Day of Monar, 1:45 p.m.
Adventurer's Guild, Luxen City.
Vivian stepped stepped into the main lobby. She was still wearing her usual attire, she had her sword on her left hip, and her face was covered with powder and lipstick.
I forgot to submit the Quest Items for the Bukaroo Quest yesterday…
After receiving her reward from Joshua, it was already way past 6:00 p.m., her clothes were dirty, and she didn't want to miss the free dinner being offered from the Cafeteria at the private compound of the Temple of Priests.
The Cafeteria offers two free meals a day. And as far as Vivian knows, it's only available for the members of the Temple of Priests.
Hmm...
I wonder if I'll also get a reward from saving that family from the demon bandits, and killing 4 and bringing back 1…?
She turned to Pana's counter.
Nice…
No one is bothering her…
I'll talk to her first before submitting the Quest Items…
As she made her way to her, another idea popped inside her head.
Yeah…
That's another thing I haven't considered…
Since I'm still holding the Bukaroo Quest from yesterday…
There won't be a new Bukaroo quest posted on the Quest Board today, right...?
And after I submit the Quest Items…
Will the Quest be available right away…?
Will I have to wait an hour or two…?
Or will I have to wait tomorrow…?
Vivian finishes her Quests within the same day she gets them.
However…
If it will be available right away after I submit the Quest Items…
Wouldn't this be a loophole I can exploit…?
I mean…
As long as I don't submit the Bukaroo tails within the same day I received the Quest and only submit it tomorrow…
The Bukaroo Quest will forever be locked with me…
And I won't have to worry about anyone taking it away from me…!
She already raised her hand and was about to slap her forehead but stopped after remembering she was wearing powder to cover her abnormally pale skin.
Fucking idiot...!
Why didn't I figure this out from the very beginning...?!
Vivian was already halfway when Pana noticed her.
"Vivian!" she said and waved with a smile.
Vivian waved back with a smile and then finally reached her.
"Hey, good afternoon. By the way, I have a question."
"Good afternoon, too. Of course. But before that, I need to tell you that Mrs. Belfair is here and she has been waiting for you inside one of the Meeting Rooms."
The smile on Vivian's face vanished.
"Oh…"
***
Ka-cha!
A door opened and Vivian entered. She let out a sigh and she saw Mrs. Belfair sitting at one of the sofas while eating cookies and drinking tea.
Ku-chud.
She closed the door behind her and then continued making her way inside the room.
Mrs. Belfair put down the cookies she was eating.
"You're finally here. I was --"
"Shut the fuck up," Vivian cut her off with an irritated and icy tone.
Mrs. Belfair was caught off-guard and didn't know what to do.
Vivian reached the sofa across Mrs. Belfair and a coffee table between them, and sat down.
Tch!
She clicked her tongue as she crossed her legs and massaged her temples.
"So many fucking problems...!
"And that loophole didn't work...!
"I still have to wait for a couple of hours before the next Bukaroo Quest will be available...!
"I also don't get any reward from killing and capturing the demon-worshippers…!
"And I also have to deal with this…!
"Fuck...!
"Why can't people just leave me alone…?!"
A confused and surprised expression flashed across Mrs. Belfair's face.
"You… What did you just--…?"
Vivian stopped massaging her temples and slowly turned to her with an ice-cold gaze.
"I said shut the fuck up. Do you understand me or do I need to shout at your fucking old, wrinkled and useless ears?"
Mrs. Belfair's jaw dropped and then she got up.
"I don't know what's going on right now, but I have to --"
"Sit back down or I'll fucking break your legs!"
"What is going on with you? I will not accept this kind of treatment!" Mrs. Belfair said and then turned to the side. "I will report--"
Vooom!
Brrr!
As Vivian turned into a blur, she moved the coffee table that was between her and Mrs. Belfair and then stood in front of her.
Thud!
Mrs. Belfair was still processing what was happening when Vivian shoved her back to her seat.
"What did I just say, you old hag?"
When Mrs. Belfair finally realized what was happening, her face began to turn pale.
"Old hag…? You…! You assaulted me…! And you're supposed to be a member of the Temple of Pri--…!"
Tack!
Vivian flicked her forehead. And although she only used a little bit of force, to Mrs. Belfair, it felt like someone violently knocked her forehead with a sharp object.
A small and amused smile slowly crept on Vivian's face when she saw the redness and looked like it was about to bleed on Mrs. Belfair's forehead.
"So you're not strong, huh…"
Mrs. Belfair felt the hairs on her body stood up and a cold shiver ran down her spine as Vivian's gaze crawled over her body.
Pat.
She palmed the red spot on her forehead with her left hand and pointed at Vivian with her right and shaky hand.
"Y-Y-You attacked me, a harmless civilian…!"
"You know, I've been wondering where does this bravado of yours comes from. You not only have the guts to talk to me, a Priestess, like this, but you also are brave enough to disrupt me from doing Holy Missions. Obviously, you're not strong. Is it that you're well-connected? A Noble perhaps? A rich merchant? You're related to a powerful person? But then again, none of that makes sense. Because if you were any of those things, you wouldn't waste your time bothering me, a Brown Cloak."
Hearing the word Brown Cloak, some semblance of courage sparked inside Mrs. Belfair's chest and she got up.
"I-I-If you let me leave… I promise I won't bother you anymore…"
The small smile on Vivian's face grew.
"Come now, you think I'm that stupid? Anyhow, there are only two reasons I can think of: You just don't care anymore because of old age or --"
Pah.
"Ahh…!!!"
Thud.
Vivian slapped Mrs. Belfair on the face with the back of her hand, causing her to let out a cry out and fall face-first back to the sofa.
