The Fifth Inquisition Office (1)
The Fifth Inquisition Office (1)
Dimona ground her teeth. She checked the transcript over and over, then hurled it to the floor.
But as high as her confidence was, she was also someone who took responsibility for her own words.
"Ugh... fine, I can't help it! Really! Fine! I'll just do it! I'm telling you now, from today on, I'm your superior! Show me the respect and courtesy that comes with that!"
"Understood, Divine Judge Dimona. I swear to be your dog, your slave. Shall I lick your feet?"
"Goddammit! This pisses me off! Just act normal!"
"Well, it is pretty absurd that someone who got straight A+ grades in a month would be stuck under someone else."
"Aaaaaaargh!!!"
Dimona huffed and puffed as she led me to the Inquisition Office. We passed the place marked 1, and she brought me to a stop in front of the door marked 5.
A place filled with the shabbiest interior imaginable. Part of the door was rusted, and I ran a hand down my face.
Why is every place I end up dirt poor?
"This is the Fifth Inquisition Office, where you'll be staying."
"Judge. Are we broke?"
"Didn't I explain? The Fifth Inquisition Office is on the Holy See's bad side. We get discriminated against in ways both obvious and subtle."
"They're discriminating openly, though?"
"...The reason our funding is low is because our performance is lacking."
"Do you have fewer people than the other Inquisition Offices?"
"It's not that..."
Dimona let out a sigh.
"To be honest, our numbers are low, but not that low. The problem lies elsewhere."
"...Don't tell me they only send incompetent, useless people here."
"Correct. The inquisitors of the Fifth Inquisition Office are divided into Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 consists of veterans who could be deployed to the battlefield immediately. Group 2, by comparison, consists of relatively weaker reserve forces who can't be deployed. In other words, paladins still in training."
Dimona leaned against the wall. She slid down it.
"Group 1's numbers are shrinking by the day. But the talent to move up from Group 2 to Group 1 is absurdly scarce. The Holy See sends mostly people who don't listen, or who are incompetent, here. So our performance drops... and when performance drops, funding shrinks. When funding shrinks..."
"You lose the leeway to train Group 2."
"A vicious cycle."
Dimona smiled brightly. She held out her hand.
"Welcome to the Fifth Inquisition Office."
"Just send me to the Punishment Office."
"Yeah. No. Archbishop Dwayne already has it in for you as badly as he can, so you're staying here. I've decided to invest in you, so I'm going to wring out everything you've got. Just so you know."
"I really stepped in shit."
I let out a sigh.
"No, Divine Judge Dimona. Let's lay it all out. Honestly, you're competent, aren't you?"
"That's right."
"Then how did it come to this?"
"I'm competent, but I have no backing. There's nobody behind me. It's common for a self-made rich person to face pushback, isn't it?"
"...True, but..."
That's because in most scenarios she shows up as a politician who swallowed half the Church!
"So, no hidden funds or anything? Maybe Divine Judge is just your public-facing job... maybe you're actually an Apostle..."
"Do I look that bad? Still, isn't this better than the church you were living in? We don't worry about food, sleep, or rest. For now, it's fine. For now."
"What about ten years from now?"
"Won't Dimona ten years from now figure something out?"
"Dimona ten years from now is probably going to come beat you up."
I'd expected some hardship, but the situation is worse than I thought.
It reminded me of when I first fell into this world.
The church was a mess back then too. What did I do at the time?
First, I secured a source of funding, didn't I?
"...Ha."
First.
First, let's secure some goodwill. I need to know exactly how this organization operates.
To build something properly, you have to understand the structure.
"Divine Judge Dimona."
"What?"
"Put me on trainee status."
"...I was planning to anyway, but why all of a sudden? Is there a reason?"
"I want to avoid taking missions for about a month. You can cover that much, right?"
"What for?"
"What else?"
I rolled up my sleeves.
"I'm going to tear it all down and rebuild."
These are the people who'll become the stepping stones for my position within the Church.
Archbishop Dwayne is targeting me, so I need to build them up enough to at least serve as shields.
At this rate, we're all going to go down together in flames, so what else can I do!
