The World Is Vast, and Fools Are Many
The world is vast…
Dominica, director of the orphanage, watched the children playing in the courtyard and smiled with quiet satisfaction.
Then her expression hardened as she spoke.
“All right, everyone. The sky’s growing dark, so let’s head inside.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The children bickered among themselves as they filed into the cathedral.
Dominica’s smile turned bitter; then her face grew solemn as she stepped outside.
The night was dark. The orphanage sat in a rather remote spot, thick trees crowding the surroundings.
“What is your business here?”
At Dominica’s question, a man emerged from the shadows into the moonlight.
His face was wrapped tight in black cloth.
“Sharp eyes for an orphanage director.”
“I asked what your business is.”
Dominica’s gaze sharpened like a honed blade.
“This is an orphanage. There’s no money for a thief to covet, no valuables either. If you’re thinking of kidnapping the children, give it up. The Holy Empire will hunt you down.”
“The Holy Empire, is it…”
The man scratched his cheek.
“I’ve no interest in wealth or the children’s bodies. I’m simply looking for a girl named Bella.”
Dominica tilted her head.
“Bella? Who is that?”
“Heh. Nice acting. But denying it won’t help. I already know the bitch is here.”
Dominica narrowed her eyes.
“Why are you looking for Miss Bella?”
“Fifteen years ago, in the Divinar territory, there was a mage couple researching magic—the remnant of demons. In the end they were found out by someone else and killed.”
“…….”
“But their child was never found. The one born with a demon’s talent. A four-year-old girl with brown hair. And in this region, orphans matching that age and hair color are few.”
The man glanced toward the cathedral. Dominica stepped to block his line of sight.
“You’re an Inquisitor. One of those fanatics who treat magic as a demonic remnant.”
“That’s hurtful. Calling me a fanatic. I’m perfectly normal.”
“But what a shame. Miss Bella is not their child. I took her in myself from the slums.”
“Listen, Sister.”
Killing intent settled in the man’s eyes.
“I’m starting to get a little annoyed. Refrain from lying.”
“…….”
“One of the locals here saw the magic-stone necklace that child wore. Ordinary people wouldn’t recognize it, but it’s the key that opens the barrier the mage couple hid.”
The man seemed to know everything already.
Dominica sighed and asked,
“Were you the one who killed them?”
“No. I wasn’t an Inquisitor back then.”
He shrugged.
“Anyway, just hand over that bitch Bella. Give me the heretic’s child and I’ll leave quietly.”
“What do you intend to do to Miss Bella?”
“That’s none of your business. Understand, Sister?”
“…….”
Dominica swallowed dryly.
“I’m sorry, but Miss Bella is not here at the moment. She left the instant she stopped by.”
“Another lie…”
“It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, check for yourself.”
The man stared hard at Dominica, then leaned against a tree.
“Then I’ll wait here until she returns.”
“I don’t know when she’ll be back either.”
“That’s fine. Catching heretics requires patience.”
He spun the dagger in his hand as he continued.
“Don’t try anything foolish. Right now I’m carrying out a sacred duty as a proper Inquisitor. Protect her and I’ll have no choice but to brand you a heretic as well.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Dominica smiled faintly. Then she organized her thoughts.
Judging by the fact that Bella had left her bag behind, she would return here.
She had probably gone into the eastern forest, but with night falling she would be back soon.
Which meant she would inevitably run into this man.
“No, I should take a look around while I’m at it. Who knows—maybe she’s hiding in a wardrobe?”
The man grinned and started walking toward the cathedral. Then he suddenly stopped.
“…Don’t. Looking to die?”
Dominica, who had been sliding a hand into her habit, flinched.
If she left him alone, there was no telling what he might do to Bella—or the children.
But even at a glance, the man was stronger than Dominica. She could never stop him alone.
Even so…
“I cannot hand Miss Bella over to you!”
Dominica drew the daggers hidden in her habit and lunged. Two blades crossed and clashed.
“Strong for a nun.”
