Chapter 270
Chapter: 270
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 270
>Chapter Title: The Offering of Repentance (2)
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>Sungjin entrusted Schmidt with one ice heart and four massive refrigerators that day.
Thud! Crash! Thud!
Schmidt's eyes went wide as saucers watching the enormous ice refrigerators suddenly materialize in the logistics depot warehouse.
"I heard they were items from the dimensional world, but this is truly like magic."
"It's just this one summoning. Apparently, they can't be sent back anywhere else."
Sungjin added, after pondering the warnings Dexter had given him.
"Oh, and these things have pairs that need to be transported together. So you'll probably need to move the cryogenic wagons two at a time? The paired ones shouldn't be separated by too much distance if possible. Otherwise, one of them might stop working."
"Pardon? Why is that?"
"Because each pair of refrigerators came from a single ice spirit. This one's the arm and leg from Ice Spirit No. 9, and that one's the torso and arm from Ice Spirit No. 11."
"......"
After his polite explanation, Schmidt stared at Sungjin like he was history's most notorious dismemberment murderer.
"What? Why? What's wrong?"
*You're a demon eviler than any murderer, so what the hell are you doing now? Huh?*
*And on top of that, this was an unavoidable choice.*
*There weren't many intact ice spirits left, and reducing them to refrigerator size was no small feat in terms of volume anyway!*
"So, what are these for?"
Schmidt held out the ice heart, now shrunken to the size of a small stone.
"Ah, that's a controller for giving simple commands."
"Pardon? Aren't they just boxes that maintain low temperatures? What commands go into them?"
Well, the moment someone tries to steal them, the refrigerators would combine into a fusion ice spirit.
They're set to automatically pummel enemies like glacier trolls, but since they could go out of control, it's a kind of safety measure.
"......"
"Why? What's the problem this time?"
*Ah, an automatic anti-theft device!*
*These are items you couldn't buy for any price, so why the long face?*
The Demon King let out a small sigh in his head.
[Couldn't you have modded them into something a bit more normal?]
After some such twists and turns, Sungjin finally wrapped up the necessary discussions and returned to the inn a bit late.
He was quite taken aback by the scene unfolding in front of the inn. An enormous crowd had gathered out of nowhere, packing the street in front of the building solid.
"Is that really moving? It just looks like an ice sculpture from here."
He quickly figured out the cause. Everyone was whispering while staring at the "Knight of Grace."
He'd thought they drew a bit too much attention entering Regina, but apparently word had already spread through the entire city about the moving ice sculpture.
The area in front of the inn was already a chaotic throng, no room to step, with people who'd come from afar just to gawk.
"I heard a holy relic bestowed by the Lord God appeared all the way out in Zigsmunt Territory."
"What? Isn't that just a rumor? Even if it's a holy relic, how could something like that move?"
"Pah! I saw that ice knight walk into the city on its own two feet with my own eyes just this afternoon!"
His traveling companions had also contributed to lending credibility to the rumor.
That "Knight of Grace" was traveling with the famous Lilium special forces? They're the holy knights among holy knights, the ones who spread the Lord God's mercy across the continent without sparing their bodies!
"Yeah. They say the Lord God personally sent it down to save crisis-stricken Zigsmunt, and it swept away all the beasts with those sturdy fists."
The rumors were more detailed and faster-spreading than expected.
The investigation into the "Knight of Grace" had only wrapped up right before Sungjin left Zigsmunt Territory. And now they were already circulating in Regina?
"It's a knight, right? Why ditch the sword and swing fists instead?"
"Dunno. I'm just repeating what I heard."
"Where'd you hear it?"
"You haven't heard? There's a bard in that tavern over there who's been singing all day about the Knight of Grace and the princes' exploits."
...Roran. Your doing? You really have way too much pointless initiative.
[See? Why'd you park it right out in plain view on the main street? Self-inflicted.]
The Demon King seized the chance to nitpick, but Sungjin felt wronged.
What was he supposed to do? You think something that huge fits in a regular warehouse?
With no choice, Sungjin headed to the inn's back entrance to avoid the crowd. It was a small yard with stables and a few rundown warehouses.
And there, unexpectedly, he ran into Inquisitor Vallery.
"Oh? Your Highness. Where have you been at this hour? And why the back door?"
Sungjin started to reply, then furrowed his brow. He caught a faint whiff of blood from the man.
Looking closer, not just his face but even his white inquisitor's uniform was speckled with red blood drops.
"......"
He had a pretty good idea what was up.
Right next to the inn was a fairly large warehouse holding the remnants of the Order of Repentance they'd dragged from Zigsmunt Territory.
And Sungjin's sharp senses pinpointed the vibrating stench of blood coming from there.
"Isn't interrogating them after we reach the Heresy Tribunal enough?"
"Ah!"
The redheaded inquisitor looked stunned, like he'd been caught off guard. Then he narrowed his eyes and grinned slyly.
"I forgot for a moment what kind of person Your Highness is. Haha. I thought I was being careful—how did you notice?"
"......"
"If it's bothersome, my apologies. But I need to conduct some interrogation to report to my superiors. We've been too swamped with beast attacks until now."
Inquisitor Vallery explained that during the journey here, camping with the group had left no quiet time for questioning them.
"They don't look in good shape. Go easy, will you? What if you actually kill them all?"
