Third Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint (2)

2:13 p.m.

Scrape…

Scrape…

Vivian was in her office and cleaning her nails.

I need to buy another pair of gloves…

That stupid blue-haired pervert destroyed one of my other pairs…!

She placed the nail file down and inspected her left hand.

"Hmm… Needs a little bit more."

She picked up the nail file.

Scrape…

"There!"

Hmm…

I think I'm gonna need to buy nail polish…

But I wonder what color should I buy…?

She opened one of the drawers of her desk and picked up a hand mirror.

My hair is brown right now…

Do women try to match the color of their fingernails with their hair…?

Or do they match it with something…?

She adjusted her Inquisitor Half-Mask.

Perhaps the eyes…?

She shook her head.

"Idiot."

People back in my original world only had dark brown, brown, green and blue eyes…

I don't recall any woman -- at least the sane ones -- matching it with their eye color…

So what do they match it with…?

She thought about it for a minute.

I like red or black, though…

Purple also doesn't seem a bad color…

She rolled her eyes.

Whatever…!

She continued checking herself in the mirror and adjusted her mask.

I should definitely also buy a small standing mirror as well…

Having to pick up this mirror every time I need to check myself is just super annoying…

So 2 full-body mirrors, 2 small standing mirrors-- wait…!

Is it really called standing mirrors…?

Perhaps desk mirrors…?

What do they call it…?

Anyways, I'm sure they have one...

I swear to God I'm going to throw a fit if they don't have one…

She put down the hand mirror and picked up a bottle of hand sanitizer.

Since I'll be doing some massive shopping spree, I don't have to be concerned about using too much of this…

Psssh.

Psssh.

She sprayed a healthy amount on her hands and rubbed them together.

Next one…

She picked up the mirror once again.

Smooch.

She made a kissing gesture with her red-painted lips.

My lipstick still looks good…

My makeup still looks great also…

Having eaten some blue-colored nervous systems last night, she didn't have to wear that much makeup. On top of that, her spell [Greater Origin Transformation] puts her skin in its best optimal condition for her age.

She turned her head to the side to inspect her bob haircut or what she would like to refer to as Jill Valentine's haircut.

Ugh…

I think I should also re-color my hair tonight…

I can already see the real color of my hair on the roots…

"This is just so embarrassing. I'm supposed to be beautiful but I'm destroying my beauty. What a fucking loser."

But then again…

They say that beauty doesn't come cheap…

Knock.

Knock.

There was a knock on her door and she turned her attention to it.

"Come in."

Ka-cha!

The door opened and Juana entered.

"Sister Inquisitor Monad! Pardon me for the disturbance but your assistance is requested at the South Gate."

Vivian raised an eyebrow as she stared at her and then suppressed the urge to smile.

This woman…

She's not that she has to chop off a piece of meat her poor little pet every day for me to eat…?

Or perhaps they're chopping another Draghorn…?

At this border checkpoint, Juana wasn't the only one who had a Draghorn. There were actually two and another flying creature for transport.

She let out a small chuckle.

But then again, what can they do…?

What can these humans do…?

"Why, sister?"

"There's a group of suspicious people trying to cross the checkpoint."

"I see. Give me a moment."

Vivian returned the hand mirror inside the drawer and grabbed a bottle of cologne.

Psssh.

Psssh.

After spraying herself, she returned the nail file, hand sanitizer and cologne inside the drawer, and then wore her gloves before finally getting up and heading over to Juana who waited in silence. 

"Shall we, Sister High Sergeant~?" Vivian asked with a very sweet smile on her face, catching Juana off guard for a moment.

"Yes, Sister Inquisitor."

***

Vivian and Juana stepped out of the Main Office Building and they immediately headed to the South Gate. 

Beside the gate, Anthony was holding papers and talking to a man in his late 20s dressed in an intricate set of leather and plate armor and a flamboyant hat with feathers. Meanwhile, the Guards were guarding a group of 6 people who were also wearing a set of leather and plate armor. And among the 6 people that were waiting, 5 of them were riding an animal called Karfax each while one was riding a cart with a Karfax in front of it.

As Vivian and Juana got closer, the animals became restless, causing everyone, especially the Guards to be on high alert.

Fortunately, the 6 people managed to calm the animals.

Vivian paid no attention and continued walking towards the South Gate.

Anthony noticed both women and decided to meet them halfway before offering a salute.

"Sister Inquisitor, thank you for coming. These people are trying to cross the border but we're not sure of their story so we need your verdict."

Vivian made a quick glance at the people near the gate, especially the man in his late 20s dressed in an intricate set of leather armor and with a flamboyant hat whom Anthony was talking with earlier.

