Chapter 962
Chapter 962
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 962
Chapter Title: Rainbow Fruit
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We set out from the castle to track down and kill the lord.
I had no idea where the lord was, but Colman did. Word was he'd grabbed some heretics among the castle servants and interrogated them.
The butler and his dinner companions. Roughly ten in total. The interrogation revealed the lord was holed up in his residence on the city's back mountain.
Fifty of us marched boldly down the city streets. The townsfolk's eyes naturally turned our way.
"Hold up."
Colman, who was leading the way, came to a stop. All fifty of us halted at once. The holy knights, used to this sort of thing, moved fast. They seized the man Colman pointed out.
"I sense the stench of heresy on you."
"No! I'm no heretic!"
"We'll find out soon enough. Strip him."
The holy knights tore the man's clothes off.
I swallowed a dry laugh. Sure, whatever, but was it okay to grab some random guy in broad daylight and strip him naked right there in the street?
I glanced around. Everyone was just watching like it was the most normal thing in the world.
'Guess it is okay. Heresy Inquisitor... what insane authority...'
The man, now stripped bare by force, suddenly let out a guttural howl.
"Filthy mark under your left armpit. Die, heretic."
Colman's sacred mace took down yet another heretic. The holy knights set the body ablaze.
"Let's move."
With the minor commotion sorted, we pressed on. The knights and soldiers looked a little spooked by Colman's methods.
I sidled up close to him.
"How'd you know that guy was a heretic? Some special power?"
Colman's eyes flicked toward me. He seemed oddly favorable toward me, for some reason.
"No handy ability like that for me. If I had to put a name to it, experience. After hunting heretics for so long, you get this gut sense that's hard to put into words."
"Impressive."
"Handy in a pinch, yeah."
After that, we took out four more heretics in the city and made it out to the outskirts.
"Colman-nim. You planning to kill the baron's wife too?"
"Haven't decided yet. Depends on what kind of heretic the lord turns out to be. If he's priest-rank or higher... then the whole family goes. Can't risk evil seeds being sown. Your face says you wouldn't like that."
"I can't let the baroness die."
"So you'll stand in my way? Anyone blocking a Heresy Inquisitor is a heretic themselves. You one of 'em?"
"Colman-nim. I am the baroness's sword. Every action I take is her will."
"...Go on."
"I'll kill the heretic lord. But it won't be me who slays the heretic."
"Makes it the baroness who did the deed. Can't argue with that. All credit for purging heretics belongs to the Goddess anyway... If you make your mark, she won't get branded a heretic."
"Thank you."
On the way to the back mountain, we spotted a village.
"...The place reeks of heresy."
Colman didn't just pass it by. Symbols of the evil god Bramassen were hidden all over the village, and the villagers bore the marks of the fiend on their bodies.
"In Lady Revilidi's name, I command you: kill them all."
I gave the order to the knights and soldiers. They grimaced at the sight of villagers who hadn't fully turned into monsters yet, but they swung their swords and spears anyway.
"Got a baby here!"
A soldier shouted and dragged the infant over.
"You take my orders for a joke? Was 'annihilate' that tough a command?"
"S-Sir Eugene! Graaaah!"
I cut down the soldier and the baby myself.
"Born in a heretic village. That makes the kid a heretic too. And anyone showing mercy to heretics is one themselves."
I pointed to the baby's sole. It bore the heretic's mark. The knights and soldiers stared at me with eyes full of fear-tinged awe.
"Remarkable. You're cut out to be a Heresy Inquisitor."
Colman approached. He was offering me the position. If this weren't a dungeon, I'd have snapped it up in a heartbeat. After seeing that kind of overwhelming power, turning it down would be idiotic.
"I am the baroness's sword."
"Nothing says you can't be the Goddess's sword too. Burn the village and the bodies, then head into the back mountain."
"Nightfall's coming soon. You sure?"
"Heresy must be wiped from this world without a moment's delay."
We climbed the dark mountain path by torchlight.
We found a strange cave. The air reeked of blood, and beastly growls echoed from within.
"Man-made cave. They've built an altar. The evil god's foul stink is overpowering. No ordinary priest could pull this off. Must be a Black Priest."
Colman's face, which had stayed stone-cold even during the village slaughter, was now grim.
"What's a Black Priest?"
"Scum who receive revelations from the evil god and commit atrocities. Far stronger than regular priests. Worst of all, they wield vile sorcery and magic. Check your gear before we go in. One mistake, and you're dead."
Everyone started inspecting their equipment.
Jo Woo-saeng sidled up to me.
"Sung Yu-jin-ssi. This could get real dangerous. Colman may be a jerk, but he doesn't spout nonsense. We might not make it out alive."
"Got a bad vibe, yeah."
"Let's just bail here."
Jo Woo-saeng said.
"After coming this far? Waste of effort, no?"
"Total waste. But life's the top priority. You're coming off weirdly gung-ho. That loyalty to the baroness for real?"
"You think?"
"...Nah, not after that show earlier. Anyway, let's call it quits."
"I'm going on. When's the next shot at something like this?"
