Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, living in the world without magic wasn't very bad for everyone. Humans were full of imagination. Angelica could understand that type of jump, she was a girl bored most of her life, she spent a great deal of time imagining random things and waiting for the next little leak of information or the next big adventure. "I understand imagining a different world. Not even a completely different one but just one where what you are presently isn't what you always have to be," she said honestly. That little bit of information made the most sense to her after all.

Charles also went to explain how video games worked, and this was strange but also made sense given his points of reference. "That sounds like it could be fun. Something like that would have at least kept me entertained over the last thousand years," she said feeling like maybe this was the highlight of mankind. She'd already noticed how very ingenuitive mankind could be given their wood built houses and the like. Beyond this according to Charles, he was an oddity as a person who ended up in this world. He hadn't immersed in this videogame activity, he was a person who played a card game. Though it sounded kind of boring he claimed it was not, which only made Angelica chuckle. "Well it is good that you realized that sounded boring. But I suppose if paired with a bit of imagination such a thing wouldn't be too bad. Children would enjoy it at least," she said giving consideration to it which she thought was fair.

Ah, and then more important things yet appeared. The talk of Hoshimi Emi and Hoshimi Eri who were Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria Pendragon. Both of them played this game that Charles spoke of, broadcasting themselves as a team. She wondered if it was hard for them being transported to this world without each other at the same time? Age of Eternity was also an interesting concept. There was an Age of Fae, an Age of Gods, and now an Age of Man, what sort of thing could call itself eternal in the face of such fleeting ideals? Moreover Chaldea apparently housed a great number of people who ended up in this world through these accidental means and that was interesting to find out. "I see, that sounds really weird, but at least you know where to find other people. But... why do they as sisters have the same name and different second names?" she wondered, this custom of inverted naming wasn't one she'd heard before.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, you get it. Actually, with your personality and circumstances, you'd have fit right in. You'd be such a geek," he said in an oddly affectionate manner, going so far as to laugh at the notion. Regardless, it seemed Angelica did not think too negatively about the world without magic. She even thought it sounded like fun, much to his expectation as one who knew how she entertained herself. Video games would have undoubtedly made the last thousand years incredible for someone like her. "If I could invent games here, I'd find you something to play. We could even have a match," he claimed.

Sadly, Charlemagne couldn't invent video games; he'd never been that savvy. One thing he could easily accomplish though, was the creation of a card game! Explaining something like trading card games to someone with no concept of them could do it no justice, but he could easily fabricate a couple of 30-card decks. "It's enjoyable for more than just kids. I've been playing card games since I was one, and I still played until I was transported here. I was... I think 17 at the time. Humans only got an average of 80 years or so on that planet. You know, I could find a way to fabricate some cards if you'd like to play a match. I remember a lot of Jeanne's Skills, so I could make a strong deck around her if you'd like. It might not hold up to the Astraea deck I played, but I could always try out a different deck instead. Hmm..."

Charlemagne seemed to be giving legitimate consideration to creating trading cards just for Angelica to learn about his world's games. Ah, but there was more to discuss. He'd given the names of Jeanne and Artoria from the other world, but he'd failed to realize Angelica had no reason to understand the cultural difference in naming methods. "Ah, my bad. Hoshimi is their family name. In the region I'm from, we address people by their family name. Family comes before the individual and determines status. It's what people are most likely to recognize you as. Actually, it's rude to address someone by their given name unless you're very, very close to them. There are also honorifics. For example, Jeanne is a bit older than me. If I spoke to her, I'd call her Hoshimi-san. She'd likely put -kun on my name the same way. As the Holy Princess, you would be called Edelfelt-dono by pretty much everyone."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, given both Angelica's circumstances and her disposition she would have fit into the modern world he came from. That was nice to know, and at least she had some base of information to work with concerning those from the other world overall. It also explained several differences in personality with the people she'd come across. "Hm? I don't know... I still have my normal interests," she claimed seeming to understand at least a little the slightly negative connotation surrounding the word geek. Ah, but there was more, Charles claimed if he'd invented games here they could play.

It was explained some extra things. Apparently, he'd played card games his entire life in the other world. He even claimed that he'd been seventeen around the time that he'd been transported. That made him sound quite young in Angelica's eyes, but then he explained that the average lifespan on the other planet was a meager eighty years. "80! How did anyone get anything done? That's the age of relative infancy..." she exclaimed seeming to take issue with that number alone. She'd calm down only a moment later having fully processed the rest of the information. "Wait, Astraea is my mother's name..." she said seeming to find it to be an odd coincidence that he'd mention playing a deck which consisted of cards themed around her mother without her ever having said the name aloud.

