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>>6151559
You sigh at the futility of it all. Was there ever really an option here? You’re going into the “secret” room all the strange people keep coming out of, and there’s no way to stop you. Like that has to be the answer, right? There’s no question about it. It’s just that the mere fact that it’s just right there bugs something inside you. It can’t be this easy, right? Surely, the mayor isn’t that much of an idiot? When he has explicit knowledge that an Inquisitor, whose job is to rout out demons, heretics, and their cults, wouldn’t have held an open party with a giant sign that says, “Hey, look at where I keep my secret cult!” right??

You look over and see the circular man completely ignore you as he gorges himself on food, drink, and conversation with women much below his age. You hang your head as a deep sorrow overtakes you. Why couldn’t your life have been this easy before? You’re tempted to kill yourself simply out of secondhand embarrassment, maybe even with the totally poisoned cup in your hand that the mayor’s maid gave you. Though your Cheat Skill would make sure it doesn’t last.

You raise your head, let out a shuttering breath, and begin your monotone march to the door in the back of the foyer where the banquet is hosted. However, on your way, you spy the fisherman you talked to on the docks earlier with a mostly empty glass as he talks to some masked folk. You, as the good samaritan you are, refill his cup with some of your own, and you walk behind him. You allow yourself a sardonic little smirk as he keeps drinking without even realizing what you’ve done as you set your goblet down on a buffet table. You have a feeling the nights are about to get a little bit more fun.

The door isn’t locked and opens easily, and there are not even any guards to stop you; you’re dealing with some serious rookies here. Inside appears to be some servant's quarters of some kind, though instead of scullery maids and hallboys, you see three grown men in various states of dress. One in the front seems to have affixing a mask to his face after having adorned his robes. The next is fully clothed and seems to be coming from a door to the corner of the room down a few rather rickety wooden steps into the ground. The final is halfway out of his sailing attire with robes and a mask folded on a bed beside him. “Hey, guests aren’t supposed to be in here,” The one putting on his mask says as he fiddles with some straps, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” He says in a way he probably thinks is intimidating.

“Wait, shit, sorry,” You say as you nudge the door behind you close with your foot, “This isn’t the bathroom?” You say with a faux-sheepish smile.

“No, it isn’t,” The man says with some ‘authority’ as he finishes with his mask, puts his hood up, and walks towards you, “And I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he reaches out an arm in what looks like an attempt to shove you back, but it’s too late for that as

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>>6151561
>The next thing man can feel is a sharp pain in his chest, blood rising through his throat, and an inability to breathe as your knife slides through his chest. As he falls, another slash at his throat ensures he dies before his head even reaches the ground.

>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.

>[Write-in]

>>6151559
It's not a StrangeQM thread if I don't manage to fuck up something. This time being the bold text. But anyway, I just wanted to assuage that one anon's fears by saying the Asher past side story will only be a couple more updates before his present one then we'll be going back to Lorina for a few arcs at least. I'm still busy but I can feel my writer's block for this quest finally breaking down.

>>6151565
That also includes forgetting the archive which can be found here

Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The%20Isekai%20Inquisition

Welcome back, StrangeQM. How'd your break go?

>>6151563
>The man quickly finds himself falling
Try not to break the mask, though. It could come in handy as a disguise if there's a sacrificial victim.

I wonder how the ceremony will compare to Temple of Doom's Kali Ma heart removal scene?

>>6151563
>>The next thing man can feel is a sharp pain in his chest, blood rising through his throat, and an inability to breathe as your knife slides through his chest. As he falls, another slash at his throat ensures he dies before his head even reaches the ground.

>>6151563
>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.

>>6151563
>The man quickly finds himself falling

>>6151563
>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.
We haven’t died a lot yet and these guys almost seem too amateurish to kill

>>6151563
>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.

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I found a kickass picture of a 16th century Milanese falchion to tempt OP to post sooner.

Edit: And of course I forget to post the picture the first time...

>>6151580
Thanksgiving was pretty good anon, thanks for asking. Though sadly you >>6152106 would have more luck if today wasn't a Tuesday I'm too busy to write this time of the week. Planning on a decently sized one tomorrow to make up for it. That's a pretty fucking cool sword though.

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>>6152121
>Though sadly you would have more luck if today wasn't a Tuesday I'm too busy to write this time of the week.
Aww, dangit... Well, I guess I've got something to look forward to tomorrow.

>That's a pretty fucking cool sword though.
Thanks. It's in the Deutsches Klingenmuseum in Solingen, Germany. Hoping to go there someday, both the museum and the city in general, due to it's history of swordsmithing and knife manufacture. Lorina would love it, no doubt.

>>6151563
>The next thing man can feel is a sharp pain in his chest, blood rising through his throat, and an inability to breathe as your knife slides through his chest. As he falls, another slash at his throat ensures he dies before his head even reaches the ground.
Total NPC death

>>6151563
>>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.

>>6151563
>>The man quickly finds himself falling, your leg having swept up his own, then through his mask’s lens, he sees your foot come down, knocking him into an unconscious oblivion. He’ll wake up again, but it’ll be far past you do whatever it is you need to down here.

>>6152335
>>6152292
>>6151869
>>6151795
>>6151740
>>6151580
Looks like the nonlethal route (for now) has an overwhelming majority so it's time to get this show on the road. Writing.

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>>6152453
There’s a satisfying crack as your foot stomps down on the bastard's head. Thankfully, it's not so loud as to be heard in the foyer, just behind the door, but you’re not so sure you’ll be so lucky with the ensuing fight. Despite this, you’re still somewhat happy the man isn’t dead yet. Well, happy is not really the right word for the emotion you’re feeling. It’s more like that you think you’d feel a bit bad if you killed someone this incompetent. Like when an enemy grunt in a movie calls out to their mom when they die. Yeah, that’s it. You find these sorry bastards to be pitiable.

Doubly so, as it takes both of them a solid few seconds to knock themselves out of their whole “deer in headlights” thing they have going on right now. Too bad for them that’s all the time you need. The closest man, the fully robbed one, runs towards you up the steps while frantically scrambling to unsheath the sword at his hip as you dash towards him. Unlucky for him, the blade gets stuck; well, he’s actually pulling on it wrong, but that doesn’t really matter, seeing as he’s too distracted to pay attention to grabbing him by his collar with one hand and his mask with the other. Immediately, his arms raise to try and shove you off, but they quickly lose their direction as you pull the mask off his face for a brief second, bringing the straps holding it to the back of his head to full tension, and let go. The mask reels back, and so does he, as a yelp of pain escapes him as it impacts his face. You use the momentum of his staggering back to your advantage as you push him back down the stairs from whence he came.

As he’s preoccupied, you snap your attention to the half-naked man, who looks to be hurriedly looking for something in the robes on the bed. Though the minute he hears you step towards him, he actually does something decently smart. He throws the robe at your face, a move that may have been trouble if it was not for the fact that his throw is terrible and in his disorderly state and it’s far from as strong a throw as it needed to be. His eyes widen as you grab the cloth, as you advance before you stretch it out, and with one quick move, you throw one end of the robe while holding onto the other, pivot behind him, and grab it. From there, it’s a trifling task to bring the cloth that is bunched together up and around his neck. You quickly find the man does not have the training, knowledge, or discipline to know what to do in a situation like this, as his head slowly begins to resemble a tomato. In fact, he looks to be trying to plead or maybe beg, which is unhelpful for him, seeing as the robe is too tight to allow him to speak.

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>>6152517
Actually, scratch that, he is able to get out one startled gasp and plead as you loosen the robes around him. However, it’s only because you see the other man finally start to rise up from his collapsed position at the bottom of the steps. “W-wait,” he says before you take the little bit more drastic action of grabbing the semi-disrobed man by his hair and slamming him, face first, into the nearby wall. From the crunch, you hear something definitely broke, but at least he’s gone limp, too limp to feel the pain. Though you will admit, that was pretty fucking loud and at least forceful enough to cause items on the nearby shelf to fall. You should finish up here quickly. And, of course, why not be dramatic in doing so?

You don’t know if the man jogging up the stairs can see clearly through his mask, but if he can, you imagine he has a good look at the underside of your boot. Seeing as you lept off the top of the stairs in such a side way, your foot impacts his face, and your momentum sends him tumbling down once again. Poor fucker. Though not as poor as you because as the back of the cultist smashes through the rickety door at the bottom of the stairs, you happen to hit your head on the top as you go through. It really hurts! Hurts enough that you don’t see the cultist positioned with a crossbow behind the side of the door, aiming directly where your head should be if you handed it normally. He misses, thank the Goddess, because of your awkward position, and the bolt embeds itself in the open door, but the fact you’re now crumpled in a pile with another, still conscious, cultist does put you in a bit of a bind.

“Hellsfire!” The crossbowman screams before he judges his options and decides to jump on top of you. Which by the way is totally unfair, mind you, seeing as you're still only a teenager (physically), and they're both grown men. So naturally, you do what you need to do to even the odds. And by that, you mean you turn your head around and bite down on the new enemy's arm. Hard. His scream turns rather embarrassing when you start thrashing your head, but it allows you to somewhat push him off. You don’t let go, though. And from your new position, you ram your knee into the groin of the cultist below you, making him lose his grip, and roll yourself over the second to a point where you can leap up above them.

