A Debt to the Inquisitor
Even in the midst of war, children are born. Our party managed to escape the dungeon unscathed, under what wasn't quite an escort from Karen. And as a bonus, we heard all about the mess tied to this place along the way.
"Those bastards from Hunting Team 2 were the ones occupying the first floor without permission and inspecting adventurers without authority," Rikar said, just as he'd suspected. This newly discovered dungeon had formed by sucking in nearby ruins during its creation process. As a result, traces of those ruins were scattered throughout the interior, and the Red Hawk Clan's Hunting Team 2 had found a book containing information about the ruins and a key during their exploration.
They'd caught wind of a secret vault mentioned in the book and planned to collect all the keys to open it before the guild noticed, then swallow up everything inside. They pinned the blame for occupying the first floor and all that on small fry like the D-rank adventurers we ran into and Haren. But their scheme went to hell. For one, the key they were desperately hunting ended up in my hands, and I beat them to opening the vault before they could.
And on top of that...
"Those pricks had the nerve to yap at me about inspections."
"...And what happened?"
"None of them are walking around in one piece right now, that's for sure."
Right on cue, a former A-rank adventurer—Karen—had entered the dungeon and smashed the Red Hawk Clan, who were grabbing every passing adventurer on the first floor for inspections. In the process, Karen overheard the vault's location and had a hunch I'd be there, so she just hacked the door open.
"That thing could be broken that easily? Then why were they scrambling for keys?"
"Yuseong... Do you think a structure fused with the dungeon breaks that simply? Your master is just... ahem. Extraordinary."
Anyway, that was the rundown up to meeting Karen. After she gave us the gist on the way back to the city, we headed straight to the temple.
Rikar and Kir went right to the priests for treatment, while I...
"Welcome to the Order of the Guide of Compassion..."
"Skip it. Any high priests stationed here right now?"
Instead of the Justice Church where I'd met Clarice before, we went to the order devoted to one of the five benevolent gods, the Guide of Compassion, and I immediately started raising hell demanding a high priest.
"Um, Master? Even so, isn't this a bit much?"
"You stay quiet. You're not hurting right now, so your head's not on straight, but you've got two fingers blown off."
I wondered if even a former A-rank adventurer could get away with this inside a church serving a god, but Karen was unstoppable. Luckily, a priest who seemed to know her came out sweating bullets and calmed her down.
"Ka-Karen, please calm down! Unfortunately, we don't have any high priests stationed here right now."
"What? Roxanne?"
"She's away on assignment..."
"Damn it..."
Defeat crept into Karen's expression, and even I, waiting obediently by her side, started getting antsy.
...Wait, am I seriously not getting healed?
I'd been grateful just to survive, but now that we'd made it back to Rivil on my own two feet, the reality of living as a disabled guy without fingers hit me like a brick wall.
But the sweating priest offered an alternative.
"Well... Why not try the Justice Church? Their healing isn't quite on our level, but they do have a few who can regenerate lost limbs..."
"...The Justice Church, huh... Hmm..."
Karen looked a bit troubled, glanced at my right hand, and let out a deep sigh before dragging me out of the Order of the Guide of Compassion.
"Alright, Yuseong. We're heading to the Justice Church now. And you'll probably run into someone you know there, so watch your mouth and stay quiet. Got it?"
"Master? You don't mean..."
Hearing her warning as she pulled me toward the Justice Church, I realized why she'd looked so grim. The only person I knew there was one: Clarice.
Karen called for someone at the Justice Church reception desk, and soon we met a certain woman.
"Karen. You seeking me out? Must be something big."
"...Clarice."
The heretic inquisitor, Clarice. The blonde woman from the necromancer incident who'd interrogated me afterward emerged from the temple depths with a cold expression.
......
A face impossible to read. It suited the icy armor she wore. Clarice, who'd once introduced herself as a heretic inquisitor of the Justice Church, exchanged brief greetings with Karen before turning her frigid gaze on me.
"You brought your disciple too."
Her voice had held a faint warmth when saying Karen's name, but it turned arctic the moment she mentioned me. Karen looked awkward—she'd expected this—but since we were the ones begging, she made the request.
