Letters, Experiments & Training

Septus 6, 3023 A.M., day of Westar, 7:33 a.m.

Vivian woke up and found herself inside a dark room.

She was lying down on a large and spacious bed covered with silk and she could hear the sound of the rain bouncing on the windows, roof and the pavement outside.

After her Training Course graduation ceremony, she and her fellow graduatees were relocated to another place, something like a hotel and spa house within the Holy City managed by the Temple of Priests.

Vivian pulled the silk blanket over her body and curled up into a ball.

"Everything's so soft…"

"And smells so good…"

"I don't mind getting used to this…"

Each of the new graduatees was given a room akin to a presidential suite or in this case, a king or emperor's suite where they had their own kitchen, meeting room, training room, spa room and etc. inside their room. They also had their own staff waiting 24/7 to cater to anything they wished for and free of charge.

They were to stay here for a week to do whatever personal matters they needed to do.

As an Inquisitor whose task is to root out any corruption within the Temple of Priests, they had to hide their real identity during the Holy Crusade in order to avoid retaliation. This week would be the only time they could do whatever personal matters they needed to do, like answering letters, until the contract of their Holy Crusade ends.

Vivian got up from her bed and was completely naked.

And as usual, the first time she arrived here, she immediately inspected every nook and cranny of the place to make sure that there were no peeping holes, trap doors and the like.

She turned on the lights and grabbed a long silk robe which was provided by the suite.

It's been more than a week already since she last ate someone so her blood has completely turned blue, making her appear like a walking corpse.

She grabbed her Inquisitor Mask and stepped out of her bedroom.

Hmm…

Still raining…

Unlike her bedroom where all of the windows were covered with curtains, the windows in the living room had their curtains pulled to the side.

Vivian went over to the side of a wall and pulled a string.

Ring…!

Ring…!

After ringing the bell, she went over to a sofa near a fireplace that wasn't lit with fire and sat down.

Well…

Can't do anything about this…

One of the services offered in this suite was that each room had its own staff waiting 24/7 to cater to anything they wished for and was free of charge. There was even a butler and maid's room inside the suite so that they could perform their duties right away, like cooking, cleaning, etc. However, given the many secrets that Vivian carried, she chose not to have anyone but herself inside this suite and no one was allowed to enter without any permission.

A few minutes later…

Knock.

Knock.

There was a knock on the front door.

"Room service!" said a male voice from behind the door.

God, I miss phones…

She got up and went over to the door.

Ka-cha!

Two people stood outside.

The first one was a man wearing a butler uniform in his 40s and carrying a small box that was sealed with a special seal from the Inquisitory Division.

The other one was a woman in her 20s wearing a maid uniform.

"Good morning, Honored Inquisitor. We hope that you had a wonderful rest. How may we serve you?" the butler said and gave an elegant bow while the maid curtsied.

Vivian didn't answer but instead turned away and went over to the sofa to sit down.

The butler and maid entered the room.

"Prepare me a feast. The meat should be an animal that could use Magic Art and make sure there's a lot of salad and dressing. Bring me some wine as well. I don't care about what flavor or color the wine is, just make sure it's decent enough for my palate."

Vivian can't exactly tell when it started, but somehow she developed a taste for wine that she could easily drink two bottles a day without getting drunk.

"Right away, Honored Priestess," the butler said and turned to the maid who curtsied before leaving.

Vivian was about to get up to do her morning routine when the butler opened his mouth.

"Please excuse me, Honored Inquisitor."

"What is it?"

"While the staff prepares the feast you've ordered, in the meantime, we can offer you something for breakfast which will be here around 10 minutes," said the butler.

"Okay."

"Also, Honored Priestess, this box arrived this morning. And as per your orders, we didn't want to disturb you unless it was part of the conditions you mentioned."

Another order that Vivian gave them and she was VERY specific about was that unless it was the Light Saint himself, there was a huge problem like a riot or war happening within the city, or a Priest carrying important news that involves her duties as an Inquisitor, no one was allowed to bother and enter her suite.

"Leave it on the table."

The butler placed the box on top of the coffee table.

"Please excuse me, Honored Priestess," he said and bowed before leaving.

When Vivian was finally all alone, she grabbed the box and inspected it.

The box was sealed with a special tape from the Inquisitory Division and also stamped with an Inquisitor's Seal.

Inquisitor Freed…?

So he's in charge of the letters…?

Or is he the one sending me a letter…?

Vivian ripped out the seal and opened the box.

There were four envelopes inside the box and she picked them up.

The first one was from Franz.

Franz…?

Why does this name sound familiar…?

Ever since Vivian received the [Belle of the Training Camp] and the number of people who wanted to be associated with her increased, she submitted a petition that only the official summons approved by the Temple of Priests and people she personally knew could send her letters.

Oh, right…

It's that stalker who cornered me…

She put the envelope down.

I'll just read it once I have time…

The second one was from Felize.

Aside from putting a restraining order to prevent anyone from approaching her unless it was official Temple of Priests' business, she also made sure that she would only receive letters and gifts she personally knew. Her classmates were included on the list since they weren't that many.

Vivian tore the envelope's seal and took out Felize's letter.

A small smile broke on her face as she read the letter.

The letter was not only from Felize but also from Torr and Gaze.

Although Vivian didn't instruct them, they knew her personality that she hates small talk and would only find it annoying if each of them were to send a letter to her so they decided to only send one letter through Felize.

