Chapter 7: Parting Gift

The door opened not long after lunch. It was still sometime in the early afternoon—the absence of a proper timepiece in their room made it difficult to get a good read.

They expected just a few guards, but as soon as they came out, they saw the inquisitor also standing in the hallway with tears in his eyes.

“Bruh, are you okay?” Kalender asked.

“P-please, just follow me.” The inquisitor sniffled quite a bit along the way. He led them back to the room where he’d originally briefed them.

As to why he was crying, it was because he was happy.

They entered the room, and there was already someone there. Seated on the far end was—

“Inquisitor Yal?” Kalender muttered.

Yal waved—and smiled. “I’d expected you would pass the test, but my junior here has been reporting quite some interesting things. Please, both of you, have a seat.”

The two seated themselves beside each other, while the white-robed inquisitor told the guards to stand by outside, and he, himself, just stood by the door.

Yal cocked an eyebrow. “Why, Del, don’t be so distant. Come! Have a seat, as well.”

Del sniffled and nodded. He sat down, close to Yal.

On the table were several boxes, enough that Kalender couldn’t see Del’s chest across the table. For a moment, Yal used Appraise on him and Jyn. The skill left no telltale signs of its usage, except, perhaps, if the user stared for too long.

Yal didn’t need to stare for too long to see what Del had told him about. Kalender’s stats didn’t reflect it, but Jyn’s stats did.

***

[Skills]

Sword Proficiency (6/10)
Hand-to-Hand Proficiency (4/10)
Leadership (2/10)
Durable (2/10)
Stand as Equals (1/5)

***

It was the last skill. It showed up as an ordinary skill, but the description remained the same as how Kalender saw it.

—Passive skill. Permanently nullify all charm effects between self and the Companion leader.

In effect, anyone who’d studied how the Companion System worked would know what a “Companion leader” was, and what the description entailed.

“Knight Jyn,” Yal began, “congratulations. You are the first in Lyrica’s history to be rid of the curse’s negative effects. In fact—it is a true Blessing now, is it not?”

“Y-you honor me with your words.” Knights and the Inquisition did not normally mix. The latter were responsible for courts-martial, after all.

If an inquisitor spoke to you, it meant you did something wrong. Normally.

“Don’t be so timid. I hear that you are quite an exemplary knight.” Yal smiled. “However, freed from the curse you may be, your name still bears the Blessing of the ###### God. By law, you may no longer be accepted in the service of the kingdom.”

“I understand.” She’d seen this coming.

“Be that as it may, are you happy enough to follow this man?”

Jyn looked up and met Yal’s eyes. “There is nowhere left for me to go. I have been fortunate to meet Kalender. I have no objections in following him.”

Yal smiled, then looked to Kalender. “Now onto the main course. I understand that your mind is set to combat the curse within your means? Or have you changed your mind.”

“I haven’t changed my mind about it.” Kalender shook his head. Nothing could change his mind about it. “It’s a terrible thing… I hate it.”

‘Hate.’ Jyn let the word seep into her ears. She couldn’t imagine this man saying such a word with intent behind it, but it just meant that he truly made an exception of it from his kindness.

“I can imagine.” Yal nodded. He had had his own experiences to harbor disdain for it. “In this endeavour, consider myself and the Inquisition your friend.” He looked to Del. “Open our gifts.”

“Right away.” Del stood up and opened the boxes before them.

Clothes, money, equipment, and connections. It was a wonder at all that they could all fit in such small boxes.

Aside from the civilian spares of clothing, which would blend in well among Lyrica’s commoners, they were given some special equipment.

To Kalender, four cuffs to absorb his passive charm magic. They were the type tuned towards charm magic, and so he should be able to use any other magic normally.

“Oh my god, thank you—thank you!” He was almost crying. Charming random girls just by existing? No way in hell he’s going to do that.

To Jyn, a sword of good quality, just a step up from the standard stuff the commoner knights were equipped with. With good care, it can last her a lifetime.

She took a kneel the moment she realized it was being given to her. The thing was worth a few pay grades higher than she ever aspired to.

They were also given some hardened leather armors—just the minimum stuff to protect the torso, parts of their arms, and parts of their legs.

