The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 101. Just One Thing.

Ludian raced through the Village.
Simultaneously, I swept my gaze rapidly across the stretching landscape.
The commotion had drawn residents outside, but I still couldn’t spot whoever had inscribed the detonation magic circle.
My brow furrowed deeply.

– Please report this to the Papal See. That something like this happened today.

The woman’s voice and expression still hadn’t faded from my mind.
She had been utterly ordinary. A human radiating neither presence nor killing intent.
Yet for some reason, she had detonated her own body right before my eyes.

‘The Despair Cult….’

What had driven her to such extremes? And why, how could she have resolved herself to such an end?
Pity, anger, confusion—countless emotions swirled together.
It was a feeling I’d never experienced before. My head still spun, my stomach churning.

‘That’s why I hesitated.’

The moment I heard Kael’s cry, I realized I should sever the woman’s neck, yet my body wouldn’t move.
Her eyes gazing back at me were far too hollow.

‘If those two hadn’t stepped forward, I couldn’t be standing here now.’

My resilient body might have kept me alive, but serious wounds would have been unavoidable.

‘If I had prepared in advance, could I have severed her neck?’

No. Even then, I would have hesitated identically.
Perhaps she was being manipulated by someone. Or perhaps there existed a way to stop the explosion without killing her—such thoughts would have consumed me.

– Regardless, you would have made the same choice. Of course you wouldn’t have been able to cut her neck.

I couldn’t deny it even slightly. Kael’s words seemed to pierce straight through my innermost thoughts.

Screech!

Ludian skidded to a halt, his foot gouging the ground. He had sensed the detonation magic circle.
A young couple—lovers, by the look of them, unremarkable in every way.

“Holy Knight…?”

But now they were targets I had to cut down. If I didn’t kill them, the civilians nearby would be caught in the blast.

“It’s the Holy Knight…!”

As her face brightened, I closed the distance in an instant.
An anomalous flow of mana connecting the heart and brain.
At first glance it resembled an ordinary mana conduit, but this was unmistakably the detonation magic circle I had seen before.
And it was already igniting, glowing a pale blue. The detonation had begun.

‘So I cut.’

My blade traced a crescent arc.
The sword tip trembled faintly—the first hesitation I had ever felt in drawing my blade.
But I only tightened my grip. The trembling ceased.

“…!”

My eyes widened.
The man had stepped in front of the woman.
But the emotion that surged through me was not pity—it was rage.

‘Hypocrisy.’

Whether this man blocked me or not, the woman would still die.
The only difference was that if the detonation succeeded, the civilians around them would die as well.
This was no act of love. It was merely a tool to achieve their purpose.
I didn’t know their true intentions, but at least that was how it felt to me.

Slash!

I twisted my blade slightly and severed the man’s neck first. He too was triggering the detonation.

A deep, resonant hum echoed through the air.

Yet the situation was far from over.
The woman’s body glowed an ethereal blue, saturated with vast reserves of mana.
Though it seemed she might detonate at any moment, Ludian had just enough time.

A sharp thrust pierced through.

The blade’s tip drove through the woman’s throat—the optimal strike, the perfect angle.
As blood spilled from her lips, the mana that had been building toward explosion slowly dissipated.
The detonation mechanism likely operated through commands issued from the brain. By severing that connection, the explosion never triggered.

“….”

I withdrew the blade, and the woman collapsed at my feet. The blood of two corpses now soaked the ground beneath me.

‘…This is harder than I thought.’

My sword hand trembled. I steadied my wrist with my other hand.
It was my first kill. The circumstances had left no choice, but that truth remained unchanged.

‘So heavy….’

Never had my blade felt this weighty—as though I carried an entire mountain upon it.
As a Holy Knight, I had believed myself to stand at the forefront of fierce battles, more seasoned than most.
Indeed, demons and monsters had proven stronger than ordinary villains.

‘But that was such naive thinking.’

I had only ever fought comfortable battles. Mindlessly cutting down demons and beasts required no moral deliberation.
But now? How different it was.
I had to distinguish friend from foe in mere moments, anticipate hidden deceptions at every turn, and simultaneously protect the innocent.
A single misjudgment could unravel everything.

‘I was arrogant.’

That unconscious belief that Holy Knights fought the hardest battles.
That confidence I could resolve situations without taking lives with my own blade.

‘Has the Interrogator been facing situations like this all along?’

That must be why he could move without the slightest hesitation.

