Chapter 10: Examination (3)
“It’s true! There was no other information written on the paper!”
Receiving my gaze mixed with a somewhat pathetic feeling, Daena raised the paper she received from Anton and shouted as if she were being wronged.
I stroked my chin and looked at the paper fluttering in her hand.
She hasn’t burned it yet.
Well, that’s understandable. Since it’s written with special ink that only reacts to Holy Power, there wouldn’t be a big problem even if it’s lost.
In most cases, that is.
Snap!
I snapped my fingers and summoned a small amount of Holy Power.
A simple circuit, not complicated for me, was drawn in an instant, and Holy Power flowed through its grooves, creating a change in reality.
Whoosh!
A small spark extended from my hand and crossed the air, and the small flame that flickered against the backdrop of the dark night sky neatly burned the paper Daena was holding.
“……!”
Although it was an ordinary flame with no special power, the eyes of the two widened at the sight.
“Phenomenon Transformation……!”
“Amazing. Was it a pre-prepared magic?”
Holy Power is a mysterious power specialized in certain areas.
Regardless of its power, it is quite difficult to activate general elemental magic with Holy Power.
It’s so difficult that those with a slightly excellent level of talent or effort wouldn’t even dare to try.
It’s a natural fact.
Holy Magic, Elemental Magic, and Black Magic are completely different fields.
And I was a master of Phenomenon Transformation.
To the level recognized by the Tower Master of the Magic Tower.
The reason was simple.
Unlike Black Magic and Holy Magic, which are extremely biased towards specific areas, general elemental magic had many useful and simple spells for everyday life.
For example, drawing water from the atmosphere to wash hands, lighting a lamp, or creating a small flame in the air to burn paper.
Of course, it would be natural, but the cost-effectiveness wasn’t that good.
Even though the amount of Holy Power I currently possess is large, it’s not infinite. I gauged the amount of Holy Power that had escaped and dusted off my hands.
Demonic Energy, Holy Power, and Mana are indeed effective when used in their specialized areas. Except for me, others wouldn’t even have this kind of concern.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person.”
“It’s not that great. It’s a simple spell that even street magicians do. This is my limit.”
Of course, a much higher level of transformation was possible, but there was no need to mention it.
“Amazing! It’s a divine grace.”
The idiot who introduced himself as Valent nodded with an impressed expression, made the sign of the cross, and said.
“Rather than that…… It would be more accurate to say it’s the result of long hours of effort and experience, and a little bit of talent.”
“That too is a divine grace.”
“……”
Those believers.
I shook my head slightly and continued what I was going to say to Daena.
“So, the paper only had the location written on it. That’s why we’re gathered here.”
Daena, looking at me with eyes that were much brighter than before, nodded vigorously.
“Then what should we do next?”
“……”
I briefly explained to the two candidates who were staring at me like they had honey in their mouths.
“We need to investigate this place. The clue will be around here.”
“Ah!”
“That’s right!”
It’s not a difficult thought.
If I hadn’t told them immediately and had given them a little more time, perhaps those two would have easily figured it out as well.
If I were the real Luciel, I might have kindly waited for them to find the next clue.
“Here it is.”
But I had no intention of doing that now. It was much more efficient for me to quickly complete the mission and gain the position of Inquisitor, rather than spending time developing these youngsters.
“……?”
I looked at the two bewildered people and tapped a tree standing on the hill. It was a tree I had been watching since I first arrived at the hill.
“Look closely here.”
I pointed to the bumpy bark. On the rough and rugged surface of the tree, there was a mark engraved so faintly that it would be difficult to find if you didn’t pay attention and look closely.
“This is……”
Daena clung to the tree and carefully examined the mark.
At first glance, it looked like a meaningless mark that someone had touched out of boredom, but this was a circuit. And it was quite elaborately engraved.
“……You have good eyes.”
Valent, using the hill as a staff to climb up, tied the sword he had untied to his waist and shook his head as if he still didn’t understand.
“So, simply put, it’s a kind of secret map that only those with Holy Power can see.”
A simple and clear summary.
“I’ll do it.”
Daena nodded at my words and stepped forward. She was definitely quicker than that idiot.
Daena then placed her mace on the ground with a thud and clasped her hands reverently, closing her eyes.
Whoosh!
After a while, a faint light began to shine from her hands.
She was still a novice, but it wasn’t bad for an Inquisitor Candidate who had just entered adulthood.
Daena carefully brought her shining hand to the tree, and the light from her hand began to flow into the tree.
