Chapter 267: Training & Etc.

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

• Adventurer GrimV

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Octus 10, 3023 A.M., day of Tuar, 8:56 a.m.

Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.

9:56 a.m.

Woooh!

Julius thrust his dull sword, missing Pamor who side-stepped and tightened his grip around his dull mace.

Tak!

Bud!

As Pamor swung his mace, Julius twisted his wrist and then also swung his sword. Pamor was struck by the dull blade on his left cheek, causing him to spin to the right and nearly losing his balance. Julius, on the other hand, had his ribcage rattle, causing him to stagger to the right as he tried to breathe.

"Draw," Vivian said and then got up from her seat.

Vooom!

She turned into a blur and then appeared next to the two Guards.

[Heal].

A faint yellow light enveloped Julius.

[Heal].

The same thing happened to Pamor.

Vooom!

Vivian returned to her seat and turned to her side.

"Change pair."

Lafa, who was carrying a dull sword, and Wayne, carrying a dull dagger saluted.

"Yes, Honored Priestess Inquisitor!" they said and then stepped into the circle.

Julius and Pamor saluted and then went to the side to rest.

"Begin."

Lafa and Wayne began sparring while Vivian looked at the cloudy sky.

At least it didn't rain this morning…

But the ground is a bit muddy…

Vivian arrived yesterday around noon time and immediately resumed her duties as an Inquisitor because she had to write a weekly report for last week and also compile last week's weekly report of all of the personnel here in the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint. She also brought some food and drinks for everyone except for Lamont.

She returned her gaze towards Julius and Pamor.

How come I still haven't learned [Blessing] or even just [Greater Heal]…?

Wasn't the core of learning the Class Magic spells of the Priest Class to ease the pain and suffering of others…?

"Score."

Vooom!

She appeared next to Lafa.

[Heal].

A faint yellow light enveloped his body.

Vooom!

Vivian returned back to her seat.

"Begin."

The two Guards resumed fighting.

Am I not doing enough…?

I'm literally saving these people from dying too soon…

I also feed them and give them a weekly allowance of 10 gold coins…

Or perhaps these people want more…?

How ungrateful…!

Or must it be involved in a death and life scenario…?

She shook her head.

Not only would that be too tedious to setup…

But it will also attract unnecessary attention…

"Score."

Vooom!

[Heal].

Vooom!

"Begin."

Once again the two Guards resumed fighting.

Vivian fixed her Inquisitor half-mask. Since she was back at the border checkpoint she was assigned at and was confident that no one would dare to bother her or be a nuisance, she didn't mind wearing her half-mask.

I've already completed writing my weekly report and compiling the rest of the weekly reports yesterday…

Last night, I had enough sleep -- at least 6 hours…

This morning, it's this…

This afternoon, it would be researching about the Great Plains of Stanza…

And then at night, I hunt and train…

"Score."

Vooom!

[Heal].

Vooom!

Hopefully, everything goes to plan…

And what has gotten into these people…?

They've been acting strange ever since I got back yesterday…

It’s as if they're more formal…

Ever since she arrived here yesterday, every time any of them would bump into her or talk to her, they would act as if they were talking to a very high-ranking officer. Even the Knights and her fellow brothers and sisters were no different. And when she gave everyone except for Lamont gifts, the Guards thanked her profusely as if they were worshiping a deity.

I get it that they became a bit formal after my incident with that disgusting and useless pervert Lamont…

But this…

It's just too weird…

Maybe my perfection is seeping out again…?!

Oh, Vivian…

When are you going to finally accept that you're so perfect…?

***

12:46 p.m.

Vivian was inside her office and sitting behind her desk.

There were two maps laid out in front of her; one was hers while the other was from Anthony, one of the Priests assigned here at the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint. There were also logbooks on her desk, a few were sprawled open while most of them were on the side. They were the logbooks in her office left by the previous Inquisitors.

She flipped a page one of the logbooks.

Okay…

I think this is it…

She picked up her pen from its mini-stand and then turned to another logbook that was already opened.

Good…

She turned to Anthony's map.

Yeah…

There's a slight deviation here compared to the two logbooks…

She then turned to her map and began scribbling on it.

This here is another possible entrance or exit…

Vivian's map was quite detailed compared to the cheap ones that could be bought in shops because it was provided by the Holy Crusade. But despite that, it still was very lacking.

