The Giant of Yura
The Giant of Yura. That day, too, began the same way.
Olendo was in the middle of groping a noblewoman he had seduced at the ball, sucking and biting at her in a corner like an animal in heat. The shameless sight made Limia wrinkle her nose, though she tried hard not to look directly at it.
"Your Majesty. People might see..."
"So what? Let them look. Who would dare stop me?"
They wouldn't. That's true.
With her superhuman hearing, the sounds were impossible to ignore, yet she pretended not to hear them as she thought to herself. He wasn't wrong. Who among the nobility could possibly stop Olendo, with his iron grip on royal power? In fact, everyone present was deliberately turning their heads away, pretending not to see. Even the queen herself.
She had whipped her head around as if she'd witnessed something unseemly and immediately resumed chatting with the others.
Impressive.
Limia felt genuine admiration watching her. To be able to ignore her husband openly fondling another woman and carry on with perfect composure... Despite her gentle appearance, the queen clearly had a spine of steel.
"Hmm... This looks like a clear case of flagrante delicto. We could arrest them right now."
At that moment—
A chill ran down her spine.
Limia turned toward the source of the voice, an inexplicable sense of unease prickling her skin.
Who is that?
She raised her guard at the sight of a man she had never seen before in this kingdom. Brown hair. Sharp green eyes set in a piercing gaze. He was handsome enough to draw gasps, yet there was an unmistakable edge to him, like a blade half-drawn from its sheath.
Step. Step.
Everyone's eyes were now fixed on the man who strode boldly toward Olendo. Even Olendo, who had been burying his face in the woman's breasts, sensed the shift in atmosphere and slowly lifted his head.
"Oh my."
The woman holding Olendo in her arms had been waiting for things to end. When she saw the approaching man's face, she blushed without realizing it.
That displeased Olendo greatly. Who was this bastard, stealing the attention of the woman he had claimed?
"Who the hell are you?"
Olendo asked while hastily straightening his disheveled clothes. Instead of answering, the man pulled out an inverted cross rosario.
"This kind of person."
The room stirred.
Everyone was shocked. An Inquisitor had dared to walk boldly into the royal palace. It was practically a suicide mission.
"...Holy Knight?"
Olendo immediately grew wary and scanned for Holy Knights. Even if they were present, this was the royal palace—there shouldn't be any real threat. Still, a blade too close for comfort was always dangerous.
Click!
"What kind of lunatic would crawl in here? Just some filthy Adultery Investigator?"
Olendo laughed confidently at the royal knights who had suddenly appeared, guns drawn. Inquisitors might terrify the pathetic commoners, but he felt no fear. Killing one and playing innocent was nothing to a king. That certainty made Olendo's expression swell with arrogance.
"Well, I assume you already know your own sins."
Yet even in this situation, the man remained utterly calm.
What the hell is with this guy?
Limia was dumbfounded. How could he speak so boldly with four knights pointing guns at him, magic already gathering at their fingertips? Even she felt a hint of danger in the air. And yet he was completely composed... Did he have something up his sleeve?
As Limia pondered this, the man continued walking toward Olendo, ignoring the guns entirely.
The knights fired without hesitation.
Everyone closed their eyes.
Bang!
They all expected the Inquisitor to be found as a gruesome corpse when they opened their eyes again.
But...
"Now it's self-defense, wouldn't you say?"
The scene they imagined never materialized.
"!"
The man stood perfectly fine despite being shot. He casually healed his wounds as he spoke. The bullets were pushed out of his body by the healing magic. It was a completely unreal sight.
Limia was at a loss for words at the abnormal display. He hadn't blocked the bullets—he had let them hit him, then regenerated as if it were nothing. Something was very wrong here.
And then, something even more unbelievable happened.
Crack!
"Taren!"
In the blink of an eye, the Inquisitor closed in on one knight and drove his fist into the man's uniform. The sound of bones shattering rang out as the knight named Taren collapsed on the spot.
Whoosh!
"!"
Thud!
The monstrous priest hurled the unconscious knight at another, then scooped up the bullets that had been expelled from his own body and threw them at the remaining two knights.
Thud!
The bullets flew at invisible speed and buried themselves precisely in the knights' legs.
Thump!
In an instant, all four royal knights were down.
Limia was stunned. Olendo was seized with terror.
"L-Limia! Stop that man!"
At Olendo's frantic command, Limia had no choice but to move. She closed the distance in a flash and seized the man's head.
Tap.
"Huh? You're really tall, aren't you?"
A playful smile bloomed across the sharp eyes of the man caught in Limia's grip. The blade-like aura around him vanished, replaced by a warm, gentle presence.
It was an incredible change.
Limia felt a spark of admiration even as she answered his question.
"It's been a while since I've seen a man as tall as you."
She was genuinely surprised by the priest's height. He was only a head shorter than her... Among men, very few reached such stature.
Even as she spoke, Limia kept her grip on his head and hurled him straight out the window.
Crash!
"Kyaa!"
The glass shattered, and the man plummeted outside amid surrounding screams.
Or at least, he should have.
Tap.
Is that even possible?
Limia was speechless watching the priest twist gracefully in midair and land softly below. It was as if he weren't human—like a bird correcting its fall. No, even a bird couldn't do that.
With that thought, Limia leaped down after him.
Boom.