. . .
Things got busy. Dimona felt her workload increase.
Work began pouring in from the other Inquisition Offices in earnest. They made all sorts of excuses and forced the work onto her.
Mostly petty tasks. It seemed like the stage before full-blown bullying began. How much pressure must the Holy See have applied for even her coworkers to harass her?
Dimona smiled. She'd heard that smiling through hardship was what made you first-rate.
But the liquor bottles on her desk multiplied in direct opposition to that.
Radatok, who had brought in a report, covered his nose.
"...How much have you had?"
"Not much."
Radatok picked up the empty bottles. Even a quick count showed fourteen.
Dimona could hold her liquor. But no matter how strong she was, drinking this much was bound to make her woozy.
"Judge."
"Ahh. Nagging. Inquisitor. Don't bother nagging me. My head's about to explode as it is. Still, I'm managing, aren't I? I'm handling most of the incoming work myself. The tasks that can be processed at the desk, I resolve on the spot."
"I'm not saying you've done anything wrong."
Radatok let out a sigh.
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"I have no choice but to push myself. A troublemaker just joined our Inquisition Office, so how could I not?"
"That's not what I meant. Judge, you are not alone. Please remember that I am here as well."
"I know. I know, but I can't help it. Radatok. If I dragged even you into paperwork, what do you think would happen? You're the only one who can perform in the field up to my expectations, so I can't use you for this."
It was true. Radatok felt it too.
The Fifth Inquisition Office.
Under Dimona, talent was scarce. Of course, it wasn't as if only the completely untalented were gathered here.
It was because there were more people who had talent but didn't listen worth a damn.
"...I'll manage somehow."
"Forget it. I'll set aside days to train the inquisitors myself. If we do it half-heartedly, it's no different from handing the Holy See or the other Inquisition Offices leverage over us."
Blood trickled from Dimona's nose. As if accustomed to it, she pulled out a tissue and wiped it.
"It's fine. I can still manage."
"...You don't look like you can at all..."
Knock knock.
A knock sounded. Radatok turned around. Even though no one had said to come in, someone was walking in.
A man with a dignified presence. The Fifth Inquisition Office's public enemy, and the cause of Dimona's nosebleed.
Archbishop Dwayne walked into the room.
"Divine Judge Dimona. You look burdened by official duties."
"I'm busy. Why are you here?"
"I merely wished to see my esteemed sister."
"Strange. I didn't think we were that close."
Archbishop Dwayne glanced around the room. He looked at the empty bottles Radatok had tidied up.
"The room is a mess."
"Did you contribute anything to it?"
"You've grown quite sharp."
"I don't see much point in hiding it anymore."
Archbishop Dwayne gestured at Radatok with his eyes. Radatok's expression hardened, but Dimona flicked her hand.
"Step outside, Inquisitor. I'm fine."
"...I'll wait outside."
The door closed. Archbishop Dwayne swept his gaze over the room.
Silence settled in. Dwayne was the one to break it first.
"The dog you keep is quite loyal."
"He's more of a bear than a dog. Do you know the difference between a bear and a dog?"
"I don't."
"A bear tears people apart. If you don't want to be torn apart, don't call Radatok a dog."
"......"
Dwayne opened a bottle of liquor that hadn't been opened yet. He poured it into a glass.
Dimona growled.
"Do you know how much that costs?"
"My apologies. Will this be enough to cover the drinks?"
Dwayne took out his wallet. Dimona flinched at the check he placed on the desk.
It was an enormous sum. Far too much for mere drinks. An amount equal to the Fifth Inquisition Office's entire annual budget.
"...Did you come here just to show off your money?"
"Of course not. I merely thought the time had come to draw the line clearly."
Dwayne tilted his glass.
"Divine Judge Dimona. You are certainly competent. I didn't expect you to handle all that work alone. Someone who could qualify for the 'Day Priestesses' on sheer martial ability alone, yet also possesses such outstanding administrative skill... that is a rare case indeed."
"So what?"
"You have everything I want. Unlike the incompetents in the other Inquisition Offices, you are the 'real thing.'"