"Clarice. If you could..."
"I know what you're after. Looks like a major injury on the right arm, two fingers severed. I'm probably the only high cleric left in Rivil right now."
"...You know already. So, could you heal him...?"
As she pleaded, Karen nudged me with her elbow. Catching on, I bowed as politely as I could and joined in.
"Please... Lady Clarice?"
"......"
Bowing my head to the woman who'd once choked me and intimidated me was humiliating, but better than a lifetime as a cripple. Was "Lady" right? Priests were "Your Excellency," right?
With both Karen and me bowing, Clarice—who'd been staring at me impassively—finally nodded.
"Fine."
"...! Really? Thank you, Clari—"
"But."
Karen had braced for a long negotiation, but lit up at Clarice's quick acceptance—only for Clarice to fix her cold gaze on me.
"This is a debt."
"A debt?"
"Yes. You know this already, Karen. Miracles healing severe physical loss aren't handed out freely."
"I know. I'm not asking for a handout. I've got money, and if that's not enough, take it as a commission for your church..."
"No. Not you, Karen."
"Huh?"
Just as Karen nodded to settling it as a debt, Clarice shook her head and locked eyes with me.
"Karen's disciple. Yuseong. You owe me."
"...Me?"
"Yes. You're the one being healed. It doesn't make sense for Karen to take on the debt, master-disciple or not."
...Fair point.
"What kind of debt? I can pay in gold."
"I don't need money."
"Then what?"
"We'll see..."
Clarice scanned me with her icy gaze and continued in a flat tone.
"To be frank, I still suspect you."
"......"
"I investigated you afterward, but your past is suspiciously murky. Like you dropped out of the sky."
Cold sweat trickled down my back as she spoke. Dropped out of the sky... that nailed my situation perfectly.
"You know how many people I've investigated as a heretic inquisitor whose histories cut off abruptly at some point?"
"That's..."
"And every single one was a follower of an evil god. Especially those of the Deceiver of Doubts."
"Deceiver of Doubts...?"
I'd been listening quietly, but couldn't hold back when she named an evil god. It was one of the six evil gods with almost no info.
Wasn't that the evil god with the least information out of all of them?
When I'd researched the evil gods in the library after arriving in Rivil, that one had zilch compared to the others. Even basics on the lord of all demons or the twisted life ruling necromancers were there, but the Deceiver of Doubts? Nothing.
And now it came from Clarice's mouth, in the context of people with murky pasts. Did that mean followers of the Deceiver of Doubts...
"But while I suspect you, I trust Karen. Her judgment surpasses mine."
As I started spiraling, Clarice glanced at Karen and continued. She didn't trust me, but trusted Karen implicitly.
"So I intend to figure out what you are."
"And if you do?"
"Rather than rush to judgment, I'll learn who you are as a person. What Karen saw in you to earn her trust. Once I have all that, I'll decide how to act."
With that, Clarice made me a proposal... and after some thought, I accepted.
......
"This is wild."
"Try using the regenerated fingers as much as possible. It'll feel awkward at first, but the more you use them, the better it'll get."
Leaving the Justice Church temple with Karen, I stared at my right hand—now clean and fresh, unlike before when two fingers were gone and skin flayed off. Baby-smooth white skin, like new.
I'd known healing was possible, but fingers and arm good as new in under an hour? Insane.
"But... you sure about this?"
"Yeah."
Karen—who'd heard the proposal too—looked worried, but I nodded. Clarice had laid her suspicions bare with her offer.
A designated quest. I'd heard of those.
Unlike guild quests anyone qualified could take, designated quests named a specific adventurer. Clarice's pitch was simple: She'd post one in my name later, and I should take it.
No clue what quest she'll throw at me or how it'll reveal who I am...
To avoid a lifetime minus fingers, I had no choice. The longer the loss, the harder the heal, she'd said. But it wasn't all bad. Unlike our first tense meeting, Clarice seemed torn on trusting me—thanks to...
I glanced at Karen beside me, recalling Clarice's rock-solid trust and guilty gaze toward her.
What happened between them in the past?