What in God's name didn't I ask for a map from Pen…?

Me and my forgetful brain…

She returned her pen to its mini-stand and stared at it. A small smile broke out of her lips under her half-mask.

Cute but a bit of a hassle…

The pen was one of the things she bought before returning here to the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint. It was a standard fountain pen with its body coated in silver but was only 4 inches long and it had a beautiful white and soft feather attached on its end that was about 5 inches long. And as for the price, it was 10 silvers or 1 gold coin so she bought 8 different colors -- silver, gold, black, purple, pink, bright orange, slightly dark red and lighter teal -- and 2 pairs of each except for the gray.

I also should've bought that bright yellow…

Vivian shook her head.

Must focus…

She returned her gaze to one of the logbooks and resumed searching for details she could add to her map.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on her office door so she stopped and raised her head.

"Come in."

Ka-cha!

The door opened and Lennon entered.

"Sister Inquisitor, I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said and let out an apologetic smile. "But can I ask a favor?"

Vivian smiled.

"Brother High Lieutenant, of course, what is it?" she said and then gestured towards one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, Sister Inquisitor," he said before heading over to one of the chairs and sitting down.

"And so what is this favor?"

Lennon inhaled deeply and then exhaled as if he was bracing himself for something.

"It's about Sister Juana. Two weeks ago, she received a letter informing her that her lover -- I believe it's her lover based on what I understand -- married one of her best friends.

"As you know, Sister Juana is the leader in charge of patrolling the skies during the day. We gave her a week to recover with Knight Garcon and I along with some of the Guards covering for her. Once that week was over, she returned to her duties without any issues. However, there are times that people would find her staring blankly. And when asked if she's okay, she would just say she's fine.

"Knight Arabella and Guard Sonia already talked to her, I also talked to her. But she doesn't seem to be improving.

"Please don't misunderstand me, I don't mind covering for Sister Juana and I really care about everyone's well-being. But as one of the leaders, this will only disrupt the morale of our unit.

"So Sister Inquisitor, if you have some time, can you talk to her?"

Eh…?

Why do I feel like I've just been insulted…?

They had a female Knight and a Guard talk to her first before me, a fellow Priestess…?

She shook her head mentally.

But then again…

What advice can I give…?

Like hell I know what it's like from a woman's perspective…

If it's a man…

We all just say: Man up and do better next time…

"Sure, please tell her to come to me right now."

A grateful smile appeared on Lennon's face.

"Thank you, sister," he said and bowed before getting up. "I'll inform Sister Juana right now that you wish to speak with her. Would you both be needing some tea and snacks?"

Come to think of it…

This guy is in his late 20s…

Caleb is also in his late 20s…

They're also both in the Infantry Division…

I wonder if they know each other…

Although this guy is from the Twin Chapter Temple while Caleb is from the Holy Chapter Temple…

But they’re the same age…

So…

Vivian shook her head.

"I believe some wine, cheese and crackers would be more fitting. Please tell the Guards to bring us some."

Lennon nodded.

"As you wish, Sister Inquisitor. Anything else you need?"

But how come Caleb is only a Lieutenant while this guy is a High Lieutenant…?

Wait…!

Perhaps this guy is secretly powerful…?

"I don't know how long my talk with Sister Juana would be. But just in case, please inform everyone not to disturb us until we're done."

Lennon nodded once again.

"I will tell everyone that."

But I don't sense any powerful or commanding presence in him…

Perhaps he's just one of those people from a powerful Priest family…?

So nepotism...?

"That will be all, Brother High Lieutenant. Thank you."

And how come this guy is a High Lieutenant while Caleb is a Lieutenant…?

What does this have have that Caleb doesn’t…?

Lennon gave a quick and slight bow.

"Okay, Sister Inquisitor. Thank you as well. I'll be leaving now."

He turned away and then left.

Lennon didn't mind being ordered around by Vivian or being subservient. Truth be told, everyone was already cautious with her, especially after the incident between her and Lamont.

He himself wasn't a betting man because his wife would kill him if he started gambling. Nevertheless, as a man in his late 20s with a High Lieutenant Rank so he had his fair share of experience, if he had to bet, he would bet that Vivian was at least around the same rank as him.

He heard that only Inquisitors who are at least a Lieutenant would be sent out for Field Missions far away from their station. Meanwhile, the ones who are a High Sergeant or Sergeant, they would also be sent for Field Missions, but it would only be near their station.

