Traces of Heresy
"A fine point. Indeed, I was just about to explain the reason behind it," the Goddess replied, prompting Yohan to tilt his head in curiosity.
"The reason is simple. As I mentioned before, I am a being who merely keeps one foot in the mortal realm. Therefore, rather than interfering directly, it is far more efficient for me to act through an agent."
Yohan had heard stories like this before. Possessing the relevant background knowledge, he nodded in understanding, whereas Falco and Charles wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
"I've heard of this. You know, the whole 'causality' thing or whatever."
It was a classic trope: divine beings needing a medium or a grand justification to exert their influence on the human world. Though the terminology varied from story to story, referring to it as "causality" usually got the point across.
"My Apostle. You are far more knowledgeable than I gave you credit for." Yohan had tossed the concept out casually, accustomed to such tropes, but his response seemed to catch the Goddess off guard.
"Heh." Yohan shrugged, letting out a smug snort.
"Though, of course, possessing knowledge and having a quick wit are two entirely different matters."
"What did you say, you punk?" Yohan glared at her reflexively at her follow-up jab.
"In any case, that is how it stands. Holding that demon in place for those few seconds while Yohan was unconscious consumed several times more divine power than healing the wounds of you two combined."
The Goddess had literally pushed her divine power to its absolute limit. It was a miracle they had defeated the demon and survived, but there was no denying it had been an incredibly reckless gamble.
"And the reason the demon would have perished even if left alone... was it because it forced its way into a corpse without a proper contract?"
"You are quick to grasp things." Charles, who had been quiet until now, asked hesitantly. The Goddess nodded vigorously in approval and gently patted the crown of his head. However, since there was virtually no height difference between the two, the sight was rather comical.
"Pfft." Yohan finally burst out laughing. Falco didn't laugh openly, but she was clearly struggling to hold it in.
"Well, anyway, now that everything's wrapped up here, let's head back to Junk Town."
"Indeed. We have a duty to fulfill, do we not?" the Goddess agreed. They had recovered at least some of the Junk Town residents' stolen belongings, so the quest was officially complete.
"We found most of the goods, so we won't have the sheriff grabbing us by the collar the moment we step into town like last time."
Reporting that they had taken down the Big Boss would undoubtedly delight the townsfolk, but sharing that information carried too much risk. It was better for the Big Boss to remain permanently missing, buried forever in his flooded underground stronghold. If the truth of his death got out, it would trigger an even greater upheaval across all of Balifield.
"So..." It was time to wrap up their affairs in Balifield. Yohan let his voice trail off as he turned his gaze toward Charles. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. What about you?"
"Damn it, who is this slop even for?"
"Ungrateful bastard. If you don't want it, get out of the way!"
Balifield was reeling from the aftermath of the sudden flood. Although the rising river water in the Undercity had eventually stabilized, the fear that the entire city might be submerged had completely gripped the underground residents.
As a result, countless residents of the Undercity had flooded onto the surface, causing immense strain on the surface dwellers. The only saving grace was that the Lord had mobilized supplies and personnel to manage the displaced crowds, keeping the chaos somewhat in check.
Amidst the chaotic heart of Balifield, a woman stood alone, her exceptionally neat attire contrasting sharply with the ragged crowd around her. At a glance, she looked like a sharp-featured, wealthy traveler, but a closer look revealed a wealth of information.
No matter how sturdy a traveler's clothes were, long journeys inevitably left them worn and torn. Yet, her cloak and leather boots were in pristine condition. The reason was simple: she had arrived here via a long-distance Teleportation Magic Circle.
"Sigh..." The woman let out a weary sigh, looking thoroughly annoyed by everything, before turning on her heel and heading toward the Lord's castle.
"Halt. Entry to the Lord's castle is currently restricted." Guards clad in armor and wielding spears blocked her path as she marched forward without hesitation.
The woman glared at the guard through the visor of his helmet, then reached into her coat, pulled out an identification plaque, and held it out.
"Ah!" The guard's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the plaque.
"I am from the Central Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I would like an immediate audience with the Lord."
"Y-Yes, of course! Please wait just a moment. Hey, what are you guys doing? Out of the way!" The guard scrambled and ran toward the castle.
Watching the guard's retreating back, the woman shook her head. "What a pain," she muttered in a voice so quiet no one else could hear.
This was Balifield, a place far removed from the Holy Kingdom where the Central Church resided. Even though she had shortened her travel time by using teleportation magic circles, the journey here had been anything but brief.
As a Heresy Inquisitor of the Central Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, her presence in this remote region was certainly no leisure trip.
Reports had come in of traces of heresy detected in the southwestern part of the continent. Consequently, the Congregation had ordered her to Balifield, the largest city in the southwest, to track down the heretic's trail.
Yet, upon arriving in Balifield, she found no heretics—only swarms of displaced refugees. Honestly, did it make any sense to send someone all this way over some trivial "trace of heresy"?
