The Heresy Inquisitors
Having secured the full support of the dwarves, we returned to the Arzen Kingdom.
From then on, our preparations to face the Necromancer Guild proceeded without a hitch.
"Focus the mana in your hand. Once it reaches a certain density, simply change its attribute from its original formless state to fire."
On the palace training grounds, Clara could be seen eagerly learning something from a red-haired man.
The red-haired man was none other than the dragon we had encountered in the Dwarf Mine.
His name was Karlaife. Of course, that was an alias, not his true name...
He had adjusted surprisingly well since arriving at the palace, taking his duties as Clara's magic teacher quite seriously.
After hearing about what happened at the Dwarf Mine, Edwin had designated a vacant annex in the palace as Karlaife's private residence, complete with maids and gardeners.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, Master!"
"Then shall we move on to practice? You there, ice human?"
Karlaife gestured toward us as we enjoyed refreshments on one side of the training grounds.
It didn't take long to realize who he meant by "ice human."
"Me?" Irene asked.
"Who else here looks like an ice human?"
"..."
Confirming it was indeed her, Irene stood up with a reluctant expression and walked over to where he and Clara stood.
"Our princess here is going to practice her magic. Go over there and block it."
"...I am not an ice human. My name is Irene."
"Sure, ice human."
"..."
At Karlaife's response, Clara lost her concentration and giggled, covering her mouth.
Unable to argue further with a dragon, Irene walked a distance away and prepared to cast her magic.
"Now, cast the spell on the ice human just like I taught you."
Clara focused her mind, gathering mana in her hands and attempting to convert its attribute, just as Karlaife had instructed.
"Good. You're doing well. A little more... just a little more..."
Slowly, the mana in Clara's hands began to glow red, igniting like fire.
She then aimed toward Irene, preparing to launch it as Karlaife had taught her.
"Fire!"
Whoosh!
A fireball the size of a melon flew straight toward Irene.
Watching it approach, Irene raised an ice barrier in front of her to block it.
Sizzle!
The moment the fireball struck the ice, it vanished, leaving only melting ice and trickling water where it had hit.
"Excellent. Very well done. Next time, if you compress the mana even more than today, you'll get a much stronger spell."
"Really?!"
Having successfully cast magic for the first time, Clara jumped up and down in sheer excitement.
Irene watched her, clicked her tongue, and walked back to where we were sitting.
"Good job, Irene," I said.
"Thanks for your hard work, Irene," Edwin added.
When we offered our words of appreciation, Irene's stiff expression finally softened a bit.
"By the way, Carlos. Where is Lucia? I haven't seen her for a while." Feeling her absence, Edwin looked around, searching for Lucia.
"Ah... she went to the refugee camp," I replied.
"The refugee camp?"
"Yeah. She said some of the refugees who came with us from the Erupe Kingdom still needed medical attention."
"By herself?"
"No. Clara assigned a few royal guards to go with her earlier."
"Ah..."
I had intended to go with her at first...
But Clara had dragged me along to watch her practice magic, preventing me from accompanying Lucia. Irene had woken up late, so she couldn't go either.
As Clara said, the Arzen Kingdom was relatively safe compared to other nations. With the royal guards she provided and the sentries guarding the refugee camp, nothing should happen...
Yet a corner of my mind couldn't help but regret not going with her.
"Hero! Hero! Did you see what I did?!"
Before I knew it, Clara had clung to my side, eagerly explaining the entire process of how she cast the magic.
Meanwhile, Karlaife quietly approached, sat down, and sipped his tea.
"Yes, I saw."
"If I work harder, I can join the hero's party too, right? Right?"
"Sure..."
Since she was trying so hard, I answered to give her some hope, but Irene merely snorted instead of offering any encouragement.
"Your Majesty."
While Clara and I were talking, an administrator ran over from the palace. He whispered a report to Edwin, then stepped back, awaiting his response.
"This is going to be a headache," Edwin muttered.
"Why?" I asked.
"Heresy Inquisitors have entered our kingdom."
"Heresy Inquisitors? Why?"
"It's always the same. They claim they've come to slay heretics or hunt witches..."
Heresy Inquisitors...