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>>6152518
Once you're on your feet, you do come to the somewhat startling realization that there is a wod of meat still in your mouth. “Little fucking monster-” The wounded cultist says as he grasps his bleeding arm before being silenced by a kick to the head. Then you try to spit out the offending chunk somewhere close to where it’s missing from. Keyword being “try” because it ends up hitting the other cultist on his mask, to which he only lets out a choked sob. You’d offer to knock him out, too, but it’s at this moment that some light shone into the dark passage you found yourself in as people moved to investigate the noise from in here. You also hear a woman’s scream, so naturally, you bolt in the opposite direction.

Well, it’s actually the only direction there is to run here. It seems you’ve found yourself in a dark and dank tunnel of some kind. Recently excavated, too, judging by the unworn supports, how cramped it is, and mining tools left scattered about. It’s also incredibly dark, but thankfully, you “acquired” a few matches earlier today, and there’s enough just random junk around for you to pick up something that looks torchy enough and light it on fire as you continue running. Oh, you also push as much random shit in front of you to block any pursuers' paths, but that’s neither here nor there. Eventually, though, you reach the end of the line after a good couple of solid minutes of running. Which happens to be just an ordinary ladder leading up a few feet to a wooden hatch, and with no other way to go-

You find yourself in what looks to be a small barn on the outskirts of town, near the water. The interior seems to be mostly ordinary, save for the large iron cage built into a wall containing an elderly man and a little girl. But before you can investigate that, you take the initiative to lock the hatch by pulling up the ladder and pushing a large crate on top of the hatch. That is not to mention that you place the torch in a rather precarious position, leaning above some hay and the liquor you grabbed. So, say if someone hits the crate too hard while trying to open the hatch, it’ll set this whole barn as light as a little treat. Then, of course, you head towards the jail on the limited time you have.

The old man is grizzled and worn, with long white hair and a large beard; even with cataracts in his eyes, he gauges you warily. Surprisingly, the little girl is much the same, in raggedy clothes and with scars no child her age should be bearing. She stands behind the older man’s knee once he rises, though she tries to appear like she isn’t shaking. “I don’t know who you think you are, kid, but-” The older man starts before you cut him off by flashing your Inquisitor’s medallion bearing a spider lily.

“Alright, don’t get the time for any of that,” You say with a glance toward your shoddy trap, “Inquisitor Asher, now tell me where the keys are.”

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>>6152519
“T-they keep them over there,” The girl says while pointing to a spot just out of reach for the prisoners. Classic torture technique, though you aren’t exactly going to hand it to the cult without seeing some innovation.

Sadly, it’s a ring keychain with far too many keys. So, by the time you’ve opened the cage door, you fear you’ve wasted too much time. By that, you mean maybe a minute. “Alright, first things first, once you’re out, run to the church and tell the Priestess I sent you. She’ll hide you, but do not under any circumstance leave unless I’m there to get you out.”

“And why’s that?” The old man says.

“Simple, I got a fu-” You see the little girl, “Frick ton of questions to ask you before for the sake of time, I’ll only ask you one now-

>”Who are you, and how did you get here?” Well, that’s two, but they should be easy questions

>”Have you seen or heard talk of a Stranger around here? Or at least someone who appears very panicked or confused?”

>”The cult give you any good monologues? Or do you know anything about them at all?”

>[Write-in]

>>6152520
>”Have you seen or heard talk of a Stranger around here? Or at least someone who appears very panicked or confused? Or possibly talking about monster girls way too much to be considered normal?"

>>6152521
>>”Have you seen or heard talk of a Stranger around here? Or at least someone who appears very panicked or confused?”

>>6152521
>”The cult give you any good monologues? Or do you know anything about them at all?”

Both lmao and of course they’d give them the whole evil plot

>>6152521
>”Have you seen or heard talk of a Stranger around here? Or at least someone who appears very panicked or confused?”

>>6152521
>”The cult give you any good monologues? Or do you know anything about them at all?”

>>6152521
>”Have you seen or heard talk of a Stranger around here? Or at least someone who appears very panicked or confused?”

>>6152523
>>6152590
>>6153299
>>6153520
Sorry for the delay, life caught up to me for a spell. Anyway, this will probably be the second to last update for the past. Writing

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>>6154832
“Have you,” You think for a second, “Seen any sight of a Stranger here?” You gesture awkwardly to the cage, “Any at all? Oh, wait- please tell me you are good enough to church to know the common traits of one.”

The old man grunts, “Course I do,” His face gains a strangled look as he looks over himself, a mix of frustration and melancholy, “I look like a man who doesn’t go to church?” Tactfully, you don’t say the obvious answer.

“Never said you didn’t. Now my question?” You say as you move towards the large barn door, cracking it open just enough to let little wisps of fog enter as you hear voices and footsteps from the tunnel.

The little girl, eager to get out of here, runs up ahead of the old man but doesn’t go outside without one of you two going first, “T-the man from earlier was weird, right? T-they all called him a demon e-even though he was nice…” She mumbles while hiding her face between the elder's knee.

He nods as he closes his eyes to better recollect him; someone pounds on the underside of the hatch, “Aye, they brought in a man,” Another bang on the hatch causes your makeshift torch to fall, “t-two men, they brought in two men today. But one of them spoke in a heavy accent and wore strange clothes like the priestess talks about, the kind with a distorted painting of it.”

“Yeah, the girl looked really weird…” The actual girl trails off.

“Strange, the girl looked Strange,” The old man corrects her.

“Y-yeah, strange and kinda like a monster,” Honestly, you’ve always been a bit curious about what would happen if you showed a medieval peasant anime. Maybe that’s what got the Inquisition started in the first place? And after the shit you’ve seen in your past life? Can’t say you could blame them.

“And where did they go? Did the Stranger use his Skill to escape or something?

“Oh, he sure tried,” He coughs, “but pardon me, he may have been a demon only tempting us with deception, but he sure looked to be drying his damned hardest to get us all out.”

“Then where is he now? Since he isn’t here clearly,” You say.

“He kept summoning demonic relics, so the guard he had on him tied his hand together. Was like that until about an hour ago, where they dragged him and the other fellow out to the water, It’s where they take everyone eventually,” Bingo, exactly what you needed to know.

“Know a specific direction?”

“North, away from the town,” The moment he says that you wish the two of them a word of luck and bolt. You’re pretty sure they hesitate for a second, watching you disappear so quickly before they realize the barn itself is starting to burn down. You’re sure they’ll be safe though, probably. Eh, well not really something you can help anymore seeing as you’re just about lost in the fog.

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>>6154905
You don’t even realize you’ve made it to the beach until water starts reaching over the top of your boots and gets your socks wet. Meaning that the rest of the night is going to be a hellish experience as you slog around with moist feet. Truly, the Goddess has no love or mercy for your demonic kind, else she wouldn’t even allow injustices like this… And that's enough inner monologue. It looks like you need to lock in; there are lantern lights behind you. Also, a nice-looking forest in front of you, perfect for hiding a secret lair.

Needless to say, you march on into the forest, staying as close to the water as you can without actually entering it. You really don’t need a Fishman or something to drag you in and drown you. That’d actually probably be horrifying now that you think about it. A-anyway, you notice you’re going uphill after a good few minutes, rush towards the side of what must be a hill, and- yep, there it is. A nice hidden cove by the Great Lake is perfect. Now, all you need to decide is how you’re getting in. You look back over your shoulder and see the lights off in the distance looking through the forest for you; you have time, but not a lot of it.

>So obviously you’re going to kick down the proverbial door of this cavern and storm in crossbows blazing

>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>[Write-in]

>>6154907
>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>So obviously you’re going to kick down the proverbial door of this cavern and storm in crossbows blazing

>>6154907
>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154907
>And that’s why you intend to sneak in, bag the stranger, probably blow up the place, and gtfo

>>6154925
>>6154943
>>6155005
>>6155044
>>6155647
>>6156219
>>6156507
Almost unanimous, writing!

>>6156558
“Kali Ma, shakti de!”

>>6154832
looks like I lied this will be the second to last I promise.

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>>6156558
Sneaking down below is a trivial task… Well, it is after you figure out exactly which rocky outcrop is loose and will lead you to falling and impaling yourself on some sharp rocks below, which is, in all honesty, probably better than what could have happened if you fell in the water instead. You’re pretty sure you actually see a rather large dark shape in there as you walk into the decently spacious cavern of the cove. The cave itself opens up under the hill, though it’s divided by a river-like outcropping of the lake that seems to flow into many different cavernous offshoots, the largest of which the shadow moves towards.

The cove itself appears to be pretty developed, with wooden pathways put over the stone ground, and even a few bridges go across the water. Nets full of fish and shelves drape themselves over the ceiling and walls while other equally pirate decorations can be found strewn around like the wreckage of small wooden boats scattered all around the area. Robed cultists with familiar masks tend to these decorations and a few well-placed torches as others work on the wooden structures and supports. You even see one hanging many items you remember in your time in the twenty-first century, such as the black glass of phones, T-shirts with a variety of anime characters, anime figurines, and holy shit, is that a body pillow? It takes a lot not to laugh at a cultist hanging up a pillow covered with a nearly naked cartoon with a sort of reverence you’ve only seen in priestesses’ and the most zealous of Inquisitors.

