Inquisitory Division (2)
"I want to stay in the Inquisitory Division and you will answer whenever I call for you."
A dumbfounded expression flashed across Vivian's face behind her Inquisitor Full-mask.
Huh…?
What…?
"I'm sorry, brother, but I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that."
"I want you to promise that you won't transfer to any other Division. And whenever you're in the Holy Crusade, you will accept the Field Mission I give you. This way, we're not only going to fix the trajectory of where our Temple has been heading for a couple of generations now but also bring back the honor of Inquisitors."
Vivian stared at Pen with a deadpan expression.
What the fuck is this old bastard talking about…?
Who in their right mind would want to accept that, especially after witnessing what I witnessed in Plano Town…?
Deluded old bastard…!
She cleared her throat.
"Brother, I'm thankful that His Holiness and you recognize my skills, I'm also proud that I'm part of the Temple of Priests, and I feel blessed to be able to participate in the Holy Crusade through the Inquisitory Division to protect our world from demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics under the guidance of the God of Light. However, please understand that I don't have a death wish. I want to live a long life and I want to spend my Holy Crusade as a rookie Inquisitor and then slowly climb my way up the ranks."
"Sister, if you're concerned about what happened at Plano Town, you need to understand that what happened there was an unforeseen circumstance. As a matter of fact, that was the first time something like that happened in two centuries since the Plano Family became a Viscount family five centuries ago."
Vivian shook her head.
"That may be true. But that doesn't mean you're not going to send me on another Field Mission where high-profile people gather.
"I'm sorry, brother, but I truly want to live a long life and I want to spend my Holy Crusade as a rookie Inquisitor, which I am, and then slowly climb my way up the ranks. And if that makes me a heretic, then so be it, I will file a case to the main office of the Holy Crusade, the Holy Chapter Temple, the Luxen Chapter Temple, and the Orion Chapter Temple for discrimination.
"Before I joined the Holy Crusade, I was promised that I wouldn't be sent to dangerous places or missions. I was even given a letter and medal of recommendation as proof of that promise. But when people found out that I'm strong, His Holiness would overturn that promise and send me to dangerous Field Missions? Why? I didn't ask to be born with above-average Magic Art Affinities. And it's not like I just woke up one day and was just strong. I had to study, bleed and skip sleeping for days in order to train.
"I am truly sorry, but I will definitely fight this unlawful discrimination placed upon me just because I happened to be strong. Don't get me wrong, I will gladly do my duties as a member of the Temple of Priests, but that doesn't mean I have a death wish."
Pen stared at Vivian and a million scenarios ran inside his head.
Truth be told, he lied to Blanch and Vivian. He hasn't informed any of the Cardinals, let alone the Light Saint, about plucking Vivian from her station and sending her to a Field Mission.
"Sister, first off, please note that I have no intention of sending any Inquisitor or brother or sister from any Division, regardless of their level of expertise, to a Field Mission that's way above their expertise or to a suicide mission. What happened at Plano Town was truly an unforeseen circumstance. I don't know if you're going to accept my apology or not but I truly am sorry. If could turn back in time and not send you there, I would do it without any second thoughts.
"Secondly, sister, I will admit, I have done my research about you. I know how you've lost your entire family. I know that you are smart and powerful. I also know that you're not personally tied to any powerful family or organization. And I also know that not many people are aware of how gifted you truly are -- the way you jumped from a normal civilian to an Adventurer capable of doing Quests solo, from a solo Adventurer who could beat Gold Rank Adventurers to a Priestess with a Physical Force of Adamantite and Magic Force of Orichalcum-Adamantite, and from a Crusader at Basic Training with a Physical Force of Adamantite and Magic Force of Orichalcum-Adamantite to a Crusader at the Training Course with a Physical and Magic Force of at least Spirit Steel in the span of 6 months is nothing but astonishing. I don't know how much you've trained, but not even someone from Royalty who has all of the resources in the world can achieve what you achieved."
Vivian's eyes slowly turned to slits behind her mask.
How did this guy find that out…?!
How is that even possible…?!
I've been very careful of not leaving that many tracks…!
"The only explanation I could give is that either the information I've gathered is false or you're someone who has been kissed, not just by the God of Light but all of the Elemental Gods. But frankly speaking, I rather believe the former because the latter is just too unbelievable."
Have these people been watching me from afar…?!
But that's not possible…
If that were the case, they would've known how many humans I've killed and eaten…
So how…?!
Or perhaps…
Perhaps they don't care about that…?
"However, sister, I don't care about those things. What I care about is about you and I working together to not only fix the trajectory of where our Temple has been heading for a couple of generations now but also bring back the honor of Inquisitors."
