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As Maria’s maid welcomed her into the room, all the eyes were upon her. From just her counting, there was at least six children present. Two of them looked to be of close age to Albert, while the others younger than Albert for sure.

However at the head of the table was a slightly pudgy old man, who was slightly red faced as he looked at Maria, “Hmm, so you are Miss Regnia. I am Amore’ Giovanna, Patriarch of this house. So please, take a seat if you will.”

“Thank you very much.” Maria said before taking a seat that was open next to Albert. Said young man squirmed a little while being next to her, but said nothing as his Father continued to talk.

“It is a pleasure to have you over, and apologies for anything my children have done to you while you were here.” The man said with a still cold face.

“You do not need to worry about it, they have not caused any problems on my end.” Maria answered back with a smile.

Like that all the younger Children, who Maria realized were waiting with baited breath, finally released it. However that only raised a few questions with Maria, is this man simply a strict parent or did they by chance do anything that Maria has yet to realize.

“That is good that is good,” He said before forking his meal, “I will admit my son bringing home a noble of all things is something I did not expect.”

“Only shows you that my blood is much better than the others,” Heather said without even an ounce of shame in her voice.

“Indeed that seems to be the case.” Amore’ said while eating the piece of meat he forked.

And with that everyone began to eat their meals.

>Focus on talking to Albert
>Maria should work on the Father a little more
>Why not talk to the kids

>>4470733
>However that only raised a few questions with Maria, is this man simply a strict parent or did they by chance do anything that Maria has yet to realize.
I think it's the former, since the only occult thing they could have done would need to pass through our maid

>Focus on talking to Albert
Glad to see you're back OP. How was the trip ?

>>4470733
>Focus on talking to Albert

>>4470746
Do you think that family of Albert is doing similarly to a Rothschild? Inbreeding between sisters, cousins and aunts?

>>4470812
Not yet probably. They seem to go with leaving branch children to the wolves and expecting them to earn their way back in instead of divvying up the estate equally.
>>4470733
>Butter up the children.
Never know what info you might learn even if it's just something new about Albert.
We might even nip some attempted takeover or startup competitor of any of our secret businesses in the bud. We've already made the mail company. we need to secure our book publishing company, cultivation(the iceberg flowers that need to get sent back home as a secret Mkain technology) and at least one or two other things.

>>4470812
wasn't that just the habsbrgs ? althought it's expected from high society clans to maintain in power

>>4470841
Hapsburgs were just "ordinary" royal inbreeding. Eg, Queen Elizabeth is related to Dracula. Rothschilds were because the clan made sure noone could marry into the family and take away portions of their obscene wealth.
I'm assuming there's less inbreeding than IRL here since even with Japan's incest fetish that seems like too much for the otome romance appeal to break past.
It also gets in the way of the whole marriage is for love setting of an otome. The arranged marriages all seem to give way to the idea that the couple should love each other. The original storyline wouldn't work otherwise because of how monumentally stupid it would be to upset daddy by having his last remaining (spoiled) child exiled or executed for behaving badly in reaction to the prince's infidelity. That just makes a situation similar to Holand except the Miaphate can just blaze through everyone in the free for all, catch em all while they're from fatigued, and make a beeline straight to the undefended main provinces.

Talk to Albert
>>4470746- Good, fuck Iowa.
>>4470790

Kids
>>4470840

>>4470864
The thing about fictionalized stories like this is they can just "remove" such inconvenience (like in this world there is no defects from birth unless an author stated that one child will suffer from polio because plot) there would be a lot of this but since this world has lot of god and goddesses that it would not be ridiculous that All listed name of Producers, Art Directors, VA's and even the company are considered gods. While the deities are the fandoms of respective character domains.

With that everyone began to eat their meals, though Maria was not one who directly dove into the meat and mash that was placed in front of her. Instead she inched her way towards Albert to speak in a slightly hushed voice, “So, how did your talk go?”

“It went, uh, well.” He admitted with a small smile, “Father was pretty surprised that you came, saying the new tradition is better than even he thought.”

“New Tradition…” Maria pondered it for a moment while glancing at the fellow, “Is he just thinking that if he has enough children, at least one of them will make it big?”

“...” Albert diverted his eyes while starting to eat his presented meal.

“Oh by the Lord…” And with that Maria began to eat her presented meal as well, noting how the meat was cooked just right for their consumption.

As they ate it seemed a little apparent that Maria was getting a few glances from not just the Patriarch of the family, but also from the young men around the table. However Maria was entertained when the Wife gave a hard glance towards Amore’, putting an end to this silly little charade.

However it did not stop him from talking to her more, “So I understand that you are a Noble from the North East, correct?”

“Indeed that is true, I am the Princess to the Duchy of MaKain.”

“Ah I remember that time.” The man seemed to grow a faint smile to himself, “It would have been after the failed conquest of your lands that we amassed a good amount of money from those Miaphs. So many of them trying for the throne, and more than willing to pay hand over fist for acutely made arms.”

“So you profited from my victory over them?” Maria mused.

“I guess that would be correct, though to think that the girl who Kaarim kept so close would be within my house eating food.”

“Well you never know what can happen in the later days I guess.” Maria answered back.

“Indeed, though I wonder about this new fellow Solomon. He can somehow pay in full when it comes to weapons, and I can’t tell what's he eyeing.” The Steward of the Empire admitted with a pained explanation.

>Talk to him about Imperial Affairs
>He knows a lot about the Miaphate, wonder why?
>The guy does have a lot of family, ask what all of Albert’s brothers are doing.

>>4470912
>>Talk to him about Imperial Affairs

>>4470912
>He knows a lot about the Miaphate, wonder why?

>>4470912
>He knows a lot about the Miaphate, wonder why?

>>4470885
I'm not worried about hearts the size of a peppercorn. I was merely pointing out that since we were a somewhat decently adjusted female we probably weren't into anything that might have something like the secret giant Clannad (Am I remembering the right VN?) incest chain of doom where one girl technically had the same person as her father, grandfather, great etc etc going back at least 5 generations. We also expressed our distaste for cousin incest to Kers before, so that also rules it out as a lore background as we'd hate seeing that when we read character backgrounds in merchandise and see a gnarled family tree.
>>4470912
Interesting that he can do business with them so openly despite how hostile we are nationally and religiously. Feels almost like we're some sort of sacrificial bulwark to ensure Albert's family can trade without having to deal with invasion risks.
>Talk to him about Imperial Affairs
Might as well learn the tangled web of lies and intrigue going on over the succession via what people are buying. He might even accidentally drop some information relating to what others are claiming or planning about us.


Inquiring further about the miaphate before he's drunk out of his mind might make him wary since he's kinda talking to us in front of our face about our Dutchy's sworn enemies. Not to mention he's on a first name basis with somebody who kidnapped, imprisoned and (mentally) tortured us with that nasty maid. No shrewd businessman has so little tact unless he's been floating on the sheer size of his inheritance. He's obviously fishing for something else or gauging our reaction. Better to assume that than think his father is stupid.
What does Solomon pay him in? Imperial, or Miaphate gold coins? If he's paying in imperial currency, then that raises questions on if he's infiltrated and started his own black markets.

>>4470912
>Talk to him about Imperial Affairs

>>4470912
>He knows a lot about the Miaphate, wonder why?

>>4470942
I say he's fishing for info. They're likely looking for "profits" that either involve us, the empire and the whole scenario as whole. But if we're going to dance around their fingers, might as well be blunt about it. Controlling the economy within the empire can be.....a great boon for us.

>>4471220
Good point, He's the most likely to survive a Miaphate invasion and the dumbass (whether it's stupidity or arrogance) has basically admitted to arming and colluding with an enemy nation that might be prepping to invade.
If he's powerful enough to compare to the churches then we won't win in a our word against his with the church. I think it's a bit arrogant to think we'll come out on top using him when he's had many years of dealing with this stuff.


At minimum we still have the knowledge/advantage of large scale cons done throughout history. Eg ponzi and pyramid schemes. That one time the entire economy of Britain got swindled by a company looking to trade with India that simply.. didn't bother going to India when it left. If we ever have to deal with his unchecked greed it's gotta be in one fell swoop instead of getting involved in whatever silly squabbles he might be having right now. I was avoiding the Miaphate option incase he was fishing for that and/or heard something about us through it but talking/writing this out has given me a new idea out of left field.