I'll just go through the motions of an investigation and spend the rest of my time slacking off at the inn, she thought to herself.
While she was busy plotting how to coast through her assignment, the guard who had run off to the castle returned, panting heavily.
"Phew... I-Inquisitor. The Lord is ready to receive you. He requested that you be brought in immediately."
The woman gave a silent nod and followed his lead into the castle.
For some reason, the guard bypassed the reception room and led her straight to the Lord's private office. "He is inside. Please, go right in." Once the guard departed, she opened the door herself.
"Ah, you've arrived. Thank you for making such a long journey." Stepping inside, she was greeted by the hollow-eyed Lord. Mountains of documents were piled high around his desk.
"I am Agnes, Heresy Inquisitor of the Central Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."
"And I am Georg, Lord of Balifield and its surrounding territories." Agnes, the newly dispatched Inquisitor, offered a polite bow.
"Please forgive the lack of formal hospitality. Given the current circumstances, I could not arrange a proper reception."
"It is quite alright. In fact, I prefer things to be straightforward," Agnes replied, waving her hand dismissively. She had no desire for the tedious formalities of high society anyway.
To be honest, she wanted to get this interview over with as quickly as possible. In that sense, the Lord's weary, no-nonsense attitude was a welcome relief.
"Thank you. Please, take a seat wherever you can find room." At Georg's invitation, Agnes scanned the office for a place to sit. However, between the Lord's desk and the surrounding floor, the room was so choked with petitions and reports from across the city that there wasn't a single clear spot to sit.
"What on earth is all this...?"
"The Undercity has been thrown into utter chaos," the Lord replied, shaking his head as her voice trailed off.
"The Undercity?"
"A massive subterranean space built ages ago. It lies directly beneath the city, and a significant population resides down there."
"Is it a sewer system?" The Lord shook his head again.
"Balifield is quite different from the central regions of the continent. Aside from a few areas like the castle, we lack proper sewage infrastructure. Besides, the Undercity is far too vast to be called a mere sewer. At any rate, a section of its ceiling collapsed, allowing the river to flood in."
"Ah, so that explains the refugees crowding the streets. They must be the residents of this Undercity." Georg nodded in response to Agnes's question and let out a deep, heavy sigh. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back wearily.
He had completely abandoned any pretense of noble dignity. Yet, this candid exhaustion only raised Agnes's opinion of him. This guy might actually be reasonable, she thought.
"So, what brings a Heresy Inquisitor all the way to this remote borderland?" Now they were getting to the heart of the matter. Despite his obvious exhaustion, the Lord's eyes sharpened the moment the topic shifted.
"We received reports of heretical activity detected in the Balifield area recently."
"A heretic... I cannot say I know of any. Nothing immediately comes to mind..." Georg trailed off, his expression turning thoughtful.
"Though, a few days ago, several corpses were recovered from the river running alongside the city."
"Drowning victims?"
"Ordinarily, yes." His emphasis on "ordinarily" made it clear that these were no typical drowning victims.
"It is not something a lord should readily admit, but public order in this city is far from ideal." Georg shifted the topic slightly. As the ruler of Balifield, admitting to poor security was a self-indictment, yet he laid bare his shortcomings without hesitation. It was a calculated move.
"As I mentioned, the Undercity is incredibly vast. No one knows when or how it was constructed, but even by modern standards, it is remarkably sturdy."
"Are you suggesting the corpses found in the river actually originated from the Undercity?"
Georg neither confirmed nor denied her question. Agnes decided to remain quiet and let him continue.
"To offer a bit of an excuse, the sheer number of people living down there is more than I can manage. They hide in the dark specifically to avoid paying taxes, making them nothing but a constant headache."
Agnes could sympathize. In her line of work, she had encountered countless tax evaders hiding in the shadows.
"At first, I assumed the deaths were merely a result of some internal dispute among the Undercity residents. But looking back, there were far too many suspicious details."
"Go on." Agnes swept a stack of papers off a nearby chair and sat on the cleared edge.
"Inquisitor, have you ever personally examined a drowned corpse?" Georg asked. Agnes nodded silently.
"Normally, a body left in the water becomes bloated. However, the corpses we recovered recently had a rather peculiar characteristic."
"Peculiar in what way?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that despite being pulled from the river, they were completely shriveled and dry?" Georg's words brought a strange look to Agnes's face.
"An anomaly, indeed."
"Precisely. And I believe your order refers to such things as 'traces of heresy.'" Anomalies are the traces of heresy. It was a common maxim within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Despite ruling a remote borderland, the Lord seemed remarkably well-informed about the inner workings of the Central Church.
"Their skin was wet on the surface, but their bodies were unnaturally shrunken. They were literally reduced to skin and bones."
"As if their life force had been drained by some dark magic?"
"Exactly."