Disclaimer: Monster Girl Encyclopedia belongs to Kenkou Cross. The events of this fic are purely fictional and are not at all connected to MGE canon.


Chapter 4: Sharpening the Sword of God, Part One

The Inquisition, an organization hellbent on keeping the Chief God's vision enforced.

An infamous group, one both vilified and admired. With members counting around the thousands, yet holding so much sway in the Order.

If you ask me, we're the true bulwark against monsterkind. While the Heroes flaunt their prowess, skill, and influence; we hunt in the shadows and do the dirty work no one wants to acknowledge.

This feared and respected organization is one that I was inducted into, one I had the pleasure of joining. And yet as I stand here in the depths of Lescatie's Order, I found myself horribly disappointed by what I found.

The Inquisition here is weak, their influence waned and their hands cut short. The organization here is on life support with no help coming from the other branches.

Kicked down by Noblemen and petty criminals. This sect of the group would be a laughingstock compared to the other branches.

How pitiful, this won't do.

I was given a broken birdcage, the sparrows barely keeping their nest afloat. Hawks circle around the nest, waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

They think of us as easy prey, insignificant and without a fight left. In a way, I suppose they're right. But we're not at the bottom of the food chain.

Not yet, anyways.

So rejoice then, Vania Myers. I'm fixing this damned organization.

-owo-

It was cold tonight; the cool breeze had full reign in my room. The broken windows did little to stem the freezing cold; the candle lit next to my old rotting desk did little to heat up my body. After spending two days in Lescatie, I've finally managed to grasp the situation we're in. Not gonna lie; it isn't good.

A mere look at this room should be enough to tell people how shitty our situation is. Broken windows, cracked flooring, hell, the candle here flickered and shifted as if it was losing its light. Overall, not the best situation to be in. I pulled out a notebook, one I had brought here for my career, before I began to write and organize my thoughts. I took a small sip of coffee from a cup, we still had this at least.

Here's the situation, the Inquisition in Lescatie is in an extremely tenuous position. Without funds and without support, we're forced to leech off a local crime boss who's taking advantage of our weakened state to his benefit. The nobility is currently ignoring us, but we still have some control over the slums. The main cause of this issue is one word, funding. We don't have a steady source of revenue, and because of that, we had to rely on less scrupulous persons for funding.

I cupped my chin in thought. Usually, funding would come from the government itself. Only the highest authority within the nation had the power to cut it off entirely. And even if Funding from the nation ran dry, the Inquisition would get funding from neighboring sects.

But for some reason, we aren't receiving anything…

Something deeper is going on here. Whoever wants to keep us down in the mud isn't someone to be taken lightly. Salia? No, his reach is far, but it isn't that far. If it were, he wouldn't even need to bother with us. Someone else, then, someone from higher up in the food chain.

I narrowed my eyes as I wrote down my theories. The highest authority in this nation is arguably the Order of the Ice-Flower. Headed by Wilmarina Noscrim, she certainly had the power and influence to do this. From what I've heard, her sway over the masses is ridiculous.

As expected of her, she doesn't disappoint at all.

Even so, it seems somewhat out of character for her to push down the Inquisition. While she certainly had the power to do so, I can't really ascertain the motive as to why. I'll shelf her for now, I don't have enough current information on Wilmarina to make a proper conclusion.

It just didn't seem like her,

If it isn't her, I'll just have to keep looking down the food chain. Other notable factions within Lescatie had the power to do so. The Royal Family was one of them; while diminished, they still held sway over politics. But once again, I just can't ascertain the motive as to why they'd do that. For a monarch to push an organization meant to help them this far down, it just doesn't make any sense.

There were other notable houses that I could suspect. Amaltia, Mystiv, Rosenair, Alberet, Tronmail, and many, many more. There was also the Holy Order of Knights, the acting main military force in Lescatie. Other factions vying for power were also suspected. But until I get information, all I can do is speculate.