Who else knows about this…?
"I don't know your exact reasons why you continue to hide your true strength, but I can at least understand how dangerous it will be for you once people find out how you were able to jump from a normal civilian to Spirit Steel in the span of 6 months."
Do the people in the Luxen Chapter know…?
What's going to happen once I go back there after my Holy Crusade contract…?
"Sister."
What about the Light Saint…?
Does he know about this…?
"Sister."
And if the Light Saint knows about this….
What about the Cardinals…?
Shit…!
"Sister!"
Vivian stopped rambling inside her head and focused on Pen.
"What?"
"Are you done thinking?"
"Done thinking?"
"You didn't seem to be listening."
"I was thinking about what you were saying, brother."
"Look, sister, this isn't me trying to blackmail you or anything, but I won't be the last person who's going to try to recruit you. The thing you experienced back at Plano Town, specifically with Lord Alejandro and Lord Ferdino? That was just a taste. Somewhere, someplace, you will eventually bump into a similar situation regardless if I played a hand or not. Powerful people like you can't stay hidden for long because people like you no longer operate on the level of normal people and everyone can instinctively sense it. Even right now, the way you're interacting with me despite knowing I'm a Gold Cloak, let alone a Chapter Master, is proof of what I'm saying."
Vivian didn't say anything.
"Also, a piece of advice: Don't forget that we're Inquisitors and it's our job to sniff out lies and corruption. So if you wish to fool people, try to at least hide that annoyance and bloodlust underneath that pleasant demeanor you're showing."
Annoyance and bloodlust…?
When was I doing that…?
Especially the bloodlust part…
Vivian let out a sigh.
"What EXACTLY do you want from me, brother?"
"Like I said earlier, I want you to promise that you won't transfer to any other Division. And whenever you're in the Holy Crusade, you will accept the Field Mission I give you. Because I want to not only fix the trajectory of where our Temple has been heading for a couple of generations now but also bring back the prosperity of Inquisitors."
"What if I choose to reject it?"
"I won't be the last person who's going to try to recruit or offer you a deal like this. But I believe I'm offering the best offer your can get because you will be part of the Inquisitory Division which is the best place for you to hide or keep a low profile."
"Let's say I agree with your offer, what else do I get in return?"
"What else do you get in return?" Pen said and then thought about it for a moment. "Aside from me preventing anyone from trying to contact you, regardless if they have good or bad intentions and you being able to hide or keep a low profile in the Inquisitory Division, you'll also be rewarded with coins."
"That's it?"
Pen leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk.
"If I reward you with a Holy Crusade point every time you complete a Field Mission, by the time your contract ends, the reviewers will find your contract odd and it will only lead to you, me and the entire Inquisitory Division getting unnecessary attention. And if I also choose to promote your Rank every time you complete a Field Mission, the same will happen."
"These Field Missions you will be calling me for, if you're going to just throw me into another one like in Plano Town, then I rather take my chances with the others."
"Like I said earlier, sister, what happened in Plano Town was truly an unforeseen circumstance and I'm truly sorry about it, I swear to the God of Light. And as the God of Light as my witness, I would never ever send an Inquisitor or any brother or sister to a suicide mission."
"How many times will you be calling for me? Because I have my job to do at my station and I also have to train."
"Sister, I was thinking, wouldn't it be more beneficial if you just stay here? I can arrange for it."
Vivian shook her head.
"I refuse. If I stay here, it would only stunt my growth. I need to interact with people outside the Temple of Priests in order to learn things quicker."
Like hell I want to be here…!
If I'll be here, you'll just be more tempted to order me around…!
Just like what happened in Plano Town…!
Pen's eyes squinted behind his Inquisitor Full-Mask.
"What things do you exactly need to learn that you can't learn here?" he asked in a serious tone.
Huh…?
What's gotten into him…?
"Geopolitics, social dynamics, on-the-field experience."
"Geopolitics of what? The Holy Kingdom and the Housan Empire? Social dynamics between humans and demon-kins?"
Hold on…
Is he trying to imply what I think he's trying to imply…?
"Brother, you're misunderstanding me. Have you heard the saying: Keep your friends closer, but your enemies closer? Basically, if I could get closer to my enemies, be it human, demon, demon-kin, the Cult of Infinity or any form of heretic, I'd be able to know more of their strengths and weaknesses. And if I know their strengths and weaknesses, I'll be able to make the necessary moves in order to defeat them."
You fucking old man…
Be thankful you're a Chapter Master…
Or else I would've slapped you to death already…
Pen nodded.
"I understand now, sister."
