Chapter 154: The Inquisition (3)
Grgrgrk.
A much louder sound than all the previously heard sounds emerged from within Hemoria’s mask. Her eyes had transformed into a much deeper shade of red than they had been at first; rather than just bloodshot, it felt as if something was burning within them.
Unlike Hemoria, who was exhibiting intense emotions, Atarax’s expression was calm. He smiled as he looked between the Holy Sword, plunged into the ground, and Eugene, standing there with his arms crossed.
“... ‘Pretends to be faithful’ you say…. Haha! Sir Eugene, you might be the only person who would dare to say such a thing to an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum,” Atarax said with calm amazement.
Eugene shot back, “I’m also the only one to be recognized by the Holy Sword as its master.”
Atarax tried to defend himself, “I’m only trying to consider all the possibilities.”
“Weren’t you the one saying earlier that there was no way that I, the master of the Holy Sword, would be corrupted by black magic?” Eugene reminded him.
“Allowing Hector to escape is a different matter from being corrupted by black magic,” Atarax argued.
“If we keep going back and forth like this, it will never end. Are you trying to somehow force me into making a confession?” Eugene asked with a smirk as he glared at Atarax. “It feels to me like you think that you’ve bitten onto the tail of a large catch, and now you’re racing ahead of yourself to reel it in.”
“There’s no way that could be the case,” Atarax denied the accusation as he backed down with a shrug. “For now, I’ll just choose to accept it. I will do my best to have faith that Hector Lionheart’s escape… truly had nothing to do with you, Sir Eugene. In fact, if you want to prove your innocence for certain, there is—”
“You want to use Confession[1] on me, right?” Eugene interrupted.
“Were you already aware of it?”
“All I know is that it’s a cruel method of interrogation that tears the victim’s mind into pieces.”
“Haha!” Atarax laughed. “There’s no need to worry about the danger of that. Because the experts of the Maleficarum are better than anyone else in the Holy Empire when it comes to ‘interrogation.’ It’s not like we intend on digging too deep, we only want the truth of what happened five days ago, so there should be no after-effects from the investigation.”
“Have you already forgotten what I just said?” Eugene asked as he gestured with his chin, pointing to the sword embedded in front of him. “If you’re displeased with me or feel like you want to start an argument, then I’m telling you to come over here and pull out the Holy Sword first.”
“...That’s quite an interesting proposal,” Atarax eventually muttered as his gaze turned towards Hemoria.
Hemoria, who had been glaring at Eugene with her blood-red eyes, strode over to the Holy Sword until she was right within arm’s reach. The corners of Eugene’s lips twisted up in a smile as he met Hemoria’s intense glare.
“...Grk,” came the sound from behind Hemoria’s mask.
Such a sound seemed too loud and sharp to be made just by grinding her teeth…. Eugene tilted his head to the side in curiosity as he stared at Hemoria.
“You don’t seem like a beastfolk, but could your teeth really be as terrible as a beast’s?” Eugene observed.
“My disciple is currently serving a vow of silence, so she cannot use her voice,” Atarax explained in Hemoria’s stead.
So she had taken a vow of silence. Eugene let out a snort and backed down.
Hemoria’s hand, which was covered by a black glove, reached out toward the Holy Sword. But the moment when her long fingers were about to touch the hilt of the Holy Sword—
Fwoosh!
The Holy Sword’s flames engulfed Hemoria’s hand.
However, Hemoria didn’t panic or even let out a scream. She calmly withdrew her hand and then shook off the flame that had wrapped around her glove. Hemoria’s skin was made visible through the cracks that the flame had burnt into the glove. Her coloring looked pale and bloodless.
Hemoria felt Eugene’s gaze on her. She took off her glove and lifted her hand as if inviting him to take a closer look. Her skin was pale, but apart from that, there was nothing special to it.
“Grk.”
The grinding sound was heard once more as Hemoria began waving her hand between Eugene and herself.
“...Is that sign language?” Eugene eventually realized.
“She’s asking if you thought she was a vampire,” Lovellian translated.
Without seeking to avoid Hemoria’s piercing glare, Eugene replied, “...She’s just asking to be noticed with how loudly she’s grinding her teeth, and the sound is quite sharp. Her eyes are red, her skin is white, and she’s wearing a hat, cloak, and even gloves. Isn’t that enough reason to be suspicious of her?”