"I don't want to be flirted with by a fifty-year-old man."
"I'll be direct. Divine Judge Dimona."
Dwayne looked at Dimona through his glass.
"Don't you want backing?"
"......"
"There is a position worthy of your abilities. Simply take my hand, and you can rise higher than this place. Power, money, honor. You can have it all. You could rise to the highest position within the Church, second only to me. I have no intention of settling for being a mere cardinal."
"Are you saying you're aiming for the papacy?"
"Perhaps even higher than that."
"...Higher than that."
"I'll tell you the details if you take my hand. Divine Judge Dimona. Honestly, isn't it suffocating? Compared to your competence, isn't the caliber of those who follow you pathetic?"
Dwayne whispered.
"The people you keep trying to protect are what bury your talent. They hold you back and nail you in place so you can't move forward. Divine Judge Dimona. I don't believe someone of your caliber should end as merely a Divine Judge. And I believe you think the same."
"......"
"What I'm offering is an opportunity. I have never forgiven an opponent who rose against me. But for you alone, I wish to make a single exception. I covet your ability. I believe without a doubt that your capabilities will carry me to greater heights."
"...Ha."
Dimona let out a short laugh.
"And? Go on. What happens if I take your hand?"
"Starting with full support, I intend to shift public opinion within the Holy See. After making the case for the Fifth Inquisition Office's competence, I plan to install you as the next archbishop."
"Wow. A promotion in one go. Not bad."
"Divine Judge Dimona. Don't speak in jest. Think seriously. This is the last lifeline I'm offering you. Do you intend to refuse it?"
The glass was completely empty.
"Even knowing there's nothing but ruin at the end of it?"
Silence flowed. Dimona let out a sigh. She slumped over the desk and flicked an empty bottle with her fingertip, tipping it over.
"...Sure."
She said.
"I do want to drink more expensive liquor."
"A natural desire for any human."
"I want to rise higher too. I want to command more people."
"Everyone is the same."
"I'd like people to look up to me. I'd like to be served, and have their convictions bend at a single word from me."
"That is power, and the reason we stand in these positions."
Dwayne nodded.
"You can have everything you want. If you hand over the apprentice paladin Zahard as a token of your promise."
At Dimona's gesture, the bottle toppled over. It rolled across the floor.
"But."
Dimona smiled.
"But no."
"......?"
"I was wondering when you'd get around to telling me to hand over Zahard. He's your goal in the end, isn't he? I know you. You hate anyone who challenges your authority. You want to bite like a beast whose territory has been invaded."
"......"
"I wouldn't be an exception. Right? Even if I went under you, someday you'd bite me too. There's no guarantee that someone who crawled up once won't crawl up twice."
"Is that your choice?"
"Choice or not..."
Dimona pondered. Then she casually extended her middle finger.
"If you come under me, you're my person. And I'm the leader of those people. The people who follow me are shackles? Fuck off. What kind of shackles are they? They're the pillars that support me. And Zahard is now one of my pillars."
"...A foolish choice."
"Foolish? Unbelievable. I'm a genius who graduated from the Theological Academy in six months, you know? I've only ever met one person smarter than me. And that person is under me now. Do you know what that means?"
Dimona lifted the corner of her mouth.
"It means I have no reason to fear you. You old man blinded by power."
"......."
Dwayne stood. Before leaving, he glanced back at her with an expressionless face.
"I meant what I said. Divine Judge Dimona. If you had chosen to come under me, I would not have touched you."
"I meant what I said too."
Dimona yawned.
"Fuck off."
"...You'll regret this."
"You'll be the one regretting it."
Dimona waved her hand.
"That guy may have no manners, but he's competent. Maybe even more than me."
The door opened and closed again. Radatok crept back into the room. For some reason, his eyes were slightly wet.
"...Judge."
Her teacher and subordinate sniffled quietly.
"You've grown into someone truly remarkable."
"That's so sappy. Unbelievable. Really."
Dimona wiped away the nosebleed that had started flowing again.
"Come to think of it..."
A week had already flown by since Zahard arrived.
"What's that guy been doing?"
"Well..."
Radatok hemmed and hawed.