Chapter 55: The Inquisitors

“Sir Chloe, who are these people?”

“They are the Temple’s Inquisitors.”

“……Pardon?”

“Is this the brother?

The one who tracked the trace of evil?”

Trace of evil?

At the unfamiliar term, I turned my head toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man with brown hair and a gentle impression dismounting from a ‘shining’ horse and approaching.

As the rider dismounted, the horse, whose light had vanished, stuck out its tongue and panted, briefly catching my eye, but my gaze soon shifted to the approaching man.

‘What’s with this guy?’

I could feel his slitted eyes, the color of which was hard to distinguish, scanning me from top to bottom.

A heavy pressure emanated from the middle-aged man’s body as he stood still.

‘4-Star? 5-Star?’

Even if there was no change in appearance, the body of a Corporeal Arts user was bound to increase in weight as it evolved.

With my developing senses, just by gauging that weight, I felt I could roughly guess the opponent’s level.

Of course, it seemed the same was true for the other party.

“You look young, but already 3-Star-level? Don’t tell me……?”

Watching his slitted eyes widen slightly, Muno swallowed dryly and shook his head.

“I have only just barely crossed the second wall.

Thank you for the generous assessment.”

“Hoh……. To be a 2-Star at that age is surprising enough.”

Muno could only give a bitter smile at the words of admiration.

It was praise, but praise that could only be given by someone looking down on him.

And he had no choice but to accept that difference in level.

It felt like I could easily win against a 4-Circle magician, but it still seemed difficult against a knight.

‘Well, even just looking at Sir Chloe…….’

Considering that most superpowered individuals consider magicians to be the best at the same level, I was once again reminded of how truly special and unique my ability was.

Just like in Chloe’s high praise that followed immediately.

“He is even the owner of an anti-magic use artifact.

The sixteen-year-old young master took down a 4-Circle magician.

You are looking at a future Seven-Star right before your eyes, Sir Maier.”

At those words, the eyes of the inquisitor named Maier widened a little more.

Even so, his gaze, with pupils still not visible, swept over Muno’s gauntlets and boots before returning to Chloe.

“Hoh. Gauntlets and boots of a peculiar style.

They seem to be quite powerful artifacts.

But even so, a 4-Circle magician……”

“It is the truth. Even I, who saw it myself, was surprised.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you praise someone so highly, Sir Chloe.

Didn’t you introduce even the Knight of the Gale as just a talented junior?”

“Because it’s the truth.

If we compare them at the same age, Karina is certainly lacking compared to this friend.

Both in the level achieved and in battle records.”

Muno, who blushed slightly at Chloe’s continued high praise, could easily tell that she was acquainted with this inquisitor.

If so.

“By any chance, from the Temple in Trian……?”

In the history or fiction of his past life, he had never seen those called inquisitors play a positive role, so he felt a sense of aversion, but for now, they were on our side.

“That is correct, brother. Trian is the only city in the northern Iron Kingdom where this many inquisitors are stationed.”

“Ah……”

Then it seemed natural that it would be so, but a question naturally followed.

If this many Holy Knights(?) existed, then why?

“In that case, when the incident happened in Trian, why……?”

Didn’t you step in?

At that question, the slitted-eyed inquisitor smiled lightly and shook his head.

“There is no need for the Temple to interfere in disputes between nobles.”

“But a Magic Knight appeared, and a magician showed up?”

“That was merely Trian’s one-sided claim.”

“But didn’t Priest Anan also confirm the trace of a Magic Knight?”

Maier’s expression distorted slightly at the series of refutations.

“That too is…… seen by the Temple as an individual’s deviation.”

The Temple sees it that way?

Does that mean his own thoughts are different?

As if sensing the suspicious gaze, Maier gave a bitter smile.

“Hah, yes. I don’t like it, but I am also in a position where I must receive orders from my superiors, so I couldn’t help it.

Of course, it’s a different story when it’s a matter of confirming a den of evil reported by Sir Chloe, like now.”

In the end, he was saying that for political reasons, they couldn’t participate in the conflict between Aslan and Trian.

“……I see.”

“However, if it turns out not to be true, Sir Chloe will be in quite a bit of trouble.”

“That won’t be the case.”

Chloe, stepping forward before Muno could reply, led the way up the mountain.

* * *

“Oh. My……”

Fortunately, the foul stench still rising from under the collapsed cave, which was hard to dismiss as merely the smell of rotting corpses, dispelled Maier’s concerns.

“An evil land created by the deaths of numerous servants of evil. It is certain.

You have rendered a great service. Brothers and sisters.”

“Please just check properly.

We lost the most powerful witch while subjugating this place.

We need to find clues.”

“That’s no problem.”

As soon as Maier gestured.

Dozens of inquisitors began to jump down into the collapsed cave floor without a moment’s hesitation.

- Over there!

- It’s collapsing! Be careful!

Ruuuuuumble.

- Hold on! There’s another body underneath!

- Let’s pool our strength!

The voices of several inquisitors shouting in the already collapsed underground cavern could be heard.

At the same time, a giant boulder floating up from the underground was clearly visible to Muno’s eyes.

And the inquisitors, clad in shining armor, rushed over in a group and pulled out a rotting and crushed corpse from underneath it.

And soon.

- O, God!

The inquisitors began to pour out their holy power in unison to purify the residual demonic energy.

