Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Inquisitors
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Chapter 78.
The House of Erdt was nothing more than a minor barony in the southern part of the continent.
It had no special products, nor was it populous. It was just one of those common domains found anywhere in the Empire, where people farmed one day to live the next.
However, Gismond possessed a certain talent and caught the eye of Count Bamond, who sponsored him and enabled him to receive knight training.
And so, he entered the academy.
“What happened next is just as you know, Gongjanim. He lived an ordinary academy life and had an uneventful first year… but things started to change little by little from the second semester of his second year.”
“Did he receive anything from his family?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“What about the sponsorship from Count Bamond?”
“There was money and some minor elixirs, but nothing worth noting.”
Pernyan flipped through the report, page by page.
He had received two elixirs, but both were low-quality, common ones with little mana. Those two couldn't explain his current aura.
He was definitely hiding something.
And it was most likely demonic energy. The report only strengthened that suspicion.
“Where did he go and what did he do during the recent break?”
“The finer details are still under investigation, but he headed to the Pandrein Continent.”
“Pandrein? Isn't the Erdt Barony in southern Rutal?”
“Yes.”
One could only conclude that he had gone to Pandrein with a purpose. Pernyan sensed that Gismond's secret was hidden there.
“Where did he disembark, and where did he go from there?”
“Ramons, in Prasia.”
“…Ramons?”
Ramons was a port city in Prasia, one of the trade hubs with the Rutal Continent. It was a sizable metropolis, with a particularly large number of mercenaries….
“Wasn't Ramons the city where Aint Armian worked as a mercenary during the break?”
“That's correct. To be precise, he registered with the guild in Ramons, went to Abellare, and then was active in the capital.”
“In that case, Aint might have run into Gismond.”
“I doubt that would have happened.”
Hyde shook his head.
“Gismond went south. We are still tracking his exact destination.”
“South?”
There were many cities south of Ramons. But two places came to mind first.
Count Frans's domain, where Blacksteel was found.
And Peius Fortress, the first line of defense against Flauros's legion.
*Is it just a baseless fear?*
But he had never had a good outcome from ignoring his intuition.
There was a connection. Definitely.
Even if there wasn't, it didn't matter. He would do anything to resolve this anxiety.
“Find out his whereabouts during the break, without fail. There's a high probability he's a Vile Breed.”
“Are you saying he evaded the academy's watch?”
“If my guess is correct.”
“I will obey your command.”
“And Hyde, you will personally stick to him and monitor his every move.”
Hyde's face stiffened.
“I cannot leave your side, Gongjanim.”
“You are the person I trust most right now.”
“That's my point. Didn't you promise?”
“What kind of major incident could possibly happen within the academy?”
At Pernyan's words, Hyde suppressed a surge of anger and replied.
“A demon was summoned.”
“That was the first and last time. Do you think those bastards could pull off another demon summoning? Not with the chancellor watching like a hawk.”
The demon summoning had only been possible because the academy had never even considered the existence of demons and Vile Breeds.
“You promised.”
“Promises are made to be broken.”
“Is that how a merchant should behave?”
“Changing one's words to one's advantage is also a merchant's virtue.”
“I refuse.”
“That's an order.”
“……”
Hyde bit his lip.
“The chancellor has rounded up all the Vile Breeds. The only one left who seems like a Vile Breed is him. If you're watching him, do you think I'll be in any danger?”
“…There's no winning against you with words, Gongjanim.”
“Eloquence is also an essential virtue for a merchant.”
*Snap.* Pernyan closed the report.
*I should probably go see Aint.*
The best way to confirm whether he was a Vile Breed or not was to use Aint Armian.
* * *
“I think that's him.”
Aint watched the man drinking beer boisterously with a group of students.
His appearance, including his dark brown hair and eyes, was exactly as Pernyan had described.
It had to be Gismond Erdt, a third-year Knight Department student.