The whole display is almost enough to make you miss the ancient-looking carved pillars that rise from the depths of the lake to the top of the cavern. Many seem to have decayed and eroded with time, one even acting as a decent bridge across a stream further. Like the kinda design you’d see in a Skyrim dungeon. Honestly, the way the cultists are moving and how there always seems to be a way past the torchlight with a bit of applied athletics makes this whole area seem like some big video game level. You aren’t happy that the fact this gives you a sense of deja vu, especially when-

“Hey! Is someone over there?” A robed man calls out as you hide behind a time-worn pillar. You have your shortsword out, just in case, as you hear footsteps approach, though you really wish you had a box or something to hide in.

Just as the man gets close enough to the pillar, you throw a stone into the water behind him. His mask obscures his vision enough he can’t see it but can hear the rather loud plop as it splashes, along with the other cultists in the large main room of the cove.

“...Who's over there!”

“...Shit, did I drop something?”

“...Must’ve been the wind.”

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>>6156601
As the idiots lose focus, you use that time to move to your next hiding place, closer to one of the interior caverns. Then you wince as the guards hear the ruckus the force sent after you make it outside. You thought you’d have more time than this, but whatever. At least they make for a nice distraction for you to dash away with. Of course, following in the path of the giant monster under the water. This actually leads you to a relatively tight corridor without any natural sides, forcing you to run on the rickety wooden bridge constructed seemingly without rhyme or reason. Sometimes, a diagonal bridge will come ahead, forcing you to change the side of the water you're on and other and other times, you need to leap over a few missing floorboards. You’re also insanely tempted to lift a torch from the wall next to you and light the bridge on fire, but you restrain yourself for now.

Eventually, the walkway passes a corner and leads you to a circular chamber containing many empty barrels, another cage using bars rising from the floor to the ceiling of the cavern, and a cultist. As the masked man approaches you, you grab his wrist and elbow with one hand each before you push and hear a crack and scream and throw the man into the water behind you.

“Holy shit,” Says the wide-eyed blond man in the cell as he watches the cultist struggle to swim before being sharply pulled under the dark abyssal water and replaced by a circle of blood and rising bubbles, “Holy fucking shit,” Judging by the man’s accent and rather unique sense of fashion you recon you found your man. Then he looks towards you, “You just killed that guy.”

You shrug, “Something did,” His jaw hangs open, “Tough crowd,” You mutter as you approach the jail door, “Alright first things first, what’s your name and where are you from? France?”

He winces, “Ew, no. I’m Johan from Bremen.”

“Never heard of it,” You say as you unlatch the door and remove the iron keeping it closed.

“G-Germany, I’m German,” You did actually clock him as one based on his accent, but it’s best to ease into this conversation, “W-wait, how did you know about France?! Were you Isekai’d too? A-are you a part of some adventurer’s guild sent to take out this cult?!” He then sees you alone and looks around you, trying to find anyone else, “D-do you have a harem?!” You, for sure, are not going to answer that last question.

“Close,” you say as you inspect every nook and cranny for signs of the other man that was taken here, “I’m here to kill you,” He staggers back as you smile, “Just kidding,” Then you shake your head a bit, “Kinda.”

“And w-what’s that supposed to mean?”

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>>6156602

Even though he won’t grasp the meaning, you flash your medallion, “Inquisitor Asher,” You don’t give your last name. There’s no need and he wouldn’t understand it’s ‘significance’ anyway, “I’m a part of an organization tasked with tracking down your kind and seeing that you don’t use your,” you gesture to the scattered twenty-first century trinkets littering the bottom of the cell, “abilities to destabilize the kingdom.”

“Aren’t you pretty young to be someone that important, though?”

You affix him with a strange look, “Is that really the question you should be asking right now?”

He again looks around the cage he’s in and sheepishly smiles, “Uh, no?”

“Right, now where is the other guy that was with you?”

“You know about Daxton-?”

“He can’t have gotten much farther!” The man is cut off by shouting from behind you, which sounds remarkably similar to the mayor. Especially all the huffing and puffing that echoes through the cave walls.

“Out of time,” You say as you shove Johan out of the cell, “Where the hell is he?”

“T-they took him further in, uh, are we going to be safe?!”

You shrug, “You will be if you stay close,” Is all you say before resuming your run.

You hear a strangled “F-fuck,” come from behind you, and he falls into step.

Thankfully, it’s not too far until the cave again opens up to a large cavern full of foggy air, stalagmites or tites or whatever, ancient decor, barrels, and cultists. You pull Johan behind an eroded but carved stalagmite with blue gems encrusted into it. Past the side of it, you see three masked men tying an older man up next to the end of the water, which flows into the room in the shape of the top half of a question mark. The gray-haired man seems to be struggling as much as he can, but the cloth in his mouth makes it impossible for him to scream.

“Daxton!” Johan goes to shout, and he would if your hand didn’t clasp his mouth shut. It’s too risky. Besides, two of the cultists are jogging away from the bound man, and the third steps behind him and faces the water. He raises both his arms above his head before starting to chant in a language you can’t understand. Which is very strange, seeing as it’s quite well documented that when a Stranger enters this world, they’re gifted the ability to speak every language as if it were their own. Then, words that sound to be in English break you out of your thoughts.

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>>6156607
“Ooo~ Great One, I summon thee! For tonight, a feast is to be had with the most delicate of delicacies!” You can’t just rhyme a word with itself, man, “So that you may once again grant us your mercy! May our nets be forever full!” As he says this, the first tentacle breaches the water, a murky brown thing with black ring-like spots; two large ones wrap themselves around decayed pillars, seemingly made for it to pull itself up, “May our town forever be safe in your wondrous mists!” What pulls itself up appears to be a massive circular mouth that rises from the deep, with eight other tentacles that search the room before wrapping themselves in spots that look carved just for them. “Let my mind be yours~ Oo~ Great One!” Around the dark pinkish mouth seem to be dozens of smaller tentacles that grasp at the air and stone, searching for something. “Accept our sacrifice, O~ Great One! Accept it all!” The robed man says before walking backward with a bow, away from the swiping tentacles.

Johan is left both green and speechless at the sight of the goliath squid. But sadly, not for long as one of the smaller mouth tentacles touches the quivering and bound man on the floor and begins to wrap itself around the sobbing man’s body. Then, it lifts him into the air and dangles him. Then you notice what you assumed was that the interior inside its mouth is not. Instead of a mouth, this monster has a series of dark pink plates that come together like a phalanx, the cracks between them emitting a foggy steam that lingers in the rooms. Each plate moves with a loud creaking sound as the bound man dangles upside down in the air with a singular tentacle around his foot.

Then, with speed that makes it hard for even you to witness, the tentacle slams the man into one of its plates and begins to grate him like one would with sandpaper. Yes, sandpaper, what an apt description for the material its suspended plates seem to be made of because you very quickly see the skin shredded from his flesh, his meat torn from his bones, and bones shattered against the behemoth. All until nothing is left but a mound of mush drooling blood and gore into the cracks between the kraken's mouth-plates. Johan immediately vomits when all is said and done, just as the mayor and his posse of fishermen and cultists enter the room. Well, fuck.

>Hey, remember that equipment you “acquired” earlier? Now would be a good enough time to start throwing some molotovs around

>Maybe you can use the kraken to your advantage? You doubt it actually discriminates between the cultist and non-cultist

>Johan has to be able to summon something useful to kill the beast while you deal with the cultists? Maybe a bomb? Or some bleach?

>[Write-in]

>>6156607
>picrel name
Easy way to remember the difference for me is "Stalactites are stuck tight to the ceiling, Stalagmites might fall on top of you."

>>6156608
>Hey, remember that equipment you “acquired” earlier? Now would be a good enough time to start throwing some molotovs around.
>"Hey, how's your aim?" (pass him a molotov, you'll still be able to stab him in the back later when his guard's down)

>>6156608
>Maybe you can use the kraken to your advantage? You doubt it actually discriminates between the cultist and non-cultist

>>6156608
>>Hey, remember that equipment you “acquired” earlier? Now would be a good enough time to start throwing some molotovs around

>>6156608
>>Johan has to be able to summon something useful to kill the beast while you deal with the cultists? Maybe a bomb? Or some bleach?

>>6156608
>>Hey, remember that equipment you “acquired” earlier? Now would be a good enough time to start throwing some molotovs around
>>Maybe you can use the kraken to your advantage? You doubt it actually discriminates between the cultist and non-cultist

>>6156608
>Hey, remember that equipment you “acquired” earlier? Now would be a good enough time to start throwing some molotovs around.
>"Hey, how's your aim?" (pass him a molotov, you'll still be able to stab him in the back later when his guard's down)

>>6156602
>pic
Oh no he's hot

>Maybe you can use the kraken to your advantage? You doubt it actually discriminates between the cultist and non-cultist
Pottery

>>6156608
>Maybe you can use the kraken to your advantage? You doubt it actually discriminates between the cultist and non-cultist

>>6156612
>>6156635
>>6156689
>>6156799
With a one-vote lead, the Molotov strategy wins. Writing.