“To suspect an Inquisitor of being a vampire,” Atarax murmured. “Unfortunately, the Maleficarum is a more conservative organization than you seem to think, Sir Eugene, so demonfolk like vampires cannot be accepted as Inquisitors.”
Eugene noticed something, “Does that mean that they might be accepted for positions other than as an Inquisitor?”
“That’s correct because even a demonfolk has the right to convert. If they truly desire to serve the God of Light as his priests, why not baptize them and allow them to serve as evangelists of the light?” Atarax said with a smile as he patted Hemoria on the shoulder. “Even Hemoria, whose faith is so strong, is unable to grasp the Holy Sword…. As expected of the Holy Sword.”
“How about you?” Eugene challenged.
“If I pointlessly try to stretch my hand towards it, all I might end up with is a burnt hand. I’m afraid that I have no desire to be humiliated like that,” Atarax said as he turned and walked over to the place where Hector had disappeared. Then, while looking at the soil still floating in the air, he continued speaking, “...In any case, we’ve confirmed that Hector Lionheart escaped from here without dying.”
“Such long-ranged teleportation… only an Archwizard would be capable of such a thing,” Lovellian chimed in with narrowed eyes. “To perform a Blink, you need to calculate the coordinates of an arrival point within your field of view and leap there. As long as you’re able to perform those calculations accurately, Blink isn't too difficult or complicated a spell. However, long-range teleportation is an entirely different matter.”
Atarax slightly corrected him, “This was a warp that connected the gates on both sides of a teleport. It’s slightly different from a Teleport spell.”
For this type of teleportation, the one being teleported needed a guidepost. If the World Tree, for example, was the guidepost, one would be able to teleport to the World Tree from anywhere in the world using one of its leaves.
“Unless we’re able to figure out what Hector used as a medium for the warp, we have no way of knowing where he teleported to,” Atarax declared.
“However, just how many wizards in the world can manage such a teleportation?” Melkith pointed out with a grin as she started counting on her fingers. “First of all… there’s Aroth’s five Tower Masters. Then there’s Trempel Vizardo, Commander of the Court Wizards Division. Then, as far as I know, none other should have reached the Eighth Circle among all the wizards belonging to other nations?”
“...I just left the Royal Palace of Kiehl this morning,” Gilead revealed. “Kiehl still has to have raised an Eighth Circle Archwizard.”
This reply had the corners of Melkith’s lips shooting right up to her cheekbones.
“Isn’t that why Aroth is known as the Kingdom of Magic, no matter what? Including the Tower Masters, the kingdom has six Archwizards, after all! If war were to break out, wouldn’t it be possible for Aroth to unite the continent all on its own?” Melkith declared proudly.
Lovellian spoke up, “The Tower Masters are not obligated to participate should Aroth choose to start any wars of conquest. If Aroth were to start such a war, then perhaps everyone in the Red Tower of Magic, including myself, would choose to leave Aroth.
“That goes for me as well, but….” Melkith continued speaking with a snicker, “Setting aside Aroth… the only place with wizards capable of a teleportation like this is Helmuth. There’s the Staff of Incarceration, Edmund Codreth, and a few other high-ranking demonfolk.”
Lovellian picked up the topic, “The Queen of the Night Demons and the Black Dragon… those are two most famous of the latter group.”
While bringing up the Black Dragon, Lovellian spared Eugene a glance. Lovellian was the one responsible for investigating Raizakia on behalf of Eugene. As such, he was aware of the possibility that Raizakia, currently reigning over the Dragon Demon Castle in Helmuth, might not be the real Raizakia.
Lovellian continued, “Amongst the high-ranking demonfolk, there might be other Archwizards capable of teleportation apart from those two. Demonfolk live many times longer than humans, and they are much better at casting black magic than humans.”
“Isn’t there also an Archwizard in Nahama?” Atarax brought up with narrowed eyes. “The Dungeon Master of the Desert, Amelia Merwin. We are aware that the situation between Kiehl and Nahama has been unstable for several years now. Weakening Kiehl’s power by promoting internal division within Kiehl’s Lionheart clan… sounds like something that Nahama, who swallowed Turas while blaming it on the sandstorms, would do. On top of that, Amelia Merwin is also a black wizard who has signed a contract with a Demon King.”
