A Bountiful Corn Harvest (2)
An unnamed chapel on the far outskirts of even the Starting Floor. The untimely tramp of military boots shattered the peaceful silence.
Dozens of Heretic Inquisitors stormed in, falling into ranks with the seamless precision of interlocking gears.
For Zion, who had been enjoying some well-earned downtime after leaving the work to her suckers—er, workers—it was a bolt from a clear blue sky.
What the hell is that?
But the uninvited guests showed no interest in answering her questions. They simply held formation, staring coldly.
In the middle of that wave of Inquisitors clad in razor-edged steel, a man casually took in the chapel's full view.
"A chapel built on a foundation of stone, raised with carved wood. Indeed… it lacks nothing to be called an 'idol.'"
Sizzle. Sparks leapt with the sound of something catching fire. One by one, the torches in the Heretic Inquisitors' hands flared to life.
Flames began to burn hot. Then savage shouts tore through the silence, erupting from their mouths.
"The purifying flame for heretics!!"
"Save their souls through burning at the stake!"
"Calm yourselves, brothers. Should we not also give a lost lamb the chance to repent?"
They're filming a whole movie among themselves, I swear.
The Heretic Inquisitors tilted their heads in puzzlement at the unexpected mercy, but none dared object.
Once his brothers expressed obedience through silence, Victor slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze on Zion.
Of course, Zion was not about to look kindly on people barging in out of nowhere, banging drums and beating gongs about repentance and salvation.
"What business brings you here?"
"Before that, let me ask one thing. Are you the one called the Saintess of the Beginning?"
"I am called by that name, yes."
"I will not waste words. Kneel now, repent with all your heart, and convert to the Kyodan. Do so, and I will spare your life."
What is this lunatic saying?
She had expected the Kyodan to push back over the matter with Rin… but there were limits.
This went beyond nitpicking over which fruit to put on the ancestral altar—this was a bandit trying to eat the whole offering table raw.
They were the ones who had refused to treat people in the first place, and now they were throwing a fit… the sheer shamelessness of it.
"I refuse."
"And the reason?"
"I find myself wondering whether the 'will of God' even exists for a Kyodan that turns its back on suffering lambs and busies itself only with persecution."
Zion had not the slightest interest in the will of God, but she could hardly bare her true thoughts either.
She offered an answer dressed up in reasonably holy-sounding goodwill. Unexpectedly, though, Victor was left speechless.
It was certainly a sentiment that resonated given the Kyodan's recent conduct. But his faith was not so easily shaken.
"You refuse to repent. Truly, a heretic if ever there was one."
"The purifying flame for heretics!!"
"Brothers, burn everything of the heretic—"
"I thought I smelled iron… so it's the Kyodan's hunting dogs."
At the sound like a beast's snarl, horror flashed across Victor's face. Why was that man here?!
Beast ears rising through black hair. Crimson eyes beneath them pierced Victor like an arrow.
As if the Inquisitors' intimidation meant nothing at all, the young man approached him casually.
"What business brings a pack of hunting dogs all the way out here?"
A sharp rebuke that seemed to crush the heart. Victor felt cold sweat trickle down his spine.
Iron Fist Leon…!! Why is the Rank 48 High Ranker and manager of the 34th Floor here…?!
Managers usually never left their posts. Hostile guilds or Unrankers could attack at any time.
Moreover, the 34th Floor that Leon managed was a resource-rich jungle—a zone coveted even by non-hostile guilds.
So he should barely have time to hold his post, yet here he was all the way down on the Starting Floor. And more than anything…
What on earth is that corn he's holding?!
"My, my. Looks like one beast recognized another and came out to greet him."
"If you want to die, just say so."
Even Divine Archer Elena, manager of the 33rd Floor?!
Victor nearly went weak in the knees. Not one manager, but two of them were here.
Other Inquisitors who recognized them also began to visibly stir. These weren't just anyone—they were High Rankers.
But Victor somehow seized hold of his fading consciousness again. For the sake of punishing heretics, even his life…!!
Wait a second. If I play this right, I can get this done without lifting a finger, can't I?
At first Zion had planned to handle it herself. But now that her suckers—er, workers—had entered the chapel…
Was there any need to go to the trouble of moving herself? Unfortunately for Victor, Zion moved a step faster.
"Would you happen to need more corn?"
At those words, both High Rankers' eyes spun.
Heretic Inquisitors.
The reason many Adventurers avoided them was not solely their blind and bothersome faith.
Having undergone harsh training under Kyodan-affiliated Rankers and equipped with specialized weapons, their strength was nothing to take lightly.
"Heretic Inquisitors can take down bosses and Named monsters without much trouble below the 40th Floor. They're not a force you can underestimate."
Whoa…
Recalling the advice Ifrit had given her a few days ago, Zion slowly lifted her head.
Those Heretic Inquisitors she had been so carefully warned not to underestimate were now screaming and flying through the air.
Of course, Zion herself was the cause… but she hadn't expected them to be pushed back this one-sidedly.
Even for High Rankers, I didn't think they'd toy with them this one-sidedly…
Zion had asked only one thing of them: drive every Heretic Inquisitor out of the chapel without killing them.
It wasn't that she held some non-killing principle—it was just that blood and guts would be a pain to clean up.
But even under that condition, Leon and Elena were running wild like fish in water.
"KRAAAAGH!!"
"Hold still. Your bones are going to break."
"How barbaric. Still, I'm clearly doing better, aren't I?"
"Shooting arrows into armor is what—ugh?!"
"You do love a joke."
Despite their imposing entrance in full armor, the Heretic Inquisitors were all driven out in less than five minutes.
And even that was only because Zion had ordered no killing. Otherwise their heads would have come off long ago.
Having cleaned up the Inquisitors like so much trash in an instant, Leon and Elena immediately ran back to Zion.
"All taken care of."
"That should be enough, right?"
"Y-yes, of course. You saved me."
"Ahem! So… if you don't mind…"
"I'd like the promised reward now."
These High Rankers were clearly crazy about corn. Even if it was a quest…
Cleaning up dozens of Heretic Inquisitors just for a few ears of corn couldn't be easy.
A promise was a promise, though, so Zion was about to hand over the corn—until more uninvited guests crashed the party.
"Zion!!!"
"Unni! Are you okay?!"
"Ifrit? Rin? I thought you said you were busy today…"
"That's not the point right now!"
"There's no reason for Heretic Inquisitors to come all the way to the Starting Floor except for you, Unni! But looking at this, it's not just the Inquisitors who showed up, is it?"
Apparently the Inquisitors had been bold—or stupid—enough to attack Ifrit and Rin as well.
But the moment the two who had repelled the attack returned to the chapel, the hall fell silent as if cold water had been dumped on it.
Even Leon and Elena, who had been toying with the Inquisitors like playthings, glared at them with rigid expressions.
"Wild Flame and Sword Dragon, is it. I've heard the stories, but…"
"I didn't know a beast had come to the Starting Floor. If I had, I'd have burned it on the spot."
"Try it if you can, Wild Flame."
"Heh heh, well look who it is. The little dragon who overreached and got her nose bloodied."
"Ajumma."
"…Okay. Death sentence confirmed."
Clear contempt filled Ifrit's eyes, but Leon was openly provoking her as if he found it amusing.
Elena and Rin's staring contest was no less intense. Perhaps because they were fellow High Rankers, they seemed to know each other.
The problem was that they clearly did not get along. Like fire and oil, they were ready to ignite the moment they met.
"Wait a moment!"
Of course Zion wasn't about to just sit and watch. If it had been at the Inquisitor level earlier, maybe.
But if four High Rankers collided at once, this tiny chapel would be gone in an instant.
She had to stop that somehow. As the High Rankers' gazes focused on her, Zion opened her mouth before she knew it.
"If it's all right with you… would you all like to have dinner together?"