Episode 17. Heretic Inquisitor (3)
Heretic Inquisitor.
Isaac tensed at the sinister ring of the title. It was definitely not a good sign.
‘Heretic Inquisitor? Why would they come here?’
"Why would a Heretic Inquisitor suddenly pay a visit?"
Gebel asked with a stiff expression. He, too, was clearly tense.
Heretic Inquisitors were akin to internal inspectors within the Order. Tasked with finding threats within their own ranks rather than among enemies, it was only natural that they were welcomed nowhere.
Instead of speaking rashly, Yevhar glanced at Isaac. It seemed to be a matter difficult to discuss openly. Isaac understood the meaning of that gaze, bowed his head, and withdrew. But the moment he rounded the corner, he immediately pulled a tentacle from his left hand.
[Rat in the Wall / You may share senses through the tentacle.]
All this time, Isaac had used this authority to relentlessly eavesdrop on secrets and whispers throughout the monastery. It couldn't be helped when he held secrets that must never be discovered by others.
"The reason for the visit is not written in detail. It says it's urgent news."
Yevhar showed Gebel the letter he had received via raven. The hastily scrawled contents were brief.
"Urgent news. Threat present. Lock down the monastery immediately and be on guard."
It was a short letter, yet its precise meaning was impossible to grasp. Gebel read it over and over, muttering as if trying to discern its meaning. But one thing was clear: a threat to the monastery existed, and the Heretic Inquisitor was coming to deal with it.
But just what could that 'threat' be?
Yevhar looked at Gebel with eyes full of worry.
"Sir Gebel, what do you intend to do?"
"If the monastery itself were under suspicion of heresy, they wouldn't have sent a raven. This seems to mean a threat has hidden itself within the monastery, or is on its way here. I believe the monks may set their minds at ease."
Hearing those words, Isaac felt a chill run down his spine.
‘...Is it me?’
Until now, Isaac had never done anything contrary to the doctrine of the Codex of Light, nor anything that might expose his connection to the Nameless Chaos. But the very fact that Isaac possessed tentacles was proof that he was an enemy of the Order.
If—by any remote chance—someone in the Order had caught wind of Isaac's existence, it was only natural they would send a Heretic Inquisitor to verify it.
Gebel looked uncomfortable, but he still calmly offered Yevhar his counsel.
"If I deliberately avoid the Heretic Inquisitor, it may leave a more suspicious impression. Let us receive him for now."
***
'What do I do about this?'
News of the Heretic Inquisitor's visit cast an uneasy atmosphere over the entire monastery. The children halted all labor and returned to their rooms, and the monastery gates were firmly locked. Those gates would not open until the Heretic Inquisitor arrived.
Isaac fell into thought.
He had already agonized over and prepared for such a situation hundreds of times. If circumstances left him no choice but to be suspected and hunted, Isaac would have no choice but to flee. It wasn't because he wanted to kill and devour everyone in the monastery.
That was why Isaac had hidden supplies in the cave where he had once nearly been eaten by a wild boar, preparing for that 'what-if' scenario. Clothes for disguise and daily necessities for life on the run, everything.
If the Order had realized his existence by any chance and sent a Heretic Inquisitor, he had to run away right this instant.
‘If I'm going to run, I can just leave right now. I can obtain food through the tentacles anyway, and thanks to my Flesh Storage ability, I can endure several days without sleep or food...’
He had already learned everything he could at the monastery.
His body had grown as much as it could, and Gebel had said he had taught him all there was to know of swordsmanship. He was still unskilled with miracles, but that might be an insurmountable limitation as long as he possessed tentacles.
If he left now and joined a knightly order on the frontier, he would be treated quite well.
But the problem was that he couldn't be certain the Heretic Inquisitor was coming because of him. What if he ran away when the inquisitor wasn't actually coming for him? What if people started saying things like, 'Huh? That kid must have something to hide. We should detain him and have a very intense conversation'?
‘This is exactly why I hate inspectors.’
They made you think all sorts of uneasy thoughts; the visit itself was inevitably stressful.
After agonizing over it, Isaac decided to make his decision immediately after the Heretic Inquisitor arrived.
