The Fifth Inquisition Office (7)
The Fifth Inquisition Office (7)
Nord, a Group 2 inquisitor of the Fifth Inquisition Office, had heard the rumors.
That from night until dawn, Zahard was teaching Austin and his crew.
At first, he let it pass. The man had risen above him by the logic of force, but he was still an imperial citizen.
He was different from those like Nord who had crossed over the northern mountains. Being treated unfairly was hardly a new experience.
It was only natural.
He was used to this kind of treatment...
"Hey."
Nord flinched. He hastily set down the axe he had been polishing in his room.
A barbarian's weapon. The way of the axe was dismissed by the Church. It was mocked as savage and lacking in dignity.
But Nord still remembered. The blade's edge that had gleamed ominously amid the frozen mountains.
The fact that even an axe never fell short against a sword.
But that was that, and this was this. The other paladins didn't much care for favoring axes. They had scolded him harshly enough to stoke his defiance.
Nord casually shoved the axe under the bed. But the one who had called him strode over and rummaged beneath the bed.
"An axe, huh?"
A hand flipped it over with a swish. A junior who had entered later than him, the one who had beaten him not long ago.
Apprentice Paladin Zahard.
"...What brings you here?"
Deflecting with words was useless. Zahard picked up the axe and pondered briefly. He even tossed it once into the air with a light thunk.
"Must be precious to you?"
"...Even for you, if you touch that..."
"Why? Gonna bite?"
It was an object filled with his memories. A weapon that had saved his life several times in the northern mountains. Beyond a weapon, it could even be called a comrade.
Nord bared his teeth. He clenched his fist.
"Put it down."
"Whoa. Looks like you're about to take a swing at me. You know..."
Zahard gripped the axe properly.
"Can you hold this thing right?"
"...Excuse me?"
"No, I'm asking if you know how to hold it. What's the point of just polishing the blade? You've got to know how to use it in real combat. The Church doesn't teach axe techniques systematically, right? They only favor swords and spears, and the rest are pretty lacking."
What was he talking about?
Nord blinked. Zahard grinned.
"So? Don't you want to learn? How to properly wield an axe."
"...How would you know that?"
It was a loaded question.
Why is a paladin like you interested in axes? How do you know how to wield an axe? Why don't you scold me for holding an axe, even though it goes against the guidance of the senior paladins?
Zahard dismissed the question with a single answer.
"If I'm interested, I learn. What's stopping me?"
"...But the axe is a barbarian's weapon..."
"On the battlefield, the first people to die are the ones who fuss over whether something is barbaric. So, what's your answer?"
"You'd... really teach me that?"
"Of course."
Zahard casually held out his fist.
"We're a team, aren't we?"
A team.
Nord's mouth fell open. He stared blankly at the fist. Words he had never once heard from anyone except the barbarian paladins like himself.
Nord clenched his fist. He looked down at it, then extended it as it was.
Thunk.
The sound was brief. But it was enough to kindle an ember in Nord's heart.
. . .
Isabel frowned as she listened to Zahard's proposal. She didn't understand.
"You're going to teach us... weapon techniques separately?"
Why?
That was Isabel's question. He wasn't demanding anything in particular, just suddenly saying he would teach them.
Why on earth? What benefit was there in it for him?
Isabel ran the numbers in her head. But she couldn't make the calculation work no matter how hard she tried.
"...Why? Surely it's not because you have feelings for me..."
"Of course I like you. I already told Austin and Nord, too."
"You're going to teach us everything?"
Did the whistleblower before her have that kind of capability?
Isabel looked Zahard over. She had already confirmed his brains, but she had never tested his physical ability.
She had heard he had been involved in the subjugation of the Snow Demon. But did that mean he had played a major role?
There was no way. There were limits to what a mere apprentice priest could do. He must have simply ridden the coattails of the elite inquisitors and made it back with them.
She had heard he'd subdued Nord by force, but well...
Whether that strength could reach a Group 1 inquisitor was another matter. Nord was only upper-tier among Group 2, and his skill never quite reached Group 1.
"Why in the first place?"
Among her many questions, the biggest one was that.
"Did someone pay you? Or did someone put you up to this?"
"No?"
"If we learn from you, do we have to offer something? Will it remain as a debt we have to repay later?"
"I'd be grateful if you did, but I'm not really expecting that?"
"Then why are you trying to teach us?"
The whole world ran on calculation. Human emotion entered into it a little, but even then, profit and loss had to be weighed carefully.
Isabel furrowed her brow. She kept running the numbers in her head.
"Are you trying to... buy our favor?"
Even as she said it, it felt strange.
What good would buying the favor of third-raters like us do?
Zahard flicked Isabel on the forehead.
"Ow?!"
"Stop calculating and use your eyes. Smoke's coming out of your head."
"B-but I don't understand? It's different from the High Potion, isn't it?"
"What's different? It's the same."
"...What? But the benefit to you was almost noth—"
"There is one."
Zahard grinned.
"I want to buy your trust."
"...Trust? But why would you need the trust of people like us..."
"Because you're capable."
Capable.
Isabel hesitated. An attractive word. She had only ever heard that she was a woman obsessed with money, never anything more than that.