Lady Revilidi popped into my head. Her juicy, supple pussy had me hooked. Pointless or not, I couldn't just toss aside a hole I liked without a second thought.
"You need to be alive for experiences. Not worth the risk. I'm out."
Jo Woo-saeng pulled a red ball of thread from his pocket. He channeled mana into it. It glowed, then burst into flame. He gripped it like it wasn't scorching hot. Soon, a warm light enveloped him.
"Heading out. Any messages? I'll pass 'em on."
"Nah. Nothing."
"Let's grab a meal sometime."
"Sure."
We exchanged a promise that'd never happen. Jo Woo-saeng vanished without a trace.
"Everyone set? Time to storm their lair."
"Colman-nim. Aren't we missing one holy knight?"
"Sir. What nonsense is this?"
"...Sorry. Everyone's here."
Colman had zero memory of Jo Woo-saeng. To him, the guy never existed.
We plunged into the cave, torches raised. The mana hung heavy in the air. Every step felt like sinking into a thick mire.
"...Four monsters ahead."
"Too dark to make 'em out. Sharp eyes you've got."
"They're... defense!"
The monsters unleashed a volley of bone spines. Colman and I easily batted them aside with sword ki and holy power infused in our weapons. The knights were skilled enough that my warning kept them safe from the ambush.
The soldiers were the problem. The bone spines punched right through their flimsy shields and armor. Three went down dead in the first strike.
"Pesky bastards."
Colman clicked his tongue and charged ahead. Light poured from his sacred mace, illuminating the area.
"I'll back you up!"
I rushed forward too. Had to rack up merits, so no holding back.
The monster firing bone spines leaped back as I closed in, clinging to the ceiling before dropping straight at me.
I triggered Moment. Its fall slowed to a crawl.
"Die, you freak!"
My sword pierced its heart faster than its claws could reach. The monster went limp. No time to rest—one nearby was gunning for my neck. I yanked my blade free and severed its head. The headless body kept thrashing, so I cleaved it in two from heart to groin.
"Fine swordwork."
"Save the praise. You pulverized their heads, Colman-nim. Don't need to take out the heart?"
"I've got the Goddess's blessing."
He hefted his glowing sacred mace. The holy power must've been nullifying their regeneration.
We pushed deeper. The monster assaults kept coming. Soldiers dropped like flies, and even some knights fell.
I got this nagging sense of déjà vu. Monsters I knew weren't this slick at ambushes in the dark.
"Colman-nim. Something's off with these monsters."
"You sense the intelligence?"
"Yeah. The ones I'm familiar with are way dumber."
"They're trained. Priests can train up regular monsters. In the worst cases, thousands at a time."
"That's basically an army."
"Exactly. That's why priests have to be wiped out."
We reached the cave's end.
An altar sat in the center, surrounded by countless human corpses strewn about. Dust coated the bodies, but there was no rot in the air.
"Damn it... they've completed the ritual."
Colman's shoulders sagged. A shadow of despair crept over his rock-steady face.
"Colman-nim. What's this ritual?"
I approached and asked. He snapped out of his daze.
"...Human sacrifice. Offering people to the evil god in exchange for its power. Or something else... but..."
Colman scanned the surroundings.
"It's not like any ritual I know. Normally, you hoist them onto the altar and slice them open alive to rip out the heart. But these bodies? Not a single wound."
"Some other kind of sacrifice?"
"Maybe it's not a sacrifice at all. One thing's certain..."
He turned around. His eyes fixed on the cave mouth.
"The lord—that heretic—isn't here. Worst-case scenario. The city might already be... We're heading back to the city now. Steel yourselves to die."
???
When we arrived at the city, we were horrified.
The whole place was engulfed in flames. Crimson infernos shot skyward from every corner.
Screams of agony carried all the way to the outskirts. Crowds jammed the castle gates, but an invisible barrier held them in—they couldn't escape.
"...Evil has devoured the city."
Colman sighed at the sight, then barked orders at the holy knights.
"You lot, return to the church. Spread the word: evil runs rampant in Revilidi. Purging it will take at least the Holy Knight Order."
"As Colman-nim commands. And you... what will you do?"
"A Heresy Inquisitor doesn't retreat before heretics. Judging them is my duty."
He'd already made peace with death. Long before today.
Colman addressed me, the knights, and the soldiers too.
"You all, get out while you can. This is hell now. I won't demand you die with me. Those who must live, do so."
The knights and soldiers stared toward the city.
Roaring flames. Humans fleeing in panic. Monsters devouring people. It was hell already.
"I-I don't wanna die."
"Count me out for this madness."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The knights and soldiers bolted. Colman watched their retreat like it was expected, then turned to me.
"You not running?"
"Told you before. I'm the baroness's sword. How's a sword supposed to run?"
"You blind? That's her castle burning. Face facts. The baroness is dead."
"Wasn't it the lord behind this?"
"You think heretics give a damn about family? They eat their kin, sacrifice 'em... that's what heretics do."
"All the more reason to go. I've got to avenge the baroness."
I kept my voice steady, but my eyes were about to pop out of my skull.
'Dare lay a hand on my woman? I'll slaughter every last one of you.'