A loud sigh escaped my lips, hands stretching as I looked out the broken window. For now, I need to focus on the short term. I need to find a new source of revenue, or else any and all speculation would be worthless, even if I'm right.

I can't strike at an enemy with a blunt blade. After all,

I wry chuckle escaped my lungs, what a piece of work this is. I wondered what my siblings would think about this. Knowing them, they'd either laugh in my face or attempt to assert themselves. They were too busy with their own tasks right now, however,

The same way I'm busy with mine…

Well, regardless. I'm the one here, not them. It falls up to me to fix this damned mess. Looking on at all my notes, I memorized every single detail before I moved the paper over the flame of my candle. I watched as it burnt away, leaving no trace of my thoughts. Before it could possibly turn into a blazing inferno, I dropped the burning paper into my coffee. If the fire didn't burn away the text, the caffeine most certainly did.

Taking my cup, I moved to the window before I dumped the contents down onto the streets. I watched as it fell on the mossy stone walkways below, destroying any evidence of my organized thoughts. My eyes turned to the horizon, watching as I looked at the royal palace on the horizon.

There stood my true goal, my true ambition. My father's purpose, my mission to fulfill. The desire of a monster who shouldn't, and I am his tool for that desire. I sighed, now wasn't the time to think about what my old man wanted. Doing that could take months, maybe even years. He puts too much faith in me,

Father can be awfully demanding.

-owo-

Morning arrived; how did the saying go? A new day, a new me, right? That's how most people view it if we're taking things optimistically. Though, instead of myself changing, I'd rather have my situation change. But that couldn't be helped. Change won't come without action, and action is what's certainly needed. Right now, however, I should go meet up with Vania to see if I have any missions.

Getting up, I did my usual routine. Light warm-ups, some exercise, changing into my uniform, and then stretching my arms out and checking if I looked presentable enough. Satisfied, I gave myself an approving nod and turned to the window of my room to take in some fresh air. That action paused the moment I saw a horse roped at the front.

Huh… wait, we still have horses? I didn't think we'd have the budget for it. Unless it was someone else' and their coming to go and meet up with someone here. Judging by how it's positioned and with it just standing there at the front, I'd assume that to be the case. Again, however, this was all just speculation. The Horse itself looked very poor, the saddle looked uncomfortable to sit on and the reins look like it was going to tear with just a simple movement.

If it was a visit, it wasn't from anyone with money. Maybe I was wrong, maybe we did still have horses but they were just very poorly maintained. If so, I think we'd be better off selling them off to cut costs, especially considering the logistics required to feed and keep just one.

Nevertheless, speculating alone wasn't enough for me to get the information needed. If I wanted to learn, I needed to go and ask. With that in mind, I walked out of my room and moved to Vania's office.

Hopefully, the task she'd set out for me would be rather simple. If I can get it over with in time, then I should have enough to try and investigate the slums a bit. See if there's anything I can use to help the Inquisition.

-owo-

"We have no tasks for you today; you're free to do as you please." Vania's voice cut through the room, her tone sharp yet also evidently tired.

Huh… just my luck, I guess. You'd think that an Organization at the end of its ropes like this would be working its asses off trying to keep it afloat. But I guess with no missions for me to complete. Still, that was slightly confusing. If we were really this far down, then we should be swimming in tasks to try and keep ourselves afloat.

"Wait, there's absolutely nothing? Like… nothing at all?" I asked, head tilting.

Vania just sighed, taking a sip of her coffee before she slouched on her chair. Her red eyes stared straight into my blue ones, eyes piercing through my soul as she spoke. "Look, Inquisitor Ciel. As much as I want to give you one right now, there just isn't any for you to accomplish. We've run dry, all the other Inquisitors have taken the rest."

I furrowed my brows lightly. "Then just let me do what you tasked me yesterday and let me join one of them," I said,

"As much as I'd want to do that, I need you to familiarize yourself with Lescatie on your own. That's another reason why I decided to give you the day off." Vania said,

Well, that made sense I suppose. This also worked well in my case, considering that I wanted to use today to gather information. But before I could do that, I should satisfy my curiosity on a few things first. Namely, that horse in front.

