The Divine Trial (1)
The Divine Trial (1)
"These sons of bitches dare lay hands on the Judge!"
"Who the hell are these bastards!"
"C-calm down!"
"No, that's not what this is—!"
Hm. What a shitshow.
I kept my distance from the two factions squabbling with each other and looked far off. There were no Serpent Church corpses, only a mess of tracks leading away.
Good. Good. My lovely Isabella seems to have fled far away.
Run far. And come back when I need you.
Don't forget the debt you owe me.
The misunderstanding cleared up quickly. Dimona, who had been sniffling, clung to Radatok.
"R-Radatok, I... I thought you were dead..."
Dimona bawled like a little child. It was unlike her, skilled as she was in scheming and intrigue. Radatok's eyes widened slightly, as if he too was caught off guard.
Soon he slowly stroked her head. His eyes were looking at me.
"I survived thanks to Brother Zahard."
"...Brother... Zahard?"
Dimona wiped her tears and turned to look at me. Radatok smiled broadly, uncharacteristically for him.
"You won't believe it even when you hear it. Let's discuss the details while we move."
"I'd like to get some sleep too. I'm so tired I could die."
I could close my eyes soon enough.
I collapsed into the snow with a flop. Ah. Whatever.
Someone would carry me off. I was truly at my limit now.
"Radatok."
"Yes. Brother."
"I'm going to sleep for a bit."
"Of course."
He smoothly hoisted me onto his back.
"Sweet dreams. Brother."
. . .
When I opened my eyes, the general situation had all been sorted out. Apparently I'd slept for three days straight.
The Divine Judge still couldn't bring herself to believe what had happened inside. She came to see me once I woke and immediately asked.
"Zahard, apprentice priest. Is it true that you were chosen as the new Apostle of the Sun God Ra?"
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"First, give me some food. I'm starving to death."
The inquisitors quietly got up and brought food. Dimona's mouth fell wide open.
"They're people who never listened to anyone but me and Radatok... How..."
"Brother, you saved our lives."
"He helped us with all sorts of things."
"We owe you more than we could repay in a lifetime."
I glanced over. Weapons like the ones we'd brought back then dangled from the inquisitors' waists. They hadn't even been serviced by a craftsman yet, and they were already using them.
They're completely hooked. Mm. The meat is excellent too. Not as good as mine, but delicious.
I finished a light meal at the camp. I nodded at Radatok's advice not to eat too much.
Divine Judge Dimona's mouth stayed open the entire time.
"Inquisitor Radatok... pays attention to someone other than me?"
"Brother is a remarkable person."
"Radatok has a good eye."
"I don't... understand what's going on."
Dimona rubbed her face. For once, her pretty features were filled with seriousness.
"So... Zahard, apprentice priest?"
"Yes."
"You truly encountered an ancient evil at the church branch, and then were chosen as an apostle, as its successor?"
"That's right."
"Can you prove it?"
"I can prove it, but... here?"
Most of the people Dimona had brought with her didn't seem to be inquisitors. The marks they wore were different, as if they belonged to a different unit.
She caught on to what I meant and nodded. She led me somewhere secluded.
"...Show me."
"Here it is."
I smoothly drew Surtr and showed it. Dimona's eyes went wide.
"What wicked...! This is absurd! This was at the church branch, and no one knew?"
"It was sealed away deep underground."
"How did you find it?"
"Ra gave me a revelation. That there was an ancient evil beneath the church branch whose seal was breaking. That someone had to take on that role."
"But... this is..."
Dimona noticed the strange thread bound between Surtr and me.
"You'll never be free of this evil for the rest of your life! It's no different from a curse! If you keep holding this... someday your body will be corrupted and you'll die!"
"That, too, is my mission."
Wielding Surtr once had made it clear that I was its owner.
A one-sided master-servant relationship that never sought the Demon Sword Surtr's consent.
It was clear that it would have a bad effect on me. My Sacred Power sometimes writhed, and I could feel my body being very faintly defiled by Demonic Force.
Yeah. But no.
My leveling speed is faster.
I added one more spoonful of truth atop the lies I'd been smoothly spilling. I smiled brightly.
"I'll be able to endure it. I promised Ra I would. And even if I can't, I intend to firmly secure a successor before I go."
"Why in the world..."
Dimona frowned. She let out a sigh. Then she looked at me and bowed her head courteously.
"First... my greeting is late. I, Divine Judge Dimona, formally offer you my respects. Thank you for saving Inquisitor Radatok. And of course, the other inquisitors as well."
"I only did what had to be done."
"...You don't actually think that line will work on me, do you?"
"Clearly not. You're different from those people."
What stood before me was a fox. A veteran among veterans who had survived the church's internal politics. Far younger than Radatok, yet her cunning alone was no joke.
I straightened my shoulders. I wiped the kindly smile clean off my face. Dimona glared at me.
"What do you want? Zahard, apprentice priest?"
"For now, there's one thing I want. It's a step I'd reach eventually, but it's the most important one."
"...And what is that?"
"An Academy admission ticket."
I finally felt like I'd stepped onto the starting line.