Had Vivian been sent out on a Field Mission nearby, they would at least get an inkling sense of it, or of any trouble or incident happening nearby. However, they didn’t notice anything so that could only mean she was sent out on a Field Mission far away from their station.

The average age of a High Lieutenant was around their late 20s while a Lieutenant was mid-20s. Although they could tell that Vivian was around her mid-20s, considering her abnormally high Physical and Magic Force and her identity as an Inquisitor, Lennon would bet she was around the same rank as him.

And most importantly, at least for Lennon, at his age, he simply wanted to have a stress-free Holy Crusade. There was a reason why he applied to be assigned here, a station in the middle of nowhere, instead of the frontlines where there's non-stop battles or somewhere near a city, town or village where there's a lot of political schemes -- he wanted to peacefully collect two more Holy Crusade Points before finally retiring from the Holy Crusade, securing a comfy position at his Chapter Temple and spending more time with his family.

However, there was one thing that Lennon could never understand -- No, not just him but everyone else couldn't figure out was why was someone like Vivian assigned here with them. Her Physical and Magic Force for her age, her position as an Inquisitor and her being sent out to Field Missions far away from her station just didn’t make any sense to them.

They would’ve understood if she was assigned at the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint because it was the main border checkpoint of the Inner Stanza Wall.

And had she been in the Infantry Division, she would be assigned at one of the main bases located beyond the Outer Stanza Wall.

***

Vivian sat at one of the sofas located on the side inside of her office. There was a coffee table in front of her and on top of it were a bottle of wine, two glasses, cheese and crackers served on top on a silver tray.

Hmm…

This office is too small…

The sofas and the coffee table should be in the middle…

But I like sleeping on the sofa near a window…

She glanced at the Magic Panel near the door.

Should I increase the Temperature…?

Vivian had her White Cloak hanging on the side. She didn't want to wear it unless she was outside because it might get creasy if she sat down on it. So at the moment, she was only wearing her Inquisitor Half-mask, her Class Crystal necklace, a black long-sleeved and skin-tight backless turtleneck short dress, and a pair of black thigh-high boots with black fishnet stockings. 

Since Juana was a woman, she didn't mind showing her bare back to her.

As for her gloves and belt pouch, since she was going to eat, she removed her gloves. Meanwhile, for her belt pouch, that was something she would only wear if she planned to go beyond the compounds of the Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint.

I think this is fine…

I don't think she would remove her cloak…

But if she does…

Well…

That would depend on the type of clothing she wears…

Her gaze landed on her bright red-colored fingernails.

I'll give it one more day before repainting them…

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Ka-cha!

The door opened and Juana entered. She then went towards Vivian and saluted.

"Sister Inquisitor! I am here for your orders!"

Eh…?

"At ease, sister."

Juana relaxed.

"Brother Lennon didn't mention to you why I called for you?"

"He only told me that you called for me in your office."

This woman…

She's around the same age as me…

What was her rank again…?

Sergeant or High Sergeant…?

It was High Sergeant.

But one thing is for sure…

This woman is definitely from the Marbleam Chapter Temple…

So lucky…

Her home is just next door…

"I see," Vivian said and nodded before gesturing to one of the sofas. "Please have a seat, sister. And I also want you to relax. I'm not here to give you orders or anything. I simply want to have a little girl-to-girl chat."

Juana blinked a few times before she decided to sit.

Plok!

Vivian opened the bottle of wine with her fingers and then filled up the two glasses. She picked up the glasses and gave one to Juana.

"You must now have an idea why I called you, right?"

Juana received the glass.

"Is it about the letter…?"

"Yes, but first."

Clink.

Vivian clinked her glass against Juana's.

"Cheers to your new-found freedom, sister," she said and then took a sip before returning her attention to Juana and noticed that she didn't take a sip and had a puzzled expression on her face. 

"New-found freedom?" 

Feeling the heavy gaze of Vivian behind the mask, Juana quickly took a sip.

Vivian put down her glass on the coffee table.

"Yes, new-found freedom, sister. Have you heard of the saying: The God of Light works in mysterious ways?"

Juana shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Sister Inquisitor, I haven't."

"Please, just call me sister. Remember, this is a simple girl-to-girl chat, a woman-to-woman chat or whatever you want to call it."

