How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Inquisition (2)

Beneath the main building of the Hesterica Church. The basement where the Inquisition was located was noisy. To be precise, according to Inquisitor Anton Lebecht, it was noisier than usual.

The main conference room of the Inquisition.

A large room made of smooth stone with a soft glow. Several people were sitting at the long table in the middle.

The energy felt from each and every one of them was unusual, suggesting they were not ordinary Brothers.

‘Are these the representatives of each department of the Inquisition?’

It was not my place to speak carelessly, being a young Inquisitor Candidate who had just arrived here, not a great Black Mage.

An old man who glanced at me with displeasure was the first to speak.

“Preposterous. Even if he’s the child Anton brought, we can’t grant him the qualification of Inquisitor immediately.”

“I agree. Even though we are in the midst of war, someone who hasn’t proven themselves……”

The topic of their conversation right now was whether or not I should be accepted into the Inquisition right away.

“But the respected Inquisitor Anton Lebecht vouched for him.”

“Respected…… By whom?”

A young Brother in a rather peculiar attire, with all body parts except his face tightly covered, sneered and said.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t let your personal feelings interfere with this matter, Sister Lephra.”

The one who spoke in a low voice, as if warning, was Brother Barok, the large Brother in charge of the support division, whom I had met for the first time since arriving here.

At his words, she firmly shut her mouth, tapping the table with her hand in what appeared to be an iron glove, and looked at Anton and me with cold eyes.

“……”

Even under Sister Lephra’s gaze, which was clearly filled with hostility and hinted at some kind of past incident, Anton didn’t even blink. No, he didn’t even look in her direction in the first place.

I watched with some interest. Of course, I maintained a calm expression on the outside.

‘The Inquisition is not much different.’

If a group consists of many people, and the larger the scale, the more naturally conflicts of opinion arise.

Whether they are Black Mages who believe in demons, or Inquisitors who believe in God.

The meetings of the Black Dawn Society, where I was the leader in the past, were even more chaotic than this. If it hadn’t been for me, they probably would have split up long ago, fighting amongst themselves.

‘……It’s better than that.’

I inwardly shook my head, recalling the members of the Dawn Society who used to growl at each other, pulling out their weapons or body parts.

……Perhaps some of those who were not human are still alive.

The Head of the Inquisition here, unlike me, who forcibly suppressed everyone’s fights with overwhelming power in the past, was just watching the situation calmly.

Is he waiting for everyone’s opinions to converge into one?

“Th, then……”

A middle-aged Brother with a weak impression, who had been watching the two of them, stammered and opened his mouth.

“How about shortening the training period? Inquisitor Anton has given such a definite guarantee.”

In the usual case, Candidates selected from all over the continent have an average training period of 2-3 years. Of course, this is considerably simplified compared to the past when they trained for at least ten years or more.

In other words, I would have to go through at least a few years of training before I could carry out my duties as an Inquisitor.

‘Damn long.’

For ordinary Candidates, those few years would be a time to learn diligently and strive to blossom their potential……

‘But not for me.’

What I need now is not a tedious training period, but the freedom to confidently investigate and find my legacies hidden all over the continent.

And an Inquisitor was the most suitable identity for that.

Because no matter how much I rummage through suspicious places, I won’t be suspected or hindered by the Church.

“Wouldn’t a year be enough?”

I made a sullen face at the Brother’s words, asking if his compromise was acceptable as he looked at everyone.

Even a year is ridiculously long.

Are they telling me to spend a whole twelve months locked up in a room, reciting prayers with the young ones? A few weeks in the monastery is enough for that kind of experience.

“……Hmm.”

Anton seemed to agree with me, though of course for a completely different reason.

And of course, it seemed that we weren’t the only ones who didn’t like that opinion.

“Just one year?”

It was the voice of Sister Lephra, who was fiddling with the silver scarf around her neck with her gloved hand.

Her thin lips were pursed in a straight line, as if she didn’t like the current situation.

“How about this.”

It was Support Head Barok who broke the brief silence that followed Sister Lephra’s abrupt utterance and pursed lips.

He glanced at me for a moment, then turned his gaze to everyone.

Even while sitting, his large physique exuded an air of intimidation as he continued in a low, serious voice.

“It’s just about time for the Apprentice Inquisitors to receive their final evaluation, isn’t it? Let him take the test with them. If he fails, it means he lacks the ability, so we can train him again, whether it’s for a year or several years.”

“……!”

Everyone’s faces showed different emotions.

“That’s a good idea.”

The first to speak was Anton, with a somewhat satisfied expression.

The Head, who had remained silent until now, looked at Anton for a moment, then turned his gaze to me.

Maintaining an expression that was difficult to read, he slowly opened his mouth. It was a dry tone, devoid of inflection.

“You said your name was Luciel, right? Do you agree with that?”

I looked at him and smiled slightly.

Rather, it’s what I wanted.

I looked the Head in the eye and spoke clearly.

By all means, I must become an excellent Inquisitor.

“Of course. I will manifest God’s shining will more clearly than anyone else.”

At my words, Anton nodded in satisfaction, and Sister Lephra muttered softly.

