How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Omen (2)

Pavel Monastery was nestled on a low hill. Not too high, but the long, winding path made it a bit strenuous to ascend in one go.

“Luciel Lumineger……?”

A voice, slightly trembling as if bewildered, yet not quite out of breath.

Considering she had carried a man larger than herself all the way to the entrance of the monastery atop the hill, it was quite, no, remarkably impressive physical ability.

Well, she was originally supposed to be the senior Inquisitor who would have teamed up with me for my first mission, perhaps even beyond.

Just like Daena and Inquisitor Hanek whom I met in the Ashitan Kingdom.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen, thanks to me successfully completing my first mission on my own.

“……What are you doing here?”

Unlike the initial shout, she asked in a slightly lowered voice. I looked at her, calmly shrugged, and opened my mouth.

“It’s been a while.”

“……”

She glared at me silently, pulling up her slightly slipped robe to cover her face once more.

A thoughtful expression for a moment. Closer to curiosity stemming from the unexpected, rather than hostility. Of course, her gaze was so sharp that anyone who didn’t know her might have misunderstood.

Gulp.

Someone who didn’t know her, no, Jerit flinched at Lephra’s sharp gaze and subtly moved behind me.

I calmly met her gaze without flinching and spoke.

“Shouldn’t we take care of that first? It doesn’t seem like a corpse.”

As if she had forgotten for a moment due to the sudden encounter, she quickly turned to look at the man she was carrying and spoke again in a slightly urgent tone.

“He’s injured. Go and call the brothers here quickly.”

Hearing her words, I readily nodded and turned around. Injured……

She, who had been glancing at me and Jerit, who was hurriedly following behind me, muttered disapprovingly from behind.

“That. He’s a proper Inquisitor. Technically, your senior─”

I moved towards the inside of the monastery without listening to the rest of her words. The injured need to be treated quickly.

🔹🔹🔹

The Inquisitor who had been slumped like a corpse on Inquisitor Lephra’s back was, as she said, injured, and in quite a bad state.

And although she didn’t show it, Lephra was also injured.

However, thanks to the brothers who rushed out immediately and the healing potions that I had received upon leaving Hesterica and hadn’t had a chance to use, both of them were able to overcome the crisis safely.

They barely managed to survive, but since we didn’t know how long it would take for them to wake up, we changed our plans to stay here for a few more days instead of leaving immediately tomorrow.

The superficial reason was to protect the injured. But what changed my mind was none other than Lephra’s explanation.

“It was not far from here, to be precise, a plain called Bergecia Plain.”

What had pushed the Inquisitor, who was carrying out a mission in the vicinity with her team, into serious injury was none other than poisonous gas and strange roots that suddenly sprung from the ground.

Gigantic roots covered in hideous flesh, like living things, that suddenly sprouted from the ground, and purple fog leaking from the cracked earth.

Lephra managed to counterattack these monsters that attacked them without any warning, but the Inquisitor named Meken was unfortunately not as agile as her.

“They were monsters of a kind I had never seen before.”

Lephra, who still seemed to be recovering, adjusted her robe and continued to explain to me in a calm tone.

Jerit, who had become serious as well, stood behind me with a stiff face, listening to her story.

A sudden attack in the area known as the territory of the Caridad Catacomb and an Inquisitor in critical condition.

As I listened to the rather pessimistic news flowing from Lephra’s mouth, my mind was coldly assessing the situation. And then it reached a conclusion.

‘This is an opportunity.’

Perhaps an opportunity that might never come again.

Comparing the information I knew with her words, the place where Lephra and Meken were attacked was near the entrance of the Caridad Catacomb.

In other words, the information I received from the Adventurers’ Guild was true. It also meant that there was no need for further confirmation.

That wasn’t all.

The fact that the monsters of the Catacomb, located deep underground, had escaped their control and come above ground was definitely not normal.

It wasn’t something that could be explained away by saying that the black mages guarding the entrance and the garden had been momentarily careless.

The incident in the small village of Browell, where I encountered Mongma and artificially created half-demons. The battle in the Ashitan Kingdom, which seemed too reckless and ostentatious, as if to divert the attention of the Inquisition.

And now Lephra’s testimony.

All of this meant only one thing.

‘They are focusing all their efforts on some kind of plan, to the point of momentarily losing control of the monsters.’

Unfortunately, I didn’t know exactly what that ritual or plan was.

Of course, it’s not that I have no idea. I just don’t have any certainty.

I continued to listen to Lephra’s explanation of the battle she had experienced, frowning.

‘If I miss this opportunity, I don’t know when another one will come.’

It’s not easy to find the Catacomb showing this much vulnerability.

Although I haven’t regained satisfactory strength yet, I have at least the minimum capabilities. I also have some thoughts on their plans.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if I impersonate a black mage from another Catacomb, I wouldn’t lose my life.

‘It’s a gamble worth taking.’

Having reached a conclusion, I nodded and opened my mouth.

“I need to go there for a bit.”

“Yes, as I said, after informing the headquarters of this…… What?”

Lephra blinked, seemingly bewildered. Jerit also turned to me with a blank face and said.

