"Is that everything?" said Guildmaster Viceroy with a stern expression.
"Yes, Guildmaster," Nirra replied while she stood in front of his desk.
The entire party was now back inside the guild, and Shael and Hildia helped get Gareth to the church for treatment, which left Ellie, Eric, and Nirra to debrief the guildmaster about their little operation. Mofu also sat on Nirra's shoulder, taking a well-deserved nap.
"And Lady Ameria? Where is she now?" the Viceroy said as he scribbled some notes about their encounter with a deceased human being controlled by a demon from the other side.
"She came along with Hildia, Shael, and Gareth to the church so they could check up on her condition," Nirra answered.
"I see, still, this is an even bigger threat than we initially thought. If they could use those techniques in using deceased bodies as cannon fodder, they could build a sizable army within days, maybe even weeks," Viceroy said as his pokerface broke a bit, indicating a bit of worry in his voice.
"Guildmaster, I know this is all super secret, so I want to excuse myself," Eric said as he stood up from his seat.
The guildmaster sighed as he shook his head slightly before saying. "I'm afraid it's too late for that because of your encounter earlier."
"He can be trusted, guildmaster," Nirra said while still standing.
"Very well, Mr. Eric. What I am about to disclose to you is information you will never speak to anyone else unless authorized by me or other guildmasters," he said as he stood up and closed the curtains near the windows to the room before he sat back down and crossed his hands above the desk.
"Ok, guildmaster, I won't tell even my party about this," he said as he formed his hand into a fist before raising it to his chest to form a salute.
"Good, Ms. Agustine here is being targeted by the demons," he flatly said, which came as a shock to Eric.
"Why would they want her?" Eric pointed at Nirra.
"We do not know yet; the head guildmaster has already been informed, along with all the trustworthy guildmasters around the kingdom. Even the Church of the Holy One is involved; in fact, they're leading the investigation as to why they want to bring Ms. Agustine into the underworld," he explained, still maintaining his pokerface.
"If the church is involved, then their paladins are sure to follow," he said.
"What of the paladins?" Nirra asked with curiosity.
"The paladins are known for blindly following orders from the grand preist of the Church of the Holy One. If he wants something done, the paladins will make sure to fulfill it even at the cost of limbs and lives," Eric explained.
"Which means if they see you as a huge threat to the kingdom or the church, he won't hesitate to deploy the paladins to keep you safe, locked away somewhere never to be seen again," Eric said, which made Nirra confused.
"Why won't they just kill me on the spot? And why look for any information before acting?" Nirra questioned.
"It is because the Grand Priest himself is an advocate of true justice. As for the reason they won't kill you on the spot, it is because they distain the killing of the innocent even if it causes harm to the church or kingdom as a whole. That was the teachings of the Holy One before he ascended to godhood, according to them," the Viceroy explained with a sigh. "A noble cause, but one that is filled with naivety…" he added.
"I see," Nirra said, still deep in her own thoughts.
"Speaking of the church, be on the lookout. Several priestesses had been deployed by the church to look for any remnants of the cult we are dealing with in the city," Viceroy explained as he stood up and withdrew the curtains from the window.
"Of course, Guildmaster," Nirra said.
"And how about the two mercenaries you encountered?" Viceroy questioned.
"They escaped the moment they realized that they were not going to win" Eric answered with his arms crossed.
"What is the difference between us and mercenaries? Aren't we just the same?" Ellie asked with a straight expression.
"To be frank Mercenaries are Illegal business that would cross lines the guild will never go over. They will actively commit crimes for the sake of getting their reward, whereas the guild is an officially registered by the kingdom as either a separate military force, or a legally allowed group to perform tasks for an expense, but we follow things by the law book." Viceroy explained.
'So, the guild is basically a Private Military Company.' Nirra thought.
"Any more questions before we conclude our debriefing?" Viceroy asked as he stood straight beside his desk.
"I never really asked, but what was the name of the former guildmaster?" Eric said with genuine curiosity.
"Lucas; his name was Lucas," he answered flatly.
"I see. Thank you, Guildmaster," Eric said before he and Ellie stood up from their seats.
"Thank you for the information. You are all dismissed," Guildmaster Viceroy said as he turned his back towards them and gazed at the city below.
As the trio descended the steps towards the second floor. They were met with Ameria and Shael. They walked up to them while they were chatting.
"Lady Ameria, I'm relieved that you are alright," Eric said in the most formal way possible.
"Thank you for your concern; the church didn't find anything out of the ordinary with my body, so they let me go early," she said.
"Where's Hildia?" Ellie asked, noticing the mage was not with them.
"She stayed in the church with Gareth so she could assist in healing his body," Shael answered.
"Well, time to go then; I'm really tired after that escapade," Nirra said as she walked.
"Same here; I still need to wake up early tomorrow to go look for a girlfriend now that I have a new, cool story to tell them," he said as he puffed out his chest in pride.
Shael facepalmed due to his antics, while Ameria merely giggled. Nirra thought she saw how Ellie was looking at her, so she mentally prepared for her scolding later.
Eventually, the two parties said goodnight to each other, turning to their respective inns. While walking, Nirra decided to strike up a brief conversation with Ameria.
"What about the bow you left in that place?" Nirra asked in curiosity.
"Don't worry about it; I have an extra one with my luggage. I just thought it felt right to return the thing I owe to him," she said with a soft smile.
"I see," Nirra said to herself as they walked through the nightly shaded road that leads to the inn where they were staying.