“So you're saying that guy is a Vile Breed?”
“I said he *could* be a Vile Breed, not that he is. Though he did say the possibility was high.”
“He doesn't exactly look like a Vile Breed. Do they change suddenly?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“So, do you have a way to check?”
“Sort of.”
Aint replied while deboning a fried chicken wing coated in a spicy and sour sauce.
“It's fascinating.”
Aria rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Aint. Her unreadable expression was quite unnerving.
“What is?”
“The fact that you have a way to find Vile Breeds when no one else can. Is that something only an Armian can do?”
“In a way. And it's not like no one else found them.”
According to Pernyan, twelve Vile Breeds had already been captured or killed by the Guardian Squad.
“But they can't find any more, which is why they're leaving that one alone.”
“It's just a suspicion for now. And the one who was suspicious wasn't me, it was Pernyan Sunbaenim.”
“But he's still asking you for the final confirmation.”
“It's just that opposites are more sensitive to each other.”
Though the one doing the searching wasn't him, but Gardner.
*‘Gardner, do I really have to make contact?’*
— *Yes. You can't tell from the outside. If you could, he would have been caught long ago.*
“Then I have to approach him naturally somehow…”
“That's easy.”
Aria shot up from her seat. She grabbed Aint's hand and strode toward their table.
Four heads turned at the sudden approach, and Aria smiled brightly at the four pairs of eyes fixed on her.
“Hello, Sunbaenims.”
“Uh…?”
“…Aria Friedien?”
“You know me? May I sit with you for a moment?”
Without waiting for an answer, Aria squeezed in beside them. Then she gestured for Aint.
“Aint Armian?”
“You know Aint, too?”
“Well, of course…”
“We recognized you from your amazing performance in the jousting tournament. Oh, can I have one of these?”
At her brazenness, Aint found himself sitting down across from her. By some coincidence, Gismond Erdt was right beside him.
“Gismond Sunbaenim? To be honest, I was a little surprised. I never thought you'd do so well in the jousting tournament.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. I wanted to meet you, and just as I was having a drink with Aint, here you were. Isn't that an amazing coincidence?”
“Yeah, I guess so. But still, compared to you two, it's nothing…”
“That may be true, but it doesn't diminish what you've accomplished.”
Aria took the lead in the conversation, naturally drawing everyone's attention.
As if they had rehearsed it many times, Aint took off his necklace and made it brush lightly against Gismond's body.
A subtle mana seeped into Gismond Erdt's flesh.
“…Huh?”
“Are you listening to me, Sunbaenim? Did you know? Elves really dislike it when you're not paying attention during a conversation.”
“Ah, right.”
Gismond seemed to sense something was off, but he was quickly drawn back into the conversation with Aria.
In that short time, Gardner was thoroughly searching Gismond's aura hole.
— *I've never seen one like this. How many elixirs did he mindlessly consume for his aura to be such a tangled, impure mess?*
The remnants of elixirs that hadn't been fully absorbed into his aura hole and remained scattered throughout his body were an added bonus.
*‘He took an insane amount of elixirs? The Erdt Barony isn't that wealthy, though?’*
— *He might be receiving sponsorship.*
— *No, scratch that. Even with sponsorship, no one would consume elixirs this recklessly.*
— *He's somehow holding on for now, but it might not be for long.*
*‘What might not be for long?’*
— *The day his body explodes. He's already at his limit. If he stops consuming his aura for even a day, his aura hole will probably burst.*
And would it be just his aura hole? His entire body was likely to be destroyed.
Worse, the elixir remnants were mostly unrefined, making it easy to guess which ones he had consumed.
— *Root of Itarium, a Drake's mana hole? No, a normal Drake wouldn't have a mana hole, so it must be a variant. A leaf of a Clarity Herb, and this purity… could it be All-Life Water…?*
— *He's eaten all sorts of things. Speaking of which, Aint, among the things the late Emperor left behind is All-Life Water. We should go to Pandrein soon and….*
*‘Let's talk about that later. What about the demonic energy?’*
After Aint's question, Gardner was silent for a moment before answering.