“Protecting the children is the divine command the Goddess gave me.”
“I see.”
The man grinned.
“But that’s all!”
His sharp dagger drove deep. Dominica only altered its path with her own blades.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Then came the man’s cascading flurry of strikes.
Dominica somehow managed to guard her vitals, yet her habit tore and wounds began to mark her body.
“Haha! Quite the struggle, protecting even a demon’s child!”
As the wounds multiplied, Dominica furrowed her brow.
He’s strong, just as I thought.
This was probably the veteran Inquisitor said to have visited the Divinar territory.
Would things change if Inquisitor Cael arrived?
From Bella’s stories she could easily infer that Cael was strong.
But even so, Cael was still a newly appointed Inquisitor.
It was hard to believe he could face a veteran like this.
More than anything, this had nothing to do with Cael, did it?
She could not let him face such a massive trial so soon.
For now, I can only hope Inquisitor Cael senses the situation and gets Bella and the children to safety. So I hold out as long as I can!
Dominica herself had once dreamed of becoming an Inquisitor.
Though she had never made it and remained an orphanage director, she had never neglected her training.
So holding out should be possible.
But the man’s power surpassed Dominica’s expectations.
“Annoying.”
Another dagger slid from the man’s coat.
It drove straight for Dominica’s throat.
Damn…!
An attack she could not block. She had never expected him to hide his full strength against a weaker opponent and wait for an opening.
So this is a veteran Inquisitor…
The wall of the trial was high. It was a trial Dominica alone could not shoulder.
But her own life did not matter.
My children…
The children of the orphanage who would remain after she died.
They would try to protect precious Bella and die at his hands. And Bella would be tormented by guilt as she looked at their corpses.
That, at least, I cannot allow…
Yet there was no way to stop it. No matter how she struggled, death was inescapable.
The sharp dagger closed in to pierce her flesh.
Thud!
Then, from somewhere, came the roar of feet slamming into the earth.
A presence closed the distance at terrifying speed, and in the next instant someone stood before the enemy.
A man bringing his sword down with a blank expression.
What lived in those eyes was nothing but cold killing intent.
Startled, the fanatic crossed both daggers into an X.
KRAAAANG!
But he could not withstand the immense force; he tumbled across the ground several times and was driven far back.
“You roll well.”
Someone remarked at the sight.
“Bean Bug, is it.”
Dominica stared at him in a daze.
The long frame that the black priestly robes could not hide. Features whose beauty the moonlight revealed. And a blade that seemed to hold the wind itself.
An appearance impossible to mistake.
“Inquisitor Cael?”
The veteran Inquisitor was certainly strong.
Yet Cael had sent him flying with a single blow—even if it was a surprise attack.
She had already heard of Cael’s feats through Bella, but she never imagined it would be to this degree…
“Moving like that at your age is bad for the joints.”
Cael turned to look at Dominica.
“You still have children to care for, don’t you? That won’t do.”
“…….”
Dominica found herself more dumbfounded by his words than by his power.
“Director! Are you all right?!”
Bella rushed over and checked Dominica’s condition.
Only then did Dominica, who had been staring blankly, snap back to her senses.
“M-Miss Bella?”
“Just wait a moment! I’ll go get some medicinal herbs!”
“N-no! You can’t stay here! Quickly, leave this place with Inquisitor Cael…!”
To the flustered Dominica, Bella only smiled serenely.
“It’s fine. Inquisitor Cael is stronger.”
“I can see that now, but there might be others… Ah! There must be a deacon!”
I answered that one.
“No need to worry about that. Some guy was skulking around the area, so I knocked him out.”
“I-I see.”
I gave Bella an order.
“Deacon Bella, go inside and treat the director. Soothe the little ones so they don’t cry. If it’s noisy I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Yes!”
Bella carried Dominica on her back into the cathedral.
When I turned my head at the right moment, the heretic bastard of an Inquisitor was getting up.
“Awake, Bean Bug?”
