How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Movement (1)

To some extent, I had expected this. No, in a way, this was the natural order of things.

The army of the Holy See, organized to purify the Catacombs, numbered at least tens of thousands. And only two returned alive from there.

The two Archbishops, the Knight Captain, countless priests and soldiers all breathed their last in the Bone Fortress.

The fact that only I, a member of Hesterica, and the Saintess survived, would be difficult for the Holy See to accept easily.

Of course, they would have already heard a general answer from the Saintess, but they couldn’t keep pressing her. Perhaps, if they had their way, they would want to confine me in the Holy See’s underground and conduct a proper inquisition.

This was probably the reason for the disapproving glances I felt from the moment I entered the conference hall.

The Holy See priest, who finally had the opportunity to ask me about it, had a look of slight suspicion and wariness on his face.

“First, as one who serves God, promise to answer only the truth under that shining name.”

I smiled at the priest’s words. Of course. I promise a hundred times over.

“I will. I swear on God’s name that I will not utter a lie.”

At my straightforward answer, everyone’s gaze turned to the priest.

Ahem. After clearing his throat for a moment, he began his questioning.

“I heard that there was a tremendous explosion caused by the High Priest of the Catacomb in the final battle that took place at the innermost part of the fortress.”

The priest continued, staring directly at me.

“And you said that as a result of that aftermath, the Archbishops who were there and the soldiers in the fortress perished.”

“That is correct.”

It was the content I had already conveyed in writing. Perhaps there had been countless debates within the Holy See about that ridiculously brief summary.

The final explosion inside that claimed the lives of the army.

Although quite a bit was omitted, it was an undeniable truth.

“……If Archbishop Frinagen-nim hadn’t vouched for your words, the Holy See would have summoned and interrogated you immediately.”

“Ah, is that so?”

I replied briefly to the priest’s words, tilting my head slightly with a faint smile.

My words implied whether the Holy See, having lost its light as a sanctuary and most of its military power, had the capacity for such a thing.

The priest, clenching his fist for a moment, pretended not to notice and continued speaking.

“What I want to ask is how you alone managed to return alive. I heard that Archbishop Palamino and Captain Termes were also there, but how could you possibly withstand the explosion that even those powerful individuals couldn’t─”

I quietly observed the priest who was asking the most crucial and reasonable question.

“Hmm.”

I couldn’t possibly say that I borrowed the power of the Great Demon, absorbed all your soldiers, and tore apart the wings of the rampaging Archangel.

“The one who knows the most about heresy is the Inquisitor.”

Receiving the focused gaze of everyone, I continued speaking slowly.

“Although I couldn’t stop the High Priest’s final spell, I was able to survive.”

“……Ha.”

The priest shook his head as if in disbelief.

“Still.”

I opened my mouth with a faint smile.

“It is undoubtedly God’s grace.”

“What……!”

The priest glared fiercely at me, who dared to mention God’s grace in the face of the army’s annihilation.

“For there was time to save the most noble one.”

I concluded my words, pointing to the Saintess who had been silent until now.

“……”

Silence fell upon the conference room at my words. Most were nodding their heads as if agreeing with me. Even the priest of the Holy See couldn’t refute those words and lowered his head.

“Everything is true.”

Sudden words flowed out. It was Saintess Sophia. She, who had not uttered a single word until now, readily nodded her head and spoke.

“If Inquisitor Luciel here hadn’t saved me, I too would have undoubtedly lost my life in the Bone Fortress.”

“……!”

“As expected, such……!”

At her words that put a stop to the doubts, murmurs and nods filled with satisfaction and admiration followed in the conference room.

“……”

The Holy See priest remained silent. This was the end. To question further would be to suspect that the Saintess was intentionally lying to deceive the church.

“Now, now.”

The Cardinal spoke as if trying to lift the mood.

“Let’s put aside unnecessary suspicions between us. Isn’t Inquisitor Lumineger someone who has even received the recognition of the Holy Sword, haha.”

The recognition of the Holy Sword.

While everyone was nodding, one figure shifted slightly.

“……”

The identity of the one wearing a rather peculiar robe was a monk from the Cradle.

Now that the Holy See’s sanctuary had lost its light, excluding the last fifth sanctuary whose location was unknown, there were three remaining.

Hesterica’s Inquisition and the Grand Temple on Mount Calimphus.

And the Cradle of Lactya Sibellia.

I turned my head slightly and looked at him.

Ascetics who continue their secretive training in the inner basin of the Cloud Mountains.

The mysterious monks of the Cradle are by no means pushovers. Their numbers are not many, but each and every one of them possesses skills far superior to those of Hesterica or the Grand Temple.

His gaze briefly shifted to the Holy Sword hanging at my waist.

“Well then, since everyone seems to have reached a consensus, let’s discuss the details. First, the Grand Temple is─”

While tuning out the resuming boring words, I met the gaze of the Cradle monk staring at me.

🔹🔹🔹

After the long and tedious meeting to coordinate opinions on each condition finally ended. As I walked down the corridor leading outside, the Cardinal of the Grand Temple spoke to me in a friendly manner.

“Don’t feel too burdened. Haha.”

He continued, following me with a seemingly benevolent smile.

“Although the Holy See has lost its light, our power is not yet weak enough to be pushed back by those wicked demon worshippers.”

His words were true.