“Inquisitor-nim, are you out of your mind?”

“……”

That’s a bit disrespectful.

But well, if I were in his shoes, I would have said something worse. That’s relatively mild.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“……”

This was a more direct expression.

Of course, it’s somewhat inappropriate as a response after hearing a long story about a fierce battle for life. Therefore, instead of ignoring their opinions and leaving, I decided to add a slightly kinder explanation.

That I’m not going there to fight, but simply to observe their movements and find any information that might be helpful when reporting to the headquarters.

After hearing my explanation, a look of relief appeared on Jerit’s face. On the other hand, Lephra still looked at me suspiciously.

I looked at her and said calmly.

“How do you see me?”

“……Have you erased the incident at Mount Pehern from your mind?”

“……”

Sharp.

But there was nothing to worry about. After all, except for the heads of the Inquisition and the Chief Inquisitor, all Inquisitors are equal.

Showing respect to senior Inquisitors is just a matter of courtesy. Since I’m recognized by the headquarters as a full-fledged Inquisitor, not a trainee Inquisitor like Daena or Valent, she can’t give me orders.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll observe their movements from a distance and return immediately.”

At my words, Lephra averted her gaze slightly and said.

“……I’m not worried about you, but I’m concerned about the Inquisition’s power being wasted, even a little.”

“Is that so?”

“……Never mind.”

Realizing that I was determined, she sighed as if there was nothing she could do.

“We’ll just check if those monsters are still on the ground and return immediately. We won’t cause any unnecessary commotion.”

I gave a trustworthy expression to her and Jerit, who couldn’t hide their worried expressions, and once again promised them safety.

Of course, it was a lie.

🔹🔹🔹

‘Is that it?’

I narrowed my eyes and looked ahead. The surroundings were so quiet that not even the sound of insects could be heard.

Lephra and Jerit remained at Pavel Monastery. I was alone here.

Lephra, who wanted to accompany me to help, or rather to prevent me from doing anything reckless alone, had to stay at the monastery because she hadn’t fully recovered yet.

It was fortunate for me.

Of course, I had to use a holy spell to send a rough message to the Inquisition headquarters because of her nagging, but the matter here would probably be over before their orders arrived.

For better or worse.

She seemed a bit surprised to see me perfectly using the message spell, and her last words to me were simple.

‘Never approach the area where the ground is stained purple.’

Splash.

I lightly lifted my foot and stepped on the ground. I could feel the ominous, purple-tinged mud sticking to my shoes.

‘No doubt about it.’

Feeling the faint remnants of Magi in the mud, I slowly started to walk.

It wasn’t difficult to find the hidden entrance using Vision Field. If they were certain that there was an entrance in this plain, the Inquisition would also be able to find the location of the gate leading to the Catacomb.

Of course, the important thing was what came next.

There was only one reason why the seven Catacombs and five Sanctuaries remained on the continent, even though the war between the Church and evil had continued since before I was born and until now, after I died and woke up again.

If you try to set foot in each other’s main base, you must be prepared for mutual destruction.

It is clear that the Church and various nations hold the initiative on the ground. But the story was different in their home ground, the underground.

No matter how devout a believer armed with the radiance of God, they could not dispel the darkness of the Catacomb where the Great Demon’s breath remained.

Whoosh.

The space above my head opened, and an orb emitting an evil aura appeared from the dimensional rift.

And in order to open the gate of the Catacomb in the first place, one must know how to handle their energy.

I slowly raised my hand and began to mutter softly.

The language of the unholy world, blaspheming against God, flowed from my mouth with an ominous resonance. It was a cursed language, forbidden even to be heard by devout believers.

Saaaaah.

At the same time, Magi slowly flowed from above my head, beginning to take on the unique resonance of the Caridad Catacomb’s black mages.

Just as a black mage from the Catacomb can never enter a Sanctuary where traces of God remain, a person who cannot handle Magi can never open the gate of the Catacomb on their own. Unless an Archangel directly descends.

The mud beneath my feet, reacting to the tingling Magi, began to bubble.

“Open.”

Shhhhhhh!

Purple fog, carrying toxicity, flowed out, and the ground began to crack.

A long staircase gradually revealed itself through the bubbling mud that was sinking downwards.

An inverted cross and a heart, surrounded by blood vessels.

The symbol of Caridad, the Demon of Charity, was clearly engraved at the top of the stairs. No separate alarm magic or guards appeared.

It was thanks to perfectly mimicking the resonance of the Caridad Catacomb. If I had used a completely different Magi as it was, the gate would have opened, but the alarm magic would have been triggered.

As the entrance opened and thick Magi flowed out, I felt an unpleasant sensation and a stinging pain. It was a warning from my body, imbued with holy power, that I was facing the realm of evil.

“It’s been a while.”

The great black mage, who had reached the pinnacle five hundred years ago, once again visited the Catacomb in the body of an Inquisitor.

The stairs continued endlessly downwards, seemingly bottomless.

“……”

After briefly looking down, I slowly walked down the long stairs towards the Catacomb where the cursed Demon’s altar was located.

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