Chapter 20: Nightmare (2)
Browell was a small, peaceful village. At least, it appeared so on the surface.
Rumble.
The villagers’ gazes directed at me, mounted atop a massive black horse rarely seen in a rural village like this, held not curiosity or wonder, but a hint of anxiety and fear.
It wasn’t much different from the emotions I had seen in the eyes of the soldiers while passing through the lord’s castle earlier, but the villagers’ eyes held one more emotion.
A faint sense of relief.
The relief that with the arrival of an Inquisitor, the evil presence and ominous events would soon disappear.
‘Something must have happened,’
I urged the horse forward, reading the various emotions etched on the faces of the villagers who glanced at me.
The setting sun cast long shadows from the village buildings.
It wasn’t long before I arrived at a small church located in the center of the village.
“Oh my!”
A middle-aged man rushed out from the church entrance, his necklace bearing the Hesterica Church’s emblem swinging wildly.
Is he the dispatched priest of this village?
“Welcome!”
He ran towards me, his heavy body panting, and took a moment to catch his breath.
“You must have had a long and arduous journey…… Sir.”
His polite greeting faltered as he saw my face looking down at him from atop the black horse.
“……”
A slight disappointment washed over his plump face.
Perhaps it was due to my appearance, which clearly showed I was a newly appointed Inquisitor.
It was true, though.
“A-Are you…… here alone, Sir?”
He asked cautiously, trying not to offend me while glancing behind me, seemingly checking if another, more experienced Inquisitor had accompanied me.
“Yes, I am. Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no, Sir. No problem at all. I am grateful for your presence here.”
The dispatched priest forced a smile and replied.
It was understandable that he was disappointed.
In the war against demons and heretics, experience and age were synonymous with skill for an Inquisitor fighting on the front lines.
Regardless of the severity of the incidents that had occurred in this village, it was natural for people to hope for a skilled problem-solver.
“I-Inquisitor-nim……”
An elderly man cautiously stepped out from behind the priest. He seemed to be the Village Head.
I dismounted from the horse, watching the Village Head stammer, unsure of what to say in this unfamiliar situation. There was no need to listen to him.
Because I could see it clearly.
The worry, anxiety, fear, and relief etched on his face.
“You can rest assured now.”
I continued, looking around at the dispatched priest, the Village Head, and the villagers peeking from a distance.
“For the Inquisitor has arrived.”
🔹🔹🔹
The dispatch of an Inquisitor was not a simple matter.
When a priest or a brother from a specific region submitted a request to Hesterica, a representative dispatched from the headquarters would personally visit the region to verify its validity.
If, after further investigation, it was determined that the visit of an Inquisitor was necessary, the order from the Inquisition would be issued.
Of course, there was some flexibility in cases requiring immediate action, but most cases went through this lengthy procedure.
It was a filter of sorts, prioritizing requests.
The continent was vast, the Church’s influence widespread, and the occurrences of strange incidents were far too numerous.
「While the matter is clearly related to heresy, its severity does not warrant prioritizing the dispatch of an Inquisitor.」
That was the conclusion reached by the Inquisition. It meant that a less experienced Inquisitor could handle the situation alone.
“……The village well has dried up, livestock have suddenly died, a maiden has given birth……”
I continued reading the paper in my hand with an indifferent expression. It was part of the mission data I had received from the Inquisition.
It detailed the strange incidents that had occurred in this small village.
While it wasn’t a calamity where people were directly killed by a powerful Black Mage, it was enough to instill fear in ordinary villagers.
“These ominous events occurring in succession are undoubtedly the work of an evil demon. We beseech the aid of the Inquisition in the name of the revered God of Hesterica. Sincerely, Brother Sidman, dispatched priest of Browell Village.”
After reading through the document from the Inquisition, I looked at the priest before me.
“Did you write this yourself?”
“Y-Yes, Sir. I did.”
For the convenience of carrying out their duties, all Inquisitors operating outside of Hesterica were granted authority equivalent to a junior bishop.
Therefore, despite his disappointment and anxiety, Brother Henrik Sidman’s tone was quite respectful.
Whoosh.
I briefly focused my mind, and the stiff paper burst into flames.
Gulp.
I looked away from the priest, who flinched at the sight, and fell into thought.
When a demon crossed boundaries, strange incidents of unknown origin often occurred.
A subtle distortion of everyday life.
Judging by the extent of the incidents, it didn’t seem to be a demon of high rank. However, even the most insignificant demon could be enough to disrupt the lives of ordinary people.
If such events had occurred despite the presence of a dispatched priest in the village, the villagers must have felt even more uneasy.
I raised my head and looked around the room. Various trinkets were hanging everywhere.
“……”
Could these be items prepared to ward off demons?
“Saltwater, large full-body mirrors, broken porcelain……”
This wasn’t child’s play.
‘Huh.’
