Chapter 100

Ceras immediately decided to retreat.

‘I underestimated Fasa too much. If I had known Fasa was such a den of demons, I would have come with my subordinates.’

Fighting an unknown monster alone is too disadvantageous.

That's why inquisitors usually travel with attendants.

No matter how powerful a monster is, it can't handle multiple people.

Conversely, no matter how great an inquisitor is, it's a bit difficult to handle one monster alone.

“Haat!”

Ceras pretended to rush at the monster, then rolled to the side and slipped past it.

And she kicked down the door that was blocking her way.

Bang!

The heavy blow sent the entrance door flying off its hinges.

“What the!”

Coming outside, Ceras stopped as she felt numerous gazes pouring in from her surroundings.

For a moment, she thought she was surrounded by enemies, but upon closer inspection, they were people who had gathered to watch after hearing the commotion.

It seemed they didn't know it was the Thieves' Guild and just thought a fight had broken out after hearing the noise.

Her understanding was quick, and her reaction was quick.

“Move!”

Ceras recklessly jumped into the crowd.

The worry that there would be more casualties if the monster followed was not in Ceras' mind in the first place.

It is written in the scriptures to love one another, but the teachings of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Holy See were much colder.

There is no rule that an inquisitor must sacrifice herself to prevent casualties.

“What the!”

“What a crazy bastard…”

As Ceras came running with a sword, people cursed and backed away.

But that was also for a moment.

Crash!

When the monster broke through the wall and appeared, the street became a scene of chaos.

The peaceful night street was filled with the screams of people.

“Kiyaaaaak!”

“A monster, it's a monster!”

Ceras naturally blended in with the people and was confident that she could shake off the monster soon.

She thought that since there were suspicious people everywhere and the street was full of crowds, it would not be easy for the monster to follow.

It was a big mistake.

“This is crazy.”

Suddenly feeling an ominous premonition, Ceras looked back and was horrified.

The monster was chasing her in a straight line, smashing everything and everyone that blocked its way.

In all her life since being appointed an inquisitor, Ceras had fought against countless evils, but she swore she had never seen such a terrifying sight.

So Ceras had a premonition.

“Damn it, tonight is going to be a very long night.”

***

Fasa, a city filled with mist.

A person was returning to their lodging, soaked in the morning dew.

It was Ceras, who had been in a chase with a monster all night.

“Oh my. I'm going to die.”

A groan escaped Ceras' lips.

It felt like she had run through every single back alley in Fasa.

If the monster hadn't simply retreated, Ceras would not have been safe.

It seemed the monster's weakness was light, as it retreated as the morning dawned.

But Ceras could not feel relieved at having found its weakness.

Because she had to go to work soon.

“Damn it. I couldn't rest at all. I'll just wash up a bit and go out.”

Her body felt sticky from the sweat she had shed running around all night.

Besides, the alleys were usually full of filth, so she was dirty...

Ceras suddenly met Leon's eyes and froze.

“Uh, hello.”

“……”

“An morning walk? A bit... intense? It seems you had one.”

“...Something like that. I woke up early.”

Of all times, to run into Leon now.

It was the worst.

Leon, who seemed to be on his way to work in the morning, was about to take a big bite of a sugar-dusted bread in one hand, while holding a steaming cup of morning coffee in the other.

It was bread sold in front of the mercenary headquarters every morning.

Ceras had bought and eaten it a few times, so she knew it well.

And how delicious it was.

A terribly sweet smell wafted from the freshly made bread.

Grumble.

Upon seeing the food, a loud noise suddenly erupted from her stomach.

It was understandable, as she had been running around all night.

‘Of all times.’

Ceras felt a sense of shame she had never felt before in her life and averted her eyes.

Then Leon, with an embarrassed expression, offered her the bread and coffee he was holding.

“It seems what's needed right now is not for me, but for you, Father.”

“No.”

“Please have it. I can just buy a new one.”

“Th-thank you.”

Ceras unconsciously accepted the bread and coffee Leon handed her, her ears turning red.

But the smell of the fragrant coffee and bread made her body move on its own.

“Father Ceras, you don't look well, so you can rest well today and come to work in the afternoon. I'll tell Sir Eleonor.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, really.”

At the first kindness she had felt in Fasa, Ceras was so moved she covered her mouth.

Kindness could melt even the frozen heart of a fearsome inquisitor.

If she weren't bound to her lifelong job at the Western Church, she would have wanted to swear an oath of loyalty on the spot.

‘My goodness. An extension on my work start time. How merciful. Truly merciful.’

In Ceras' tired mind, the fact that Leon was the one who dumped work on her was long forgotten.

Leon, who had shown kindness, gave an awkward laugh and disappeared in the direction of the headquarters.

Chomp.

Left alone, Ceras took a bite of the bread Leon had given her.

Then, a hot emotion she had never felt before stirred in her chest.

Freshly baked bread made with sugar and butter, multiple layers that crunched at once, and the rich aroma of coffee to accompany it, her exhausted body reacted.

Ceras felt an inexplicable urge to cry and made a vow.

“Yes, I'll work harder from now on.”

No matter what harsh fate comes her way, she will not lose and overcome it.

Because that is my job.

Because that is what Leon taught me!

“Aja! Aja! Let's cheer up!”

Her head must have broken from the daily overtime.

Certainly, Ceras was not normal right now.

That's why Ceras didn't notice that Leon's usual Snow Elf bodyguard was not by his side.

Even though Leon, who was meticulous about his own safety, would not wander around alone without sufficient protection.

Besides, the bread and coffee Leon handed her were only sold in front of the mercenary headquarters.

It was somewhat suspicious that Leon was standing in front of Ceras' lodging holding it.

