New Position
New Position
On the top floor of the most magnificent and massive building within the Academy grounds,
a very humble room is hidden, quite unfitting for such grandeur.
The owner of this humble space is the being with the highest authority in the Academy, a living witness who was there for the founding of Sepenteria, and revered as a great Archmage—
The Academy Dean.
It was 'Gedeasha Bolorenos'.
And now, a man was sitting across from her, sipping steaming tea.
A man who didn't fit into this sacred campus at all, a man who, by all rights, should never have set foot in the Academy.
He had made a name for himself in the ranks of the unofficial strongest in the world before even reaching the age of thirty,
and among those powerhouses, he was the most dangerous and cruel, yet simultaneously praised as the holy sword of the Goddess.
He was the Chief Inquisitor of the 1st Special Inquisition Department, 'Lu Niginna'.
"Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna, in any case, let's talk this through step by step from the beginning. I've heard a rough summary of the situation from His Holiness the Pope."
"Slurp... Hmph, ahem... Yes, one thing led to another, and I ended up here in charge of protecting the Saint."
"Yes, you must have come for the Saint's safety. So, to speak frankly without beating around the bush, the current situation is quite burdensome for the Academy as well."
"Ah, I suppose the Saint's enrollment would cause quite a stir for the Academy..."
"No. The Saint's enrollment itself isn't that burdensome. It is the ironclad rule of the [Sepenteria Continental General Academy] to accept anyone who thirsts for knowledge, regardless of their status."
"..."
"It is a place that opens its doors to even the poor and lowly if they have talent and wish to let it bloom, so if we were to push away the Saint just because she holds the highest position in the world, that would be reverse discrimination. What we are truly burdened by is..."
Dean Gedeasha continued, staring intently at the man with jet-black hair and eyes like an abyss.
"Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna, it is you."
"..."
Lu Niginna nodded calmly, as if he had already expected the Dean's direct manner of speaking to some extent.
"Yes, I had actually guessed as much to some extent. I'm not exactly famous among ordinary people, but having lived the life of a Heretic Inquisitor for so long, I am well aware that I'm a bit of an unsettling figure."
"It's beyond the level of just 'a bit unsettling'... but well, that's not the point, so let's move on. In any case, the fact remains that there is an uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing element for us, and I arranged this meeting because I felt we needed to have an in-depth conversation about that point."
As Lu Niginna took up his post as the Saint's escort, he had now become a member of the Academy.
It meant that a Heretic Inquisitor, who had spent his life soaked in blood and screams, would now be living and working in this sacred place where people purely teach, learn, train intensely, and practice.
The Academy had no justification to stop Lu Niginna from accompanying her.
Because every student or enrollee had the right to freely choose the one escort allowed to them.
Ultimately, for the Academy and Lu Niginna to coexist without conflict, a conversation to draw a clear line was absolutely necessary.
Because he was a person who had traced a trajectory diametrically opposed to an ordinary, normal life.
This was especially evident from the fact that he had violated the rules on his very first day at the Academy—or to be precise, the moment he passed through the front gate.
"To address the situation that occurred today first, the emission or unauthorized use of power within the Academy is strictly prohibited, excluding students, faculty, and security personnel. It is an unconditional ban, regardless of the type, without exception."
"..."
"If we start saying this is okay and that isn't, or that this power doesn't cause harm so we won't restrict it, or that this might cause harm but isn't dangerous enough to regulate, then that will be the start of clever tricks and loopholes that slip through the rules like loaches, and those loopholes will only grow. Then, one day, a major incident might occur that is too late to undo. Therefore, unless it is a special terrorist situation, it is unconditionally prohibited."
Lu Niginna nodded and opened his mouth.
"Yes, to tell you the truth, I was completely unaware of that rule. It is my clear negligence for not having properly familiarized myself with it beforehand. Even though I was suddenly deployed as an escort, there is no room for excuses. However, even if I had known about the rule in advance, I would have raised my alert level just the same."
"You would have raised it even if you knew the rule... is that so?"
Lu Niginna nodded calmly, as if reciting common sense.
