Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

The moderates approach was what Charles took, this was also what Ivy expected. As a person who reached this world without knowing what gaming or co-op was like in their previous world, he'd taken to understanding things in a rather neutral way. Ivy had a different sort of opinion, some things couldn't be neutral, but she also wouldn't be the one to explain what it was about the framing of those documents she found so disturbing. To do so would get in the way of the developing opinions and she'd learned a long time ago, some people needed to learn the truth for themselves. The conclusions she came to based on her own experiences might have been flawed, but within the frame work of a story with an antagonist they made sense. "You know most of us like you because you have opinions like this... It isn't like I'm completely jaded Charles, I am just not completely innocent either, " she said finding herself smiling in spite of the situation. All she could think was his youth and innocence were showing and that she wouldn't be the one to ruin it for him. Even when this would have been in the context of the game she wouldn't have been the one to potentially spoil the story for him, even if it was a little obvious where it was going.

So then, what did Charles bring to the table of discussion. A rationalization, one which ignored any potential for someone to be an antagonist in the situation. Such was a point in favor of his innocence. All things said did make sense, if Jeanne d'Arc was indeed a demon. But the fact that he was even bothering to look into this situation meant he had more than his own gut feelings to ponder over. "Those do all sound like legitimate reasons for the missing information, a few of them I thought of myself..." said Ivy. Of course, she'd also come to a very different conclusion about that information but she took a step she doubted Charles would take in his own understanding without proof. As for the missing names she had a little to add. "I didn't have enough context to piece together the missing words. I am capable of it when the rest of the information isn't so redacted, but I can't say I know enough about the person as she existed here, nor enough about her history to pull potential names," she said. As for his plan in general, figuring out what name Jeanne called, and then figuring out how was the one in charge of the execution of Jeanne were all reasonable. "Liv is a good choice. She came in a bit after that and doesn't have any lapses in memory. I have no objections to that choice for consultation," Ivy mentioned willing to leave it at that. Angelica also nodded. "I don't see it as a problem either. I don't know this person directly, but I think we can trust Ivy's judgement," she said affirmatively. "You're too kind. Coldest room in the building, in case you're wondering where to look for Liv, east facing windows," she said in offer of where that woman might be.

[Bloodedge]

"Well if you ask me, you're leaning too far to one side. That's my opinion. Cynicism killing wasn't an opinion; it's something I've been seeing happen since before I came here." For a moment, Charlemagne seemed to be reflecting negatively on many things. The truth of it all was that Charlemagne lacked innocence, but held himself to a certain standard of equality. Too often had he seen what absolute belief in either direction did. The purest and most corrupt beliefs were at war always, and both were often misguided in the end. While someone like Ivy sought some form of antagonist to prosecute, Charlemagne left open the remaining possibilities until something concrete appeared.

So, what if she came up with those same excuses? Her approach was far from terrible, often being of much use. In dealing with the woman for so long though, something was notably... missing from everything she said? Charlemagne had an inkling of that being the case. "I'm not the one looking to prosecute someone. If you've got something else, now's the time," he said plainly. Whatever the case, he could immediately assign one name that may have fit the most among those missing three. Perhaps the most notable feature of Jeanne d'Arc during what he knew and saw of her prime, was her ability to inspire... which created many followers, but few more than... "Gilles de Rais. He was Jeanne's most loyal follower, almost to a point of worship. He disappeared one day for some reason nobody knew. That last name has a pretty good chance of being him, I'd say. Considering how close he was to Jeanne, Aincrad might have something on him as well."

With all that said, Charlemagne was ready and willing to progress. Olivier would be the next one they spoke with as agreed by the trio, but there was one thing missing before that could be done. With only one set of directions, it seemed any seriousness in Charlemagne had become lighthearted outrage. "Eh?! I've been here for like two minutes! Do you expect me to search the whole east wing until I find a cold spot? Details, Ivy!"

[Apollymi]

Charles made the claim that Ivy might have been leaning too far to one side. He'd been around a while and had seen things go worse for the types of individuals who lived in paranoia and held it close. Not for one generation but for several. In answer to such a thing Ivy could only nod, "I respect that... I would even say that it's likely true without context, playing Devil's Advocate on my own behalf..." she said seeming to have made that little pun completely accidentally. Well, lawyer brain was one thing, but what she had a problem with was much bigger than a single event, perhaps that was too obvious. But such was why she tried to convey the information she gave more neutrally than she would have if it had been her own interests and not an investigation being held by two involved parties.