>>4470942
>Adjusting my old vote slightly
>Start talking to see his opinion on how Lucien and Chloe getting together is going to shake things up economically due to all of the alliances it bamboozles(aka imperial affairs), then segway into dragons.(no idea how much IRL dragon mythology applies when it comes to a market.) since if anyone were to be capable of obtaining a decently intact one it would be him.I was thinking of dissecting a dragon corpse to determine their physiology and weak points. Knowing what animal they're closest to (bats, birds, reptiles) also makes crafting a custom poison an option for if any of them refuse to be dominated into submission by our *menacing* aura.

>>4471253
>This, supporting
I want to see the opinions of a merchant about a royal having a tryst with a commoner. And will happen soon with how deeply in love with each other.

Imperial Affairs
>>4471253- I do want to adjust one thing, he was profiting off the Civil War.
>>4470918
>>4471092
>>4471322

Miaphate
>>4470923
>>4470930
>>4471121

“Well what about the Empire in your opinion?” Maria began with a raised brow, “Surely you have already heard about the Prince and his lover these days.”

“You are talking about the Commoner the Prince had chosen? Hehe, I expected as much.” The man said openly without even a hint of shame.

“You expected it?”

“Indeed, that boy did not seem to be the brightest sort. Here he ignored the Relias Dynasty simply shows that.”

Maria noted that the last name belonged to Vinnesa, “So do you expect them to fail?”

“Hmm, probably not.” The Merchant admitted with a small laugh, “Unless they do something extremely dumb, the Prince will should expect a good sum of his power being drained by the Nobles without good connections.”

With that the people all around finished up what they were eating, the Patriarch looking satisfied with himself, “Well it seems you have found quite the curious girl there Albert.”

“Oh, uh, thank you Father.” Albert called out while giving a short smile.

“Well then Miss Regnia, I thank you for visiting my City here for the coming weeks. I will hope that Albert here can show you its beauty.”

With that everyone dispersed from the room, making their ways to their living quarters. For Maria she found that all her things have been put away thanks to her attentive servant.

It was slightly relieving as Maria had the armor removed, and even more so when she was finally able to put on her night clothing. Though as she did so Maria could not help but look out the window towards the darken streets.

“Hey Melody, do you think something is odd out there?” Maria asked without much reason in her voice.

“What do you mean Mistress?” the Maid asked with a slight caution in her voice.

“I… do not know. I cannot put my finger on it.” Maria admitted before looking at some more casual clothing still out.

>Head out to explore the streets at night
>Grab Albert and do the above
>No, for tonight Maria shall sleep. She has traveled for a while.

>>4471546
>Grab Albert and do the above
We still need a guide. Also that was fast op

>>4471546
>No, for tonight Maria shall sleep. She has traveled for a while.

>>4471546
>Grab Albert and do the above

>>4471523
His talk about Solomon stockpiling weapons is post civil war. Since nobody but us probably realizes that he's gonna chop up internal opposition, the most obvious take from anyone else that knows of his dealings is that he's profiting from an incoming Miaphate invasion if there aren't other lands he can expand into. And he's admitting this in front of a person responsible for the lives that are directly lost due to that (theoretically) without even a heads up.

>>4471546
>Grab Albert and do the above

That statue is the most likely culprit we've seen for rich Illuminati businessmen in bull masks making ritual sacrifices to a Moloch equivalent for the sake of future prosperity.


Fun fact. Italy as a whole was considered so gay during the middle ages that the slang for flamboyantly gay was Venetian. Since this is NotVenice, if Albert chases us, meets with Solomon, and they travel together; the rumours about Solomon not liking girls are going to go out of control from misinterpretation even if exact wording is preserved back in the Miaphate.

>>4471546
>No, for tonight Maria shall sleep. She has traveled for a while.

>>4471546
Maria shall put on her full plate and then

>Grab Albert and explore

With Albert
>>4471549
>>4471614
>>4471708
>>4471884

Time to Sleep
>>4471606
>>4471876

“Melody get me my casual clothing, and maybe the breastplate from the dress.” Maria said with while looking out her window.

“Alright Mistress, though why do you want to do that?” Her Maid asked with a slight caution hinted in her voice.

“It is just a feeling you can say.” Maria claimed with a vicious smile now forming upon her face.

The night upon Altmer was something Maria did not genuinely expect, as looking around there was a great variety of people milling about doing their thing. This nightlife obviously was different from the one that the Academy hosted, with a great many people from different walks of life were out.

“Uh, Maria, why are we out here?” Albert asked weakly with his clothing put on haphazardly.

“Well I wanted to look around, see what the night life was like.”

“Arn’t we a little too young to be venturing at such a time.”

“Well, both of us are above the age of 16 so by atleast inheritance laws we are adults.” Maria joked with a smile, “Though honestly I just have this nagging feeling in my stomach, so I have decided to investigate.”

“Do you have anything more?”

“That… I can’t honestly say.” Maria admitted with a narrowing of her eyes, “Do you know of some places we can visit?”

“Well, I just know of the Hemothian’s Tavern. Place is said to have some of the best wine in all of the region.”

With that they finally breached the place, Maria noting how a few dozen lamps seemed to light every corner nearing the water. This was roughly the same place Maria had been earlier today, but it was almost an entirely new place from her view point.

The Cathedral is what first caught her eye, the moonlight almost dodging the spires that stuck out into the sky. Sans that, Maria noted that what looked to be a small guild house was bustling with activity, small boats taking masked objects too and from their location.

>Head to the Tavern
>To the Church!
>Investigate the Guildhouse

>>4472004
>Investigate the Guildhouse

>>4472004
>To the Church!

>>4472004
>>Head to the Tavern

>>4472004
>To the church
Might as well pray for some divine revelations about the feeling we have. Solomon was able to mask his own presence via a church somehow. It's plausible that this is how whatever we're sensing hides at the same time and thusly it's also how one can reverse the fog over our supernatural senses.

>>4472004
>To the Church!

>>4472004
>To the Church!
Might as well pray for our patron Saint Agustine

The Church
>>4472013
>>4472047
>>4472082
>>4472196

Guild House
>>4472012

Bar
>>4472020

Of course when it comes down to it, Maria has yet to visit the center of worship within this area. Indeed it was likely even shameful that she did not pay respects to her Fathers and the Saint of the Heavens.

So they traveled towards the Chapel, the shadows seemingly making way for her as they walked across the bridge towards the sacred location.

“So, uh, Maria. Sorry but why are we walking towards the Cathedral.” Albert had to ask with a small bit of worry in his voice.

“I simply wish to pay my respects.” Maria answered with a genuine smile, “Atleast, I have neglected it long enough.”

“Uh, but should we not wait till morning atleast?”

“The night is still quite young, I am sure there is atleast one priest who will answer the door for refugees of violence.”

“Uh, alright.”

With that conversation they finally arrived at the door, a large ring hanging from it. Without even a hint of shame Maria bashed the door with it, causing loud wooden bangs rining through the stone walls. They had to wait a few moments of course, but soon the moving of wood and metal came to Maria’s ears.

“S-sorry for the delay sir.” The door opened to reveal a rather old man, lanky in his form. He seemed to take a moment to look Maria up and down for a moment, “Oh, you are clearly not from around here. May I ask, what is your purpose here?”

“Hello there, I am Maria Louisa Regnia, Kingslayer and daughter of the Dragon.” Maria announced with a pride in her voice, “I have come at this late hour to seek worship, so that I may gain a hint of enlightenment.”

It was as if Maria was a shinning jewel to the man, “Oh I have heard of you! The one who had slain two Miaph of the East! Come in come in, I must welcome you.”

Without much ceremony Maria crossed through the welcome area and into the hall in which worship is committed. The place was quite large, presenting golden ceilings along with an augustine glory to the walls. It was indeed a large place, one where Maria might be able to spend days going through.

>Ask for a few moments to pray to the Local Saint and the Lord.
>Speak with the Priest about the local happenings.
>Explore the place,

>>4472344
>Speak with the Priest about the local happenings.
then we pray

>>4472344
>>Ask for a few moments to pray to the Local Saint and the Lord.
Clear our mind first. Then we can talk about any local happenings.
It also gives the priest more time to get composed and bring out a tea set or something.

>>4472344
>Ask for a few moments to pray to the Local Saint and the Lord.

>>4472383
>>4472353

This

>>4472353
This

>>4472397
>>4472445
Make sure to quote the OP post while voting.

>>4472344
>Speak with the Priest about the local happenings

>>4472344
>Ask for a few moments to pray to the Local Saint and the Lord.