As for the letter, it was a simple one which consisted of only three topics.

The first topic was of them thanking her for the five Magic Items they received from Grace. 

The second topic was them praying that she was in good health and asking her how she was.

And the last and final topic was of them sharing some news about Luxen City.

I'm happy that those kids received the Magic Items I gave them…

Hmm…

I wonder how much these kids spent to send a letter…

Although she had no idea what's the cost of sending letters, as an Adventurer herself, she knew how low the pay was for Copper I Rank adventurers.

So the Fifth Queen and her son haven't returned yet and are now being branded as heretics…

She shook her head.

Why should I even care about this…?

Nevertheless, at least these kids would be a good source of information outside of the Temple of Priests…

Thanks to classes she has taken from Basic Training and Course Training, she now has a general idea -- at least from the Temple of Priests' viewpoint -- of the organizations in this world.

When it comes to the "good" or "legal" organizations, the Adventurer's Guild can be considered the strongest non-political organization that they even have branches on demon-kin lands.

It would be nice if the strength and rank of these kids were higher so that they could offer a wider range of information…

Vivian scoffed.

Had I chosen stronger and higher-ranking Adventurers or even just one Adventurer, the cost to buy and maintain their loyalty would be higher…

I think I just have to continue nurturing these kids…

Yeah, I got lucky with these kids…

Weak, but they seem to have a good head on their shoulders…

I just hope they won't die though…

That would be a waste of my time and energy investing…

She grabbed a pen and paper to send a reply.

Her reply was simple.

The first part was thanking them and answering their question about how she was.

And the second part was her telling them that due to the nature of her mission in the Holy Crusade -- without mentioning that she was part of the Inquisitory Division -- she wouldn't be able to receive another letter until her contract ends.

She folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope, sealed it with her stamp and then placed it inside the box.

After graduating from the Course Training, she was given a couple of items. Two of them were stamps: a Crusader Stamp and an Inquisitor Stamp. The Crusader Stamp was a stamp that had her name intended for personal letters. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor Stamp had her Inquisitor name "Monad" intended for official Holy Crusade business would only be valid until her contract ends.

Vivian was about to grab another letter when she heard a knock on the door.

Knock.

Knock.

"Room service," said a female voice behind the door.

Tch!

She clicked her tongue before getting up and answering the door.

When she opened the door, it was the maid from earlier and she was pushing a cart carrying her breakfast.

"Greetings, Honored Inquisitor. This is your breakfast while we prepare the feast that you ordered."

Vivian moved away so that the made could push the cart inside.

"You don't have to do that," Vivian said when she noticed that the maid was preparing the breakfast. "I can do it myself. Thank you."

"Yes, Honored Inquisitor. Please ring the bell in case you need anything else," the maid said and curtsied before leaving.

When the maid left, Vivian checked the food.

Although there were deserts and other treats, Vivian's eyes were on the wine two bottles and she picked one up.

"How thoughtful. I was thinking they would give the wine bottle during the feast."

She removed her mask, grabbed two muffins and then wolfed them down before finally heading back to the sofa.

She picked up another envelope.

This time it was from Kara which consisted of four parts.

The first part, she asked about how Vivian was doing.

The second part was her praying to the God of Light that Vivian would pass the Training Course for the Inquisitory Division.

The third part she talked about her life at the Infantry Division's Training Course and the interesting things that happened. She also mentioned that she was with Uliah, Crew and Zean.

And the last part, she talked about hoping that they would bump into each other during the Holy Crusade. But if that doesn't happen, they could just meet at Luxen City after the Holy Crusade.

After reading the letter, she put it down and then grabbed a pen and paper.

Her reply was simple.

She wished Kara and the rest were in good health. And then next, she told her that she wouldn't be able to reply due to the nature of her mission as an Inquisitor and would only receive unofficial letters once her contract ends.

She folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope, sealed it with her Crusader Stamp and then placed it inside the box.

Vivian picked up another envelope.

This time it was from Marie.

Her…?

Do I really have to read this…?

She thought about it for a minute.

Hmm…

Kara is friends with Marie…

And we're all part of the same Chapter Temple…

It would be so awkward if they found out that I replied to Kara but not to Marie and then we all bumped into each other at Luxen City once our contract ends…

Vivian begrudgingly opened and read Marie's letter.

The contents of the letter were similar to Kara's letter. The only difference between them Marie was part of the Sea Division.

Vivian grabbed a pen and paper.

In her reply, there were only two topics.

The first part was her wishing Marie and Elena were in good health and asking how they were.

The second part, since Kara and Marie are friends and are bound to write to each other, and Kara was aware that Vivian applied for the Inquisitory Division, she decided to tell Marie straight away that she became an Inquisitor and won't be able to receive unofficial letters until her contract ends.

After writing the letter, she folded it, placed it inside an envelope, sealed it with her Crusader Stamp and then placed it inside the box.

Vivian picked up another letter.

This time it was from Joshua, causing her brows to knit together.

What kind of problem is it gonna be this time…?

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

By the way, I posted some Chapter Drafts at P-a-t-r-e-o-n. And to view them, you can read them at…

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Please note that the chapters posted there are only drafts. So when those said Chapter Drafts will be published here, there will be some edits. They also involve a few secret outline notes/details that I won't publish here because they contain spoilers or dispel some of the mysteries. And at the moment, Chapter Drafts 273-277 are posted there.

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