Beyond those points there were even more social things to discover. Among their limited lifespans, humans had developed some rather complex social norms. This included only referring to each other by their family names in the area that Charles had come from, unless they were really close. And adding honorific suffixes to names when speaking to people. "That sounds like a lot to remember. And I don't think I'd like that sort of reference for myself," she said. That much was obvious given her earlier conversation with Ivy.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah? So do the rest of us," Charlemagne said, fully throwing himself into the category of geek. Most everyone had interests that could be considered normal; that was just a matter of society's overall views. Those who had many outliers, however, would always fall into a specific social class. Ah, but 'geek' wasn't exclusively a social thing. She looked about his age, so she'd have been in high school as well. "Though you'd only have been a geek under the surface of it all. Your looks, status and demeanor would have put you at the top of every social chart imaginable, even without magic and divinity. You'd probably have a high chance of being the sad type, surrounded by people but no less alone for it."

Depressing facts of social standards aside, Angelica expressed shock regarding human lifespans. To this, Charlemagne raised a brow. "80 is old where I'm from. By the time someone is that age, they've gone grey and wrinkly. Remember Ganelon from our Party? I'd place him somewhere between 60 and 80, visually. As for physical ability, that age puts most people in the ballpark of... well... Father An," he said, whispering that last bit.

One might have assumed the day couldn't get any stranger. At least, that would have been the case if Angelica didn't claim Astraea was her mother's name. Charlemagne's eyes widened. Tanned skin, deep-blue hair and an inviting aura that sent hundreds of teenage boys into their bedrooms or bathrooms after opening a pack of trading cards. How did he not notice immediately? He'd never seen the woman's face in that vision, but everything else about her so perfectly fit the card he played a thousand times. "Wow, I'm pretty dumb. I've been playing with your mom for months!" he stated. In the wake of uttering one realization, he had another. That sentence... didn't work. "Uh! I mean... well, you know what I mean," he added. "Anyway! I'm sure it all sounds weird, but it's just normal in that area. Now that I think about it, Edelfelt-dono would probably be uncommon. Someone outside Aincrad might call you that, for instance, but the people here would more likely call you Oujosan. Princess. Hime from more direct servants like... well, me."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles the world he lived in would have placed a pretty high standard upon her looks, demeanor and even her social status. Every kingdom had princesses so that sort of thing was likely a bit more common than normal. In a world without magic, she supposed the best one could do was look for physically attractive people. Whatever the case, Charles had some rather depressing things to say about life for those types in high society and strangely it resonated with her. "That doesn't actually sound too different from my life now, aside from the lack of magic to amuse me. I'd hope someone like that could catch the same break I did and end up someone fun to hang out with, like you and Jeanne were for me," she said giving it a bit of thought.

Moving past the sadness of being of high social standing and the few types of people capable of crossing the gaps to help the princes and princesses of the world. There was the matter of aging in that other world. According to Charles the age of eight left people looking at least as old as a man called Ganelon, whom she recalled being a much older than she would have enjoyed looking at long term. Whatever the case the actual physical ability of such people was more in line with the Holy Father, which was terrible by her own standards. "So without magic people in that age range have nothing going for them really? I mean aside from being old and presumably living fulfilling lives," she said as the extra thought which was added to avoid the harshness of her general assessment. Becoming basically physically useless didn't seem at all good.

Oh and the mention of the name of Angelica's mother, seemed to move a memory. Apparently, Angelica's mother was the star of a card deck played by Charles in his previous life. The amount of excitement he seemed to have about it, and the embarrassment of his word choice mad her giggle just a little. "Hehehe~ I did know what you meant. You do know it's always funnier when you try and fix it?~" she asked only managing to stifle giggles. And then there were other alternative use words and phrases. Ah, she liked the way those ones hit her ears better than any of the others she'd heard. "Okay, voting for one or both of those, they hit the ear better," she said giving a firm nod. As she said these words a portal opened up at the same place it'd been before in the library and out stepped the woman previously introduced as Ivy. She was tugging on one of her gloves and casually tossing locks out of her face. What exactly had she done when leaving the 79th floor?

[Bloodedge]

True enough, the state Angelica would find herself in if she'd been born into his world was much the same as how she lived now. That was no way for anyone to live, Charlemagne believed... but he wasn't the only one to believe something like that. "You're not alone there. There's no need to worry. In that world, people like us have a way of finding each other. In a crowded room, someone who doesn't feel a sense of belonging can easily find out who else has that same feeling. With just a little push, there's a friendship blooming right before your eyes," he said, knowing the day he met Angelica was a somewhat similar situation to the given example.

