You Saw It, Didn't You?! (1)
Yes. The Red Faith.
Isaac had never liked these people from the very beginning.
Why, you ask?
Partly because their habit of suspecting their own allies was so thick it had outright become their life's purpose. But honestly, how could he ever like them?
After all, the Skeleton Demon King was going to become the Saint and swallow this country whole. As a current and former Demon King both, hating heresy hunters was simply good manners.
In a word: natural predators.
And then there was the way they kept casting sidelong glances at House Eshua while scheming to make their man Pope. That alone was unforgivable.
It wasn't for nothing that Isaac had told the head of the Red Faith to get lost the moment the man showed interest in him.
And here was the proof. These people really knew how to piss a guy off.
'These bastards, daring to spring a surprise faith inspection on me?'
'It changes EVERYTHING! Whether I gouge your eyes out before the inspection or after — that's a world of difference!'
Oh, there absolutely was. The difference between heaven and earth.
Either way, they were not people he cared for.
'Those dogs. The Blue folks may be total pushovers, but at least they don't backstab you.'
Oh. Right. Yeah, the Blue Faith needs to be wiped out too.
Isaac watched Nayzer extend his hand with an insufferable smirk.
"Come on, hand it over. The Cardinal's badge."
As Nayzer approached, Isaac subtly stepped back.
Well, this was something he'd have to go through sooner or later anyway…
'That smug half-lidded stare. No wonder he let me into the cell so easily — he had this up his sleeve all along.'
If it had been a holy relic of any other faith, he'd have known nearly everything about it. But of all things, the Red Faith hunted humans for a living, so their relics never mingled well with demon kind.
'So running is… off the table, huh.'
He'd managed to crush them back at the Red Faith's Pentagon, but those were apprentices, and it was officially an examination — that was the only reason it worked. They had lowered the range and power of their divine arts since it wasn't live combat, and they'd fought bare-handed. His goal had only ever been stealing the necklace, so their specialties never even came into play.
Anyway, this was the badge whose rose-gold hue shifted according to the bearer's faith.
Troublesome, certainly — but Isaac gave the badge a discreet snort.
Fine. Whatever. His soul might be rotten, but his body was the genuine Saint.
Faith in some throwaway god? Off the charts!
And did they have any idea how many scripture sessions he'd sat through lately?
See? No problems at—
…It was black. The rose had gone utterly pitch-black.
Black as his future. So very, very black!
But hey, honestly, this much was fine.
It was a slapdash preliminary inspection. Whatever the result, it counted only as a reference — nowhere near enough to drag him into an inquest.
And he was no fool stupid enough to hand it over willingly.
"You think I'd give this to you?"
At Isaac's words, Nayzer, for some reason, broke into a smile full of conviction.
"The result speaks for itself, doesn't it? What, is it some dark, blood-red color?"
At the provocation in those eyes, Whisper raged magnificently about the insolent brat.
I think it's you who needs to be burned black.
But whatever. Even evil gods didn't come out fully black, so who in their right mind would imagine the badge would turn out black?
And sure enough, Isaac swayed the badge back and forth with a wicked little grin.
"I can't give you this one."
"Right! You've got something to hi—"
"Take it from me, and then scream that the Blue Faith lost it?"
"Right, we lo—"
…What?
Nayzer stared at Isaac, dumbfounded.
Isaac snickered.
"What? This is the one and only Cardinal's badge in the whole world, isn't it? If you take it and then insist you never received it — well, then I just make the Blue Faith take responsibility, don't I? I can wring a colossal indemnity and compensation out of the Blue Faith!"
At those words, the Red priests and inquest officers watching all turned to gape at him in horror.
…I never thought of that?! And more importantly, did that little bastard actually think of something like THAT?!'
'What kind of street-thug brain produces a scheme like that?! What does he even think about on a normal day?!'
Nayzer, too, looked flabbergasted as he strode forward.
"Are you kidding? There are witnesses all around us. Who'd believe you never got it? Enough. Hand it ov—"
"Ohhh? These people are all your staff, aren't they? Naturally they'd stick to your story, wouldn't they? Are you an idiot? Is your brain missing?"