‘If he points me out and comes looking for me right away, I'll run then.’
He had already memorized the layout of the monastery and the geography of the mountain. Sneaking out secretly wouldn't be difficult. And with the tentacles' help, he could slip right out.
What came after would be the problem, but...
The thought that his long-prepared paladin training might come to nothing left Isaac feeling restless, and he went outside.
Just then, he saw someone approaching from across the dark corridor.
It was Gebel.
Gebel looked the same as usual, yet something about him felt different.
"Isaac? What's the matter?"
"The atmosphere in the monastery is strange, so I couldn't sit still."
"Hmm, indeed. The monks are in poor spirits as well. Everyone is gathered in the chapel praying. There is no doubt the monks are devout, but... those so-called Heretic Inquisitors are the sort to fabricate guilt where there is none."
Gebel did not seem particularly well-disposed toward the Heretic Inquisitor. Isaac suddenly remembered the rumor that Gebel was a deserter. No one was making an issue of it at the moment, but perhaps he could be accused of apostasy or heresy.
‘Ah, so that's why the abbot asked Gebel what he would do?’
From the abbot's perspective, he was harboring two secrets—Isaac and Gebel—so he must feel uneasy. Still, Isaac was nothing but grateful that he was protecting them like this.
Awoooooo!
Howls of wolves rang loudly from outside the monastery. Over the past few days, the howls had drawn markedly closer.
"Those damned mutts are howling again."
"Could it be that they've run out of food?"
"That may well be. The mountain keeper said the number of beasts in the mountains has decreased sharply lately..."
Isaac felt a pang of guilt inwardly.
To feed his tentacles, Isaac would slip out of the monastery whenever he had the chance to hunt beasts. He had devoured most of the dangerous beasts in the vicinity, so the tentacles' abilities had hit a plateau, but it had ultimately served as great nourishment for Isaac's growth.
‘But it shouldn't be enough to affect the ecosystem.’
"I should go hunting soon, perhaps when I stop by the village. We can't let the road between the monastery and the village become dangerous."
"Yes."
They spoke of the next day's schedule while feigning calm, but Isaac could read Gebel's agitation. And he realized that Gebel, too, was contemplating fleeing to avoid the Heretic Inquisitor.
‘Just what happened in the Avalanche Paladin Order to make him live in hiding like this?’
"Isaac. About what I said earlier today."
Just then, Gebel spoke as if he had read Isaac's mind. Isaac flinched in surprise but nodded.
"You've likely already noticed... but there was an ulterior motive in my teaching you the sword. I became convinced that if I taught you, someday you would be able to kill someone in my stead. Someone I cannot kill now..."
Gebel stared into empty space with bloodshot eyes for a moment before speaking.
"I will only tell you this: the annihilation of the Avalanche Paladin Order was caused by him. Everyone died on the battlefield, and I alone survived by fleeing."
"..."
"In other words, what I wish to entrust to you is my personal vengeance. I'm sorry."
So Gebel had taught Isaac in order to pass on his revenge.
But Isaac didn't mind. After all, Isaac had approached him first to ask to be taught the sword, and Gebel had simply shared his purpose.
No, if Gebel had not had a target for vengeance, he might not have taught Isaac swordsmanship at all.
"Killing one measly guy? I'll count that as tuition for the sword lessons. You said I'd meet him eventually, so I won't even have to go looking myself."
At Isaac's words, Gebel's expression blanked. Soon, he smirked and shook his head.
"...I don't know how you passed the abbot's 'Test of Faith.' You don't look like a devout believer at all."
"You aren't exactly one either, Sir Gebel."
The two snickered, sharing the laugh of accomplices.
As their laughter died down, Isaac gazed out the window in silence alongside Gebel. The Heretic Inquisitor had said he would arrive before evening, yet night was already growing late. Even accounting for the early sunset of winter, it was far too late.
Perhaps he would come tomorrow morning. Isaac hoped he would arrive as late as possible.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Then it happened. Suddenly, a loud pounding on the monastery's front gate rang out.
‘So he's finally here? Earlier than expected.’