Aging in both worlds had a few caveats, but there was an easy comparison to make. "It works pretty much the same. Like what we were talking about earlier, people in different environments age at different rates. Humans on the lower world here age quickly, so they die quickly. Where I'm from, there's no mana density in the atmosphere or the people. You get somewhere around 80 years, and you do with it what you can." That was about as detailed an explanation as he could give. Frankly, he was still without full understanding of this world's aging mechanics. Charlemagne lived day-by-day just as he always would, thinking ahead only to the next adventure or milestone, but never to the end. That was how he found happiness.

Maybe he shouldn't have bothered trying to correct what was said about Angelica's mother. If Angelica could find some amusement in his antics though, it didn't matter if he made a mistake or two. "I realize that now, yeah. It's really easy to get used to people who... react differently to that sort of sentence, is all," he clarified. As for the preferred titles Angelica would accept from his homeland, there was no further time to speak on the matter. A portal opened, and out came Ivy. She'd been true to her word that only a few minutes would be taken for the trip. "Sketchy business that doesn't have to be sketchy all done? What'd you find?" he asked of his comrade.

[Apollymi]

Ah, apparently friendships found their own way in this other world. That was an interesting notion. For someone like Angelica in her own understanding divine intervention of some sort would likely be necessary for two people to find each other. Whether it just be happenstance or a friendly push in the right direction by friends or family members. "That makes it sound pretty good, I was wondering about that part," she mused.

And then there was the matter of aging. According to Charles in a world without mana density at all, they managed to still live to eighty. "That actually means those sorts of humans are to be given a great deal of credit. Those here are exposed to mana and have much shorter lives sometimes from what I hear in those kinds of places. Maybe there is a bit more complexity to it in that world," she said giving it a bit of careful thought. Regardless she had the rest of her thoughts confirmed a great deal.

According to Charles some people would have had a much grander reaction to the way he phrased his previous sentences. "That sounds pretty strange overall," said Angelica. Though she'd encountered many an innuendo today, she didn't figure this was the sort of thing which everyone would be privy to. That aside there was the return of Ivy which was greeted by Charles and then by Angelica. "Welcome back~" she mentioned. A smirk came to Ivy's face as she looked to the princess giving a bow. "Thank you kindly, and you Charlie. Caution is the eldest child of wisdom. Or so the saying goes, and in this case, I am rather glad I won't be attached to looking into this. I am far less important and much easier to get rid of. I'd rather not add my name to any hidden targeting lists," she offered as her real reason for going about business she could have done legitimately with an amount of caution which was likely seen as extreme. "I found out basically nothing but by doing that I am able to make a few inferences if you'd like to know," she said quietly. "I should also say given what I've found out, I think you should be very careful with whom you approach any questions regarding all of this." That was the sort of warning she'd give in a moment like this. There was a sudden seriousness which left Angelica thinking. This woman seemed to very serious suddenly. She'd not be gone an entire hour or anything of the sort, what could she have discovered in her readings about Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution which would have set her on edge.

[Bloodedge]

Apart from connections made between awkward humans, apart from the surprising lifespans of those who had no magic, and apart from Charlemagne's misuse of innuendo time and time again, there was a small beacon of hope for past, present and future. With just a few key pieces of information, they could absolve Jeanne d'Arc of sin even retroactively. Ivy had returned from her trip to the archives, talking of caution as the offspring of wisdom. "And paranoia is the oldest enemy of faith. You're being really weird for someone who just did their normal job," he said while rising from his chair.

As expendable as Ivy considered herself, Charlemagne wondered what would place her on this alleged 'targeting list' she spoke of. She was the recordkeeper; looking into old files like Jeanne's could be considered a pastime of one with that title. Alas, it sounded as if she hadn't really uncovered a thing. Surely there was something in the file; Ivy just didn't know what she was looking for exactly. "It's fine if you didn't find anything out of the ordinary. We can get by with the basics," Charlemagne insisted. Ivy went on to say more, though. Caution was to be exercised when questioning anyone about the information she had, but why? It should have been no big deal. "Alright, you're being kinda weird now. What could you have found out that has you wanting to be so careful about it?"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles paranoia was the oldest enemy of faith. This was likely considered to be true, but Ivy had a very different take on that sort of thing, and she always would considering what she was before she came to be in this world in the first place. "I was a law student, Charlie. Skepticism is healthy, history has proven that blind faith has ended more lives than any singular paranoid person ever could," she said with all due stoicism. In this case, Angelica found herself agreeing with both of these people. The world would be a bad place if too many people were paranoid the same way the world would be a bad place if too many people blindly believed in every falsehood.