"-- you're a FUCKING HERETIC!"
Mrs. Belfair was still in a daze when she felt the taste of iron on her mouth.
Chud!
"Ahh...!" she let out another cry as Vivian grabbed her hair with her left hand and yanked her back up.
"Yes, yes, you are a heretic, a demon-worshiper. That explains everything. Now it makes sense."
"What...?"
Pah.
"Ahh…!!!"
Thud.
She received another slap. But this time around it was on the other cheek and she fell to the sofa once more.
"HEL--!" she was about to scream for help but it was cut short when a gloved hand reached out for her mouth.
Vivian's face twitched. Although her hand was covered with a glove, the idea that she was touching another person's mouth and she could feel their lips, teeth and tongue was just too much.
She tightened her grip around Mrs. Belfair's jaw.
"SHOW YOUR TRUE FORM, YOU DISGUSTING DEMON!!!"
"Um-Um-Um!!!"
Still holding onto Mrs. Belfair's mouth, she shook her face.
"I COMMAND YOU IN THE NAME OF THE GOD OF LIGHT!"
Tears began to well up in Mrs. Belfair's eyes.
Vivian pulled back her hand because it was covered with saliva.
"P-PLEASE FORGIVE --"
Pah!
Thud!
Vivian slapped Mrs. Belfair once again. However, this time around, she used a little bit too much force and knocked her out cold.
Tch!
She clicked her tongue.
Scruuub…
Scruuub…
Scruuub…
And then wiped her gloved hand against the clothes of Mrs. Belfair.
"You fucking disgusting old hag!"
[Heal].
A faint yellow light enveloped Mrs. Belfair's body but she was still knocked out cold.
Vivian gritted her teeth.
Chud!
She grabbed Mrs. Belfair's hair with her left hand and yanked it a bit too much that she almost tore her scalp off.
"AAAHHH!!!" Mrs. Belfair woke up and cried out in pain.
A huge grin appeared on Vivian's face.
"Now where were we, demon-worshipper?"
Ka-cha!
The door of the room suddenly opened and it was a female guild receptionist.
When the receptionist saw Vivian holding Mrs. Belfair by the hair with tears in her eyes and blood trickling down from her lips, her eyes turned wide and her jaw dropped.
"HELP ME...!!! CALL FOR --"
Bam!
Vivian shoved Mrs. Belfair's face to the sofa.
"This person is suspected of being a demon-worshiper. And as a Priestess, it is my duty to capture and send them to the Temple of Priests for further questioning."
"Huh...?" the receptionist said with a look on her face that was torn between confusion and surprise.
Earlier, she heard some loud noises when she passed by so she decided to check it. And when she opened the door, this was what she discovered.
"AHHH…!!!"
Mrs. Belfair cried out in pain as Vivian yanked her up by the hair. She reached out for Vivian's wrist but they were hard as steel.
Pah!
She slapped Vivian's face with the back of her right hand.
Pah!
And Vivian retaliated by slapping her on the face with her right hand and she was caught in a daze.
Meanwhile, the female receptionist flinched for a split moment but decided not to move in the end.
"Stop resisting and behave, demon-worshipper. I'm taking you to the Temple of Priest for further questioning!" Vivian said and then wiped her hand against Mrs. Belfair's clothes once again before dragging her out.
Despite still being caught in a daze from Vivian's slap, Mrs. Belfair tried to grab the guild receptionist as they passed by her. However, the receptionist stepped away and let Vivian drag her out without any interruptions.
Although the receptionist had no idea who between Vivian and Mrs. Belfair was telling the truth, if she had to pick, she didn't want to make an enemy with the Temple of Priests.
The Adventurer's Guild and Temple of Priests were both powerful and influential organizations. However, if she were to compare the two, there was a huge gap. And one of the main disparities between the two is the members.
Although the Adventurer's Guild has more members, their members are Commoners and can't hold political positions
.
The Temple of Priests, on the other hand, despite having fewer members, a majority of them are Nobles -- with a few of them as powerful as Royal and Aristocratic Noble Families.
When Vivian and Mrs. Belfair reached the main lobby, Mrs. Belfair finally recovered from her daze but her face was still covered in tears, snot and blood with Vivian still dragging her by the hair.
"HELP ME…!!! THIS WOMAN ATTACKED ME FOR NO REASON…!!!" she cried out as she held onto Vivian's wrist.
Everyone's eyes turned wide and their jaws dropped.
"HELP ME PLEASE…!!!" I'M BEING FALSELY ACCUSED BY THIS CRAZY WOMAN…!!! HEEELLLPPP…!!!"
Pana, who was sitting behind her counter, stood up and covered her mouth.
Her fellow receptionists more or less did the same.
And for the handful of Adventurers present, they simply stared in silence.
"CALL THE GUILD MASTER…!!! TELL HIM MY GRANDSON IS AN AUDITOR…!!! HIS NAME IS -- AAAHHH…!!!"
Vivian yanked her head way back.
Bam!
"Blaaargh!"
And then punched her stomach, causing her to vomit the cookies and tea that she had eaten just earlier.
Mrs. Belfair was left semi-unconscious and kneeling down on her vomit with Vivian still holding onto her hair.
"This woman is suspected of being a demon-worshiper and I'm taking her to the Temple of Priests for further questioning. Anyone here who's got a problem with it, I will consider as an accomplice," Vivian said and then swept her gaze around.
Some of the people in the main lobby didn't say anything, while the others turned away when their eyes met Vivian's.
Vivian let out a snort.
[Heal].
A faint yellow light enveloped Mrs. Belfair's body.
"AHHH…!!!" she cried out as Vivian pulled her up by the hair and then resumed dragging her.