"Do we have a visitor or something?" I asked,

She raised her brow. "You've seen the horse?"

Sharp, very sharp there, Vania.

"It's pretty visible from my room; I just had to look outside my window to see it," I said, sheepishly scratching the back of my head.

"It's not a visitor, Ciel. I had that horse rented for a mission." Vania said, turning to the files on her desk as she took another sip of her coffee.

Rented? I guess that made sense. "A mission? I didn't think we had the funds to reach outside the capital."

"This is a special case. It's a simple escort mission… actually, it's more accurate to say that they're just tagging along." She explained,

"An escort? Why would they need an Inquisitor for an escort?" I asked,

Again, it made no sense to me. As far as we're concerned, the Inquisition doesn't take escort missions. I know that our operations have been put on hold, so it's possible that we're just doing this for extra money. That being said, why would they want an Inquisitor escorting them in the first place?

"Protection, our state's diminished here in the capital but outside, we're still somewhat feared. It would dissuade most bandits if an Inquisitor is involved," She added,

That… made sense, I suppose. The way Roland looked at me back when I entered drilled that into my head. While those in power were comfortable with the state we were in, the common folk were still largely unaware of our diminished power. As far as they're concerned, we're still the powerful and ruthless organization we should be.

"Wouldn't be much help physically," I said,

"Usually, they don't need to be. But I loaned one of our most skilled fighters out there. She should be doing fine." She said,

There was only really one person that could be. Of course, she could be referring to someone else but it was possible that she was referring to Rena Rose. It wouldn't hurt to pry a little, I guess.

"I'm guessing you sent Rena," I commented,

"You're a sharp one, hopefully, you can make use of that noggin of yours a little more." She commented, crossing her arms as she tilted her head.

"Not really sharp; she's the only one I met bearing the same description. Could've been someone else," I said. That wasn't really much of a deduction, she was the only one I knew who seemed like a good fighter while also being female. Unless Rollo was actually… Nah, not entertaining that thought.

"Is that humility, or are you downplaying yourself?" Vania asked,

Is that what you think? It wasn't that hard of a deduction. It was also the one that made the most sense. With her natural charms and ability to fight, she was the perfect choice for a mission like this. Anyone who could see her talents would know this, and luckily the master knew that much as well.

"I don't know how to answer that," Was my answer.

"Regardless, if nothing else then you're free to go." Vania finalized, burying herself in her work once more.

"Just so we're clear, I'm free to do whatever I want. Even if it's just lying down and doing nothing?" I asked,

She huffed, "You can, but that'd be a waste of time. Like I said, you best familiarize yourself with this place. How you use your free time is up to you, just be sure not to waste it."

That's all I needed to hear.

With nothing more to ask and nothing more to say, I got up and fixed my coat. Giving her a short courteous bow, I took my leave. Immediately, I made my way to the courtyard to see if I can catch Rena before she left. Vania said I was free to do as I pleased, in that case…

-owo-

Making my way to the front, I found Rena looking over the horse with a bag on her person and a blade at her hip. She looked like she was about to leave; this could make things a little harder for me. Just as she was about to get on her horse, I moved over and stopped her.

"Hey!" I greeted her, catching her attention as she turned her attention.

"Yo, Ciel!" She greeted back, her charismatic smile in full force. Huh, she stopped calling me Ci. Was it because of what I did yesterday? I wasn't quite sure, and I didn't know how to feel about it. At least she wasn't all that pissed about yesterday anymore? That much was a plus, no matter how minor it might seem.

Still, I needed to make this quick.

"Are you out on a mission?" I asked,

"About to, kind of in a hurry here, so I should-" She began, but I didn't let her finish. There was no need to beat around the bush with her. I'll just be upfront about what I need.

