet because of two main reasons.

Firstly, she needed to write and submit a report about her Field Mission at Plano Town. And of course, she needed to be as honest and detailed as much as possible because Pen and the others would also be writing and submitting their own reports. And if there are any discrepancies between their reports, they will be called for questioning. But once there are no problems, she would then need to record it on a Memory Crystal to finalize everything.

Secondly, there was the rewards for completing the Field Mission. 

She already wrote and submitted her report yesterday. Today, she only had to wait if there were any discrepancies or follow-ups needed before she could finally finalize her report by touching a Memory Crystal. In addition to that, she was to receive her rewards today and meet Pen at his office around 10:00 a.m.

And as for the room she was staying in, she wasn't staying in the same building where the new recruits taking the Training Course were living in. Instead, it was a building where only Inquisitors and special guests were allowed to stay in.

***

10:17 a.m.

Main Office Building, Inquisitory Division Headquarters, Holy City.

Vivian was walking in a hallway and was wearing her usual Inquisitor garb with her full-mask. Although she wasn't particularly fond of Pen, being late was a no-no on her book, just like someone who litters. It was just a habit drilled into her by her parents and also the religious school that she attended back in her original world when she was still a student.

She finally reached the office she was looking for.

Knock, knock.

She knocked twice on the door before entering.

The office was a spacious room that had a private office room within in. Vivian turned to the female assistant who was sitting behind a desk and wearing a mask without a sun symbol on the forehead.

The woman stood up.

"Good morning, Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad," she said and bowed. "Honored Priest Inquisitor Pen is waiting for you inside his office. I will inform him of your arrival."

"Thank you."

The woman bowed once again and then went over to Pen's office.

Knock, knock.

She knocked twice before entering. A few moments later, she exited.

"Honored Priest Inquisitor Pen is ready to see you now, Honored Priestess Inquisitor Monad."

"Thank you," Vivian said and then went over to the Pen's office.

Knock, knock.

Although she wasn't sure if she needed to knock even though Pen was already expecting her, she still knocked just in case. In her head, she was already late and she didn't want to show any more ill-mannered traits.

Ka-cha!

When she entered the office, she saw Pen sitting behind his desk wearing a Gold Cloak and his Inquisitor Full-mask. She made her way in front of his desk and then saluted.

"Brother Inquisitor Pen! I'm here for your orders!"

"At ease, sister," he said before opening a drawer from his desk and taking out a small box. He then got up from his chair and went over to Vivian. When he finally got to her, he opened the box and showed to her its contents. "In recognition for successfully completing the Field Mission given to you, you are rewarded with this Sergeant Officer Pin. You will also receive 5,000 Holy platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade point. I've already informed the Treasurer's Office so you can claim the 5,000 Holy platinum coins there whenever you like. And as for the 1 Holy Crusade point, it has already been added to your record."

I get 5,000 platinum coins…?

So this was a Field Mission for High Captains and Chapter Master level…?

During her Basic Training and Training Course, they were thought about the salary for Field Mission Grades.

The pay for signing up in the Holy Crusade and participating in Field Missions are two different things…

First off, signing up in the Holy Crusade…

For a no-rank Crusader gets 50 gold coins or 5 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade point…

Sergeants get 25 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

High Sergeants get 50 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

Lieutenants get 250 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

High Lieutenants get 500 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

Captains get 2,500 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

High Captains and Chapter Masters get 5,000 platinum coins and 1 Holy Crusade points…

And if they get assigned to special stations like the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint, all of them except the Chapter Master, gets a x2.5 on their pay…

So if a no-rank Crusader gets 50 gold coins and 1 Holy Crusade point…

If they get assigned to a special station…

50 x 2.5 is…

125 gold coins and 1 Holy Crusade point…

The only issue about getting assigned at special stations is that the number of Field Missions you get is lower because it will be based on the area of the station you’re assigned at or if someone from the Headquarters will specifically call for you to do a Field Mission at another area…

Meanwhile, if you’re assigned at a Division’s base, that’s when you can rack up lots of coins by doing Field Missions as many as you want…

And when it comes to the rewards of the Field Mission, not counting the Holy Crusade point and the Officer Promotion because those are rare, especially the latter…

