Chapter 44: Omen (1)
The mercenary’s gaze turned towards me. After briefly looking me up and down, the mercenary casually threw out a simple question.
“Are you with this guy?”
I stared at the mercenary. It was a little unexpected.
Regardless of his actual age, it was quite polite as the first words spoken to a young man who had just come of age.
It was almost awkward coming from the mouth of a mercenary who would swing a sword and axe without hesitation for a few coins.
Unless he was a character straight out of a fairy tale, a mercenary polite to everyone, he seemed to have noticed that the young man standing in front of him was at least not a rude mercenary or an ordinary farmer.
“If the word ‘company’ applies between a prisoner and a guard.”
“Hmm.”
At my words, the mercenary took a step back and raised his arms. It was a gesture showing no hostility.
Rather, there was a slight hostility mixed in his gaze towards Thomson, as if they had been involved in something unpleasant in the past.
It didn’t seem to be to the extent of swinging a sword with murderous intent to seize an artifact like he did to me, though. Perhaps it was a minor money issue.
“Ah, I see you stopped by Bernhill to hand him over to the Adventurers’ Guild. Then it’s fine.”
The mercenary shrugged and muttered as if he was a little disappointed.
“I was thinking of breaking his nose if I saw him again.”
“Feel free to do so.”
Breaking the nose of the guy who tried to kill me. I could allow that much.
However, the mercenary looked at me speaking calmly and slowly shook his head as if to say it was fine.
“It’s fine. He’ll be paying more than enough for his sins when he’s dragged to the guild anyway.”
He was right. He would probably be expelled from the Adventurers’ Guild and dragged to a labor camp to pay off a huge fine. Of course, the guy should be thankful to God for just being alive.
“I’ve seen people with eyes like yours sometimes.”
The mercenary hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I’ve seen enough to know that getting involved with those kinds of people won’t lead to anything good. Thomson, you picked the wrong fight.”
As he spoke, he caressed the long scar on his face.
“……You have good intuition.”
Jerit, who was standing behind me, let out an awkward laugh and agreed with the mercenary.
“Wait. That guy has companions. His name was…… Ah!”
The man who was about to return to his seat stopped for a moment. He frowned as he tried to recall his memory, and then continued as if he had remembered.
“Beren! It was Beren. He was probably with Thomson. Did you miss him? It’ll be quite troublesome if you let him live.”
I shrugged at the man’s words and replied.
“All of this friend’s companions are no longer able to harm others.”
“……As expected.”
I asked the mercenary’s name after replying nonchalantly. I thought he was a decent mercenary.
“……Hussman. I hope I don’t have to get involved with you. Goodbye.”
He hesitated for a moment before answering and then hurried back to his seat. I didn’t bother following him as he didn’t seem to want to talk to me for long.
He was a mercenary with good intuition in many ways.
“For now…… Shall we eat before going to the guild?”
Jerit pointed to an empty table and said.
I nodded at him and then spoke to the innkeeper who was standing there, watching us.
“Soup and white bread. The fastest soup you have.”
🔹🔹🔹
There were a few reasons why I didn’t immediately kill the guy named Thomson, who belonged to the group of adventurers that attacked me and Jerit first with the intention to kill.
The biggest reason was that Jerit didn’t kill him immediately after subduing him, but it was also because I was already thinking of visiting the Adventurers’ Guild.
The place where all the miscellaneous news around gathers the fastest.
Of course, serious problems would spread quickly to other places, but most wouldn’t.
And some of them, most wouldn’t notice, provide clues to the incidents.
For example, a suspicious plague spreading in a small village, or a strange fog settling in a remote plateau or field.
“We, well……”
A man with the very common name of John trailed off, watching my expression.
He was the complete opposite of the man who had just punched and cursed at Thomson, who was being dragged away by another guild member with a dejected look on his face.
It was thanks to showing the Inquisitor’s badge for a little convenience.
“It seems like this branch doesn’t have any information that would satisfy the Inquisitor of Hesterica……”
Even for an Inquisitor, it was quite rude to barge into the Adventurers’ Guild and demand information.
No matter how much difference there was in size or influence, the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t under the Hesterica Church.
But the man named John’s attitude was quite cautious.
If I formally brought up the fact that the guy named Thomson attacked an Inquisitor while still being an adventurer, it was highly likely that not only him but also the higher-ups of the guild would be in trouble.
“Then, can I take a look at the records, only those that came in within the last month.”
Knowing that it was entirely up to me whether or not to make an issue of the Thomson incident, he cleared his throat cautiously and replied.
“Of, of course.”
Muttering things like, ‘It’s not normally allowed, but just for you, Inquisitor-nim……’ He bowed and took out a thick stack of relatively new-looking papers.
It was a record of all the recent reports around this city called Bernhill. From major incidents like group fights with multiple casualties to minor things like the disappearance of livestock in a small village.