>>6157728
May take a couple of hours though but that's nothing new

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>>6157728
Alright, let’s be completely honest. You want to throw the mayor and some cultists into the maw of the sea monster. You really do. Buuut- and this is a big but it’d be a real shame if the molotovs you’ve been making while watching said beast eat someone didn’t see any use. Like a real shame, so it looks like your future is decided for you, “Take this,” You say to Johan while shoving a bottle of fire into his hands, “It’s yours, don’t care where you throw it,” You’re tempted to ask how his aim is, probably shitty, but there’s no time, “just try to hit something,”

“Wait, it’s mine..?” You hear Johan mutter, looking at the bottle of fire in his hand as you rise, step out from behind the stalagwhatchamacallit, bring your arm back, and throw. For a few seconds, all watch as the bottled flame flips through the air until it impacts the pile of gore on one of the beast's central plates directly, exploding into an inferno.

The sound the beast makes is both deafening and horrifying for all of a moment until it ejects fog like a squid would ink, so much of it the entire chamber is enshrouded in a blanket of white. You can’t actually see anything other than the visions, voices, and memories at the edge of your vision, but you chalk that up to eldritchy mind-control nonsense and ignore it. You’ve dealt with this type of shit plenty of times before, so in light of paying attention to any weird illusion, you focus on where you last saw the cultists and the screaming and thrashing of the kraken. For good measure, since from all the stones falling on your head, you’re pretty sure it’s collapsing the cavern.

When the first mask comes into view, it’s only a few inches from your own face. Your blade thrusts into his throat before he can even register he’s here. Then your blade slices off the head of the next, debowel the third, and chop up the fourth. You hear the breaking of glass as you fight the fifth and the howling of the singed monster. Johan must not have succumbed to any illusions. Nice. Though that also means he is now a defenseless liability, you’re sure your onslaught serves as enough of a distraction to protect him.

“Run for the exit!” You shout as you parry the blade of a cultist, “The cave is coming down!” You continue as a large rock falls on his masked head, crushing it in a rather gory display.

By now, the smoke had swelled so much in the room that the endless white void had been replaced with a gradient grayscale. It would almost look beautiful if it were for the fact that half of it makes your eyes and throat burn, and the other half shows you visions of the perfect world you once lived in. It also makes killing cultists much harder, though you must have gotten about seven by now. Though you saw over a dozen enter the room. Which granted is enough to see you back into the corridor and out of the smog-filled room.

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>>6158027
Unluckily, you’re followed by the mayor and a half dozen cultists instead of by the Stranger, “Do you have any idea what you’re ruining!” The pudgy man wheezes, his eyes red from both the smoke and his own insanity, “Everything we sacrificed-” Before the man can go on a long tirade about his backstory or whatever, a bottle of fire flies through the mist, directly impacting the mayor on his fat cheek leading to a rather comical display of rippling fat as the glass explodes into shards of glass and fire. The mayor, along with multiple other cultists, are consumed in the roaring flame as it melts their skin and flesh from their bones. The others are so stunned they don’t witness the Stranger running past them, summoning another molotov in his hand and throwing it at the wooden walkway between them and him. Without words shared, the two of you leave the cultists to a trapped demise in a collapsing cavern of fire that not even the kraken manages to escape from.

The breeze feels nice once you manage to get out of the cave, only having to clean up two more cultists left as a rear guard to get here. You give Johan and yourself a minute to catch your breath before you give him a questioning look, “So, about that Cheat Skill of yours.”

“Come on, man. You’re not even going to thank me?” He asks exasperated.

You just roll your eyes.

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>>6158028
“Do you require anything else, Hero?” the clanswoman says, her shaggy tail swaying behind her.

“Oh, yea! ‘Nother round o’ ale!” Says the drunken half-scotswoman, Sally, from across the table as you sigh.

“Nothing for me, thank you,” You say before sighing and looking over the paper once again.

After leaving the Inquisitor on the road and walking from the station, you managed to arrive in Clan Mathan about at sundown to a hero’s welcome. You didn’t exactly expect that, but you suppose you saved their entire village that one time. After a feast both for your victory and once again for the clan’s continued survival, you were led to a tent overlooking the loch. From its open flaps, you can see both the remains of the Metal Castle and the scaffolding of the workers hired to disassemble it. In the other direction is the port lights of the bustling city of Ivern. Between them is the dark, rippling abyss of the loch, and with all this worrying over Johann’s, such a thing brings back bad memories.

But that’s not really important, not right now, since this paper changes quite a lot. Apparently, though Johann isn’t here, Inquisitor Abram left it here after you left Ivern days ago. “You’re late! You’re late! For a very important date!” It is all it reads, though it came with a small pocket watch with a smaller compass embedded in it. The suited paw that serves at its hand doesn’t point north but to a location southwest. A trap, most definitely, but one you’ll fall for nonetheless.

>You are Lorina de Lindan

>You are Inquisitor Asher

>>6158029
>You are Inquisitor Asher
Who’s now wondering why Alice in Wonderland references keep coming up in his life…

>>6158029
>>You are Lorina de Lindan

>>6158029
>You are Inquisitor Asher

Nice update

>>6158029
>>You are Lorina de Lindan

>>6158029
>You are Lorina de Lindan

>>6158029
>You are Lorina de Lindan

>>6158029
>>You are Lorina de Lindan
Time to go back

>>6158029
>>You are Lorina de Lindan

>>6158029
>You are Inquisitor Asher

Aww, man, I wanted to see if Charlotte took the haunted spooky doll with her to her mother’s clan…

Looks like there's a #Lorinasweep writing. Going to be a bite-sized update though since my brain is fried currently.

>>6159761
We'll be back..... eventually

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>>6160605
“Yes, so please just sign here listing your soul as possible collateral and we’ll be done here,” You say. Pleasepleaseplease just sign the paper, you think. When you studied contract magic in the Academy you were certain I’d have no real life implication for you, what a wistful and wonderful world that would be. But no, here you are, having to discuss clauses upon clauses with a skeleton and spider because you’re [b]apparently[/b] the best magician currently in the Inquisitions headquarters. Yeah right, you’re pretty certain the Lord Inquisitor just wanted you to earn your keep instead of “researching” the Strange world of Earth and relaxing all day. Oh, and Marie got to go outside and fight changelings yesterday because life isn’t fucking fair now, is it!

“I get that part, but why my soul? Isn’t that a bit extreme?” The skeleton, Mikhail, says from across the harshly lit table. He appears a lot more animated this time, which, granted, does make sense when you consider the last time you spoke to him he was apparently a puppet controlled by changelings while he and the spider next to him, Xiao, were tied up in a backroom.

You take a deep breath and put on your tightest smile, “Because neither of you have the blood needed to make a bloodpact with. And while more severe a soulbinding contract has a similar function and according to Lindan Legal Code is what should be used if a bloodpact cannot be made due to one or more of the consenting parties' biological inabilities.”

“Okay, but what if there’s a good reason why I need to leave the capital without permission or a chaperone? Like we get attacked again?”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH- “As we’ve discussed clause six dash nine already covers that exact scenario. Please remember, you’re getting a much better deal than most Strangers will ever get. And your soul will only be claimed in the most egregious of contract violations,” Please sign it please sign it please sign it.

“And if we do not sign?” The spider chitters, a clear taunt.

I’ll kill you, “You’ll be kept under confinement until further notice. Now if you will?”

“I’d like to get Usami here before we do anything,” Mikhail says.

“Need I remind you he has already signed his contract?” It’s literally still on the table.

“We’re a team we make these kind of decisions together.”

“How about we call a quick recess while I get someone to get him?”

The skeleton and spider share a look before his bony jaw opens, “We’ll stay the night just let us think it over,” Oh sweet and tender Goddess, yes!

“That is understandable, Inquisitor Abigail will see you back to the cells,” You’re free, finally free! You find your smile fading as you remember you have to meet with the Lord Inquisitor in an hour. Then you feel the weary exhaustion behind your eyes once again. Lorina de Lindan is gone, you are a husk of a body that talks over contracts for hours on end.

You need to do something to get your mind off it all.

>>6160627
>Go find Marie and Alyssa [Discuss anything specific?]

>Go to your room and scream

>Go to the sauna and relax

>Go break something

>Head to the Lord Inquisitor early

>[write-in]

>>6160628
>>Go to your room and scream

>>6160628
>>Go to the sauna and relax

>>6160628
>Go to the armory and find your happy place: looking at beautiful and unusual weaponry!

>>6160627
>Go train with one of your favorite weapons

>>6160628
>Go to the armory and find your happy place: looking at beautiful and unusual weaponry!

>>6160628
>>Go to the sauna and relax

>>6160628
>Go to the sauna and relax

>>6160628
>Go to the sauna and relax

Segregated or single sex?