"Can I take over for you?"

Pause, an expected outcome. My proposition would've been ludicrous to a lot of people, that's because it was. I just wanted to see how Rena would react. If she said no, then that's that. I'll just investigate the slums on my own.

"...Why?" She cautiously said,

Okay, not the best answer but not the worst either. She could've said no outright, but that why indicates that she's at least partially interested.

"You uh- saved my ass yesterday and I wanted to thank you. I'd buy you a beer but I don't really have money right now. So I thought I should at least try and do your work for you." I explained.

That's partially the reason why. It wasn't the whole truth. With her meeting with a noble, it could be my chance to try and see the goings on in Lescatie's upper echelons. A chance to see who's responsible for the state Lescatie was in.

She stood there blank-faced, her eyes moving around as she pondered my words. "L-Look, Ciel. As much as I'd want you to do this, it's a pretty sensitive mission."

So she does want me to do it. The look in her eyes mixed with the combination of her words at least tells me that she's tempted. Alright, let's see how far this goes.

"You just have to sit there and escort the nobleman, right? In that case, it should be relatively simple. Besides, I wanted to familiarize myself with the outside a little bit." I said,

"Even still, I can't ask you to"

"Once I get the money, I'll buy you two cups from the tavern." Let's see how she'd take this.

"..."

"..."

She looked up at me, her eyes pondering my offer. Rena was considering it. I fear for this organization if a simple cup of beer tempts you. Regardless, that was my bait and now I wanted to see if she'd take it. She turned to me, eyes narrowing.

Hook.

"Make it three…." She said,

Line.

"Sure,"

Sinker.

"Alright then!" She cheerily said, getting off her horse and turning, patting me on my shoulder. She took out her bag and placed it on my body. "All the information you need is on that bag, the documentation, maps, routes, etc."

I took a small booklet from the bag, opening it to read the contents. My eyes narrowed slightly at a particular name. I was to escort Lady Mia Roulle to the capital for an urgent diplomatic mission. Roulle, now why did that sound familiar…

As I continued to ponder, Rena tossed me an old rustic watch. "Oh yeah, you might want to get going. The schedule's a little tight, and it takes you three hours to get to the mansion if you follow the designated route."

I furrowed my brows; you're saying that now? Regardless, I should have enough time allotted. If I hurry and push the horse to its absolute limits, I might be able to make it. Looking at the map, I widened my eyes at the route I was supposed to take. To reach the Roulle Estate, I needed to pass a forest. Instead of going through it, I had to go around it, giving me an estimated extra hour of travel compared to just going straight through.

I wonder why that is.

"Hey, Rena… is there a reason why I'm taking the long route to the mansion?" I asked,

"Simple, the route straight through is pretty dangerous for lone travelers. There have been numerous incidents of people going missing and banditry. That's why you'll head around and then just go through it when you have a bigger escort with you." She explained.

I nodded at that. If the aptly named Hell Road's Forest wasn't enough indication, Rena's explanation put the nail in the coffin. Banditry and missing people usually would be the type of thing we'd investigate. But with our diminished influence and lack of resources, we couldn't do anything about it. Was it monsters? Possible, but I found that to be unlikely. Having monsters this close to Lescatie's capital was just a bad idea for anyone even remotely interested in its reputation.

If it were monsters, the Order of the Ice-Flower would've likely been swarming all over the place in search of glory or whatever the hell they want nowadays. The most likely people involved are just thugs and bandits, still a threat but not big enough to warrant a response from Lescatie's elite.

"I see," I said, taking a look at the booklet once more before I checked the time on the rustic watch. It'd take me three hours to get to the estate; I had four hours right now, meaning I'd have one extra to spare. In that case, I should use this time to prepare for the journey ahead.

"I'll be off then, have a nice day off!" I said, turning to the armory to get a sufficient weapon for the job. As confident as I was with my hand-to-hand skills, facing an armed group would be a little too much. I needed to arm myself as well if I wanted to be able to do anything.

