95: Messy Church Business

Throughout their time shopping in the bazaar-like district, a part of his mind kept thinking about his current equipment and the newfound powers he gained throughout the journey he had so far.

One thing was Arcane Control from his Class. And now, he had these Earthtrod Leather Boots to consider. He was starting to understand a little bit more about magic that he couldn’t learn anywhere else, not even from the books he read. It wasn’t like he learned the deep fundamentals of magic through the books easily read by the commoners around here, as that type of knowledge is typically reserved in high-end places, such as mage towers or some shit he reckoned this world would have.

Maybe there was an academy of magic like in so many fantasy novels he read where he could learn such things, but he also had a feeling that the type of magic he could do was more special than your typical magic cast by regular human beings, or humanoids according to the status screen.

Though he couldn’t quite put a finger on it, he had a feeling that Arcane Control and these boots might work hand in hand, allowing him to open up new possibilities he could use with his magic. 

There was also the kind of magic that Miko used. It wasn’t just simple ice magic, like how Ander could control lightning through his talent. It was something much deeper, something that resulted in her being capable of wielding the type of magic that made fire cold, something that was normally impossible to replicate according to the natural affinities of the world.

He wondered if perhaps people who started using magic for the first time needed to first learn techniques capable of helping them understand the magic rather than outright using it. The skill known as Magic Sense was definitely an instrumental technique to learn, something that Haley had been learning to use like crazy this entire time. But unlike your ordinary mage who can instantly make spells, it was taking her a long time to fully grasp the magic even with such a skill on hand.

In other words, one clearly had to pave their way to magic regardless of how you first start off, disregarding the Class you take. He started to consider if perhaps there were other forms of power control outside of learning how to use magic, or if magic is the only source of power one needed to actively learn and use to get ahead in life.

So many questions, not enough references to learn from.

That was why he really liked the idea of Nina’s expanding her list of connections. If it was possible to reach out to someone powerful enough to understand how magic worked, he might get to learn a few more things. Yin was one such example, but it was clear that she wasn’t entirely absorbed into learning magic, only using it for her own ends. Considering she ended up as a slave and was gladly working as Nina’s stand-in governor, perhaps her idea of using magic wasn’t put into a high priority for her.

“Hey, whatchu thinkin’ about?” Haley asked, noticing Aidan being weirdly quiet.

“Titties.”

“Ugh, can you not?”

Haley scoffed, leaving Aidan to let out a chortle. He just loved messing with her and just had to take his shot.

“I’m kidding. I’m only thinking about titties 99% of the time.”

“Sure, sure,” Haley waved her hand, ignoring him completely. “Ooh! Hey, I think I found something good over there. Come on!”

Haley pulled Aidan’s arm to another stall, showing off some splendid ingredients that immediately caught her eye. Aidan also saw how valuable they were, wondering if Haley was using her treasure-seeking talent for this.

It turned out she definitely was as she found some rare ingredients, their rarity even saying as such, for a low price. After practically swiping them away like a bandit, Haley looked more than pleased, her smile practically radiating pure enjoyment.

Aidan smiled as he kept his duty as her personal bodyguard, keeping an eye out for any bastard that dared try to even look at her the wrong way. She certainly received some stares, though none of them were hostile. While she came off as immature and playful, Haley was quite the beauty for her age, so she definitely took some attention from the men around her. What he was particularly against were the clearly older men eyeing a glanceful of her without regard.

I totally get it, but she’s still a freaking minor.

Alas, he couldn’t blame these poor fools, or maybe he could. As far as he knew, 15 years was considered an adult at least in Forontia, and most likely the same for the entire country as a whole. He would still treat Haley and Van as minors, as he believed one can only reach adulthood at 21, no matter what anyone said.

“Thanks for sticking around with me while I’m doing this,” Haley suddenly thanked him, surprising Aidan. “I know you’d be better off doing something more productive than helping me get some items.”

“What are you talking about? I got something great out of it, and even if I didn’t, it’s fun hanging out with you.”

“Really?” Haley asked, surprised.

“You think I’m lying?” Aidan asked, just as surprised.

“No, just, you know, with how high level you are and how powerful you can be, I just figured you have better things to do. Like getting stronger and all.”

“That’s definitely in the plans, but nobody says I have to act like a damn monk in training all the time. Stop worrying about stupid things and just continue having fun.”

“Alright,” Haley grinned. “I actually have something else to buy, and I was kinda hoping you might help me get some improved tools for my alchemy session.”

“I can just craft the stuff you want, though," Aidan said, but Haley shook her head.

“It’s the stuff that requires that delicate touch you’re not good at making. Sorry, but I prefer a professional’s hand on this.”

“Fair enough,” Aidan nodded in agreement. He couldn’t blame the poor gal for choosing a clearly better option for the stuff she would need. “Think we can find them here?”

“I hope so, though we might have to head into some stores for that kind of thing,” Haley said. “If we got some time, we can–”

Suddenly a few scant voices shouted out in alarm, taking their attention. Aidan instantly stood by Haley’s side, scanning the area to see if there was any danger involved. Thankfully it was nowhere near them as he watched a rather young-looking man scampering about between the crowds of people, pushing them aside and not caring about their state afterwards.

Though rather than a man, he looked absolutely hairy from top to bottom, only to realize that it wasn’t actually a man per se but a beastman. A wolf-like figure stepped out into the open area, his dog-like face looking haggard and wide-eyed as he kept pushing aside the others, downright shoving them and pushing them to the ground.

“What’s going on?” Haley asked, though no matter how curious she got, she never left Aidan’s side.

“Some kind of runner.”

Aidan answered as he also noticed a group of armed soldiers running after the wolf man. Though contrary to the guards he met before, these ones were wearing almost robe-like attire, adorned in white and gold colors that were utterly eye-catching to say the least.

It looked like a classic chase scene going on, but it would be over soon enough. One of the guards shouted and lifted his hand before shooting what looked like a coiling trail of golden energy that wrapped around the wolf man’s legs, pinning them together and making him fall with a harsh thud on the ground.

No matter how much the wolf man tried to get rid of them, even using his sharp claws to gouge out the energy, the golden wrappings refused to dissipate. The crowd immediately dispersed from the scene as the three probably-holy guards stepped forward, making themselves known.

“Give up your futile resistance, spawn of beast,” One of them said, his tone demanding and harsh. “There is no saving you.”

“Fuck off!” The wolf man growled. “Get these things off me! I’m innocent!”

“A lie if there ever was one,” Another responded, pulling out a small crystal the size of a palm and showing it to not just the wolf man, but the masses as a whole. “We have recordings of you trespassing on Virnor avenue, entering private property and stealing valuable commodities. Don’t even try to waste our time.”

“That’s all a lie!” The wolf man shouted, though his voice was hurried and panicked. “I didn’t do anything!”

For a short moment, Aidan wanted to intercept. His mind was nearly screaming that this felt similar to an unjust prejudice as he recalled humans being in the majority of this country. He barely saw any other races around him, and this scene made him think that perhaps this was one of those moments where the country would gladly witness and just ignore.

Though he managed to convince himself to stay put, there was another reason why he stayed his hand. A hand clasped tightly to his arm. Looking back, he saw Haley actually terrified. Her soul was trembling in genuine fear, and not at the wolf man, but at the holy guards apprehending the man.

That definitely got his attention, enough to ignore the situation going on as the lead guard shouted.

“Search his belongings. We can easily find the truth there.”

The two holy guards did as he ordered, closing in and pushing the wolf man down on the ground, even slamming his head onto the pavement of the street. The wolf man tried to fight back, but all he could do was growl like a beast and try to bite them as one of them took hold of his arms while the other roughly searched his body.

Eventually he pulled out what looked like a very small spatial bag, then opened it up to reveal the contents. As if to show off that they did their job, the guard held up a sparkling set of accessories, such as bead necklaces and golden rings and bracelets, for all to see. The crowd gasped in response, the crime apparent for all to see.

“See? A waste of time to defend yourself,” The holy guard leader said, his chin raised as if he was staring at trash cluttering the street.

“Those were planted! I’m being framed here!”

The more Aidan listened to the wolf man’s cries, the more he started to feel a bit embarrassed at his earlier thoughts. It was clear from the get-go that the wolf man was the culprit, as just one reading of his soul told him everything. He indeed stole from the property, and was now caught and tried to do everything he could to make it seem like he was innocent.

He was only just making himself look terrible, and even worse, making beastfolk like himself look bad in comparison to the public eye.

The lead guard only shook his head. “Nobody would bother framing you for mere trifles such as jewelry. Not even enchanted jewelry at that. Men, exact punishment onto this poor soul who has lost his way in life.”

“What…? No, no, no, please. Please, spare me! I promise never to do it again!” The wolf man suddenly changed tactics, his eyes wide as he pleaded, forgetting his earlier resistance entirely. “I was just desperate! Hungry! I got kids to feed and debts to pay! I’ll take penalties and even imprisonment! Just–”

“That’s enough out of you.”

The one who searched his belongings spoke coldly before unsheathing his sword. Without a moment’s hesitation, he swung down at the screaming wolf man and beheaded him right there on the street.

Some of the people looked away when this occurred, while others watched with varied expressions, some horrified and others looking like they witnessed a show. A few even cheered at the death as the wolf man’s head rolled, blood spilled on the street.

The man who pinned the dead beastfolk’s arms lifted himself up and pulled up the corpse with him. He put them all into a spatial bag by his hip, and with another raised hand, it started to glow before the entire street covered in blood did the same. A few seconds later, the street became shiny and clean, not a single speck of blood left behind.

