154. Don't Cross the Line
154. Don't Cross the Line
Riber was shocked when he heard that the Holy Knights had taken Atlas away.
"Atlas, taken by Holy Knights?! That's insane!"
And it wasn't just any detention—he'd been taken under suspicion of demon worship.
Riber felt like his common sense was crumbling.
Atlas, of all people?
How many demons had he seen Atlas slaughter with his own eyes? How could that same Atlas be a demon worshipper?
"They've obviously got it wrong. I have to go and protest."
"I think... we should stay put for now."
When he started for the church, Amy stopped him.
Why on earth was she stopping him? Everyone knew he was innocent.
"They've taken an innocent person! How can we just stand by!"
"I'm worried too, but the person with the most connections in the Church here is Atlas. I'm sure he has a plan."
"He can't even get up properly... how can we not worry..."
Seeing Atlas struggling for breath in bed had completely thrown Riber.
He'd thought he would never see that kind of weakness from someone like Atlas.
"No. I should go to the church too."
"I... I want to run over there right now too. But... Atlas said he'd handle it himself. If we go for no reason and things escalate..."
Amy recalled the dungeon incident, when she had misunderstood the situation and turned everything into a mess.
If Atlas had told her not to interfere, he must have had a reason.
The worry that she might make things worse again by stepping in kept her frozen in place.
-He's not suffering from a fatal illness, so if it comes down to it, he'll knock everyone there unconscious and walk out.
-The difference between an Expert and a Master is like heaven and earth... I'm not sure who's worrying about whom...
Companion's whisper in her ear was persuasive.
But Riber thought differently.
"Sure, maybe Atlas can solve everything alone. He probably acted confidently because he has a plan, like he always does.
"But Atlas isn't all-powerful. You know that too.
"He always seems incredible, but he makes mistakes often. He just catches them quickly and fixes them, so it's not obvious.
"But this time, his body's in bad shape! So we have to go help him..!!"
Amy's eyes widened as she watched Riber speak with such conviction.
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"I am Holy Knight Ham, assigned to this investigation. You don't want to be in a place like this for long, do you? So let's finish this quickly."
The first to arrive was not an Inquisitor but a Holy Knight.
The Inquisitor was truly a last resort, and it seemed that routine questioning was handled at the Holy Knight level.
If I cooperated properly, I'd be released quickly... but contrary to his wishes, the investigation was going in circles.
"Then let's start with why you had this demon's horn. Where, how, and why did you come into possession of this item? Do you know what it's used for?"
"...Please contact the Saintess from the Papal State."
That was all I could say.
Since they were Holy Knights dispatched from the Papal State, they must have a way to contact the Papal State directly. If I talked to Carmel, all misunderstandings would be cleared.
"Contact the Saintess? Why are you suddenly asking for the Saintess?"
"If you tell her I contacted her, it'll be fine. I'll speak to her... directly."
The Holy Knight's mood visibly soured when I suddenly said I wanted to speak to the Saintess.
It seemed he thought I was playing with him.
"The Saintess is not a person with that much free time. Speak to me."
"Then call Macintosh or the Pope instead."
"The Pope and a Saint too..?! Are you messing with me right now? You don't seem to understand how serious this situation is.
"Do you even know how dangerous this object found in your room is?
"If you summon a demon with this... a catastrophe will occur.
"If you don't cooperate properly with this investigation, I'll have no choice but to treat this as the worst-case scenario."
Holy Knight Ham's mood worsened with my continued drawn-out responses.
But this was all I could say for now.
Because if I tried to explain while hiding what I needed to hide, I'd inevitably end up lying.
If I told the truth... 'Yes, I'm actually a Master. I discovered an entrance to Hell at the Academy, fell into Hell,
and after a bloody battle against the Great Demon Asmodeus, I cut off his horn and brought it back as a trophy.' Would they believe that?
No, they definitely wouldn't.
To make them believe it, I'd have to reveal to a mere Holy Knight that I'm a Master... and that was also a problem.
"I know all of that too. So please, just contact Carmel and Macintosh."
"You're still spouting that nonsense...! If you keep up that attitude, you'll be branded a demon worshipper. Do you not understand how dangerous your situation is right now?
"You are under suspicion of demon worship! And that's because you had that horrific object!!
"If you can't explain yourself properly, you won't just be labeled a demon worshipper; you'll be charged with bringing it to the Academy for terrorist purposes.
"Then you'll be dragged to the underground cells and tortured this time, and your family will be shattered to pieces."
Trying to intimidate me, the Holy Knight shouted heatedly, veins bulging on his neck.
