Chapter 40: Utarou, The Conspiracy Theorist
“WAIT! NO! TELL HIM TO KEEP TALKING!” Penelope begged as she was physically dragged from her seat, still desperately trying to write down more incantations.
“We gave you an extra hour, I feel we’ve been more than generous!” Adam chuckled as he effortlessly grabbed the woman, using his magic to pack up her books and ink in a single motion.
“Waahhh…” Penelope whined, relenting herself to her fate as the rest of the pilgrimage squad waited just outside of the tall walls of Avoitica.
“So, what, we’re friends with the church now?” Rufus asked, still confused.
“Not… exactly.” Utarou sighed, he had been given a pretty clear set of instructions if he wanted to not get onto Ghaeltifts’ heretic list again.
He had to create a new branch of the Avoisan Church and keep its reach within the Central Eastern Region, specifically avoiding the Elves in the South Eastern Region.
He had to declare war and take territory from King Oldser within the next decade.
He had to leave Greylia in her care.
All of this he had to lie about why he was doing any of it, because if anyone found out about this deal, he’d be dealing with Templar Adam.
“So what is it then?” Rufus asked again. He was something of a simpleton and if Utarou couldn’t explain it to him in a way that made sense then he’d be doomed when it came to the more inquisitive members of his current squad.
“We’re not enemies, we’ve been given some grace thanks to my discovery of a new Tier 4 skill, my status as a blessed being and a sort of uh… Hostage exchange let’s say with Greylia.” Utarou explained with a frustrated groan.
He wasn’t particularly concerned with coming up with a good reason, most people in his inner circle understood he operated on a bizarre logic.
He’d unfortunately not be able to lie about Greylia’s existence like he’d hoped, but keeping her in Avotica away from Bluelia, and unbeknownst to him, Pinklia, was a surprise boon. No risk of accidentally combining the wild rage of Greylia with the Bluelia who trusted him blindly.
But the thing that was concerning him the most was Ghaeltifts’ actual goals.
“What is that smug knife ear planning? What possible benefit could destabilizing the Central Eastern region give her? Why can’t the rest of the church know? Is she not really in charge? Is only Adam in on it or are there others? Was Adam’s initial challenge a part of this as well? Is my new monster girl nation at risk?” Utarou had the same few questions rattling around in his head since leaving the Temple Centuria.
But, he had only one answer to all of his problems.
“Huh, so we ain’t gonna have to worry about Vicar John gettin’ all mad at us then for doin’ what you tell us?” Rufus asked plainly.
Utarou smirked widely.
“Oh, I don’t think we’re going to have that problem ever again. In fact, I think the next few years is the perfect time to accelerate the plan.” Utarou declared as Penelope was unceremoniously hauled out of Avotica and dumped with the squad, Hans following closely behind.
“H-hey! Be careful with her.” Hans shouted as Adam quickly left.
“Oh no! Please! I might need to be carried all the way out of the Papacy by a big strong man!” Penelope declared dramatically, raising her arm into the sky.
“You weirdo…” Hans mumbled as he left Penelope on the floor.
“What? He’s REALLY hot! You think so too!” Penelope retorted as she got up.
“Shut up…” Hans sighed as the pair made their way to the caravan.
“Oh hey guys! We’re friends with the church now!” Rufus shouted, causing Utarou to face palm.
“Oh? That means I can go back to that library right?!” Penelope asked, beaming with excitement.
“No… No, we’re not enemies with the church now.” Utarou clarified.
“Oh… Damnit Utarou! You could’ve taken longer to negotiate you know!” Penelope whined as she tossed her writing equipment into the wagon, Garf still silently brushing one of the horse's hair.
“All things considered I think I did pretty good. Anyway, more importantly, how much did you manage to write down?” Utarou asked eagerly, he hadn’t fully appreciated there was an actual honest to goodness witch in his town.
He had other priorities at the time admittedly, but this was an error he’d correct in future.
“Well uh, I’m not sure but it looked important!” Penelope declared, grabbing her notebook and showing Utarou the frantic scribbles she’d doodled in.
“Huh?” Utarou asked, entirely unable to read what she’d written.
“LOOK! They’re written in an Ancient Dialect I can’t exactly read per say…” Penelope explained as she flipped through the scrawled notes.
“But look, I recognize this as the word for uh… Fire I think. Or is that go? Anyway, stand back as I read it… Elva Novua Inferinium Torium!” Penelope cast at a nearby, innocent tree.
She then proceeded to shoot backwards, landing with a heavy thud onto her back into the thankfully soft grass.
“I’m okay…” Penelope gasped, struggling to breath as her head throbbed.
“Great… Welp this just confirms it.” Utarou sighed as Hope and Garf helped Penelope up.
“What?”
“I gotta start a school…” Utarou groaned, rubbing his temples as horrific memories of his schooling days came flooding back to him.
…
“GOT ONE!” Julia shouted as she stretched her large hands to the sky, ensnaring a wyvern and pulling it to the ground, snapping its neck as it landed.
“Careful! We need to keep one of em alive to see the nest!” Barney shouted as he bisected an oncoming wyvern.
“Alright everyone stay calm, we’ve dealt with plenty of these in Dracons.” Henrek shouted at the cowering townsfolk of Phinholm, fending off a stray wyvern that tried to swoop a small child with a swift slice.
“Hey they’re running! I’ll follow em I’ll make a fire when I find the nest!” Julia shouted as she saw the main mass of Wyverns.
“Alrighty we’ll clean ‘er up ‘ere!” Barney shouted.
“Be careful!” Henrek shouted, knowing it would fall on deaf ears. Barney sliced another Wyvern in half, quickly observed the area and casually sauntered to Henrek and the people he was guarding.
“You should be careful as well.” Henrek growled, throwing his sword at seemingly nothing.
His sword then got stuck in that nothing, collapsing onto the ground with a thud as it bled out.
“Woah, that’s new.” Barney remarked as he ripped the sword out of formerly invisible Wyvern and handed it to Henrek.
“You two are too reckless.” Henrek sighed as he leaned against a wall, the people still cowering inside the barn.
“Eh, tis your job to worry about that stuff.” Barney laughed as he smacked Henrek on the back.
“How comforting…” Henrek sighed as he looked towards home, and further beyond.
“Cool your horses, Utarou should be back well before us, besides just bustin’ a few more nests and the governor ‘ill lift the blockade.” Barney said as comfortingly as he could. Henrek sighed.
“Yeah, Utarou being back before us is what’s worrying me.”