The Punishment Hall (1)
The Punishment Hall (1)
Morning came. But I didn't get to greet a refreshing morning.
I roughly wiped the sleep from my eyes and yawned lightly. I glanced over at Maya.
"Maya."
"Mm."
"You said there were intruders? Where are they?"
"In storage."
The shadow split open with a rip. Something pushed up through a grotesquely twisted, enormous maw.
"Kk... urgh...."
"Only one was stopped from trying to kill himself. The rest all turned into black liquid."
A human with patches of his body melted away. The clothes he wore were black. No insignia.
But that didn't mean there was nothing to identify. A patch of rotten artificial skin sloughed off, revealing the serpent emblem hidden beneath.
Oh-ho.
"Maya."
"Mm."
"You did very, very well."
"...Really?"
"Really. You're this month's employee of the month."
I patted her head. Maya closed her eyes and shivered like a pleased puppy.
"...Boss. Pats. Good."
"You little rascal! You little rascal! So praiseworthy!"
"Mmph."
After thoroughly petting Maya, I glanced over at the Serpent Church paladin who was still alive.
Five who killed themselves, plus one survivor, makes six total.
"No one got away?"
"No one."
I rubbed my hands together. Where to begin? I grinned.
"You want to die, don't you?"
The rotten man nodded his head violently.
I smirked.
"Yeah. Hold it in. If you came to assassinate someone, didn't you come prepared to handle this kind of thing?"
"Kkuh... urgh...!"
"Oh dear. Your vocal cords have melted. How unfortunate. What a shame..."
I shoved my hand into his throat.
"Let me have a little feel!"
"Kk... uuugh....!"
"Oh my, you're quite rotten. That's several cavities. Don't you brush your teeth regularly?"
Let's see.
What kind of information might he be carrying?
"I'll take a look for you! Away with all the pain!"
"Aaaagh!!!"
. . .
I extracted the general information. Bishop Brody, was it.
Wasn't he the parent of Apprentice Priest Beverick? The worst human I met when I first arrived here.
"...Hm."
He sent Serpent Church paladins? Was he someone with that kind of power?
No... no...
Clearly someone's backing him. If it's someone close to Bishop Brody and above him, there's only one person.
"Dwayne... that bastard."
What should I do about him?
"Kill him?"
"No. Don't kill him."
For now, I put him in the rotten storage. The Clock Tower Monster gulped him down.
"Let's see..."
This was clearly going to be a useful card. A weapon to drag Bishop Brody down from his position.
But that alone wasn't enough. Dwayne would cut him off like a lizard shedding its tail, then pretend not to know Brody just as before.
I'd already seen that once at the Divine Trial. There's no guarantee it won't happen twice.
"...In that case."
I racked my brain. Come to think of it, there were a lot of absurdities here.
Why was Bishop Brody still following Dwayne after being cast aside once? Looked at another way, wasn't Dwayne the bastard who threw him away at the critical moment?
If there was a reason to still follow him... money?
No. That doesn't quite fit.
What Dwayne has is power, not money at the core. What could he do with power?
Rather than just "if you fall out of favor, all hell breaks loose"... Bishop Brody seemed to have his own pride.
"...Ah."
There's one. A reason to keep taking sides even after being backstabbed.
Apprentice Priest Beverick. That little shit. The bastard who tried to sexually assault Irene.
He was trying to get that bastard out! Wagging his tail at the master who abandoned him!
"Boss. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking very complicated thoughts."
Indeed.
Looking at it that way, it makes sense. The fact that Beverick was sent to the Punishment Office means he became a serious criminal even by the church's internal designation. Under no circumstances can he be pulled out recklessly.
By law, he has to stay locked up until his full sentence is served. On top of that, those places are all built on barren land, so even just looking at the environment, it's no different from a living hell.
If it's your own flesh and blood, you'd obviously try to get them out somehow. That's why Brody follows the master who once abandoned him. Once Dwayne rises to the position of cardinal, he'll gain the power to secretly pull him out, even if not openly.
This causal relationship is practically certain!
I'd grasped the general scheme. And once you see that, the cracks in it become visible too.
A trust relationship that could shatter at any moment. A dog that was abandoned once. A tail wagged out of desperation to save his own child.
In other words... doesn't that mean it's a relationship that will break with just a light touch?
Ahh.
Good.
Isn't this a fine stage? I smirked.
I'd decided what to do. I'd also decided which actor would take the stage. Since I have to leave for the Fairy Forest with Arpina now, there's no need to carry unnecessary risk on my back.
Let's eliminate Dwayne and then leave. That's the best option. Once the internal enemy is gone, everything after will feel great!
"Alright. Let's call Dimona."
"Why?"
"Our cute and kind Divine Judge once told me something."
I said it casually, but I remembered clearly.
"That she knows someone at the Punishment Office!"
Shall I go take a look at the face of the actor I need most?
I'm also curious how he's doing. Is he properly paying for his crimes?
Maya tugged at my sleeve. She lifted her eyes and looked at me.
"...Is Maya cute and kind too?"
"...Pfft."
I ruffled her hair wildly.
"Need you even ask! So praiseworthy!"
As expected of the world's greatest escort knight!
All that effort to win her over was worth it. Once she declares her domain, even most apostles can't show their faces inside it!
Even weakened, she's the Lord of the Rotten. Just in raw level, she's broken past 80.
You could call her an apex predator that's grown as strong as can be. I didn't save this one for nothing.
It's no different from having a hidden trump card!
"First, can you help me with something?"
"With what?"
"I need to play the patient."
Since ancient times, there's a saying: feint and strike, empty and full.
"To make your opponent let their guard down, pretending to be weak is the fastest way."
. . .
Dimona's trial ended. The result was a sweeping victory.
And immediately after, she stormed in on me while I was lounging around the Fifth Inquisition Office.
"What in the world is going on! An attack?! In the first place, you were seriously injured, so why didn't you go to the church's treatment room and instead holed up in the Fifth Inquisition Office...?!"
I was eating snacks while pretending to be a critical patient when my eyes met Dimona's. Maya, who was reading a comic book beside me, tapped my foot.
"Boss."
"Hm?"
"Danger signal."
She looks dangerous even without being told.
"You... you... you..."
Dimona exploded.
"You wanna die?!"
Crash-bang!
A riot swept through once. With my hair yanked into a mess, I signaled Radatok with my eyes.
"You didn't tell her?"
"Didn't you tell me not to tell anyone?"
"...I didn't think Inquisitor Radatok was that tactless."
Radatok silently sipped his tea.
"It's the fault of the brother who showed up to the Fifth Inquisition Office covered in blood."
So he's paying me back for the shock he got.
Dimona slid down to the floor.
"Haaaah... I was really scared... The other inquisitors were making a huge fuss saying you looked like you'd drop dead any second, so it was even worse..."
"I thought Radatok would tell you."
"You reap what you sow."
"You know who bought you that konjac jelly you're holding, right? It's a new product, so it was hard to get."
"I'll enjoy it. Brother."
Radatok chewed on the konjac jelly. He's surprisingly shameless.
Dimona, who had collapsed limply, ground her teeth. The glare she fixed on me was menacing.
"So. What is it. What in the world is going on that you'd deceive the entire church and play a critical patient?"
"It's true that I was attacked."
"...Really? Then who attacked you? Before that, wait... wow. There's not a single wound under the bandages. You just smeared blood on, didn't you? I swear, I'll really—!"
"There's a saying: to deceive your enemies, deceive your allies first. So I deceived everyone. The only people who know this are you and Radatok."
"...Then what about everyone else?"
"Naturally, I refused visitors. They probably don't know. I realized through this opportunity that I'm more popular than I thought."
"What in the world is going on that you'd stage all this?"
"Archbishop Dwayne is targeting me."
"...What?"
Dimona shot to her feet.
"Is that true? Don't tell me the thugs sent at night were also...?"
"He was always my enemy."
"W-well, that's true, but... no matter what, I didn't think he'd directly attack a priest of the same church! Dwayne should know that if you kill a priest of the same church, your Sacred Mark loses its light...? Did he hire assassins?"