“Hah……”

Muno, watching from above, couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration at the swift and rapid work.

It was a sight he had seen several times over the past half-day, but it was still just as fascinating.

However.

‘Can priests now find the trace of demonic energy that I couldn’t follow?

What makes inquisitors different?’

The fundamental question still remained, so he couldn’t just smile.

And at that moment, a familiar voice was heard right next to him again.

“I once again express my deep gratitude for your service in bringing down this den of evil and heresy.”

Maier, a Holy Knight of the Earth Mother Goddess ‘Lu’ and the captain of the inquisitor unit ‘Mother’s Spear’.

“Ah, yes. Not at all. It was something that had to be done, after all.”

At the polite reply, Maier’s slitted eyes, with no pupils visible, drew a gentle arc.

“How peaceful the world would be if only faithful people like you, brother, existed in this land.”

“You praise me too much.”

“For that very reason, we will strive to root out those lawless hordes.

You said the witch who escaped headed south, correct?”

“Yes.

As I mentioned, I don’t know the exact distance.

However, you should probably estimate it to be about the distance from Trian to here.”

“Hmm, that is sufficient.”

The slitted-eyed Holy Knight’s reply was full of confidence.

“We will surely find that witch and punish all the related sinners.”

“Yes. We must……”

“Let us all pray together, brother, that we can tear apart every single servant of evil that exists in this land, one by one.”

“……Uh, um.”

……Is that a prayer?

The gentle voice suddenly spat out excessively radical and violent words, leaving him dumbfounded.

But the moment he felt the gazes of dozens of inquisitors focus on him, and even Chloe, who was a little farther away, paused from eating her roasted boar to give him a look, Muno had no choice but to nod his head and pretend to pray.

“Our Father in heaven, I beseech the seven almighty gods.”

He’d had no connection to religion in his past life either.

But the prayers in this world were always awkward to hear.

‘Am I a bastard with seven fathers?’

Of course, among those seven were female deities like the Earth ‘Mother’ God, but it was still strange.

‘Six fathers and one mother. What a messed up family drama…….’

As I was having idle thoughts and opened my eyes slightly, I could faintly see two pairs of wings of light behind Maier, who was in front of me.

‘So that’s the legendary wings of light.

Four wings means……. A 4-winged priest.

That alone wouldn’t be enough to become the captain of the inquisitors, so his Corporeal Arts must be stronger, right?’

Moreover, behind the inquisitors standing in a row next to him with their hands clasped, at least one pair, and on average three, wings of light were faintly spread.

Considering that the majority of them were Holy Knights who handled both Corporeal Arts and holy power.

The power this group possessed was probably beyond his ability to fathom.

‘They are certainly impressive.’

It was a world where holy power, a power bestowed by the gods, actually existed.

As a child, Muno had worried if he should be careful even with his inner thoughts when praying, but the soul of a deep-rooted unbeliever did not change in this world either.

It couldn’t be helped.

It was the same in his past life, but aside from doctrine and whatnot, he still couldn’t emotionally accept religion.

‘Why would an omnipotent and absolute God create a world like this.’

It might be because he was inherently cynical.

But in both his past and present lives, he had seen more unhappy people than happy ones.

No matter how he thought about it, to him, a religion that believed in an ‘Absolute God’ could only be one of two cases.

Even if the visible evidence of holy power proved the existence of God.

Either the god they believe in is not actually omnipotent.

Or the omnipotent god is not good.

‘Anyway, I’m busy just trying to survive here too…….’

While the religion-hater was waiting for the prayer to end, thinking all sorts of blasphemous thoughts.

“Oh. He has given us an answer!”

“Woooah!”

When the slitted-eyed inquisitor captain leading the prayer suddenly burst out in exclamation, the surrounding Holy Knights also let out cries of admiration.

“Pardon?”

What, what’s going on?

Why are you guys being like this?

It’s scary…….

“A case like this is rare, this is all the grace of the Earth Mother Goddess!”

“Ah. O, God……”

As Maier, with an emotional expression, raised his voice, the Holy Knights began to offer prayers once again.

‘What on earth is it!? An oracle? Don’t tell me it’s an oracle!?’

Muno was simply curious.

And the prayer continued for a long time after that.

At some point, as he was stomping his feet in an anxiety that felt like it would wear him out.

Maier finally opened his mouth.

“It was an oracle that if we identify the dead buried here and trace their connections, we can uproot the evil that has cast its shadow over the Iron Kingdom!”

What kind of obvious statement is that……?

As Muno’s mouth hung open in bewilderment.

“Woooooah!”

Cries of admiration were erupting from the surroundings.

‘Are these guys idiots? Or am I the strange one?’

Should I try shouting ‘One plus one is two!’?

They might even cheer…….

As I was having random thoughts with a confused look.

Chloe, who had approached him at some point, patted his shoulder with a terrifying smile.

“It’s a divine guarantee that this investigation will yield meaningful results.”

“Pardon?”

“It means we’ll be able to find that witch.

Or her organization.”

“Ah.”

“They may be worse than you at detecting demonic energy hidden by that technique called the Veil, but when it comes to finding the traces of already revealed demonic energy and following the trail, the priests are the experts.

Just trust them for now.”

Only after hearing that explanation could Muno also manage a smile similar to Chloe’s.

And what the inquisitors finally discovered at the end of their continuous digging of the cave was.

A woman’s severed foot.

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