The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 114

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

Chapter 114. Then Speak.

I had no intention of executing Gregory here and now. Killing someone who wished to die was no punishment at all.
I would drag him to the Papal See and make certain he understood exactly what manner of creature he was.

“W-why are you doing this?”

Gregory protested.

“Is it because I failed to anticipate the attack? Or is it due to some grudge you harbored against me before? If it’s the latter, I believe I’ve already suffered sufficient punishment!”
“Sufficient punishment…”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips unbidden.

“No. That’s not nearly enough.”
“That is not for you to judge, Interrogator! If you continue to torment me without cause, I shall lodge a formal complaint with the Papal See!”

Gregory’s face flushed crimson as he sputtered indignantly.
His performance was exquisite. There was good reason he had remained a Cardinal for so long.
But it mattered little. Such transparent tricks held no sway over me.

“Listen, Gregory.”
“Kael Inquisitor!!”

I seized the back of his neck with my palm, gripping it firmly.
He flinched, and I fixed him with a cold stare.

“Do you truly believe I don’t see through your schemes?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“I, a Heretic Inquisitor, arrive here, and conveniently the Wol Young Order launches an attack. You expect me to believe all of this mere coincidence?”
“…I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean.”

Cold sweat trickled down his temples.
So he had indeed made certain assumptions about this situation.

“If you insist on playing ignorant, I’ll enlighten you myself.”

I released my grip on the back of his neck and spoke.

“You were already aware of the Wol Young Order’s attack. Yet you said nothing to the Papal See and kept your silence.”

At that, he furrowed his brow.

“What are you talking about? If I had known of this attack, why would I hide that fact? I am a Bishop with a duty to manage this Diocese!”
“That’s precisely what makes it a problem.”
“Ha, I need not listen to this any longer. If you continue like this─.”
“Silence.”

I pointed at him with my index finger in warning.

“Open your mouth again, and I’ll beat you senseless before dragging you to the Papal See. Do not test my patience.”
“What….”
“You realized that the Theocracy’s perception of magic was gradually improving. As someone who despises magic, you had to stop that tide.”
“….”
“Then you heard that the Wol Young Order would attack this place. If those Mages killed many innocent people, the perception of magic would surely plummet.”

I continued.

“So you permitted their attack. You hid yourself in this Plaza to allow more residents to die, and you were willing to accept death yourself.”
“…That’s an absurd speculation.”
“Absurd?”

I let out a light laugh and spoke.

“Cardinal Henry, Cardinal Matthias.”

At the mention of those names, Gregory’s eyes widened.

“They revealed the truth to me. They asked me to stop you from carrying out this insane plan.”

Of course, it was a lie. I had merely spoken of information I learned through eavesdropping magic tools.
But I couldn’t explain that fact, could I? And more importantly, this was the best way to lead them to their ruin.

“So come quietly. If you are truly innocent, the Saint of Truth will vouch for you.”

Gregory’s face went pale. It was the same expression as when I had revealed myself as a Holy Knight before.

“Bishop, are you alright!”

Several Knights came rushing over. They must have been from the Diocese Office.
Gregory, regaining his senses, shouted at them desperately.

“You there! Please stop the Kael Inquisitor! I’m telling you I knew this attack would happen and did nothing to prevent it!”

Gregory refused to give up until the very end. He knew all too well what would happen to him if he went to the Papal See.
As him, he had to buy time here by any means necessary.

“Yes…?”

The Knight, eyes wide and vacant, turned to look at me and smiled faintly.

“Um… Inquisitor. I think there’s been some misunderstanding. The Bishop is…”
“Listen, all of you.”

As I spoke quietly, the Knights flinched.

“Yes, yes?”
“I am currently conducting a legitimate interrogation of a heretic. That means you hired swords have neither the authority nor the justification to interfere in this matter.”
“…”
“Even if things go wrong, the responsibility falls entirely on me, the Heretic Inquisitor. Or are you also involved in this incident?”
“…”

The Knights fell silent. I glared at them.

“Stand down. Before I beat you all senseless.”

The Knights swallowed hard. They likely understood well enough what kind of man I was.

“…My apologies, Inquisitor.”

The Knights bowed their heads and stepped aside.
Gregory’s face turned ashen as his only lifeline—these Knights—withdrew without resistance.

“Then I’ll leave the cleanup to you. Ensure the festival proceeds without incident.”
“Yes, thank you for protecting this place.”

I nodded and turned to face Gregory.

“You’re coming with me. We’re heading to the Papal See.”

There would be a price to pay for his foolish scheming.

* * *

We traveled by carriage to the Papal See. Throughout the journey, Gregory kept his head bowed and his mouth shut.
As we entered through the great doors of the Conference Hall, I found many Cardinals, the Pope, and the Saint of Truth waiting within.
Barun had already provided them with a general explanation of the situation beforehand.

“We have heard the account, Bishop Gregory.”

The Pope spoke.

“Is it true that you knew of the Wol Young Order’s attack and turned a blind eye to it? And that you sacrificed innocent lives for your own gain?”

Gregory lifted his gaunt face. His eyes, now hollow and lifeless, swept across the room before he opened his mouth.

“No. It is all a conspiracy. I knew nothing of it.”

At that, Lenika, the Saint of Truth, fixed her gaze upon him and spoke.

“That is a lie.”

The other Cardinals murmured among themselves. No one in this place would doubt Lenika’s words.
Gregory’s lips trembled.

“Your Holiness, I may despise magic, but I have never sought to sacrifice an innocent life to uphold that conviction.”
“That is a lie.”
“What would I gain from such actions? Before all else, I am human, and I maintain certain principles.”
“This too is a lie.”