Bean Bug lowered his hood and spat bloody saliva. One corner of his mouth bore stitch marks.
“Who are you?”
“An Inquisitor who came to catch a Bean Bug.”
“Ah, right. So it was you.”
Bean Bug smirked and continued.
“If you’re an Inquisitor like me, then cooperate. I’m trying to catch a heretic right now.”
“Where’s the heretic?”
“The deacon traveling with you. That bitch is the child of the mage couple.”
I tilted my head.
“So what?”
“So what? Magic is a product of demons. Therefore those who use that magic are no different from demon’s followers!”
Bean Bug pointed to the corner of his mouth.
“It was a magic-using demon that did this to my mouth! If that doesn’t make magic a demonic remnant, then what is it?”
I answered with a sneer.
“You aren’t even worth a bug.”
“What?”
“Your hatred is pointed in the wrong direction. You should hate that demon—why try to reject every person who uses magic?”
“Shut up! What do you know?!”
It was so noisy I dug a finger in my ear once.
“You shut up. If you get stabbed by a sword, are you going to hate and kill every blacksmith in the world?”
“That’s…”
“Tsk tsk. Just keep your body curled up like a Bean Bug so you’re easy to hit. Then you won’t even know who hit you, so you won’t have anyone to hate.”
He ground his teeth, then shouted,
“You plan to defend the Goddess’s enemies with that sophistry?!”
“As far as I know, the scriptures don’t say to reject magic. Why are you interpreting the Goddess’s words however you please?”
“In ancient times there were no humans who used magic, so it simply isn’t written.”
“So in the end it isn’t written, is it?”
“…….”
When he clamped his mouth shut I pushed harder.
“And who is the heretic? Bella, who grew up well and looks after children, or a bastard like you who tries to kill even the innocent?”
“…….”
“Spout any more bullshit and I’ll tear open the other side of your mouth myself.”
At my sneer, his eyes went cold and still. Then he clenched both daggers tight.
“Since you shielded that bitch, I’ll treat you as a heretic too.”
“Finally showing your true colors. Come on, Bean Bug.”
I settled into a stance and watched him. Our gazes locked, and the standoff stretched on for a while.
Hmm?
Then his afterimages blurred until he looked like three people. Even after I blinked once, it stayed the same.
One of the three charged me.
An honest rush followed by a thrust. I swung my sword at him on instinct.
Whoosh—
His body scattered like smoke and vanished.
It had been an afterimage.
Swish!
This time a dagger came flying in from my side.
I jerked back on the killing intent, but because I had already swung once, my cheek was lightly cut.
Right after that another dagger slashed in front of me; I knocked it aside with my sword, but that too was an afterimage.
I hopped back and pressed a hand to my cheek. Red blood came away on my fingers.
“Haha! Confusing which one’s real, isn’t it?”
So that was it.
Just now he had scattered his energy to make himself look like multiple people.
A technique that required extreme mana control—no wonder he was a veteran Inquisitor.
“Heh heh…”
Once I recognized it, a laugh slipped out of me as well. I covered my mouth with a hand to hold back the roar of laughter.
Bean Bug narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Why are you laughing?”
I let the laughter fade and answered,
“No, I just never expected there’d be someone using the exact same technique as me.”
“What?”
I glanced down at the ants crawling across the ground.
“So the world is vast and idiots are many, is that it.”
Bean Bug wore a look of incomprehension.
Whether he understood or not, I began to circle him slowly, keeping him at the center.
Sssss—
At the same time I scattered my energy and sealed it with wind. Afterimages wearing my appearance began to multiply one by one.
From one to two, from five to ten…
Gentle Breeze.
My afterimages swayed quietly like so many soft winds.
“W-what is this…”
Surrounded by my afterimages in a ring, the man opened both eyes wide.
Then he suddenly spun and swung a dagger. There I was, bringing my sword down.
Whoosh!
But it was my afterimage.
After that I kept sending out afterimages, and the man—unable to tell which was real—responded to every single one.
“Heh heh. Who’s the real one, I wonder.”