With a final wave, I went off to fulfill this task. Rena said that I was free to use this day however I pleased, so technically speaking, I'm still following her orders.

Would she be pissed at me?

Most definitely, yes.

Would it be worth it in the end?

That is what we'll have to see.

-owo-

Currently, I was en route to the Roulle Estate, bag on my body and weapon on my back. Out of everything that the armory had in store for me, all of the weapons there were a little insufficient. All except for this sturdy-looking battle-axe that looked strong enough to at least cut through wood. The rest of the weapons looked like they would fall apart after a single swing.

I also took a small dagger with me just in case; I can't be too sure.

Seriously, we need to replace all those things in the armory before anything else.

Regardless, I should still have around 40 minutes considering that I went through the route quickly. At this point, I should be past the forest and just 20 minutes away from the estate. According to the booklet, the escort was urgent, and Lady Mia needed to be in the capital ASAP.

Here I was, taking my sweet time appreciating the wilderness. I probably would've been fired or court-martialed at this rate, but here's my counter-argument, I'm still on schedule. With 40 minutes to spare, I made my way to the end of the forest. As I sped my way there, I found little in the way of eyes around these parts, as expected from a place that's this infamous. No one was going to cross this place without a proper escort.

Let's test how deep inside this forest I can go. Trotting along, I looked around and listened to the surroundings. Silence, nothing but eerie silence; it was like I was trotting through a quiet graveyard. The rumors don't disappoint; this place was creepy.

Looking at my watch, I had 20 minutes left to spare. In that case…

Getting off my horse, I moved to a tree near the side of the road. It was large, towering, and monumental. It would take a herculean effort to move this tree out of the road should… I don't know; somehow fall into the road, then it would take at least a ten-man team to move it away, and even then, it would take at least an hour.

I pulled out my axe, got into position, and started swinging. It would take 15 minutes to cut this tree down, and the 5 minutes left to spare would be me running back to the estate.

Forgive me, Vania, Rena, and Lady Roulle… but this is a necessary step in what I have planned. It's a risk, but one that I'm willing to take.

-owo-

I was 5 minutes late, took a little longer than I expected. I should be nearing the Roulle Estate. The silhouette of a mansion began to show itself on the horizon. Out on the road, a small caravan of carriages and armed guards awaited near the gate. That must be what I'm supposed to escort; I was a little late, so I might not be received well.

There go my attempts at a good first impression.

Trotting through the road, I lifted my hand as I greeted the guards. Some moved to intercept me, but a single man in the front moved to prevent them. He was old, probably in his 60s or 70s, far past the prime that any guard should be in. His eyes turned to me, scanning my from head to toe before he spoke. "Identify yourself!" He ordered.

"Inquisitor Ciel, I'm here for the summons," I answered,

"Inquisitor? So you're the one we requested. You're late." The man said sharply, crossing his hands and staring at me judgingly. I couldn't exactly blame him. I was late, that was all there was to it. I scratched the back of my head, tilting my head slightly before I spoke in an embarrassed tone.

"Sorry, sorry… I'm new to Lescatie, so I got a little lost." I said,

The man perked his brow, head tilting before he spoke. "They sent in a new recruit to escort us?"

"I'm sure you're well aware of the state we're in. They couldn't spare anyone else so you're stuck with me." I answered.

He merely sighed, turning to the carriage behind before he spoke. "Regardless, with you here now that means we can begin. All you need to do is to stay close and follow our lead."

Ordering an Inquisitor around, eh? Something like this would've been unheard of in other parts of the world. But I suppose Lescatie was just a special case. I intend to change that soon, but for now, I need to play along.

"I'll do my best," I answered.