“That might be the case, but the Demon King of Incarceration shouldn’t be the one supporting Hector and giving him orders.” Eugene continued with a serious expression, “Because an affair like this is too trivial for a Demon King to even pay any attention to. In the first place, would the Demon King of Incarceration feel any need to resurrect the Demon Kings who died three hundred years ago out of loyalty to them?”
Hesitantly, Atarax responded, “Well, don’t you think you’re being a bit too definite…?”
“Sir Atarax. I have also been a diligent student of history since I was young. The Demon Kings have never cooperated with each other. From three hundred years ago until now, the Demon Kings have always been competing to see who can cause more nations to collapse and who can increase their territory and power the most,” Eugene stated confidently.
Of course, Eugene hadn’t actually studied history. He had lived right in the middle of said history, so there wasn’t any need for him to study it.
Even as the three Demon Kings were slain, the remaining Demon Kings had never once cooperated with each other. Although they were all collectively called the Demon Kings, there was no sense of camaraderie among them.
“Would the Demon King of Incarceration really get involved personally, pulling this sort of scheme to revive the deceased Demon Kings and divide the Lionheart clan? What reason could a Demon King have for doing so? As an Inquisitor, particularly one from the Maleficarum, you should know this. A Demon King is an existence that doesn’t need to do something like this,” Eugene said with a sneer.
Would the Demon King of Incarceration have any reason to try and split apart the Lionheart clan? Especially when, if he really bothered to take any action, he could just directly tear the clan into pieces himself? Similarly, was there any need for him to try to secretly perform this ritual to resurrect the deceased Demon Kings? After all, he could just perform the ritual openly while wiping out all who dared to interfere.
“...So I don’t think that the Demon King has anything to do with this,” Eugene concluded.
The ones who were currently under suspicion were the three black wizards who had signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Aroth’s Archwizards, and certain high-ranking demonfolk.
“...Having escaped from the consequences of this incident, Hector Lionheart should no longer be able to travel around the continent in peace,” Atarax reasoned. “However, if he has escaped to a place without any public order, that’s a different story. Even the Eyes of Light, spread across the continent, cannot fully grasp a lawless place like the Samar Rainforest.”
Eugene asked doubtfully, “...So you’re saying that Hector could have fled to Samar?”
“I think there’s quite a significant possibility that he did, yes. Sir Eugene, I’ve heard that you have developed a good relationship with the Zoran Tribe, one of the great tribes of Samar…. Wouldn’t you be able to request some help for them?” Atarax proposed with a smile as he stared at Eugene.
At this mention of the Zoran tribe, Eugene recalled Evatar, the heir to the tribe who had escorted him on his way out of Samar.
“...Since that forest is so large, it should be very difficult to find someone specific,” Eugene pointed out reluctantly.
“It’s up to you, Sir Eugene, on how to make such a request,” Atarax said with a shrug. “Depending on your desire, you can ask them to capture or kill the fugitive, Hector Lionheart.”
“And what will the Maleficarum be doing?”
“Since Hector Lionheart was involved in this ritual, we will, of course, also be doing our best to pursue him. And to do so, we will be using the Eyes of Light spread across the continent.”
The God of Light did have a truly large number of followers.
“My deepest regrets,” Atarax apologized as he took off the shako he was wearing and bowed his head toward them. “It seems that we weren’t actually able to clarify anything. However, we truly are sorry for the tragedy that took place here.”
“...It’s quite a disgrace,” Klein admitted as he let out a deep sigh. “...Since there’s nothing more to investigate here, and you’ve checked everything that you can… why don’t we head back to the castle now? Since you also have to interview the children involved in this incident.”
“Thank you for your understanding—” Atarax abruptly stopped talking and turned his head. Then, while staring at Hemoria, he let out a low chuckle and murmured, “...Hm…. Indeed.”
“What’s the matter?” Eugene inquired with a disingenuous expression.
The truth was that he had already guessed what might soon be enfolding. While the conversation was going on, Hemoria had continued to stare at Eugene and the Holy Sword. While her gaze wasn’t as filled with hostility as before, Eugene felt a familiar motivation and desire for victory coming from Hemoria.
Atarax said, “It appears that she wants to confirm for herself why you were acknowledged as the master of the Holy Sword, Sir Eugene.”