"Yes, sister."

"Good. Anyhow, I understand that getting your heart broken is a painful thing. No amount of alcohol, drugs and entertainment can numb it. Even if you decide to drown yourself with work, although you can forget about it while working, once you stop working because you need to eat, sleep or shower, that pain would immediately come rushing in that you just don't want to do anything. Or if you want to do something, it's mostly stupid and destructive.

"Unfortunately, there is no instant cure for that. The only thing you can do, sister, is to let time pass and only do positive things. And even if enough time passes, you never heal from it. How could you? That pain is not only etched into your heart and mind, but also into your soul. It's a memory you will never forget, an experience that teaches you, molds you. So with that, time would only make the pain bearable, not cure.

"Do you understand me, sister?"

Juana lowered her head. And a few moments later, her shoulders began trembling.

"It hurts, sister… It hurts…"

"I know," Vivian said and nodded.

Tears began falling from Juana's eyes.

"I loved him so much... I gave so much to him… I thought he understood that I wanted… I told him that it was always my dream to reach at least High Lieutenant so that I can get a decent job position when I retire and also explore the world before I marry him and have children with him… If I become a mother and bear his children, I wouldn't be able to pursue those things… So why…? Why did he do that…?"

"Sister, remember when I said that the God of Light works in mysterious ways?"

Juana took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

"I'm very sorry for my appearance, sister…" she said and then hiccuped.

Vivian shook her head.

"You don't have to. You're the victim here, you are the one who has been betrayed, been taken advantage of."

Juana put down her glass and tried to calm herself down by doing inhale-exhale blows while fanning her face with her fingers.

"Mar-God mar-of Mar-Light, mar-this mar-is mar-so mar-embarrassing…! Mar-He's mar-such mar-a mar-selfish mar-man…! Mar-And mar-that mar-woman mar-is mar-such mar-a mar-back-stabbing mar-and two-faced mar-traitor…!"

Vivian simply nodded and waited until Juana calmed down. And when Juana finally calmed down a bit, she cleared her throat and then faced Vivian.

"I'm fine now, sister. I would never let those two affect me ever again. Did you know that I saved Eutimio twice during our Holy Crusade career? And that Adalina, she's 4 years younger than me and Eutimio but I treated her so well, treated her as if she was my ow little sister… But why…? How could they do this to me…?!" Juana said and then grabbed Vivian's hand. "Sister, if there a way to accuse them of heresy...? It hurts…! It just hurts so much…!"

Tap, tap.

Vivian placed her hand on top of Juana's hands that were holding her hand.

"Calm down, sister. Don't let them affect you. They're not worth it. You're better than this."

"I'm sorry, sister..." Juana said and then released Vivian's hand. "I just can't help it... It's just so painful..."

Vivian nodded.

"I know.

"As I was saying, the God of Light works in mysterious ways. You said it yourself, you did so much and showed so much kindness to Etomo and Adalina and yet they still did this to you.

"With that, sister, I want you to try to think of it this way: Had you abandoned your dreams, married that man Elyamo or worse, had children with him, he would've only made not just your life but also the life of your children a living nightmare. So be thankful because the God of Light has protected you.

"Yes, what you're experiencing right now is so painful and there's no easy fix. However, it is a lesson that you will never forget. And then next time Elasano or anyone like him tries to lure you in, you won't fall for the trap anymore. You will only open your heart to someone who knows how intelligent, kind, beautiful, caring and smart you are."

Vivian made sure to say intelligent at the beginning and smart at the end. Based on her experience, most women like to be complimented on their brains over their beauty. But doesn't mean you should never say they're beautiful.

To put it simply, 60% of the compliments should be about how intelligent and hardworking they are and 40% of it should be how beautiful they are.

Although it seems mentally exhausting to always keep this in mind when trying to manipulate women, eventually, with enough practice, it would be as easy as breathing.

"Sister, his name is Eutimio."

Vivian scoffed.

"Eutimio, Eshamo, Elbamo, who cares? Is there any point in me remembering the name of such a foul person?"

Juana chuckled and then wiped the tears in her eyes.

"You're right. There isn't."

"Just out of curiosity, sister. Are they also part of the Temple?"

Juana nodded.