"Give me an overview of the situation."

"Those people over there are a Mercenary group called Nessuno and they're from the La Spada Kingdom. Their contract with Marquis Ferita of the La Spada Kingdom ended and they've decided to go to the Marbleam Kingdom to find work. But on their way here, they encountered a group of demon-worshipers at the Great Plains of Stanza and defeated them. We've already checked the Affinity of the corpses -- they're all Lesser Demons."

Vivian's brows knitted together behind her mask.

Huh…?

I don't get it…

Shouldn't we just take the bodies and pay them the reward, and then have one of the Air Division members deliver the bodies to the nearest village or town for interrogation…?

"So what's the issue? "

"I don't know if you're familiar with this Mercenary group called Nessuno, but they're quite famous and also notorious for participating in the rivalry between Nobles and the demon-kins in the Southern Continent."

Oh…

Hmm…

As far as I know, Adventurers and Mercenaries are both not allowed to participate in politics…

The only difference between them is that…

Adventurers specialize in hunting plants, animals and monsters…

Meanwhile, Mercenaries specialize in hunting people or humanoid targets…

And because they specialize in hunting humanoid targets, it's inevitable that their missions usually fall in the gray area of politics, giving Mercenaries a poor reputation compared to Adventurers…

"Okay. And?"

Anthony's eyes blinked a few times and then he cleared his throat.

"Sister, please use your [Halo] because I believe that these people may have contact with demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics," he said and then lowered his voice. "And perhaps you can use them for the OTHER request you made."

A puzzled look appeared on Vivian's face.

Other request I made…?

She then realized what he meant.

Oh…

Right…

I told Lennon that I wanted to capture some people who could speak the demon-kin language…

That fast, huh…

"Do they have any criminal records?"

"They don't. But it's not rare for Mercenaries to have connections with demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics."

If I used [Halo] on them without any valid reason and they turned out to be innocent, if they decide to file a complaint to the La Spada Kingdom and Marbleam Kingdom, we would be the ones in trouble…

Or to be specific, I would have to deal with so much paperwork and possibly even be called to head over to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint…

That's too much of a hassle…

"Do we have any records of these people on the Memory Crystal?"

Based on what she has learned during Basic Camp and at the Training Camp, although the Memory Crystal is a useful tool for storing information, the problem with it is that anyone can access it. And if the person has enough knowledge about Memory Crystals, they can also tamper it. This is why people in this world still rely on manually recording things on paper.

"We do. That's where I got their records. We also have written records but we have to issue a request back at the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint."

"Forget about that. Where are their traveling papers?"

Anthony handed the papers on his hand over to her.

There were several details written on the papers and she reviewed them one by one.

This is my first time viewing traveling papers…

So there's a section that's written in Zonian…?

There were sections written in Zonian, Marbleamean and La Spadian.

How thoughtful…

And wow…

I didn't know it was this strict…

There were names, ages, Magic Affinities, addresses, Classes and many more.

She continued reviewing the papers until one caught her eye.

Emiliano Acqua, huh…

No middle name…?

Light, Dark and Poison…

Both his Physical and Magic Force are Rainbow Steel…

And his Class is Bard…

This guy seems to be the strongest out of the bunch…

She resumed reviewing and then noticed a letter that was written in La Spadian.

I can't read this…

"That's a letter addressing the contract of the Mercenary group Nessuno under Marquis Ferita of the La Spada Kingdom," said Anthony. "It mentions the dates of their contract and is stamped with a number of official seals, including from the Marquis."

Vivian compared the seals from the other papers.

This one right here must be the Marquis' seal…

There's also the seal of the officer from the Second Outer Stanza Border Checkpoint…

She continued reviewing the papers until she was finally satisfied.

All seems legit…

The document signed by the Second Outer Stanza Border Checkpoint even mentions that they didn't have any demon-worshiper bodies with them…

So they truly encountered and killed those demon-worshipers at the Great Plains of Stanza…

"Tell their leader to come to me."

"Yes, Sister Inquisitor," Anthony said and then turned to a man he spoke with earlier. "Mercenary! The Sister Inquisitor wishes to speak with you!"

The man went over to him and Vivian. He flashed a smile and removed his hat before offering an elegant bow.

"Greetings, Honored Priestess Inquisitor, it's an honor to be in your holy and esteemed presence. My name is Emiliano Acqua and I am the leader of this humble Mercenary group called Nessuno," he spoke in Zonian.

If Vivian were to describe the man in front of her, he had red hair and in terms of looks, he was a bit above average but he had that rogue-like demeanor that could spark a woman's interest, something akin to a bad boy persona.