>>6162042
I assume single

>>6160628
>Go break something

>>6160628
>Go to the sauna and relax

>>6160628
>Go break something

Merry Christmas

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As always the warm water is enough to let the stress simply float off of you, along with the dead skin and other nasties. It’s almost enough to calm that undying urge to break something, almost. It’s been too long since you’ve properly trained in the open air with enough space to fully flex your magical muscles and you’re really feeling the need to. Yeah, what you need is a good duel or maybe a brawl to loosen your wound-up nerves. Maybe once you’re out of here you’ll ask Marie or Alyssa for a bout or, even better, you’ll finally be given another mission. But that’s something for future you to worry about. For now, all you need to do is wait until your meeting with the Lord Inquisitor in… Oh shit, you need to go!

It felt like you were in here for just a few minutes, where did the time go? Dammit, it’s far too easy to lose yourself in this exotic locale. Especially when there’s almost no one else here to make a ruckus or remind you how much time you spent here, and now your hair won’t be dry before the meeting, how improper..

As you’re in the process of changing in the women’s lockers you see Alyssa walk in before she gives you a bow, “Commander, I’m here to retrieve you.”

You’re late as ever, “Thank you, I will be just a moment,” The woman just nods and stares at you in a rather unsettling manner. Does she ever blink?

“Do you mind?” You say while gesturing to the towel you’re wearing.

“Not necessarily,” Huh?

“Don’t look at me while I change.”

She nods, “Understood,” Maybe she’s just too innocent for her own good. Goddess you hope so.

It’s not too much longer after that you find yourself walking through the cold halls of the cathedral’s underground. Then the less cold halls of the cathedral’s above-ground before finally making it to the all-to-familiar room of the Lord Inquisitor. Alyssa, as always, stands on guard outside the room as you enter. For a second you think you see the Lord Inquisitor's body rematerialize on his chair from only his eyes and grinning mouth but your mind discards that clearly ludicrous thought very quickly.

“Well, if it isn’t the woman of the hour!” He says with his arms wide open as if greeting you for the first time in years.

“Are you going to say that every time I come here?”

He appears in deep thought for a moment, before his grin returns, “Yes!”

You sigh, “Can we please just get down to business? I’m not in the mood to dance around a topic today with riddles or rhymes.”

For a brief second, you think you see a look of pure despair overtake the Lord Inquisitor but you blink and it’s gone, “Fine, your princesslyness have it your way. No fun at all-”

“Hey-!”

“Welp, anyway! Since you wish to cut to the cheese- chase I mean! I’ll lay it on quick, the Inquisition has discovered every noble estate that has not had its property damaged or personal attacked.”

>>6164394
“That’s good,” You nod, “But why was I specifically called to know this?” It’s rather unusual for you to be briefed on any loose thread the Inquisition investigates.

“They are House Bloodgrave, Atle, Gray, Brandt, and Herrman,” Suddenly you hear a quiet ringing in your ears that slowly gets louder until you can no longer hear the words falling from the Lord Inquisitor’s fat face. Those are the family names of Albrecht and his friends at the academy, the same friends who all seemed to fall under sway of Anastasia Lyndale, the same ones whose family is to influence what happened to you because of her to have any real consequence. And now the Lord Inquisitor says they’re suspect in a Strange conspiracy.

“What?” You say as you regain your sense of place after a few blinks.

“Oh, did you not hear that? I said the only estates in the capital to have not been attacked are-”

“No, I heard that it’s just-” You try to say something, anything really, but the words have a hard time forming.

“Ah, you’re right. There might be a conflict of interest here so I shouldn’t put you on the case?”

“No!” You say far too loudly and a little desperately, “I-I mean that won’t be necessary, when can I start?”

“Ah, perfect! Beneger will handle the brass tacks so when you go to see him-

“Right!-

>”I’ll head there right now!”

>”But I have something else to ask” [What?]

>[write-in]

Merry Christmas anons, sorry for the wait but it seems I've been naughty this year and Santa decided to make me sick for the season. Still, I hope everyone has fun with their families today!

>>6164395
>”But I have something else to ask” [What?]
>”I noticed that these names you’ve mentioned, from my time at the Mage Knight academy, each of their sons are friends with one another. Would it not be wise to interrogate a few of the students from that year to figure out any common connections they might have?”

>>6164396
Also, before I pass out and dream of sugarplum whatever’s, lemme wish you and anons a Merry Christmas, or whatever the equivalent is in Lorina’s universe.

>>6164395
>”I’ll head there right now!”

>>6164396
Merry Christmas! Hopefully Santa brings you a better immune system.

>>6164395
>>”I’ll head there right now!”

>>6164395
Supporting >>6164436

>>6164436
+1

>>6164396
Merry Christmas!

>>6164436
+1

>>6164436
Supporting
Happy Christmas!

>>6164396
Merry Christmas to you as well!

>>6164436
+1

>>6164778
>>6164696
>>6164621
>>6164528
>>6164436
Writing a short update

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>>6166556
“These names… I happened to remember them from my time at MageKnight Academy, all of these houses have an heir currently enrolled in the same year. Would it not be a wise decision to interrogate a few of the students from that year to- to figure out a common connection they might have.”

As your eyes dart back up from the table where they were staring a figurative hole in, you see the ever-present smile on the Lord Inquisitor's face. It is predatory. “You were in that same year, weren’t you? You wouldn’t happen to know any such connection, would you?”

In an infuriating way, your body betrays you; You gulp.

Then the wrinkles at the end of the large man’s face soften as he playfully flips a hand in the air, “Bah! That’s nothing I need to know anyway, but go tell old Beneger if you have a lead. But to answer your question no we cannot just interrogate any student we desire. Ah! But you may be asking in that tiny head of yours ‘But we’re the Inquisition can’t we kidnap and interrogate anyone we please’” You’re inner monologue is not that high pitch or that childish! “We the answer is yes,” A pause, “Usually and really only if they’re a peasant.”

So you [i]could[/i] kidnap Lyndale? That’s good to know, “And all the students of MageKnight are children of nobility so this is an exception to that rule?”

He nods, “For the most part. Though the peculiar situation you’ve put us in with your antics only intensifies this. You do know this institution only exists because of the express permission of the Royal Family and currently, the king is quite angry at us for I don’t know ‘being the lead suspects in the kidnapping of his daughter’ That ring any bells,” You try to hide your blush though it is true you have put the Lord Inquisitor in a rather tight spot. For a second you wonder what the world would be like if the church was above the monarchy but quickly banish it, that’s a ludicrious thought for what would no doubt be an uncivilized society. “And if we were to give him a probable cause to launch an investigation into our insitution, or Goddess forbid shut it down, that would be quite bad for the both of us, wouldn’t it?”

“I understand completely, Lord Inquisitor,” You say with a diligent nod.

“Good, now is there any further questions or will that be all?”

>”That will be all”

>”Actually there is something else” [Write-in]

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>>6166572
>”That will be all.”

I wonder if we can ask the class president/library girl we met to find out if Anastasia is both a Stranger and a fujoshi…

>>6166572
>>”That will be all”

>>6166572
>”Actually there is something else”
Are you going to enroll Marie undercover into the Academy to investigate them in a likeness of an inane fiction plot?

>>6166572
>”That will be all”

>>6166572
>”That will be all.”

>>6166572
>”That will be all”

> For a second you wonder what the world would be like if the church was above the monarchy but quickly banish it, that’s a ludicrious thought for what would no doubt be an uncivilized society
More to the side of the monarchy really

>>6166596
Lol that cat

>>6166572
>”That will be all”

Happy new year

QM?

They are probably taking a break for a bit to relax and not burn out.

>>6171187
>>6171259
>>6171377
Sorry about that. It turns out whatever I caught over the holidays was bad enough to last until New Year's, and then I had to move right after. In the mix of all of that, I've been having a hard time focusing on where I want to bring the plot next, so the current update has been sitting at about 75% done. I'm praying that I can get back in the groove of things, but at the very least, I have no intention of flake on all of you.

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As you stand to leave the Lord Inquisitor, rather rudely, ignores you but when you glance back as you open the door he seems to have completely vanished. You shake your head as you leave, your time is more important than to be spent wondering about petty parlor tricks.

Unsurprisingly, you find Alyssa waiting for you in the hallway before she immediately goes through the usual routine of stiffly bowing, about facing, and marching through the corridors of this holy building like it’s a military encampment. To be fair, it could very well be classified as one if your kingdom were ever to be invaded; there is, after all, a reason most Inquisitors are considered to be on par with Gold through Platinum rank adventurers. Meaning if an Inquisitor were to fight a large town or small city on their own while adequately supplied, they should be able to come out victorious. In fact, quite a lot of the Lindan military is that way, you suppose, focusing on developing the individual instead of a mass of levies since one highly trained knight should be able to take out hundreds of peasants- oh, you’re here.

In a hidden corner of the cathedral, Alyssa opens the door for you, bows, and follows you inside. What greets you is a relatively standard room for an aristocrat’s office, a wooden desk, a small personal library, shelves for storage of personal trophies, and a globe of the known world. On the wall opposite the bookshelf is a large map of Lindan with many small markings indicating what you can intrinsically understand as major and minor locations of interest throughout the country. Cities, towns, monasteries, fortresses, holy sites, important ruins, and the like. Standing in front of said map with an intense gaze in, well, a rather pathetic sight, Lord Beneger is a small man. If his wrinkled face had a beard, you might have mistaken him for a dwarf. Goddess, he must be in his eighties or nineties with how his dry skin appears to be draped in small folds over his skeletal form, and that’s not to mention the shake in his knees and his hands holding his cane with a death grip as if knowing that if he let’s go, he will fall.

