‘When is the new expansion coming out? I really want a Dr. Boom!” Replied by: Skotan Nun
Cheryl was eating an apple as she used her finger to type out a reply to the announcement post for the release of the new expansion ‘Goblins vs Gnomes.’
It was approaching night time. She was sitting in the Gray Mage Lursk’s mage tower.
Having been in Norland for a couple days now, her daily life has pretty much stabilized. The owner of this mage tower, Gray Mage Lursk, very rarely returns to the mage tower.
Even when he does return, he would not bother to strike up conversations with Cheryl and Teresa living inside the mage tower.
Cheryl has always been communicating with Gray Mage Lursk through the Mage Forum.
“Cheryl, are you not going to sleep?”
In her pajamas, Teresa was holding a lamp inscribed with the illumination rune on her hand. She passed through the darkness and arrived before Cheryl’s desk.
An owl was standing on Teresa’s shoulder. That owl was staring at Cheryl and hooting.
Apart from the two of them and the Gray Mage Lursk, a whole bunch of owls lived in this mage tower.
These owls seemed to be very fond of Teresa. In only a short few days, that nun lady has already become familiar with the owls.
“Oh... I have some personal matters that I have to do...”
Cheryl took a glance at the old diary on the side of the table. As she has been spending her days in the Hearthstone Tavern, she would only update the ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ at night.
By comparison, Teresa was much more hard working. She has been staying inside the mage tower and looking after the owls and cleaning up the books scattered all over the place the entire time. Furthermore, she was also the one that would go out to purchase ingredients to make tasty food. Apart from those, she would occasionally go to the chapel to offer prayers.
Chgeryl was absolutely certain that Teresa would become a great wife. Whichever man that married her would gain the jealousy of countless other men. On top of all that, Teresa’s figure was exceptional too.
“Personal matters... Cheryl, actually... I had a nightmare.”
Teresa placed the lamp on the desk. She sat beside Cheryl and clenched her hands tightly. From the expression of her eyes, one could tell how distured and worried she was.
“I’ve defected from the church and became a traitor. In my nightmare, I can always hear the mutterings sounding beside my ear. Perhaps god is condemning me for my actions.”
Has the negative reaction appeared already?
As Cheryl has been an inquisitor for all these years, she knew that there were conditions to the appearance of those crazy mutterings. The more kind-hearted a person was, the more a person was able to maintain their serene and pure heart, the more difficult it was for them to hear those crazed mutterings after they became inquisitors.
But, that was something impossible. Inquisitors was a filthy occupation. Every inquisitor would have personally taken away the lives of people that were deemed heretics. They would behead them and set ablaze the families of those heretics on the condemnation stage.
Any normal person would find it very difficult to maintain their serenity after experiencing that sort of thing. They would all be affected by a great amount of negative emotions.
As for those negative emotions, they served as the opportunity for those crazy mutterings to infiltrate one’s mind...
“Teresa! Look at me!”
Cheryl gently clasped Teresa’s cheeks. No trace of impurity could be seen in Teresa’s blue eyes. They were like the eyes of a newborn infant.
“The Holy Church is not the same as the god you believed in. The Holy Church is only the God of Holy Light’s servant. There is no reason for you to blame yourself for betraying God’s servant. God will also not blame you for it,” said Cheryl.
“But...”
It was true that Teresa was hearing a lot of uncomfortable-sounding voices in her ears. Even though those voices would disappear when she’s playing the games on the Mage Forum, she was hearing those irrational mutterings again in her sleep tonight.
“Don’t say anything.”
Cheryl gently covered Teresa’s mouth. She turned around and looked to the window. The owls standing on the beams stopped hooting too.
The surroundings grew extremely quiet. Only the sound of the magic formation protecting the mage tower could be heard. But... Cheryl was able to feel it...
The inquisitors possess a sort of resonance with one another.
Cheryl could feel that there’s a powerful inquisition leader in Norland, right around the chapel.
“Teresa, listen to me. It is best to not go to the chapel for prayers these days.”
Cheryl grabbed Teresa’s hand and brought her to her bedside.
The reason for Teresa’s nightmare might be because she felt the other inquisitors. That said, it seemed like she herself was not aware of it.
“If you’re afraid of nightmares, isn’t there a... broadcast in the magic network called ‘Voice of Norland?’”
“Voice of Norland?”
After Cheryl called to her attention, Teresa tapped open the Voice of Norland.
A distant yet tranquil singing voice entered her ears. That singing voice immediately soothed Teresa’s heart, ridding her of her anxiety.
“It’s the Saintess... no, wait...”
Teresa felt like she had heard that familiar voice before. The effect of the frost elf’s nighttime lullaby was outstanding. Teresa started feeling sleepy after listening to it for only a couple minutes.
Cheryl waited by Teresa’s bedside until she fell asleep. After Teresa fell asleep, a private message suddenly popped up from Cheryl’s magic network interface.
‘Please come to the Hearthstone Tavern — Firebringer.’
Ever since Cheryl and Joshua reached some sort of hidden secret agreement, Cheryl learned of the Chaos Demon’s nickname on the Mage Forum.
Why would this Chaos Demon suddenly request for her to come to the Hearthstone Tavern so late at night?
Could it be that he had finally awakened his desire for young-looked women? No... that shouldn’t be.
Cheryl was more willing to believe that it was because of those inquisitors that appeared at the chapel.
Since she had defected from the Holy Church, those lunatics from the Heresy Tribunal will definitely not let her get away. Cheryl believed that if the target of those inquisitors was Joshua, they will definitely turn their target to her after taking care of Joshua.
After confirming that Teresa was sleeping soundly on her bed, she gently stroked Teresa’s forehead and then got up from the side of her bed.
Ever since she betrayed the Holy Church, Cheryl knew that she would not be able to evade their pursuit.
That Chaos Demon had most definitely invited her to the Hearthstone Tavern because he wanted her, an assassin, to participate in the battle against the Heresy Tribunal.
From Cheryl’s observation of the Hearthstone Tavern over the past couple days, she realized that even though Joshua was a terrifying Chaos Demon, he does not possess any subordinate with strong fighting prowess.
Faced with the incoming inquisitors, and likely several inquisition leaders, such dangerous existences, among them too, a mere Chaos Demon wouldn’t possibly be able to defeat them.
Even if Cheryl was to join him, they would not be able to defeat the inquisitors either.
Because of that, Cheryl was proceeding toward the Hearthstone Tavern with a determination that she would be killed. Should she apologize to the readers of the ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ before leaving?
Regardless, it would be impossible for her to finish the new chapter tonight. After she finished posting an apology on the Mage Forum, Cheryl sought after some weapons and equipment in the mage tower to arm herself.
It was all so that she could face the upcoming desperate and deadly battle.