HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 11 (Patreon)

Chapter 11 - Hands on Sightseeing!

— Millishion, Millis Continent, K406 —

This place truly lived up to its Title as the most beautiful City in the World. This World at least.

Millishion, the Capital of the Holy Country of Millis, was located almost in the center of the Millis Continent.

Even from the back of my Horse, as our Party of three approached, we could already see the entire City from our elevated position on the Holy Sword Highway.

It was a truly majestic and harmonious place.

The City itself was surrounded by the Blue Dragon Mountain Range, with the Nikolaus River flowing down from the Mountains and into the City as its main source of Water. The river formed the sparkling blue Grand Lake at the City’s center.

The entire City was structured in a circular pattern around that Lake, with Canals running through it that could be traveled by boat.

It reminded me a little of the legends about the sunken City of Atlantis from Earth, except Millishion was actually built around a Lake in the middle of a Continent rather than in the Ocean.

The circular layout certainly fit the comparison, and even some Buildings were built directly over the Lake.

The White Palace, where the Royal Family resided, was one such example. It stood right in the center of the Lake, built directly atop the Water.

Surrounding the City’s outer districts in a circle were seven enormous Towers that towered over the rest of the Buildings in Millishion.

Their shape reminded me of the Washington Monument in the US, but these were genuine Magic Towers.

They were also the reason the City had no Walls.

Millishion wasn’t only the Capital of the Holy Kingdom of Millis, but also the central Seat of the Millis Religion. The Great Church in this City served as the center and Headquarters of the entire Religion.

A Religion that had firm control over Divine Strike Magic and Barrier Magic.

Those seven Magic Towers were massive Magic Tools that formed a powerful protective Barrier around the entire City. They not only protected the City from floods during the rainy Season common on this Continent, but also served as a powerful defense against attacks.

Overall, the City was divided into several districts, but the Adventurer’s District was the only one we could enter freely.

If I wanted to enter any of the other Districts, I would have to prepare myself for some serious Questioning by the Guards.

Roxy, who had decided to come with us after we completed our shared Escort Job, had joined our Party once we reached C-Rank Adventurers. We had completed the remaining required C-Rank Jobs while waiting for the next Ship from East Port to West Port on the Millis Continent.

She would have had an even harder time in this City. At least normally.

Demons were generally hated and discriminated against here.

After the Human-Demon Wars, during which the Holy Kingdom of Millis and the Millis Religion had played a major role, the Kingdom had developed a deep hatred for the Demon Race. At one point, Millis had even been the last Country resisting the invading Demon Forces.

That hatred had lasted for Centuries.

While Demons weren’t outright forbidden from entering the Kingdom, they were subjected to heavy scrutiny and discrimination.

Fortunately, Roxy didn’t look like a Demon right now.

I had changed her beautiful but attention-grabbing blue hair to a more common brown using the Color-Changing Charm, a Spell she had immediately forced me to teach her.

After all, the ability to freely change her hair Color would make her life much easier.

While her hair was Blue, sunlight could sometimes make it appear green to other people.

And Green Hair was feared and hated in this World for multiple reasons.

For one, there was an entire race of extremely powerful green-haired Demons called the Superd who had gone berserk during the last Human-Demon War, killing friends and foes alike and causing massive chaos, destruction, and bloodshed.

They had been tricked into going berserk, but the people of this World didn’t know that, so both Demons and Humans feared them.

Well, as far as I knew, only one Superd was still alive.

Secondly, and probably the most important reason, the Demon God Laplace, who had started the last Human-Demon War and led the Demon Race, also had emerald-green hair.

He was the one who had tricked the Superd into going berserk.

While he was killed during the climax of the last war, he would eventually be reincarnated.

So yeah, that guy had seriously screwed over every green-haired person in this World.

And green was actually a possible hair Color here even for Humans, albeit a very rare one.

“What’s the plan, Alistair?” Roxy asked as we closed in on the City’s Adventurer’s District. Ghislaine also looked at me with interest.

“Well, do you guys want to stay in this City for long?” I asked them. While I have a plan here, something I want to try, it doesn’t require me to stay for long. At most, a day or two. It’s better if I don’t linger for too long afterward.

Ghislaine, in her typical fashion, just shook her head. The closer we got to the Great Forest, the quieter she became. And that meant something. She was always the silent type, a woman of few words but strong deeds.

The most Roxy or I heard her speak was during our lessons on some nights, after we started teaching her to read, write, and do simple calculations. It was a request she had made of us after learning the hard way that it would be difficult for her to live without those skills.

She had gotten scammed one too many times.

“Not really. While I would love to take a look around the City, I didn’t have much of an opportunity the last time I was here.” Roxy pointed at her currently brown hair. “I’d prefer not to linger here for too long. Maybe a day to look around. This country is just not meant for people like me.”

“That’s fine. It’s pretty much what I had in mind, too.” I nodded in agreement. It worked perfectly with what I had in mind. “How about we head into the City for today, do some shopping, and stock up on supplies? I want to finally get my hands on a Barrier Magic book, even if it is just elementary. Maybe we can also pick out a B-Rank Job we can complete on our journey through the Great Forest and hand in at Zant Port. Tonight, we set up camp outside the City and leisurely decide tomorrow if we want to head out or stay another day.”