“Lord Beneger, I have brought Her Highness as requested,” She says with the deepest bow you’ve seen from her. He doesn’t even spare her a glance as his square face turns up towards your own.

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>>6171893
He makes no attempt to hide his appraisal as he looks you up and down, spending an inordinate amount of time gazing at the plethora of armaments you have strapped to yourself at an assortment of angles that you can only begrudgingly accept as fair. It’’s not like you’re really expecting to get into a fight anytime soon, but having multiple bladed instruments on your person does wonders for your comfort levels. You always like to be ready to eviscerate someone into a chunky stain if the need ever arises. “Princess Lorina de Lindan,” He drawls out slowly as his eyes move up to reach yours, which actually takes a while due to the difference in your heights, “A woman who needs no introduction.”

“Inquisitor Beneger, I have heard much about you as well.”

“All bad things I suppose,” He says as his gaze turns to Alyssa, “Leave us,” He commands.

Before you can even get a word in, she bows and departs. The old Inquisitor just shakes his head before returning his focus to you. Though you can swear, you hear him mutter something along the lines of, “What a waste.”

“I take it I’m about to hear something confidential?”

He just grunts, “Everything about this place is confidential, no what you’re about to hear is nothing more than a few educated guesses,” Ah, well you weren’t exactly expecting blunt honesty but here you are.

“I see? Do we not have anything to go off of?”

“That’s where you come in, Your Highness, granted you’re up to the task,” He scrutinizes you again, though quicker this time, “Seeing as you should have a personal history with these houses.”

“That… That is correct. I dealt with them much as the Student Council President of the MageKnight Academy due to their high-ranking status. They were required to attend many formal events the Academy put on, such as the yearly balls and masquerades.”

“Yes, yes, I hardly care for the details of whatever you teenagers get up to. What I want to see in the coming days is if you can handle this case impersonally and without bias. My protege has already recommended you become a full Inquisitor with all the privileges that come with it. I am tempted to agree,” He says, which almost causes your eyes to light up and a gasp to escape you. “But there are difficulties. The Royal Family wants to see you under house arrest, the capital is under siege by an unknown secretive society, you have a history with the only noble houses that haven’t been attacked and someone with a vendetta against your wishes for your downfall. Now Lorina de Lindan, what should I do with all of these factors?”

“Give me an assignment to prove myself?” You say with a questioning tone, not even mentioning your current assignment, house arrest with the Inquisition, is far from over.

“It is nice working with people that actually carry a crumb of common sense,” He responds with an approving look, “Though let me warn you, the more you work with us the more you’ll find that is rather rare in this world.”

“Thank you?”

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>>6171896
“Think nothing of it. Now tell me what you know of the Noble Houses we’re dealing with,” He instructs.

And you do so, which is rather easy, seeing as you’ve received tutoring in your youth about all the nobles in this kingdom. These five, Bloodgrave, Atle, Gray, Brandt, and Herrman, to be specific, all have vast territories on par with a dukedom with the exception of von Brandt and von Herrman, who, while having estates in the Lindan capital are foreign nobility of a kingdom to the southeast. In Lindan, however, House Bloodgrave is the most prestigious, with the largest territory, almost close to rivaling crownlands. Atle and Gray on the otherhand? Well, they exist, and while their territories are beautiful and the Atle lineage is renowned for their duelists, their territories are closer to that of a Count than a King. Then there’s also the fact the heirs of those three territories saw fit to suppose a foreign prince instead of their own princess at the Academy, but that’s neither here nor there. What happens in the Academy stays in the Academy after all.

“Then why do you think these specific estates were not attacked in the last few days? They had no Strangers show up, no mercenaries, no changelings. They were unscathed while even the Royal Palace went up in flames?” Well, first, it was only a minor attack on the palace. It certainly didn’t ‘go up in flames-’ you mentally cough to restrain your thoughts.

“I cannot say for certain. There’s too many reasons.”

For a second, the old man stares at you, and you think you’re about to be reprimanded before he nods in begrudging agreement, “Exactly, we can’t know for certain, for we can never truly understand the twisted mind of a Stranger though we must certainly try. Isn’t that right?”

“And that is why I’m here? To find you that answer?”

“Yes, it is,” He says in such a way that, for some reason, makes your skin crawl, “And it’s why you’re being granted the role of temporary Inquisitor. You will have access to all our privileges for this mission. You can interrogate whoever you want, detain those you deem suspicious, execute those you deem heretical, and act with impunity in the Goddess’ eyes. And should you perform well and help orchestrate the downfall of this ‘Heaven Society,’ then you will keep those privileges.”

“And what about Marie? Will she be- uh, joining me?”

“As an Inquisitor, it is your right to request any Inquisitor-in-training to accompany you should you wish. Who knows? Maybe that Demon will prove useful enough to ascend the ranks as the boy once did. Though we will be making sure you keep her on a tight enough leash until then,” He says like a threat, though you don’t really find yourself caring too much, seeing as the likelihood of those two interacting is close to nil.

“I understand. When do I start?”

>>6171900
“Right this instant, of course, time is not a luxury that inquisitors ever have. Strangers should not be allowed to coalesce their power for as long as this ‘Heaven Society’ has, that is, unless you have something you wish to ask?”

>”N-no, I’ll be leaving now. I have to prepare.”

>”Yes, there’s still one thing,” [Write-in]

>[Write-in]

>>6171904
>”Yes, there’s still one thing,” [Write-in]
How much authority does Inquisition have in dealing with nobles? What are the limits of what we can do, what actions will need approval from higher-ups?

>>6171951
Oh, and how widely was our involvement in the Inquisition publicised? Do those youngsters know?

>>6171900
>”Yes, there’s still one thing,”
"Inquisitor Asher mentioned you adopting him as your ward when you first found him... I have to ask, was he the first Stranger you trained as an Inquisitor, or were there others before him? Or even other Inquisitors before you that did the same?"

>>6171980
+1

>>6171980
Oh, also…
>(points at cane)”…cane sword?”

Knowing Asher, he’s probably covered in knives and other assorted weapons, and I’m willing to bet he’s got both a loaded blunderbuss aimed at the knees of whoever’s sitting across his desk, and perhaps a magical version of a claymore mine strapped under the cushion of the same chair we’re sitting on.

>>6171980
>>6172016
Damnit, one more…

>”Inquisitor Asher’s swordsmanship is rather… oh the hell with it. It’s akin to watching a feral street cat fight an entire tavern. Do you not think he might be more affective with dealing with threats without risking his sanity if he had at least some actual training?”

>>6171980
Supporting

We're gonna expose Anastasia and take back all the boys for our rightful reverse harem

>>6172529
Nah, Lorina's better than that tramp.

Have their families disown them and send them to either to the Inquisition (if they were tricked) or to the Crusades (if they went with it), and further punish the families into giving up some of their lands to our Stranger coworkers that helped us.

As for Anastasia... Let's give her an existential crisis. Like, if she's in a world that looks like one of her fantasy otome games, and that if she is the protagonist, than wouldn't that mean that she's being controlled by a player instead of her decisions being her own? Or if this was some sort of manga she read before, than what would that make all the other Strangers in this world? NPCs? And if that was the case, wouldn't that mean that the manga that was most popular in whatever world her story is being read in would be the one that would supersede all the other manga plotlines, and thus would put her in the role of NPC herself once she came across a Stranger with a more popular story?

>>6172796
+1
Death is too good of a fate for her.

>>6172796
Okay but we still need to reclaim our husbandos

Reading back through the old threads made me think of a really important question we should ask Beneger…

>”When I had first visited Inquisitor Asher’s safehouse, the assailant that was sent after him was likely sent as a distraction without being informed of his Cheat Skill. That means there might be a chance that one of the Traditionalists may have told the Heaven Society about it behind our backs. As the main proponent of the so called Renegade faction, who from these Traditionalists would you assume would be willing to align with the Heaven Society, or possibly even the noble houses that were not attacked?”

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“First, I must ask exactly how much authority the Inquisition has when dealing with nobility; until rather recently, I’ve been rather ignorant of this part of noble society. On purpose, I suspect. Are there any actions that I must get approval for before I take them into consideration?”

Beneger’s joints crack as he moves from his position by his large map towards his desk and leans on it, his cane positioned directly infront of him, “You’re correct about nobility being kept in the dark about our operations. The answer to why is simple though, we have the same immunity when dealing with nobility that we do with commoners,” He says before taking a shaking hand to a flask on his desk and taking a sip.

You’re face becomes as puzzled as your mind, “That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t I hear more of that if it were true? Nobles are many things but quiet is not one, rumors and discontent would spread quickly is any Inquisitor could nap one in the night for interrogation.”

He swallows his poison with a wince, “Ah, now you see why it usually takes many years for one to achieve the status of Inquisitor. For anyone with the skill to gain this rank would not ‘nap a noble in the night’ as you said. It all comes down to discretion. Nobles are powerful, with many relatives and allies, so one must be careful when dealing with them less the Inquisitor themself vanish into the night. For your other question, no, as a full-ranked Inquisitor, only the Goddess may judge the actions you deem necessary to fulfill your task, so you will not require any approval before doing something; only let us know what you did after the fact.”