Kalender had expected leather armor to be more … pliable. The stuff felt more like a shell than a coat. At the least, it felt like a kitchen knife would break before it could get through.

Among other equipments were spare swords, daggers, and a magic reference manual.

“Huh? It’s not called a grimoire?”

Kalender’s question drew sharp gazes from the inquisitors. Jyn nudged him with an elbow. “Those are illegal and downright frightening.”

“O-oh.”

Seeing that he was just being ignorant, the inquisitors let him off about it.

Also, they were given 10,000 Notes to live on for around a year. A decent meal costs between 5–10 Notes, and monthly rent could cost anywhere from 200 Notes in a small town, to 1000 Notes in a city.

Kalender scratched his head and started tracing something on the table, muttering numbers. For a moment, everyone else thought he was casting a spell, but there wasn’t any mana flowing.

“Hey, wait, that’ll just last us 9 months in a small town,” Kalender remarked of the amount of money given to them, “which I’m not really complaining about, but that’s a whole 25% less from what you said. The error’s a little bit too much to pass off as an honest mistake for your spiel.”

Yal whispered into Del’s ear. “Is his calculation correct? We’ve been telling everyone that 10,000 Notes can last a year. This will be an embarrassment to the Inquisition if this goes on for any longer.”

“Prices have risen far too rapidly since then,” Del replied. “It must be the food. A good meal used to cost just 2 Notes.”

Yal sighed. Imports have been shaky over Lyrica’s draconian immigration policies on Cursed Ones. Oh well.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Kalender continued, “we’re grateful for the cash and I don’t think we can ask for more than—all of this, really. It’s a lot.”

“Use it as you see fit.” Yal waved his hand. “I do hope that you become self-sufficient, however. A friend to you the Inquisition may be, we are not interested in providing for an unproductive lifestyle.”

“Oh, of course. Is there something like an Adventurer’s Guild around here?”

Yal tilted his head somewhat. Tilting it too much would hurt his old bones. Then he remembered. “Ah. Reincarnators always mention that. Of course, of course.” He shook his head. “The Adventurer’s Guild will not be suitable for you.”

“Huh?” But it’s the easy contracts and odd-jobs place, though? “Is there something wrong with it? Wait, is it the same as what I’m imagining it to be?”

“It is, it is. Their presence in this kingdom is not major, however. After all, we do not have a labyrinth.”

Oh. That’s kinda sad.

Yal continued. “That being the case, I recommend the Explorators Company, headquartered north in the town of Harmony, close to the Monster Wall of the Elven Domain of Deramin.”

There were a few concerning words there, and it showed on Kalender’s face.

Yal explained. “The Monster Wall is a deep stretch of forest in which mana beasts spawn and prowl. Deramin uses it to keep the human kingdoms at bay, or sometimes, as an offensive tool.”

“Do the elves hate humans that much, or…”

“It’s pure politics.” Yal waved his hands, as if banishing a demon of misunderstanding. "Lyrica has a more … neutral standing among things, and so Deramin has been content to simply have the Monster Wall exist, and has never seen reason to expand it to encroach upon our lands.

“But beyond that,” Yal grinned, “they look the other way when members of the Explorators Company ‘lose their way’ and ‘fight mana beasts in self-defense’ before making their way back to Lyrica.”

“Huhhh,” Kalender nodded in apparent understanding. “I see, I see.” It was all rather exciting to him.

“They will look the other way when it comes to a person’s past offenses and history. I am sure you will be welcomed quite warmly.” Yal paused, then brightened up. “Ah! You mentioned wanting to go to a Temple to Maximine?”

“I did, yes?”

“How convenient for you. It is on the way, outside a town called Clarinets. The journey is three days, however. Del here will accommodate you for tonight.” Del bowed. “And then you can set out upon first light.”

Yal stood up, followed by Del, then Jyn. Seeing everyone stand up, Kalender awkwardly followed suit.

“I apologize, for I have additional business, and I cannot entertain you any longer than until now.”

“But you went out of your way for us, no need to apologize.” Kalender smiled. He’d even given them a lot of stuff! “We’ll use what you gave to the limit!” He paused. “Except the money!”

Yal replied with a hearty laugh.