"So how many times will you be calling for me for a Field Mission? Every week? Every month? Aside from my responsibilities at my station, I also need to train."
"I would say once a month because I want you to learn how to handle high-profile cases as much as possible."
"Huh? High-profile cases? So you're still going to throw me into Field Missions like the one at Plano Town?"
"No, sister. Look, given your gifts and how I'm making all these arrangements, there would be no point in sending you to ordinary Field Missions. If I were just going send you to ordinary Field Missions, then I would rather just send a normal Inquisitor who is more cooperative, and there are tons of Inquisitors like that that I can pick from. What I lack are Inquisitors who can actually throw a punch and won't transfer to another Division."
"But it's still high-profile cases."
"I don't know how many times I must say it but what happened in Plano Town was truly an unforeseen circumstance and I would never ever send an Inquisitor or any brother or sister to a suicide mission."
"Am I allowed to reject the Field Mission if I want to?"
"Why would you reject it?"
Huh…?
It never occurred to this old bastard if I would reject a Field Mission…?
What the fuck…
"Please don't misunderstand me again, brother, but since you're a Chapter Master and His Holiness is a Light Saint, I like to believe that it's been a long time since the both of you felt what is it like to be a rookie like me who is at the bottom of the barrel."
"You don't trust our judgment, sister?"
"Of course I trust your and His Holiness' judgment. It's just that, there are things that only you and His Holiness can see and not see on your high-status level, and there are things that only I and people like me who are at the bottom of the barrel can see and not see on our low-status level. As a matter of fact, a perfect example would be what happened in Plano Town. Since everyone there was powerful, it never occurred to all of you that someone would dare to launch an attack."
"But sister, you're powerful. As a matter of fact, I would argue that you and His Holiness share more things in common, while I and the brothers and sisters you described as 'at the bottom of the barrel' share more things in common."
Vivian stared at Pen with a deadpan expression.
"I want 100,000 Holy platinum coins for each Field Mission."
Pen coughed.
"Sister, that's not possible. If I used the coins in the Treasure Office, not only is it not enough and it will bankrupt the entire operation of the Inquisitory Division, but you and I will also be called into question. And if I used my own savings, I don't have that kind of coins."
"80,000."
"The highest monetary reward of a Field Mission is only 5,000 platinum coins," Pen said with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Huh? 5,000 you say?" Vivian and then a suffocating murderous bloodlust suddenly erupted from her.
Pen narrowed his gaze and a defiant demeanor emanated from him.
"Are you threatening me, sister?"
"Threaten you? No, brother, I'm simply disappointed that I almost died for something I didn't even voluntarily signed up for and the Temple has looked at my life and decided that it only cost 5,000 platinum coins."
Although 5,000 platinum coins may seem nothing to Vivian, to a normal person or commoner, that amount was simply outrageous because 5,000 platinum coins was 5,000,000 copper coins.
And just to stress how outrageous that amount is, when it comes to meals, the average meal of a normal citizen in taverns costs anywhere between 4-7 copper coins and that already comes with a mug of beer with 7 copper coins as a full meal. On top of that, people in this world only eat breakfast and dinner.
Meanwhile, the monthly rent of a single-person room at the Luxen Chapter Temple Compound is 30 gold coins.
When it comes to Adventurers, the average reward for Copper I and II Rank Quests is around 10 copper coins or 1 silver coin, for Silver I and II it's 10 silver coins or 1 gold coin, and for Gold I and II everything starts with at least 1 gold coin. Because if Silver Rank Adventurers are the most common intermediates, Gold Rank Adventurers are the most common professionals.
Mercenaries, on the other hand, all Contracts start at 10 gold coins as the lowest. It's also important to note that for one to become a Mercenary, a person must at least have some level of strength because their job involves a lot of fighting.
And lastly, 5,000 platinum coins was enough to buy a single Adamantite-grade item with two Magic Effects. And if one were to say that the price was simply too unreasonable, they must understand that if one were to consider everyone -- civilians and fighters, humans and demon-kins -- the average Physical and Magic force would be Mithril (or 90 points). So for a person to reach Orichalcum (or 120 points), he/she is already considered an elite or a Platinum II Rank Adventurer, the second highest rank that an Adventurer could achieve. And for someone to reach Adamantite, they would be considered an elite of the elites.
At least this was from the perspective of normal people or commoners.