By now, every eye in the palace was fixed on the two of them. Limia no longer cared about that pathetic Olendo. Right now, nothing mattered except...
"You're strong, aren't you?"
Her interest in this man had eclipsed everything else.
"Hmm, combat isn't really my area. Strictly speaking, I'm an Inquisitor in the family affairs division. I specialize more in matrimonial law..."
Whoosh!
At that moment Limia swung her fist, and the priest dodged it without even looking.
"You are strong."
She had never met anyone who could evade her punch so effortlessly. Her heart began to race as she shouted at the knights who had rushed over.
For some strange reason, her magic refused to activate.
"Sword!"
"Huh? Oh, yes!"
One knight made a dazed face before throwing her his blade. Limia caught it and swung with all her might.
Clang!
"Huh... He blocked it?"
He had blocked her sword? Her full-powered strike? No one had ever stopped her blade before, so her eyes widened in shock. And he had done it with his bare hand? Just how strong was his mana reinforcement? Her jaw nearly dropped.
If his mana reinforcement was this powerful, it meant he hadn't failed to block the bullets earlier—he had simply let them hit him on purpose.
That realization filled Limia with admiration. The man, however, let out a sigh.
"The Giant of Yura... You really are huge."
At his impressed remark, she swung her sword again and said,
"Now that you mention it..."
Clang! Clang!
Every time Limia's sword collided with his hand, they produced sounds that seemed impossible for steel meeting flesh. As their exchange continued, she asked,
"I didn't catch your name. What is it?"
"..."
Crack!
Oh no!
In that instant, a gap appeared in Limia's mana reinforcement. The man's hand shattered her sword, then snaked around her throat like a viper.
Squeeze!
What... what kind of strength is this...?
Limia was shocked. In her entire life, she had never been overpowered in raw strength. Yet she couldn't shake off the hand gripping her neck no matter how hard she tried.
Squeeze...!
Desperately clawing at his arm, her fingers dug into the priest's flesh, but he paid it no mind and continued choking her.
He said,
"It seems we've been rather late with proper introductions."
I'm losing consciousness...
With oxygen cut off, Limia's vision began to blur. Her magic still refused to activate. The priest ignored the fingers embedded in his arm and tightened his grip even further as he spoke.
Drip.
Blood poured down the priest's arm. Limia's eyes gradually turned pure white.
"My name is Jenkinson Beckett."
Thud.
Her consciousness cut off there.
That was Limia's first meeting with him... and their last conversation.
— That was how it all began.
So that bastard is here too...
Watching Hermann casually twirling his pistol in front of her, Limia broke from her reverie and muttered to herself.
When she had woken up afterward, the first things she saw were Olendo's corpse being dragged to the plaza and burned at the stake before the capital's citizens, and his son who had become the new king.
From that day on, the continent began to fear Inquisitors even more. Rumors spread of a monstrous Inquisitor who could storm the royal palace alone and carry out judgment. Of course, among the nobility, the prevailing opinion was that there was only one such monster, so as long as you avoided him, there was nothing to worry about.
Anyway, the reason Limia had agreed to attend this meeting was because that man would be here too. Since he was always traveling across the continent, this was a golden opportunity to see him again.
"Were you waiting for me?"
Limia spoke with a smile to Hermann, who was still leisurely spinning his pistol. Hermann smiled back and replied,
"Well, it wouldn't be a proper inspection if I bothered someone who was just standing still, would it? Sister Limia."
At that answer, Limia laughed. An inspection, he called it...
Crackle. Crackle.
"That makes me curious too."
At that moment, electricity began sparking across Limia's body. Seeing it, Hermann suddenly felt a chill.
This was...
Definitely dangerous.
It was a little risky. The moment Hermann thought that, Limia's mouth opened.
"I've suddenly felt like inspecting you as well."
After that, no more words were needed. Just as the two were about to clash—
"Hermann. This is not acceptable."
"...Your Holiness."
Henri, who had appeared out of nowhere, spoke with a stern expression. Hermann immediately holstered his pistol, and Limia sheepishly withdrew her electricity.
Watching them, Henri bowed deeply.
"Sister Limia. I apologize for this friend's rudeness."
When the Pope himself bowed in apology, Limia became flustered and waved her hands frantically.
"N-no, not at all, Your Holiness. It was actually quite fun."
Honestly, she was a little disappointed it had been interrupted midway... but Hermann was clearly a formidable opponent. If they had fought to the end, who knew what might have happened? Stopping here was the right decision.
With that thought, Limia answered, and Henri expressed his gratitude before turning to Hermann.
"May the Goddess's mercy be with you. And Archbishop Hermann, you will follow me."
Henri spoke with a smile so terrifying it could make one's blood run cold. Hermann lowered his head like a mouse before a cat.
"Yes, Your Holiness..."
Henri grabbed Hermann by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away, apologizing once more.
"I apologize again, Sister Limia. Please enjoy your time in the Holy Kingdom."
"Thank you, Your Holiness. May the Goddess's mercy be with you as well."
Limia bowed respectfully to Henri, then stood alone, scratching her head.
The mood's completely ruined...
Still...
It was nice to reminisce about the old days.
As a warm-up, it hadn't been half bad. With that thought, Limia began walking leisurely back to the inn.
She would see him tomorrow anyway.
Looking forward to that day.