"We're all part of the Marbleam Chapter Temple and we're also still doing our Holy Crusade. I mean, not right now because they just got married, but we're still doing Holy Crusades. But looking back at it now, I now understand why they decided not to do the Holy Crusade with me this year. They told me they were going to focus on training. I should've known..."

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"But I guess Adalina would have to stop doing Holy Crusades for a while..." Juana said and let out a bitter smile.

"You mentioned that Adalina is 4 years younger than you. Does she want to have children at that age?"

Juana shook her head.

"I don't know, but I think she would… Eutimio always wanted to have children…"

Vivian snorted.

"If men want to have children that much, why don't they give birth themselves? At the very least, I wish they could experience how uncomfortable it is to bleed and have your abdomen feel like it's being stabbed and then scraped from the inside every month for a week. Such entitlement! If I could slap them with my blood-soaked napkin and feed it to them, I would've done so already," she said and then mused for a moment. "But then again, I think there would be some who would actually enjoy that."

Juana began laughing.

Vivian brows knitted together behind her half-mask.

"Did I say anything wrong?"

Juana cleared her throat and shook her head.

"No, sister. I… I just didn't think you were like this…"

"Like what?"

"Normal."

"Normal?"

Juana's eyes suddenly turned wide and raised her hands.

"I'm very sorry, sister…! I didn't mean that… It's just that… the first time we met… and that --"

Vivian held out her hand.

"You don't have to explain any further, sister. I understand what you're trying to say. Don't worry, you're not the first person to think I'm weird, strange or anything but normal. You're also not going to be the last. Even I agree with them. But I could care any less about what lesser lifeforms have to say."

"Lesser lifeforms…?"

Vivian shook her head.

"I misspoke, I meant strangers," she said and then picked up a piece of cracker and cheese. "Come, take a bite. I bought this cheese because the shopkeeper from the Inquisitory Division headquarters said it's the best cheese in the Holy Kingdom."

Juana took a bite.

Vivian took a sip from her wine.

"So? How is it? I want your honest opinion. I'm not really good with cheeses so I can't tell if it's good or not."

Juana swallowed and then took a sip from her wine.

"It tastes great. It's really of high quality. However, I prefer the cheese made in Luxen Kingdom."

Vivian raised an eyebrow behind her half-mask.

"Oh? It's that bad?"

"No, it tastes great. I simply prefer the one from Luxen Kingdom because it's sweeter. The one from Heisen Kingdom also tastes great. But I still prefer the one from Luxen Kingdom."

"Cheeses have those distinctions?"

"In a way. But I'm not an expert so I can't give a proper explanation."

"I see," Vivian said before folding her legs and taking another sip.

"Do you… have someone, sister…?"

"Someone? No one at the moment."

"No one at the moment? So you used to have one…?"

"Don't we all? Well, at least for women I guess."

"How did you get over the pain? Or did it just become bearable like you said?"

Memories of the women that Vivian met back in her original world flashed inside her head.

"Yeah… They just become bearable," she said and then took a sip.

"So even powerful Sisters like you get rejected? I always thought that their main problem would be keeping men away from them because that's what I saw."

"You know of powerful Sisters?"

"There is Sister Esmeralda from my Chapter Temple. She has 4 Magic Art Affinities and is a few years older than me."

"Sister Esmeralda, huh. What does she look like?"

"She has very short green hair and is a bit muscular."

"Huh? Very short green hair and is a bit muscular? Are you describing a man?"

"I'm sorry, I can't find the right words to describe her," Juana said and lowered her head. "But she has a good heart and is always willing to help."

"Is she beautiful?"

"She has a good heart and is always willing to help people."

"I see," Vivian said and then took a sip but found her glass empty so she poured herself another glass.

"You know, sister, I'm surprised that Sister Esmeralda isn't as famous because she's one of the pride and joys of the Marbleam Chapter Temple. Whenever I meet people outside my Chapter Temple, especially if they're from the Infantry Division, and they learn that I'm from the Marbleam Chapter Temple, they would ask if I know Sister Esmeralda. I always thought that all powerful people know each other."

"There are others?"

"Yes, there are but not everyone has revealed themselves or got caught, like Sister Esmeralda."

"What do you mean?"

"Sister Esmeralda used to go by the name Sister Markina during the earlier years of her Holy Crusade career. That is until one day she got into a situation on a Field Mission where she had to defeat a powerful Demon-kin Necromancer. After that, her true identity was revealed."