>>4472687
K sorry

>>4472445
Changing to

>Ask for a few moments to pray to the Local Saint and the Lord.
Clear our mind first. Then we can talk about any local happenings.
>>4472344

Just a talk
>>4472348

Prayer
>>4472353
>>4472383
>>4472397
>>4472445
>>4472690
>>4472706

“If you do not mind, I would like to take a moment to pray.” Maria claimed with a soft smile.

“I guess I can allow that, for the Kingslayer.” The priest said while motioning to a more massive alter that stood at the center end of the pews, “Simply take your time, I will try and prepare some tea.”

“Thank you very much.” Maria watched as the man went away from into the halls.

Taking in a breadth Maria ascended to the Alter, noting how the Lord’s sigil rested upon it. While at first Maria always thought of it as a sun, but instead it was more accurate to say that the symbol of the Lord was an ascended eye. It was a watchful eye that looked over man kind, making sure that they would survive against all the dangers of the world.

So Maria descended upon her knees in prayer, though she did not speak a single word. She had been studying the Holy Script and its spoken tongue, but she has yet to fully acquire understanding of it. So she would not speak, lest Maria shamed herself in such a tongue.

The silence was enough though, and Maria for the first time of entering this city was beginning to feel well about it. Her heart was soothed, and honestly thats was something she did not realize she was looking for.

Soon enough Maria was finished, picking herself off the steps without an issue. Though as she did, Maria felt something close to a cold water upon the back of her nape. There was a slight hesitation, but Maria reached back and felt the crimson liquid in her hand.

“I have come back with some tea!” The Priest announced, quickly taking Maria’s attention away from her hands. In the next moment she looked back, there was nothing there was nothing there.

“Oh, thank you Father. I have yet to catch your name.” Maria said while finally facing the man.

“My name? Oh that would be Father Louis.” He answered with a short bow.

>Ask about the happenings in those other places about town
>See about how religious the people of this city really are
>Learn more about the local area, and the nearby city-states

>>4472955
>Ask about the happenings in those other places about town

>>4472955
>Learn more about the local area, and the nearby city-states

>>4472955
>Learn more about the local area, and the nearby city-states

>>4472955
>>Ask about the happenings in those other places about town
Albert can probably answer most of these except for misc happenings while he's been away so this was the most useful vote. That wine place might be good to hear some rumblings.

>>4472955
>Ask about the happenings in those other places about town

Happenings
>>4472965
>>4473306
>>4473320

City States
>>4472985
>>4473019

“Well it is a pleasure to meet you Father Louis,” Maria said with a small smile upon her face, “Has there ebay chance been anything happening in the city as of late?”

“Things? What exactly do you mean by that?” The man retorted with a raised brow.

“You know, things like murder and kidnapping. Nothing too horredious mind you but I thought to ask.”

“Well, hmm, I cannot really say anything about there being more murders. As for folk disappearing I can assure you that at least all of the Lord’s followers were present in the last sermon.” He answered off handedly, “If I was forced to pick something I would say there are a lot more drunken brawls.”

“Drunken Brawls, has there simply been a lot more drink going around recently?”

“I cannot say, nor do I have any power to stop it. Those who commit to such a thing are not in the Lord’s light.”

“Hmm, I think I understand.” Maria answered before turning to make her way out, “Thank you very much, I will be off.”

And with that Maria left the Cathedral and into the outside. She as still feeling good from her prayer earlier, but here she was already starting to feel the cities drain upon her.

Still, that thing that happened earlier… surely it was some kind of omen…

“Its getting a little bit late, don’t you think Maria?” Albert asked with a slightly frowning smile.

“Well the sun has already set hours ago, so it might be midnight now I am sure.” Maria answered with a conformation, “Though I would want to look a little more.”

“You might be able to do that another night, I’m not too sure right now.”

“Oh, getting antsy are we?”

“Well, uh, yeah.” Albert admitted, “If it wasn’t for that, I would have already fallen asleep.”

>Head towards the bars
>See about that action from earlier
>You know, they should probably go home

>>4473451
>See about that action from earlier

>>4473451
>Head towards the bars

>>4473451
>You know, they should probably go home
Might as well go home before we look like Albert is being corrupted by some lazy noble girl. I think we leaned a little too hard into the questioning and revealed we know something us up but it's too late for that.
We also can't keep alert for clues during the day if we've been out prowling the night. I think QM also implied we didn't get much sleep on the ride there. Basically rest now or be vulnerable from sleep deprivation later.

>>4473451
>You know, they should probably go home

>>4473451
>You know, they should probably go home

>>4473476
Maria probably felt something like an underground fighting ring. That only made sense since she felt like a drop of blood.

Home
>>4473476
>>4473495
>>4473539

Other
>>4473470
>>4473475

“Yeah, you are quite right there Albert.” Maria admitted with a small smile and a sigh, “Simply lead the way.”

And with that they traveled their way once again over the great bridges that connected every piece of cement to the other. The more the thought about it though, if such building materials are available then why has it yet to become prolific across the rest of the world.

As they crossed however Maria caught the sight of a brawl at the corner of her eye. The two men looked to be placing quite the heavy toll upon the others jaws, maybe even more so than anything she has seen before.

It was odd, but Maria simply ignored it in sans to simply return back to the estate. Best not to get involved with the drunken rabble in a state like this.

With that, the night became day and Maria was already out of her bed. With the assistance of Melody, she had acquired her breakfast for the morning and was walking down the halls with a feeling you can only get after a long rest.

However it was to Maria’s surprise when a teen, who Maria easily guessed to be a few years younger than her came before her. You could easily tell that the boy was Albert’s brother, though something that struck Maria as off was the slight buffness under his clothing.

“So you are the girl who stole Albert’s Heart…” He said before looking Maria up and down, “Hmph, I can’t believe he lost that easily.”

“Quite a way to introduce yourself.” Maria answered the kid with an amused smile, “Why, I would be shamed if you did not forget to actually say your name.”

“Franco, that is my name. And you will remember it!” He announced with a steel in his tongue.

>Ignore the insolent child, he is too annoying
>Maybe Maria should just beat him up, though make sure he started it.
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.
>Other

>>4473662
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.
I think he’s actually jealous of Albert and won’t admit it.

>>4473662
>Other
>Dance around him and just play with his little own world. And crush his ego.
Listen here you little shit. I had a lot of things to worry about than your infatuation of your brother you gay brocon.

Also this is Not!Italy the gayest country in Europe. Moreso than Greece (the Miaphate)

>>4473662
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.
"My my, such a brave boy but can you match your words ? fufufufu". Maintain that arara energy and when we win, caress his head while smiling looking into his eyes

>>4473662
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.
Obtain high ground.

>>4473702
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.
Also supporting the ara ara. We need to be the ara ara onee-san even though we don't have the big tiddie like Fein Kers did.

>>4473662
>See just how able the boy is in a challenge of climbing stuff.

>>4473702
Fine I'll vote for this + ara ara onee san. But don't forget the ojou laugh

>>4473662
>>Ignore the insolent child, he is too annoying

>>4473702
Might as well go with this one.

>>4473702
>The boy looks down in defeat muttering "This girl is dangerous. No wonder big brother was easily defeated."

Challenge him into something Maria can win
>>4473671
>>4473702
>>4473738
>>4473776
>>4473830
>>4473946
>>4473846

Other
>>4473678

Huh, well just give me a roll my fellows. Aim low, Bo3

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>4474221
yuo dropped your trip OP

>>4474225
Oops

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>4474221
Onee-san take my ara ara energy

>>4474273
thanks anon

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>4474221

“Ara ara, such a brave boy you are, but can you match your words?” Maria could not help but laugh a good bit before walking towards the door to the outside.

“W-what do you mean by that!” He grumbled with an obvious suspicion on Maria.

“Oh it is quite easy really, have you ever taken a moment to go around the city’s rooftops? Experience the release of being the highest being in the world?”


“I.. well… I have climbed things but well.”

“Is that how a boy such as yourself should act, even though you were all high and mighty earlier?”

“F-fine I will prove you wrong!” He hollard with a declaration equal to war.

“Fine then follow me.” Maria said while taking a few steps towards the door.

Walking out the sun assaulted Maria’s eyes, causing her to almost sneeze at the shine. However because of circumstances Maria was forced to keep herself in check, giving a simple laugh at the other boy’s reaction.

“Alright so how about this.” Maria declared while pointing towards the other end of the small island, “First to make it to this landmass’s end shall be the winner. Any method of getting around is allowed.”