But I wasn't scared. I just became extremely offended.
A surge of irritation welled up.
"...Hey."
When I let my emotions bleed into my voice, the Holy Knight flinched.
"Does that even sound right to you? This is not a problem you can judge. Call Carmel. Otherwise, you'll be the one held responsible."
I'd have to act more like an unreasonable thug.
.
.
.
.
.
Holy Knight Ham trembled, told me to wait a moment, and then bolted outside.
I thought my sincerity had finally gotten through, but the next person to enter was a gaunt man with his face covered.
"I should introduce myself first. I am an Inquisitor in direct service to the Papal State. Due to your uncooperative attitude, I have been assigned to take over this investigation."
It was an Inquisitor dispatched from the Papal State.
It seemed Holy Knight Ham had gone outside and whined that he couldn't handle it anymore.
As I sat upright, only my upper body raised, watching him silently, he also observed me intently before taking his seat.
"I heard you demanded to meet the Saintess?"
His face concealed by shadows, the Inquisitor scanned me like a snake.
An unpleasant feeling crept over me.
"The Saintess is not someone a mere student can meet just because they want to. Even more so for someone suspected of demon worship like you!"
The Inquisitor suddenly slammed his hand on the desk.
"Why were you in possession of this demon's horn? Why can't you answer, why are you trying to stall for time with strange nonsense!"
The frustration was mutual.
To explain this situation without revealing that I was a Shadow, I had to think harder.
But my mind wasn't working properly because of the fever.
That was why I'd asked to call Carmel, but from their perspective as those dispatched from the Papal State, they felt I was insulting them.
'It's infuriating that the horn I kept as proof of defeating a demon is causing this.'
As the period of detention dragged on, the heat filling my head burned even hotter.
I had fought a Great Demon for the sake of humanity and come back injured like this. Was this really appropriate treatment for someone like me?
The more the Inquisitor ranted in front of me, the hotter my head grew, and the more irritation welled up.
I decided to take a more primitive approach.
-Kung!!
I kicked the desk once.
It didn't budge since it was firmly fixed to the floor, but it made an incredibly satisfying sound.
The Inquisitor looked at me as if I was utterly ridiculous.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'll say it again. You people lack the authority. I told you to bring someone higher than you."
"I was appointed here by order of the Pope. While conducting investigations within this Academy, I am effectively the Pope.
"What on earth is the content that you can't tell someone like me? If your conscience is clear, it shouldn't matter if I hear it, should it?"
The Inquisitor, upon hearing those words, became even more wary of me.
"If you won't speak... there's no choice but to ask someone else to tell me."
The air froze at the Inquisitor's single statement.
"...What did you just say?"
"Just now, acting on an anonymous tip, we've decided to search and seize another dormitory. I heard they've been close to you lately... let's see... was the name Amy...?"
The moment he finished speaking, my foot lashed out at the table that had been firmly 'fixed' to the floor.
-Kwang!!!!
The table legs, securely bolted to the floor, were completely ripped out and slammed into the Inquisitor's body.
Caught completely off guard by an attack from a student who was practically at death's door, the gaunt Inquisitor was sent crashing into the solid stone wall along with the table.
"Ugh... you bastard... you've revealed your true nature..!!!"
The table hadn't touched the Inquisitor's body directly.
Complex spells had surfaced on his robe, shielding him from the table.
"As an Inquisitor, I will...!!!"
"Shut up."
-Wajangchang!!!
Before he could finish, I kicked the table again.
The sturdy table, made of iron plates, crumpled like a piece of paper and shattered the barrier protecting the Inquisitor's body.
"Keuk..?!"
As the barrier broke, the impact struck his abdomen directly. The Inquisitor retched, vomiting, and his upper body collapsed helplessly onto the table.
The iron table had become an arch-shaped objet d'art, pinning the Inquisitor against the wall.
"Haa... haa...."
Moving when I was already in pain made my head ache.
But it had to be done.
There was no going back now.
"Do you have any idea... who you're touching."
I came along quietly because I was worried about causing trouble for others, and what is this?
If that's how they were going to play it, I had no reason to stay quiet anymore.
These bastards were direct agents of the Papal State anyway.
The status of being a direct agent of the Papal State, which should have been a symbol of fear, now seemed to mean absolutely nothing to me.
I could just knock them all out, walk out, and contact them myself. That would solve everything.
Yeah, in hindsight, the first method I thought of was too peaceful.
I should have done this from the start.
I'd subdue them all by force, then contact the Papal State. That would solve everything.