"And the others?"

"For the women, I know only Sister Maja from the Verglas Chapter Temple who is said to be so hauntingly beautiful. Some people even call her the Snow Princess. But I heard that she finally retired, married a brother from the Holy Chapter Temple, and became the Gray Cloak of the Chapter Temple in Verglas City."

"Is said to be hauntingly beautiful? So you never met her?"

Juana shook her head.

"Sister Maja, or should I say High Sister Maja, is older than Sister Esmeralda and was a Captain in the Infantry Division. Her rank is too high for me to bump into the same Field Mission as her. But I still heard so much about her, mostly from the men who couldn't stop talking about her beauty."

"Those sisters you mentioned, they only have 4 Magic Arts Affinities, right?"

"Yes, they have 4 Magic Art Affinities."

"What about the ones with 5 Magic Art Affinities?"

Juana shook her head.

"I have no idea. Those people are Light Saint candidates. I doubt if anyone would casually share their information."

Huh…?

What about that Peon named Warren…?

Didn't he have 5 Magic Art Affinities…?

There was also his twin…

I think it was a woman…?

Vivian nodded.

"I see," she said and then her expression turned serious. "Sister Juana."

Juana was caught off guard.

"Yes, sister…?"

"It's my fault. I enjoyed your company a little bit so much that I forgot about the main reason why I called you here."

Juana smiled and then shook her head.

“Please don’t. This is fine. At least you’re making me think about other things.”

Vivian nodded with a smile.

“That’s good to hear then. But I hope you don’t mind if I go back to the issue.

"About this heartbreak of yours, don't think about finding another partner. That would be unfair not only to your new partner but also to yourself. That's not love and it always never ends with a happy ending.

"With all that being said, I need you to understand that you are the leader in charge of securing our skies within our station. If you can't perform well or keep showing a sad-girl attitude, it will affect the morale of our entire unit. So I need you to show everyone that you're fine -- at least in public. In private, you can cry and mop all you want. You can even come talk to me, I'll be here to listen to you.

"Do you understand me, sister?"

A determined look appeared on Juana's face.

"I understand, Sister Inquisitor."

Vivian nodded.

"Good. Now let's continue chatting until we finish all these," she said and then pointed. "No using of [Cleanse] during our chat. Only after, okay?"

Juana smiled.

"Yes, Sister Inquisitor."

"Just sister."

"Yes, sister."

***

9:32 p.m.

Vivian stepped out of the Priests Quarters building and raised her head before sighing.

I thought it would never stop raining…

She began heading over to the South Gate.

I never expected that to happen to Sister Juana…

I still feel bad…

I also should avoid such situations in the future…

She and Juana drank until 4:00 p.m. and they ended up opening 4 bottles with her drinking 3 and 1/4 of it. Despite that, Juana got so drunk that she ended up almost vomiting and telling her whole love story multiple times while crying.

Vivian thought about casting [Cleanse] on Juana but she vehemently rejected her and threatened to fight her. With that, Vivian immediately dropped the idea and listened to her, not to mention it was her idea to drink wine instead of tea in the first place. When finally Juana fell asleep, she brought her to her room and then cast [Cleanse] and [Heal] on her. But despite that, Juana continued sleeping. She didn't even leave her room to join them for dinner.

So [Heal] and [Cleanse] can't cure a person's emotional distress, huh…

What about [Blessing]…?

She shook her head mentally.

Idiot…

She was suffering from a heartbreak…

That alone should've been a clear-cut answer right from the start…

And in regards to her story…

As expected…

Both parties are at fault…

However...

It's strange...

When did I start taking a woman’s side…?

I mean…

I like to think I’m a fairly logical person…

But even I have to admit that I have biases for my male gend--…

She shook her head.

Whatever…

She finally reached the South Gate and bumped into a Guard who immediately saluted.

"Good evening, Honored Priestess Inquisitor!"

"Guard Lafa, you're one of the people on duty tonight?"

"Yes, Honored Priestess Inquisitor! Me and Guard Wayne!"

"I see," Vivian said and nodded. "I'll come back in a couple of hours. No need to open the small gate."

Wooom!

SPLAT!

She jumped over the two-story wall and the muddy ground made a splatting sound as she landed.

Okay…

Vooom!

She turned into a blur as she burst out into a run.

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

Chapter end