“Alright?” The boy said while crouching for a sprint.

“Great, Melody count down to three.”

The maid was of course a little confused by the happenings, but did as she was asked. With a motion of her hand she went infront of them with a small rag.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Go!”

And like that the two were off, and Maria had already figured out her path. One foot on a barrel, next was on a wagon, with the third getting onto a small balcony. Maria wished she could laugh as the boy had to stop in awe of Maria’s movements, which soon landed her ontop of the roof with a swift motion of her arms.

It was invigorating, knowing that Maria had not lost any of her climbing ability.

So she sprinted, feeling the costal air brush by her face as Franco started to move at the corner of her vision. The most trouble she had now was just jumping over a series of alleyways and such in order to arrive at her destination.

However, something quickly caught her eye as she jumped over one of them. Laying the grown spawn out was a man, though Maria noted how blood was almost littered around him. Honestly if she was not confident in her sight she would have written it off as an illusion.

>Check out the corpse
>Continue the race, then looking for it later

>>4474334
>Continue the race, then looking for it later
Teasing the boy is the priority

>>4474334
>Continue the race, then looking for it later
At first I was concerned about the corpse, but then I realize that the wording of corpse instead of body and the fact that we can see blood everywhere from the roof means there's no way he can possibly be still alive or even brought back if we somehow unlocked healing miracles. We'd also need the boy's help being able to describe where the corpse is to the city guards if it doesn't get disposed of before we get back.
Basically there's nothing we can do for the poor man before we can get help.

>>4474334
>Continue the race, then looking for it later

>>4474334
>Continue the race, then looking for it later
And shout "hey look a dead body" to make the boy who's name I forgot get distracted

>>4474334
>Continue the race, then looking for it later

Continue the Race!
>>4474371
>>4474442
>>4474639
>>4474848
>>4474970

Time to complete a race!

“Meh, its not like a corpse will disappear.” Maria exclaimed her reasoning before continuing the race. Indeed she still needed to put a little boy in his place!

So she continued, running across the rooftops like some kind of Assassin from another era all together. Even with the slight delay Maria was able to catch up and then exceed the kid with her advantage in both acrobatics and ability.

Soon enough she saw the end of the race, and quite funny enough there was a wagon of straw there aw well. With a simple leap, Maria gave herself to the wind and landed within the soft golden fluff.

With a simple movement Maria was out of the straw and rolled out infront of Franco, “Fufu, well would you look at that I beat you.”

“What the- how!”

“Fufu, maybe you should open your horizons.” Maria laughed before rubbing his head, “now make your way home, I need to take care of something.”

“What is it?”

“Something modestly troubling.” Mari said while giving out a small smile, “well, unless you wan to see something gruesome.”

“Really? I’ll come!” He announced while bashing his chest.”

“Alright, know I warned you~”

With that Maria ran over and acquired a pair of guards, easily putting them under her with the presence of Franco next to her. Soon enough they moved down the road and through the alleys, soon landing themselves before where Maria saw it.

However as they broke the corner Maria quickly where Maria saw it, she could not help but furrow her eyes, “What the…”

“Well there is no Corpse man, but sure as hell looks like something was here.”

Indeed, there was no longer a corpse there. Instead the place looked modestly cleaned up, with the blood only covering half the area it was. Maria could not help but curse herself at her earlier thoughts.

>Look for the corpse! It could not have gone far!
>Opt to look for evidence of its kidnapper
>Yeah, Maria is just going to throw this under the rug

>>4475031
>Opt to look for evidence of its kidnapper
Alright what the hell happened here

>>4475031
>Look for the corpse! It could not have gone far!

>>4475031
>Yeah, Maria is just going to throw this under the rug

>>4475031
>Check for evidence around the area of the crime scene. I'm not sure how long it's been since we saw it, but if we find anything showing what or who grabbed the corpse we might get lucky and get some fresh witnesses.
Beasts don't clean up after themselves so we can rule out some sort of animal dragging the corpse away to eat.
>Has this sort of thing (disappearing corpses) happened before?
If it hasn't then that means we might have caught them while they were cleaning up since this probably isn't the first time. Inexperienced murderers probably don't know how to hide a body within minutes during broad daylight without being caught.
>Motion to one of the guards
Do a check of the general area to see if there's anyone with something that can hide the body We don't need to find it, just have a list of people/names so that when this happens again we have a suspect.

Sounds like a spring heeled jack type of thing where crimes don't matter until nobility get affected or hear about it? We can find out more if/when we tour misc businesses during the week to see what rumor mills are grinding?

>>4475031
>Opt to look for evidence of its kidnapper

In retrospect We should be channeling detective Conan but I cant remember jack about how to do that.

Evidence
>>4475041
>>4475122
>>4475090

Search for it!!
>>4475055

Ignore this, not Maria's problem
>>4475069

“You, guards, search for the thief!” Maria barked with an authority in her voice.

The guards did not even bother to stay around any longer, quickly taking the chance to run out and began their search. As for Franco, the boy was simply surprised that what he was psyching himself to see was not even there. Maria honestly did not need to pay him much more heed, so she quickly went towards the mess.

Honestly the first thing Maria could think was that this was a cleaning job. Obviously it was a shitty one, but in an era like this one someone could have mistaken this alley as animal’s blood from a crappy slaughter.

Still, why was the man dead? That was the simple question that Maria had.

So she looked around, her trained eyes looking sor some kind of item.

[Intrigue Success]

There was a small glint that rested upon the floor, and with a small interest she picked up what seemed to be small coin.

[Economics Success]

It was not hard to realize that at the very least this coin was different from Austin Coinage. It was obviously made of a kind of Gold, but the faces that rested upon it were different from Autsin’s Eye and Sword. Instead this one was of an odd star like symbol, followed by a crown on the back.

“Franco,” Maria called out to the boy next to her, “Would you by chance recognize this?”

“Uh, I think.” The boy admitted while taking it from Maria’s hands, “I think its a Guild Coin.”

“Guild Coin, since its not currency can I assume its for identification?”

“Y-yes it is!” His surprise was noted by Maria.

“Interesting… so this is a Guild’s clean-up job?”

>Bring Albert into this, see if he can identify the Guild
>Go to the Church, so Albert is not brought into this mess
>Start checking the guilds personally, examining whatever public signs they have

>>4475320
>Bring Albert into this, see if he can identify the Guild

>>4475320
>Bring Albert into this, see if he can identify the Guild

>>4475320
Get on full plate, you have a feeling something might go to blades also
>Bring Albert into this, see if he can identify the Guild

>>4475320
>Go to the Church, so Albert is not brought into this mess

>>4475320
>Go to the Church, so Albert is not brought into this mess

>>4475320
>>Bring Albert into this, see if he can identify the Guild
The Church and the guild are rivals for power in this town. A political catfight might overshadow the investigation if we go to them first.

Albert, look at this
>>4475328
>>4475368
>>4475371
>>4475575

Da Church
>>4475454
>>4475514

Albert it is!

Placing the piece of gold into her pocket with a small clicking of her tongue, “We should probably start making our way back to the manor. I am sure your parents are wondering where you went.”

“Well maybe mama would,” The boy admitted while turning, “Yeah lets get back now.”

So they made their way back to the Giovanna Estate, the servants barely batting an eye as Maria, Franco, and Melody arrived back into the estate. Franco quickly went off on his own, probably to tell some of the other children when exactly he saw.

As for Maria, after finding out where exactly the man's study was she quickly flew through the halls. There was of course a small trail of straw fluttering from her clothing at such a speed, but she did not really care about that.

Why she did not even care to knock on the door as she bursted through them.

“Guh, Maria!” Albert shouted in freight as he sent papers flying from the study.

Taking quick moment to look around Maria noted how the room seemed sparse of items, much unlike the lower floors. It was also quite small, though Maria should probably count him lucky that he was able to have a room all to himself with such a large family.

“Lovely little place you have Albert, now.” Maria reached into her pocket and revealed the shining gold she had stored, “Can you tell me which guild this coin belongs to?”

“...” Albert’s face furrowed a small bit, “Where did you find a Guild Coin from?”

“Where a corpse should have been.” Maria stated outright without any qualms.

“I… should have expected that.” He admitted while studying it for another moment, “I think this is the Belli Famly’s Coin.”

“Interesting, so you know anything about them?”

“Well for the most part they run a good chunk of the auction houses in the city. Sans that, not much. They have been losing power in the last few years thanks to the Civil War in the Miaphate.”

