Chapter 28

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 28

Chapter Title: EP 3. Yuta - Slave of Chaos

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"Ugh...?!"

A terribly ominous feeling suddenly squeezed my chest.

It felt like I'd been handed down some kind of verdict.

But I couldn't quite recall what it was exactly.

When I came to my senses and looked ahead, choices floated before me.

[ 1. Dodge. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠]

[ 2. Face it. ]

Only then did I remember the danger right in front of me.

Yurisia was attacking.

I chose to dodge.

The sharp claws made of black energy just barely missed me as I twisted my body away, then I sprinted at full speed toward where my sword had fallen.

"You think I'll let you?!"

Yurisia, catching on to my intent, used magic to hurl my sword far away.

"Damn...!"

That was the moment.

My sword gleamed blue, and I felt some kind of energy.

It was, so to speak, a [connection].

"No matter how skilled a swordsman you are, without a sword, you're just a lump of meat. You fought well, but this is the end."

Yurisia approached with a triumphant laugh.

"...You're right."

"What?"

"A swordsman and their sword are one. I'm connected to my sword."

"What nonsense. Shut up and die!"

Yurisia charged with a ferocious yell.

At the same time, my sword, tossed far away, began to writhe as if drawn by something, then shot upward and flew swiftly toward me.

"What?!"

By the time Yurisia noticed, it was too late.

I caught the flying sword and gripped it.

Yurisia recoiled in shock, trying to put distance between us.

"Think you can escape? Raaah!"

I closed in on Yurisia in a flash and swung my sword down with all my might.

"Kyaaaah!"

Yurisia desperately tried to turn into mist to evade, but the magic of my treasured sword wouldn't allow it.

The blade, wrapped in blue light, pierced through the dark energy, slicing into Yurisia's true form hidden within.

With a chilling scream, Yurisia was engulfed in blue flames and burned away until she vanished completely.

"Haa... haa..."

I'd done it.

Finally.

All the tension drained from me, and I collapsed right there on the spot.

Immediately after, a black gem appeared and fell where Yurisia had vanished.

"This is...?"

I picked up the black gem and examined it closely.

"Ah..."

Why was this?

As I stared into the crystal, an increasingly irresistible urge overwhelmed me.

I wanted to—

Swallow it.

The moment that desire crystallized in my mind, I was already bringing the gem to my mouth, parting my lips wide and shoving it inside.

Gulp—.

With a death-rattle-like sound, the gem slid down into me.

It felt rough and hard at first, painfully so, an unbearable burden, but gradually it became comfortable.

"Hnguuuh...!"

My vision flashed white.

For a split second, my consciousness floated into the air before snapping back.

When I opened my tightly shut eyes again, I was in an unfamiliar place.

"Where... is this...?"

It was a place shrouded in total darkness, where I couldn't make out a thing.

I proceeded cautiously, groping through the darkness.

Suddenly, something appeared right in front of my nose.

It was a massive eye.

"Whoa!"

I startled and fell backward.

The giant eye then hummed and emitted light.

Staring into its spiraling pupil made my head go blank.

It obeys.

It obeys.

It obeys.

Long tentacles appeared from somewhere, wrapped around my body, and lifted me into the air.

Then they invaded every orifice without mercy.

Ears, mouth, nose, nipples, pussy, and rear hole—all of them.

"Ah♥ It obeys...♥ Hngah♥ It obeys...♥ Urgh...♥ It obeys... It obeys... I submit...♥"

Stamps were successively carved into my body.

"Yes... Master..."

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in bed.

"Ugh..."

I groaned, clutching my head.

Something felt off.

It was like I'd gone through something massively shocking, but oddly, I couldn't remember anything.

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded fiercely. For some reason, I felt excited, my breathing ragged, my body burning hot.

Did I catch a cold or something?

"Ugh...?!"

Suddenly, an odd sensation came from my lower body.

I hesitated as I got up and shuffled to the mirror nearby.