“But it feels to me like you might also share that same desire, Sir Atarax?” Eugene prompted.
“Haha… I won’t deny it. Because it’s not just in the Holy Empire, everyone on this continent has heard the fairy tales of the Holy Sword Altair and the hero chosen to wield it since they were young,” Atarax admitted with a low chuckle as he approached Hemoria. “Of course, there is also some dissatisfaction.”
“...Dissatisfaction?” Eugene repeated.
Atarax explained, “The Lionhearts have kept the Holy Sword in their possession for the past three hundred years without ever returning it to the Holy Empire. Since the Great Vermouth, no one in the Lionheart clan has been able to become the Holy Sword’s master. However, what if the Holy Sword had been returned to the Holy Empire? Couldn’t it have been possible for one of our devout and exceptional youngsters to have become the Master of the Holy Sword during that time?”
“That might have been possible, but I don’t think that devout and exceptional youngster would have been you,” Eugene said with a smirk as he tilted his head. “Also, the fact is that even Yuras’s Pope has acknowledged my identity as the master of the Holy Sword.”
“However, Sir Eugene, you aren’t even a believer of the God of Light, nor are you a citizen of Yuras.”
“So what do you propose to do about that?”
Atarax responded calmly, “I’m not trying to say we should take the Holy Sword from you.”
“It’s not like that would even be possible,” Eugene snorted.
“...It’s just… I would like to ask if you would be willing to accommodate my disciple’s desire,” Atarax requested as he placed a hand on Hemoria’s shoulder. “Would you agree to a light spar?”
“With me using the Holy Sword?”
“If you need to.”
“I don’t feel like there’s any need for that,” Eugene denied with a laugh as he took off the Cloak of Darkness.
Mer hurriedly stuck her head out from inside the cloak at this move and protested, “Sir Eugene! Your body still isn’t—”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s only going to be a light spar, so…,” Eugene laughed off Mer’s concern as he dropped the cloak to the floor.
Melkith, who had been quietly watching from the side, shrieked at this action and ran over to Eugene.
“Don’t drop it on the ground!” Melkith cried out. “You’ll get dirt on it!”
Although there were still a few years left until Eugene had to return it, Melkith had no desire to see her precious cloak left lying on this dirty ground.
Ignoring Melkith, Eugene asked Atarax, “What about weapons?”
Atarax replied, “Hemoria doesn’t use any weapon in particular.”
“Ahah… so her whole body is a weapon or some cliche thing like that? Hm, fine then. It seems like you’ve trained her well,” Eugene assessed.
“...Please don’t underestimate my disciple too much,” Atarax warned him.
“Aren’t you the one underestimating me?” Eugene countered with a broad smile as he shook his wrists loose. “It seems that you two haven’t fully realized this, but the one who you’re questioning the qualifications of is the greatest genius in the history of the Lionheart clan since the time of our founding ancestor. I am also the master of both the Holy Sword and Akasha and the one who defeated the remnants of the Demon Kings.”
“...Hm, Sir Eugene, I do admit that you are quite impressive, but… as your familiar said just now, isn’t it true that your body hasn’t completely recovered yet?” Atarax reminded him.
“It’s just a light spar, without even using any weapons. Won’t we just be crossing our fists a little, so what’s the matter with that?” Eugene asked rhetorically.
“...If you get injured, we will make sure to offer treatment,” Atarax promised. “Even though it’s not to the same extent as the Saint Candidate Kristina, I’m still quite efficient at healing magic.”
Grk.
The sound was heard once more from behind Hemoria’s mask. She took off her hat and cloak, then raised her fists as she took a stance. On the other hand, Eugene just kept his arms relaxed as he faced Hemoria.
“Aren’t you going to take off your mask?” Eugene asked her.
Hemoria kept silent.
“Hm… is that your way of asking me not to hit you in the face?” Eugene asked.
Eugene had been feeling dislike towards her since earlier.
“If you get hit in the jaw while wearing a metal mask like that… will it be my fist or your jaw that will hurt more…?” Eugene mused.
Hemoria had glared at him pretty fiercely, leaking blatant hostility and dissatisfaction while also making that strange grinding sound from the inside of her mask.
‘She’s also the one who picked this fight.’
While glaring black at Hemoria, Eugene unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt.