The Inquisitor's Farewell
"Hmm, I suppose meeting the Saintess feels burdensome to you. But there's no need to be so tense. The Saintess is far more down-to-earth than you might think."
Gilbert had misunderstood the reason for Yoahim's silence. It was only natural. How could he possibly know that Yoahim was an apostle of an evil god, and meeting the Saintess might get him killed?
"...And how exactly do you plan to get me an audience with her? She doesn't strike me as the type to grant meetings to a mere first-class covert inquisitor."
Covert inquisitors, like holy knights, were divided into four ranks: special, superior, first-class, and second-class. It seemed unlikely that a third-tier first-class covert inquisitor could arrange a meeting with the Saintess.
"Oh, don't worry about that. The Saintess is the head of our Sun Society, after all. And unlike other inquisitor groups, ours is a horizontal organization—rank doesn't matter when it comes to private audiences with her."
Saintess Riana traveled the world personally, performing miracles and punishing demons. Naturally, she kept her distance from rigid hierarchies or classism.
Gilbert spoke with such confidence that it really seemed possible to meet Riana in Ranien.
This might actually be an opportunity.
Either way, Yoahim needed to meet Riana sooner or later. And Radius too. With no clue how to return to his original world, he had to encounter all the key characters first. And if he was going to meet them, it was better to do so as a reward for good deeds rather than getting caught mid-evil act. That way, he wouldn't lose his head the moment they laid eyes on him.
Lilith said the other characters don't know my true nature, but who knows until I meet them myself.
Lilith hadn't met the others either. Given her possessiveness, she might have lied to keep Yoahim from approaching them.
...Yeah, Lilith would totally do that.
It drew a hollow chuckle from him, but it wasn't impossible. Thinking back to the dangerous glint in her eyes, the odds shot up even higher.
For now, let's just say I have one more option. No rush to meet Riana right away.
Yoahim decided to think positively. He broke his silence.
"If the chance comes, I'll check it out. We've got our own business right now."
"On a commission, huh? That explains why you were trying to escape the village. For mercenaries, trust is everything—your lifeblood."
If the other side was happy to misunderstand, Yoahim welcomed it. He nodded vaguely.
Gilbert flashed a grin and slipped a ring off his finger, offering it to Yoahim. It wasn't metal—crafted from polished wood.
"A ring?"
"If you make it to Ranien, show that to the guards. It'll get you back to me."
Yoahim nodded in response instead of speaking.
"Oh! And sorry to ask, but could you help me out with something?"
What's he want now? Yoahim furrowed his brow, and Gilbert shrugged.
"Nothing tough. Just help me move the bodies outside. Can't leave them like this—the innkeeper doesn't deserve that."
Yoahim nodded readily. It was a simple enough request.
Yoahim's group helped Gilbert haul the corpses out of the inn. They stuffed the dismembered remains into sacks, tying them shut tight, and stashed them behind the building. There were plenty to clear, so the work dragged into the pre-dawn hours.
Bathed in the chill morning breeze, they diligently scrubbed the inn clean of bodies. As dawn's first light flickered, the innkeeper—the one who'd been chased into the kitchen—peeked out again.
"Um... c-can I come out now...?"
"Ah, perfect timing. I was just about to call you. Innkeeper, you've got an important mission."
"A m-mission?"
The word froze the man solid. Gilbert adopted a solemn inquisitor's demeanor.
"Prepare hot water and a meal. Missions demand swift execution."
"R-right! Hot water and food!"
The innkeeper scurried off—probably to fetch the serving girl. Yoahim, watching from behind, let out a deflating chuckle. Gilbert turned.
"We've all earned it. Not an unreasonable ask."
He was right. Without Gilbert and Yoahim's group, the village would have stayed under Kelly's thumb. Yoahim had sweated plenty himself, his body filthy, so he had no complaints.
"Hot water's ready! Meal after you wash!"
The innkeeper, bustling with the serving girl, announced completion. Gilbert and Yoahim's group washed up in turn, then ate the food brought out.
The sun had fully risen, casting bright light across the world.
"What about the bodies?"
After the meal, Yoahim asked. Gilbert replied,
"We'll burn them. Leaving them risks corrupting the land with evil energy."