Nayzer's outstretched hand froze midair — and curled into a fist.
He'd felt it since the Red Faith's Pentagon, but that bastard…! That son of a gun really had a talent for making people's blood boil!
In the end, Nayzer withdrew his hand, deciding it wasn't worth it.
"Fine! Forget the badge!"
Isaac let out a small puff of laughter.
Just as he'd predicted — with that hanging over them, they'd hesitate to take the badge outright. And now, if he could just walk out of this cell like nothing happened… urk.
Isaac nearly bit his tongue off at the crimson glow surging up before his eyes.
Nayzer's eyes flashed, and with one hand braced against the wall, he was summoning something.
A weapon…? No.
Whether answering its summoner's call or not, a structure rose out of the wall, drawn forth by divine art.
It was an altar of stone. A structure where statue and floor were joined as one, crowned by the imposing figure of a goddess wearing a crown of thorns.
And the instant Isaac laid eyes on that sacred altar, he flinched — a rare occurrence.
'The Discrimination Platform?'
That was something he could not have failed to recognize.
He had seen it a few times — no, dozens of times — in the critical chapters of imperial history while piecing together the Empire's intelligence.
The Tower of Fresh Blood.
Known as the 'Judgment Platform of Fate.'
The decisive seat of judgment that led directly to a Heresy Inquest. If the preliminary inspection was merely a reference, then that thing was an outright branding iron — a final verdict carved in stone.
Once suspicion was detected in the preliminary screening and a suspect's status was assigned, the accused was made to stand upon it.
Or it was used to flush out demons disguised as humans on the battlefield.
But in truth, brandishing this thing at a noble was an insult in itself. It meant they were declaring the heresy confirmed.
And they dared pull this out against a house of Isaac's standing?
'Is that bastard insane?'
Unless they were absolutely certain, the Red side was practically begging to be attacked. If the result came out differently, the counterattack would be savage.
Yes, you little— THAT'S THE PROBLEM!
'Someone who could help me…'
Yeah. Fat chance of that.
But then, the Red priests who had escorted Isaac here to his cell came hurrying over.
"Please don't worry, young Lord."
!
Oh! These guys — did they hear his scouting offer and decide to help him after all?
Come to think of it, these were just ordinary Red priests doing correctional-officer duty. A whole different breed from those insolent inquest officers…
"With a young Lord's sense of duty and purity of heart, there will be no problem at all! Prove your innocence boldly and use it to pressure the Red Faith instead!"
Are you people serious? Are you so dazzled by the Knight-Commander's seat that you'd sell out your own faith?
Not to mention — I can't prove my innocence boldly!
I'm heresy-confirmed, cornered from every side!
'Tch. If this were anywhere but Red territory, I could work something out.'
Just then, Nayzer pointed at the statue, telling him to step up.
"If you have faith, the goddess will close her eyes and weep tears of repentance. But if your heresy is confirmed, she won't shed a single tear — she'll glare. Things that merely wear human skin cannot shed the tears of repentance that only humans can shed!"
In other words: if the statue's eyes opened, he'd be dragged to the Heresy Inquest without so much as a question.
"Come on! If you're a Saint candidate, step up like you've got nothing to hide!"
Isaac sneered.
"And why exactly should I play along with that?"
"Unless you'd like to end up like that person whose name was erased from the Blue Faith, I'd suggest you step up."
At those words, Isaac's brow furrowed.
'…A person whose name was erased from the Blue Faith?'
But Isaac quickly turned away, as though he saw no need to associate with the topic any further.
Granted, if the result came out well, he could turn this whole thing into ammunition against the Red Faith — but for now, avoidance was the better play.
"Consider yourself lucky today. The mere fact that you pulled that thing out in front of me without a shred of evidence means you've already made a colossal mistake against House Eshua."
As Isaac — uncharacteristically — moved to leave, the corners of Nayzer's mouth curved upward.
Just as I thought!
That arrogant little brat is scared!
The risk was enormous, but where else could he find evidence this airtight?