‘Remarkable.’

That was the only thought that came to mind.
Now I understood why I had been avoiding Kael all this time.
At first, I thought it was simply a difference in temperament, but the real reason lay elsewhere.

‘I didn’t want to face what I had been deliberately avoiding.’

The darkness of the world that Kael carried on his shoulders.
I must have dimly known such a world existed before.
So I wished to remain only in the light, and I cut away only the clear darkness.

‘The hypocrite was me all along….’

A shame I had never felt before crashed down upon me. How could I have been so arrogant?

“W-Holy Knight…?”
“Why did you….”

The villagers recoiled in horror. To them, it must have looked as though the Holy Knight who appeared so suddenly had slain the residents.
Ludian quickly explained.

“These people have detonation runes carved into their bodies. If I hadn’t cut them down, a massive explosion would have occurred. The blue glow emanating from their bodies is proof of that.”

Even ordinary villagers would have witnessed that much.

“Ah, could the explosion from before have been….”
“Yes. That’s precisely why I came here.”

Ludian pointed back the way he had come.

“If you continue down that path, you’ll find Deacon Bella. She is stronger than I am, so she will protect you all.”

He did not mean physical strength.
He meant the unwavering resolve to subdue the wicked without hesitation, and his absolute trust in Kael without a shred of doubt.

“Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”

Ludian nodded and kicked off the ground.
As I gripped the sword tightly, the blade remained steady. At least for today, I would not hesitate.

* * *

I sliced through three figures bearing detonation magic circles and paused momentarily.
A villager stared at me with wide eyes and asked.

“Priest…? What on earth is happening…?”
“I am a Heretic Inquisitor.”
“Ah, Inquisitor. But why are you…?”

I answered curtly.

“I’ll explain later. For now, head that way. I’m busy.”

I couldn’t explain in detail even if I wanted to. I had severed their necks before they could trigger the detonation.
To convince these people, I would need to provide far more thorough explanations, but I had no time for that.
I couldn’t predict when or where the detonation might occur.

“Uh…”
“Well, if you don’t like it, stay here. I’m leaving, so do as you wish.”

There were no Despair Cult members nearby anyway, so they wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.
I left the bewildered villagers behind and departed.
As I leaped across the rooftops, I spotted a man moving through the village.
It was Ludian. He rushed at someone and cleanly severed their neck.

‘Good—he’s pulling his weight.’

I had worried his temperament might be a hindrance, but my concern was unfounded.

‘He wasn’t the strongest Holy Knight for nothing.’

I focused on finding the Despair Cult members with peace of mind.
Since the village wasn’t large and these people lacked any combat ability, by the time I’d searched everywhere and rooted them all out, thirty minutes had passed.
There were no casualties on my side. I eliminated every single one the moment I spotted them.
After that, I returned to where Bella was.

A low murmur filled the air—

A large crowd had gathered, as if all the villagers from every corner had come to this spot.
Bella and the other residents must have heard a rough explanation of the situation, but I still needed to give them a detailed account.
However, it didn’t seem necessary for me to do it myself.

“Interrogator.”

Ludian approached me. His eyes were hollow beneath, showing just how much his mental energy had been depleted.

“Perfect timing. I need you to explain the situation in detail to them.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes. After all, I’m officially a Heretic Inquisitor. So it would be better to have you, who clearly looks like a Holy Knight, do it.”

In any case, Ludian appeared far more virtuous than I did—both in his gaze and his demeanor.

“Ah, I see. Understood.”
“Good.”

I nodded and turned to the residents, clapping my hands together sharply.

“Now then, our Holy Knight has something to say, so everyone please listen carefully.”

As countless eyes suddenly focused on him, Ludian looked flustered for a moment, but he cleared his throat and skillfully persuaded them.
The way words flowed from his mouth showed this wasn’t his first time doing this.

“Oh, something like that happened….”
“My goodness…. I was just talking with that person yesterday….”

Some were relieved, others wept thinking of old bonds, but ultimately everyone believed Ludian’s words.
Indeed, this aspect was certainly convenient. I wished I could keep him in Bella’s bag and only take him out when I needed to persuade people.

“Phew….”

After finishing his explanation, Ludian exhaled deeply. I approached him and asked.

“So what’s the situation now?”
“Ah, we have 27 casualties. No wounded.”
“I see.”

I had expected casualties.
The Cult Members had been hiding among the residents, so it would have been strange if there were none.

“Were there two or three explosions?”