Admittedly, trying to be neutral about the information probably gave away quite a bit that she disliked something she found. She wasn't really trying to hide anything but she also wasn't trying to influence. The ethics in this particular situation were rather hard to navigate. By her own ability to understand them she was going to have a difficult time regardless. When asked if she had anything else to say, that such was the last time she gave it a fair bit of consideration. Would it be ethical for her to tell her own thoughts on this situation without any evidence. To say an individual conducting an investigation from a point of neutrality would be a bit too much like witness tampering. She didn't like potentially doing that as an idea, "Apologies, it'd be a conflict of interest to say more. Though in this case silence seems to be just as important as what is actually said," she murmured. Something about that statement resonated with Angelica. She wasn't quite sure why though... perhaps it was her mother explaining the justice needed blindness which led her to believe that Ivy might have been trying to avoid an emotional plea which could have given a specific direction to their investigation.

Moving on there was the matter of a certain name having popped up in the head of Charles. It referred to a follower of Jeanne d'Arc called Gilles de Rais. Given the number of letters in her assertions, that should have indeed been the name of the witness against Jeanne. Charles claimed he'd gone missing a while ago but that Aincrad might have information on him. Something about that man had come up in one of the last moments of study that Ivy had done by her original name. The Briar Scholar had watched a mock trial based on the Medieval trial of that man who'd been convicted of being a child serial killer. She'd watched as one of her classmates planted reasonable doubt in the minds of a fake jury about this man's innocence of crimes he'd confessed and had witnesses of directly. Her stomach turned. If there was magical world anything involving that man, and he was anywhere near the level of depraved that the records made him out to be... "If you go looking for a man with that name, take one of the combat specialists with you," she said as a matter of advice. Her instinct didn't like such a person existing properly in this world... and that whole scene she'd once watch play out, was definitely one of the things that had contributed to her writers block.

Oh well. As she gave silent consideration to those details she was told Charles needed more details about the whereabouts of one of their comrades. East wing facing windows and the cold termperature weren't enough for him to go by, he claimed. "Oh, well it isn't like I went with her or anything Charlie. Her habits say she is probably on one of the upper floors maybe the highest. Besides, even if you can't sense for her, I am pretty sure Angie can with the information I gave," she said looking to Angelica. the blonde lass had been deep in thought but, cold mana towards the east wing... yeah, she could feel that. "She's right. Top floor, east wing... room at the end of the hall."

[Bloodedge]

"Trust me; my home country set me up for that sort of thing a long time ago. It's nothing to worry about, though. I'll take your viewpoint into consideration, if nothing else," he assured. When one of his comrades spoke, he listened. Though he personally disagreed with Ivy's approach, her counsel was valuable nonetheless. Such was ample enough reason that he wished to hear whatever additional information Ivy had. Sadly, she had nothing more to share... or rather, nothing more she decided to share. Conflict of interest? Whatever truth was behind that silence, the omission resulted in Charlemagne's eyes narrowing just briefly.

So, Ivy knew something she would not tell. He wouldn't pry, but he wouldn't forget. Charlemagne turned away without further hesitation, intending to head toward the palace's eastern wing. Hesitation occurred only when Ivy decided to give some warning. It wasn't what he'd been hoping to hear from her, but it was... something tangible. Gilles, if sought, should be approached only in the company of a powerful combatant. Luckily for Charlemagne, seeking Gilles was not on his list of things to do. "We're going to Olivier. Find out whatever you can about Gilles' disappearance before Jeanne's trial. If you manage anything, send it through Astolfo or Anais," he said flatly. No more time would be wasted. Charlemagne would make his way toward the east wing by Angelica's direction. He had nothing more to say, so he'd focus on doing. What could have been missing? Whatever it was, Olivier would be sure to shed some amount of light on something.

[Apollymi]

A statement of former life was one of the many things which didn't come often from Charles. Ivy recognized this for what it was, and in the moment gave some consideration. Understanding the nature of political intrigue was one thing, being prepared to actually deal with it was another. This much she understood. "I do trust you, but this isn't a view point so much as it is an instinct," she said which was absolutely true. Her ability to interpret information was a deviation of her instinct as a Saber two of her skills used in tandem likely would have led to a very specific kind of conclusion, but the point of looking into cold cases was fresh eyes. She didn't wish to taint the ideas being formed in other people's minds and change their ethics to balance around her own.

Ah, but he at least caught on to her lack of true expression. Even when explaining her stance on it, there was a marked change in Charles mood. It was pretty obvious to any who knew him, as he spoke the names of several of his comrades without their normal affectionate shortenings. Ivy herself realized this, but there was nothing she could do to change it. Instead she walked back over to this desk and began looking around. The information from Charles that Gilles de Rais was one of Jeanne's direct underlings meant there was probably a bit of information to be found here. She'd then go to the main library and cross reference it. "That is fine, I'll send someone else with the information as soon as it's ready..." she stated a small bow occurred as she watched the pair leave.

