I Heard Your Confession
Let’s see, let’s see.
The men who had come from the Four Seasons immediately reported what had just happened to Merchant Lord Marken.
“Hmm. Of all places, an Inquisitor just had to be there.”
Marken, a man with a protruding belly and oily eyes, stroked his chin.
“Don’t tell me they figured out we forged the Bishop-Marquis’s seal?”
Marken had sent someone posing as a retainer of the Bishop-Marquis to lure Katrina into a trap.
Just as expected, she had borrowed money from Marken’s merchant company and fallen into debt.
Deceiving a commoner with no backing had been ridiculously easy.
“There’s no way. More importantly, there’s no proof we forged any documents.”
“True enough.”
“But given the circumstances, he might still be suspicious. He even dismissed the rumors as nonsense, saying that if she had really been impersonating the Bishop-Marquis, he wouldn’t have been there.”
“That’s right.”
Marken bit down hard on a fingernail.
“We were almost there, and some strange bastard had to stick his nose in…”
“The situation has definitely gotten complicated.”
“Looks like we’ll have to change the plan. I’m done obsessing over her body. Our priority now is Lumen’s fabric alone.”
Originally he had intended to win her heart and receive clothes made from Lumen’s fabric as a gift from her.
But with this new variable, he had to choose the option with higher odds of success.
“A woman like her can be bought with money anyway. But a holy relic is something whose value can’t be measured in coin.”
“Exactly.”
“Hmph. I approached her because she had a pretty face and some skill with her hands, and now she thinks she’s somebody. She needs to know her place.”
Marken twisted his lips.
“But does she really have Lumen’s fabric? When we broke in to steal the clothes she made last time, there was nothing.”
“Looking at her movements so far, there’s no doubt she’s a descendant of Lumen. So she must have it stashed somewhere. Even a small amount would be a fortune.”
“I see.”
“I really do have good luck. I start digging into one woman and who would’ve thought she’d turn out to be Lumen’s descendant?”
The investigation had begun simply to win her affection, but he never expected to stumble across something so rare in the process.
“Then what do you plan to do about the Inquisitor? As long as he’s around, the next steps won’t go smoothly.”
“Well, what choice is there?”
Marken’s eyes glinted coldly.
“We kill him.”
“Will that be all right? He looked strong at a glance.”
The man touched his swollen face.
He wasn’t confident in his combat ability, but he could at least protect himself.
Yet a light strike from the Inquisitor had sent him flying.
That meant the man could subdue most people without even drawing his sword.
“He’s just an Inquisitor. The truly skilled ones don’t bother with unprofitable work like that. Even if they take a cut of the spoils, it’s never much.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you think I’ve never met an Inquisitor in my life? Even compared to a strong mercenary, their income and skill are worlds apart.”
Marken looked at the men.
“If I didn’t have money, would you be standing there in front of me like that? Because I have money…”
Marken crumpled a piece of paper and threw it at one man’s face. The paper bounced lightly off his cheek and fell weakly to the floor.
“Even if I do something like this, you say nothing and follow me.”
“…That’s right.”
“But the moment someone appears with more wealth and power than me, you’ll betray me without hesitation.”
“No, sir.”
“Nonsense.”
Marken snorted.
“That’s human nature. The skilled want more money, and those with money hire the skilled. That’s the principle that got me this far.”
“……”
“Anyway, don’t worry about the Inquisitor. I’ve got someone in my ‘client list’ who can kill him for certain.”
“Understood.”
Marken rose from his seat.
“I’m meeting that client tonight, so both of you come along. That way you can go in my place when I’m busy.”
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as night fell, they headed for a warehouse in a forest outside the territory.
Five burly men stood at the entrance. They greeted Marken when they saw him.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes. The merchandise?”
“Inside.”
“I’ll take a look.”
“Yes, sir.”
Following them into the warehouse, they found five children with shackles on their legs.
Marken scanned their faces.
“Hmm. Once they’re cleaned up properly, they’re not bad. Bring them along.”
“Understood.”
The warehouse guard turned to the children.
“You’re not going to die, so follow quietly. You might even get a better life out of this.”
The children only nodded, terrified.
They walked through the quiet forest with the children in tow. Marken spoke to the two men following behind him.
“First time seeing it in person?”
“Yes.”
“Aside from labor costs, human trading leaves the biggest profit. Demand is high, supply is low.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Of course it’s dangerous if you get caught, but you can make huge money because of that. It’s how I built a merchant company this size at a relatively young age.”
Marken had raised the initial capital for his company through human trafficking.
He only targeted war orphans and slum-dwellers whose identities had been erased, so he had never once come under suspicion.
“But I plan to move into a bigger arena, so I’m thinking of handing this business over to you two. A long tail gets caught.”
“You’re telling us to become the Merchant Lord’s tail?”
“Just don’t get caught. I have a position now, so I inevitably attract attention. You two don’t, do you?”
“……”
“If you don’t like it, walk away. Big money always comes with big risk.”
“We’ll follow.”
