The Serpent and the Sun (2)
The Serpent and the Sun (2)
The Empire approved the Serpent Church as a state religion. Things moved quickly, and word soon came that the Serpent Church delegation had departed.
Dimona's expression grew heavy as well.
"A delegation from the Serpent Church..."
"Isn't it just a courtesy visit to mark their becoming a state religion?"
"That's true, but... it's not such a simple matter."
Dimona gazed out the window. The Serpent Church's establishment as a state religion was not welcome news.
Two factions that had spent their entire existence gnawing at each other as if trying to bite one another to death.
The official religions of the Empire's north—not only the Sun God Church, but the Churches of Iskandar and Isis as well—had all exchanged blood-drenched blades with the Serpent Church.
"...I hope it doesn't come to a fight. Now that the Serpent Church has become an official religious body, even a minor clash would lead to war."
"Radatok. Could you give me just one konjac jelly? I feel like snacking."
"No."
"Wow. Talk about being betrayed by someone you trusted!"
"Even for you, Brother, this is not allowed."
"Are you even listening to me?"
Dimona growled.
"This delegation has officially been assigned to our Fifth Inquisition Office. To prevent any unforeseen incidents, everyone will need to be on the move while they're here."
"Is it Dwayne again? He really never lets up."
"That's right. Since he can't just wring us dry, he's looking for anything he can use against us. Inquisitor Radatok. I'm counting on you to handle the Group 1 inquisitors. You can do it, can't you?"
"Of course, Judge."
"Zahard. You keep the Group 2 inquisitors from doing anything rash. I believe you can manage it."
"I'll do my best."
"Your best isn't enough. You must succeed. Everything that happens this time will become a stain on the Fifth Inquisition Office."
Dimona's eyes blazed.
"I'll show Dwayne just how solid and fierce an organization we are!"
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded. Dimona spun around.
"Come in."
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
The door opened. Something was being dragged. Dimona furrowed her brow. When she saw the face of the person coming in, she went pale.
Why now, of all times?
"Judge! I'm back!"
"Ro-Rosemary?"
Cat ears jutted up from hair tinged with pink. Her bright, lively face had a bit of blood on it, and she tossed whatever she had been dragging onto the floor with a thud.
What Dimona had briefly taken for a corpse moved. Dimona screamed.
"Wh-what did you bring in here?"
"Oh, it's an inquisitor who went out with me! He didn't know his place and came at me, so I just gave him a little lesson."
"A-are you insane?! Why would you do that to a colleague...?"
"Come on. As his superior, I gave my subordinate a little 'education.' The others are diligently following behind! I came early because I missed you, Judge."
Rosemary licked the blood from her lips. As she glanced around, her eyes met Zahard's.
"There's a face I haven't seen before... Radatok! It's been a while!"
"It has been a while, Rosemary. Did your mission conclude safely?"
"Of course! You know, don't you? Between you and me, I'm the stronger one."
"That is merely conjecture."
"We could settle it right now if you wanted. But you're such a block of wood, you'd refuse. I don't expect anything from you."
Rosemary strode over. She thrust her face close to Zahard. Seeing the emblem stitched into the shoulder of his clothes, she beamed.
"Our cute apprentice paladin..."
Her expression crumpled in an instant.
"You see a superior and can't even give me a little nod? Hmm?"
Dimona rubbed her face. She had expected them to arrive a bit later. Why this timing, of all things?
Rosemary. Her work was reliable, but off the clock she was the worst kind of seniority-obsessed hard-ass—the sort you never wanted to get tangled up with personally.
That crew had returned. After finishing a mission that had lasted nearly a year.
. . .
Some of the Group 1 paladins who had gone out on assignment returned.
But the atmosphere in the Fifth Inquisition Office was anything but cheerful. It was downright grim.
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. This was openly trampling on the bonds we had worked so hard to build.
Rosemary was wickedness incarnate!
"Could you please eat at another table, rookie? When I eat with northern barbarians like you, I can't tell whether what's going into my mouth is diarrhea or soup..."
At the casual racism, delivered as if it were only natural.
"When you see an elder, you should bow your head... Who just gives a little nod like they've got no manners?"
At the constant seniority bullshit that kept bursting out.
"Now that I'm back, discipline has gone slack... How about I line everyone up?"
Even to the point of summoning people every night for punishment drills.
"Fuck this!"
"Goddamn it!"
"Is this any way to live?!"
Complaints poured out. I was leading them. But I gritted my teeth and endured because Dimona had earnestly begged me to.
"Just endure it a little longer, Zahard. I'm sorry. But... Rosemary has been here longer than even Radatok. She's the real power here. Her followers alone make up thirty to forty percent of our fighting strength. Her personality may be foul, but... we can't afford to start something with a major event ahead of us."
Endure. Endure.
Wasn't Rosemary just that kind of NPC to begin with? She even avoided me on purpose, so I couldn't run into her... and even if I did, no good conversation would come of it.
To get close to her, I'd have to put her in her place at least once. She only took a liking to people more capable than herself. But there was one enormous obstacle to that.
