The City of Pleasure, Sabron
The City of Pleasure, Sabron.
"Jenkinson! Were you waiting for me? How admirable of you."
Ilena had just stepped off the train when she spotted Jenkinson sitting on a station bench, absorbed in reading the holy scriptures. Her face lit up with delight as she approached and ruffled his hair. The soft sensation felt strangely pleasant. It was like petting a loyal, oversized dog. As that thought crossed her mind, Jenkinson—who had been quietly enduring her touch—finally spoke.
"You're a little late."
"Ah, that. Father was being rather bothersome. I had to slip away from him."
That was probably why Horaya would be late too, she added with a laugh. At her words, Jenkinson thought to himself, The imperial princess has it rough as well.
It wasn't quite overprotection, but what parent would willingly allow their daughter to visit a city like this? Even Jenkinson knew that if he ever had a child, he would never permit them to set foot here.
"Anyway, what are we supposed to do now that we're here? Did you receive any specific instructions?"
Asa whispered softly while watching Ilena ask the question with such a bright expression. "What an incredibly beautiful priest. He truly looks like one."
Jenkinson found himself at a loss. A real priest? Then...
"...Does that mean I've been coming across as a fake priest this whole time?"
"Y-yes, ah, that's not—"
Asa floundered in panic when Jenkinson spoke with a faintly wounded expression, while Ilena burst into laughter.
"Haha, what an honest knight you are. Though I suppose no matter how you look at him, he doesn't really seem like a priest."
When he laughed, he could pass for one, but those cold eyes of his in everyday moments sent involuntary shivers down the spine. It was in moments like these that one remembered anew: he was a warrior. Even while shouldering the role of a priest, he had always been a warrior at heart. A strong man who silently endured countless wounds without ever showing them. She wanted to help this friend of hers, who was more fragile than he appeared...
"Oh, looks like Horaya is here."
She wanted to help him. This friend who seemed softer than his exterior suggested would need someone new to lean on.
"Now that I think about it, you've changed."
"?"
In that sense... Ilena felt a small sense of relief. The old Jenkinson would have thought of Sera the moment he saw her. He wouldn't have shown it, but he would have been in pain. Now, though, he seemed all right.
Did he find himself a new woman?
If so, that was wonderful. Ilena smiled at the thought. She had always worried that this tactless friend of hers might never forget Sera and spend his life in lonely solitude. But... it seemed that wasn't the case. He had apparently found a connection that could ease some of that old pain. For that, Ilena was truly glad. She had only ever wished for one thing—for this awkward friend of hers to find happiness.
"As I always say, that child is terribly stubborn. I told her long ago to abandon her priestly duties and return home."
Roughly twenty minutes earlier, a man had been lecturing Horaya, who stood before him. His crimson eyes held a cold gleam, and his flame-red hair was meticulously groomed. He was a middle-aged man with sharp features that radiated an icy aura. Even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes only added a dignified weight of years, making him strikingly handsome.
Horaya smiled awkwardly at the man's calm tone. "Ahaha..."
Given who she was facing, there wasn't much she could do. The middle-aged man was Lugbel Ozen Luca—the legitimate heir to the great Luca Empire, which stood as the undisputed hegemonic power of the continent.
Her only resistance was to smile awkwardly and let his words roll off her. That was all.
Realizing he wouldn't receive a satisfactory reply from her reaction, Lugbel eventually sighed in resignation.
"Still... yes, I suppose that man is with her."
Honestly, Lugbel found it uncomfortable that his daughter worked as a priest—especially as an Inquisitor, a notoriously difficult role. But no parent could truly overcome their child. He had wanted to oppose this mission as well, yet she wouldn't listen, and with that man accompanying her, it should be fine. In the end, Lugbel had relented.
"Then go and carry out your duties."
"Yes."
With permission granted, Horaya immediately rose and disembarked from the train. Lugbel remained seated, lost in thought for a long while.
"More importantly, it seems quite a lot happened while I was away. I heard that child Orvia caused quite the incident."
At Lugbel's words, a blunt-faced man who had taken a seat across from him at some point nodded.
"That is correct. It involved demons. Had things gone poorly, she might have lost her life..."
"If it severs her ties with Gilbert, she might as well have died. What a useless sister."
Lugbel's response was cold, yet he was still relieved his sister remained alive. No matter what, blood ties could not be so easily discarded.
"Five years... isn't that rather long?"
Even if her connection to Gilbert had been cut, her beauty meant she still had plenty of uses. Lugbel disliked that the church would hold her for such an extended period, but...