"Yes, in a hair-trigger situation where an unspecified number of people were focused on the Saint, I could never rule out the possibility that a Heretic was mixed in among the crowd. If a Heretic had been hiding in that gap, they could have used sorcery, unknown powers, or the authority of an Outer God or Evil God to harm the Saint. To fulfill my duty, I would have acted the same way twice, even three times."
Lu Niginna answered firmly, without a shred of hesitation, as if stating common sense.
"..."
It is a well-known fact to the world that the fanatics of the Three-Eyed Goddess Church do not take a single step back when it comes to matters related to the Goddess, but from Gedeasha's perspective, it was incredibly troublesome.
It was tantamount to declaring that he would act as he pleased outside of the Academy's rules, where there should be no exceptions, but he put forward flawless logic in terms of protecting the Saint, the daughter of the Goddess.
It was, in effect, a notification that he would not yield a single step, staking his position as the Chief Inquisitor of the Goddess Church.
Nevertheless, as the Dean responsible for the hall of education, Gedeasha could not break the authority of the rules.
"I understand fully, Chief Inquisitor. However, unauthorized emission of power within the Academy is still absolutely prohibited. This is an ironclad rule with no exceptions for anyone, and a solemn promise that has never been broken in 541 years under the declaration of the first Dean."
"..."
Lu Niginna's expression twisted as if he were extremely troubled.
He didn't want to clash with the Academy, but he couldn't abandon the essence of his duty as an escort either.
He was truly caught in a checkmate, a dilemma with no way out.
To think such a troublesome problem would arise on the very first day of enrollment.
Gedeasha inwardly vented her resentment toward the Pope for attaching this difficult Chief Inquisitor as an escort.
'How could you create such an awkward situation, Pope? You didn't have such a nasty temperament when you were young... You've really become a nasty person as the years have gone by.'
It was no problem at all that the Saint had come here to learn.
However, attaching Lu Niginna, an apex predator who would light up with fury at the sight of a Heretic, to her side had caused such an uncomfortable problem.
In the end...
A proper compromise was needed.
A compromise that would allow him to perform his duties as an escort smoothly without damaging the Academy's rules.
"Then, Chief Inquisitor."
"Yes, Dean."
"Let's do this. I have a proposal that will satisfy both our Academy and Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna while allowing each to fulfill their roles."
"Please, go ahead."
"For the four years that the Saint will continue her studies, I will grant you a special position."
"A special position? What kind of..."
"Academy Special Security Officer."
"A, A Special Security Officer...?"
For a moment, Lu Niginna's expression darkened rapidly.
He had looked troubled enough just a moment ago, but now he looked terrified, as if he had seen a ghost.
Gedeasha didn't know why he was reacting that way, and she didn't particularly want to know, so she finished her sentence.
"The reason Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna is essentially guarding the Saint at close range is ultimately because of Heretics. It means you cannot leave the task of protecting the Saint from the threats of Heretics solely to the Academy. Is that correct?"
"...I cannot deny that."
"Then, if there are simply no Heretics within the Academy, or if even if one were to sneak in, you could track them down beforehand and dispose of them cleanly before they could harm the Saint, there would be no problem. Is that correct?"
"That is certainly true, but..."
"That is why I am proposing this. As an Academy Special Security Officer, use your expertise to ferret out and exterminate Heretics within the school. I am well aware of the law that members of the Three-Eyed Goddess Church cannot hold external government posts, so I will bypass that by appointing you to a special or honorary position."
It was a proposal that was not just unconventional, but ruinous.
Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna was so flustered that he couldn't make a decision readily and only moved his lips.
"That... I don't think that is a matter I can decide on my own. It is something that absolutely requires His Holiness the Pope's permission..."
"Ah, as for that matter, I shall ask him right now."
Gedeasha took a communication paper from her drawer and wrote down the message without hesitation.
[Gedeasha Bolorenos / Your Holiness, I need your permission to appoint Lu Niginna as an Academy Special Security Officer.]
Then, as if waiting for it, a reply arrived before the ink had even dried.
[Olfredric XV / I grant full permission.]
It was an immediate approval without a single second of hesitation.
But the Pope's reply didn't end there.
[Olfredric XV / Ah, now that I think about it, taking this measure would be more efficient.]