'A problem of faith! That's the angle!'
Why did Nayzer think he'd come all this way in person?
Nayzer grinned, swelling with confidence.
As a fellow Saint candidate, he would absolutely drag that brat down!
But Isaac, catching that look, snorted.
So what if you brought the thing out? What are you going to do if I just refuse?
'If I just don't respond to that little— huh?!'
Isaac suddenly found himself floating in midair, his eyes going wide as a startled rabbit's.
He whipped his head around to figure out what on earth was happening — and behind him was Nayzer, holding him up under the arms… what?!
Son of a— WHAT?! Can he HEAR me?!
This bastard can hear me?!)
Isaac dangled a good fifty centimeters off the floor, thrashing with all his might.
But the difference between a ten-year-old's body and a sixteen-year-old's frame was not to be underestimated.
Isaac flailed like a freshwater eel freshly pulled from the river, but Nayzer just snickered and carried him toward the altar.
"Stop squirming. It'll be over in one second."
Oh, come ON! Damn these pig-bastard priests!
This is child abuse! ABUSE, I say!
Then, as Nayzer set Isaac down upon the altar floor, a pattern flared to life across the stone.
From that moment on, Isaac couldn't so much as twitch, let alone run. An anti-escape measure, no doubt.
Even Isaac, rare for him, felt a flash of panic as the holy power began scrutinizing his entire body from head to toe.
No — this was genuinely dangerous.
This could get him royally, absolutely screwed!
The panicked face of Isaac and the confidently expectant expression of Nayzer crossed in the air.
'Now. O goddess, open your eyes! With this, I can erase the Saint candidate and House Blue both!'
Yes. He could erase them—
Trickle.
…Erase them?
"Ooooh! The statue is weeping!"
What did he just say?!)
Nayzer gaped at the statue in disbelief. The goddess statue was shedding tears, her eyes still closed.
Nayzer's expression had no choice but to freeze solid.
He looked, and looked again — but it was tears, all right.
No, wait — if they were just ordinary tears, fine.
'…Blood tears?'
When one with faith stood upon the altar, the goddess statue wept. Normally the tears ran clear; the deeper the faith, the darker they grew — and at the most supreme, sacred heights, the statue wept tears of blood.
But.
"…Blood tears are only possible for the Cardinals, are they not?"
Naturally, the inquest officers who had come fully expecting a trial froze in their tracks as well.
But the one truly flustered here wasn't any of them.
'…WHY is that thing crying??'
Isaac's pupils were shaking violently.
Isaac knew that statue well. The goddess statue could not be tampered with.
And since the Cardinal's badge had already turned black, that statue should have glared, let alone wept — it was supposed to declare him a heretic.
So why, in the world…?
It was a good thing, sure, but there was no way his faith reading would max out, was there? Just then, Isaac felt a stirring against his chest and went cold.
'Don't tell me it's THIS guy??'
Did the Skeleton's faith get picked up?!'
'That's mathematically possible?!'
Isaac burst into a delighted little laugh.
'Yes, that's it! If even the gods count as objects of faith, then a Demon King can too, can't he?'
Either way, excellent! He'd been racking his brain over how to fake a faith reading, and it turned out he could just exploit this!
Stupid priests! From now on, you're all chewed gum to me! Just try letting me out of here!
But circumstances being what they were, the frigid stares of every single inquest officer had no choice but to swing toward Nayzer.
"Weren't you… absolutely certain of it?"
"Besides, even you, young Master Nayzer, can't manage blood tears yet… can you?"
At those whispers, Nayzer turned to ice.
In the end, muttering that this was impossible, Nayzer grabbed hold of Isaac.
"You. Do it again! Are you carrying something of the Saintess's?!"
"Puhet! What'd you say? You confiscated every single one of my belongings when you threw me in this cell! YOU did the body search!"
But that was the moment.
As Isaac was shoved backward by Nayzer's grip, the skeleton clinging to his cloak was, for an instant, pushed out of the altar's range.
And then, something astonishing happened.
FLASH!
The weeping goddess statue — the one shedding tears of blood — its eyes snap open!