Grant Me Permission to Be a Righteous Thief Today, Part 9
Yohan felt a sudden wave of dizziness. He let out a sigh that was entirely genuine, not an act. This was bad. They were going to conduct a closed-door training session until the stolen original scriptures were recovered—but the very culprit who had stolen them was standing right here.
To end this closed-door training, he would have to dump the scriptures somewhere outside and hope someone else found them. But if he used the Goddess's power to teleport right now, his escape would be discovered immediately, and he would be pinned as the prime suspect.
Besides, what kind of twisted logic did these people have to conclude that a stolen scripture meant all apprentice inquisitors had to undergo collective closed-door training? Those crazy fanatics. Yohan rubbed his face with his palm, exasperated. At that moment—
"Inquisitor Agnes, requesting permission to speak," Annie, who had been silent until now, spoke up in a low, steady voice. At her words, the eyes of Yohan and the other apprentice inquisitors snapped to her. The Director and the Grand Inquisitor exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "Speak, Inquisitor."
Yohan's eyes widened at Annie's sudden outburst. However, he quickly realized she must have a plan of her own.
"In my humble opinion, it would be far more productive for me and my direct junior, Yohan, to go out and join the senior inquisitors in tracking down the scriptures." Annie's face twitched as if she were on the verge of exploding. Even though she couldn't perform Miracle Arts, the sheer force of her presence was overwhelming.
"What did you say...?" the Grand Inquisitor growled, his eyes narrowing. But the Director raised a hand to stop him. "And what is your reasoning for this?" Stepping past the visibly furious Grand Inquisitor, the Director walked forward and looked down at Annie.
"The reason is..." Slam! Annie suddenly struck the stone floor with her bare fist. "Because I cannot contain my rage...!" she choked out, her voice a strained mix of tears and fury.
She didn't stop there. She continued to slam her fist against the stone floor over and over. "Until only yesterday!" Slam! "I was wallowing in my own pride, thinking I had guided a brilliant talent to the Church!" Since the floor was rough, unpolished stone rather than smooth tile, the skin on her knuckles quickly split, and blood began to seep out.
"And yet, such a disgraceful incident has occurred! To think I was pleased with myself over something so trivial!" Annie paid no heed to her torn flesh and kept striking the ground. Even Yohan, who had been watching silently, was so horrified that he seriously debated whether he should step in and stop her. Blood splattered from her mangled fist, pooling into a small crimson puddle on the stone floor.
"So please, grant me the chance to repent for my arrogance." Staggering to her feet, Annie approached the Director and knelt once more. "Allow me and my disciple the opportunity to retrieve the scriptures alongside our seniors."
"..." The room fell dead silent. The apprentice inquisitors had long since turned pale, utterly overwhelmed by the terrifying atmosphere. Even the Grand Inquisitor and the Director of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wore expressions of profound shock. An awkward silence stretched over the hall.
"Scouring the entire continent for the missing scriptures will be no easy task. Furthermore, the culprit is powerful enough to infiltrate the deepest sanctum of the Holy City, making this an incredibly perilous mission," the Director said, looking down at Annie.
"Young Inquisitor. I have heard much of your name. You inherited the baptismal name of the seminary head, who was a dear friend of mine, and you were a child who sought to devote yourself to the Church despite being unable to perform Miracle Arts." The Director gently took Annie's mangled right hand. He then channeled his Miracle Arts to heal her wounds.
"Your investigative and combat skills are indeed far too valuable to let rot in headquarters under the pretext of closed-door training." Annie's wounds knit closed in an instant. Of course, the puddle of blood she had spilled still stained the stone floor.
"I shall grant your request, in high regard of your resolve. Inquisitor Agnes, you are to immediately depart the Holy City with your disciple and join the mission to recover the stolen scriptures." "I shall... obey your command."
Back at their quarters, the two immediately began packing their bags. In truth, the original scriptures and the crucial books concerning the Central Church had already been safely stowed away in the single-room pocket dimension. Packing their bags was merely a smoke screen to establish an alibi.
"How was I earlier?" Annie, who had finished preparing first, greeted him as he walked into the living room after stuffing miscellaneous items into his backpack. "Earlier?" "Heh... My acting. I believe I put my heart and soul into deceiving them."
To say she had put her heart and soul into it was an understatement. Even Yohan, who knew the truth, had momentarily seen what looked like genuine, bottomless rage on her face. "Those foolish old men." Annie seemed thoroughly pleased with herself for completely hoodwinking the two high-ranking clergymen. A broad smile graced her face.
"Tsk..." Yohan, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to laugh. After all, this whole mess had started because of his own miscalculation. "What is it?" "Oh, no. It's just..." Man, this is killing me. Yohan avoided her gaze with an awkward expression.
"Um... I'm sorry. For making you tear up your fist like that." There was no helping it; he just had to be honest. Yohan offered Annie a sincere apology. "Ha. What a strange thing to say. Why are you apologizing?" "Because of me, we almost got stuck here."
"Not at all. In fact, if we hadn't listened to your advice and had fled the moment we secured the scriptures, a pursuit force would have chased us all the way to Balifield." Annie's logic was sound. Yohan's judgment hadn't actually been wrong. He had simply failed to predict the sheer, unhinged logic of these fanatics.
—My Apostle. Annie is correct. Do not trouble yourself so. With the Goddess chiming in to support Annie, Yohan's expression finally softened.
"Besides, an injury of this caliber is nothing to you or our other companions, is it? Compared to you, who has fought high-level devils multiple times, the scratches I just gave myself are practically nonexistent." "Mmm..." Yohan hummed. After a brief pause, his face suddenly brightened. "Right? I mean, who do you think I am, huh?" "Heh."
Yes, he hadn't been wrong. Yohan nodded repeatedly. Besides, things had turned out far better than expected. Their original plan had been to keep their heads down during any internal investigations and wait for a good opportunity to secure an external investigation mission to leave the Holy City. But now, they had been granted permission to search the entire continent from the very start, meaning they could go anywhere at any time without raising suspicion.
Even if they went missing during their investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith would never suspect Annie and Yohan. If anything, they would likely mourn them, assuming the two had been martyred in the line of duty. "Alright, let's move on to the next step, Master." "Understood, Boss." "Hey..."
Yohan clicked his tongue, opened the door of their quarters, and walked out. Annie slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed close behind. They made their way down the stairs and entered the first-floor lobby. Although the main entrance to the Congregation's headquarters was tightly shut, they had the Director's authorization, allowing them to pass through and step outside without any trouble.
"Do we have to go all the way back out and pass through the checkpoints again...?" "No, there is no need. We are heading to the basement of the Papal Palace," Annie replied, shaking her head at Yohan's question. Come to think of it, he recalled hearing that one could use magic circles within the Holy City to travel rapidly to various parts of the Holy Kingdom.
Leaving the Congregation's building behind, the two made their way to the Papal Palace. Just as Annie had said, the basement of the Papal Palace housed numerous magic circles that connected directly to the major cities of the Holy Kingdom. "Let us depart. This magic circle will take us straight to Patermachi." "Right, right." Soon, the magic circle activated. The two finally escaped the Holy City and arrived in the neighboring city of Patermachi.
Ordinary inquisitors would have used the magic circle station in Patermachi to gradually make their way toward the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom. However, Yohan and Annie had no need for such tedious travel. "Whew... Shall we get going right away, then?" The two slipped into a deserted alleyway. As if she had been waiting for this exact moment, the Goddess materialized out of thin air and landed right in front of them.
"Hehehe. Is everyone ready to make a grand finale?" "Of course." "Let's go rob them blind." The two replied instantly to the Goddess's question. With a bright smile, the Goddess activated her teleportation magic. It was time to visit the cities they had marked on their way to the Holy City and sweep up the Divine Weapons kept in the local cathedrals.
Infiltrating the Secret Archive of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Holy City had been anything but easy. However, stealing the Divine Weapons on their way back to the village was a walk in the park. Since they were openly displayed in the cathedrals of each city, all they had to do was slip in at night and snatch them. Even if they were caught in the act, they could simply teleport away, which made the mental burden far lighter.
In just a single night, Yohan and Annie managed to steal three Divine Weapons. This was entirely thanks to being able to use the Goddess's teleportation ability to their heart's content. Inside the single-room pocket dimension, the three stolen Divine Weapons lay scattered alongside their various belongings.
"Are you truly... going to just chew and swallow these?" "Indeed. That is correct," the Goddess replied, nodding repeatedly to Annie's question. Although Annie was the type of person who would believe the Goddess even if she claimed black was white, even she seemed to find the concept of a deity 'consuming' Divine Weapons hard to digest.
Atop a large dining table sat the three stolen Divine Weapons: the Sword of Saint Henrietta, the Breastplate of Saint Redmayne, and a round shield named the Mirror of Justice. Notably, the surface of the Mirror of Justice was engraved with the face of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Goddess's adult form.
"Now then, let us start with this sword. Fufufu... It is overflowing with divine power. It shall make an excellent, nutritious snack." The Goddess let out a sly chuckle. Watching her, Yohan couldn't help but think she looked like an old man opening a jar of home-brewed snake wine he had buried years ago. After a moment, she suddenly expanded her body into her adult form. It seemed holding the large Divine Weapons was too difficult in her child form.
The Goddess picked up the Sword of Saint Henrietta and brought it to her mouth. Crunch! She bit down on the sword without a second thought. The solid iron shattered effortlessly beneath her teeth like a cracker. Crackle! Crunch! For a while, sounds that no human could ever make while eating filled the single-room.
"M-My Goddess..." Yohan watched with a nonchalant, practiced indifference, but Annie could only stare in absolute horror. Before long, the Goddess's Divine Weapon mukbang show came to an end.
"Mmm. Quite good indeed. A significant portion of my divinity has been restored," the Goddess remarked, giving her honest review of the three Divine Weapons. She wiped a stray metal shaving from her lip with the back of her hand, then licked it off and swallowed it. Standing up, the Goddess looked down at Yohan and Annie with a warm smile. "You both worked incredibly hard on this mission. Now, let us return to the village and begin our next task."