No-rank Crusaders get 5 platinum coins per Field Mission…

\High Sergeants get 50 platinum coins per Field Mission…

Lieutenants get 250 platinum coins per Field Mission…

High Lieutenants get 500 platinum coins per Field Mission…

Captains get 2,500 platinum coins per Field Mission…

High Captains and Chapter Masters get 5,000 platinum coins per Field Mission…

Also, even if you’re assigned at a special station, the rewards of the Field Mission you get doesn’t get multiplied by x2.5…

That’s only for signing up…

Vivian’s eyes turned to slits behind her mask as she watched Pen took out the officer pin and placed the box on his desk.

So they really threw me in a final boss fight level Field Mission…

Truth be told, her reward was supposed to only be 2,500 Holy platinum coins because the role she played at the Field Mission was originally for a Captain rank Inquisitor.

The original hierarchy in that Field Mission from the Inquisitory Division’s side was a High Captain for Pen’s position and a Captain for Vivian’s position.

Meanwhile, from the Infantry Division’s side, the original position was for a Captain. But since Caleb was a special, despite only being a Lieutenant, he was from the Wrath Family, and the Wrath Family and the Mystic Family have a close relationship, he got that Field Mission -- basically, the usual politics and nepotism plays.

And as to why Pen decide to increase Vivian’s reward to 5,000 platinum coins, it was thanks to the appearance of Ronaldo and his group. Some may call it bribery, others might call it playing politics.

"With the power vested on me by the Holy Crusade Inquisitory Division, the Temple of Priests and the Holy Kingdom, I, Chapter Master Inquisitor Pen, hereby promote you to Sergeant," he said and then pinned the officer pin on her White Cloak one her left chest. "Congratulations, Sister Sergeant Inquisitor Monad. May the God of Light continue to watch over you."

Vivian glanced at the pin on her chest.

That's it…?

I mean…

It's like getting a promotion on my job…

But this is the Holy Crusade we're talking about and it involves killing…

I was just thrown into a final boss battle even though I'm just a rookie Inquisitor…

She returned her gaze to Pen.

"Thank you and may the God of Light continue to watch over you as well, Brother Inquisitor Pen."

This can't be just it, right…?

It feels so hollow…

I feel cheated…

Pen nodded.

"Sister Inquisitor, before you go, I want to discuss something else with you."

Vivian's brows knitted together behind her mask.

Discuss something else…?

Is this old bastard going to throw me into another final boss battle…?

"Sure, brother…" she said hesitantly.

Pen gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Please take a seat," he said before turning around and heading back to his seat.

Vivian sat down.

“Sister, how much do you know about the Inquisitory Division’s history?”

Vivian knitted her brows as she tried to recalled the books she read and the classes she took during her Basic Training and Training Course.

“Not much.”

Pen nodded.

“In 1,050 A.M., His Holiness Mes’tea became the 6th Light Saint.

“And in then 1,054 the Holy Kingdom was finally recognized as a Kingdom. It was also the year when the Holy Crusade Divisions were created.

"There used to be a time when Inquisitors used to be the elite of the elites of the Holy Crusade's forces because not only were they highly intelligent, but they were also extremely gifted when it came to Magic Art Affinities and they were the most devoted and loyal in serving the goals of the Temple of Priests. Because of that, even people outside the Temple of Priests, would tremble in fear by the mere thought that an Inquisitor was coming to see them or being around them.

"It was during the time of His Holiness Hargar, the 21st Light Saint who ruled between 1812 to 1859 and spent his Holy Crusade days within Inquisitory Division before becoming a Light Saint when Inquisitors were at their peak. But after his reign, that's when the prestige of Inquisitors began to deteriorate.

"And by the time of His Holiness Timothy came, the 28th Light who ruled between 2151 to 2180, that's when the reputation of Inquisitors truly plummeted.

"Due to the vast political power Inquisitors held, the Inquisitory Division fell prey to corruption. Many of the high-ranking officials used their position to get rid of political enemies, be it inside or outside the Temple.

"Although not many know this, His Holiness Timothy was actually forced to retire along with his Cardinals and then His Holiness Kleo rose to be the 29th Light Saint who ruled between 2180 to 2231. And as for the Inquisitory Division, their political power was greatly diminished to the point the Temple even contemplated abolishing the Inquisitory Division.

