The Inquisitor's Deacon
"It's a joke."
Inside the carriage, the cardinals discussed the selection of a Heresy Inquisitor.
"Well… those to be ordained as sub-deacons seem settled enough…"
Barun cut to the heart of the matter.
"Then let us choose who will become the Heresy Inquisitor. What are the two of you thinking?"
The cardinals smiled at that.
"You already know, Cardinal Barun. The one we all have in mind is the same person."
"Indeed. Anyone who saw what happened this time would give the same answer."
"Kehehe… Is that so."
Barun smiled and continued.
"Cael Luminara. It has to be him."
The attack should have produced heavy casualties. Yet thanks to Cael, aside from Bianco there had been almost none. Had many of the clergy died, Barun's standing within the Holy Empire would have taken a serious blow.
"I agree. His martial prowess exceeds all imagination. Even under a normal examination he would have stood out."
"Young knights who can match him within the Holy Empire are rare. The fact that he brought down the demonized Baron Skallen proves he has more than enough ability to deal with heretics."
Barun nodded at the two cardinals' words.
"Above all, there are two things about him that please me."
"And those are?"
Barun raised one finger.
"First, he acts without the slightest regard for the other party's status or power."
"Hmm, he certainly did."
Cael was still a noble without a title of his own. Protocol demanded he show proper deference to cardinals, yet he had treated them with just enough restraint not to cross the line—or had he crossed it after all?
In any case…
"Others might call it rudeness, but a Heresy Inquisitor needs exactly that kind of spine. If he bows to power, the very reason for an Inquisitor's existence vanishes."
"But in everyday situations, not just today's conflict, wouldn't repeated behavior like that cause friction with others?"
"Isn't that precisely why we exist?"
Barun looked at the two cardinals.
"Didn't both of you find him rather refreshing today? That frankness you'd never experienced before."
The cardinals each answered in turn.
"Ahem, well… Cardinal Bianco's death is regrettable, of course, but watching Cael overwhelm him was… quite satisfying."
"Frankly, who here doesn't know Cardinal Bianco was taking 'donations' from Baron Skallen? It wasn't a major violation of the scriptures, so everyone simply kept quiet."
Barun nodded.
"Young Master Cael will handle the things we cannot. Provided, of course, that we support him."
"Well, we can certainly shield him from complaints about his rough speech."
"I feel the same. So what's the second point?"
At the question, Barun's eyes sharpened like a honed blade.
"Second, he feels not the slightest hesitation about killing."
"……"
"I don't know your views on murder, but I believe rot must be cut away. There are parts of this world that kindness and forgiveness can never resolve."
An inexplicable chill made the two cardinals swallow dryly.
"That is why I consider him more suited to the role of Heresy Inquisitor than anyone else."
The atmosphere had grown stiff, so Barun offered a small smile.
"Though it is rather curious that such a radical son came from the devout Father Luminara."
"Haha, children rarely grow up exactly as one hopes."
"True. Yet we should be grateful for that fact."
Light banter eased the tension.
"However… there is one concern."
Barun stroked his chin.
"What is it?"
"Young Master Cael is far too young, and he possesses exceptional martial power for his age. If power is added on top of that, I worry he might grow arrogant."
"A fair point."
Barun pondered for a moment, then looked at the cardinals.
"In any case, both of you approve of Young Master Cael becoming a Heresy Inquisitor?"
"Yes. We do."
"Then I will speak with him one last time and make the final judgment—whether the tip of his sword will turn against the Holy Empire, or drive back the endless darkness."
After that the two cardinals left the carriage, and Barun waited for Cael where he was.
I climbed into the carriage and sat opposite Barun, speaking the moment I settled.
"The answer was already decided. What conversation could you possibly have needed?"
"Kehehe… You already knew, then. May I ask just one question?"
"Go ahead."
"Have you figured out who among your team members was the heretic?"
"A heretic?"
"Yes. Of course I know the attack came before anyone even got off the carriage, so there was no time to judge. Still, I would like to hear your opinion."