Considering the offer for a moment, Ghislaine gave me a nod, followed by Roxy.

“That works for me.”

“Great, that’s a plan. So, how about the two of you head out together to resupply and pick out a Job at the Guild, then hand in the one we completed on our way? Meanwhile, I’ll visit the Magic Guild to see what books they have on offer and whether someone is selling any interesting Magic Items.” I decided that would be the best approach.

After all, Irene and Rias were still interested in good Magic Items, which could bring me a great profit. Every region also had its own specialties.

It would also give me a chance to scout the premises.

Both women agreed with my plan, and we split up at the Adventurer’s Guild.

My own visit to the Magic Guild of Millishion was a fruitful one. I not only finally got my first book on Barrier Magic, even if it was only a beginner-level one since the religion hated sharing that particular Magic, but I also expanded my library with more books on Magic Theory, Summoning, and Magic Circles that I didn’t have yet.

Most importantly, I found a book on advanced Rank Healing.

After shrinking down the books and putting them into my pocket, I headed toward the entrance of the Holy District.

I was immediately stopped by the guards.

“Halt! State your identity and purpose for visiting the Holy District of Millishion.”

Yeah, I didn’t expect anything else. After all, the Millis Religion was the true ruling power of the Holy Kingdom of Millis. While they had a Royal Family residing in the White Palace, they were rulers only in name, and their involvement was little more than a formality.

The true ruler of Millis was the Pope, who resided in the Holy District. With the Holy District containing the Great Church, it was the most heavily guarded place in the entire Kingdom.

But I didn’t let myself get intimidated by the scrutiny I was experiencing right now. After all, people like me were common here. Millishion was a major tourist spot, if not the biggest in the World.

“I am the C-Rank Adventurer and D-Rank Mage Alistair from the Asura Kingdom. Currently, I am on a journey to see the World, and as a devoted follower of Millis, I would love to witness the center of our faith.” I explained, mixing the truth with some believable lies while pointing at the emblem of the Millis Religion hanging from my chest.

A lie gets more believable if you have some circumstantial proof, even if you purchased said proof just a few towns ago.

After a few more questions about my journey and identity, they finally let me pass. They had been trying to look for any holes in my story, but apparently, they found nothing suspicious. To them, I was nothing more than another tourist.

Inside the Holy District, I cast my only spell from the Elder Scrolls Universe, Clairvoyance, and watched as a blue line appeared in my vision, leading in the same direction as the one the guards had given me after I asked for the location of the Great Church.

As I had already expected, what I was looking for would be at the Church.

Mixing in with the other tourists, I explored the Holy District for a while, taking note of everything of interest before finally arriving at the Great Church. Acting like a normal tourist, I admired the beautiful architecture of the four-story building, with its golden onion-shaped dome at the top.

It was a huge complex.

From a bird’s-eye view, the whole place was structured like a diamond on top of a square. Rather than overlapping to form an octagon, one square was inset inside the other, with the diamond sitting inside the inner square.

As a regular tourist, I could only observe the outer square, which consisted of several buildings that seemed to be used as offices for the Church Headquarters.

I also knew that the Church Headquarters had four beautiful gardens, each representing one of the four Seasons. Thanks to the map I had just acquired, I knew they took up the four triangular corners between the inner diamond and the outer square. They were nicely marked in green, with every tree located on the map.

As for how I got that map? Well, it was one of the Fifth Year Charms I found in the Standard Book of Spells. It was called the Mapping Charm. While I had never heard of it before finding it in the book, I believe a modified version of it had been used to create the Marauder’s Map.

Overall, it wasn’t a complicated spell. It just requires a bit more setup than your average spell. First, you needed some paper, followed by a location you wanted to map. You then circle around it while marking each of the four corners of the area you wanted to map with a spell. Lastly, you cast another spell onto the paper, and you get a perfectly layered and detailed map of the entire location.

It even shows secret passages. Of course, you didn’t know what was where. All you got was the room layout, but that was already more than enough. Clairvoyance could do the rest.

I kept acting like a tourist, observing the place for a little while longer before reuniting with Roxy and Ghislaine to set up camp for the night.

— At Night —

Once Ghislaine and Roxy went to sleep, I snuck back into the City.

Getting around Millishion at night was a lot harder than during the day since you stood out more, especially if you were covered in a cloak. Any patrol would immediately identify you as suspicious.

At least, that was true for your average thief or spy. But the combination of the Disillusionment Charm, Scent-Masking Charm, Silencing Charms, and Presence Detection Charm was just too powerful. They were even more effective in the dark.

Since the City had no walls, it was far easier to sneak into the different districts. I quickly found myself back at the Church Headquarters.

According to the Clairvoyance Spell, my target, or rather targets, were inside. The spell could let me choose which target it led me to first if I had multiple objectives of equal priority.

Getting inside the Headquarters wasn’t that hard, even if it was well guarded, especially at the entrances. After all, I had a map now, and it showed me even the secret passages. There were even two leading out of the Headquarters, probably escape tunnels in case of an emergency.