Moving on from that point apparently she was being strange, and they could get by with just the basics because they figured she didn't really know what they were looking for. Or at least this was how Ivy interpreted that statement. A sigh left her as she went ahead to gather her thoughts. "It isn't necessarily about what I found, it was about what I didn't find..." she explained carefully. "Jeanne d'Arc was interrogated initially for Conspiracy regarding a demonic presence. But it doesn't say what kind of demonic presence. It also says she was eventually found guilty of that crime, and of becoming a demon herself and executed. We know she was burned at the stake but that manner of death is quite uncommon. She also wasn't executed by Janessa nor was she interrogated by Olivier. Olivier wasn't yet here but Janessa was..." she explained of the situation. The more she spoke the more small twitches were occurring about her face. "There is also less information in these documents than what even school children were taught of this back home," she explained, taking a breath. "Now I should say I have a lot of skill at interpreting data. And I've spent a lot of time doing it. I expect things like certain witness names, the supposed demon's name and even certain aspects of the crime to be redacted when reading documents like this. It is commonly used to protect the privacy of others, not utter the name of evil..." she was gesturing with her hand as if the list of reasons was wide. "But there are also no records of her testimony. No documentation of any reasons she might have given for anything and no quotes for anything she said. Even her last words were stricken completely, and abridged for lack of a better term. Basically if you read this document at face value only one conclusion can be drawn," she explained the situation as calmly as she could. "The reason I am being so cautious about it, and the reason you should too, is because it just doesn't feel right. And in these kinds of scenarios behind a screen it usually goes down hill fast. And it's also not just the documents concerning her directly. Everything from around the same time period has similar redactions. No actual testimony about the event, no character witnesses, no offered explanations. All of this information at face value says an entire floor of her peers watched this girl get burned to death and no one felt anything about it, and that worries me." she said. Angelica heard her out and the words and the feeling behind them sounded true, and she walked over and handed the two of them her notes on the matter.

Strangely the notes she handed over were detailed and seemed to at least have a few clues about the redactions based on the spacing of letters and that sort of thing. The word Jeanne was initially noted as calling out was something redacted, 5 letters. Name of the Executioner redacted 8 letters 7 letters. Name of the person who claimed to know she'd colluded with demons, Redacted 6 letters 2 letters 4 letters.

[Bloodedge]

So quick to admit her past was Ivy. Charlemagne understood her point, though he'd gained an opposing perspective over time. "Nobody's talking about blind anything. I've been adventuring for a millennium. The problem with people being too critical causes more deaths than you'll see in a court case. It spreads, festers and trickles down until your type sees the defendant in a murder case, who doesn't even realize himself that it all started six generations before he was born," Charlemagne rambled. If there was one thing he could be called too critical of, it was being too much of anything. Blind faith, extreme paranoia... both were terrible choices in reality. As such, he'd take whatever information she had at nothing more than face value, and he'd work from there.

So, what was it she found? Apparently she found less than what should have been. Jeanne was brought in under suspicion of demonic influence. That much was known by all. She was found guilty of becoming a demon in human flesh. Once more, this was common knowledge. She was burned at the stake, an uncommon form of execution. Charlemagne took a mental note of that one for later. Janessa was not the executioner, which was something else he'd put a pin in mentally. Having less information available than they had in the other world was of no concern to him. He'd seen first-hand how many points in 'history' were nonexistent in this reality. What were the matters of greatest importance though?

A testimony from Jeanne was omitted, along with her final words. Any take from other individuals was also missing, and upon viewing Ivy's notes, Charles came to realize this included three redacted names. Interesting. Now that he had the copy in front of him, he'd address concerns as he had them memorized. "That's a lot to take in, and definitely more than what we were looking to get from this. If I were to try rationalizing this, I'd assume Father An had Holy Fire used against her. If the belief was that someone as pure as Jeanne became a demon, Janessa's methods would have corrupted her directly. The Father could have refused to hear her testimony if he thought she was too far gone, which I'm guessing would be the case with the level of execution chosen. Hmm. These three names being omitted is annoying. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out who the executioner was; they'd be one of Liv's immediate predecessors. The one making claims... might not be too important, but maybe it is." In the end, Charlemagne sighed. The one piece of information they were looking for was not here, though there was a sample and some method of potential discovery. He placed the notes of Ivy on the table, along with both his hands as he began to lean. "This is what we're looking for. Five characters, one name. Everything we know says it's a demon, but... I'll tell you. Angie and I have ample reason to believe all the other gods aren't actually gone. We came to you so we could hopefully find the name Jeanne called out while burning. If it matches an old god and not some demon pretending to be one, we can clear Jeanne's name and save other people who'd be executed for being reached out to. We might have nothing but empty letters now, but if the executioner is still alive, maybe we can get some answers from them."

With all that rambling done, Charlemagne pushed himself away from the table. It seemed the day was fated to become longer still. That was fine. He even had a few thoughts regarding their next moves. "I'll keep caution in mind, but that's the focal point here. I think our best bet is to speak with Liv and find out what we can about whichever executioner was there that day. Thoughts? Objections?" he asked, looking from one lass to the other.