"So, what do you want to do now?" Dominik asked.
"Well in case you didn't notice I'm still wearing your clothes so let's get that sorted."
"Sure. Looking for anything in particular?"
"Suits. Tailor made."
"Fancy."
"Do you know of any places?"
"Yeah, there's this place Mia always takes me to get my measurements when we have to go to an event or party. Follow me." He gestured.
"After we're done there, I want you to take me to the church." Kurt mentioned when walking beside him.
"Which one? There's a lot."
"The one where Tobias works at."
"The bishop? That's one of the biggest churches in Eldoria."
"What's the biggest?"
"The one with the Pope, obviously. He's the one who receives divinations from Goddess Bula and relays them to the people."
"That's a dangerous privilege to have for one person. From what I've seen, people are very religious here. What would happen if the Pope made up some fake divination, say a prophecy, will the people just consume and believe whatever they've been told?"
"You're thinking too much, Kurt. Every Pope has to make an oath to the goddess statue at Eden. After their initiation, their souls become linked to the divine. So, if they were to ever lie or lead the people astray, their souls would be crushed, and they'd forever be sentenced to the depths of hell."
"How do you know all this?"
"We learned it in kindergarten and school, duh. If you're still confused about anything, just ask the Pope himself. Heck if you're lucky you can ask the Saintess when she arrives here to watch the tournament."
"The Saintess… Is she, like, the highest-ranking clergy?"
"Yep. She receives direct power and divinity from Goddess Bula. There's a whole cathedral dedicated to her and those that come after her at Eden. Here's a fun fact for you Mr. Clueless, did you know that Eden was the place where Goddess Bula first descended on Earth."
"I didn't know that. Cool fact."
"Heh," Dominik rubbed his nose in satisfaction, "Just doing my job to help and inform civilians. Oh! I see the shop just up ahead." He pointed as they approached the store
"Want me to go in with you?" Dominik asked when they stood out front the tailor shop.
"Sure." Kurt replied.
"Wait, I was joking. Don't tell me you actually need me to hold your hand?"
"No. I was thinking that since you come here semi frequently that they should know you. Maybe I could snag a discount with you there with me."
"Pfft! Don't count on it..." They entered together.
ring ring
"DOMINIK! My favourite customer! How are you doing, mon ami? Mwah mwah!" A very eccentric looking man with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and lipstick grabbed Dominik's face and kissed both his cheeks.
"Where's my other favourite customer, Mia, hmm?"
"L-let go Raphael!" Dominik struggled to pull away. "She's not here. I'm here for my friend, not myself! Arrgh! How are you so strong!?"
"Your friend?" Raphael let go and looked at Kurt.
"Waah!" Dominik flew backwards, into a clothing rack, because of the force he was using to pull himself free.
Crash
"Ouch." Kurt cringed. "Still alive there, Dom?"
"Mm'kay…" He raised his thumb.
"Ahh, so you must be the friend Dominik mentioned? Hmm I see…" Raphael inspected Kurt's body with a keen eye.
"Erhm… is everything alright, Mr. Raphael?"
"Shh! Be quiet Monsieur. I'm in a moment of inspiration."
"Sorry but I don't have time for your eccentricness. I have money and I'm looking to get my measurements taken. So are we in business or do I have to look elsewhere." Kurt drew a fine line.
'Seriously, I still have other places to be, and the day is nearly over. I still want to have dinner at Sophie's.'
"A paying customer is always welcomed here, monsieur Kurt." He turned serious.
"Good. Let's get it then."
While Kurt was getting his measurements taken, Dominik was busy picking up and packing away the clothes he knocked over. By the time he was finished, Kurt also came out of the dressing room ready to leave.
"I will have your new suits delivered at City View Hotel on Friday, mon ami."
'In two days? That's surprisingly fast.'
"Thank you, Raphael. And sorry if I came off as rude earlier. It's just that I'm in a rush and you just kept on staring at me."
"Ahh, it's no problem, Kurt. Your body shape and muscles gave me a rush of inspiration so expect magnificent suits tailored just for you." He winked.
"Okaay… See you around, mon ami." Kurt copied him.
"Oh! Monsieur Kurt~" Raphael held his breath and ran up to him.
"Oh shoot! Let's go Dom!"
"Huh? Whooaa!"