"He borrowed Serpent Church paladins. It seems their Elder Council and our Dwayne have some connection."
"...What did you say?"
"Killing a priest of another church isn't taboo, is it?"
"That's... true, but... Dwayne would go that far...? He's that obsessed with eliminating rivals?"
Dimona muttered as if she couldn't understand.
"Has he really gone mad with power...? Now that you mention it, I did hear some strange incidents happened recently..."
"Well, you could say he's gone mad. It's like a saboteur appeared at the tower he painstakingly built. And on top of that, I'm a perfect fit as a warning message to you, Judge Dimona."
"It does mean... 'if you don't want to end up like this, don't act rashly.'"
"As expected, Judge Dimona, you're easy to talk to."
Dimona slumped down onto the bed. She let out a deep sigh.
"So?"
"So what?"
"You're not someone who'd just take it. You're deliberately playing the patient to deceive Dwayne's eyes, right? What are you aiming for?"
"Nah. I'm just thinking of getting some good rest while I'm at it."
"Wanna lie?"
"Ugh."
Well, shall I stop joking around?
"Divine Divine Judge Dimona. I have a favor to ask. But before that, there's something I need to say first. The former is kind of like a report. The latter is a simple favor."
"What is it? Tell me."
"Before I was attacked, Tiela called for me."
"...Huh?"
Dimona blinked.
"Tiela?"
"Yes."
"That... the Golden Lion of the Church of Ra? The legendary paladin? The agent of God said to be the strongest among the Apostles of Ra?"
"Well, that's right, isn't it?"
"The head of the Day Priestesses, the church's secret weapon who doesn't even show her face unless it's something truly important?"
"Accurate description. Plus five hundred points."
Dimona grabbed me by the collar.
"What kind of trouble have you caused now?!!!"
Who does she think goes around causing trouble all day?
"It's nothing much. Cardinal Arpina just said she had business with me."
"C-C-C-Cardinal Arpina?! The Silent Saintess who barely even shows herself?!!!"
Dimona's eyes trembled violently. She glanced back at Radatok.
"What do we do, Radatok? Th-this is a major incident. The attack isn't even the problem!"
"This is the first I've heard of it as well..."
Radatok rubbed his face. He diligently chewed his konjac jelly.
"This is serious."
"Stop chewing that! I'll throw it all away! Zahard! What did you do! Tell me right now!"
"Well, various things are tangled up, but... that's not the important part. I said I have a favor to ask. What I just said was a progress report. The important thing is just that we met. We didn't really talk about much when we actually met. She was just curious about me, that's all."
I swore an oath to Ra, so I can't tell the truth separately. Not that I had any intention of telling it in the first place.
The reason I'm saying this is just to lay groundwork in advance. Setting the stage so she won't be surprised when I suddenly leave for the Fairy Forest later.
"If that's not a big deal... then what in the world... are you trying to bring up..."
Her face was clouded with fear. I casually broached the subject.
"Judge. Didn't you try to transfer me to the Punishment Office before?"
"......? That was ages ago, wasn't it?"
"You said back then. That you know someone at the Punishment Office."
"I did... say... that..."
Suspicion deepened. Dimona sighed.
"Seeing you bring that up, I guess you have business at the Punishment Office?"
"Right? By any chance, where is the Punishment Office where Apprentice Priest Beverick was taken?"
"I did have him sent under someone I know... but why are you curious about Apprentice Priest Beverick again?"
"I'm thinking of seeing his face while I'm at it, and maybe pulling him out."
"...Huh? Are you insane?! You're thinking of pulling out a prisoner whose punishment period hasn't even ended?! That's not just violating church guidelines, it's a serious crime!"
"That's why I need you, Dimona. Please introduce me to your contact there. Whether I infiltrate the Punishment Office and pull him out, or negotiate to get him out, I'll have to choose one or the other."
"Y-y-y-y... y-y-y-y..."
Dimona, who had been stammering, smacked me on the head.
"Have you really lost your mind?! How can an inquisitor who throws criminals in jail openly say he's going to commit a crime?!"