Hadn't she nearly been swayed when Zahard had said it last time, too? Isabel leaned her head back against the chair. She forced a blank expression to hide the corners of her lips trying to rise.
The man before her was younger. Much younger, at that.
She couldn't let herself be swayed any further!
"Why are we capable?"
"Your talent is overflowing. You just never met a proper teacher, right?"
"How do you know that..."
"I know."
Steady eyes looked straight at her.
"I've already seen once that you're capable, haven't I?"
Isabel suppressed her stirring heart with effort.
To survive, Isabel had always had to be calculating. To live even a little more comfortably than others, she had to calculate profit and loss quickly.
She had lived that way, and because she had lived that way, she had been ostracized by the Church. She had sneered at those who called the life she had lived foolish.
But because of that, she was lonely.
She had never formed a proper relationship with anyone around her. Every relationship she did have was built on money.
"...I-I."
Her voice trembled.
"I'm not capable. I might be more incompetent than you think."
"Lowering your own value before a deal? That's not like you, Isabel."
"B-but..."
A deal.
A deal.
A world where that was everything.
But even so, Isabel secretly wanted one: a relationship not built on transactions, one in which she could show herself without constantly calculating the give-and-take.
"...I..."
Maybe this could be the first step. Maybe it could become an escape from nights spent washing away tangled thoughts with alcohol, only to remain plagued by that thirst.
A strange man.
At the same time, he was a man who never behaved as she predicted.
If it was him, maybe...
"......"
Maybe he would... become her friend.
Isabel raised her head. She let out a deep sigh. She had no taste for gambling. But no one can live without gambling at least once in their life.
If she was going to do it anyway, it made sense to do it at a time of her choosing, with the person she chose.
"...You said you wanted to buy trust, right?"
Let's believe.
Let's see what this man will show.
"Fine. Let's give it a try. Of course, don't forget that this, too, is a deal."
For now, it might still go by the name of a 'deal.'
But in the future, maybe it would be different.
Isabel buried the feeling deep in her heart. She didn't want to be disappointed before anything had even begun.
. . .
【I-it's real...】
Beatrice trembled all over.
【It took me... years just to learn these...】
"There's still a long way to go."
【Even so! This is too fast!】
[You have tasted the essence of fire.]
[You have partially comprehended Beatrice's secret axe arts.]
[You have acquired 'Cliff-Burning Fire - Guillotine (A)'.]
[You have tasted the essence of fire.]
[You have partially comprehended Beatrice's secret greatsword arts.]
[The enlightenment of Sword of Judgment (A) melts into your swordsmanship.]
[Sword of Judgment (A) changes to 'Darkness-Slamming Weight - Stomp (S)'.]
I had learned all three of the core combat techniques. On top of that, my swordsmanship had changed into the specialized classification of greatsword arts and hit S-rank.
A unique skill grade. A super-powerful skill that could wipe out an entire group with a single use!
"Heh heh."
A laugh escaped on its own. This was it. This was exactly it!
What is a man?!
A greatsword!
As I swung the greatsword made just for me with a whoosh-whoosh, the others training with me sidled away with a shhhk. Nord, Isabel, and Austin, who had grown close before I knew it, huddled together and whispered.
"Why's the boss suddenly acting like that?"
"He's always talking nonsense to thin air, isn't he?"
"H-he must have his reasons... probably..."
These little—
I glared at them. I had taught each of them one technique suited to their respective inclinations.
To Nord, the axe art 'Cliff-Burning Fire - Guillotine (A)' for wielding an axe.
To Isabel, the greatsword art 'Darkness-Slamming Weight - Stomp (S)' for wielding a greatsword.
To Austin, the spear art 'Light-Devouring Fire - Luin (A)' for wielding a spear.
They hadn't even established the fundamentals yet, but these were all weapon techniques and Holy Arts that had been among the most precious even in the glorious Sun God Church of the Golden Age.
Their skills improved by leaps and bounds in an instant.
When Nord moved, the scarecrow shattered to pieces and rolled across the floor.
When Isabel moved, the scarecrow split in two and slammed into the wall.
When Austin moved, the scarecrow collapsed to the floor riddled with holes.
In Austin's case, you could say his effort surpassed his talent. He practiced later than even me and rolled on the floor, so it would be stranger if his skills didn't improve.
Austin's crew was the same. As their leader led by example and they saw his skills improving by leaps and bounds, they gradually began practicing alongside him.
The balance of the three groups was evening out. Everyone grew evenly, keeping each other in check while simultaneously stimulating one another, creating a synergistic effect.
Behind them, I rubbed my hands together.
Good. Very good. Just keep growing like that. Earn everyone's trust and respect until, whenever things get ambiguous, you step forward on your own to become my shield!
Amid the endless training, good news also arrived. Matier's messenger spoke to me.
"He said to tell you the preparations are complete. If you would hand the item over to me..."
"Tell Matier to come in person. I can't trust anyone but him."
"Yes."
The underworld setup was finished, too. What kind of face would Dimona make when a pile of money suddenly dropped into her lap all at once?
I licked my lips.
I can't stand the curiosity!