Gebel headed toward the front gate with a stiff expression. But because the gate had been sealed on the Heretic Inquisitor's orders, it took quite some time to open.
Even so, the pounding on the gate remained frantic.
"Is anyone there?! Please! Open the door!"
"Hans? Is that you Hans? What happened?"
"Sir Gebel!"
The one pounding on the gate was none other than Hans, who had come of age and entered the village blacksmith's workshop. Monks who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion helped Gebel undo the locks and open the gate. The moment it opened, Hans collapsed inside, gasping for breath.
"Hans!"
Hans was covered in blood, wounds all over his body. Fortunately, most seemed to be from falling or scraping, and nothing appeared fatal.
"What happened? Were you attacked?"
"Attack... wolves attacked..."
Gebel's expression hardened. He had already thought the wolves' movements were ominous, and now a human had been attacked. But he couldn't understand why Hans would encounter wolves on his way to the monastery at this late hour. Then Hans spoke urgently.
"Heretic Inquisitor! The Heretic Inquisitor is in danger!"
***
Isaac and Gebel were running urgently along the mountain path.
They were the only ones who could save the Heretic Inquisitor, who might now be in danger fighting the wolves.
‘The Heretic Inquisitor had requested a guide.’
Isaac recalled what Hans had said.
Hans, who worked at the blacksmith's workshop, had been asked by the Heretic Inquisitor to guide him to the monastery. He said the inquisitor had made him uneasy, but as a believer raised in the monastery, he could not refuse the request and had complied.
But on the way, a pack of wolves had suddenly appeared, surrounded them, and attacked. Hans had panicked—such a thing had never happened before. However, the Heretic Inquisitor had protected Hans and cleared an escape route, then ordered him to go to the monastery and request help.
Thus, Hans had run up the mountain for nearly half a day to reach the monastery.
‘He saved Hans and stayed behind...’
Isaac, who had held a prejudice against Heretic Inquisitors, felt slightly sorry. But that didn't mean the inquisitor was no longer a threat.
‘No, actually, if he were killed by the wolves, that might be ideal.’
Whether he had come because of Isaac or some other threat, if the Heretic Inquisitor simply died and became wolf feed, Isaac's worries would disappear.
"Huff...!"
Before long, Isaac felt himself growing short of breath.
Among the things that refused to improve because of his cursed blood was his lung capacity.
He had received the advanced sword skill "Omen" from Gebel, but he had yet to properly practice it. Yet he might have to take the risk and use it in live combat immediately.
But if he recklessly used it with a body already exhausted from running along the ridges, he had no idea how badly he might be injured.
This was also the reason Isaac needed to create his own advanced skill.
Though his physique had grown larger and his muscles had filled out, improving his stamina significantly, he would need to be able to sprint across the mountain at midnight and remain unharmed like Gebel before he could use an advanced sword skill without burden.
As Isaac began to fall behind, Gebel glanced at him as if to say he understood, then ran ahead. Isaac looked up at the sky, thinking that by the time he finally arrived, he might be so out of breath that he couldn't do anything.
Caw!
A single raven was flying low overhead. Isaac recognized it as the raven that had come to the monastery. The clever raven was trying to show him its master's location.
Convinced that Gebel, who was running ahead, would not look back, Isaac pulled out his tentacle. The raven flying low was instantly impaled by the slender tentacle.
Isaac hesitated for a moment. If he killed the raven like this, they would not be able to find the Heretic Inquisitor.
But he ultimately activated his ability.
[Parasite from Beyond / Births short-lived parasites beneath the skin of any target touched by the tentacle. The infected subject suffers continuous pain.]
A worm-like tentacle wriggled into the body of the impaled raven. The detached tentacle instantly seized and dominated the raven's nervous system.
It was one of the perks Isaac had obtained from the Nameless Chaos thus far. Though it was described as a means to inflict pain, Isaac had realized it could be used in another way.
Isaac activated the [Rat in the Wall] perk through that tentacle once more.
[Rat in the Wall / You may share senses through the tentacle.]
In an instant, the raven's vision looking down from the sky was shared with Isaac. He could immediately discern where the Heretic Inquisitor was.