**Episode 25: Search and Destroy (2)**
Thump.
Isaac felt a pulse in his eyeball. Feeling something flicker before his eyes, he had almost unconsciously rubbed at it with his hand, but he immediately realized he mustn’t draw attention. It was a small, slender tentacle that had slid past, brushing right across his field of vision.
Isaac barely managed to show no reaction. To anyone watching, it would have seemed like nothing more than tears welling in his eyes. But Isaac realized what was happening.
Drawing upon the power of the Nameless Chaos was, in other words, dragging that existence out into the world. A tentacle sprouting from beneath his eyelid writhed, infusing his pupil with power.
Soon, something like a familiar status window appeared.
*[Isolde Brant (A+) / Weakened]*
*[Class: Inquisitor (B)]*
*[Abilities: Doctrine of the Moth, Advanced Interrogation, Cauldron Beast]*
*[“How do I convince the Abbot? Now that they’ve started moving, I have to hurry….”]*
It was information about Isolde Brant.
The Eye of Chaos was said to let him read an opponent’s condition and psyche. It seemed that the “condition” mentioned here was literally information like a status window. The status window visible at the bottom of his vision even showed Isolde’s inner thoughts.
*‘So for now, I can only read shallow thoughts? I could figure this much out even without using an ability….’*
Isaac focused harder and glared at Isolde. At that moment, he felt the tentacle at his eye twitch again. Startled, he hurriedly looked away. If he were caught with tentacles wriggling from his eye in front of an Inquisitor, there was no telling what trouble he’d face.
Fortunately, the Abbot’s office was dark, and no one had gotten a proper look at Isaac, who was standing in the shadows. Just before turning his gaze away, he managed to read a slightly deeper thought from Isolde.
*[“Should I just lie? But I haven’t found any evidence or reason yet….”]*
“You haven’t found any evidence or reason?”
Isaac spoke. Isolde whipped her head around.
Even after saying it, Isaac touched his lips in disbelief. The reason Isolde hadn’t presented proper justification was that she hadn’t found any reason or evidence for why the Cult of the Undying was operating here.
“You don’t have evidence? Isn’t it clear that the dead Plague God targeted the monastery?”
Inquisitors were sensitive to evidence by virtue of their position. It was only natural, as theirs was a profession that could, if necessary, massacre not just one or two people but entire groups. That she was moving like this despite that meant she was violating basic operational ethics.
“Isn’t the reason you need our help because you lack the justification to mobilize the Paladin Order?”
At Isaac’s words, Yevhar let out a sigh. Only then did Yevhar grasp the situation.
“An Inquisitor has the authority to mobilize the Paladin Order. But only when there is justification for it. Yet you seek blades at the monastery because you lack that justification.”
In the end, the very fact that Isolde was looking for people to draw swords meant her evidence and logic were flimsy. She bit her lip and glared at Isaac resentfully. Regardless of the fact that Isaac had saved her, the situation had grown stifling.
Isaac understood her feelings.
Her suspicion that the Cult of the Undying was behind this incident was actually correct.
*‘After all, I saw a minion of the Cult of the Undying in the monastery basement myself.’*
That undead priest bastard who had served Jihillet—that bastard had been a subordinate of the Cult of the Undying.
But he couldn’t talk about that bastard, who could serve as evidence for all of Isolde’s claims. To do so, he would have to explain where he had found that thing, and that place was currently covered by the pulsating Heart of the Nameless Chaos. Which meant he ultimately couldn’t provide Isolde with the convincing evidence she needed.
“I have discovered intelligence that the Cult of the Undying is active, along with their movements and traces.”
Isolde spoke desperately, as if trying to appeal somehow.
“I don’t know why they’ve come this deep into the Baekje Kingdom to operate, but surely….”
“I believe you.”
“Even if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do, but surely… huh?”
“I said I believe you. The attack on the monastery was undoubtedly the work of the Cult of the Undying, trying to resurrect an Ancient God.”