I couldn’t help but be amazed at the level of knowledge possessed by the so-called dispatched priest of the Church. Even setting aside the fact that I couldn’t sense a single shred of holy power from him, he didn’t even know the basics.
Well, it was unlikely that a priest dispatched to a remote village like this would be competent.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue and continued examining the room.
It was quite comfortable and spacious, unlike the villagers’ homes.
It was nothing new. Buying faith with money was something that existed even five hundred years ago.
‘But I don’t think it was this bad back then.’
If the Holy Knight Laothir, who had pursued me relentlessly and eventually succeeded in beheading me, knew about this, he would surely sigh in despair. I felt like the Church was a bit more pure back then.
Suddenly, the Holy Knight’s final image, swinging his shining holy sword towards my neck, flashed through my mind. I missed him a little…… not really.
I stroked my neck and looked at the dispatched priest, Henrik Sidman.
I hadn’t expected proper support in the first place. All the competent Inquisitors, priests, and Holy Knights would have been dispatched to major cities and key areas where the war against heretics was raging.
This much, I could handle alone.
“I will need to examine all the locations where the reported incidents occurred, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”
“Y-Yes, Sir. Understood.”
All contracts and demonic activities inevitably left traces.
And I knew that better than anyone.
🔹🔹🔹
An intangible, vague sense of anxiety slowly gnawed at people’s daily lives.
The strange incidents that were initially dismissed as coincidences continued to occur in the small village, and an Inquisitor, the one who banished evil, arrived as the sun began to set.
“……Could it really be a demon?”
“It must be that woman! Did you see her red eyes? Inquisitor-nim will surely uncover the truth!”
“Shh! Be quiet!”
“……”
Ignoring the whispers of the villagers filled with anxiety and strange anticipation, I visited the locations mentioned in the report.
The dried-up well emitting a foul stench. The rotting carcasses of livestock discarded in a deep pit. The strange marks left in the fields.
‘Clear.’
The villagers and the holy power-less Henrik Sidman wouldn’t have noticed, but faint traces of demonic energy were clearly present in the locations scattered throughout the village.
「While the matter is clearly related to heresy, its severity does not warrant prioritizing the dispatch of an Inquisitor.」
Just as the Church’s report stated.
However, I could read something hidden beneath the surface.
This wasn’t all.
“Where is the last location?”
And.
“H-Here it is, Sir.”
A small shed where a woman was confined by the villagers.
According to the dispatched priest, Henrik Sidman, and the villagers, this was where the maiden who had given birth—the woman who had allegedly consorted with a demon—was held.
“T-The mark of a cursed demon is evident!”
“I saw it too, Inquisitor-nim! Her, her red eyes!”
The village vigilantes, who seemed to be guarding the building with torches raised even in broad daylight, were startled by my appearance and stepped aside.
The arrival of an Inquisitor in a small village was undoubtedly a significant event, and villagers had gathered behind me and Henrik Sidman, whispering amongst themselves.
I silently scanned the vigilantes in front of the building and the villagers gathered behind. Some of them exhibited expressions different from what they were trying to portray.
“……”
I glanced at Henrik Sidman, who was looking at me with an uneasy expression, and then pushed open the door of the small wooden building without hesitation.
“I will examine this alone.”
“S-Stand back!”
At my curt command, Henrik Sidman hurriedly began to push the villagers back.
Click.
The interior darkened as I closed the door. All the windows of the small wooden building, which had no other entrance besides the front door, were boarded up with wooden planks.
Whoosh.
I ignited a small flame in my hand.
“……”
What I saw was a woman. She appeared to be barely an adult.
There was nowhere to hide in the small room. The open door and the light from my hand.
As if awakened by the sudden light, she flinched and started moaning.
“─Please……”
Her voice was hoarse and cracked, likely from the lack of food and water during her confinement.
“……Please give me……”
Despite the strong stench, I calmly approached her.
“Please give me some water……”
At least, she was a normal human. I looked down at her as she muttered in pain, my face indifferent.
Of course, the terrified villagers wouldn’t have given anything to this woman, considering the incidents that had plagued the village.
“To my baby, some water please……”
Only then did I notice the small bundle in her arms. It was a newborn baby, wrapped in something so ragged and dirty that it could be mistaken for a pile of old clothes.
“Please……”
I silently lowered my gaze to the baby she was offering me.
She was clearly too weak to even recognize that I was wearing the black robes bearing the symbol of the Inquisition.
If she had been even slightly coherent, she wouldn’t have done something as foolish as offering her child to me.
“……”
Whoosh.
I raised the flame in my hand a little higher, illuminating the surroundings more brightly.
The woman groaned in pain at the sudden light, but I remained silent and looked at the baby in her arms.
Despite being neglected for a duration that would be difficult for an adult woman to endure, the baby’s eyes were wide open, a brilliant red like jewels, a color not found in humans.
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