“In the end, the Inquisitory Division was not abolished but a huge chunk of their political power was slashed out that Inquisitors now had to first gather evidence, submit them to both the Inquisitory Division and non-Holy Crusade officials within the Holy Kingdom, and have it reviewed if they truly have a case before they could arrest or punish a suspect.

"Fast forward to the present, under the reign of His Holiness Louie, the 45th Light Saint, although the reputation and political power of Inquisitors have improved since then, the Inquisitors of today are still a far cry compared to the ones from His Holiness Hargar's reign. They are no longer the extremely gifted Priests and Priestesses with a high number of Magic Art Affinities. Instead, they are now only known for their intelligence and investigative skills.

"However, that is the least of the Temple of Priests' problems. Ever since His Holiness Kleo reduced the political power of the Inquisitory Division during his reign in 2180 to 2231, the Infantry Division has been at the forefront when it comes to both physical and political power. As a matter of fact, between the 29th Light Saint and the 45th Light Saint, 13 out of 16 Light Saints came from the Infantry Division which resulted in the Holy Kingdom being reduced to a kingdom that's solely focused on acquiring power, land and resources with most of its members are no different from Royalty and Aristocratic Nobles of the Twin Kingdom."

"So you want me to become a Light Saint?" Vivian asked.

Pen was caught off-guard for a moment. In his mind, Vivian was strong, but she was nowhere near the Priests and Priestesses who were strategically bred and raised to be Light Saints and Cardinals.

To be a Light Saint, only the most powerful Priests and Priestesses can apply for it. So they usually have 5 True Magic Art Affinities and a Lore Magic. They also must have full mastery of the Light Affinity and learned all of the Class Magic Spells of the Priest Class.

The most powerful candidate will be chosen as the Light Saint while the rest while become the Cardinal.

In addition to that, the application can only be submitted once the current Light Saint retires. And once the current Light Saint retires, the Cardinals with him must also retire in order to make space for the new Light Saint and the new batch of Cardinals.

Furthermore, there’s also the politics -- mainly the alliances and business deals made within the Temple of Priests and outside the Temple of Priests.

Pen waved his hand.

"No, sister."

Vivian's brows knitted together behind her mask.

Huh…?

So what's the point of you telling me this story…?

"What I want is to fix the trajectory of where our Temple has been heading for a couple of generations now and bring back the honor of Inquisitors. At the moment, like I said earlier, there's hardly any difference anymore between Priests and the Royalty and Aristocratic Nobles.

“The Golden Families act no different from the Royal Families and the old Priest families no act no different from the Aristocratic Noble families. There's even factions among them -- and I'm not talking about Chapter Temples.

“Furthermore, many of our brothers and sisters are struggling to learn [Resurrection] and [Sacrifice] that with each generation, the number of Gold Cloaks has only been decreasing despite the number of our members increasing."

"Why not welcome those who have less than 3 Magic Art Affinities and don't have the Light Affinity?" Vivian said.

Pen shook his head.

"There are many reasons why the Light Affinity is important to the Temple of Priests. But one major issue is that in the much earlier days of the Temple before 1500 A.M., back when demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics still ran rampant out in the open in the Northern Continent, the Temple used to welcome everyone. However, as the Northern Continent became stable, three factions within the Temple started to form: 

“Those who didn't have the Light Affinity. 

“Those who had the Light Affinity.

“And those who had more than 3 Magic Arts.

“And unfortunately, the ones who didn't have the Light Affinity and had less than 3 Magic Arts were discriminated or treated like second-class Priests.

"Not long after that, a civil war within the Temple broke out and is referred in the records of the Temple of Priests's History as "The Light Wars era" which lasted between 1300 A.M. to 1400 A.M. and almost split the Holy Kingdom in half. After that war ended, the Temple, under the command of His Holiness Se'tu, the 13th Light Saint, made a decree that only those who have the True Light Affinity and those who have at least 3 True Magic Arts are allowed to join the Temple of Priests.

"But of course, that wasn't the last of it.

