Arm Treatment (1)
"Hmm." The heretic inquisitor wore a peculiar expression as he took in Master's condition right before his eyes. "Did you fall victim to him?"
They had told me they had their suspicions, but it seemed they were already convinced on their own.
"Isn't that a bit rude for a first meeting? Is that really how you greet your senior?"
I knew this would happen. While the two of them should have been having a proper conversation, Master had started acting up the moment they met. And not only that—
"What, are you dissatisfied now? Why are you glaring like that? If you have a problem, say it. What is it?"
I had thought age had softened his personality a little, but the moment he saw them, his old temperament came rushing back.
"Why are you picking a fight with someone who was just standing there quietly?"
"I was the one who got picked on first. Just look at that guy's eyes—there's not a shred of respect in them."
To me, it looked like he had no particular thoughts at all. It just seemed like Master was throwing his weight around. Still, an arm bends inward, doesn't it? If I didn't want it broken, that is.
"As you can see, Master came looking for me."
The man who had claimed he didn't know where Master had gone had openly come to see me, and the one who had denied that Master was the culprit behind Prince Loras's kidnapping was in fact the culprit himself. My face burned with embarrassment.
"Yes. Since it would be difficult to speak in a public place, how about we move somewhere else?"
Perhaps because they had been scolded, their tone had softened slightly. That didn't mean it was enough to satisfy Master, though.
"As expected from those shady fellows. What are you planning to say once we go somewhere with no one around?"
"We were simply trying to spare you unnecessary misunderstandings."
"Just say it here. No one's listening."
Master coldly brushed off the inquisitors who wanted to move to a secluded spot and began to speak about Prince Loras.
"That bastard took my arm. I should have taken his life in exchange for giving up one arm, but unfortunately he escaped while still breathing."
"Prince Loras is a member of the Deltrack Empire's imperial family. You must not lay a hand on him recklessly."
"As someone from the Holy Empire, you shouldn't be defending that guy. Do you honestly think it's normal for Prince Loras to have taken my arm?"
"...We would like to hear the details regarding that matter."
They were probably very curious about how Master's arm had been lost.
"From what I saw, it looked like there was a demon inside that bastard's body. And I'm not speaking metaphorically—I mean an actual demon."
"...I don't know what your intention is in saying that, but demons aren't something one encounters easily."
"The Labyrinth makes it possible anytime. Isn't that a place where anything can happen?"
The Labyrinth. Since I had encountered Prince Loras there, if something had happened, I should have known about it.
"...There is something we heard from the soldiers who were with Prince Loras in the Labyrinth."
"What did you hear?"
"Prince Loras had failed in his Labyrinth subjugation. He is lying now, claiming he succeeded, but there was a reason he was bound to fail."
The massive spider we had seen in the Labyrinth. The Ice Castle that had collapsed because of it. Until the fleeing soldiers returned to retrieve the prince, he had been left abandoned inside the ruined Ice Castle.
"There were traces of heretics inside the Ice Castle."
That was where the corrupted holy relic had been obtained, only for a thief to steal it away.
"It was a holy relic that only Sister Melody and I knew about. How could he have known of its existence? If I had to guess, perhaps Prince Loras was possessed by a demon inside the collapsed Ice Castle, and that demon knew about the holy relic and came after it?"
That part still remained a mystery. How had he known about the holy relic's existence and stolen it from my room? The two of us had never told anyone else about it.
"Ah, we did receive a report about the holy relic, so we are aware of it."
The inquisitors reacted to the mention of the holy relic. It seemed they had heard the details from Sister Melody.
"What if the one who took that holy relic was Prince Loras?"
"Do you believe Bishop Saul's claim that Prince Loras was possessed by a demon?"
"Bishop Saul's words are the truth. He has no reason to lie. The reason we pursued Prince Loras was actually at my request. I had always felt something unsettling about him."
"If you mean that unsettling feeling, are you referring to what Inquisitor Melody mentioned? A mere feeling cannot serve as evidence. In the end, it will be dismissed as emotional retaliation."
The inquisitor seemed to be offering advice in his own way. He was suggesting that we either come up with a proper reason or be honest.
Because of me, we had chased after Prince Loras and caused an incident. It didn't seem possible to get through this without any losses.
"You're threatening the kid again. Do you really see Priest Arthur as a heretic?"