Gregory’s defense was mercilessly dismantled by Lenika.
Silence fell over the Papal See.
Gregory had served the Theocracy as a Cardinal for decades. Even though he had since become an ordinary Bishop, his accomplishments could not be dismissed.
Yet now, the tower he had so painstakingly built was slowly crumbling to dust.

“Haha….”

He laughed hollowly, then clenched both fists and glared toward where the Cardinals stood.

“Cardinal Henry, Cardinal Matthias!!!”

The two Cardinals whose names were called flinched visibly.

“You betrayed me like this?! If you were going to spread such rumors, you should have stopped me instead! Does that mean you have no further use for an old Bishop like me?!”

I smiled inwardly. Gregory was now climbing the very tower that was crumbling beneath him.

“B-Bishop Gregory, what do you mean by that…! We had nothing to do with this incident…!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. Why are you turning on us?”

Those who had been maintaining composure now looked flustered.
All eyes turned to Lenika. She alone could discern the true meaning of those words.
Lenika closed her eyes tightly and responded.

“Both of you are lying.”

The Papal See erupted in turmoil once more.
Cardinal Henry and Cardinal Matthias, having lost any means of escape, finally lost their composure.

“D-Didn’t you betray our trust first!”
“Y-Yes, that’s right!”

As they protested vehemently, Gregory looked bewildered.

“Wh-What?”
“We could have checked each other sufficiently without you! So what is all this?”
“Didn’t you ask me for help first!”
“Yes! We sought your counsel, not instruction on how to fall into an abyss!”
“You… you wretches…!”
“What martyrdom is this anyway! You’re nothing but a fanatic shackled to your own past!”
“You fool!! Don’t spout such nonsense with that loose mouth of yours!”

A quarrel disguised as a confrontation had begun.
Lenika’s eyes darted between them in confusion, uncertain which statement warranted the use of her stigma.
The Pope spoke.

“It seems unnecessary to discern the true intent behind every word.”
“Ah, yes. Your Holiness.”

Their quarrel continued thereafter.

“You washed-up relic of a clergyman!”
“Ha! And here I thought you were still begging for scraps, you sniveling whelp!”
“Mind your tongue! Unlike you, we remain Cardinals!”
“Amusing! And who was it that recommended you for that Cardinal’s seat!”

It was a dog fight.
These Cardinals had walked together for decades. Now, indifferent to facts or truth, they were consumed with tearing each other apart.
Building a tower required immense time and effort, yet toppling it was effortlessly simple.

“All three of you, please compose yourselves.”

Unable to bear it any longer, the Pope intervened. Yet spittle continued to fly recklessly from their mouths.

“Everyone, maintain your composure.”

Gregory then whirled toward the Pope.

“Your Holiness! Why do you maintain neutrality even regarding magic—the remnants of demons?”
“I said to maintain composure.”
“Your Holiness, perhaps you have not witnessed the depravity of such magic—”

Crack!

A sharp sound cut off Gregory’s rambling. Silence descended in an instant.
Gregory, his cheek stinging from the blow, stared at me in bewilderment. He stood before me now not as a Bishop, but as a heretic in custody.

“Did His Holiness not command you to shut that mouth of yours?”

One oblivious Cardinal muttered, “He didn’t actually say to shut up, did he?” but fell silent under the sharp glares of the others.
I turned my gaze toward the Pope and smiled.

“Then speak, Your Holiness.”

Did I do well?

“…Thank you, Kael Inquisitor.”

The Pope, momentarily flustered, nodded and turned his gaze toward Gregory.

“Bishop Gregory.”
“…Yes, Your Holiness.”
“I made it clear before. Regarding magic, I will not lend my weight to any single opinion—you must clash your views and reach a conclusion together.”
“….”
“But I warned that I would not tolerate trampling those who merely favor magic. The same applies in reverse, naturally. And all of this was preparation for precisely such a situation.”

The Pope spoke.

“You said magic was surely a remnant of demons, did you not?”
“Yes…. Magic is certainly─.”
“And yet….”

The Pope’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he cut off the words.

“In my eyes now, you—who demanded sacrifice from the innocent—appear to be the demon.”

Violent tremors rippled through Gregory’s pupils. His very existence had been denied by the Pope himself.
To hear a clergyman called a demon was the gravest of insults.
At that moment, my eyes met Barun’s. He smiled faintly, and I gave a slight nod.

“Cardinal Henry, Cardinal Matthias.”
“Yes, yes, Your Holiness!”
“For conspiring with Bishop Gregory, I hereby strip him of his clerical orders and all rights effective immediately. After further detailed review, I shall impose a sentence of imprisonment. Does anyone object?”
“…None, Your Holiness.”

The Pope nodded.

“And Bishop Gregory.”

Gregory followed the Pope with a vacant stare, his mouth hanging slightly agape. He seemed half-absent from reality.
I waited silently for the Pope’s verdict. If the judgment seemed unjust, I was prepared to object immediately.
But….

“For defying the Pope’s warning. For condoning the Wol Young Order’s atrocities. And for the grave sin of condemning innocent souls to death without any preparation….”

The Pope drove a wedge through the tower Gregory had built.

“Effective immediately, I strip you of your clerical ordination and all authority. I sentence you to death—the highest punishment in the Theocracy.”

Some say the Theocracy’s punishments are more lenient than the Empire’s.
But the clergy of the Theocracy speak with one voice: the Theocracy is infinitely cruel and resolute toward heretics.

“Does anyone object?”

It was the moment the Pope posed his question.

Dong, dong, dong───

The bells announcing the new year rang out across the Theocracy.
As if celebrating the collapse of Gregory—the wall that had long stood before me….

‘May you receive many blessings in the new year, Gregory.’

I’ve already received more than enough.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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