It wasn't a difficult question. I thought carefully.
Bella possessed martial power completely unsuited to a Heresy Inquisitor, and Myron's interference with my interrogation had irritated me. I hadn't spoken much with the others, and none of them had stood out particularly.
Which meant…
"There isn't one."
Barun's eyes widened.
"Pardon?"
"I mean that, as far as I can tell, there is no heretic among our team members."
"Why do you think that?"
"To be honest, starting with that airheaded Bella, most of the team were of little help during the attack."
I laid out my reasoning.
"But judging someone a heretic is another matter entirely. Before the attack, no one did anything that would let me conclude they were a heretic. None of their belongings were blasphemous either."
"Then perhaps it isn't that there is no heretic, but that the heretic simply hasn't revealed themselves yet?"
"Who knows. Using something that never even happened as a pretext to brand an innocent person a heretic—that itself is a blasphemy against the Goddess, and heresy, is it not?"
I continued.
"Even if their martial skill was lacking, every one of them risked their lives against the enemy, and none deliberately aided the enemy in the process. So rather than branding one of them a heretic, it would be better simply to believe there isn't one."
Barun stared at me blankly.
"Kehehe…"
Then his signature laugh spilled out, and soon he was laughing openly, showing his molars.
Having someone laugh straight into my face wasn't exactly pleasant. I wondered if my own enemies had felt the same way whenever I laughed.
"You're quite the cheerful sort."
"…Ah, my apologies."
Barun covered his mouth and forced the laughter down.
"People often tell me my laugh is unpleasant. That it sounds like a snake."
"Hmm, I understand. Whenever I laugh, people stare at me like I'm a lunatic."
"Haha, is that so?"
"Yes."
We both burst out laughing at the same time—two imperfect fools sharing an ugly sound.
A moment later Barun's face turned serious.
"I'm not that bad."
I hardened my expression as well.
"And I'm not that sinister."
A chilly silence passed between us. Barun kept pressing down the corners of his mouth that kept trying to rise; I let out a small laugh and asked,
"So what's the correct answer?"
Barun replied as if he had just remembered.
"Ah. Just as you predicted, there was no heretic in any of the teams. The point was simply to sow mutual suspicion and observe how the examinees behaved."
"What a nasty hobby."
"Being able to distinguish who can be trusted and who cannot is also a skill required of a Heresy Inquisitor."
On that point, I had to agree somewhat.
"Young Master. When I met your team members earlier, they asked me whether you might be the heretic. They said your power was unimaginable for a fellow examinee."
"And you told them I wasn't?"
"Of course. Do you know how they reacted?"
"They were surprised, I imagine."
"No."
Barun shook his head.
"They said they were relieved."
"Relieved?"
"Yes. That if you had been a heretic, it would have been terrifying."
"That makes sense."
"So then I asked them: if you had been a heretic, how would they have responded?"
"And?"
"They thought for a moment. But every single one of them gave the same answer."
Barun smiled faintly.
"That even so, since you had saved their lives, they would still have been grateful."
"Hmm…"
"Looking at it this way, it seems a person does not become a heretic simply because someone else decides to label them one. What matters is how that person acts."
"And you're telling me this because…?"
"It may be presumptuous, but I hope it will be of some small help in your future life as a Heresy Inquisitor."
Barun handed me a set of black priestly robes. The clerical rank of a Heresy Inquisitor was that of a priest.
"I feel a little sorry for the others."
"Why?"
"If you look at it carefully, this entire attack originated because of me. Not that I can reverse becoming an Inquisitor at this point."
Barun considered my meaning for a moment, then his eyes turned serious.
"I had roughly figured as much. Every relationship and every circumstance pointed toward you and Baron Skallen."
So he had noticed to some degree after all.
"I expect we will be seeing each other often."
"I think so as well, Inquisitor Cael."
I gave a short snort of laughter, rose from my seat, and spoke.
"Call for Scriben, who is in the Luminara Territory. He knows the full details. I've already punished him enough, so please send him back unharmed."
