Chapter 7 – 7. Inquisitor [Edited]
Kwaaaaang-!
A huge roar echoed from the forest.
Puzzle.!
A girl engulfed in blue electricity stood in front of a fallen tree. Next to him stood Hilda, a red-haired woman.
“I think this is the basics. The rest of the formulas are still a long way off, so you need to practice consistently. Aris.”
“Yes. “Master.”
“I have nothing more to teach you. Now it depends on how much you can embody… Cough!”
Hilda coughed up blood. After wiping her mouth with her hand, she went back to the village and walked ahead.
Aris continued to look at Hilda’s back, which looked dangerous.
‘Status window!’
─────────
Name: Hilda
[Abilities]
Stamina-41
Strength-62
Dexterity-52
Magic attribute-49
─────────
Aris had known for several years that Hilda’s condition was getting worse. At first, she thought it was a problem with her physical condition, but as time passed, she saw her abilities steadily decreasing and asked Hilda.
-Master. You seem to be in terrible shape. Is there anything I can do to help?
-You said you were hiding it, but you found out through the status window, right?
-Yes.
-Disciple, no Aris. I don’t have much time left now.
-Yes? What do you mean? Master, you have a lot of money and you are very strong! Isn’t there a way to get a cure in the city or capital? You’re kidding, right? There is no way Master could die.
-Aris, my illness cannot be cured with such simple methods. I’ve already prepared my mind anyway, so don’t worry too much.
-… So, what about Arthur? Does Arthur know? You know how much I love you, Master, and every time I come to town, I always look for you first…!
-Stop! I’ll tell Arthur when I get the chance, so stop talking about this, Aris.
-Yes…
After this conversation, I could no longer talk about my illness.
It was also something that Aris had vaguely expected. She realizes that Master actually has many secrets and is hiding them from everyone.
Recently, at the recommendation of her teacher, Aris joined the adventurer’s guild for several months and met many people while performing several missions.
Sometimes she could see people who were gold-plated adventurers, but their abilities were not even close to those of the teacher she saw at the beginning.
Master must have been one of the strongest men on the continent. She may have been a royal knight. I don’t know the Master’s true identity, but I think there is a huge reason why he can’t even tell his disciple himself. It’s definitely not because he doesn’t trust himself. Since Master was kind, it seemed clear that he thought that if he heard the truth, it would hurt me.
One day I asked my teacher why he was teaching me. Because I noticed that the things I’m learning now aren’t the kind of things you can learn just because you have money.
But the reason I heard was not grand. The reason was simply that I felt like I could protect Arthur well, and that he was worth trusting in me.
At that time, when Aris was lost in her thoughts, Hilda spoke to her.
“Aris, is it worth working as an adventurer these days?”
“Yes. I already received a bronze medal! The guild leader also praised me and said that I was a bronze medalist even though I was young! “
Bronze plaque.
To an unfamiliar person, it may not seem like a big deal, but in reality, less than half of adventurers have a bronze medal. In other words, having a bronze plaque means that you are a competent person recognized by the guild.
“You didn’t forget the assignment I gave you, right?”
“Of course! “I will definitely go into the academy game wearing a silver plaque.”
“Yes, there is probably no one your age who can deal with you. If we grow at this rate now, the same will happen in the future. So, I think that making up for the experience you lack now will be most helpful in improving your skills.”
“Yes! I will work hard.”
Since when did it start? Master always talked about the ‘path’ I should follow. As if he was not in that future and had to move on his own. That fact made my heart break.
And as always, I just trust and follow Master.
* * *
At the same time, Arthur, who was reading a book in the library in the city of Padun, was watching the sun set. Recently, he has been reading books in other fields since he has read all the books in the library.
‘I heard there won’t be any new grimoires this week…’
Arthur closed the book he was reading and stood up. Because now it was time for him to return to the inn.
As I left the library, I saw two women wearing black priestly robes. Unlike the white priestly uniforms worn by ordinary priests, he was wearing black clothes that stood out. Upon closer inspection, he was also wearing a sword around his waist.
It was the same as the ‘Heresy Inquisitor’ uniform I had heard from the village chief before. At that time, the village chief spoke with a serious expression. Sometimes innocent citizens are captured, tortured and killed, so avoid contact as much as possible.
Arthur naturally went to the outskirts of the road to avoid being caught.
“Wait, a boy passing by? Come to work.”
Arthur, who had been walking quietly, believing that his ominous premonition was not wrong, had no choice but to stop at the call of the Inquisitor.
“Yes? . What’s going on?”
“Because the outfit is unique. Is there someone walking around on a street like this with their face and hands covered in a big robe? Don’t you think it’s suspicious?”
Although it was a reasonable suspicion. Since he had never committed a crime or anything dishonorable in his life, Arthur, who was aggrieved, proudly took off her blindfold and held out her right arm.
“Oh. That’s because I actually can’t see her right eye and I don’t have a hand, so I hid it…”
“… I’m sorry. It looks like I came out of the library, but I called a girl who is working hard for no reason. “Just go back now.”
“No. Then I’ll go.”
Arthur, who succeeded in resolving the misunderstanding with less difficulty than expected, tried to escape from the scene. If only the other woman next to the Inquisitor had not spoken to her.
“Wait a minute, come back here.”
“Senior?”
When Arthur came back, the woman grabbed his left hand.
“Hmm. Didn’t you receive a blessing?”
“Well… I said I couldn’t receive it in that case.”
As if she didn’t get a sufficient answer, the woman touched her chin and said,
“Enet, take out the crystal ball.”
“Senior? Why a boy like this.?”
“I told you not to talk nonsense because I felt the urge.”
Ennet reluctantly took out her crystal ball after hearing the woman’s words, grabbed Arthur’s left hand and placed it on her crystal ball.
The moment Arthur touched it, the crystal ball turned black. Ennet looked at the crystal ball in disbelief.
“Hey, do you know what this means?”
A woman’s voice filled with laughter as if the current situation was fun and a black crystal ball that turned ominous.
Although he didn’t know exactly, it was clear that things were going strangely, so Arthur began to shake her body like an aspen.
“Well, I’m not sure…”
“The fact that it is black means that you have made a contract with a demon.”
The moment she was about to say no, Arthur was surprised by the woman’s unexpected answer. Her whole body felt weak, and her eyes were looking towards the dirt floor.
The last thing Arthur saw as his eyes slowly closed was a woman with a wry smile and her fists clenched.
* * *
A city night with the moon rising.
The chief went to the library and waited for Arthur in front of the inn. Arthur did not return that day.
* * *
Jeez. Jeopuk.
Arthur woke up to the sound of her footsteps. As she looked around, she could see that she was trapped in her cage.
Clap!
“Ugh…”
Arthur, who instinctively tried to get up, fell again because of her immobile arms.
After her fall, Arthur turned his head to look at her wall, and could see that her left arm was pinned to the wall by her restraints.
Jeez. Jeopuk.
The sound of her footsteps stopped, and she naturally looked in front of her to see the woman who had knocked her outstanding outside her cage.
She opened her iron window with her key, walked inside and stopped in front of Arthur.
Arthur chose to remain silent due to the mounting fear,
“… “
“Hey, if you answer my questions well from now on, you won’t be in too much pain. “Understand, right?”
“Yes…”
She opened her mouth with difficulty in response to the woman’s request.
“This is the first question. What did you ask for in return for the contract?”
Arthur, who had never met her demon in his life, answered the woman’s question truthfully.
“Well, I’ve never done anything like that.”
Puck-!
But upon hearing her answer, the woman kicked Arthur hard in the abdomen with her foot, causing him to scream in terrible pain.
“Huh… Uh… Now, wait a minute, I…”
Puck-!
Arthur quickly opened his mouth to clear up her misunderstanding, but the woman only kicked her in the stomach once more.
“I only answer my own questions. There is no next time.
This is the second question. “What kind of demon did you contract with?”
“Heh. Heh. Heh. I really… Don’t know.”
The woman, who didn’t like Arthur’s answer, grabbed Arthur’s head with her left hand, made a fist with her right hand, and thrust it strongly toward Arthur’s solar plexus.
“Uwaeeek-!! “
She didn’t have anything inside. Arthur, hit by her solar plexus, gasped for breath and continued to gag.
“This is the last question. When was the contract signed?”
Arthur’s body began to tremble. Tears kept flowing from her eyes.
“Ugh. Ugh… Please save me.! I really. Don’t know. Please. Trust me.”
“… “
Arthur prayed hard. But the woman looked at Arthur silently, and her expression seemed to have decided something.
“Whoa… What kind of young guy has such a big mouth…”
Even if you want to talk, don’t ever talk like you do now. “If it’s too easy, it’s not fun.”
And unfortunately, that decision was not a good one for Arthur.
Rattle-
“Yes.? Please believe me… Please save me… I really don’t know anything…!”
The woman, who had barely heard Arthur’s words, grabbed Arthur’s neck with her left hand and pressed it against the wall, then raised her right hand and clenched it into a fist.
Shake!! Shake!!
Arthur, who saw this, resisted violently and struggled to cover his abdomen and solar plexus with his right arm in order to escape from the terrible future that was about to unfold,
Puck! Pow! Puck-! Puck!!
She only makes the woman hesitate for a moment. In the end, she was only beaten intensively in her abdomen and solar plexus. Only Arthur’s screams and the sounds of merciless beatings echoed in the prison.
Has about 5 minutes passed? The woman stopped beating, and Arthur’s body was covered in bruises, as if to prove that the violence she had just experienced was not a lie.
Arthur, who was held by the woman’s left hand by the neck, let out a faint moan as she shed all of her tears, snot, and saliva.
“Heh. Heh. Heh.”
Sigh-!
The woman slapped Arthur, who couldn’t help but come to his senses.
“Are you ready to talk now?”
“I… I really don’t know… Please send me home… Aris… Hmm… Ugh… Hilia… Please… Let me go…”
“… “
Maybe it’s because I didn’t get the answer I wanted. The woman looked at Arthur for a moment, then left the prison without saying a word.
After confirming that she had left, Arthur started talking to himself.
“Why do I… Have to go through this… Eh-!!!
. I just… Uh… Why… Me… Uweeeeek-!!
Heh. Heh… Heh. Hehe.”
In the end, Arthur lost his mind from exhaustion.
* * *
Sigh-!
“Uh, uhm. Is this a house.? No. Ah. Huh…”
“Hey, you can’t sleep already.”
Arthur lifted his head at the sound of her woman’s voice and looked in front of her. In front of her, she saw several sharp tools, a heated iron, and a bucket filled with water.
“I’ll blow it all out before the sun rises in the morning. “If you hold out until the sun rises, I’ll let you go, so hold on well?”
The woman smiled bitterly and lifted her iron.
Arthur cried out as he looked at the iron slowly approaching his back,
“Poetry… I hate it!!!”
Cheeeeek.!
It didn’t take long for the water in the bucket to turn red.
* * *
In the end, Arthur, who had been tortured all morning, could not stand it and made a false confession.
“Are you really sorry? If you had held on a little longer, I would have let you go. But since you confessed, I won’t bother you anymore.
Instead, you will have to pay the price of signing a contract with the demons. “We will hold your execution ceremony at the village square in two days, so until then, rest in peace.”
With a unilateral notice, the woman took the torture instruments covered in her blood and left the prison. But Arthur seemed not to have heard her, and she kept repeating the same thing.
“Now. Let’s wear a hat. Keuh. Ah. That. Boo. Come on. Gye-ya. I’ll… Use it… For evil… Harm”
Arthur, who kept repeating her words, placed her face down on the floor of her cell, and could only mutter to himself as she cried and drooled.