Kurt grabbed Dominik as they both ran out the store.
.....
Once they were in the clear they both stopped to catch their breath.
"That was terrifying."
"You're telling me? I usually just let Mia handle the talking when we're there."
"Of course you do." Kurt said as he stretched his back. "Now that that's taken care of, let's go to the church, shall we?"
"Finally, some action."
"No. No action just yet. I just wanna scout the place from a distance. See if anything fishy is going on."
"Why not just storm the place? I'll arrest them on the spot."
"With what evidence?" Kurt shook his head. "Today, we observe. Tomorrow, well…. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be interesting."
'Isn't that right, Emelie. Heh hehehehe.'
'Uwaah. Does he know that he's practically laughing out loud?' Dominik thought when looking at him with tinge disgust.
.
..
…
'Hi, my name is Austin and right now I am currently sitting in the principal's office awaiting judgment.'
'Now you might be wondering, "But Austin, why would you get punished? You're basically the main character of this world! You did nothing wrong!" Well, my dear readers it would seem that justice can sometimes miss its mark.'
"Austin." Diana spoke when reading a piece of paper. "I've received complaints from the dorm mother that you were shouting and screaming at her to let you in the dorm building last night. Even though it was past curfew. Is that true?"
"Y-yes."
'There you have it folks. That's why I'm in trouble. I stayed out late and had to sleep outside on the cold floor.'
"It also says here that you called the dorm mother, and I quote, "A stupid old cow who will never find a husband". Is that also true?"
"W-what" Austin stuttered. "I-I never called her–"
"YOU STUPID OLD COW!" A recording began playing. "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE STILL SINGLE AND WILL NEVER FIND A HUSBAND!"
Through the recording tag that Diana took out, Austin could be heard shouting and banging his fist against the door. Calling it a tantrum would be an understatement.
"BUT DON'T WORRY," The recording continued, "I PROMISE IF YOU LET ME IN I'LL LET YOU JOIN MY HAREM ONCE I BECOME KING! DO YOU HEAR ME!? *BANG* *BANG* OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN IT NOW! YOU FILTHY BIT-"
Diana stopped it.
"Do you want me to continue playing it? Apparently, it gets worse."
"N-no, Principal Valentine." 'There was a fucking recording?!'
"I'm back, Principal." Mia entered the room. When she noticed Austin kneeling on the floor she didn't say anything and returned to her desk.
'Oh shit! Is that Mia?! Look at that juicy body, hehe. No wonder the devs added her as dlc to the first game. Even though you had to cuck her boyfriend to get her, I could definitely see the vision.'
"Austin," Diana snapped him out of his delusions, "The dorm mother has requested that you be expelled from the dorms. And I'm inclined to expel you from the academy all together."
'What!? But that'd be a game over! I can't have that!'
With his back against the wall, Austin did the only thing he could think of that would save his skin.
Cry.
"I-I *sob* I'm sorry… I-I didn't *sniffle* mean to–"
"Stop with the crocodile tears. They won't work on me."
'Damn.'
"Haaa, you just transferred here recently so it would've been so easy to give you the boot, however it would seem you got lucky."
"W-what do you mean?"
"I mean, a representative has vouched for you to stay. They said if you were to leave, they'd leave." Diana rubbed her temple. "And I can't have that especially with the tournament starting next week."
"A representative vouched for me? Who?" Austin was confused since he never went out of his way to become friendly with any of them.
"They wished for their identity to remain a secret so let's leave it at that. Now for your punishment."
'Here we go…'
"You will not be kicked out of the dorms however your monthly student allowance will be significantly cut and starting tomorrow afternoon you will work for the dorm mother. Free of charge."
'What!?'
"Additionally for the rest of this year you will stay behind for after class cleaning duties."
'But my free time! How am I to build up my relationship points?!'
"Lastly,"
'There's more!?'
"After the tournament next week, you are to stay behind and help the cleaning crew. Did I make myself clear?"
'Just you wait, Diana. Soon you'll be putty in my hands and once you are…'
"....."
"Austin."
"Y-yes ma'am. Understood."
"Good. Now go and apologise to the dorm mother. You're dismissed."
Austin, now defeated in spirit, stood up and left the room with his shoulders dropped low.
".... What happened with him?" Mia asked.
"You don't want to know."