"Yes, I will do so."
And so Scriben was traded away as a token of trust between Barun and me.
Because the cathedral had been destroyed, the ordination ceremony was held simply in a wide forest clearing.
Seven people were appointed as sub-deacons; my own team members were among them, with the exception of Myron. Barun must have seen the hesitation when Myron swung his sword. As expected, the man had a coldly discerning side.
"Next, the ordination of Cael Luminara as Heresy Inquisitor."
I knelt on one knee and waited. Renika, the Saintess of Truth, stood tall before me.
With the purple twilight at her back, she asked,
"Cael Luminara, eldest son of Benedict Luminara. Will you cast aside worldly fame and fortune, become the Goddess's hammer, and swear to grant mercy to the good and judgment to the wicked?"
I looked up at her with resolute eyes and answered.
"I swear it upon this body and this soul."
Of course it was a lie.
I intended to use the authority of a Heresy Inquisitor however I pleased, wherever I needed it. Under normal circumstances the Saintess of Truth would have caught me out, but it didn't matter. Right now the pendant that Baron Skallen had worn hung around my neck.
Renika was no fool; she must have some idea about the pendant. Yet she only nodded and said,
"It is the truth."
Today, the Saintess of Truth had spoken two lies. Once it had been to save someone; this time, I could not tell what purpose it served.
Clap-clap—
People who knew nothing of this applauded me. And, with exquisite irony, holy power began to well up inside me of its own accord.
After the ceremony everyone else left, but I stayed a while longer resting on a chair amid the ruins of the cathedral. Mordin's corpse had already been collected and taken away.
I gazed at the night sky for a time, then closed my eyes and recalled what Barun had told me.
—To operate as a Heresy Inquisitor, you will need a sub-deacon capable of singing hymns.
—Hymns?
—Yes. When there are witnesses nearby, that sub-deacon sings a hymn to prove that the Inquisitor's judgment is the will of the Holy Empire itself, and also records everything that has occurred. The rule exists precisely because an Inquisitor's authority is so absolute.
—I have no desire to drag unnecessary dead weight around with me.
—Then every investigation will require a cardinal's seal of approval. But if you have a devout sub-deacon who can sing hymns, you will be able to move far more freely than without one.
—In that case I'd rather pick a strong one.
—Yes. Even I cannot change this rule. For now I will give you a document bearing my seal so that you may appoint a sub-deacon whenever you wish.
A sub-deacon, huh…
I still had no idea whom to choose, but Barun had promised to recommend decent candidates, so I could wait and see.
At that moment I sensed a presence and spoke without opening my eyes.
"What is it, Saintess of Truth?"
Renika's gentle voice answered.
"There is something I wish to ask."
"Speak."
"First, however, I would like to apologize—for using my Stigma on you during the confession earlier."
"If you hadn't told me, I would never have known."
"It is simply my own greed."
"It's fine. If it had been something I truly wished to hide, I would never have spoken of it to you in the first place."
"I see."
"So what did you want to ask me?"
Renika paused briefly, then spoke in a quiet voice.
"Holy power."
I opened my eyes.
"You wield holy power rather than mana, do you not, Inquisitor?"
As expected, Renika had noticed when no one else had. Only then did I sit up straight.
"I do."
"May I ask how you came to be able to wield holy power?"
I could not give a detailed answer, so I spoke in vague terms.
"It is complicated in many ways. The Demon God, the Goddess, and the Holy Empire are all involved."
"I see."
Renika only nodded and did not press further. She understood that I would say no more.
"Then why are you hiding that fact, Inquisitor?"
She had overlooked my lie during the ordination, so I could answer this much.
"Within the Holy Empire, the twelve knights who possess holy power are called the Twelve Holy Knights. Yet the Goddess's scriptures contain this passage."
I looked at Renika.
"'One among the Holy Knights who received grace shall betray.'"
"……"
"So what do you think would happen if I suddenly appeared and became the thirteenth Holy Knight?"
"Others would suspect you."