He just gave me a short look before walking off. He didn't even give me his name, how rude. Well, whatever the case with me here I can begin the mission properly. With the armed guards all surrounding the carriage, I'm assuming that that's where Lady Roulle is. Behind it was another wagon, not as ornate as the carriage but I assume that it was filled with valuables. This was a diplomatic mission, and my job was to escort her to the capital. That wagon must be filled with gifts for whoever party they were meeting. What was the nature of this meeting? A marriage proposal? Formal event? It didn't really matter to me. All I cared about was getting her there, and that's what I intend to do.

With a slight detour, of course.

With nothing left to do, the escort officially began.

I positioned myself just at the front of the carriage, with some distance between myself and Lady Roulle. The man who talked to me earlier led the group from the front while I just sat by and watched. No one approached me; no one talked to me, not even a casual hi or hello. But that was to be expected, considering what this mission entailed. My job here was to stay next to the carriage and act as protection; that was it.

I didn't need to talk; I didn't need to do anything else. They would most likely do the bulk of the combat should anything arise.

Still, I didn't just sit idly by. I took this moment to inspect the surrounding caravan and eavesdrop on a few of the guards. All things considered, it was a pretty guarded caravan. Most of the guards were situated near the carriage rather than the wagon. We moved steadily, as fast as we could go without leaving anyone behind.

We were gonna go through the forest, and if the map was in any way correct, then going through there with such a slow pace would still be relatively faster than rushing through the longer route. Whatever this diplomatic mission was, it was an important and timely thing.

If my observation wasn't enough, then the ramblings of the lead man were certainly enough proof to this theory.

"We're gonna be late at this rate. That damned inquisitor took too long to get here,"

"Worry not, My lord. If there are no more interruptions, then we should be able to arrive just before the designated time."

"Even still, those 5 minutes could cost us too much. They couldn't have sent someone with more tact here?"

I'm right here, you know. Your frustrations are understandable, but I don't think complaining about them with me here will solve them. In any case, it was clear that this mission was important to these people. If they invested this much time and energy in this then it must be something of value to them.

Let's see how valuable it exactly is.

As we continued on the road, getting into the forest, the caravan stopped. Looking around, I recognized some parts of the forest here. Looking over onto the road, I can see the tree I cut down blocking the road. If the lead man looked frustrated before, he was pissed off now.

"W-What the hell is this!?" He yelled out, turning to his men as they all gave each other glances.

He moved over, inspecting the tree as he looked at its base. His eyes widened, he spotted the part where i cut the tree down, looking on at the base before his eyes moved to the rustic axe next. He calmed himself down, eyes turning to the soldiers before he spoke.

"An ambush; someone wants to disrupt our mission." He began,

The guards looked at him with widened eyes.

"Who could it be?"

"Someone from the Noscrim faction?"

"It's the Amaltias, those damned backstabbers."

"No, it could just be some bandits."

"How the hell would some random bandits know about this? It must've been one of the house's rivals."

I raised my brow at their comments. They have powerful enemies, it looks like, but what's this comment about the Amaltias being backstabbers? As I listened, I felt the lead man's gaze turn to my own. His eyes narrowed, but mine remained still. He was trying to read me, checking to see if I had anything to do with it. I showed him nothing, only the picture of a man just as confused as the rest.

You won't be able to read me like that,

He just sighed, turning to the group before he spoke.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time. We need to move this thing out of the way," He said.

The guards stopped. Their eyes looked at the tree, faces scrunching before one of them spoke. "Sir Axelle, I'm not sure we'd be enough to move it… at least not on time."

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't go back, not when we're this deep into the forest. It'll take too much time to take the other route at this rate." Sir Axelle said,

They all looked at one another, their eyes turning to him before a voice behind me called out. "Then there's no other way; I'll simply ride to the capital on my own."

I paused; the voice was soft yet sharp, regal, and feminine. Turning around, I found the source. From the carriage behind me stood a beautiful girl with black hair and regal wear. She stood tall amongst the crowd, and her eyes stared sharply into Sir Axelle's own. She looked around my age, maybe slightly older.