His accent…

It reminds me of the accent of that human merchant I met at the Great Plains of Stanza…

What was his name again…?

She tried to recall it but couldn't remember.

Whatever…!

"Where are you from?"

"My companions and I come from different places but are mainly operating in the La Spada Kingdom. However, if you're asking where I grew up, it's in a town called La Collina in the La Spada Kingdom."

"Mind your tongue, Mercenary," Anthony said with a cold voice.

"Please forgive me, Honored Priest. It wasn't my intention at all to disrespect the Honored Priestess Inquisitor," Emiliano said and bowed.

"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing, Mercenary?"

"It is not, Honored Priest," Emiliano said as he lowered his head further.

Vivian raised her hand, indicating for Anthony to stop.

Anthony raised his chin and looked at Emiliano who was still bowing with a barely disguised disgusted look.

"Who or what was your last employment?" Vivian asked. "And you may raise your head, Mercenary."

Emiliano raised his head and looked at Vivian.

"Honored Priestess Inquisitor, my group and I worked as one of the personal bodyguards of Marquis Ferita of the La Spada Kingdom, ruler of Sangue Town and Piange Village, for a year."

She glanced at the document on her hand before returning her gaze to Emiliano.

"Why only a year?"

"It was the contract he gave us."

She then glanced at the rest of Emiliano's companions.

There were a total of 6 of them -- 5 were riding a Karfax, while 1 was riding a cart with a Karfax in front of it.

She moved to the cart.

There were 4 corpses and each of them wrapped with blankets or what seemed to be blankets.

These must be the demon-worshiper corpses…

She returned her gaze to Emiliano.

"Where did you meet these demon-worshipers again?"

"At the Great Plains of Stanza, two nights ago, Honored Priestess Inquisitor."

"Are you affiliated with any demon, demon-kin, the Cult of Infinity or heretic?"

"I won't say my group and I are affiliated with such individuals, but as Mercenaries mainly operating in the Southern Continent, it isn't common for us to encounter beings like them while working -- sometimes we kill and then capture them for the rewards, other times we just try to mind our own business if they're too powerful in order to survive another day."

Her eyes turned to slits as she studied Emiliano's face for almost a minute before turning to Anthony.

"Did you use [Halo] on them?"

"Not yet."

"Let them pass," she said before turning away and heading back to the Main Office Building.

Anthony's eyes became wide and his jaw dropped.

"Thank you for your kindness, Honored Priestess Inquisitor," Emiliano said and offered another bow.

Anthony turned to Emiliano with a disgusted look.

"Stay where you stand, Mercenary!"

Without waiting for a reply, he shifted his gaze to Vivian and then jogged to her side.

"Sister Inquisitor, what is happening?"

Vivian stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Sister, those people are heretics, traitors against humanity. It's not rare for Mercenaries to have connections with demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and the heretics. So you have to use [Halo] on them to really make sure."

What…?

What the fuck is this guy saying…?

Wait…!

Now that I think about it…

This guy…

His accent…

It's similar to the ones from the Holy Kingdom…

Oh…

"Brother, I am an Inquisitor. My main goal is to root out any form of corruption within the Temple of Priests based on facts and logic," she said and then projected a killing intent. "Or perhaps you're in cahoots with Lamont and trying to lure me into a political trap?"

Anthony's face became pale as a ghost and he wore a painful expression as he held onto his Class Crystal hanging on his chest and took a step back.

"L-Lure you into a political trap…? I have and will always be a faithful and loyal servant of the God of Light… How could you even ask me that…?"

Vivian's killing intent vanished and she blinked her eyes a couple of times as she stared at him with a dumbfounded look and was speechless.

"Sister, I will admit that I have no solid proof. But I truly believe that Emiliano and his group could be affiliated with demons, demon-kins, the Cult of Infinity and heretics because they're Mercenaries who would serve anyone who pays them well and they're from the Southern Continent. And since they are quite a powerful group and you're also powerful, I was thinking that it would be wise for you can use [Halo] on them so that we can really make sure. I swear to the God of Light and all of the Light Saints, especially the first Light Saint, His Holiness Priest N'eua, that that is the truth…!"

She let out a sigh.

"Brother, since you've helped with in the past and you and I are both LOYAL and FAITHFUL members of the Temple of Priests, I will let this pass. However, if you put me in a pointless situation again where you suspect someone of a crime and your only evidence is based on FEELINGS and OPINIONS, you're the one I'm going to arrest for trying to manipulate an Inquisitor."

She resumed heading back to the Main Office Building without hearing his reply.