The lead guard turned around, flashing his golden cape for all to see as the other guards flocked to him.

“I apologize for the decrepit showing of a criminal. Know that Palestorm shall always strive for peace within its walls, as the Church of the One is on the job and prepared to face any criminal scum who has abstained from faith! Men, with me!”

The lead guard said as he and his entourage left the scene. The crowd that witnessed the entire thing slowly departed, separating and discussing amongst themselves over what just happened. Aidan just stood there, taken aback by the entire thing.

He wasn’t so innocent to feel upset after seeing a life getting taken away like that, but to see it done in public without a shred of hesitation, even throughout the wolf man’s pleading, left a sour taste in his mouth. From it all, the souls of the guards showed nothing but steady rhythms that played a choir as though they were doing a part they practiced for years.

It was almost… theatrical.

“Aidan, can we leave? Please?”

Haley said in such a low tone that it took Aidan a moment to realize it. He nodded, wrapping her shoulders with his arm as he pulled her away from the scene, obviously far away from the guards’ direction.

After a while of walking, Aidan could only try to assure Haley as her trembling form made it very clear. She was terrified, especially after the death of the wolf man. After ensuring that there were no signs of the holier-than-thou authority, Aidan spoke assuredly.

“It’s fine now. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Haley said, and he knew she was genuine. Her soul was visibly calming down, returning back to her bubbly and joyful tones. “Thanks. I know it was a bit weird.”

“Nothing weird about getting spooked by a show like that,” Aidan said. “I’m guessing you don’t like public executions–like a normal person would.”

He said that half-jokingly, and smiled when he noticed Haley’s lips curling to a small grin.

“Yeah, I guess it’s just weird how anyone can just see that and even clap at it. I worry about their mental states.”

“Not worth thinking about,” Aidan said. The two got quiet for a bit as they kept walking forward.

Eventually, Haley began speaking as she looked ahead.

“You can tell, but I really don’t like how the Church does things. I mean, I’m thankful that they’re helping us, but… that’s not the worst they have done. Back in the capital city, where we used to live, those holy guards were everywhere. Stuff like that was pretty common, especially near poorer districts where crime was everywhere. But that’s not even the worst part.”

“How bad could it get?” Aidan asked, though he made sure to fully think on his words before saying anything stupid. He didn’t want Haley to recall bad memories.

“Sometimes those holy guards would just outright claim they spotted a criminal, and the guy didn’t even do anything. The only reason why I know this is because me and Van knew the guy. He was an old friend of our parents, and he sometimes gives me snacks when I do favors for him, like cleaning up his front porch. The guards said that he assaulted someone, which we both knew was impossible. He was as nice as a saint. That still didn’t stop them from just cutting his head off as if he had done exactly as bad as that wolf guy did.”

Aidan closed his eyes for a moment. That definitely sounded bad for anyone with normal thinking. For a zealot, they would just instantly believe that the guy did wrong, and it probably wasn’t a great time for others who were close to the guy either.

“Did the guards do anything to you?” Aidan asked, prompting her to shake her head.

“Nah, we stayed as far away as possible. Not like they have a reason to chase after us. We weren’t doing well, but not so badly that we would be homeless. Van was just worried about what would happen if the Church found out about my talent. Downright terrified, actually, to the point that it kinda made me scared of the holy guards whenever they come around. It’s kinda embarrassing, actually.”

“Nothing embarrassing about that,” Aidan assured. “Van had a good point in worrying about you. I can also understand why you wouldn’t like those guys either. Still–as long as I’m here, you won’t have to worry about those guys.”

Aidan grinned, putting on a face that showed he would gladly show those guys a ‘good time’ like they did to the wolf man. Haley smiled warmly, even chuckling a little.

“Normally I’d say you’re biting off more than you can chew. Though after seeing what you did to the Red Riot, maybe I should be careful so that the holy guards won’t get destroyed.”

“Definitely sounds like a kind thing to do for them,” Aidan chuckled. “Anything revolving around religion is always a messy business. Though I do feel a little conflicted. The wolf guy was definitely a culprit, no matter what he said.”

“Oh yeah, you can tell, can’t you?” Haley nodded. “It’s not like the holy guards are always assholes. Just… they always go too far.”

“I’m not that surprised.”

“By the way,” Haley said, turning to him. “If you don’t mind me asking… What's it like, where you came from?”

“Oh, my place?” Aidan asked.

“Yeah… your world and stuff,” Haley said, turning her voice down. “You said religion is a messy business. Is it the same over there in an entirely new world?”

It wasn’t that surprising that Haley would ask that, considering that she was always a curious sort. And something like reliving a traumatizing event from childhood was still not enough to deter her curiosity.

Especially when it came to the topic of where Aidan came from–his old homeworld Earth.