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Novus 18, 3023, Day of Satur, 8:31 a.m.
Main Office Building, Inquisitory Division Headquarters, Holy City.
Ka-cha, ku-chud.
Blanch entered his main office and closed the door behind him.
His personal assistant or secretary, who was sitting behind a desk, got up and lowered her head.
"Good morning, Honored Priest Inquisitor Blanch."
Blanch nodded.
"Good morning, too, Ruth," he said as he made his way to his private office.
Ruth raised her head.
"I've left today's letters and documents on your desk, and there are 2 letters that urgently need your attention."
When Blanch reached the door to his private office and placed his hand on the doorknob, he stopped and turned to her.
"Any meetings?"
Ruth shook her head.
"No scheduled meetings for today at the moment. But I will immediately inform you if one comes up."
Ka-cha, ku-chud.
Blanch opened the door to his office and stepped in. He removed his Gold Cloak and then hung it on a rack before heading over to his seat behind a desk. There, laid on top of his desk, were the neatly arranged piles of envelopes and documents that his secretary had mentioned.
It wasn't uncommon for him to receive this amount. On the contrary, he would find it alarming if he didn't receive piles of envelopes and documents every day.
And as for the "urgent letters", it also wasn't uncommon, because he receives those types of letters every 2-3 weeks.
He finally sat in his seat and then scanned through the envelopes and documents until he found the one he was looking for.
It was an envelope addressed to him by Michelle.
Riiip…
He tore the envelope and there were several letters inside it. After reading the letters, he placed it down.
So it's the same thing…
When Sister Vivian was here in the Holy City, a family and a Sister from the Orion Chapter Temple disappeared…
With the family, all of their belongings inside the house were still there except for some coins that the family kept…
Meanwhile, for the Sister, she was in Basic Training and all of her belongings were still inside the shared room in the Female Dormitory…
When she was at Plano Town, a family disappeared…
But this time, nothing was taken…
And then at She'kel Village, another family disappeared while she was there…
And just like at the previous family in Plano Town, nothing was taken…
Moreover…
A Guard on patrol suddenly disappeared on the night of Octus 27…
On the morning of Octus 30, she was spotted entering She'kel Village through the Eastern Gate…
However, there were no records of her leaving She'kel Village…
The only time she was spotted and recorded leaving She'kel Village was on the night of Octus 31, when she was summoned back here…
And she arrived here on the morning of Novus 1…
And what's peculiar about that, she didn't ask for a mount or a carriage to escort her here…
She reportedly just ran…
Why…?
And why did it take her around 12 hours to reach here…?
She's capable of defeating a retired Brother with 3 Magic Arts and She'kel Village is less than 100 miles away from the Holy City…
Where did she go…?
What did she do…?
And the sudden disappearances of these families…
This can no longer be a coincidence…
I even tried looking at their backgrounds…
The only 2 common things about them is that they're not Nobles and they're normal families…
Also, they all disappeared at night without bringing anything with them and telling anyone…
They just disappeared…
Chaos Demon ritual sacrifice…?
I've already checked if she has Lesser Chaos or Chaos back when she was here for the Training Course…
So she's trying to summon a Greater Demon to get [Chaos Mastery]…?
But no blood was found, not even when the Sister from the Orion Chapter Temple disappeared…
So where is she taking them…?
How is she moving them…?
Not only that…
A lot of environmental destruction also happens near her location…
There was also the massacre at the Northwest Exit Outpost…
He let out a sigh.
There's all this evidence…
But because she has 4 Magic Art Affinities, her Physical and Magic Force are quite high, and Brother Inquisitor Pen is so infatuated by her, I can't just move…
He decided in his head.
I'm sorry, Brother, but I have to do what I have to do…
His gaze landed on the 2 "urgent" envelopes that his personal assistant mentioned, and then he picked one.
Riiip…
He ripped the envelope and took out the letter. As he read the letter, his eyes widened.
"A giant and powerful Lesser Demon with [Halo]…?"