At my question, Ludian tilted his head in confusion.

“Pardon? No. The residents suffered no damage. The casualties I mentioned were all those who had inscribed the detonation magic circles.”
“…So not a single resident died?”
“Correct. Did I not say I would protect them all? Of course, that was thanks to you and the Deacon.”

It seemed the Cult Members never had a chance to exchange information before we dealt with them.
Had we moved even slightly later, or had Ludian not been there, the detonations would have occurred among the residents before I arrived.
But still….

“Are you trying to confuse me?”

I furrowed my brow sharply.

“Y-yes?”
“Who reports like that to be confusing? If you’re going to say it, just call them Cult Member casualties.”

It was probably less that Ludian was foolish and more that he unconsciously treated even them as fellow humans.
It was obvious without even looking.

“….”

Bella was fidgeting beside me.
Even though we were the same age and both Holy Knights, Ludian and I had only met a week ago.
But Ludian bowed his head.

“I-I apologize. Since I usually work alone, I’m not accustomed to reporting. Even when we act together, I’m the one giving orders….”
“Be more careful from now on. Especially when the situation is urgent.”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.”

Ludian then lifted his head and stared at me intently.

“What?”
“Well… I have so much to say, but I don’t know where to start. Should I question things, apologize, or express my gratitude…?”
“Just pick one.”
“Yes, then thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save everyone.”

At that, I let out a scoff.

“I merely grabbed your head. It was your will that wielded the sword.”
“I see….”

Ludian smiled bitterly, then gazed at the villagers conversing among themselves.

“Did they fall into danger because of me?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That woman from the beginning, and all of them—they triggered their detonation upon seeing me as a Holy Knight. They likely wanted the Papal See to be informed of their despair.”

His words weren’t wrong. They had done the same to me as a Heretic Inquisitor.

“They would have caused trouble anyway if left alone. Our arrival merely accelerated the timing.”

In truth, many of these people were destined to perish from detonation in the future.

“And in the end, no one died. You killed your enemies and saved them.”
“Kill to save….”

Wait—why am I comforting this fool?
Did his light stain me while I tried to bury darkness within him?
Just as I was about to speak, Ludian opened his mouth first.

“By the way, may I speak freely now?”
“Why? Is anger beginning to surge at my words?”
“No, it’s not quite that….”

Specifically?

“Truth be told, the reason I haven’t been speaking informally with you, Interrogator, is because I didn’t particularly want to encounter you.”
“That’s unfortunate. I’m still here though.”

Ludian smiled faintly and continued.

“However, I’ve determined it’s better to tear down this wall. So that I won’t regret today’s choice in the future.”
“I see.”
“Is that acceptable?”
“Do as you wish. Your mind seems already made up anyway.”

Truthfully, I preferred it this way too. I’d been worried about whether we’d have to continue like this, so it was a relief.

“Thank you.”

Ludian bowed his head, then cleared his throat. His eyes held that familiar, unwavering resolve as he looked at me.

“Then I look forward to working with you going forward.”

Ludian extended his hand to me—the man who had once been the greatest villain. Looking at his face, memories from my past life surfaced unbidden.

– Sword Demon.

“Kael.”

…How strange. The same person calls me by my name, yet it feels so different.
If this is how it is, what’s the point of speaking informally?

Whoosh—

I exhaled deeply and extended my hand.
In my past life, I had never shaken hands with him even once. Every time we met, we exchanged sword strikes instead.
That was because I was the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins, and he was a Holy Knight of the Theocracy.
Even when the Demon God descended, it was no different.
We had drawn our blades against the Demon God, but we had never truly faced each other in spirit.
Yet seeing how things have changed, it seems much has shifted indeed.

‘Hmm.’

My hand suddenly froze mid-motion. An inexplicable sense of displeasure had washed over me.

Crack!

I struck his hand away forcefully. Ludian’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
With my gaze hardened, I issued a stern warning.

“We are not on terms for a handshake. Do not overstep.”

My piercing stare clashed silently with Ludian’s vacant gaze. Bella, meanwhile, was bouncing on her heels beside us.
Ludian lowered his suspended hand and let out a soft chuckle.

“I see.”

My business here was concluded, so I turned to leave.

“Come then. Follow me.”
“Where to?”

I glanced back at Ludian to answer his question.

“To find the Holy Sword Barkan.”

And simultaneously, to deal with the one who had declared this catalyst—the architect of this very situation.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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