I knew their notorious reputation all too well. Composed of high-ranking holy knights from the Holy Temple, they traveled the continent, arresting, torturing, and even murdering anyone under the charge of blasphemy. They were essentially a legalized group of killers.
I had encountered them a few times back in the Eryther Empire. They demanded excessive piety and bared their fangs at the slightest hint of blasphemy. Even I preferred to avoid them if possible.
"Why are they here?"
"They claim they're here to catch heretics... but they said they won't enter the capital, so I suppose that's a relief."
"If they aren't entering the capital, where are they going?"
"They went to the refugee camp. No doubt they're looking for people who fled the western continent by blending in with the refugees."
"Hmm..."
Judging by Edwin's casual tone, it didn't seem like a big deal to him. Yet, I couldn't shake the sudden wave of anxiety that washed over me at the news of their arrival.
"What's wrong, Carlos?"
"Just... I have a bad feeling about this."
"Don't worry. They do this all the time. It's practically an annual event."
The refugee camp...
Currently, the camp near the capital was filled with the refugees our party had brought from the Erupe Kingdom.
And Lucia was there, volunteering to heal them...
No way.
The refugee camp near the capital of the Arzen Kingdom.
While waiting for the guard who had gone to obtain permission from the palace, the Heresy Inquisitors searched the camp, looking for clues about the Water Saint.
According to what they had heard at the refugee camp in the Erupe Kingdom, the Water Saint was part of the hero's party. However, the Inquisitors did not blindly believe those rumors.
The refugees might have lied to save their own skins, or fabricated the story to hide the true identity of the Water Saint.
Even if the real Water Saint was indeed in the hero's party, the Inquisitors had nothing to fear. To them, heretics meant death, and carrying out that mission was their absolute duty.
"His Majesty has granted permission, on the condition that you do not enter the capital."
The guard returned with the King's approval. Before he could even finish speaking, the inquisitorial investigators rushed into the camp and began searching indiscriminately.
"Bring everyone who knows anything about the Water Saint!"
According to the laws decreed by the Holy Temple, no kingdom on the continent had the right to bar entry to the Heresy Inquisitors.
However, considering the recent strained relations between the Arzen Kingdom and the Holy Temple, they had shown a modicum of courtesy by seeking the King's permission first.
"Aaaah!"
"Help me!"
Indiscriminate beatings and killings by the Inquisitors ensued. The guards wanted to intervene, but with the King's permission already granted, they had no authority to stop them.
Meanwhile, Lucia, who was busy treating the refugees, stopped her work and looked around at the sudden commotion.
Amidst the fleeing refugees, inquisitorial investigators clad in white armor were marching toward her.
"Lady Lucia, we will go and see what is happening."
One of the royal guards Clara had assigned to her stepped forward to investigate.
"Who are you?" the guard asked.
"We are the Heresy Inquisitors, messengers of the Goddess. Who are you to block our path?"
"We are knights of the Arzen Royal Guard."
"We only need to take those associated with the Water Saint. If you interfere, you will all be executed for blasphemy. Do not stand in our way."
Recognizing their identity as Heresy Inquisitors, the royal guards knew they had no authority to stop them and decided to step back.
However, when one of the investigators suddenly moved toward Lucia, a guard blocked him with his body.
"Who is that demi-human?"
"That is Lady Lucia, a member of the hero's party. Watch your tongue!"
"A member of the hero's party?"
At the mention of the hero's party, the investigator seemed to find something suspicious and quickly ran off.
A moment later, another Inquisitor, Priest Joseph, approached on a white horse, his white cloak fluttering.
"Did you say the hero's party?" Joseph asked.
"Yes."
The Inquisitors whispered among themselves, gradually gathering until they had surrounded Lucia.
"Are you Lucia of the hero's party?" Joseph asked.
"Yes? Yes... I am Lucia..."
Priest Joseph looked at the patients gathered unusually close to Lucia, then spoke again.
"If you do not speak the truth from this moment on, we, the Heresy Inquisitors, messengers of the Goddess, will execute you on the spot. Answer my questions carefully..."
At the mention of execution, the extremely tense royal guards instinctively reached for the swords at their waists. The surrounding Inquisitors did the same.
"Are you the Water Saint who came from the refugee camp in the Erupe Kingdom?"