I laughed as I watched Bean Bug thrash. My afterimages laughed exactly the same way.
“Miss and you die.”
He ground his teeth and swung his daggers without pause.
Then at some point he began ignoring a few and only blocking the threatening ones.
He was responding according to the killing intent carried in the afterimages.
“Hmm.”
The same method was useless now. Like a proper veteran Inquisitor, he was gradually adapting to my technique.
In that case…
Watching that, I charged in together with the afterimages.
Bean Bug focused hard, then, sensing killing intent, whipped around and thrust both daggers.
The blades sank into my face.
Whoosh!
In that instant my form scattered like smoke. He had reacted to my afterimage.
I had been charging straight at him from the front the whole time.
Sensing death, Bean Bug tried to turn back, but I was faster.
Thuck!
I drove my sword straight into his fully exposed back. The blade punched through his torso.
He vomited a gush of blood.
“How… there was clearly no killing intent…”
What is killing intent? It means murderous will carried in mana or holy power.
And since I was deeply versed in handling holy power, I could freely control killing intent as well.
If he reacted to killing intent, then simply erasing it from my true body alone was enough.
“No need for killing intent just to catch a Bean Bug…”
“You… bastard…”
“Go.”
Without listening any further I yanked the sword free; arterial spray painted the night sky.
The ants that had been crawling on the ground approached Bean Bug’s corpse, then scattered in every direction from the red blood welling out.
Hmm…
I looked down at the man sprawled on the ground and thought.
If this had been something he did on his own, Bella in the previous life would not have gone so far as to destroy the Divinar Parish office.
So there had to be someone else involved. And with high probability, someone in the Divinar Parish office.
In that case…
I brought over the deacon I had knocked out earlier.
But he still hadn’t come to, so I grabbed him by the collar and slapped both cheeks wildly.
“Wake up, wake up! It’s morning!”
The deacon’s eyes flew open. Looking at the moon in the sky, he said,
“It’s night, though?”
“The early bird never goes hungry.”
The deacon tilted his head, then asked,
“But who are you?”
“The guy who killed this one.”
I pointed. There, propped against a tree, was Bean Bug’s corpse.
“H-huh! Inquisitor Veritas!”
I shook the startled deacon by the collar.
“Now answer my questions. Who ordered that guy to kill Bella?”
“Th-that’s…”
The deacon avoided my gaze.
“You gonna talk after a beating, or just talk? Your choice. Or do you want to die like him?”
“I-if you kill me the Holy Empire will…!”
“Ah, that’s fine. I’m an Inquisitor too. I’m currently interrogating heretics who tried to murder an innocent orphanage director and children.”
“…….”
His mouth still looked stubborn, so I leaned in and whispered into his ear.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Ever had your fingernails or toenails pulled out? Ever had an ear cut off? Or an eyeball gouged?”
“E-even so I can’t talk!”
At that I smiled and explained.
“Guys like you who’ve never had a proper torture sometimes think they can ignore pain. But they all have one thing in common.”
“…….”
“Even the ones with pretty solid willpower all break once twelve nails are gone and one eyeball is out. In the end they can’t keep the secret and just end up crippled.”
The deacon swallowed dryly.
“And even if by some chance you have such tremendous mental strength that you don’t answer under every kind of torture, I can just take you to the Saintess of Truth.”
“…….”
“Do you have the confidence to lie in front of her? I do, but you probably don’t.”
I draped an arm around the deacon’s shoulders.
“The night’s already deep—no need to scream for nothing, right? We should think of the people sleeping.”
“…….”
“Now choose. Just talk, take a beating, get tortured, or die.”
I released him lightly.
The deacon thought hard for a moment, then dropped to both knees.
“I’ll tell you everything, Inquisitor.”
I nodded.
“Good. Polite little bastard.”
After that the deacon began laying out everything he knew.
The more I listened, the more the hypothesis I had formed turned into reality.
…Looks like I’m going to have to listen to someone’s screams a little longer tonight.