At those words, Yevhar and Gebel both looked at Isaac. Yevhar asked, seemingly captivated by Isaac’s bold demeanor and claim.
“Why do you think so, Isaac?”
“Because they can.”
“What?”
“Perhaps because they never die of old age, they’ve devoted their whole lives to making a mockery of the Code of Light. And we do much the same, don’t we? Don’t border soldiers often commit acts that can cause grief for the Heukje Empire, even if it isn’t strategically motivated?”
As he spoke, Isaac glanced at Gebel.
As a former member of the Paladin Order, Gebel would know better. Soldiers in disputed territories often carried out terrible provocations against the Heukje Empire even without orders from above. Gebel said nothing, perhaps because Isaac had a point.
“But to think they’d try to resurrect an Ancient God?”
“If you’re asking about that, I don’t think they actually believed an Ancient God would resurrect. As you said, they’re pathetic weaklings, so at best they’d be harassing a single monastery. Even if one really did resurrect, they probably thought it would be subjugated immediately.”
Yevhar shook his head as if bewildered. The resurrection of an Ancient God, or the clash between two world-spanning faiths, being nothing more than the pranks of low-level underlings? It was a hard story to swallow, and in truth, Isaac didn’t think that was all there was to it either.
But having read Isolde’s inner thoughts, Isaac judged that there was no point in pressing her when she didn’t know anything either.
“What’s important is that they really are committing these acts, and that we were attacked.”
Isaac subtly steered the topic toward the path ahead. What mattered was that the Cult of the Undying was involved, not evidence or reasons.
When her eyes met Isaac’s, Isolde looked startled.
“In that case, we must pay them back.”
Detailed information could be obtained when they found more of the bastards.
***
As soon as the meeting ended, Isaac, Gebel, and Isolde packed their things and headed outside the monastery. There was only one donkey in the monastery, so they had to travel on foot. But Yevhar gave the three his unsparing blessings and ample provisions.
Isaac was slightly surprised that the Abbot and Gebel had agreed to help despite his flimsy logic.
It was probably partly due to the goodwill they held toward Isaac, but Yevhar was someone who had even tried to probe an Inquisitor’s inner thoughts. Yet he had let Isaac’s logic pass easily. This could only be the result of the Nephilim’s charm activating.
*‘Guess I’m too charming.’*
“Thank you, Mr. Isaac.”
Then Isolde, who had been walking in the lead, matched her pace with Isaac’s and spoke to him.
“To be honest, I started suspecting the Cult of the Undying was active in this area six months ago. But I couldn’t find any significant evidence. Realizing that they had reached this monastery was also recent, and now even decisive testimony like this….”
“It’s fine. It’s our monastery’s affair, so of course we should help.”
In truth, it wasn’t just because of Isolde. Isaac was looking for an opportunity to earn some merit and secure a pretext for leaving the monastery. Isolde viewed him favorably, so if this matter was resolved well, she could become a decent connection.
*‘It’s advantageous to be on good terms with an inquisitor, no matter the era.’*
Anyway, Isolde smiled, seemingly grateful. Seeing her expression, Isaac thought she might have quite an innocent personality, uncharacteristically unblemished for an Inquisitor. Or perhaps she was a psycho who wouldn’t bat an eye at massacring an entire village.
In truth, if she was competent as an Inquisitor, the latter was more likely.
“If this matter is resolved well, I will recommend you to the Church, Mr. Isaac. You are a paladin trainee, correct? I know a paladin who….”
“Inquisitor.”
Gebel spoke up from behind in a stiff voice.
“Excuse me, but could we know where we are going? If it is far, it would be better to borrow horses from the village, but this seems to be a path leading away from the village.”
Isolde was guiding them to the place where she had discovered traces of the Cult of the Undying’s involvement near the monastery. Only then did she seem to realize she hadn’t explained their destination, and she spoke hurriedly.