“Seems a lot of people here rely on the Miaphate for goods.” Maria had to admit.

“Its simply for specialty items.” Albert admitted while scratching the back of his head, “You know, things that are really hard to come across normally.”

>Opt to visit the Guild House during the day
>Go check them out at night
>Look at this from another angle, surely Maria can gather more info somewhere
>Write in

>>4475727
>call in a drone strike on those goat fuckers

My real one is
>Put on full plate
>Go check them out at night

>>4475727
>Opt to visit the Guild House during the day
Can't lose much time here

>>4475727
Sounds like we're going to be making a visit to the auction house later.
Do we have any chemistry knowledge that could let us mark the coin in the future? would have been a great trap to dump half of something that is normally not visible but glows on the coin and be able to test what culprit came back for it.
>Are there information brokers? I think we can use one to find out recent/future auctions and buyers/sellers under the guise of researching before we go into one to see if anything worth killing shows up. Since it'll take a while we basically do a trip in/out and have them deliver it.
We still don't know if the coin is from the victim or the murderer. We should check the guild to see if anyone is missing. Best to start from the bottom (dock?) workers? They're easily bribed with a bottle of wine.

Night time Raid
>>4475741

Day time check out
>>4475760

Is there an info broker?
>>4475784

>>4475784
We could find something "radioactive" to coat it in

We'd need a way to sense it though

>>4476179
Hm.. So like later on when we get decent at blessings or better at sensing we could sprinkle some holy water on it?

>>4476179
Oh you will sense radioactive, once you start throwing up that is.

Maria thought to herself for a moment, “Albert is there by chance some kind of like, information broker?”

“Uh, sorry Maria but I don’t know that much.” Albert admitted with a small laugh.

“Hmm, honestly right now I don’t want to bring this up with someone like your Father. Honestly he might get into the way.”

“Get in the way? I…”

“Yes, see you cannot defend the man.” Maria answered with a wave of the hand, “He might aim for profit in what I think to be a murder case.”

“Alright, so what do you think you are going to do?”

“Investigate.”

And with that the day went on, the sun quickly setting over the horizon. When Maria was confident that the night life was finally coming to, she stepped out of her room head to toe in a shimmering series of steel plates.

“Are you sure about this?” Albert asked, with reasonable worry in his voice.

“Yup, I need to head out and start this little investigation. I’m pretty sure they would have another Auction tonight, so I will see about getting in somehow and some way.

“A-alright. I wish you luck.” Albert said, the poor guy not being able to leave with her since he was not nearly as equipped as Maria was.

There was a slight cold in the Air, Maria noted as she stepped out the back door of the estate. That feeling she also had earlier has also grown, and Lord knows what exactly it means.

>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer
>Find a back door, seeing if Maria can infiltrate that way.
>Stalk the place, for any suspect characters.

>>4476228
>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer
>We have a coin. We can say we were handed it for entry and show it if pressed.
I thought that this was all I needed for entry.
>Also whip out a fashionable masquerade mask from somewhere along the way.

>>4476228
>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer

>>4476228
>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer

>>4476252
We're in full plate a mask won't matter at all

>>4476228
>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer

>>4476372
I missed that line I guess. Gonna need an excuse to be allowed in full plate mail. Maybe we were hired to bid for a person in absentia?

>>4476497
The full plate is because we found a fucking dead body and getting assassinated isn't fun

If the have a problem with it then they can honor duel us

To the death

>>4476529
That sounds like an easy way to get kicked out and the idea behind being a regular customer is NOT telling them we're there to investigate a dead body..

>>4476539
Also are we in BLACK full plate? In any case, we shouldn't remove the helmet in ANY way or form. That birb menace may try and pin the involvement of the Oskar incident.

>>4476547
We're in regular shiny metal instead of shiny black metal from what I see.
I kinda question how we're supposed to be sneaking weapons past security too since heavily armed outsider people around an asston of money is heavily frowned upon traditionally.
Kinda pisses me off since now I can't imagine stealthily moving around to hear what the bigwigs say post auction.

>>4476228
>Approach the place through the front, just as a normal customer

File: apps.38337.69011092827716(...).jpg (195 KB, 720x1080)

195 KB JPG

Take the front door
>>4476252
>>4476271
>>4476367
>>4476375
>>4476627

Yeah it does kinda suck that your guys are wearing full plate. Maybe if you get the chance invest in some Assassin's Creed style cloth.

>>4476746
>Maria doing a leap of faith
I can't help but giggle. She can run on rooftops. A jump 100 feet in the air can be possible with Maria.

>>4476746
Yup we need rogue/assassin clothes

>>4476746
Are you saying we can't wear an ass cred cloak over full plate?

>>4476776
Not if you want to be silent.

>>4476757
No one expects the fucker in full plate that wields a spear to be an assassin so we're wearing better stealthy clothes

>>4476777
Silence is for the weak real men just glare at their foes until they pretend to not have noticed you out of fear

>>4476746
Brigandine would have been a better choice imo. We can research lighter armour when we finally get to spend time with Albert. His father seems to be keeping him busy with work. A major issue is how TF to get damage resistant gear under a dress.
Cross dressing might work better in some sort of battle tux until some asshole in the church tries to remove us in a power play like with Joan of Arc..

>>4476778
but it's a burden to go stealthy into places
>>4476788
the joan d'arc scenario has low chance of happening, specially without a schism

>>4476788
I agree brigandine should be our standard clothing however a battle tux is dumb when we have full plate

Granted I totally agree to armoring up a tuxedo / dress for formal occasionsas it's better having armor than not

Maria made sure that her armor was equipped, the blackened visor covering whatever remains of her face. It was kind of a pity, as wearing this made it almost impossible for Maria to do any real reconnaissance work, but it was enough to keep her identity a secret from any who were around.

So she made due with what she had, swiftly carrying herself across the bridge and onto the small piece of cement that housed the grand auction house.

“Get out of my way!”

“No you stay back you bastard!”

“Shut up you all before I do it for you!”

[Royal Demeanor Success]

Maria approached to see a pair of men complaining at the gate, such a silly sight all things considered. However upon her approach the three men, which included what Maria was sure was the bouncer who was standing guard.

Maria simply gave them an eyeless glance, “You idiots done yet? Some of us have somewhere to be.”

“Sh-shit!” One of the two men said before both backed away from Maria. Just the sheer sight of their fear was enough to entertain Maria’s more, authoritative delights.

“Sir you can’t…” The man was about to say something while Maria’s helm simply moved towards him.

“These nights have been dangerous, I simply want to protect myself.”

“I-I understand!” He cried before making way for what he surely thought was an annoyed knight.

“Thank you.”

And with that Maria slowly inched her way into the building, the place obviously packed with a good amount of people. Without any mistake, Maria could smell a kind of damn alcohol in the air, and looking at one side of the facility there was obviously a nice auction happening. Taking out the coin for a moment and comparing it to the iconography around, this seemed to be the place.

Atleast, the crown was around the place.

Taking a moment Maria noted that a small bar was in place, along with a variety of tables all obviously angled towards the Auction Floor. From Maria’s guess, the main event will begin to occur within a few minutes.

Though, there was the unmistakable feeling of something rotten around here. She just could not place where it was yet.

>Stay to watch the Auction
>Go to the bar, maybe strong arm some information
>Track down this feeling

>>4476808
>Stay to watch the Auction

>>4476808
>Track down this feeling
this made us see that blood and the corpse solet's give it another try

>>4476808
>Go to the bar, maybe strong arm some information
First rule of intrigue, drunk people have information and we didn't even stop to get the itinerary. We figure out wtf is even for sale, ignore the earlier auctions since they'll just be little things.
I'm currently expecting the source to be found at the auction and we don't have to win whatever the cursed item is, just get a name/location of the winner to report to the church.

If going towards the bar increases this feeling then we can probably track it down rather quickly.
>>4476792
Jeanne De Arc happened because the french king didn't like her having more support than him . The king not liking a saint sound familiar to you?
Whatever Chloe factions form in the church combined with Chloe's extensive supernatural support makes it unnaturally easy to frame us for witchcraft if they suddenly turn competent and have a chance to not stab themselves in the foot doing it.