"Exactly. That is why I am keeping quiet for now."
I stroked my chin and went on.
"But honestly, I cannot understand why the Goddess left such words behind. Wouldn't it have been simpler simply never to give holy power to anyone who might become a traitor?"
"……"
"All I can think is that this Goddess is toying with humanity."
I watched Renika's flustered expression.
"It's a joke."
"Ah… yes."
Renika cleared her throat once and bowed her head.
"Thank you for answering. Now I understand why the Papal Court has been concealing you. A thirteenth Holy Knight has never existed before. So there must have been limits to how much the Papal Court could cover for you."
The Holy Empire is hiding me? What did that mean?
"I will also keep silent about the fact that you wield holy power."
Well, if she was willing to do that, I certainly had no complaints.
"Thank you."
"Then I will take my leave."
"Ah, wait."
"Yes?"
"Would you consider working as a Heresy Inquisitor alongside me?"
A Saintess held the clerical rank of priest. Anyone of sub-deacon rank or higher could sing the hymns, so that was no obstacle.
"Ah… I am sorry. Working with you would surely be of great help to me as well, but simply fulfilling the duties already given to me is more than enough of a burden…"
"I see."
I had expected the refusal; I had only asked on the off chance.
"Still, thank you."
I tilted my head.
"For what? I don't recall doing anything just now that deserves thanks."
"You are the first person who has ever proposed that I join them."
A faint, bitter curve touched the corner of Renika's lips.
Renika was the Saintess of Truth. True to that epithet, she could discern the truth in others' words. Yet every person carried their own lies, and the fear that those lies might be exposed made people naturally reluctant to keep her close.
"Then I will go. I look forward to the day we meet again, Inquisitor."
"Go carefully."
"Yes. May the Goddess's fortune rest upon your path."
Renika smiled lightly, then boarded her carriage and departed with her knights.
I lay back down on the chair once more.
Still not coming, those bastards?
I was waiting here precisely because I thought the Evil Book Society might send someone to survey the situation. The Society was composed of Arch-Apostles, Apostles, and Followers, and Mordin had been one of the Apostles.
I opened the new scripture I had received at the ordination, read a single page, then grew drowsy and laid it over my face.
"Moon. If the bad guys show up, wake me."
I was just dozing off when it happened.
Aaaah—!
From somewhere came a woman's high note. A female voice weaving through the forest and the ruined cathedral. I listened to the tone lingering in my ears for a moment, then snapped my eyes open.
She sings like absolute garbage.
I was confident I could outsing her even if my vocal cords were attached to my asshole. This was not singing; it was a demon's roar.
"What time do you think it is to be belting out songs like that?"
I shoved myself up and followed the voice. It came from the forest we had used as the examination grounds. In case the Evil Book Society was trying to lure me, I drew my sword and kept advancing into the trees.
Aaaaaaah——!
The closer the voice grew, the more my ears hurt. This was no figure of speech; my eardrums genuinely felt in danger of rupturing.
I blocked my hearing as much as possible with holy power and strode forward with the grim resolve of a vocal-cord plunderer. Before long I beheld the source of that voice.
"……"
In a forest clearing bathed in brilliant moonlight, a beautiful woman with short brown hair stood with her hands folded piously, singing.
Bella—my former teammate.
Anyone with eyes would have been captivated by the pure and lovely sight. Anyone with ears, however, could only be horrified.
"Rejoice and worship, yeeeees!! By the grace of the Lord Goddess we drive the demons awaaaaay!!!"
I covered my mouth, deeply moved. The monsters charging toward her actually collapsed unconscious from the sheer force of it. Those monsters had probably been prepared for the Heresy Inquisitor examination.
Wait…
A thought flashed through my mind.
Bella, currently belting out a hymn, had just been ordained as a sub-deacon in this examination. And in order for me to operate as a Heresy Inquisitor, I needed a sub-deacon who could sing hymns.
Which meant…
Found her. My deacon.
Ahh…
Could this be the Goddess's fortune after all?