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Ka-cha.
It opened and it was his personal assistant.
"Honored Priest Inquisitor, there are 2 Honored members of the Temple of Priests who wish to see you. One of them is an Honored High Priestess."
Blanch knitted his brows behind his full-mask, trying to recall who it could be. Several faces appeared inside his head, and then important or sensitive information about them or related to them popped up.
"When do they want to see me?"
"I believe right now, Honored Priest Inquisitor. They're currently waiting outside."
"Give me 10 seconds before sending them in."
Ruth lowered her head.
"Yes, Honored Priest Inquisitor," she said and then left.
Vooom!
In the blink of an eye, Blanch kept the letters and documents on his desk inside one of the drawers of his desk, and also put on his Gold Cloak before returning to his seat.
Ka-cha.
The door opened, and it was a Red Cloak Priestess and a White Cloak Priest, who were both wearing a "Visitor Mask", which was a full-mask but had a red-colored sun on their forehead.
But what caught Blanch's eye immediately wasn't the Red Cloak of the Priestess, the Visitor Masks the two visitors were wearing, or the slim suitcase that the White Cloak Priest was carrying. Instead, his attention was drawn to the hair color of the Red Cloak Priestess.
White.
Golden Family…
Blanch got up from his seat.
"Welcome, High Sister and Brother, and may the God of Light always watch over you."
The Red Cloak Priestess nodded.
"May the God of Light always watch over you as well, Brother Inquisitor," she said in a Luxenian accent.
The White Cloak Priest gave a slight bow.
"May the God of Light always watch over you as well, Brother Inquisitor," he said in a Luxenian accent.
Blanch's eyes bounced between the Red Cloak Priestess and the White Cloak Priest.
Both from the Luxen Chapter Temple…
Both in their late 20s…
He focused on the Red Cloak Priestess.
There's only one person I know who is from the Luxen Chapter Temple, has white hair, in their late 20s, and a Red Cloak…
High Sister Grana from the Mano de Luz family…
He then focused on the White Cloak Priest.
And if what the rumors say are true…
Then this person must be Brother Joshua from the Doherty family…
He gestured towards the 2 vacant seats in front of his desk with his hand.
This is unexpected…
"Please, have a seat."
When Grana and the Priest sat down, he sat down.
"What pleasure do I owe this visit?"
"You're a hard man to find, Brother High Captain Inquisitor Blanch. I had to pull a lot of strings just to track a Brother of your caliber. Or would you prefer to be called Brother Inquisitor Hound? Or perhaps Brother Inquisitor Rake? Personally, I prefer the 'Hound'. This current one, 'Blanch', every time I think about it or say it, it makes me think of some bland dressing for a salad," Grana said.
Blanch offered a slight bow.
"I'll take that as a compliment, High Sister Grana."
There was a silent pause in the air.
"How's work?" Grana asked.
"Same as usual. Yours?"
"The same. Tell me, Brother Inquisitor, how is one of my Sisters doing in your Division?"
"You know how the Holy Crusade works. I cannot disclose any private or personal information of an active Inquisitor."
"Has she already been lured into your Faction?"
"Although I already mentioned that I cannot disclose any private or personal information of an active Inquisitor, I believe I don't know who exactly you're referring to."
"You know who I'm talking about."
"You're giving me too much credit, High Sister."
"Are you aware of the monster attack incident at Siera Village that happened back in Julus this year?"
"Yes."
"Do you know an Inquisitor who goes by the name 'Inquisitor Lease'?"
Blanch didn't say anything or give any reaction.
Grana turned to Joshua. He opened the suitcase he was carrying, took out a large envelope filled with documents, and then placed it on the desk.
"Inquisitor Lease was the Commanding Officer in charge of the Squad sent by the Holy Kingdom under the Holy Crusade to investigate the monster attack incident in Siera Village," Grana said.
Blanch continued not to say anything and simply stared at the large envelope.