You nod, “That is another reason why the apprenticeship process takes so long?” He nods back, “Then another question, do you know how far my involvement with the Inquisition has gotten? I’ve been stuck here for the past few days.”

“The whole country and then some, I’d suppose. While your father may mistakenly wish to take you from us, he is still one to be proud of your achievements. Every newspaper has had headlines where you appear for quite a while. Your exploits with the Metal Castle, Changeling, and Slaver have become quite popular with bards, last I hear.”

You preen a bit at the stroke of your ego to think everyone else still has another year at the Academy, and you’re already out in the world making a name for yourself! Your friends would no doubt be impressed about your skills- actually, that brings to mind, “You know, Inquisitor Asher once mentioned that you adopted him as your ward when you first found him. I fear my curiosity must be sated, so was he the first Stranger you trained to be an Inquisitor?”

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>>6174706
Any softness in Beneger’s face vanishes when you say the name of your mentor, “Pah, Asher,” He grunts, “He was a pet project of mine decades ago, along with the Lord Inquisitor, to see if Strangers could be trained. They could, we found out, more or less. He turned out stable enough to be made an Inquisitor, though, like all Demons, I advise caution when dealing with him. The fact he’s still stable after what I put him through means he must have excellent cunning, cunning enough to be made an Inquisitor in a word that hates him. He is dangerous. Your Highness is one of the most dangerous I’ve seen a Stranger be.”

“So you did train him then?” He grunts, “Then his fighting style? The way he moves like a… to hell with it, it’s like watching a feral street cat fighting off an entire tavern of purse-makers desperate for his hide. That was all you?”

“Indeed, it was,” He states simply.

“Then would it not make more sense to have given him actual training? So he could be more stable than he is? I doubt it would be a pleasant sight if he were to snap all of a sudden.”

Beneger makes a sound almost equivalent of a growl after you say that, “And teach the revenant who shall never no death exactly how to deal it to others? No. It is better for the world that he tetters on the edge of insanity than unleash such a being upon it. I taught him no magic, no defense, nothing more than the basics of combat and set him upon the Demon Wastes when his adolescent body was capable of withstanding it so that he may never learn enough to become a threat to us. Was I harsh? Yes. But that was for the sake of the Kingdom I love. I will not tell you to answer but simply think. What if I brought him up to be a skilled fighter? To be a legendary duelist? What if that gave him an ego? Ambition? Then what could possibly stop him?” He looks you dead in the eyes, “What could?”

You search for something to say in response to his spirited monologue but find your mouth unable to speak any words. There was not even a hint that Inquisitor Beneger did not believe what he said. He meant every word, and you know there will be nothing good with arguing with an elder set in their ways. The only thing that manages to actually come out after painful moments of your mouth being agape is, “Cane sword?” with a point.

“Of course,” He says with resolution, there’s no use to a cane without a practical purpose for it. As he says that you also spy flashes of silver hidden away in his outfit, perhaps him and Asher are more alike than either thinks, perhaps you are too.

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>>6174707
“We do not have enough information to start suspecting each other, Your Highness,” Inquisitor Beneger snaps, but you swear you see a glint of something in his eyes. Like you’ve caught onto something he didn’t suspect you would, “Need I remind you it is currently your mission to figure such things out?”

“No, Inquisitor,” You say with suspicion.

“Then that will be all, Inquisitor. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Of course, Inquisitor,” The two of you give a small bow before you depart the room and meet again with Alyssa, who closes the door behind you.

“Where to now, commander?” She asks.

Then you blink. What do you do now? Where do you even start? You’ve never had a responsibility this large before! The last one even close was organizing the End of Year Celebratory Ball for third-years, and everybody knows how that ended!

“It is traditional that Inquisitors pray in a holy place before departing,” Alyssa chimes into, hopefully, unaware of your brief internal panic, “Marie is still around should you wish to collect her as well and I’ve been instructed on where your temporary study is located should you wish to plan out a course of action for your mission.”

>Go to the main room of the cathedral to pray

>Go and find Marie

>Go to your study to begin the mission in earnest

>[Write-in]

>>6174709
>Go to the main room of the cathedral to pray
Is this the same cathedral that we once have seen on a photo?

>>6174709
>Go and find Marie

>>6174737
Also, to answer Beneger’s question as to what could stop Asher, may I suggest entomology? Perhaps a butterfly collection?

>>6174709
>Go to the main room of the cathedral to pray

>>6174709
>Go and find Marie

>>6174709
>Go to your study to begin the mission in earnest

>>6174763
The answer is us, after we discover and master the field of chronomancy.

>>6175016
>The answer is us, after we discover and master the field of chronomancy.
…THAT depends on what his honest answer was for the question we asked on the train before we blacked out on red wine.

>>6174709
>Go to the main room of the cathedral to pray

>>6174709
>Go to your study to begin the mission in earnest

>>6174733
Does not appear to be so, the one in the capital is much larger though there are similarities in the architecture

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There are a decent number of attendants at the main cathedral despite the time of day, that being the late afternoon. However, with your cloak and cowl, no one is able to recognize you, even with a strand of your silvery-white hair. In fact, you find this whole thing to be rather peaceful in a sort of way, like just for a second, you’re one of the nameless peons praying before the Goddess for one reason or another. You do know how to pray, after all; all the required verses flow through your mind and whisper through your lips as you sit in front of a statuette at a corner pew. An icon of an all-loving mother and dutiful protector of this world who saw it both grow and thrive under her watchful gaze after she first descended to it and taught the beastfolk civilization before bringing forth humanity to its fold.

Then, as you’re in the middle of reciting your tenth verse, you’re a princess, you’ve been forced to memorize many prayers in your life, and you notice a white-hooded priestess sit uncomfortably close to you. Then you hear an all-too-familiar giggle, the voice of Alice. The statuette cracks. Your head whips to face whoever this intruder is. But suddenly, you find yourself facing a very intense wave of vertigo as instead of facing a priestess in a cathedral, you’re freefalling miles above the ground. “I gotcha ya!” A voice cries out, but your mind is much too crowded with emotions like dread and shock to hear it.

Below you lie fields upon fields of farmland for as far as the eye can see. Yet, as you descend, you notice something rather unsettling to your already frazzled mind, the neatly organized tracts of land arranged into boxes and circles to better help irrigate do not, in fact, contain crops at all. You’re not sure what gave it away first, maybe the sunbleached and torn clothing, the variety of colors in the assembled mass, or the corpses’ lifeless eyes all boring into your own. Thousands of thousands of the dead and damned, wearing the attire only Strangers can stare back at you as you witness them. As you stare at the fate that destiny has befit you. What what-?!

Roughly, you’re pulled back up by a strong arm, “Ah! What are ya doing, little birdie? You think you can fly or something? Ha, wouldn’t that be nice?” Another less familiar voice says as you’re brought face to face with the woman in the hot air balloon once again. She makes a mocking face as she peers over the edge for a second like you did, “Dreadful sight, ain’t it? Can barely stomach it myself, to be fair.”

“Chiirp chirp chiiirp,” You say in response before your hands frantically reach for your throat. Still there, but your cherished ability to speak seems to have vanished. Though thankfully, you find that your ever-intelligent mind has not been diminished one bit.

“Oh, come on no need for all the squawking, little bird. Cheep cheep, see? You can’t get anything out of a sentence like that!”

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>>6178411
You flair your arms wildly at the much larger woman, wait why are you so small? About the size of a lory if you were to say.

“Calm down, calm. I wanna say something,” She says with a “placating” gesture using both her hands, “I mean, sure, it’s reasonable to be frightened when looking at fellow Strangers. Never nice to see our kind end up dead. Especially when they’ve already died once,” She rolls her eyes, “Pretty shitty Heaven, this fucked up world turned out to be, huh?” She speaks cordially and gently shoves you with her elbow. A horrifying gesture because it almost knocks you off the edge of the hot air balloon where you’re standing.

Even worse is that after that, you hear a horrendously loud crash that can only be described as a mix of thunder, glass shattering, and reality breaking. The woman’s face shrinks in fright for only a split second before a maniacal grin splits her face, “Ooo~ Looks like you’re dear itty bitty sisters gotten mad that I’m saying things I ‘shouldn’t,’” She says that last word with air quotes before putting her arms on her hips, “How come she gets to break all the rules of reality when she wants but I’m some sort of psycho for trying to mold this place like she did?” She shakes her head dismissively, “Can’t girls have a little bit of fun around here?”

Another thunderous tremble of the world, you can feel the desert heat upon your skin.

“Ugh, she can try all she likes, but you rejected her! So that means I get to do what I want!” What? No, no, no- “Yes, yes, yes! You’re darling little sis wanted to, I don’t know, let you live your sad, pathetic little life, letting you pretend you’re not involved in our quarrel,” She gestures grandly to the fields of twice-dead Stranger, “But not so fast! You got the stuff to tilt our war to one side, and I fully intend to!”

“Enough!” You hear a shout that cascades across the entire world.