“Ha, audacious. So like a young child who knows nothing of the world.”

A brief discussion followed, but with the Head seemingly half in agreement, everyone’s opinion eventually converged on taking the final exam right away, as Barok had suggested.

The meeting ended rather satisfactorily.

It was constructive enough to warrant applause.

To skip several years of education right away. Anton’s influence seemed to be greater than I thought.

Of course, the fact that Anton gave a definite guarantee was thanks to my talent.

‘Did he see the light in me?’

It was a truly interesting fact that the one who was given the talent to be an incredibly outstanding Inquisitor was the worst Black Mage.

‘One thing is certain.’

Either God doesn’t care if the boy who received such brilliant talent is destined to die early, or, unlike what these fools believe.

‘He’s so incompetent that he wouldn’t even know this fact.’

Anton, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Of course, it wasn’t because of the blasphemous thoughts I was having in my head.

It was none other than Sister Lephra who blocked our path. She, who seemed to harbor an unknown animosity towards Anton, still had all parts of her body except her face tightly covered.

Anton, silently staring at her, spoke in a low voice as if making a declaration.

“This child will be safely ordained.”

It was an answer filled with confidence that I wouldn’t fail.

“……Ha, and he said I didn’t have that much talent.”

Sister Lephra sighed as if she was exasperated, watching him.

Well, were they perhaps a master and disciple in the past? I wasn’t particularly interested.

What was important to me now wasn’t the past between those two, which I wasn’t very curious about.

Anton passed her by, still with a calm expression, and she, glaring at him, looked at me and said mockingly.

“Little boy, the evil of the world is much more cunning and cruel than you think, you know?”

It was truly sound advice. I felt a smile forming on my lips as I slowly approached her.

Even though the child named Luciel is a little young, physically he is no different from a young man.

I looked down at her, who was smaller than me, and smiled crookedly.

“Ah, is that so? I was unaware of that fact.”

“Ha. You’ll find out soon enough.”

She shook her head at me, playfully smiling and replying, then left.

An interesting one.

I looked ahead, where Anton had walked, and fell into thought.

Yes, you’ll find out soon enough.

🔹🔹🔹

Of course, it wasn’t that I had to leave this city right away for the exam.

It would take some time for the Apprentice Inquisitors who were about to take the final exam, that is, the few who had been selected from all over the continent and had successfully completed several years of training, to arrive at the Inquisition.

In other words, I had a little time to make my first and last preparations.

“The final exam is to actually visit a place suspected of heresy and reveal its sin.”

Anton’s words were spoken calmly.

It seemed that the content of the exam wasn’t particularly hidden.

“Of course, I can’t tell you in advance about the place or group. The exam to become an Inquisitor is fair to everyone.”

I nodded.

Whatever mission was given, it was only against young ones. I didn’t think I would fail.

But before that.

“You’ve been in the monastery for a long time and you’re from a noble family, so you probably already know the basics.”

Unlike the savage and ferocious mercenaries, an Inquisitor must not only possess basic combat skills, but also a firm and accurate knowledge of various prayers and doctrines, as well as the form of memorial services and various etiquettes.

This is because an Inquisitor is not just a fighter, but also takes full charge of judging and punishing heresy.

It wasn’t for nothing that talented Candidates underwent thorough training for several years.

I nodded.

Most of Luciel’s previous memories, which he had diligently studied in the monastery before I was reincarnated, remained intact, and above all, I had a wealth of knowledge accumulated over many years.

And if it’s about talent.

A long, long time ago, the shocked expression on the face of my so-called teacher when I was first taught about Black Magic in the Black Mage’s Mill is still vivid in my mind.

The pride, satisfaction, and surprise he showed soon turned into jealousy and fear.

“Then for the next few weeks, I’ll teach you just one thing.”

Anton, looking at me, said as if declaring.

“To feel the holy power within you and learn how to draw it out and use it.”

As soon as Anton finished speaking, a small light bloomed from his hand. He slowly, very slowly, moved that power in front of my eyes and continued speaking.

“For the first few days, let’s start by feeling the power within you that has been absorbed from the holy relic.”

He slowly began to explain and placed his hand on my shoulder.

Woooong.

The holy power emanating from Anton’s hand gently stimulated and began to move the power within my body.

Holy power is a different power from the mana that makes up the world.

The result of bringing power that transcends humans, like knights and mages, is similar, but the way it is operated is completely different.

Just like……

‘Black Magic.’

I watched the flow of holy power moving similarly to how Demonic Energy is operated.

Holy power, which is called the antithesis of Demonic Energy.

The way the two powers with opposite properties move was surprisingly similar.

This amazing fact, which could not be God’s will, is truly fitting to be called fate beyond coincidence, isn’t it?

I closed my eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and felt the holy power residing within me.

“Ah.”

A vast amount.

The power that had been vaguely felt for a few days, transferred from the holy relic to me, now approached me a little more concretely.

Woooong.

The mysterious energy residing within me soon began to circulate slowly according to my will.

‘This……’

I chuckled softly.

I have already gone through the stage of learning and practicing how to feel and utilize this kind of power.

Probably about six hundred years ago.

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