"I want an Academy admission ticket for next year."
Dimona's answer came a beat late. And it wasn't a yes.
"Haaaaaaa?"
. . .
"No. I mean. A person who says he's become an apostle... wants nothing more than an Academy admission ticket..."
"What kind of... no, even if it's a stepping stone... not some other elite course, but just..."
"After going to all the trouble of indebting me... he demands an Academy admission ticket, something even bishops can obtain..."
I poked the grumbling Dimona in the cheek.
"You're noisy, so can you stop muttering?"
"I'm saying this because I don't understand!"
Dimona snapped.
"With my power, you could use me for far more than that! For example... yes! All of the inquisitors could become your faction! Something like that!"
"You wouldn't do that."
"...How do you know that?"
"From what I can see, Divine Judge Dimona doesn't look like the sort of person who'd serve under anyone."
I shrugged.
"If that's the case, wouldn't a relationship of equals be better than subordinates?"
"...Ho-oh?"
Dimona bared her fangs in a smile.
"Did you perhaps study up on me beforehand?"
"No way. I'm just good at reading people."
"Strange. That can't be. You seem to know me too well."
"I'm only interested in myself. I'm so capable, why would I bother paying attention to anyone else?"
"Ahaha. You're pretty full of yourself. Careful you don't get knocked down a peg."
"Puhaha. As if. I've got every reason to be proud. Who could possibly knock me down?"
"...Both of you, stop."
Radatok mediated between the two of us. He turned to look at me.
"First, Brother. The most urgent matter is the internal accusation."
"Ah, right. I'd forgotten. Let's just wrap it up quickly."
"It is not something we can wrap up quickly anymore. We were gone for a month. The Judge told us herself."
"The Inquisitor is right. The matter has gotten tangled up strangely. I didn't expect Archbishop Dwayne to step in personally, but it seems he made some kind of deal behind the scenes with Bishop Brody, apprentice priest Beverick's father."
Dimona fluttered a document in the air.
"These are all just scraps of paper now. All the evidence was covered up. While I was preoccupied with the inquisitors' situation, Archbishop Dwayne personally cleaned everything up."
"...Seriously?"
No. Wait.
I went to all the trouble of filing an internal accusation, and it just fizzles out from insufficient evidence? And I get branded on top of it?
"You're joking, right?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not lying. We could tie it to the sexual harassment of Apprentice Priest Irene, but... that alone isn't enough. It's not a matter that can be brought to a Divine Trial."
"Come on. No way. The great Dimona couldn't possibly be that incompetent."
"...I can't tell whether you're complimenting me or insulting me."
"It's a compliment. A compliment."
Dimona glared at me and sighed. She pulled more documents from inside her clothes.
"...Of course I've arranged everything. Even the traces of their attempts to destroy evidence."
As expected!
Radatok stared at Dimona as if betrayed by his master.
"You... didn't say a word to me..."
"I had to keep it secret. Everyone here is someone I can trust, isn't that right? Zahard, apprentice priest, is still a bit ambiguous, but he's already in the same boat as us."
"All praise to the capable Divine Judge Dimona!"
"Don't give me lip service. Zahard, apprentice priest. It gives me goosebumps. I wanted to see your reaction, but you didn't even look surprised, so it's no fun."
I was surprised. It's just that I had another way.
I'd planned to just overturn everything if it came down to it. After all, I now had Brionac!
But since she said it still had value, staying in the church seemed better. Even if there were people who hated me, there were now also people who had teamed up with me.
In the first place, swallowing up an existing group is far faster than building a new one. And I didn't have much time.
"Divine Judge Dimona."
"What."
"You know I love you, right?"
"Inquisitor. Would you please throw this person out of the carriage?"
"Haha. Just a joke."
"It's not a joke."
Dimona glared at me.
"I trust the Inquisitor's words. But even so, I only fully believe them after my own verification. Zahard, apprentice priest. If you truly want my help, prove your ability. Then I will stand on your side, on behalf of all the inquisitors."
"As a subordinate?"
"As a colleague."
"That's a shame."
"You said it yourself earlier."
The teasing tone had completely vanished. Until just before we left the city, she had toyed with me from a position of total superiority.
This sulky Dimona was also quite cute. Mm. Delicious. Very delicious.
Turns out being capable really does pay.
"Don't worry."
On top of that, I had already obtained a path to grow stronger. The earring dangling from only one of my ears swayed.
"I'll prove it more than enough."
We steadily headed toward the church headquarters. Including the time I slept and the time inside Vagueness, after nearly a month and a half, I was finally able to set foot in the city where the church headquarters was located.
The city of Ainkad.
The journey that had begun at the end of a frozen winter was now, before I knew it, greeting spring. I breathed in Ainkad's scent deeply.
Ahh. It's good.
It would be even better if there weren't unwelcome faces.
"......"
A party from the church was waiting for us: Bishop Brody, father of Apprentice Priest Beverick, whose face alone made me want to shove him into a shit barrel.
With a small number of believers in tow, they greeted us.
They looked like they'd bitten into shit.