There was me, with a somewhat anxiously flushed face that somehow looked incredibly lewd.

Nothing seemed particularly wrong.

Nothing at—

"Just my imagination...?"

I mumbled in confusion.

That's when footsteps approached from outside.

I startled and hurriedly climbed back into bed.

Soon, Lena entered.

"You're awake."

Lena came in carrying clothes in both arms, brightened upon seeing me, and spoke.

"Good thing. You were groaning in pain the whole time, so I was really worried."

"Was I...?"

As Lena said, it did feel like I'd had a bad dream.

I just couldn't recall exactly what.

"Oh, these are fresh clothes to change into. The ones you were wearing got soaked with sweat while you slept, so I took them off in case you caught a cold."

Lena placed the clothes on the blanket.

Then she pulled a chair over, sat beside me, and placed a hand on my forehead.

"Fever's down. Good. Really..."

Tears soon welled up and trickled from Lena's eyes.

Lena quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, embarrassed.

"Why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you crying?"

"It's just... it feels like I've only caused you trouble. Sorry. Really sorry. In the end, I couldn't do anything again this time."

Only then did I recall what happened right before I lost consciousness.

The fierce battle with Yurisia.

"It's fine. We're companions, right?"

I reached out and wiped the tears streaming down Lena's cheek.

"So stop. Tears don't suit a cool Heretic Inquisitor like you."

"...Yeah. You're... right. That's true."

Lena managed a faint smile, seeming to regain her spirits.

"Next time! I'll definitely save everyone. Including you, Lia. Yeah. I'll repay this debt that way."

"No, debts should be repaid with money."

"Eh...?"

"You didn't think I was helping you out of pure charity, did you? Everything in the world comes down to money."

"That's how it was...?!"

Lena froze in shock right there.

Her reaction was so cute and innocent that I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Well, you can pay me back later."

"S-So I do have to pay you back."

"Of course."

Does she think I'm joking?

According to Lena, Yurisia's death lifted the Curse of Distortion that had blanketed all of Yuta.

However, it caused quite a commotion in the city.

"Since the curse's origin turned out to be this church, people came flocking, and downstairs is a total mess. We're explaining, but they're all emotionally charged and won't listen..."

Lena said with a troubled expression.

"That's too much. If anything, the people here are victims too..."

"Can't be helped. We just have to wait for things to calm down."

Lena sighed deeply.

Amid that, urgent footsteps rushed toward us from outside.

The door flew open, and a familiar-faced nun burst in panting, speaking urgently.

It was Sera.

"Lena, big trouble."

"What happened?"

Lena stood, her face turning serious as well.

"Um... soldiers at the church..."

"Soldiers?"

Lena hurriedly followed Sera out of the infirmary.

I quickly changed clothes and trailed after them.

Down on the lower floor, as Sera said, the church folk were facing off against men armed with armor and spears.

"What is all this commotion?!"

Lena stepped forward in front of the church people and shouted at the soldiers.

"This is a sanctuary protected under the grace of the Eight Holy Gods! No one may enter armed without permission or due process!"

"And who are you?! How dare you raise your voice at me?! Do you know who I am?!"

The man in the center of the soldiers bellowed back.

He was a hook-nosed man exuding luxury from his attire.

"I am Macaron, lord of this city! Get out now that you know!"

"I am Lena, a Heretic Inquisitor formally appointed by the Church. Be you lord or whatever, this is Church territory. You should leave."

Lena stood her ground.

At the mention of Heretic Inquisitor, Macaron faltered.

"What?! I never heard of a Heretic Inquisitor in my city!"

"Of course not. We operate in secret."

"Ugh... If you're really a Heretic Inquisitor, it makes even less sense for you to side with these guys! They're the culprits behind the city's disturbances!"

"No. From what I know, that's not true. And even if it were, we can't jump to conclusions. As you said, all this happened within the church's domain. It's the Church's responsibility to investigate. Not yours."

Macaron gnashed his teeth at Lena's response.

He seemed inexplicably anxious.