— *There is none. Not even a speck of demonic energy the size of a rice seed. No trace it was ever there, either.*
— *He's just patched together various elixirs like a quilt; he hasn't been infected with demonic energy.*
— *In a way, this is even more surprising.*
*‘I understand.’*
Putting the necklace back on, Aint gave a tiny nod.
“Ah. I just remembered I have another appointment. It was fun today, Sunbaenims.”
“So suddenly? Weren't you drinking with Aint?”
“I was supposed to meet someone else besides Aint. We were just having a light drink before that. Let's go, Aint.”
Before Gismond and his friends could react, Aria was gone as quickly as she had appeared.
“It was a pleasure, Sunbaenims. I hope to see you again.”
Leaving them staring blankly at Aria's back, Aint gave a small bow and followed her.
“Did you find it?”
“No.”
“You mean there was no demonic energy?”
“Right. He's not a Vile Breed.”
“That's strange. Does that mean the Sunbaenim was wrong? Then how did he get so strong all of a sudden?”
“Elixirs.”
“You can't have a sudden growth spurt just by taking elixirs.”
“He took more than enough for that.”
Aria blinked a couple of times, the corner of her mouth twisting into a smirk.
“He's a more interesting senior than I thought. But how is his body holding up? He didn't seem that well-trained.”
Though that was by academy student standards.
“He's at his absolute limit.”
“Then where did he get all those elixirs? No, he's a noble and an academy student. Doesn't he have any basic knowledge of elixirs? How did he even get into the academy?”
Her words were blunt, but not wrong.
The human body was not as strong as one might think. Consuming elixirs indiscriminately and excessively had a high chance of causing one's mana to go berserk.
“I don't know how he got them, but it's a waste. All those precious elixirs going into the body of an undeserving person.”
Having briefly been curious when she heard about the demonic energy, Aria had now lost all interest.
“Well, I'm sure Pernyan Sunbaenim knows how he got them.”
Pernyan never missed such minor details.
“What now? Are we really going for a drink?”
“Why does an elf like alcohol so much?”
“‘Elf’ and ‘alcohol’ are two words that go very well together.”
— *That's true. Elves practically live on fruit wine.*
So being a drunkard was their default state. That was something Aint hadn't known.
“No. I have to go report the results to the Sunbaenim.”
“It doesn't seem that urgent right now, does it?”
“How can anything related to demons not be urgent?”
“A shame. What about after you're done?”
“I'm going to the closing ceremony.”
Aria tilted her head.
“Weren't you skipping it?”
“Why would you think I'd skip it?”
“Because the Emperor will be there.”
“…I didn't expect you to be so blunt about it.”
“The fact that you enrolled in the academy means you don't care about that kind of thing, right?”
Aria's shrug, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, looked quite annoying.
“Then why did you think I wouldn't go?”
“Not caring and facing him directly are two different things.”
— *She's surprisingly sharp, though she doesn't act like it.*
Aria's casual reply struck a nerve with Aint.
She was right. If he had simply decided not to care, Aint wouldn't have even considered attending the closing ceremony.
But that wasn't it.
The Emperor of the Empire. A position that originally belonged to the Armians.
As the rightful heir of the Armian family, he wanted to reclaim that seat. He now had the power and allies to do so, and the circumstances were about to unfold in his favor.
The descent of the demons, which had led the first Emperor to found the Empire.
History was about to repeat itself, and Aint had no intention of missing the opportunity.
So he wanted to see for himself.
What kind of family, what kind of person, currently occupied the Emperor's throne.
*Whoosh.* At that moment, he felt a warm breath.
“…Wh-What?”
Aria was leaning in, her face just inches from his. Her emerald-green eyes curved into crescents.