She was almost on Radatok's level. The question was whether I could actually overpower her. Inquisitor Radatok himself was someone who could have become a Judge but chose not to, after all.
Since I couldn't use Sacred Relics, take those out... take out Demon Sword Surtr too... take out the shadow Holy Arts as well...
That's basically like fighting while loaded down with penalties, isn't it?
On top of that, the Serpent Church delegation would arrive in just a little while. Nothing to be done about it. Let's just avoid causing trouble until then. If I hand Dwayne something to sink his teeth into, I'm the only one who loses.
"This little shit's smiling?"
"Hey. Fuck. Are we funny to you?"
"Are you crazy?"
The smile of endurance! The smile of endurance!
"Haha."
Rosemary's crew strutted around with their chests puffed out. I was caught among them, taking punishment at the very front of the line.
Even Beatrice clicked her tongue.
【How old do they think they are, going on and on with 'back in my day'?】
Naga whispered.
-Za-Zahard... do you want to just go to the Serpent Church? I'll wipe out every last one of these trash bastards...
"Shh. Ra will scold you."
-B-but... still, this is too much...
Splash!
Water was thrown in my face. Rosemary's crew snickered.
"How's that? Wide awake now?"
"We felt bad seeing you talk to yourself, so we gave you a hand. Just remember that."
"You're cleaning all this up later."
...Patience!
Patience! Fuck! Patience!
"Ah... haha..."
I clenched my teeth and held on. Holding on was the best I could do.
Nord, Isabel, and Austin gathered around. In the middle of the night, they huddled together around a single candle and whispered.
"Boss. Just let me turn this place upside down."
"We have to endure."
"This is too unfair...! They know you're the one holding the Group 2 inquisitors together, so they're tormenting you relentlessly because of it!"
"We have to endure."
"Boss."
"Endure..."
"No."
Austin shot to his feet.
"I can't take it anymore."
"Hey! Stop that bastard!"
The Fifth Inquisition Office had become a powder keg that could blow at any moment. Unable to watch me grow more haggard by the day, Naga whispered.
-Um, Zahard. Hang in there a little longer. I-I... prepared a gift for you.
"A gift...?"
-Well... j-just wait a little and you'll see... s-so hang in there...
A gift, huh.
Now I'm curious.
Just as I was about to ask Naga about it, someone called my name. An inquisitor from Rosemary's crew.
"Get up, you little shit."
I was dragged away by force.
"Rosemary is calling for you."
A week of being tormented.
Rosemary, who had deliberately avoided me, had finally called for me.
. . .
Rosemary sprawled over her desk. She stretched like a cat.
The Fifth Inquisition Office she returned to after a long absence had gone completely slack. Group 1 and Group 2 were getting along well, and some were even speaking casually to each other, or so she had heard.
She couldn't understand it.
This was a military organization. It was no different from a battlefield, and an unclear hierarchy brought death on the battlefield.
This time, another one had died. Right as the mission was nearly over, he had let his guard down and been cut down in an enemy ambush.
If he had followed her orders properly, he wouldn't have died. The same went for the return trip. The mission wasn't even over, yet he had been casually drinking beer.
So she had beaten him. That was all. Taking a few hits was better than dying.
Rosemary sipped her warm black tea. The door burst open.
"Rosemary. I've brought him."
"Yeah. Good. You can go."
Rosemary set down her tea. Inquisitor Zahard. A newcomer who had been here for just over a month.
But his rise was astonishing. In a single month, he had unified the Group 2 inquisitors and become practically Divine Judge Dimona's closest confidant, or so they said. Even that prickly iron-blooded bear seemed to have acknowledged him.
What was the reason? What was he hiding?
Rosemary folded her arms. She leaned back against the chair.
"Inquisitor Zahard."
She smiled brightly.
"It's been a week. Have you been well?"
"Of course, Rosemary. I've been very well."
His sunken eyes smiled. Rosemary sized up the man before her in an instant.
What a snake! He's nothing like Radatok!
"The reason I called you is nothing special—I wanted to get to know you, Inquisitor. Sharing some black tea and enjoying a little tea time... you know?"
"Of course. I'd welcome it."
"Now then. Before we enjoy a leisurely time..."
She flicked her hand.
"Shall we start by properly doing the greeting we skipped last time?"
It was a ritual meant to establish a clear hierarchy. Rosemary whispered.
"Bend your back. Deep enough that your head touches the floor. Slowly, at that. I'll count the greeting you didn't do before and let you off with two."
"Only two? Wow... that's fine..."
Something snapped in Zahard, who had been smiling the whole time.
"Fine... fine... fine..."
Zahard, who had been repeating the word like a broken machine, beamed.
"Hey. Fuck."
"...Huh?"
"Let's just throw down. You bitch."
Rosemary dropped her teaspoon.
"What did you just say?"
"What, are you such an old fossil you've gone deaf too?"
Zahard cracked his wrists.
"Let's settle who's above and who's below, once and for all. It's a fight for rank. You bitch."