[Olfredric XV / I will appoint Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna as a Security Officer, and at the same time, relieve him of his existing escort duties.]
[Olfredric XV / And I will change the position of the accompanying attendant Lesha to official attendant and bodyguard. Normally, it is difficult for a bodyguard to double as an attendant helping with miscellaneous tasks, but since Adjutant Lesha is the Saint's old friend, I believe it is fully possible.]
Lu Niginna's face gradually rotted away as he watched the Pope's merciless decisions being written in real-time on the communication paper.
[Olfredric XV / Furthermore, please make sure to convey this clearly to Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna. Even if he has been relieved of his post, he must not forget his inherent duty as a member of the Goddess Church for even a moment. Especially, tell him to maintain the 'Law of Division' at all times and do his utmost so that not even a hair's breadth of a problem arises regarding the Saint's safety.]
"That is what he says. With this, there shouldn't be any problems legally or practically, right?"
"..."
+++*
A small garden next to the [Hall of Beginnings], where the entrance ceremony was in full swing and noisy.
I lit a cigarette and stared blankly up at the sky, utterly devastated.
In just these past few days, too many upheavals had swept through my life.
How could life zigzag so wildly?
I missed those days, which were monotonous to the point of absurdity, when I just did Heretic inquisitions and beat people to death every day.
Although the essential task of finding Heretics and cutting off their breath is the same, in just a few days, my status has—
From Chief Inquisitor to the Saint's escort.
And from the Saint's escort back to Academy Special Security Officer.
It was forcibly swapped twice.
Even the intensity of the work became exponentially more grueling every time the name changed.
Originally, it was all just about rushing out with my subordinates to sweep up Heretics when a report came in.
But becoming the Saint's escort, I took on the lonely duty of having to be a shield alone against all sorts of shady threats targeting the Saint.
But now, not only am I an escort, but I have to scour the entire Academy to ferret out Heretics, and even if it's not a Heretic, if it's a security issue, I have to run around the entire campus like a stray dog.
I tried to hold it in, but a curse slipped out of my mouth.
"Fuck... my life..."
I really don't want to work.
I just want to roll around easily and live comfortably, please.
+++*
The top floor of the most majestic building within the Academy grounds, the Dean's humble room.
Gedeasha opened her mouth with a small turtle in her hand.
"To have such immense power at an age not even thirty... Honestly, meeting him in person, it was surprising."
Then the small turtle, perhaps because its body had stiffened from being in the Dean's pocket, stretched and opened its mouth quite naturally.
Just like a person.
"What's more chilling than his strength is the terrible trace of death plastered all over his body. I wonder how many people he has choked the life out of until now; the remnants of corrupted and cursed souls were clinging to him filthily."
"I dare not even guess what kind of hellish life he has lived. Do you think so too, Guardian?"
"It is never an easy thing to guess the life of someone raised as a murderer under the pretext of carrying out the Goddess's noble will. It is only natural."
"I suppose so... Where else could there be a more contradictory tragedy than this?"
Contradictory.
At those sad words, the turtle called the Guardian stared intently at Gedeasha with a displeased expression and asked.
"But Gedea. That contradictory tragedy is about to unfold in this Academy that you have dedicated your whole life to building."
"Hmm~ I suppose so, right?"
"What do you mean 'I suppose so'! Why on earth did you readily permit the Saint's enrollment? It shouldn't have been a problem you couldn't foresee—that the Pope would send an extraordinary figure as the Saint's escort, and that the forces of evil targeting the Saint would bring chaos to the Academy."
At the Guardian's sharp question, Gedeasha replied, gently stroking the rim of her already cold teacup.
"Whether she is praised as the daughter of the Goddess or called the Saint, in the end, that child is just a young girl who has just come out into the world. It is only natural instinct to want to see the wide world, to mingle with people her age, and to learn new knowledge."
"..."
"As you well know, Guardian, isn't that the very purpose for which the first Dean founded this Academy? A place where people meet people, dream of a wider world, spread their wings to move forward, and learn whatever they want to their heart's content."
"..."
"So, as the Dean, there was simply no reason for me not to permit her enrollment."