Aside from the fact that the remaining three Catacombs were powerful forces among the seven, we still had considerable power left.

Not to mention the still-standing Hesterica, the Griffin Riders, who were no different from symbols of the wealthy Grand Temple, were one of the things the Catacombs were most wary of.

Adding the monks of the Cradle to that, the Church’s military power was also significant.

Of course, that didn’t mean the Empire’s help was meaningless. In a confrontation between those aiming for each other’s annihilation, it was only natural that the more allies, the better.

“I think so too.”

I gave a perfunctory answer to the Cardinal, who seemed eager to build some kind of connection and was clinging to me annoyingly, and tried to move quickly.

“You’re from east of the mountain range, they say.”

The one who spoke was the monk who had remained silent throughout the meeting except for raising his hand to express his opinions. He had somehow caught up to my side and spoke with an unreadable expression on his face.

“That’s correct.”

At my brief answer, he looked at me with his transparent eyes.

“Can I see the Holy Sword?”

A request to see the sword out of the blue, which could be a bit offensive in itself.

However, perhaps because the one who spoke was a Cradle monk who spent his life in training without any worldly desires, I felt no disrespect in his words.

Of course, I couldn’t hand over the sword.

Regardless of whether I had the will to do so or not, the Holy Sword would strongly reject anyone other than me, its recognized owner.

Shing. So I drew the sword. Sharply and swiftly.

“……!”

The Cardinal, surprised by the sudden action that he couldn’t even see properly, hurriedly backed away. On the other hand, the monk stared at the sword with a dry expression.

“……”

A moment of silence. The monk, after looking at me and the Holy Sword, slightly bowed his head, expressing his apology for the rudeness and gratitude.

“……It is unmistakable. Thank you for your consideration.”

Is that all?

At the monk’s rather anticlimactic words, I sheathed the sword.

“Hmm, hmm. It is truly a sacred weapon overflowing with God’s grace.”

Perhaps embarrassed for having backed away alone, the Cardinal, who had somehow approached again, coughed awkwardly and spoke.

“They say the Holy Sword conceals the most sacred and secret truth.”

The monk continued, his back to the Cardinal.

“And the Cradle in the Cloud Mountains is the last place Sir Laothir, the last owner of the Holy Sword, visited.”

“……”

Look at this.

I smiled faintly, looking at the monk who was dropping somewhat interesting information. Fearlessly to the wicked black mage.

“I look forward to seeing you again.”

The monk bowed his head at me and turned around without hesitation.

“Ahem.”

Perhaps displeased with the monk’s behavior of treating him as if he were invisible, the Cardinal coughed uncomfortably beside me.

🔹🔹🔹

The departure for the Empire took place immediately. There was no reason to delay it further. The trip to the Empire was necessary not only for the Church but also for me.

My goal was not just to secure the Empire’s support.

Beyond the Steel Mountain Range, near the territory of the Cravassia Empire, lay my fourth legacy.

That was the reason why I readily accepted the request for a meeting that could be considered somewhat unreasonable.

Now that the remaining Catacombs could take action at any moment, there was no time to waste, so the journey to the Empire continued without returning to the Inquisition.

Of course, I did have a brief conversation with the Head of Hesterica through a bird made of light. I had somewhat anticipated this since he recommended me as the representative of the Inquisition, but it seemed that the Head had expected this situation to some extent from the beginning.

Of course, there was one fact that even the old fox Head Markel Pavlino, the Cardinal of the Grand Temple, and the monk from the Cradle did not anticipate.

That I would not be going to the Empire alone.

It wasn’t Lephra or Jerit. They would have departed eastward directly from the Grand Temple, and both of them would be extremely busy with their own tasks.

“Yawn.”

It wasn’t Saintess Sophia either. She, who had not yet fully come to terms with the incident at the Bone Fortress where the Archangel worshipped by the Church sacrificed soldiers, bid farewell with a somewhat complex expression and returned to the Holy See.

“If you’re bored, go out and hunt or something, Marchena.”

The ones accompanying me were the members of the Black Dawn Society. To be precise, Marchena and Kazan.

They were the ones who first informed me of the suspicious movements between the Empire and the Sultan of the Desert, and they would be of some help on this journey.

Of course, it took them some time to find me after hearing the orders I left at the Shadow Church, but the journey to the Empire was quite long. There was no problem with them joining before we arrived.

Tsk. At my words, the vampire Marchena turned her head slightly and disappeared with a whoosh without a word.

She’s like a cat that does as she pleases.

I turned my attention away from her and pulled the reins of the horse.

A shallow mountain path bypassing the Steel Mountain Range where the dwarves lived.

The path, which I traveled under Kazan’s guidance, a path that merchants occasionally risked taking for faster travel, was moderately dense.

Perhaps due to luck, we didn’t encounter anyone in particular during the few days of travel.

Until just now.

Rustle. A faint sound coming from ahead.

It was a sound so small that an ordinary person would dismiss it as the work of wild animals or the wind, but Kazan and I did not fall into that category.

“Humans.”

Humans hiding on the forest path occasionally used by merchants. There was no need to look further to know their identity.

Naturally, they weren’t ordinary, good-natured humans.

“Hmm.”

But instead of correcting Kazan’s words, I smiled faintly.

To be precise, it would be more accurate to call them prey rather than enemies.

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