The circuit engraved on the tree was filled with Holy Power, and the activated inscription created a phenomenon.
“Oh!”
Whoosh!
Hundreds of lines that sprang from the tree according to the created phenomenon formed a single shape.
Valent slowly approached the shape made of lines of light floating in the air. He had a worried expression, as if he was concerned that something complicated might come out again.
“……!”
However, his face, which had approached the shining shape to see what it meant, brightened up as it was illuminated by the brightly scattered light.
He looked back at Daena and me and shouted with a bright face.
“This is…… a map!”
What appeared in the air was a map with quite detailed terrain drawn on it.
An aerial map drawn with light.
It was a clear shape that even a failing student could nod at. There were no more riddles.
Our destination was clearly marked there.
“Then let’s leave right away.”
I said, looking at the two of them picking up their weapons.
“To judge heresy.”
🔹🔹🔹
Our destination was located in a small town called Meddlen.
It took a whole week to get there because it was a bit far from where we started, Hesterica.
If we hadn’t gotten a ride in a merchant’s carriage, it would have probably taken longer. Since we weren’t official Inquisitors, we couldn’t receive help from the church, such as horses or assistant priests.
“We’ve finally arrived!”
Valent shouted with an enthusiastic expression, as if he were about to blow off the head of the heretic hiding here.
“It’s fortunate that there’s no particular time limit for the exam.”
Daena, who had wrapped her rather noticeable large mace in cloth and carried it on her back, said as she moved gracefully.
“Let’s go!”
Valent tapped me on the back and shouted vigorously.
He didn’t seem to be shy, as he had spoken to me countless times with Daena over the past week.
“Three is the most stable and blessed number. The fact that three people form a team is definitely a good sign!”
Starting with such nonsense.
“You don’t use weapons? You’re very confident. Well, I’ve already seen your skills.”
“Hearing your last name, you must be from a noble family? We don’t have to speak formally to each other, do we?”
With such useless words.
“I heard that Inquisitor Lebecht-nim brought you here himself?”
“That’s quite an enviable privilege. The training over the past few years has been…… terrible.”
He said that the Inquisitor he respected the most was Anton Lebecht, a story I wasn’t very interested in.
“There it is.”
Daena narrowed her eyes, looking at the shabby building located on the outskirts. Meddlen wasn’t a very big city, and we were able to reach our real destination soon after.
It looked exactly like the shape marked on the map drawn with light.
The monk who investigated this place for the exam seems to have put a lot of effort into the map.
“It’s more shabby than I thought.”
Looking at the small building that didn’t show any signs of Demonic Energy, nor heavily armed soldiers, Valent muttered in a disappointed tone.
Was he expecting some kind of grand battle?
Of course, he was right. It was actually a mission that didn’t require much tracking or close investigation. We just had to investigate the building clearly marked on the map. It wasn’t that difficult.
“You should be glad it is.”
I said without looking back at Valent.
If the map had only indicated this city instead of the exact building, I would have had to stay here in Meddlen with these youngsters and investigate from scratch.
That would have definitely been a tedious task that would have taken quite a long time.
Catching the henchmen of heretics hiding among ordinary people wasn’t a simple task, no matter how chaotic the world was.
But now, we were starting with the answer.
‘The answer given by the Inquisition.’
Rather than being a considerate and humane consideration for inexperienced candidates, it should be seen as an adjustment made to control the part that could take a long time in order to quickly fill the shortage of Inquisitors.
Of course, they wouldn’t have pointed to someone who was truly innocent. The Inquisition was at least like ghosts when it came to smelling heresy.
“Ah, how about going this way?”
“……?”
Valent pointed to the front of the building, not the side alley, as I was trying to move to the side alley next to the building to check for any dangerous elements.
“……”
At my expression that seemed to be asking for an explanation, he said with a calm face.
“How can we sneak in and hide from others when we are going to judge heresy in accordance with God’s will?”
“……”
Yes, I see.
I suddenly thought that Anton would have said the same thing if he had come here. He said the Inquisitor he respected the most was Anton.
His unnecessary stubbornness was similar, although it was a much more idiotic version.
I looked around for a moment. It was broad daylight, and there were even city guards nearby.
I didn’t feel any particularly dangerous energy from the small building.
‘Hmm.’
Moreover, the church wouldn’t risk putting the already scarce Inquisitor Candidates in a dangerous place. It was likely that the henchmen were at a level that could be overcome.
Having made my decision, I shrugged and said.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
As soon as my words, which had somehow become something like a team leader, fell, the two nodded.
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