“Ah, we are heading to a valley near the monastery. The locals seem to call it Ariet Valley.”
It was a place both Isaac and Gebel knew well. The two of them had spent a long time here, not Isolde. In fact, it was such a rugged place that it wouldn’t be strange if something was hiding there.
Isolde told Gebel what she had discovered there and what evidence she had found. Gebel didn’t seem very interested, but he appeared satisfied that he had diverted her attention from Isaac.
*‘That’s a relief.’*
Isaac suddenly touched his right eye—the one in which he had activated the Eye of Chaos.
The alien sensation of the tentacle wriggling was gone now, but when he had checked before leaving, a bloodshot look had remained for quite a while. Moreover, a faint purple hue had lingered in his pupil. Merely attempting to look slightly deeper had been enough to change his eye color.
*‘This ability won’t be easy to use carelessly either.’*
It was a cheat-like ability, but the fact that it was difficult to wield recklessly remained the same. Reading shallow thoughts lightly wouldn’t be noticeable, but the more he forcefully activated the ability to dig into an opponent’s deep psyche, the more unavoidable traces would be revealed.
If someone were to catch him with tentacles wriggling from his eye?
*‘I’d have no choice but to kill them.’*
He was simply fortunate to have learned of the side effects before such a thing happened.
***
“We’re here.”
Isolde spoke, stepping into the valley with a tense demeanor. In the valley where sharp rocks were scattered irregularly, perhaps because it was the dry winter season, only traces of a dried riverbed could be seen.
Isaac had only seen this place in passing; it was his first time setting foot here. Normally it would have been such rugged terrain that stepping foot inside would be difficult, but thanks to the dried-up river, the bottom was flat.
“You discovered traces of the Cult of the Undying here?”
“To be precise, I found testimony from those who saw them, along with traces of undead. Then I discovered plague-infected beasts and ominous traces leading to the monastery, so….”
Isolde said this and casually kicked a large stone situated at the mouth of the valley.
Isaac wondered if the stone meant something, but Isolde maintained a serious expression.
“What is it?”
In the end, Gebel asked first. At that, Isolde’s eyes went wide.
“Huh? It’s obviously a trace of idol worship. It’s the severed head of a statue.”
Isaac examined the stone again. Now that she mentioned it, it did look like that. Although the erosion was severe, an unnaturally severed cross-section and what might have been eyes, nose, and mouth were visible. Looking again, it seemed almost rat-like in appearance.
“There are more traces like these inside the valley. They seem to have fallen from high up on the mountain.”
“Hm….”
Isaac thought that if there were only one or two of these, one could say Isolde was mistaken, but if there were many, it was a different story. At the very least, it warranted investigation.
For now, it was merely a matter of archaeology, not evidence of heresy. However, if plague-infected beasts had appeared and the monastery had been attacked, this could become clear evidence of an attack.
“So I am convinced that if we investigate this valley, the ones behind this are surely hiding here. Upon investigation, I also heard that long ago, there was an entrance inside this valley that led up to a pagan temple.”
Isolde seemed quite confident. Gebel still looked skeptical, but he wanted to hasten the investigation if only to get rid of Isolde quickly. Rather, the one troubled by the explanation was Isaac.
*‘At this rate, the investigation might reach the sanctuary.’*
The sanctuary where Jihillet had hidden required descending quite far down a staircase even from within the monastery. It might truly be connected to the valley. Thinking that Isolde’s unnecessary competence might lead to the sanctuary’s discovery, Isaac decided to set his plan in motion early.
*‘I was planning to drag things out a bit and plant the evidence when they got tired, but it can’t be helped.’*
Hidden inside Isaac’s bag was evidence that could satisfy Isolde. But he couldn’t plant it right away. It would be strange if evidence appeared in a place Isolde had already investigated. And before that, Isaac needed to stage a plausible situation that could deceive Isolde.
*‘Move.’*
Isaac’s will was transmitted toward something.
Soon, something deep within the valley slowly began to writhe.