"We don't have to help with that too, right?"
"Of course not. I'm not shameless enough to hold up busy folks. So, where to next?"
Packing up and stepping outside, Yoahim answered,
"Tolstone."
"The city with the mage tower. Always second fiddle to Barakan, but still packed with impressive mages."
Tolstone's mages would kill him for that. Yoahim knew well their inferiority complex toward Barakan.
"And you?"
"Mission's done—back to Ranien."
"Then this is where we part."
Gilbert saw them off to the village entrance and nodded. Waving, he said,
"Safe travels. And let's not meet again."
"...Huh?"
What kind of goodbye is that? Yoahim scowled, and Gilbert explained,
"Sorry. 'Let's not meet again' is how covert inquisitors say farewell. First meetings can be coincidence. Second? Fate. We only hunt the wicked. So if we meet again, it means you've fallen to evil—and we pray that never happens."
Yoahim flinched. He'd already strayed far from righteousness as an apostle of an evil god. Even if Kakarli wasn't true evil, to a devotee of Laelro like this inquisitor, an evil god's apostle was a walking threat.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Is that so? Then let's not meet again."
It was sincere, masked as a joke.
"Exactly. Let's not. Safe travels."
With farewells exchanged, Yoahim's group mounted up. Without a backward glance, they spurred their horses and left the village behind.
Once they'd put some distance, Leon spoke.
"...We just met someone more dangerous than a holy knight."
"Never imagined a covert inquisitor..."
Leon and Sasha patted their chests in relief. Yoahim exhaled sharply too. Unlike holy knights, bound by doctrine to reveal themselves, covert inquisitors struck from the shadows—far deadlier. One slip, and they'd have ended up like Kelly.
They wouldn't have gone down quietly, but killing an inquisitor was a grave crime. Fleeing Witchkill was hassle enough; adding the Sun Society to the chase? No thanks.
"Let's ride hard. Tolstone's not far."
Push today, and they'd arrive tomorrow. Leon and Sasha nodded, kicking their horses' flanks.
...
Raising dust clouds in their wake, they galloped eagerly, pausing only for meals. As dusk fell and exhaustion set in, they found a spot to camp. At dawn, they were off again toward Tolstone.
No telling when Witchkill might catch up—they couldn't dawdle.
"Lord Apostle, walls ahead!"
Leon shouted, pointing, as they scarfed breakfast on horseback. Sure enough, the city walls came into view. Sensing their master's excitement, the horses snorted hot breaths and surged faster.
The walls loomed closer; people entering the gates became visible. Travelers, peddlers with bundles, wagons stamped with merchant guild marks.
Yoahim's group slowed, joining the end of the queue.
"Clear! Next!"
Guards checked identities and luggage meticulously, one by one. Yoahim's group dismounted and waited patiently.
"Next!"
Their turn. They handed their mercenary tags to the stone-faced guard.
"Three mercenaries: one Steel-rank, two Silver. Here on commission?"
"Delivering a letter to Tolstone's mage tower."
"Hmph, tasked with business for the world's greatest mage tower? Credible enough! Clear!"
Not the greatest. Second greatest. Yoahim clamped his mouth shut on the itch to correct him.
The guard moved his spear, and Yoahim's group passed through cautiously.
"Crowded as hell."
Tolstone rivaled Barakan in size. They wove carefully through the bustling throng.
"Mage tower first."
Rest later—finish business first. Delivering the letter wouldn't take long.
Yoahim led without hesitation through the maze of streets. Barakan was the starting hub for mage characters; Tolstone, the mid-point for job quests. He'd run this route countless times leveling Lilith—every path etched in memory.
"Here we are. That's Tolstone's mage tower."
Yoahim pointed; Leon and Sasha followed his gesture.
A towering structure befitting the name loomed ahead.
"The tower... there are two?"
Sasha murmured. Yoahim nodded.
Tolstone's mage tower tapered conically upward, but unlike Barakan's single spire, it had two. Hence the nickname: Twin Towers.
Built double to claim twice Barakan's greatness, it only cemented their eternal second-place image—a tower of tragic irony.