Whatever it was, if I kept training under Karen and got closer, maybe I'd hear it someday. Enough to soften Clarice's endless suspicion based solely on Karen's faith in me.
Her proposal was basically a chance to prove myself and erase that doubt.
I'm innocent, after all.
Sure, I'd lied to hide being an isekai'd guy, and my past was opaque, but I wasn't some evil god minion. If I could prove my heart to her, I'd shake the suspicion. Couldn't live forever under scrutiny from the Justice Church's heretic inquisitor.
"She won't post it right away anyway."
"Right. It'll go through the guild, so no crazy quests."
I was a bit scared of what she'd pick, but whatever. Future me's problem. At least Karen would vet it first for safety.
"I'll head out then, Master. Thanks... for everything today."
"Why not crash at my place? You said it was comfy last time."
I pushed aside the heavy thoughts to head back to my inn, but Karen suggested staying over. Remembering that soft bed, I nearly said yes...
"...Nah, don't wanna impose that much."
"It's no imposition... Whatever, your call."
One thing on my mind made me tearfully decline.
"Rest up. No need to come early tomorrow. You earned a break. We'll talk details then."
"Got it. Rest well, Master."
We parted at the fork, and I flexed my new fingers repeatedly on the way to my inn.
First dungeon dive, rematch with that Red Hawk Clan prick Haren, secret vault, two-headed ogre... A packed day, and it was past midnight into early dawn. Dragging my exhausted body through the quiet night streets, I reached the inn...
"...Huh?"
"Oh? Yuseong?"
I ran into an unexpected face at my inn.
"Kir? What're you doing here?"
"Yuseong, you're the one... Whoa! Your hand! All better? Wow, already healed?!"
"Hang on, Kir. It's dawn, so..."
"Oops... Shh!!"
Kir's startled face as she pressed a finger to her lips in a cute "shh" gesture was adorable, but I was still thrown. No way...
"Kir, you staying here?"
"Yup! You too?"
"Uh... Yeah. Damn."
Her reason was simple: She was staying here too!
Come to think of it, this inn caters mostly to beastkin... But we'd never bumped into each other before.
Glad to see her unexpectedly, but given the hour, we kept greetings short and headed to our rooms.
"Looks like you're all healed too."
"Oh! Yuseong, tell your master thanks. She covered me and Rikar too!"
"...For real?"
Shocked by Karen's unexpected kindness, I found myself heading upstairs with Kir naturally.
"...Why're you coming with? Go rest in your room."
"My room's on the second floor too?"
"Oh."
Awkward, I climbed to the second floor with her... and even at my door, she stuck by me. When we reached our doors...
"...Next door?"
"Whoa... What a coincidence!"
Same inn was surprise enough, but adjacent rooms? Not running into her before was the real mystery.
Fun coincidence, but...
"Anyway, Kir, get some rest. And... thanks for today. Without you, that ogre would've gotten me."
"No way! You took it down and saved us all!"
"Rikar finished it..."
"You did most of it! So cool! Like a fairy tale hero!"
Her sparkling eyes made me squirm as she waved and headed to her room.
The surprise lifted my spirits, and I slipped into my room slowly.
"Hoo..."
Unpacked, sat on the bed, tension melted, and fatigue crashed in. I wanted to crash right there. But...
...Damn it.
After barely surviving and using Gula again, one urge had grown suspiciously stronger...
I sighed.
Why the hell am I horny in this situation?
They say near-death spikes breeding instincts? Whoever said it, that was me now. Ever since escaping the ogre, my groin had been throbbing unbearably!
And not just that? Feels even stronger since using Gula...
Last evolution amped my lust too, and using Gula again unwillingly probably cranked it higher.
...Had to use it, got us through, but it's a creepy weapon. Nearly got sword-swallowed whole this time too. Lucky it ended at two fingers.
Hope I never need it again.
Shuddering at the horrific swallowed sensation, I stripped off my ragged clothes and muttered.
"Gotta do what I gotta do."
Even in war, kids get born, right? My case was a bit different, but... Couldn't sleep soundly like this anyway. I reached out, pondering who to replicate today.