Chapter 85: Sneaking Into Oraria

Qiu Nuoya had gone to the church in Coalora to have his identification card reissued and his personal information appraised. Unfortunately, the results of that appraisal had revealed his absurdly overpowered skills.

Naturally, the Church headquarters had been notified.

Apparently, this was not unique to Qiu Nuoya. It was perfectly normal for the Church to recruit children with exceptional skills as Divine Children.

Potential Divine Children were sought out and recruited from all over the world, then raised by the Church to serve in religious positions.

For ordinary people, being chosen as a Divine Child was considered a great honor. Families were therefore usually delighted and willingly sent their children to the Church.

As an aside, Qiu Nuoya had also heard that the families received a considerable amount of money under the name of a preparation allowance.

There was something rather harsh about the reality of that arrangement.

And Qiu Nuoya’s skills were apparently so absurdly overpowered, even among the potential Divine Children, that Lady Sherria, the Saintess herself, had decided she needed to come and retrieve him as soon as possible.

"Viktor, you’re awfully knowledgeable about this. Where did you hear all that?"

"Where else? Someone from the Church explained everything to me in considerable detail."

Viktor wore a faint smile.

But that expression is kind of scary! He’s definitely hiding something, isn’t he?

Igor also looked bewildered by Viktor’s explanation. Qiu Nuoya could hardly hide his own confusion either. This was the first time he had ever heard any of this. Viktor had never told him anything about it before!

Even if the Church did not know about the information Qiu Nuoya had concealed, it still apparently had access to nearly all of his personal information. Knowing that the Church had so much information about him did not make him feel particularly comfortable.

And if the Church had access to this much information about its citizens, wouldn’t it be incredibly easy for them to control the country? They practically had enough power to rival the government.

Curious about how Viktor had obtained such detailed information, Qiu Nuoya asked him about it.

"I came into contact with someone from the Church through the Adventurers’ Guild while I was traveling separately from you," Viktor explained.

Apparently, Viktor had asked that person several questions, and they had helpfully explained everything to him.

Viktor said it so casually, but Qiu Nuoya found it difficult to believe that someone from the Church would simply reveal such confidential information so easily.

"Viktor, you didn’t do anything shady, did you? Are you sure you’re okay?"

"I did nothing. They simply talked and talked on their own, and I merely listened." Viktor continued smiling without the slightest change in his expression.

All right. Qiu Nuoya understood. He was not going to ask any more questions. Viktor was starting to scare him.

"But if the Church has access to so much information about me, won’t they find me as soon as I show my identification card?"

"Yes. That is why you simply should not show it."

"Wait, Viktor. You make it sound so easy, but you need to show your identification card just to enter a city..."

Viktor nodded at Qiu Nuoya’s words. "That is why I said I would take you with me."

Ah, right. Viktor could use teleportation magic, so he did not need to pass through the city gates to enter. Naturally, that also meant he would not need to present an identification card.

But isn’t that a security flaw?

In theory, criminals who could use teleportation magic could run rampant.

When Qiu Nuoya asked Viktor how that worked, Viktor simply replied, "That is quite simple as well."

"First of all, there are fundamentally very few mages capable of using teleportation magic. Criminals are out of the question entirely. If someone capable of using teleportation magic commits a crime, their magic is sealed, so there is little reason to worry about it."

Viktor raised a finger as he continued. "Second, adventurers like myself who can use teleportation magic receive various privileges as their rank increases. Once an adventurer reaches Rank A, they are permitted to enter and leave cities without presenting identification. In other words, even if they are discovered, there are no consequences! I believe that any privileges one is given should be utilized to their fullest extent!"

That may mean there are no consequences for Viktor, but wouldn’t there still be consequences for Qiu Nuoya?

That thought briefly crossed Qiu Nuoya’s mind. Still, apparently, once they were inside the city, there was little anyone could do about it, and the Church would have almost no way to pursue the matter further.

For a system that was so technologically advanced in some ways, its loopholes were surprisingly blatant.

"That being said, Nuoya and I will go ahead and enjoy some sightseeing in Oraria while the two of you take your time going through the proper procedures." Viktor smiled brightly. There was no room for argument in that smile.

Igor could only give a wry smile and nod. "All right."

Meanwhile, Warren looked slightly displeased, but eventually nodded with an expression that seemed to say there was nothing he could do about it.

Just before the checkpoint outside the dungeon city of Oraria, Qiu Nuoya and Viktor parted ways with Igor and Warren to travel separately.

Wait.

Come to think of it, Qiu Nuoya realized that it had been a very long time since he had been alone with Viktor. In fact, this was the first time they had been alone together since Viktor had declared that he intended to pursue him.

Realizing that, Qiu Nuoya stiffened slightly in Viktor’s arms as Viktor prepared to teleport them.

When Igor carried him, Qiu Nuoya could easily wrap his arms around him without thinking anything of it. But somehow, he felt that he should not do the same with Viktor.

"We’ve arrived."

As Viktor’s robe fluttered gently before settling back down, the scenery in front of them changed.