So to put it simply, ever since Vivian joined the Holy Crusade, even just at the start of the Basic Training alone, the world she has been interacting with was actually very and definitely not normal. Her classmates, as young and weak as they were, compared to the normal citizens, they were already way above. In fact, her classmates with only 2 Magic Art Affinities, like Kara, Sally, Samantha and etc. can already hold their ground against Gold Rank I Adventurers when it comes to fighting and the average age of a Gold I Rank Adventurer is around 25 years old. Meanwhile, her classmates like Zean, Uliah and Turd as well as Radford who failed Basic Training, all of them have 3 Magic Arts, and all of them could hold their ground against Gold II Rank Adventurers.
The gap was just too wide.
"Everyone is in the same boat, sister," Pen said. "Or do you consider yourself more important than everyone else, including the Light Saint and the Cardinals?"
Vivian mustered all of her strength to suppress her murderous bloodlust.
"Then I want something else."
"Like what?"
"Information."
"What kind of information?"
"I can't think of anything right now. But when I ask for it, you will give it to me."
"Just so you know, sister, even though I'm a Chapter Master, there are still some information that are out of my reach. There are also some information that will only attract unwanted attention."
"If that's the case, then I will also have the right to reject the Field Missions you're going to give me whenever I want to."
Pen drummed his fingers on his desk as he thought about it.
"Fair enough," he said and nodded.
"I also want special privileges."
He shook his head.
"If you're going to add that, then you're not allowed to reject the Field Missions I'm going to give you."
"I'll pass on that then."
"So do we have a deal?"
Vivian paused for a moment before answering.
"I have two more questions."
"I'm all ears," Pen said as he leaned back on his chair.
"Do you really have the power to protect me from all unwanted attention? I really just want to work and train in peace."
"I'm a Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division. What makes you think I can't?"
"What if you suddenly pass away? What if another Chapter Master decides to interfere?"
"First off, I don't plan on dying anytime soon.
"Secondly, as for another Chapter Master interfering, you don't have to worry about that. Since you're not only a new Inquisitor but this is also your first time joining the Holy Crusade and it's only been recently since you've joined the Temple of Priests, the truth is, unlike the rest of the Divisions, only the Inquisitory Division can have one Chapter Master at a time. Due to all the secrecy involved in our Division, having more than one Chapter Master will only disrupt the chain of command or cause confusion when issuing orders."
Vivian's eyes turned slits.
"You seem to know a lot about me while I don't know anything about you."
"That's because I'm a Chapter Master."
"That's not what I'm saying."
"In the future, once you've proven yourself, you will know more."
Vivian raised an eyebrow.
"Proven myself? Correct me if I'm wrong, brother, but aren't you the one who's trying to recruit me in this scheme of yours while I'm just trying to live a peaceful life as a rookie Inquisitor and also a rookie Priestess?"
"Unlike you, sister, there are many people relying on me because of my position as a Chapter Master. I can't just reveal my true identity to anyone unless I can fully trust them."
Vivian suppressed the urge to scoff.
"My second question: You said that I can only be in the Inquisitory Division every time I join the Holy Crusade. What if I choose to stop participating in the Holy Crusade?"
"I'm confident that won't happen."
Vivian's brows knitted together.
"What makes you think that?"
"I don't know what your exact reasons are for why you've chosen to hide your true strength, but I can at least understand how dangerous it will be for you once people find out how you were able to jump from a normal civilian to Spirit Steel in the span of 6 months. Even someone from the Royal Family with all the resources in the world can't do that. With that being said, the Inquisitory Division is the perfect place for you to hide or at least keep a low profile. As a matter of fact, I'm confident to say that you will be renewing your Holy Crusade contract immediately right after your current contract ends."
"Who else knows about this?"
"A handful of people that I trust."
"Like who?"
"Sister, you know I can't answer that," Pen said with an almost playful tone.
Should I use [Halo]…?
Vivian shook her head mentally.
No…
I can't…
That would be no different than killing him and then me getting arrested…
"What if I fail a mission?"
"That's already more than two questions, sister. But that's okay," Pen said and nodded. "You will be working with brothers and sisters that I trust. So the probability of you failing a Field Mission is low."
"There are others like me?"
"You will eventually know them in due time."
"But what if we still fail a Field Mission?"
"Then there's nothing I can do about that. Even I failed a couple of Field Missions. But if your team chooses to deliberately fail a Field Mission, then that's another story."
Vivian didn't say anything.
"Do you have any other questions, sister?"
"No."
Pen nodded.
"You don't have to give me your final decision right away, sister, because I don't want you to feel like I'm blackmailing or forcing you to do something you don't want to. You can give me your decision tomorrow morning. But keep these two things in mind: One, I won't be the last person who's going to try to recruit you. And if you're thinking about running to the Orion Chapter Temple, trust me, they are no different. And two, the Inquisitory Division is the best place for you to hide or keep a low profile. That's all, sister, and may the God of Light watch over you."
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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