And indeed both of them were leaving, though Angelica managed to give the other woman a strange look, as if questioning what she'd done. And the only thing she did in response to such an imploring look was shrug. Hm, it was very strange to see such a reaction but she seemed to know it was as she saw it the right thing to do. She wondered what that girl knew of the situation that she formed such a strong opinion about it from so little time. She wondered what Charles was feeling about it that he'd said only that and aimed to leave just a few moments afterwards. As they walked up the stairs of the east wing, the temperature began to drop rather drastically. She didn't have much to say so she decided to question something instead. "What's going on in your head right now?" she asked seeming to wonder what his point was more than Ivy's. She had pieced together at least a bit of that woman's logic by talking to it, but Charles reaction was strange to her considering the shift in his mood.

Whatever the case, there was a room on the top floor of the east wing experiencing some minor renovations. A man who seemed to be quite dead within his brain was arranging curtains, while another was being used as a chair while directions were being given. A very calm woman sans the hat she normally wore atop her head was sitting in a room with an open door. "That's uneven, straighten it out. I have no intention of having crooked curtains." she demanded much to the men's immediate regression they began fixing things as she said. Looking in on the room it was about half finished all the while sharp blue eyes seemed to be taking in the work being done here.

[Bloodedge]

Once out of the library, Charlemagne's eyes were forward constantly. Maybe he was swimming through his own thoughts, or maybe he wasn't. Either way, there were tasks ahead that could settle so many matters, they had to be done no matter what. Any mood-based baggage would have to be set aside whether he liked it or not. Ah, but what was this? Angelica spoke by the time they were ascending the stairs. What did she have to say? She questioned the goings-on of his mind for some reason. That was pointless. They had something to do; there was no use picking his brain for other matters. As for what was actually on his mind, well... a lot of things. What he'd give would only be what mattered. "Figuring out what Olivier knows about her seniors. Until she came along, Grand Inquisitor and Executioner were the same position. If she knows about her predecessors, she might know which one was in charge during Jeanne's execution. If she doesn't, we'll go to Janessa. If either of them knows, and that executioner is still alive, we'll go straight to them."

The answer he gave was straightforward, keeping with the plan ahead of them. Nothing else was of any importance. There would always come a time when one had to shut up and do their job, and now was such a time. Whatever secrets lay beneath this whole ordeal, he'd uncover them. Apparently that uncovering would begin in a very cold room, within which the blue-haired inquisitor sat upon some poor sod as she often did. It was to be expected that she'd resort to veritable slave labor just to decorate her room. Much like other things, that didn't matter one bit. "Olivier," he called out, stepping into the open door and standing erect just beyond the doorway. It seemed Charlemagne would be skipping pleasantries and introductions, for whatever reason he had to do so. "How much do you know about the former inquisitors?"

[Apollymi]

Angelica was presented with an answer to her inquiry. This one wasn't the type of answer she was looking for. She could piece together the plan herself by virtue of how they chose to go about things, but perhaps the lad was once again too far in his own mind. Or rather he'd decided to speed up his process knowing that Ivy had reason to feel particularly on edge about a case 1000 years old or more. "We both know that isn't what I meant, but fine... I suppose work first," she said calmly. Having made her understanding of the situation known, the approached that cold room and she found its contents strange.

A young woman sitting on top of a man's back, giving orders to a different man she was using to decorate her bedroom. This all seemed rather efficient to Angelica so she had nothing to say about it. However Charles seemed to be thinking something rather direct Olivier at the moment was sitting atop a man and managed to look a bit shocked. In most of the time she'd known Charles he only referred to people with full names when he was some kind of upset. "I don't know why you're talking like that but whatever it was, I didn't do it," she said clearly. Oh, she understood the mood shift, but she'd been around quite a while so it was obvious she could interpret moods better than most. She peeked over her shoulder and saw the princess and her brows drew together. There were many questions, but she supposed she'd start by answering the ones presented to her by Charles.

"I know quite a bit. Former Inquisitors were also Executioners. They did the job of extracting confessions from the sinful and carrying out the execution orders of the ones under their purview. High profile criminals tended to have an extra layer or two of tape to go through but usually one could potentially interrogate, judge and execute a person in a single day." she expressed. "Usually it is a job that passed down to families or people with particularly strong, instinct skills and high tier holy magic," she explained. "Or with the ability to use certain holy artifacts or weapons," she finished up that part. "Anyway, I became the Grand Inquisitor after my predecessor apparently went crazy after performing an execution. I became grand inquisitor but it didn't sit right with me to kill someone or something that wasn't armed and fighting for their lives. Punishments are fine but I'm not much of a murderer outside of war-type situations. Obviously he was suffering from job stress so I pushed for the jobs to be separated, and someone who could stomach the killing was instated to take over the role of Executioner," she explained of herself shifting on her seat at the man she sat upon seemed to be quite uncomfortable to her rear.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne had never fully been in support of Olivier's methods. To each their own, he believed, but he sometimes wondered if the men she used as furniture had done anything to deserve the torture. Well... obviously not all of them considered it torture, so there were few times he could say anything. This time however, he paid no mind to the man upon which Olivier sat, nor to the one she made a worker drone of. He looked toward Olivier and Olivier alone, awaiting the answer to his question.