They bowed without long deliberation. Marken gave a short snort of laughter and continued walking.
As they moved through the dim forest, a man in a pressed-down robe stepped out.
“You’re here.”
Marken tilted his head.
“Was this the place we agreed to meet? I thought we still had farther to walk.”
“Too much moonlight over there. It draws the eye. Being careful never hurts.”
Indeed, the large trees here made the moonlight faint; they could barely make out each other’s faces.
“Fair enough. Looks like someone new came this time.”
“That’s not your concern. More importantly, the merchandise?”
“…Behind me.”
At Marken’s words, his subordinates pushed the children forward.
The robed man examined them.
“Clean. Where did you get them?”
“Don’t worry. All of them have no identity.”
“Good. Send them over.”
“Where’s the money?”
“I’ll inspect them carefully and pay according to grade. This isn’t our first or second time. Why the fuss?”
Marken secretly ground his teeth. That condescending attitude never changed.
He signaled his men with his eyes and sent the children over.
While the man squatted to inspect the children, Marken spoke.
“Well?”
“Cute little things. They’ll be loved wherever they go.”
“That’s a relief.”
Marken smirked and continued.
“I’ll soon have something precious in my hands as well. Something even you people can’t obtain easily.”
“Oh? Now that sounds promising.”
“When that time comes, I’d like to meet your superior.”
The person Marken was aiming for was an enormous big shot.
Wealth, influence, and martial power—all of it—yet wrapped in a veil of secrecy.
Marken intended to climb higher through him.
“My superior is busy praying to the Goddess.”
“…He was a follower of the Ella Church?”
“You didn’t know? He nags me so much I even ran away from home once because of it.”
“I see…”
Unexpected information. When he eventually met the man, he could use this to steer the conversation.
“Then I’ll pay now.”
The man who had stepped the children back rose to his feet.
“Let’s see, let’s see. The money is…”
Just as the man rummaged through his robes, Marken cut him off.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“Could you provide manpower instead of money?”
“Manpower?”
Marken nodded.
“An Inquisitor has gotten involved in my business. My men say he’s strong, so I need someone who can kill him for certain. If we fail, the matter will only get bigger.”
“An Inquisitor… That would require a higher price.”
“Of course. If you succeed, I’ll give you the chance to purchase the precious item I mentioned.”
“I don’t even know what it is.”
“But it’s something you’ll never regret.”
The man pondered for a moment before answering.
“Fine. Leaving him alone might put us in danger as well.”
“I’m grateful.”
“What does he look like? I’ll handle it myself before I leave.”
With that, the man flipped back the hood of his robe.
“These two will know.”
Marken glanced at the two men.
Just as they opened their mouths to describe the Inquisitor they had seen that day—
A single shaft of moonlight fell across the robed man’s face.
A sharply rising bridge of the nose, a jawline etched in silver by the moonlight, and eyes that looked down as if gazing at insects.
“Th-that…!”
The men who saw his face could only widen their eyes.
Marken looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s him, Lord Marken!!”
“What is?”
They pointed at the man as if frustrated and shouted again.
“It’s him! The Inquisitor we saw!!!”
“…What?”
Marken’s head turned stiffly.
The Inquisitor was already standing there with his sword hanging loosely at his side. Even just standing like that, the pressure of facing a great beast rolled over them.
“Human trafficking and solicitation of an Inquisitor’s murder…”
Flames flickered along the Inquisitor’s dangling blade. Then the corner of his mouth curved upward.
“I heard your confession loud and clear.”
They stood there blankly for a while. Marken was the first to speak.
“How did an Inquisitor get here…?”
In my previous life I had tracked human traffickers to this place, followed the trail, and eventually killed Marken.
So I had been watching for when Marken would make a move, but I never expected him to bolt outside the territory in person tonight.
Still, I wasn’t kind enough to explain in detail, so I answered roughly.
“The Goddess told me.”
“That’s impossible…”
I ignored the dazed man and turned to the ones I had seen at the clothing shop.
“You should’ve taken the beating and left. Before I drew my sword.”
“……”
“Now instead of wiping spit you’ll be wiping blood. And it won’t come out easily.”
“You…!”
The moment the man I had punched earlier opened his mouth, I kicked off the ground.
Even though I closed the distance instantly, he still faced forward, unable to track my movement.
I drove my sword straight into his chest.
“Guhhk!”
Only after coughing up a mouthful of blood did he look at me with trembling pupils.
“You’re always late noticing things.”
I pulled the blade free and a spray of blood came with it. He collapsed backward without any real resistance and sprawled limply on the ground.
“Urgh…”
His companion made a grotesque sound.
I found it unpleasant, so I drew a clean line with my sword. A head flew into the air and rolled across the ground like a red ball of yarn.
“……”
When I closed my mouth, a cold silence settled. No one dared move rashly.
I turned my head. In my field of vision was a pig trembling violently.
A piglet who had thrown countless people into the muck just to fatten his own belly.
I asked,
“Who was killing whom?”