Ah, so this must be Lady Mia…

"L-Lady Roulle… I'm unsure about the wisdom of this decision. What if-"

"We don't have a choice here, Sir Axelle. I need to get to the capital as soon as possible, and if I need to go there on my own, then so be it." She said sharply, taking one of the horses before she moved forward.

"Look, my Lady… the tree here was deliberately cut down; an ambush may be awaiting you." Sir Axelle tried to reason, but she wasn't budging.

"I can take care of a few thugs," She said, crossing her arms.

"Of that, I have no doubt, but please… you need to be careful about these things. If anything were to happen to you then-"

"If anything were to happen to me, then that would be my fault alone. I need to get to the event; you know this more than anyone, Axelle… so please," She pleaded, her eyes hinting vulnerability.

I'm impressed; to go this far and risk your life for a formal event was impressive. Still, that made me wonder a little. What could've been so important for her to do this? There was desperation in her eyes, but what could've been so important, and what was at stake here?

"...I-... then… at least take one of the men with you," He asked,

Immediately, most of the men turned back. Looks like they weren't as willing to risk their lives as their lady. I would call them out on it, but self-preservation is a basic and vital part of the human psyche. I didn't blame any of them, but that didn't mean that it wasn't at all disappointing.

Lady Mia must've had the same thoughts. The look on her face when she watched the guards was a mixture of disappointment and disgust. "...I think it would be more prudent for me to go on my own." She said.

Axelle grit his teeth, "Then let me go-"

"I'll do it," I said,

Immediately, all eyes turned to me. Lady Mia looked surprised, and Axelle had the same shocked expression. The guards all looked at me nervously, unsure of what to think.

With all the attention on me, I decided to explain. "I'm partially responsible for this mess in the first place. If I had been a little earlier, then we might've made it in time. So let me take responsibility here and complete my mission."

I expected some protest, and sure enough, I received one from the expected source. "Do you honestly think we can trust you with her safety?"

"I swear to the Chief God, I shall not let any harm befall Lady Roulle," I said.

"Your words ring hollow, Inquisitor. I will not let you near Lady Roulle if it possibly means her death."

"That's what I'm trying to prevent here, sir. I can promise you that no harm shall come to her… but the decision ultimately falls on the lady," I continued.

My eyes turned to her; she looked at me with conflict in her mind. Moving into the forest alone could be a death sentence for her, but moving with an unknown like me carried similar risks.

"But if you still don't trust me, let me say this. If Lady Roulle dies on her own, then you would have no one to point your fingers at, no one to blame. But if she dies under my watch, then you would at least know that I and the Inquisition as a whole are involved." I said,

If both were equally risky, then the logical thing to do would be to choose the option that would garner the better result. If Lady Roulle died with no one escorting her, the killers would be unknown. If she died under my watch, they'd have a scapegoat to point to. The man was old, too old to properly escort her like this.

In the end, it wasn't Axelle that I had to convince…

It was Lady Roulle herself…

She looked at me and turned to the group of soldiers, then she turned back before she spoke.

"Will you hold me back?" was her question.

"I promise not to get in your way," was my reply.

Seemingly satisfied, she gave a short nod before she spoke. "Then I will be in your care, Inquisitor."

And there was my answer. The group was obviously worried, and I had to admit that Lady Roulle was a little too trusting. Was it that desperation or just ignorance that caused her to trust me so much? I wasn't sure, but either way, it served to my benefit. Sir Axelle was apprehensive, but right now his opinions didn't matter.

He moved, turning to me with a glare before he spoke. "If anything happens to the lady, I will personally come and take your head to offer to her father, understood?"

My only answer was a nod. As troublesome as he is, I needed to gain his trust too. It would be better for me and the Inquisition if the Roulle family and us can have a proper working relationship.

Worry not, Sir Axelle, harming Lady Roulle is not within my intentions. I can't risk the Inquisition's position even more if anything happened to her.

Besides, I'm confident in my ability to fight.

With nothing left to say or do, I embarked on the rest of the journey.