Before an answer, came a statement. Whatever happened, she didn't do it. It couldn't be said that anything happened, really. As far as Charlemagne was concerned, he once again came to realize something he'd been saying for years upon years. Alas, it didn't matter. He didn't even have anything to say about it. Questions needed answering, so he continued to wait for one.

Ah, a stroke of good fortune! Olivier claimed to know quite a bit about her predecessors, even going so far as to give the backstory of her immediate senior. The explanation he'd just given to Angelica was offered as well. The tale of how Olivier herself altered the position was inconsequential, but the amount of knowledge she knew brought forth hope that she'd know which of her seniors he sought. Actually... he recalled hearing whispers of the previous inquisitor going mad before Olivier was given the position. There was a lot of hearsay around that one, yet nothing concrete. "Good; my memory's trustworthy. I have two questions. First, who was the one in charge of Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution? Second... are they alive?" If Olivier had a solid answer to his first question and an affirmative one to his second, Charlemagne figured they would make quick work of this case. Surely one who witnessed that execution first-hand would have the information they sought, which would put them on the path toward finding out if Jeanne worshipped a demon... or just another god.

[Apollymi]

Ah it seemed they were in luck. Olivier her strange methodology with men aside, was one with information which could help in their search. Hearing Charles questions it seemed she had some answers and reasonable background to give. Ah, being inquisitor, judge, and executioner was a bit too much for any one individual and someone had been made crazy by doing too much. Olivier in the opinion of Angelica was a kind individual, thinking of the stress of work on individuals instead of piling more responsibilities onto them. Beyond that there was extra information, and Olivier found herself shifting around to face the pair as they had the rest of this discussion.

"On a mission I see..." she said first and foremost. Ah, there it was, the mention of Jeanne d'Arc. Though Olivier never had the pleasure of meeting that woman, it seemed she'd left quite a mark on a lot of people. This alone was reason enough for her to be a bit wary. "Those questions are pretty easy to answer. The man who was responsible for her interrogation and execution was Geoffroy Therage, my immediate predecessor," she said carefully. "It was judged by 'The Holy Father' for those red tape reasons I mentioned earlier," she said giving that information freely as she did anything else even with Angelica standing there. She'd used quotation marks on her hands when saying that title but she was always against calling that man such a thing. She knew exactly who that girl was, but it wasn't her business whatever take she had on her father's behavior. Everyone had to learn the failures of humanity sometime, even the girl locked in her tower. "As for his status, he's alive. I've been keeping him on my prison floor in a cell, as comfortably as possible. He's... broken inside, but I don't find him to be dangerous to others, only himself. If you're going to see him you'll understand what I mean," she expressed in the moment. "Also if you are looking into this, you're going to have to tell Astolfo he still doesn't know. He's looking for her now and Janessa and I didn't have the heart to break it to him," she said carefully.

[Bloodedge]

"As usual," Charlemagne said in response to Olivier's first assertion. He was almost always on some sort of mission. This one just happened to have nothing to do with Father An and his orders. Regardless, Olivier turned about to share information while facing her two visitors. Geoffrey Therage was the inquisitor/executioner they sought. With that information, it became clear that he was the very same man who'd gone mad, but... was he alive?

Yes. Apparently, Geoffrey was still alive even after succumbing to madness. Olivier had incarcerated him after determining that the only person he endangered was himself. This was good. Geoffrey may have been crazed, but if he had memory, there was a decent chance. If nothing else, perhaps they could even rely on one of their own. "As long as he remembers, it's fine. Janessa could get what we need from him, even if he's gone mute," he said. Ah, it seemed Olivier thought something was more imperative than seeking the former executioner. Astolfo had yet to be told of the whole Jeanne d'Arc ordeal, and had even been seeking the woman since their arrival. She and Janessa couldn't bring themselves to tell the lad who knew Jeanne most directly. "Let him keep looking for now, unless you've got the spare time to keep an eye on him afterwards. He might even be sent our way, if there's anything else coming our way from the archives." Without a doubt, informing Astolfo would require some... Astolfo surveillance, as it had once been called. The bubbliest of their ranks would not take kindly to the knowledge, and he'd have to be kept under watch to avoid massive incident. "So, unless you're willing to keep him chained-up until the investigation's done, I want to meet with Geoffrey. Show us to him."