Training Camp (4)

Day of Satur, 11:34 a.m.

Vivian's days in the Training Camp continued to pass peacefully. 

She was currently at the Mail Office to receive the items she ordered back at the Blacksmith Shop back in the compound where the Temple of Priests lived in Luxen City before joining the Holy Crusade and coming here to the Holy City.

A Priest carried a large and long rectangular-shaped crate and placed it in front of her.

"You're Sister Vivian from the Luxen Chapter Temple?" asked the Priest.

"Yes," replied Vivian.

"Please sign this document," the Priest said and handed the documents to her with a pen.

Vivian quickly signed the papers and handed them back to the Priest.

"Would you like us to help you deliver this package to your dormitory?"

"No thanks. I'll carry it myself," Vivian said as picked up the large crate and placed it on her shoulders.

Vooom.

***

At the female dormitory.

Many eyes and surprised looks were staring at Vivian who was carrying a a large and long rectangular-shaped crate on her shoulders as she walked through the hallway.

Although they knew she was strong, she was still a woman, and a beautiful one at that.

Nevertheless, she paid them no attention.

When she finally arrived at her room, everyone gathered around her.

"You've finally got it?" said Uliah.

"Yeah," Vivian said and placed the crate down.

"I'll go get my dagger!" Kara said and went away.

"I think a mace is better," Sally said and then looked at Diane.

"A dagger is much safer," said Diane.

Samantha, on the other hand, didn't say anything and just stared.

Braaak.

Braakak!

Vivian stabbed her fingers inside the crate and began ripping it apart with her bare hands like it was nothing.

Everyone stared in silence.

Even Kara who was wearing an excited expression and had a dagger on her hand as she came back, immediately lost the excited look on her face and stared in silence.

"I guess that's another way to do it…" said Uliah.

"Sometimes you forget about her strength…" said Sally.

"That's true…" said Diane.

When Vivian was finally done ripping open the crate, the contents were revealed.

Inside was a complete set of a Crusader Armor and a poleaxe which were covered with wood shavings.

The set of armor cost her 50 gold coins and she bought it with a loan. It only cost that much because it was the Crusader Set which was the official armor set for the participants in the Holy Crusade. 

It covered her entire body from top to bottom that only her eyes could be seen from a slit and there were some holes below to help her breathe. The entire armor was color white with gold accents and it had a short yellow cape that ended a couple of inches below her lower back with the symbol of a sun embroidered in shiny gold threads.

If there was any downside to this full-plated set of armor, it was that it was only Mithril grade. Of course, one could buy a higher metal grade but Vivian didn't want to spend too much money. And the reason why it took her this long to receive it was because it was custom-fit, specifically made for her body, and it required at least 7 days to craft.

As for the weapon, it was also Mithril and it cost her 12 gold coins which she bought with a loan as well.

Seeing the items, they all had a confused look on their faces.

"Sister Platoon Leader, are these old items that you had repaired?" asked Sally.

"Huh? What do you mean?" replied Vivian.

"These are all Mithril-grade, right?"

A surprised look on Vivian's face appeared.

"You can tell?"

"Not always, because some items have mixed metals. But with these, based on the gleam of their metal, it looks like it's mostly Mithril."

Based on the gleam of the metal…?

I didn't know that…

"I see. And yes, you're right, they're all Mithril."

A more confused look on their faces appeared.

"Why?" asked Sally.

As far as they can remember, Vivian's Physical Force was Adamantite and her Magic Force was Orichalcum-Adamantite. And although they were correct, that was no longer the case. Her Magic Force was now also Adamantite.

On top of that, looking at the armor, it looked like there weren't any Runes engraved on them.

"Were these gifts from your parents and they hold sentimental value?" asked Kara.

"No, they're all brand new. It's just that I'm not that rich that I can afford Adamantite-grade items," replied Vivian.

Even if I had the money, there's still no point in buying them…

With the rate of speed I'm growing, they'll still break or be nothing but useless trinkets after a week or two…

Sally and Kara's face became pale.

Samantha quickly stepped away and went back to her bunk bed, leaving Sally, Kara, Diane and Uliah.

"S-So your main weapon is a poleaxe, Sister Platoon Leader?" Uliah asked trying to change the subject.

"You could say that. But I really don't like [Spear Mastery]," Vivian replied with a happy look on her face as she took out the items one by one.

"Sister Platoon Leader, I think Sister Sally and Sister Kara would like to help you in disposing of that crate," said Diane.

To be fair, it wasn't like Vivian could just leave an empty and broken crate inside their room, not to mention their room was already filled with unopened gifts from Kara and Uliah's suitors. As for Vivian, she already threw away the gifts she received without even opening them.

Vivian turned to Sally and Kara.