Like he'd come to pin all the blame on the church but was being blocked and getting desperate.

"And I have suspicions about you too."

"What...?"

"These city disturbances spanned a long time. It doesn't make sense that you, the lord, knew nothing. A more plausible guess is that you turned a blind eye for some reason. Isn't it?"

"H-How dare you... suspect a lord like me with such baseless claims?! I can't tolerate this anymore! Guards! Arrest them all!"

The lord shouted in outrage.

As the guards moved to act, Lena drew a deep breath and bellowed powerfully.

"Halt!"

The guards froze in place.

"This is the sanctuary of the gods, and I am their proxy! If any dare commit blasphemy despite that, I will judge them in the name of the gods without hesitation!"

The guards, intimidated by the Heretic Inquisitor's command, trembled, unable to act.

"She can be fierce when she wants..."

I muttered from afar, watching.

"W-What are you doing?! I said arrest them! You... worthless rabble...! Fine! Luseca! Your turn! Deal with that loudmouth woman!"

Macaron turned to the female swordsman beside him.

The black-haired knight exuded an overwhelming presence just standing there.

If the nearby soldiers were mere pups, she was the alpha wolf.

Lena seemed to sense it too, tensing as her hand went to the sword sheath at her waist.

The woman called Luseca glanced at the nearby soldiers, the lord, and Lena in turn, then shrugged.

"Sorry, but I can't do that."

"W-What?"

"I'm here as a bodyguard, not to join crimes. No intention of poking a hornet's nest for pay. Especially not against a Heretic Inquisitor. Religious crimes get handled way harsher than regular ones."

"You...! So you're chickening out! All high and mighty before! I expected more from a veteran adventurer, but you're no different from these beggars!"

Macaron snapped in anger.

"Hey. Watch your mouth. I hold grudges."

Luseca warned.

Macaron cowered briefly, then puffed up with bravado.

"H-How dare you mock me?! I have connections to nobles in the capital! One letter from me, and you—or her—will be out on your asses!"

Macaron pointed threateningly at Luseca and Lena in turn.

"I see. In that case, I need to make sure you can't pull any stunts."

Luseca said.

Macaron backed away in fear.

"A-Are you going to attack me?!"

"Nah. Hey, Miss Heretic Inquisitor. Got some tips for you. Overheard something suspicious. Pure coincidence, of course."

Luseca turned to Lena and spoke nonchalantly.

"W-Wait! What are you—!"

"I'd like to hear it."

Lena replied.

Macaron glanced around and bolted for the church doors.

A sword sheath flew and struck the fleeing lord in the back of the head.

Macaron toppled over, knocked out cold.

"Oops. Slipped."

Luseca shrugged as if it were an accident.

In the end, Luseca's testimony revealed some shady deal between Yuta's lord and Yurisia.

We didn't learn the full details, but it was clear the lord had backed her from the shadows, allowing her to operate undetected.

"The Church will investigate the lord's disposition further before deciding. Until then, he's confined to his residence. The city's prominent figures will handle governance until the verdict."

Lena returned after wrapping things up and explained.

"Is that okay?"

"No need to worry. From what I hear, the lord isn't well-trusted here. They accepted readily, for some reason. My real concern is something happening to him before the verdict. That'd really mess up evidence collection."

Thus, we finished up in Yuta and resumed our journey to the capital.

Soon after, news confirmed Lena's fears had come true.

A passing merchant told us Lord Macaron had been found dead in his home.

"...We should have stayed in Yuta after all..."

Lena muttered, biting her lip in self-reproach.

And so, the Yuta incident wrapped up on a rather fishy note.

But it wasn't all bad news.

When we reached the next city, a letter arrived from Sera.

It detailed recent church events and how her magical aptitude had been recognized, allowing her to officially begin studying holy arts.

[Maybe we'll meet in the capital someday. I'll study hard for that. Hope we can see each other again.]

Now I had two connections at the church.

The thought crossed my mind.

Sunny days lie ahead.