“Shut up, traitor! She’s mine now!” Dorothy snarls as the world shakes. Shakes enough for you to lose your balance and tumble towards your doom.

The last thing you see as you fall is an emerald city far off, over the horizon, another balloon setting forth from it.

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>>6178412
“Lorina! Lorina! Wake up!” Marie cries as she roughly shakes your shoulders.

“Eugh-” Is your intelligent reply as you groggily look around an unfamiliar room. It’s mostly unfurnished except for a large wooden table in the center with a large map of the city, noble estates seemed to have been highlighted with a variety of colors on it.

Marie’s eyes light up as you awaken before she launches out of her seat and tackles you in a hug. As your eyes continue to adjust and the fuzz in your head dissipates you see Alyssa standing at attention over Marie’s shoulders, “You collapses while I went to fetch Marie however the Priestess’ could not find anything physically or metaphysically wrong. Are you well?”

You slowly nod your head at her while bringing your hands up to awkwardly pat Marie’s back, “Yes, I’m- I’m fine. I must’ve just been tired,” Near your chest the photo you keep there emits a continued warmth. “Where are we?”

“Our war room,” Alyssa states as Marie slowly brings herself off you and returns to her seat.

Then Marie immediately brights up as her gaze briefly turns to the map, “Wait before that I heard you were promoted! Congratulation!”

For some reason your eyes dart away and theres a feeling of heat in your face at the well-deserved compliment, “Thank you,” Then you quickly change the subject, “I suppose this was put here to help us organize? Show us the estate that were attacked and which one weren’t?”

Alyssa nods once more, “You are correct, as expected, commander. You are to lead us in investigating five noble houses, the start of which is at your discretion.” Good, seeing as some of these estates are far apart. The Atle and Gray manors are near the inner city close to the palace, seeing as they are upper-middle ranking nobility near many other manors, while the Bloodgraves have a compound outside the city walls, and the foreign quarter holds the Brandt and Herrman estates.

“Where do you think we should start first?” Marie asks.

>An investigation of the Bloodgrave estate

>An investigation of the Atle and Gray estates

>An investigation of the Brandt and Herrman estates

>Say something [Write-in]

>Recall knowledge about the nobility Lorina should know [write-in]

>[Write-in]

>>6178414
>An investigation of the Atle and Gray estates

>>6178414
>Recall knowledge about the nobility Lorina should know [write-in]
If we were a malicious entity, why would we compromise those particular families? What advantages can they give?

>>6178414
>An investigation of the Brandt and Herrman estates

>>6178414
>Say something [Write-in]
“Did either of you get the name of that priestess who was sitting next to me?”
“Does this Alice in Wonderland book have a character named Dorothy in it?”

>Recall knowledge about the nobility Lorina should know [write-in]
I’d like to know the history of the aforementioned noble houses, what they’re known for doing or their specialties, and who the current and future heads are.

Follow that up with:
>An investigation of the Atle and Gray estates

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>>6178675
Sword time.

>>6178414
>>An investigation of the Atle and Gray estates

>>6178532
+1

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More sword, because bored.

…you guys think there’s some Strangers here that got sucked into this world that used to play a Runequest-like game? Or maybe WoW?

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The first thing you do when you lean over the big table with the map on it is think, oh wow, you’re really doing this, huh? By the Goddess, this is quite a responsibility. Only a few months ago, you expected to be relaxing your summer away, traveling to palaces around the country, and yet here you are, an Inquisitor. Holy shit- Anyway, you then shake your head and refocus. What would a malicious entity stand to gain by not attacking these estates? Sure, there are others that had next to no damage, or Inquisitors or the Guard apprehended suspects before they could cause any damage at all, but there were no reports of these very specific estates being targeted. That’s not to mention that every noble house ranked above that of a baron has an estate in the Capital, even if they only live there a few days out of the year, so that’s quite a few buildings that have been scorched. Now, why is it so that these five are untouched by flame?

Well, you can think of quite a few off the top of your head. First is the obvious; these five make up the Heaven Society and, as such, did not attack themselves. This one is ludicrously stupid, but Asher has seemed to always lament how this world makes no sense compared to his own. Perhaps he’s more right than you’d like to admit? Nah, it can’t be. Maybe this is nothing more than a red herring, a distraction? That’s more possible, seeing as the Heaven Society seems quite willing to throw disposable agents around. Then you’re struck by a dark thought, at the Academy, all the heirs to these houses were as thick as thieves as they say, and you’ve heard that’s caused their respective house leaders to be closer as well, seeing as they all hang out so much. What if a few of them are a part of this conspiracy and stupidly decided to not attack their estate in a false flag while also not attacking their friends? Argh, that just sounds like your first theory with extra steps. Whatever, you won’t find any answers without investigating yourself. But you can look over the basics once more.

“Hey, did either of you get the name of the Priestess that sat next to me earlier?” You say out of the blue, catching both Marie’s and Alyssa’s attention.

“What Priestess?” Marie asks after they share a glance and though Alyssa has her ever present neutral look you see a slight frown. She doesn’t know what you’re talking about either.

“Nevermind,” You say, “Marie, remember Alice in Wonderland,” What a strange book that was, an absolute nonsense story of talking animals and a stretchy girl. How does that relate to your life at all?

“Oh, yeah, I love that story. I cosplayed her once at Disney, you know?” You’ll disregard whatever that means.

“Did the story contain anyone named Dorothy that you remember?”

She thinks for a second, “No, not that I know of. The Wizard of Oz does, though!”

“And that is?”

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>>6181024
“Well, it was a book, but basically everyone only knows the movie, which is also super old, but then there’s the play-”

“Alright, I get it,” Another Stranger story then, but why?

You refocus, now's not the time. You’re better off using your mental power to remember these house’s specialties. House Bloodgrave is easy; they’re an influential power block in the Kingdom with their hands dipped in most pies on the east side of the Great Lake. Their patriarch, Duke Bloodgrave, is respectable and thought to be a loyal servant of the King, though he spends most of his time managing his vassals. It seems as if the rumored bloody origins of this house have long been lost to history, even if the heir, Percival de Bloodgrave, a close friend of Herman, gave you the creeps.

House Atle is a well-known county on the west side of the Great Lake where, like in the north, the Kingdom is a bit less civilized, though they do not have to worry about clan politics. Their territory is mountainous and known for the many battle-monasteries that reside there. The current Count Atle is known to be late in years, and there are rumors of his incapability, but his heir, Cyrus de Atle, a renowned duelist (Not as good as you, of course), is a stern and taciturn man who seems to be fully capable of inheriting his territory in the near future.

House Gray has about the same territory as House Atle but resides in the north and, as such, has adopted some of the clan's barbarity into it. Their territory is a hotbed for adventurers and mercenaries, and as such, their tithe is much more focused on levies than taxes, which is good, seeing as their matriarch, Countess Gray, cares more about fighting big monsters than actually governing. This is a trait the heir to the territory, Felix de Gray, has seemed to pick up with his hotheaded nature, not to mention his womanizing ways. Shameless bastard. However, due to their similar martial nature, House Atle and Gray have always had warm relations. Many gray-warriors travel to the battle-monasteries of Atle to train after all.

Then there are the two foreigners. Albretch von Herrman is a prince of a foreign kingdom to the southeast across the channel. Its territory is about equivalent to that of Lindan, with a decently similar culture with a few key differences in just about everything, but that is understandable. Lindan has grown unique due to its island nature, while kingdoms on the continent tend to develop differently, but for the most part, they are comparable. Surprisingly, Herrman’s Kingdom puts less emphasis on magic than Lindan's, despite his love for it.

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>>6181026
Like how Herrman and his Kingdom hold a similar status compared to you and yours, from what you know, Hugo von Brandt holds a status much comparable to Percival de Bloodgrave. With the largest notable exception being that Hugo and Albretch have always been friends, it is with hindsight that you can now recall all the times you were snubbed as a child when visiting his Kingdom so that Albretch could instead spend time with someone else, that oft being Hugo…. Dammit.

“Lorina, are you alright?” You hear Marie say with a voice of concern.

“Yes, I am,” You say but do not look up from the map. If you had laser-eye magic the two foreign estates would be burnt to cinders.

>Voting continued

>>6181028
How’s the relationship between House Grey and the Clans? There’s got to be a few inter-clan rivalries that could be used to distract them from what the other houses want from them. Maybe there’s a few clanspeople working as servants for them?

Also, try not to think about Anastasia being some sort of evil stranger succubus that’ll turn Marie and Asher against you… and definitely don’t let that thought show on your face.

>>6181026
>Creepy scary man who is only good to the MC
>Strong silent man who only shows his warm side to the MC
>Hotheaded womanizer to be tamed by the MC
>Exotic foreign prince in an arranged engagement to be freed by the MC
>Creepy scary exotic foreign prince who is only good to the MC
What do they have in common besides being the love interests of this game?
The answer is nothing.

Okay, in actuality you can make a case for von Brandt and von Herman trying to take over the kingdom with the help of Bloodgrave, who then recruited Atle and Gray as sources of military power. If so, Bloodgrave should be coordinating most of the activity

>An investigation of the Bloodgrave estate

>>6178414
>An investigation of the Bloodgrave estate