"...It was not a threat. We were simply requesting cooperation with a legitimate investigation. You seem excessively negative toward our actions. Bishop Saul, you were once a heretic inquisitor yourself, were you not?"
It sounded like a question about why they were being treated so harshly despite having done the same work.
"You should just be grateful that we took care of something you were planning to handle anyway!"
"Agh, just stay quiet for a moment!"
If someone caused trouble, they should at least show some remorse, but constantly raising his voice only made him seem more insufferable.
"What happens now? As I said, Prince Loras didn't die, and only Master returned injured."
"You will need to be investigated."
"You can roughly guess how the results of this investigation will turn out. Do you think you can get out of this without any damage? Your tone is a bit rough, but you haven't caused any harm to the Holy Empire. On the contrary, you brought back information about Prince Loras's condition."
"That information cannot be trusted."
It seemed that because it couldn't be trusted, it wouldn't be recognized as an achievement.
"I knew it would be like this. I knew you stubborn old-timers wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
"You said you wanted to grow old and die peacefully. What are you trying to do?"
Master's defiant attitude made him seem like a precious child, and I ended up speaking without thinking.
Master chuckled and said,
"They can't punish me."
"What?"
Did he actually have something to rely on?
"Then you should have said so earlier! I didn't know you were acting like this because you had something to fall back on."
"I just wanted to watch you sweat trying to save me. It was cute."
"Bishop Saul."
The inquisitor called Master's name with a warning tone.
"What!"
"Please come with us now. We have already been very lenient with you."
It seemed the inquisitors intended to take the difficult-to-handle Master away and conduct the investigation in a properly equipped location. I was worried whether it was really all right to let him go like this. It was a shame that I couldn't ask what his reliable backup was.
"You're really sure you'll be fine?"
"Yes. I'm fine, so stop worrying and go do your work. You've seen enough."
Master placed his hand on my head and smiled like a sage. Looking at that expression, my heart suddenly sank. I had a feeling I shouldn't let him go like this.
"Your arm!"
"??"
"??"
"You need treatment for your arm, so you can't go. You're currently a hospitalized patient."
I needed to buy some time. I had a good excuse, didn't I?
"Does treating an arm require hospitalization?"
"Can't you see that your arm is missing? Regrowing this arm isn't something that can be done in a day or two! Even if you need to be investigated, it would be better to do it after you've fully recovered."
"It takes that long to treat it? Just because we're not healers doesn't mean we know nothing."
The inquisitor reacted negatively, as if telling me not to tell such an obvious lie.
"It's not a lie. I deliberately kept this arm from healing. I'm going to make a new arm grow again."
They probably knew it wasn't impossible.
"You can do something like that?"
"Yes. My skills have improved quite a bit. So please wait."
I needed to stall for time and think of a way to minimize the damage to him.
The inquisitors couldn't ignore my opinion that he needed treatment, so they agreed to give him time. I had lied and said it would take at least a week, and fortunately they didn't question it. And so, Master was granted a one-week grace period.
"What's your backup plan?"
The inquisitors who had swarmed in had retreated, but they hadn't completely disappeared. They had assigned two of their number to watch him on the grounds that Master might try to escape. I had no choice but to agree with that part. They had taken a step back first, and I knew Master was someone who could easily escape if he wanted to.
Once I had a moment to breathe, I immediately asked Master what his backup plan was.
"Just know that there is one. There's no need for you to know the details."
"How can someone who almost got dragged off for investigation pretend not to know? Don't tell me you don't actually have one and that's why you can't say it?"
"Would I lie to you? I'm not some stranger."
"I think I've mentioned this before, but you've lied to me plenty of times, Master."
So just tell me what your backup is! I was anxious because I couldn't trust him.
When I said I would keep pestering him until he talked, Master, who knew my persistence well, finally surrendered.
"I have some connections. I'm quite close with the Pope."
"!!!"
He knew the Pope? That really was a solid backup.
"So there's nothing to worry about, right? I won't be punished. No, I can't be punished. There's no way he can punish me. After all, I'm the one who made him Pope."
"!!!"
His casual tone made the content sound like a bomb had gone off. He was saying he had made the current Pope? It occurred to me that he was still hiding many things from me. I had known since childhood that he was unpredictable and full of surprises, so it wasn't something to be shocked about, but this was a bombshell declaration that was impossible not to be surprised by.