"Her Holiness Mar'kle became the 17th Light Saint who ruled between 1609 to 1650. She was the first Light Saint who didn't have the Light Affinity and she tried to overturn the decree of His Holiness Se'tu.

“Although she was successful in overturning it, she also kick-started "The Great Holy Crusade Wars era". She forced everyone, regardless if they were part of the Temple of Priest or not, to join the Holy Crusade in eradicating demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and heretics thoughout the Northern Continent all the way to the Southern Continent.

“In her defense, her goal was actually quite pure and noble. She wanted to have humanity gather as one force regardless of their age, gender, social class and decree to save the human race which allowed to her to garner so much support and launch a Holy Crusade of that magnitude.

"She made a lot of progress in eradicating the demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and heretics in the Northern Continent and even helped in creating a couple of human settlements at the Southern Continent -- one of them was the La Spada Kingdom which wasn't a kingdom at that time. However, as she was busy waging wars in the Southern Continent, the other kingdoms, such as the Twin Kingdom, Grahm Empire and Marbleam Kingdom, and also the Iron Kingdom and the Verglas Kingdom who were still independent kingdoms at that time, began to fear the growing influence of the Holy Kingdom. So they joined forces to undermine the progress of the Holy Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom almost got conquered by the Iron Kingdom.

"In the end, the "Holy Crusade Wars era" ended with Her Holiness Mar'kle having to overturn her decision of allowing people less than 3 Magic Arts without any Light Affinity and non-Temple of Priests members participate in the Holy Crusade."

The Temple of Priest had that much of a history…?

Vivian then recalled the book that Marie lent her when she had to study for her Mock Exam Holy Mission back at Luxen City.

Come to think of it…

N'eua was born in 682 A.M. or Age of Magic and then died at 772 A.M…

He was not only the first Priest, the progenitor of the Priest Class, but he was also the first Light Saint…

As for the Holy Kingdom…

It was nothing but a small village the N'eua grew up in half of his childhood after it was attacked by an army of heretics led by demons…

No, it was more like a rogue settlement because the technology at that time was still primitive…

It then later became a small independent city in the last few decades of his life…

But even if I say it's an independent city, I doubt if it could even rival the kind of villages the world has right now…

“Brother, can I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“How many Magic Art Affinities does His Holiness Light Saint N’eua has? I don’t think that detail was mentioned in any of the books I’ve read.”

Pen nodded.

“I don’t know the answer. But even if I did, that information is classified. ”

Because he’s weak…?

“Just know this, sister,” Pen continued. “To discuss the Magic Arts and the Lore Magic of people from higher echelons of society is prohibited.”

Huh…?

That doens’t make any sense…

Just at Plano Town alone, I’ve witnessed the Lore Magic of Caleb, Lozario and those demon-kins…

“You are not convinced, sister?”

“No, brother -- I mean, it’s not that I’m not convinced, I just understand.”

“I understand that it seems pointless. But there’s an actual reason for that.

“Back when demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics still ran rampant out in the open in the Northern Continent, fighting and death was everywhere.

“Because of that, many developed the habit of not revealing their strength and powers. They would also do that once they’re in battle.

“Try to think of it this way, sister:

“One of the main reason why the Golden Families, the Royal Families and the Aristocratic Noble Families are powerful is their Lore Magic. So if you fought one of them and weren’t aware of their Lore Magic, there’s a chance that you might lose.

“But of course, there will always be some who doesn’t care about revealing their Lore Magic to gain some notoriety or whatever reason. Well, that’s why there’s the DG International Laws.”

DG International Laws…?

I think I’ve heard about that somewhere…

I think only those who are above Spirit Steel Physical and Magic Force are part of that…

"What exactly do you want from me, brother?"

Pen leaned back on his chair.

"I want to stay in the Inquisitory Division and you will answer whenever I call for you."

“Huh?”

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

By the way, I’ve posted this chapter at WebNovel, Royal Road and Patreon. However, the main is P-a-t-r-e-o-n (Immortal_Shades) because I want to post pictures and videos there without any restrictions.

https://www.patreon.com/Immortal_Shades

Don’t worry, the chapters there are free. And if you want to donate because I have no talent in being a writer, feel free to consider any of these titles:

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Thank you once again and I will see you at the next chapter.

Chapter end