“That's a good look. Eyes full of greed. You looked just like Pernyan Sunbaenim for a second there.”
“…What?”
Aria's face pulled back. Aint's heart pounded wildly.
“Then you have to go see. After I talk to the Sunbaenim…”
“You two over there.”
Just then, two robed figures approached them.
“Excuse me, are you student Aint Armian and student Aria Friedien?”
“Do you know us?”
“Thankfully, we found the right people. I'm… ah, just a moment.”
The man fumbled inside his robes for a while before finally pulling out a plaque.
“This is who I am.”
“…Is this?”
“……!”
On the metal plaque was a single embossed lightning bolt.
“A pleasure to meet you both. I am Inquisitor, Girard Izuel.”
The man bowed with the utmost courtesy.
* * *
The Inquisitors.
A group created by the first Emperor, who had driven out the demons a thousand years ago, to deal with the demonic beasts and Vile Breeds still remaining on the continent.
Their power once rivaled that of the Electors, and everyone trembled at their words.
But that was merely a glory of the past.
As the number of Vile Breeds dwindled and the demonic beasts were subjugated.
The Inquisitors were no longer needed.
Their influence weakened.
Ironically, the more diligently they did their job, the more they lost their place.
The demons and demonic beasts were soon forgotten, and the authority of the Inquisitors gradually diminished.
And now.
They were nothing more than scarecrows, barely maintaining their existence according to the first Emperor's decree.
Nominally, they were directly under the Emperor, but the Schwabens, who had usurped the throne from the Armians, left the useless group in a state of near-abandonment.
If not for the patronage of various nobles, the Inquisitors might have already vanished without a trace.
And now. An Inquisitor who had survived through that history stood before Aint.
“…What business do you have with me?”
“Hmm… This doesn't seem like the right place for this conversation. How about we go somewhere quiet?”
“Do I have to go with you?”
“It would be good if you came. Ah, of course, this isn't a threat. We don't really have the power to threaten someone and deal with the aftermath!”
Girard Izuel laughed cheerfully.
“I'm simply asking because I believe you can guess why I've sought you out. It is, after all, a rather desperate matter for us as well.”
Girard's eyes darted about nervously as he smiled awkwardly. He looked just like…
“You're like an abandoned cat.”
*Hic.* Aint jumped in surprise. It was one thing to have had the same thought as Aria, but he never imagined she would say it to the man's face.
“Watch your mouth…!”
“It's true, though?”
“An abandoned cat. Well. You're not wrong. We were indeed abandoned by the Schwaben Imperial Family.”
Aint fell silent at the self-deprecating reply.
“That…”
“It's fine. It's been a hundred years since we were abandoned. It doesn't bother me. Besides, I became an Inquisitor 30 years ago, so I don't know anything about the past 70 years.”
— *To think the Inquisitors were being treated like this.*
At his pitiful story, Gardner expressed a quiet fury.
— *The Inquisitors were the late Emperor's provision, preparing for the inevitable return of the demons.*
— *But for them to end up in this state, it's all become meaningless.*
— *Foolish knaves. Did they not think that if the late Emperor gave such an order, there must have been a reason for it?*
*‘I can kind of understand it.’*
It had been a thousand years. Even if it was the late Emperor's will, it was too much of a white elephant to consistently develop and maintain.
“Did you approach us because of the Vile Breeds?”
“That's right. We heard the stories, you see. That Vile Breeds have appeared at the academy.”
Girard threw his arms up in an exaggerated gesture. But conscious of the people around them, his voice was kept to a whisper.
“Why us?”
“Even if we've been abandoned, we have survived for a thousand years. Aint Armian, Aria Friedien. We have our ways of knowing that you and four other students had a meeting with the chancellor.”
You were probably the ones who discovered and reported the Vile Breeds.