-owo-

The rest of my journey with her was… silent,

She didn't talk to me and neither did I speak with her. We just rode through the forest in silence as she breathed in heavily. This awkward atmosphere continued for a few more minutes before I decided to break the silence.

"That was awfully brave of you," I commented,

A second passed, two, and after ten I'd assumed that she wasn't in the mood for conversation. I was about to just sigh and continue on in silence before she spoke again.

"I don't trust you," She said,

My brow perked. I'd be worried if you did. It's nice to know that the person I'm escorting and trying to protect has no trust in me at all. Understandable, but cut me a bit of slack.

"I don't need you to trust me, I just need to get you to the capital. Still, if you didn't trust me then why did you ask me to come with you?" I asked.

"Because if I did, then you would be obligated to protect me." She answered.

That… raised some questions. Curious, I visibly rose my brow and turned to her. What did she mean by that? Before I could ask, she already answered me herself.

"I know about your organization's position, the nobility knows how weak you are. If anything happened to me while I'm under an Inquisitor's protection, anything at all, my father wouldn't hesitate in putting you all down for good." She said,

Wow, Impressive… you're an impressive woman, Lady Roulle. For someone so young to be so sharp, I wonder what you've been through to be this way.

"Did anyone ever tell you how scary you are," I commented with a deadpan,

She huffed, puffing her chest out as she continued trotting along in front of me. "If you're intimidated by a simple, noble girl like me, then I'm not sure that you're fit to be Inquisitor."

Ouch… rude… She doesn't like to mince words, huh? You remind me too much of Michael and Jophiel, and trust me, that's not a good comparison.

Actually, any comparison with my siblings couldn't be considered good, but…

"Rude. Are all noble girls just this arrogant, or is it just you?" I asked in a deadpan.

"Huh!?" She said, appalled by my words. "Wait… are you a commoner?"

Wait, that wasn't obvious? I guess I do dress pretty clean for a commoner, but other than that I had nothing to indicate that I was a noble. "Uhm… yeah, I am? Is there something wrong with that?" I asked,

She sighed, looking down before she spoke. "They sent a commoner Inquisitor to escort me… is your organization really that desperate?"

I furrowed my brows. Yes, we are indeed desperate, but there have always been commoners in the Inquisition. That's never changed, ever since its inception. Following the creed of 'We're all Equal in the Eyes of the Chief God,' it didn't matter who you were. As long as you were faithful, human, and fit all the prerequisites, then you didn't need to worry about becoming one.

This did tell me one thing, she knows about our position but she doesn't have in-depth knowledge of our structure.

"Is me being a commoner really that revolting?" I asked,

"No, it's just…." She said, her eyes narrowing in conflict before she sighed. "Nothing, forget it… I tire of this conversation, just shut up from here on." She sharply said, shutting down any possibility of a retort.

That was… definitely something. Seems like this issue ran deeper than I originally thought, I took a deep breath and looked around.

You're an interesting one, Lady Mia. That noble mask of yours seems to be just that, a mask. You could be quite sharp when you want to and ignorant of others. You both confuse and intrigue me. I wonder… what secrets lie within that harsh exterior? A beautiful flower, or perhaps a disheveled and crumbling rose.

I'll know sooner or later…

I looked up at the trees, watching them before I spotted the glint of iron within. I narrowed my eyes…

Looks like it's almost time,


Author's Notes:

Behold! Cliffhanger Ending! The result of when you write something and realize that it's too long to fit in one chapter!

Hello again, I don't know why but I had the urge to write this chapter for quite a while now.

I don't really have much to say in this chapter, so I'll just say this much.

I'll be focusing on my other story for now, since I've neglected it for a little too long. The next chapter of that story is halfway done, I just need to finish a few things before posting it. I'll be posting dual chapters since I have an interlude in the works.

I'll try to update this ASAP, but it could take some time.

As always, make sure to leave a review, criticism, etc.

Have a nice day!

Whamo out!