>>4476826
They do that and we have options

We could join up with wifey and invade

we could also use our reputation with the teutonic order and others to declare that the church is being led by an anti pope that we must slay and then we crusade under our own pope

>>4476808
>Auction

>>4476808
>Track down this feeling

>>4476808
>Track down this feeling

>>4476808
>Stay to watch the Auction

>>4476808
>Track down this feeling

>>4476808
>>Stay to watch the Auction

Watch the Auction
>>4476810
>>4476853
>>4477078
>>4477311

Track this feeling
>>4476818
>>4476902
>>4477055
>>4477144

To the Bar!
>>4476826

>>4476852
You do realize you guys are aligned with the actual Pope. Also the era of Anti-Popes has long but passed already.

>>4477470
came quite late today my dude

>>4477472
Time Zones. Im Mountain Time now instead of Eastern

>>4477470
The pope was aligned with Joan of arc. He was on a trip to Rome at the time so when he came back he suddenly found a dead saint.
>>4477469
I was leaning more towards track this feeling if you need a tiebreaker here.

>>4477470
Awww I wanted a pope wars and to genocide the filthy Catholics in a christianity wide blood letting that would devastate !not europe for decades to come

>>4477489
If I recall it was the British church that killed her not the papalcy

>>4477489
>>4477492
You guys are the ones who sided with the establishment.

>>4477494
This too.

There were really two options that Maria had before her, as either she began her infiltration of the Auction House or simple stay behind herself to see what the hell these men are selling. Looking at what was obviously a guarded door, Maria decided that the more safe route was likely the better of her choices.

“Order everyone order!” Shouted a man as he came to a small podium at the stage, “Now we will start the auction. Remember the rules that the money must be presented up front, and any deviation from this will result in penalties placed against the buyer. Without further ado we shall start.”

Maria watched as the things began to be sold, ranging from precious arms to simple pottery and art. Honestly it was things that Maria expected, but the amount of people vying for bids was too small compared to the amount of people here.

So that only lead to a question, what was everyone waiting for?

“Alright, take that away and prepare it for the man in the yellow hat.” The auctioneer announced while the next person came through the curtains, “And here comes our next subject! Chocolate brown skin and youthful to the touch, she is sure to rock your world. Start prices at 20 Austin Gold!”

Maria did not know if she should balk or simple accept that they brought a slave to the stage. However just at the sight of her the cries of bids came louder, and it was obvious that the amount of funds were increasing. How could a group like these be in the red if funds were moving like this?

“One Hundred Austing, now going for 110!”

And it was then that the front door once again opened, revealing another person who had quickly placed a bid. That feeling she had, which previous she could have sworn was coming from behind the stage had doubled two fold.

Finally however Maria placed her feelings down, these were supernatural creatures.

“Sold! To the fellow in the Black Robes. Simply tell our men where to drop her off and we will do so.”

The man, Maria quickly noticed seemed to be slightly forign in features to the area, gave a nod before walking his way towards the door to the interior. He seemed to show the guard something, before finally being let through.

>Give chase and follow him
>Opt to stalk the place now, wait for a chance to confront him.
>Maria should just burn this place to the ground now

>>4477496
So I suppose it would be a minor religious war or most likely a political shit show over the militancy of the church if we and Chloe both got sainthood and she tried something else direct and idiotic enough

>>4477494
There hadn't been a protestant split at the time from what I recall and the guys that did it got their graves dug up so that they could be forced to stand trial for what they did and excommunicated.

>>4477516
Hold on is slavery legal in this place or no
also is it heretical or something

>>4477520
That brings up a question if someone got into heaven before being excommunicated would they be kicked out of heaven or would they stay

>>4477516
>Give chase and follow him
time to find alternative routes baby
>>4477523
so it seems

>>4477516
>Chase the sand nigger till he gets out of !not venice like the heathen he is

Mlg chasing a dude while wearing full plate and carrying a spear

>>4477516
>Opt to stalk the place now, wait for a chance to confront him.

>>4477516
Well we know what we gotta do, the question is how we do it.
Is slavery legal? Then we have to focus on the fact that it's a supernatural slave market to get inquisitors to burn it to the ground.
Is enslaving a fellow monotheist illegal? (Christian or Muslim slaves are super illegal for Christians and Muslims even when regular slavery is legal. We could theoretically get to the slave pens and just Christen all of them at once.)
>>4477516
Took me a bit, but since I don't think the auction is over after one sale..
>Buy one of the slaves so that we have a witness to bring to the church have them. Ask him/her what the hell is going on behind the curtains with those demons and which slave coming out knows the most. Acquire second witness . Go to church and rally holy knights to raid the auction. Anyone who bought a slave earlier probably isn't going to escape the city

>>4477535
>>4477516
Changing to
>>4477557
Because it makes the most sense to resolve this heresy legally

>>4477516
>Opt to stalk the place now, wait for a chance to confront him.
Fucking sand niggers, comin here and selling slaves

>>4477560
I think you mean because we can't kill them all without any escapees.

>>4477631
Yeah kind of but also because we don't know if it's illegal so we should investigate first to get some solid enough proof of herecy so that we can purge them all

>>4477516
>Opt to stalk the place now, wait for a chance to confront him.

Track him down!
>>4477532

Buying a Slave
>>4477557
>>4477560

Stalk
>>4477679

Alright, lets see what happens now

Maria could not help but feel disgusted at the sight of blatant slavery. However Maria was not very much able to attack anyone here right off the bat, so Maria had to go with the next best thing.

“Alright, next lass please!” Coming out this time was another girl, easily as cute as the previous maiden. However looks did not really matter much to Maria, and as she waited her ears were filled with cries, “Alright we are starting at one hundred!”

[Economics Success]

Maria had to curse herself at the amount being asked for, however she also knew that the price only got that high because of the previous fellow. So with a small smirk she watched as no one took the price up.

“Seventy Five!” One of the men quickly raised their hand to that, “Alright now we go for eighty!”

Maria raised her hand to that, knowing how she was about to save twenty Austin Gold from that exchange. However that does not matter, as Maria simply waited another moment to see if the price would change.

“Eighty Five do I hear eighty five? Going once. Going twice.” Maria could not help but smile as the gavel hit the table, “Sold, to the Heavily Armored fellow.”

The man quickly gave his words about how the girl was going to be delivered later, however he was stopped short as Maria walked up to the stage and grabbed the chain. There was no real resistance to Maria, as she simply dragged the girl out the door.

“Interesting fellow, I guess he wants it right away.” the man announced before the next person was once again brought forward.

As Maria left the place, she rounded the corner while giving the girl another pull to get her into the ally. No one was there to see the two of them, and whatever feeling Maria had dissipated upon leaving the place.

“You are my new Master.” The girl said while giving a bow, “You shall do whatever you wish with me, lest it be sex simple torture, or even house work. I am at your beck and call.”

Such a bizarre thing to say, Maria instantly thought, and it was obvious that this girl was not from around here. Her skin was black, similar to that of literal night while her body slim and malnourished. She would quickly claim her a part of the Miaphate, but Maria has never seen people this well, black before.

>Give her a few slaps to see if she snaps out of it
>Begin to ask questions, like where is she from
>Take her straight to the Cathedral
>Wonder what the hell Maria is going to tell Albert about this

>>4477930
Uhm stalk has three votes
>>4477545
>>4477627
>>4477679

>>4477970
Oops, saw Sand Niggers and thought you were talking wanting the other guy who said san niggers.

>>4477964
>Begin to ask questions, like where is she from
then we bring her to either albert or the priest

>>4477974
You wrote for the wrong winning vote QM. Better rewrite it.

>>4477930
Does a Moses/Exodus equivalent exist in our religion or was that lost when that demigod wrecked everything and you can't tell us?

Trying to figure out if we have a religious justification/argument here we can use.

>>4477964
They probably have some "private" rooms for people eager to use their slaves asap. use one and
>Begin to ask questions, like where is she from
We have the W5 of journaism to go through. Who what where when whyand how
Who are you?
What caused you to become a slave
When's probably not that important.
Where are you from?
Why were you captured?
How did they capture you?

Assuming we get god enough info we can then lean into asking which slave coming up for sale knows the most about the operation.

We aren't sensing anything supernatural so she's still within normal human parameters even if she's darker than the average black person.Thought we forgot we were from isekai for a second there but then i remembered japanese rarely see black people anyway.

>>4477974
Well no. Completely different anons, I was referring to the slavers. So what now then. I don’t really want to buy a slave and hand them even a piece of copper.

>>4478009
To be fair, the idea was to come back and burn em to the ground so that they'd never get to keep any money, but the vote lost; so eh I guess?