"Is that everything?" said Guildmaster Viceroy with a stern expression.
"Yes, Guildmaster," Nirra replied while she stood in front of his desk.
The entire party was now back inside the guild, and Shael and Hildia helped get Gareth to the church for treatment, which left Ellie, Eric, and Nirra to debrief the guildmaster about their little operation. Mofu also sat on Nirra's shoulder, taking a well-deserved nap.
"And Lady Ameria? Where is she now?" the Viceroy said as he scribbled some notes about their encounter with a deceased human being controlled by a demon from the other side.
"She came along with Hildia, Shael, and Gareth to the church so they could check up on her condition," Nirra answered.
"I see, still, this is an even bigger threat than we initially thought. If they could use those techniques in using deceased bodies as cannon fodder, they could build a sizable army within days, maybe even weeks," Viceroy said as his pokerface broke a bit, indicating a bit of worry in his voice.
"Guildmaster, I know this is all super secret, so I want to excuse myself," Eric said as he stood up from his seat.
The guildmaster sighed as he shook his head slightly before saying. "I'm afraid it's too late for that because of your encounter earlier."
"He can be trusted, guildmaster," Nirra said while still standing.
"Very well, Mr. Eric. What I am about to disclose to you is information you will never speak to anyone else unless authorized by me or other guildmasters," he said as he stood up and closed the curtains near the windows to the room before he sat back down and crossed his hands above the desk.
"Ok, guildmaster, I won't tell even my party about this," he said as he formed his hand into a fist before raising it to his chest to form a salute.
"Good, Ms. Agustine here is being targeted by the demons," he flatly said, which came as a shock to Eric.
"Why would they want her?" Eric pointed at Nirra.
"We do not know yet; the head guildmaster has already been informed, along with all the trustworthy guildmasters around the kingdom. Even the Church of the Holy One is involved; in fact, they're leading the investigation as to why they want to bring Ms. Agustine into the underworld," he explained, still maintaining his pokerface.
"If the church is involved, then their paladins are sure to follow," he said.
"What of the paladins?" Nirra asked with curiosity.
"The paladins are known for blindly following orders from the grand preist of the Church of the Holy One. If he wants something done, the paladins will make sure to fulfill it even at the cost of limbs and lives," Eric explained.
"Which means if they see you as a huge threat to the kingdom or the church, he won't hesitate to deploy the paladins to keep you safe, locked away somewhere never to be seen again," Eric said, which made Nirra confused.
"Why won't they just kill me on the spot? And why look for any information before acting?" Nirra questioned.
"It is because the Grand Priest himself is an advocate of true justice. As for the reason they won't kill you on the spot, it is because they distain the killing of the innocent even if it causes harm to the church or kingdom as a whole. That was the teachings of the Holy One before he ascended to godhood, according to them," the Viceroy explained with a sigh. "A noble cause, but one that is filled with naivety…" he added.
"I see," Nirra said, still deep in her own thoughts.
"Speaking of the church, be on the lookout. Several priestesses had been deployed by the church to look for any remnants of the cult we are dealing with in the city," Viceroy explained as he stood up and withdrew the curtains from the window.
"Of course, Guildmaster," Nirra said.
"And how about the two mercenaries you encountered?" Viceroy questioned.
"They escaped the moment they realized that they were not going to win" Eric answered with his arms crossed.
"What is the difference between us and mercenaries? Aren't we just the same?" Ellie asked with a straight expression.
"To be frank Mercenaries are Illegal business that would cross lines the guild will never go over. They will actively commit crimes for the sake of getting their reward, whereas the guild is an officially registered by the kingdom as either a separate military force, or a legally allowed group to perform tasks for an expense, but we follow things by the law book." Viceroy explained.
'So, the guild is basically a Private Military Company.' Nirra thought.
"Any more questions before we conclude our debriefing?" Viceroy asked as he stood straight beside his desk.
"I never really asked, but what was the name of the former guildmaster?" Eric said with genuine curiosity.
"Lucas; his name was Lucas," he answered flatly.
"I see. Thank you, Guildmaster," Eric said before he and Ellie stood up from their seats.
"Thank you for the information. You are all dismissed," Guildmaster Viceroy said as he turned his back towards them and gazed at the city below.
As the trio descended the steps towards the second floor. They were met with Ameria and Shael. They walked up to them while they were chatting.
"Lady Ameria, I'm relieved that you are alright," Eric said in the most formal way possible.
"Thank you for your concern; the church didn't find anything out of the ordinary with my body, so they let me go early," she said.
"Where's Hildia?" Ellie asked, noticing the mage was not with them.
"She stayed in the church with Gareth so she could assist in healing his body," Shael answered.
"Well, time to go then; I'm really tired after that escapade," Nirra said as she walked.
"Same here; I still need to wake up early tomorrow to go look for a girlfriend now that I have a new, cool story to tell them," he said as he puffed out his chest in pride.
Shael facepalmed due to his antics, while Ameria merely giggled. Nirra thought she saw how Ellie was looking at her, so she mentally prepared for her scolding later.
Eventually, the two parties said goodnight to each other, turning to their respective inns. While walking, Nirra decided to strike up a brief conversation with Ameria.
"What about the bow you left in that place?" Nirra asked in curiosity.
"Don't worry about it; I have an extra one with my luggage. I just thought it felt right to return the thing I owe to him," she said with a soft smile.
"I see," Nirra said to herself as they walked through the nightly shaded road that leads to the inn where they were staying.