"Inside that folder is a compilation of all of the reports done by the Branch Chapter Temple in Siera Village, the Knights Chapter Office in Siera Village, the Count's forces, the Adventurers Guild in Siera Village, the Holy Crusade, the Luxen Chapter Temple's Investigative Unit, the Twin Kingdom's Special Investigative Force, and the Adventurer Guild from Luxen City regarding that incident.
"And since you're a High Captain, I'll give you a little hint: There's a VERY SPECIAL REASON why I've specifically arranged them in that order."
Grana got up from her seat.
"I pray to the God of Light that what they said about you is true… Brother Cassius."
And then exited the room.
Ka-cha.
Joshua got up from his seat and gave a slight bow.
"Brother Inquisitor."
And then followed Grana.
Ku-chud.
Knock, knock.
Just as Blanch was about to let out a sigh and relax, there was a knock on the door.
Ka-cha.
"Honored Priest Inquisitor, Honored Priest Inquisitor Pen wishes to see you at his office," Ruth said.
***
Ka-cha!
Blanch entered Pen's private office and there was another Gold Cloak Inquisitor sitting at one of the vacant chairs in front of Pen's desk.
The Gold Cloak Inquisitor was a man in his mid-40s with soft brown medium-length hair.
Brother Inquisitor Freed…
He used to be Inquisitor Lease not long ago…
Blanch made his way to Pen and Freed.
When he renewed his Contract last Aurgus, after dealing with the monster attack case in Siera Village, he changed his name to Freed…
And ever since then, he refused to take any Field Mission and preferred to just teach in the Training Course…
He saluted.
"Brother Inquisitors."
Freed nodded.
"Brother Inquisitor," he said with a Twinian accent.
Pen simply nodded.
Blanch then sat down at the other vacant chair in front of the desk.
"We shall now begin the meeting," Pen said.
Freed and Blanch didn't say anything.
"Both of you are among the few remaining veteran experts when it comes to demons and Chaos that aren't currently in a Field Mission.
"So yes, the Field Mission that I'm sending you both is a highly classified and sensitive one related to demons and Chaos. Both of you are to delegate your responsibilities here in the headquarters to the other Inquisitors in the headquarters for the time being.
"The incident happened last night and many details are still unknown. But at the moment, all we know is this:
"Last night, around 10:00 p.m., at the Great Plains of Stanza, joint platoons consisting of Crusaders, Knights and Guards encountered a powerful Lesser Demon capable of transforming more than 30 meters and is also capable of using [Halo]."
"Out of the known 40 Crusaders, Knights and Guards who engaged with the demon, only less than 5 managed to survive. It wasn't because they were able to stand their ground or they managed to escape, they simply got lucky that enough of their body parts were found for them to be resurrected.
"Moreover, many Crusaders, Knights and Guards who weren't present at the battle still managed to witness the Lesser Demon using [Halo] from miles away because of its massive 30 meters plus size. And right now, to avoid any mass panic or hysteria that may arise not only from the Crusaders, Knights and Guards, but also among the civilian population, a gag order will be issued, preventing anyone from talking about it unless they have a special order. Those who will violate the gag order will face serious consequences.
"Both of you are to head over to the Fifth Inner Stanza Border Checkpoint to conduct a swift and thorough investigation about that Lesser Demon without causing any mass panic or hysteria among the Crusaders, Knights, Guards and civilians.
"Do you have any questions?"
"I have one," Blanch said.
Pen nodded, telling him to ask.
"Is there a time limit?"
Pen shook his head.
"No, but the higher-ups want answers as quickly as possible. They were already impatient for answers when the Second Stanza Western Barracks was destroyed. And last night, we've lost several Captain, High Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Rank Crusaders and Knights that some of the families are already threatening to conduct their own investigations and pulling their younger family members out of the Holy Crusade."
Blanch nodded.
"I understand."
Pen looked at Freed and Blanch.
"If both of you have no other questions, then you may go now. And may the God of Light always watch over you."
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