>>4478021
The ringleader is more important than the auction itself. This place isn’t going anywhere and can be raided anytime. Their boss might escape though if we don’t keep a close eye on him and intercept him first.

>>4478029
The ringleader is probably supernatural/demonic in nature. He's escaping anyway unless the QM wants a boss fight or exposition concerning the main plot. Unless you mean the Belli syndicate? They're absolutely going to get fucked by the church excommunicating the whole group at once after they pissed off a saint with murder slavery and whatever else.
I also kinda figured we'd end up spending the rest of our stay here as a masked vigilante. Probably something three musketeers inspired?

>>4478053
Masks are gay tho helmets are better as not only are they more sexy but they also can conceal hair and all the head while providing protection

>>4478091
They also have super low visibility and triple that at night. We can go with a normal helmet disguised as a hat with a mask that doesn't obstruct vision.

>>4478053
Maybe. Maybe not. We should give a try nonetheless because it won. We did kill a Miaph on the field of battle against all odds.

>>4477964
Re write it you messed up tallying the votes and I would rather we have one less update due to re writing than us not following the vote

>>4478167
Too late my dude

>>4478171
He's not redoing it? That sucks my vote lost so it shouldn't be the result, but I do understand why if he went with it it's just a bit annoying

>>4477964
>Begin to ask questions, like where is she from and if she was a true faithful or a filthy heathen

>>4478171
>>4478175
QM haven't said anything though. I also think redoing is for the best.

Begin to ask questions
>>4477985
>>4477998 - Nice amount of them
>>4478180

>>4478175
Look, its my mistake but whats written is written. It makes it easier if you guys keep green text for votes since I can rely on that, otherwise I get confused. If you are changing vote, use greentext to say it or I will not count it.

Simply put, if you guys spam the thread these are the rules I will set. Otherwise problems happen and I will make mistakes.

Also, if I do make these errors I try my best to not hurt you for them.

>>4478276
To add in, no more:

>>4478180
Support

These are fucking confusing and lazy. Atleast make your support green like :

>>4478180
>Support

Otherwise it will not be counted any more.

>>4478278
You were referring to the wrong post as it was a green text and stated in full what happened

Maria took a moment to straighten up the girl, “Alright, I guess I should start with the basics. Who are you?”

“Who… am I?” The girl responded with a simple tilting of her head.

“Yes, who are you.”

“Uh, who am I exactly?” The girl seemed to think to herself for a moment before shaking her head, “I do not know. Maybe, uh, I think it was Exotic Black Virgin 11.”

“Guh, thats not a name its a category.” Maria called out before shaking her head, “No no, this is no good. Hmm, tsk, damn this is going to be troublesome. For now you are Nepo, got it?”

“Nepo… understood.”

“Alright next, So do you know how you became a slave?”

“I… do not know.”

“Where you are from?”

“South west, the Zar Deserts.” She answered triumphantly.

“Thats, what?” Maria scratched her head for another moment, if she recalled correctly that was across an entire sea. Guess if one was to get a hold of slaves, that is where one would get them, “So, I take it you do not know why you were captured?”

“Well, it's to be sold like animals.” She answered without even a hint of shame or fear, “At least, that's what the one man said.”

… What the hell has Maria found herself getting into?

As Maria thought about that she could not help but look back at the place, her eyes quickly catching upon the back of a man she quickly recognized. It was that odd man who bought the first girl, and she quickly realised there was no one at his side.

Taking another moment Maria looked over at the girl, who did not even more from where she was left. Honestly, Maria was now suspecting that if she left her in a garbage can she would just stay there.

>Go after the man, Maria can pick up the odd girl later
>No, Maria already has her hands full
>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

>>4478309
>No, Maria already has her hands full

>>4478309
>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

>>4478309
>No, Maria already has her hands full
At least we got another maid out of it.

>>4478309
>Go after the man, Maria can pick up the odd girl later

>>4478309
>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

>>4478309
>Go after the man, Maria can pick up the odd girl later

>>4478276
>>4478278
Sure but all the votes you missed were in greentext and unmodified from its original prompt. Simply put, you just need to read more carefully because it really leaves a bad taste.

>>4478309
>>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

If we ask for a refund and then start slashing up the place we can find a recite or something or maybe find the sand nigger/demon and it's cult either way we can deal with the ramifications of having a slave later as for now stuff is time sensitive

>>4478309
>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

>>4478309
>Go after the man, Maria can pick up the odd girl later

>>4478309
Jesus, she's either mindbroken from trauma or magically been made more docile.
Guess we lost badly on the minimum 1/3 chance that she was also a monolithian of a different sect that could read or write. Or is she just THAT young? I was figuring at least 12-14 since that is in line with our own history but even with a possible language barrier she was able to clearly state that she didn't know.

I don't think we have the heart to risk sending her back when we can just break into the HQ tomorrow night for real answers and she sounds more and more like she's young enough for us to force into a piggyback ride while we follow the dude if we have to move fast.

>Go after the man
We have many options like wanting to chat with a fellow slave enthusiast, complaining tha she doesn't seem to understand her "duties"

>>4478309
>Go in and try to get a refund, Maria might be able to bullshit her way towards the top

Cmon guys not a lame refund

No, just take care of this damn slave
>>4478324
>>4478357

Refund
>>4478355
>>4478367
>>4478370
>>4478376
>>4478425

Give Chase
>>4478362
>>4478368
>>4478383
>>4478417

Oh this is gonna be entertaining. Give me a roll place, Bo2

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>4478544
Man I really wanted to try taking the girl to a better place or failing that chasing the guy, baka these anons

>>4478551
Alright, Bo3.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>4478544

How do I roll?

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>4478544

>>4478547
>>4478551
>>4478554

You know, the fellow who deleted his post was the one who won it for you guys. As such, keep in mind I keep the thread open so I can see when you 'delete' posts.

I didn't even know you could delete posts. Huh.

>>4478559
Maybe anon wants us to fail lol

>>4478562
Nah he rolled a 72

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>4478563
Late

Maria thought about it for a moment, she could chase the person down. However she looked at the person that was still in chains and thought about it for a moment. Honestly at this point Maria was wondering if she would even be able to actually take good care of this girl.

But then Maria realized something, as the way this girl was acting was so bizarre that she might be able to use her was a weapon against the Auction House.

So with a pull of the chain Maria reentered the place, the bodyguard easily making way for Maria as she passed him. She trumped the with the girl all the way up to the employee door.

It was there she was finally stopped by a guard, “Hold it sir, this space is restricted to guild memebers. You can’t go any further in.”

”I cannot go further in, even after you give me a defective product!” Maria announced while yanking on Nepo’s chain, “I demand I talk to the Guild Master, as this girl is fucking more stupid than a bag of rocks.”

“S-sir I don’t mean any harm but them forgetting things is part of the deal.”

“You did not announce that on the Auction Floor, nor do you have any signage talking about it!”

“You are-”

“Stop feeding me excuses I am going to get my refund!”

[Royal Demeanor Success]

And with that Maria shoved the man out of the way with a thrust. To say he was stunned on the ground was an understatement, as so was the series of people who watched it happen. In the end they did not raise a finger to help him, since it looked like it was going to be a hard task to even calm him down.

With that however Maria was through, and she noticed quickly that the place had little to no people thanks to the auction happening. Though Maria knew that her time here was going to be limited, and that odd feeling had come back.

>Track down that odd as hell feeling
>Try and locate the Business Ledger
>Find a person and start an interrogation
>Go get Maria’s fucking refund

File: k4.jpg (36 KB, 636x333)

36 KB JPG

Ahem...

>>4478575
>Go get Maria’s fucking refund
We released our inner Karen.

>>4478575
>Track down that odd as hell feeling
Demonic cult here we come

>>4478575
>Track down that odd as hell feeling

I'm honestly not sure of wtf to do since we did a complete 180* and all my my ideas I come up with atm are longer term ones.
Eg Bringing both of the princes into a room together and asking why we can buy " Exotic Black Virgin 11" at a market for the express purpose of violating with almost no effort from an auction run by the supernatural in the middle of an Austin city.
Or do a massive con to bankrupt EVERYONE and force them into debt with us so that they have to tear apart anyone who dealt in slavery.

We really should have tried to get a little more info on anything supernatural she saw. We could have said she was a gibbering fool claiming that she was captured by spirits/demons (including us) Maybe we can still play that angle because of how fucked most would be if a slave called them a demon in broad daylight in front of a priest?