Sungjin hinted as he sensed their noticeably weakened presences, but Vallery just shrugged.
"Well, true. But I'm interrogating them while properly healing them with divine power. Even if things get dicey, we've got Prince Logan here—what's to worry?"
*He'll probably keep them just barely alive.*
Vallery flashed his usual affable smile while saying something pretty chilling.
'...Was this guy always like this?'
Feeling a fresh sense of unfamiliarity, Sungjin observed him closely.
"It's a bit unfortunate for them. Getting caught up in the demonic beasts and dying outright might've been easier. Or they could've stayed in Zigsmunt and faced trial there."
Did he mean falling into Margrave Hendrick's hands would've been the better deal?
"Why? Did you get any confessions from them about ties to the margrave?"
"Pardon? Oh, no, nothing like that. It's just that there's clear evidence the margrave had a long relationship with the Millo Merchant Guild."
Vallery wiped a blood splatter from his cheek as he spoke.
"From the margrave's perspective, their existence must be a huge thorn. Better to execute them himself and bury the unsavory merchant guild dealings along with the transaction records forever."
The Heresy Tribunal probably couldn't help suspecting the margrave the more they dug into the Millo Merchant Guild.
Maybe the rumors about the "Knight of Grace" spreading so fast had a bit of the margrave's influence behind it.
As Sungjin pondered, Vallery snickered and added,
"They seem to know it well, too—they were hoping to stay in the north for trial if possible. But I'm a proud inquisitor of Saint Marthias, aren't I? So I followed that old saying passed down through the ages. Haha."
Glancing toward the warehouse with an amused laugh, Vallery caught Sungjin's sour expression and added more explanation, sensing it fell flat.
"Oh, Your Highness, there's a saying from the Heresy Tribunal: 'When you don't know what remnants of a dark cult are plotting, always do the opposite of what they want.'"
*Hmm, the seniors would've cracked up at this timing for sure.*
Vallery muttered regretfully, but honestly, it wasn't funny at all. These torture-crazed lunatics.
"Oh, but I did learn one thing. Giacomo Millo has ties to the Order of Repentance going back further than expected. He might end up throwing in with them as is."
Sungjin stared silently at the blood-reeking warehouse.
If they got handed over to the Heresy Tribunal like this, he'd probably never see them again.
They were confirmed dark cult remnants. No way out until death.
"Guess I should talk to them."
Vallery blinked at Sungjin's abrupt declaration.
"...Your Highness is going to interrogate them too?"
"Yeah."
"The ones we just tortured? You serious?"
*Wow, this guy's sneakily extreme while pretending otherwise.*
A flicker of alarm crossed Vallery's face as he chuckled like it was a joke.
Sungjin glanced at him and started walking, retorting,
"Is that something the torturer should say?"
"No, but Your Highness, I really don't think it's a good idea. It's no sight for a young prince."
"His words have merit, Your Highness......"
Sir Masain, who'd been following quietly, chimed in subtly, but Sungjin ignored him. A low sigh came from behind.
For some reason, Sungjin shoved past the fidgety redheaded inquisitor and headed straight for the warehouse.
"......!"
The moment he opened the door, a nauseating stench assaulted his nose. The stink of festering wounds and rotting blood.
And the scene inside was beyond imagination.
People lay scattered haphazardly on the blood-soaked floor, barely clinging to life with shallow breaths. In one corner, an array of gruesome torture tools lay displayed.
Thanks to the basics he'd learned from Dasha, Sungjin could easily identify what each was for.
Spotting one pair of bloodied tongs among them, he muttered in disbelief as he scanned the prisoners.
"You pulled their teeth too? How do you interrogate if they can't talk right?"
"Hm, no issue. I replanted them with divine power."
...Inquisitor Vallery. I thought you were just a carefree slacker, but you're scarier than I realized.
"Cough!"
Perhaps reacting to their conversation, a small groan rose from among the sprawled bodies.
It was their leader, Parish Priest Belinda.
Considering she'd been half-dead when rescued from the demonic beasts, her mental fortitude was impressive just for wriggling her body like that.
But the grueling journey had taken its toll—even her muscular frame had shrunk by half.
"Bethel......"
She crossed herself with a hoarse voice, glaring at Vallery with eyes full of hatred.
"You demon. Why are you back?"
"Ah, sorry for interrupting your rest, Miss Belinda."
Vallery apologized sheepishly.
"I have a few more questions. Depending on how the talk goes, I might have to pick up the tools again. Your cooperation, please."
*This guy's politely threatening them?*
Belinda snarled back at him.
"Hmph! Ask whatever you want. We're always pure before the Lord God! We've hidden nothing from the start—why need all this?"
*Hidden nothing?*
Sungjin glanced at Vallery, who shrugged.
"How do we know if their statements are true? 'People become honest only in the depths of utmost agony,' as they say. I just followed suit."
"...Another ancient saying from the Heresy Tribunal?"
Sensing Sungjin's displeasure, the inquisitor gave a troubled smile.
"Haha, Your Highness, they're heretics who seek salvation through bodily torment from the start. Isn't it good for them too? Not that we're thanking each other with smiles, but deep down, they'll be grateful to me."
*No, I don't think so.*
*Look at that—eyes that wanna grind you up and drink you down.*