“Right after that, the chancellor urgently convened the academy's executives and the Guardian Squad and crushed all the Vile Breeds. It's a shame I couldn't be there to help catch them. As you know, I may be an Inquisitor, but I've never actually fought a Vile Breed…”
“Sir Girard.”
Just then, someone abruptly cut him off.
“Pernyan Sunbaenim?”
“Sunbaenim.”
It was Pernyan.
“It's been a while.”
“…My, my. It seems our conversation went on longer than I thought. It has been a while, Gongjanim Pernyan.”
Spotting Pernyan, Girard gave a vague smile.
“I knew I should have taken them with me sooner.”
“That would be kidnapping.”
“It's not kidnapping if it's voluntary.”
“Ask me. I will tell you what you want to know.”
“I have no money. You can't get blood from a stone.”
“I believe the chancellor was looking for you.”
“Hmph. I knew I shouldn't have tried to talk nicely. I should have just tortured it out of them in that time.”
“…Torture?”
— *Torture?*
Aint and Gardner gasped at the word that had come out of nowhere.
“This is the academy, and Aint and Aria are students of this academy.”
“That's why I was trying to talk. Well, so much for that. In that case, you two. I'll see you again next time.”
Girard gave a small bow and disappeared.
“Wow…”
Aria muttered as she watched him leave.
“I really don't like that man. I've never disliked a human this much before. Why is that?”
“Kinship aversion, perhaps.”
“I'm an elf, and he's a human?”
“Never mind.”
Pernyan shrugged.
“What's with that guy, Sunbaenim? Did he say torture?”
“As you can probably guess, he's not a normal person. Nothing good will come from getting involved, so avoid him if you can. That goes for Inquisitor-General Girard and the other Inquisitors.”
“Inquisitor-General? He's the Inquisitor-General?”
“Yes.”
Pernyan nodded.
“A person like that is the leader? He seemed a little strange.”
“You'd have to be crazy to be the leader of an organization with no future.”
Things would be different from now on, but until now, no one could have predicted the demons' return.
Naturally, those who joined the Inquisitors couldn't possibly be in their right minds.
“Anyway, let's go. We're a little late, but the closing ceremony isn't over yet.”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
Pernyan led the two into the stadium. The guards recognized them and didn't stop them, and they settled into the VIP seats without any trouble.
The award ceremony seemed to be over, as Ruina Bercefe and the winner of the Magic Tournament, Liana Horton, were holding trophies made of pure gold.
The Emperor sat on the main seat, his chin resting on his hand, as the chancellor slowly stepped forward.
“Professor Rosalia?”
“Is that…?”
“Looks like they plan to reveal it today.”
Professor Rosalia stood behind the chancellor, and next to her was a person encased in ice.
It didn't take much thought to guess that this was the Vile Breed captured by the academy.
*So it was today. This is the best venue for an announcement.*
Pernyan quickly calculated the fallout. The first appearance of Vile Breeds in a thousand years would…
It was then. The chancellor and Professor Rosalia, who were ascending the platform, stopped in their tracks.
They weren't the only ones.
Knights, servants, maids—all those who served a master rushed to their side and whispered something in their ear.
The quiet stadium was instantly filled with a clamor.
“What's going on?”
“Something seems to have happened.”
While the two first-years were bewildered, an employee of the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild rushed to Pernyan.
“Gongjanim!”
“What is it?”
“It's an urgent dispatch from Altriark and Alprosen. A large horde of demonic beasts and monsters has emerged from the Taklakan Desert and is attacking the Empire and the Kingdom.”
“…What did you say?”
Demonic beasts? Monsters?
“They're pouring in across the entire western region, so a precise count is impossible, but the estimate is around ten thousand. Altriark is currently holding out, but Viscount Damus's domain has fallen…”
“…Son of a bitch.”
An attack by a legion of ten thousand monsters and demonic beasts?
This was not something that could happen under normal circumstances.
*It's the Vile Breeds.*
Having been thwarted at the academy, the Vile Breeds had made their next move.