Flip.
I read through everything recorded there without missing a single detail. The northeastern part of the continent, especially around here, is close to the Caridad Catacomb’s territory.
If they were bold enough to cause trouble in the Ashitan Kingdom, they must be preparing something. There must be traces of it elsewhere.
Even if it’s something that others might find a little suspicious.
Flip.
Just as the two people watching me, Jerit behind me and John in front of me, shifted their bodies as if a little bored, I stopped my gaze at one part of the paper.
Bergecia Plain. Purple fog leaking from the ground. Known to be toxic. Disappeared shortly after. Needs further confirmation.
‘This is it.’
The toxic purple fog is one of the characteristics of the Caridad Catacomb’s Corpse Garden. If it was found in an area close to their territory, it was enough to be suspicious.
Although it didn’t seem to be accurately identified, the phrase ‘needs further confirmation’ bothered me a little.
I engraved the recorded contents in my mind and handed the thick stack of papers back to John. The Bergecia Plain.
“I’ve seen enough.”
John spoke politely as he watched me hand over the papers without any objections.
“You don’t have to worry about the punishment for that damn bastard. He’ll be dragged to the labor camp in the mines. Of course, it may not be to your satisfaction, but the mines are one of the toughest……”
He seemed to think that the punishment of hard labor in a labor camp might not be satisfactory to the standards of Inquisitors who would hang and burn heretics at the drop of a hat, so he enthusiastically explained the harsh conditions of the mine where Thomson would be taken.
The punishment seemed certain. Of course, what was important to me now was no longer a mere adventurer.
I nodded and cut off John’s long-winded explanation.
“I’ll trust the guild’s judgment.”
“Th, thank you! You won’t be disappointed!”
Leaving John, who came out to the entrance and greeted me, behind, I looked at Jerit.
“……You’re not going back to Hesterica right away.”
As if to prove that he had been following me for a while, he said with an awkward smile.
“Yes, Jerit.”
I looked at him and replied simply.
“If there are signs of heresy, shouldn’t we be the first ones to run there?”
🔹🔹🔹
The distance between Bernhill, the city we departed from, and the Bergecia Plain was about two days by horse.
Fortunately for Jerit, who was worried about having to sleep outside again in the cold winter, we were able to find a nearby monastery before nightfall.
“If there’s anything you’re even slightly uncomfortable with, please tell me immediately……”
Inquisitors, who wander all over the continent tracking and eliminating heretics, are granted authority equivalent to a sub-bishop outside of Hesterica for the convenience of carrying out their missions.
Therefore, the attitude of the Brother standing before me was much more polite than that of John, the branch manager of the Adventurers’ Guild. Unlike him, despite having nothing to gain from me.
“Thank you. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
I raised my hand as if to say it was okay to the overly flustered Brother. Watching the Brother retreat after politely bowing, Jerit gave a playful smile.
“Yesterday and today, the treatment is definitely different when I’m with you, Inquisitor-nim. Haha.”
This was a small monastery located in the corner of a territory in the northeastern part of the continent. It was not far from our destination, the Bergecia Plain.
Our sudden visit was quite an event for the people of this small monastery. Just like when Inquisitor Anton visited Yarnelli Monastery where I used to stay.
The Inquisitors, who belong to a small elite group, are not many in number. And because of the nature of their job, they mainly visit remote places, so our appearance would feel even stranger to the people of this small monastery.
Returning to Hesterica, where the Inquisition is located, after completing the mission in the Berenhith Forest. It was not a special journey.
On the surface, that is.
Not far from here, the entrance to the altar, imbued with the energy of Caridad, the Demon of Charity, was hidden.
It was the very place where the Adventurers’ Guild had found unusual phenomena.
“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any other incidents around here. Now, if we return to the headquarters in Hesterica, we can rest for a while and then─”
Near the entrance of the monastery.
Jerit, who had followed me out for some fresh air before dinner time, was brazenly muttering as if he were a member of the Inquisition, not the Papal Office.
That’s when it happened.
Bang!
Someone rushed in, roughly throwing open the poorly made monastery door.
“Go and call the Brothers! Now!”
A man was being carried on the back of the person who shouted urgently without even checking our faces.
“……”
“……”
A rather sudden situation. Seeing me and Jerit not moving as quickly as he had said, the person shouted.
“Are you deaf! Go and─”
The person, who was raising his head with an irritated voice, stiffened upon seeing my face.
A thin voice that was clearly a woman’s. And chainmail covering her entire body and a thick cloak pulled up to her face.
“……Inquisitor Lephra-nim?”
The identity of the person who suddenly barged through the monastery door and shouted at me was Inquisitor Lephra, with whom I had previously carried out a separate, or rather, joint mission at Mount Pehern.
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