"It was the punishment decided by Priest Jenkinson. It is unlikely to change."
There was nothing to do but accept it.
"..."
She was not valuable enough to turn Jenkinson into an enemy by demanding he revise his verdict.
"Roman. Continue the investigation. I wish to discern the Holy Kingdom's true intentions."
As he issued the order to Roman—his shadow and most trusted subordinate—the man bowed his head.
"I shall obey."
Father seems frightened, but...
Lugbel fell calmly into thought. It appeared his father had lost the vigor of his youth and grown to fear the Holy Kingdom. But this was the Empire. And the Empire was a place that must never show fear before any foe. Therefore, Lugbel intended to stand proud. The Empire could not afford to cower before a single man.
"Then we'll have to travel together," Ilena said with a laugh.
This city had fallen into such utter corruption that even its lord had abandoned it and fled. In other words...
"It means I have an enormous amount of work ahead of me, doesn't it?"
As an Inquisitor specializing in doctrinal matters, her responsibilities would indeed be vast.
"...Indeed."
And it would be a lie to say her secular status wouldn't prove helpful in carrying out those duties. Sabron belonged to the Lutel Principality, a vassal state of the Empire. She was the daughter of Lugbel, the imperial crown prince widely expected to ascend the throne. The principality had no choice but to tread carefully around her, and that fact...
"I apologize for the delay. I am Bosman, Chief Justice of the Lutel Principality. Though my abilities are lacking, I will devote myself fully to supporting the priests' activities here in Sabron."
The reality of it appeared immediately. Moreover...
To think they'd send the head of the entire judiciary...
Jenkinson hadn't expected the chief judicial authority of the Lutel Principality to come in person. Once again, he keenly felt the weight of her status. Her influence was not something an ordinary priest could wield. It was power capable of making even a principality's Chief Justice bow his head. She didn't seem inclined to use it much, but...
This is... well, differences in position exist for a reason.
Not many people could simply accept that truth as it was. Thinking along those lines, Jenkinson rose to his feet.
"I assume you've brought soldiers as well."
This city had already fallen beyond the point of ordinary salvation. The arrival of a Chief Justice wouldn't change much on its own. At his question, Bosman nodded.
"At present, fifty knights from the principality's order and five hundred elite soldiers are standing by in the vicinity."
"Only that much?" Ilena asked, sounding surprised.
Her question had carried the implication of whether such force was truly necessary, but the Chief Justice interpreted it differently. His face turned pale.
"T-that is not all. General Virka's defense force of four thousand will arrive shortly, so... please be lenient with us."
At any rate, Ilena should have no problems.
With that level of military support and the Chief Justice's assistance, the doctrinal purification work would proceed smoothly. Jenkinson wondered if his own presence was even required. But if she was handling the doctrinal side of the Inquisition here, he could focus on his own domain—the domestic affairs side, investigating infidelity.
"Ah, there's Horaya now. Shall we begin?"
Her tasks would likely prove more difficult, but Jenkinson wasn't worried. She would handle it well. Therefore...
"We can operate separately from here. Let's go, Sir Asa. We have our own work to attend to."
"Eh? What about working together?"
Ilena looked flustered, but Jenkinson judged that the advantages of staying together weren't particularly significant. Rather, in this situation, acting independently was essentially the same as cooperating.
Munch. Munch.
"I see. While they're handling the city's purification over there, we simply need to catch the adulterers here. It's suddenly become much simpler."
Watching Ilena sentence those involved in drug use and fraudulent gambling, Asa chewed thoughtfully on a chicken skewer.
Ilena's purification efforts were proceeding smoothly with the full cooperation of the Lutel Principality. Seeing this, it was clear the principality had never lacked the power to cleanse this place. They had simply lacked the will to do so. Of course, how long this purification would last remained uncertain. Even if they uprooted the deeply entrenched cartels in this thoroughly rotten city, new ones would likely take their place. Still...
Crunch.
"Well then, let's focus on our own tasks."
That wasn't their concern. With that thought, Jenkinson continued his own style of discreet investigation. It wasn't as flashy as what Ilena was doing. To some, it might even appear petty or insignificant. But...
"Rumors, you say... Now that you mention it, I think I once overheard that my neighbor Charles has been carrying on with Jenna from the mill. Ah! Of course, I'm completely innocent in the matter."
"Hmm... Understood. I'll make a note of it. Thank you for your cooperation."
This was the duty assigned to him. Jenkinson intended to carry out his work without concerning himself with how others might view him.