>>4478575
>Go get Maria’s fucking refund
Time to SpEaK with the manager. Watch for any important ledger or paper we can swipe away while they're not looking.

>>4478575
>Track down that odd as hell feeling

>>4478660
Sure but our fears of this slave were false because it turns out they are a heathen so it's okay to own them so now we're looking somewhere else for clues worse comes to worst we simply get a confession out of the sand niggers and kill them all regardless

>>4478575
>Track down that odd as hell feeling

>>4478575
>Track down that odd as hell feeling

Maria should be called Karen
>>4478577
>>4478662

Track Down the odd feeling
>>4478648
>>4478660
>>4478698
>>4478763
>>4478919

Im a little sad we are not going for that refund.

>>4479159
We might still be able to do it.

There were really only two choices Maria could have made, either go try and get herself a refund or track down that nagging feeling. As Maria dragged on the chain, she was able to decide that it was probably easy enough for her to track down this feeling faster than she could a manager.

So she walked, a couple of the workers giving Maria oblivious glances as if not even knowing what to do with her here. However Maria was starting to get the feeling that things were not going to be as seamless as she wanted when chatter began to come from behind her.

Soon enough Maria came to an open door, the person talking not doing their best hiding his own voice.

“So we lost Edger? Such a shame really.” A clearly authoritative voice announced, “were you able to atleast find his body?”

“No sir, we could not find it on the streets this morning. I think someone came around and cleaned it up.” A much more meek voice began to say.

“Tsk, did you see him before he went missing?”

“If I remember he was leaving with a lass, right out of the bar. Kinda unlike him to leave in the middle of the job.”

“Tsk I-” However before the more authoritative voice said anything else Maria could hear him sniffing the air, “Hmm, female, Slantic Heritage, Noble. Go tell your boss he has an intruder.”

“Understood.” The man announced before running out of the room, right past Maria of all things. However the man did not sound any alarms as he did so, which sure as hell was bizarre to Maria.

However as he did so another person stepped out of the room, quickly turning towards Maria with a small glare, “Well I guess you were not hard to find. First, forget”

And like that Maria felt a wave of something cross by her, however she instantly knew this person in front of her was not human.

“Alright, now, Get your ass out of here before I need to rip your throat out.” He announced, once again a feeling crossing Maria but no effect came. However this gave her a choice.

>Leave for now, remember his features
>Act against the command in an attack
>Maria shall present the Saint’s bone, as to purify this creature

>I need a Bo3 roll for this

Or
>Ask for that damn refund.

Rolled 45 (1d100)

>>4479186
>Ask for that damn refund
Not even a demon can stop us from karening

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>4479186
>Ask for that damn refund.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>4479186
>>Ask for that damn refund.

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>4479186
>Act against the command in an attack
This maybe not the smartest choice but fuck this daemon. btw it surprised he ordered us to leave after saying there was an intruder. either it wasn't us because he smelled us when we got the slave or he doesn't care

>>4479186
>>Act against the command in an attack
This means that somebody killed an operative which means there is another vigilante within the city who can corroborate or come to us with evidence after the fact.
>>4479189
>>4479195
You seriously fucking wasted that roll on a goddamn refund!?

>>4479205
Of course. We came back for a refund and that's exactly what we're getting.

Deal with it.

>>4479187
>>Ask for that damn refund.

>>4479186
>Ask for that damn refund.

>>4479207
Giving a vampire the first attack doesn't strike me as the brightest idea.

>>4479224
But you gotta admit its gonna be funnier than hell.

>>4479205
We’re gonna outneg satan into handing our money back

>Ask for a damn refund
>8
>We rolled so good we get a refund plus bonus

>>4479337
our first isekai power and one of the strongest: the karen

>>4479186
>Act against the command in an attack
Or
>Maria shall present the Saint’s bone, as to purify this creature

>>4479186
>Ask for that damn refund.

>>4479186
>Act against the command in an attack

Refund please you damn bastard
>>4479188
>>4479189
>>4479195
>>4479211
>>4479220
>>4479486

Attack!!
>>4479201
>>4479205
>>4479433
>>4479489

Refund it is.

Maria felt something as she looked at the creature infront of her. Honestly being swatted away by this creature was making her angry, so much so that she was about ready to smash his skull in and give him a new one.

However she had an objective, “You are going to take this girl back, got it!”

“Take her back?” He looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened, “What the fuck, you-”

“I was not told this girl was just going to be some brain dead lose! Why she can;t even remember where the fuck she came from!”

“Is it not better that way!?”

“No, what happens if I just want a nice conversation with them after I am done fucking them. You into some mindfucking shit or what!?”


“W-what the-”

“Now give me a damn refund!” Maria quickly took him from the neck and drew him in with her fist held high

“F-fine fine! You can just leave her dumb ass here. How much did you pay for her?!”

“125 Austin Gold.”

“Thats-”

“Did I fucking studder!”

“Fuck its yours here!” He said before handing Maria a bag of gold.

“Thank you sir, I will remember this shitty service next time we see each other.”

“Just get your fucking ass out of here!”

With that Maria left the room, the slave no longer in her hands with a nice profit. Of course there were men waiting right outside the door, but Maria gave them a nice glare causing them to back down.

Honestly it was kinda humorous as she simply turned a corner so that none of them were in sight. Now that she thought about it, she not only got a nice hard look at the monstrous being who was selling those girls, but also confirmed this place lost one of their men.

And it is getting quite late

>Head on back to the Manor
>Burn this place to the ground
>Other ideas?

>>4479639
>Inform the clergy so that the holy knights will help you kill Everyone that flees the flames and then go with them to burn the building in a pyre to torch these heretics

>>4479639
>Head on back to the Manor
we inform the clergy tomorrow

>>4479649
But the heretics might. Flee

>>4479639
>Invite the church, city guard and anyone who would fuck them up to come and burn this shit down

>>4479639
>Other ideas?
>Inform the church now!

>>4479639
>Did I fucking studder
Yes Maria you did stutter.

>>4479639
So a little girl is having an extremely gruesome death atm and we're absolutely being followed now if they have any brains.
>>4479639
>Get to the church
>Have a messenger send word back to Albert's house that we've opted not to return and lead a coven of inhuman monsters with the ability to mind control to his front door. Proper security measures on this guy. Make sure the person is a decent liar/fighter, two envelopes, and a blessing from us and the priest to ward off the mind control effects and let them bluff their way past by giving the false envelope.

>>4479639
>>4479798
supporting

Inform the Clergy
>>4479646
>>4479708
>>4479798
>>4479673

Head Back home.
>>4479649

Understood, to the Church!

With a confident step Maria made her way across the waters, a small feeling coming across her as she finally arrived at the Church. With purpose in her heart, Maria quickly rang the door with a force that would make many men cry.

“Oh, coming!” Soon enough the door infront of Maria was opened to show a rather tired looking Father Louis standing infront of her, “What damnable, who are you?”

“I am here to deliver a message, on behalf of the Kingslayer. Will you allow me to enter?”

“The Kingslayer? Why of course come right on in.” The Father said while making way for Maria.

Once the door was finally closed Maria took off her helm, allowing her hair to flow for a moment, “Hello there Father Louis, I hope you have been well.”

“K-Kingslayer!? Why were you in disguise!?” The priest almost erupted upon saying that.

“I was on an investigation, and I did not like what I saw. There is some kind of demon in the city, and he is brainwashing slaves to be sold to other folk in the city.” Maria answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Brainwashing like being forgetful, being set into a trance, or following someone’s every word?”

“Yes, those indeed. Do you know something?”

“I have... dealt with those before. Can you give me an idea of how the creature looks?”

“Black hair with red eyes, he looked to have been from lands west of here from my guess.” Maria answered back with a raised brow.

“Hmm, interesting. Very well, the creature will be dealt with as soon as possible. I will not allow my flock to be hunted or scammed by the unchained predator.” The Cleric announced.

“Great, when do we start the hunt?”

“There is no need for help, I can easily rid us of this creature with a few words to my superior. He will definitely not be happy about this at all.” The Priest announced before giving Maria a curt bow, “Thank you very much for telling me of this fool.”

And with that the man left Maria, and Maria herself had to leave for the night. Already she was tired as fuck, and she was pretty sure it was about 4 o’clock in the morning by now. Yeah she was not going to be awake any time soon.

>Explore more of the Town with Albert
>Talk to Albert’s Father about that Guild Maria sent a bust after
>Opt to check in on the Church to see how the Inquisition went.