But Ceras' exhausted mind couldn't think that far.

She was only indulging in the flavor of the bread and coffee with her tongue.

***

After parting with Ceras, I went into a nearby alley.

The monster that had terrified the residents of Fasa last night was waiting there.

Instead of being scared, I spoke to it in a friendly manner.

“Looks like you had a fun time running wild last night.”

“It was absolutely fantastic. I got to stretch my legs for the first time in a while.”

“Good work.”

The monster's form shrank down and instantly changed into Selvi's form.

Yes. This was the true identity of the red-eyed monster.

“The rumor has already spread far and wide.”

“I didn't even take down that many. Well. My activities will be reduced for a while.”

It was true that I had given up on controlling what happened in the back alleys of Fasa.

I was already busy with work and short on resources, so it was impossible to deploy resources there as well.

But I couldn't just back down either.

If you leave it alone, one rat will multiply into a horde.

That's when Selvi came to my mind.

Traditionally, in fantasy, vampires possess the ability to shapeshift.

Naturally, Selvi, like a vampire, had a knack for shapeshifting.

I decided to use that to create an urban legend that would scare the wicked villains of the back alleys.

The existence of a mysterious monster that hides in the darkness of a chaotic city and secretly hunts criminals.

If you thought of a certain comic, that's right.

As a result, Selvi, under my orders, would occasionally go for a night walk and relieve his work stress.

It was also true that the activities of the Thieves' Guild had shrunk more than usual thanks to the urban legend of the red-eyed monster.

The problem was that it was too active for being shrunken.

Anyway.

“How was it, do you think Ceras fell for it?”

“Yes, that Prydain pig got into the hunting game pretty quickly. Though it must be the first time she's been the prey.”

Selvi laughed slyly and chuckled.

I realized that Selvi had a bad feeling about Ceras and stopped talking.

Selvi and Ceras were both from Caledonia, but they were not on good terms with each other.

Because Ceras was a descendant of the race that had invaded and conquered Caledonia, and Selvi was a descendant of the natives who had been pushed north by such invaders.

It was a relief that their relationship was not one of hatred to the point of ruining the mercenary company.

Should I say they don't cross a certain line?

But it was unknown how this would develop later on.

“Thanks to Selvi's hard work, the company has gained a reliable worker.”

“I think the captain's definition of 'reliable' is a bit wrong.”

“I can say she's reliable enough in that her actions can be predicted.”

“Captain, you really…”

Selvi grumbled but didn't add anything else.

That was probably because he knew the true danger of an inquisitor.

Although the church's power had been reduced, that was only true for large countries.

If an inquisitor showed up in a small place like Fasa, the local people would have no choice but to have a touching campfire while burning people as firewood.

We shared a consensus that such a thing should not happen in Fasa.

If that happened, we'd really be ruined.

Would there be any reason for the people we've gathered so hard to all leave?

Selvi grumbled.

“To have to put on such a play to deceive one priest. It's absurd.”

“I guarantee you, it was worth it.”

“So how long do we have to keep up this play? Until that person runs away from Fasa?”

“No? We've only just begun.”

“Ugh. Please.”

“Instead, you got an excuse to go for a night walk.”

Selvi was disgusted, but this play was absolutely necessary.

The users who had been tormented by Ceras in the Warlord Saga DLC 'Heresy' had finally found a way to beat her.

And that method was!

To continuously supply heretics for Ceras to hunt down so she couldn't look away.

Until when?

Until I become stronger than Ceras!

Absurd?

But it was a clearly effective method.

Ceras, as befitting the Pope's hunting dog, would not let go of her prey once she had bitten down.

But she had a tendency not to appear for a certain period of time after hunting a heretic.

Then the user could be safe from Ceras' heretic hunt for a while.

This strategy required some luck in the early stages, but it wasn't a difficult bug, and it was a method that solved the problem too easily compared to the infamy Ceras had built up, so it became the standard way to deal with Ceras among users.

So, my conclusion was that I just had to keep the real Ceras distracted with other things.

“Captain, no matter how I think about it, isn't this too dangerous?”

“As long as I can make her work, I don't care if my opponent is an inquisitor in disguise.”

I don't refuse a caught fish, and I don't refuse a fish that comes to me.

That is my management philosophy.

“Even if you try to act so cool…”

“Now, let's go to work. We have a lot to do today too.”

“I worked hard too, can't I come in in the afternoon?”

“Uh, no. The company won't run without you.”

Selvi whined.

“You gave that Prydain pig a break.”

“If she runs away because it's too hard, will you take responsibility? Then you and I will both die.”

“Ah.”

Selvi, who recalled the amount of work Ceras and her subordinates handled in a day, turned pale and shut his mouth.

If you speak carelessly, you could end up taking on work from other departments.

In the eyes of Selvi, who had already become deeply ingrained in the mercenary company, the option of running away did not seem to exist.

“Now, let's go. Slaves.”

“Ugh. I really want to start a slave revolt.”

“Instead, I'll buy the snacks today.”

“Of course you should. Look how much money you're making.”

***

A few days later.

A letter was delivered to Pope Astro.

It was a report from the Pope's confidant, Inquisitor Ceras.

The letter was held in the hands of Bishop Rosanka, the Pope's personal secretary who held the highest secret clearance, and delivered to the Pope.

“Your Holiness, this is a report from Inquisitor Ceras, whom you dispatched to the south.”

“Oh, finally? It's much later than expected.”

“Still, seeing as a report has come up, she must be safe.”

Pope Astro read the letter as he brought his coffee to his lips.

And the moment he read the first sentence, he spat out his coffee.

“Pfft!”