"It's fine. It's not like this is heavy or anything."

Chud.

Diane elbowed Sally.

"Please, we insist! After all, you were carrying that crate and must be feeling tired," said Sally.

"Like I said, this wasn't heavy --"

"I think so too! So please let us dispose of that crate for you!" said Kara.

"Okay, if you guys insist. Thanks," Vivian said and then smiled before returning her focus back to the armor and weapon.

I finally have my own armor…!

Too bad I can't try it right away and go kill things…!

Wait…!

I don't know how to wear this…

She turned to the women.

"Do any of you here can teach me how to wear this armor? This is my first time buying a set of armor."

A look of confusion flashed across the women's faces once more.

Given Vivian's age and strength, they expected her to be a seasoned warrior.

"Leave that to me, Sister Platoon Leader!" said Uliah.

"Thank you!" Vivian said and flashed a sweet and warm smile.

***

Temple of Priests building, Luxen City.

Knock.

Knock.

Joshua knocked on the door before entering.

"You wanted to see me, High Sister?"

Grana, who was sitting behind her desk filled with mountains of paperwork due to the incident at the Royal Palace not long ago, stopped writing and raised her head.

"Yes, brother. Please take a seat."

Joshua made his way to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down.

"Do you know a Priestess called Vivian?" asked Grana.

"Vivian?"

Joshua tried to recall his memories for a moment.

"If you're referring to Sister Vivian who has purple hair and recently joined the Temple, then yes. I know her because I was the one who recruited her a couple of weeks ago."

He even got a bonus for it.

"Do you know how many Affinities she has?"

He tried to recall his memories once more.

"As far as I know, she at least has the Light Affinity."

Grana nodded.

"That's true. It also says in our record that she has Fire and Wind as well."

Joshua didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure where was this conversation heading.

"Brother Joshua. When you recruited her, did you ask how many Affinities she had?"

"No, High Sister."

As one of the Priests assigned at the reception hall of the Temple of Priests building at Luxen City, their main priority was to recruit people with Light Affinity in order to monopolize the Magic Art spells of the said Affinity.

"You mentioned that you were the one who recruited her and it was a couple of weeks ago, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you know she became a White Cloak and joined the Holy Crusade?"

"Yes, I was in contact with Sister Annabelle and Brother Ezekiel in order to persuade her to join the Holy Crusade. I was even surprised that she became a White Cloak in such a short time." 

"I've received a report from the Holy City. And according to their report, Sister Vivian has 4 Magic Affinities -- Light, Lightning, Wind and Poison. There no was Fire."

A surprised expression appeared on his face.

"Four Magic Art Affinities?!" 

In his mind, if Vivian had 4 Affinities, then that would mean she was on the level of people like Isaac and Lucius or a Baron and Viscount from the noble society.

"It is what the report says," said Grana.

"Is it all True Affinities or are there Fake ones included?" 

"All True Affinities."

Joshua's mouth was left open.

"And that's not all," said Grana. "Did you know that her current Physical Force is Adamantite and her Magic Force is Orichalcum-Adamantite?"

"What?"

Joshua remembered that he used [Halo] on Vivian and it worked. However, his Magic Force was Orichalcum.

"Anyhow, because of this, the Holy City wants us to send all of our information about her to them. But the more I read the file we have here about her background, the more questions I have."

"Questions, High Sister?"

"It says on her background that around 2 months ago, the village she was born and raised in was attacked by monsters and only a handful of people survived. In her case, her whole family died, including her husband and children. She then moved to Bridge Town to join the Temple of Thieves and became an Adventurer after that. And then about a month later, she moved here to Luxen City and joined the Temple of Priests."

"I don't understand what's confusing about that, High Sister."

"According to reports, during her time as an Adventurer back in Bridge Town, she didn't showcase any exceptional qualities and she only had Fire and Poison. She even struggled with the quests there.

"But when she came here to Luxen City, she was soloing quests and completing it. However, she got suspended for 2 weeks due to an incident where she used violence while apprehending a suspected to be a demon--worshipers within the grounds of the Adventurer's Guild."

"Ah yes, it was Mrs. Belfair and her sons. When she came here, I was the one who helped her deal with it," said Joshua. "But High Sister, what's the point? I'm still not getting it."

"The point here is that how is possible she was struggling with Copper I Rank quests back in Bridge Town but when she came here at Luxen City, she started soloing the quests and now it turns out her Physical Force is Adamantite-grade and Magic Force is Orichalcum-Adamantite grade? Her growth is too fast."

Joshua thought about it for a minute.

Even he was confused because he clearly remembered how clueless Vivian was about Magic Art and Class Magic spells and she was affected by his [Halo].

"High Sister, have you ever heard about the stories of legendary heroes who came from humble beginnings?"