The Pope lived here, after all.

And those secret tunnels were well hidden. Without ‘Revelio,’ I wouldn’t have found the disguised entrance and its opening mechanism. It wasn’t guarded either. That would have kind of defeated the purpose of a hidden passage, after all. Guards could always be bribed.

The passage led me right inside the cellar of the Headquarters.

Sneaking through the Church Headquarters was already far more difficult. Knights of the Holy Order were patrolling the Headquarters corridors.

But by being careful, staying in the shadows, and using the Human Presence Detection Charm, I managed to sneak my way to my first target: the Library of the Church.

Sure, what I was doing here was pretty much theft, and it wasn’t something I enjoyed. But the Church left me no choice with how much they were hoarding knowledge. The one book I had gotten on Beginner Barrier Magic was all I had found. I had checked the Magic Guild and bookstores in every City I had visited.

I had already traveled through the entirety of the Millis Kingdom, the Kingdom famous for its Barrier Magic. And even here, they didn’t publicly teach anything beyond Beginner Rank Barrier spells.

Not to mention that I hadn’t found a single book on Divine Strike Magic.

So they had brought this upon themselves.

But I wasn’t stupid. I had no interest in being chased down by the Church, not to mention bringing trouble to Ghislaine and Roxy. If everything worked out, no one should ever know I had been here.

Approaching the first book my Clairvoyance Spell was leading me to, I had asked it to search for advanced books on Magic that I wouldn’t be able to find outside of an organization. I pulled the book from the shelf.

The leather-bound tome was about advanced Barrier Magic.

Just what I had been looking for.

Flicking my wand at it, I muttered, “Geminio.”

In the next moment, an exact replica appeared right beside it.

Perfect!

It had been worth practicing this very advanced spell. I didn’t know in which year the Doubling Charm was taught, but it should have been above the fifth year since I didn't find it in one of my Standard Book of Spells.

It was one of the spells I remembered from my meta-knowledge and had to figure out for myself.

But it created an exact duplicate of an object. The only difference was that it didn’t copy any magical properties or enchantments. I had figured that out after testing it on my enchanted equipment.

And the copies degrade faster than the originals. I put the copy in place of the original and shrunk the original down to place it inside my bag.

Yep, the Church would have to transcribe their Magic Books far earlier than usual. But even that would take a few years, and by then, I would be long gone.

Proceeding to the next book, I repeated the process.

This Library was for Church members like the Knights of the Holy Order and the Priests. It contained Elemental Magic up to the Saint Rank, something that couldn’t be bought in any store. You had to join an organization like the Church, the Magic University, a Kingdom’s military, or something similar to gain access to it.

Besides that, I got Saint-Ranked Healing and Detox Magic, Advanced-Ranked Divine Strike and Barrier Magic, and Saint-Ranked Summoning Magic tomes. There were also a ton of Magic Theory tomes I hadn’t seen in any store.

It was already a worthwhile trip.

But I wasn’t done yet. If I was already here, I was going to go big.

Once I had acquired every target in the Library, my Clairvoyance Spell led me deeper into the Church Headquarters, right into the inner Sanctum. And that was the first time during this entire operation that I had no choice but to cast some Sleeping Charms on the Guards, since the Sanctum was heavily guarded.

Fortunately, besides those Guards, nobody else was waiting for me inside. It was the Pope’s Office, after all. No Guards would be allowed in there without his presence.

The problem was that the moment I stepped into his Office, my Clairvoyance Spell canceled itself. This Office was protected by a powerful Barrier, somewhere around the Saint or King Rank, which prevented the use of Magic inside.

So I would have to search for the books by hand… or…

Stepping out of the door and leaving the range of the Barrier, I cast my Clairvoyance Spell again. I watched as it led me to the same locked bookcase containing all my remaining targets. It was a heavy metallic one at the back of the Office.

Next, I pointed my wand at it and cast a silent Alohomora, watching with a grin as the spell traveled through the room, struck the bookcase, and opened the locks.

The Barrier was like Ran-ma, the disturbance Magic Technique created by the Dragon God Urupen, one of the three Heroes who defeated Laplace. It disturbed a Magic Caster from forming a Spell, but it didn’t stop an already-cast Spell.

A grin formed on my face. With another wave of my wand, I opened the bookcase, and all the books flew out of it, piling up in front of me in an orderly fashion.

Next, I created a copy of each of the books, sending them back into their proper places one by one before finally locking the case again.

I had truly struck the jackpot here.

Each of the books I had just acquired started at least at the Saint Rank. Most of them were about King Rank Magic, with a few Emperor Rank Spell Books among them, mostly about Barrier Magic. There was one about Healing and another about Divine Strike Magic.

Leaving everything behind as it had been, I began to sneak back after lifting the Sleeping Charms from the Guards.

An hour later, I was back at our camping spot. I entered my tent, only to freeze on the spot.

“Where have you been?” Roxy asked with a glare. Beside her stood Ghislaine with an equally menacing look.

Busted!

[-- End of Chapter --]