"Legendary heroes?"

"Legendary heroes, notable figures or whatever you want to call it. 

"Anyhow, authors like to paint such people with humble beginnings as if as long as someone is hard working, no matter what their background is, they will eventually rise up.

"But what those authors fail to highlight in those stories is that all of those supposedly legendary heroes with humble beginnings had a natural-born talent, gift or whatever you want to call it within them which could propel them to become legendary heroes.

"In the case of Sister Vivian, whether she was aware of her talents or not, it doesn't matter. But I'm guessing that the attack on her village where she lost all of her family members became an inciting incident for her.

"As a matter of fact, I don't know if you've seen her when she first joined our Temple. She looked quite healthy when I first met her. But each time I see her, she only got thinner and paler.

"So you could say that not only is she talented, but she's also a hard worker -- an extreme one to be specific that her health is literally deteriorating in front of our eyes."

Grana leaned back on her chair and mused.

"Looking at it from that angle, it starts to make sense. And although we don't have a rule where every member must disclose their Affinities except the Light Affinity or if they have 3 True Magic Art Affinities if they don't have the Light Affinity when joining the Temple, I feel sorry for her."

"Why, High Sister?"

"She has 4 Magic Art Affinities. I can only imagine how many people would want to marry her in order to produce talented offsprings. I also wouldn't be surprised if some even go as far as to kidnap her."

Joshua let out a wry smile.

"I'm sorry about my gender…"

"But that's why you're my right hand to advise me whenever there's a topic I'm unsure about," Grana said and smiled.

"I try my best, High Sister," Joshua said and smiled.

Grana leaned forward and began tapping the desk with her fingers.

"How do you think we should deal with her?"

"If I may be bold, High Sister," Joshua said with a serious expression.

"Oh? It's rare to see this type of expression from you," Grana said and smiled.

"Given her talent, we should give her our full support and also not disclose all of her information, especially the one about her explosive growth, before she gets swayed by the Holy Chapter Temple and permanently decides to reside there.

"I can see the Holy Chapter Temple doing that. I will discuss this further with High Brother Lucius."

"Thank you, High Sister," Joshua said and bowed.

"I also want you to set up a meeting with me and Sister Annabelle. I want to know everything she knows about Sister Vivian."

"Yes, High Sister," Joshua said and paused for a moment before continuing. "High Sister, what about the Adventurer's Guild?"

Grana raised an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

"Sister Vivian is an Adventurer. They might also try to sway her to their side."

"Those demon-loving fools? Such a thing won't happen. If they were smart enough to know what to do with their network and resources, they wouldn't have suspended a person like her. As a matter of fact, I think we should be thankful that they suspended her. Whatever she was looking for by wasting her time being an Adventurer, we could offer it to her."

When it came to resources, influence and pure raw destructive power, the Temple of Priests was vastly superior.

However, when it came to versatility and network, because Adventurers was a group of individuals from different Classes and races, they were superior.

A small smile appeared on Grana's face.

"We should offer her the title of nobility."

Adventurers weren't allowed to hold any political position. And if they were a noble and wanted to become an Adventurer, they had to relinquish their title as a noble.

"A wonderful plan, High Sister!" Joshua said with a bright smile. "I believe the nobles here in Luxen City would be delighted that a person like Sister Vivian is part of their circle."

"And even if she refuses to accept the title, we could always find a way to put her in a spot where she has to deal with politics," Grana said with a satisfied look on her face.

"A perfect plan, High Sister. But the only problem here is if the Holy Kingdom offers her something we couldn't offer her, like a high and influential position at the Holy City."

"That's a possibility. But in any case, we should contact her and not disclose everything we know about her to the Holy Chapter Temple. Sister Vivian is ours, not theirs."

Joshua nodded.

"Indeed, High Sister."

Grana leaned back on her chair once more.

"That's all. Don't forget to set up a meeting between me and Sister Annabelle."

"I will do that right away, High Sister," Joshua said and got up from his seat before heading for the door.

"One more thing."

Joshua already had his hand on the doorknob when he stopped and turned to her.

"High Sister?"

"I want you to stay late tonight to do that "thing" with your tongue."

Joshua was taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered.

"Can we reschedule? My wife's not been feeling well lately and my children--"

"Your wife is always not feeling well," Grana said with a sharp and annoyed tone. "And don't try to use your children as an excuse. It's not like you haven't done it before."

Joshua bit his tongue before answering.

"What about your husband…?"

"He's on a trip. But whatever, I expect you to stay late tonight. That's an order."

Joshua let out a sigh of defeat.

"Yes, High Sister Grana."

"Don't worry, I'll cook your favorite food," Grana said and smiled sweetly.

"Yes, High Sister Grana…"

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

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