The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 123

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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 123. I Wish to See as Well.

“W-What in the world are you doing?”

At the men’s words, I lowered the old man who had become like a five-year-old child.
Yet my hand still gripped the back of his neck, and his knees naturally touched the floor.

“I came to capture a heretic who boasts of being an Apostle of the Goddess. And this wretch was about to offer sacrifices to that heretic. I consider this a fitting price for such actions, wouldn’t you say?”
“P-Please, it was unavoidable! If we hadn’t offered sacrifices, the drought would never have ended! We couldn’t even ask others for help!”
“Unavoidable, you say….”

A snort escaped, followed by a bitter laugh.

“Yes, at first it was unavoidable. No matter how much you all participated in this, ultimately the deceiver bears the blame.”

I looked at them.

“But this is the third time for you, isn’t it?”
“H-How did you….”
“The Slash-and-Burn Farmers below told me.”

I only knew that Malkion sacrificed Slash-and-Burn Farmers to use demonic magic. In my previous life, I had simply killed Malkion and left.
So this time, I sought out the Elder as soon as I arrived here, but when he wasn’t at the cottage, I gathered information from the Slash-and-Burn Farmers in various ways.

“At first, none of this was your fault. That was the Elder’s own choice. And even the second time, I could understand it. From what I heard, it didn’t seem like you were forcibly coerced.”
“….”
“But….”

I glanced at the black hemisphere atop the cart. Inside were a woman and a small child.

“This time, anyone can see you’re dragging them by force. Binding the woman’s limbs, placing an innocent child in the cart….”
“….”
“Now then, try answering me. Was this truly unavoidable as well?”

They sealed their lips as if they had tasted honey. The only response came from within my grasp.

“It was unavoidable….”

I looked down at the five-year-old Elder.

“Hoo… So you’ve raised him well enough that he talks back now.”
“…I didn’t know what would happen if we ran away. And we’re just ordinary slash-and-burn farmers. What resistance could we possibly have?”
“So you’re saying you bear no fault?”
“Of course there’s some degree of fault. But I don’t believe we deserve this kind of treatment from an Interrogator.”

For a five-year-old, his rebuttal was quite eloquent.
It seemed he had gained wisdom in exchange for losing his hair, much like how burning plants enriches the soil.
But before me—one who had gained power instead of character—such struggles were meaningless.

“No, while the others might deserve some leniency, you alone bear a grave sin.”
“What…?”
“You are the Elder of these slash-and-burn farmers. That means you bear responsibility when something happens. Yet you, of all people, tried to force others to offer themselves as sacrifices.”
“That’s because there was no one else who met the conditions─!”
“Silence. Interrupt me once more, and I’ll cut off your breath.”
“….”

He swallowed hard, his throat dry.

“You must have spouted words like martyrdom and sacrifice to them, but you understand nothing of their true meaning.”
“….”
“Sacrifice and martyrdom are not achieved through coercion by others. They are sacred words that only come into being when one willingly offers their life of their own pure will.”

I gazed into his trembling eyes.

“Yet you forced sacrifice upon them regardless of their will. In short, what you did is nothing but murder—like pushing someone off a cliff against their will. Do you understand?”
“….”
“Therefore, I will give you the same punishment.”
“W-what kind of punishment… what?!”

I hoisted him onto one shoulder and lowered my stance.

“Bella. Bring the cart and follow.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”

The moment I heard Bella’s response, I kicked off the ground and climbed up the mountainside.

“W-wait, Elder!”

The others hurried after me in disarray.
Since there wasn’t much distance left to the Mountain Peak, I could reach it with a few powerful leaps.
A Bowl-Shaped Rock sat in the center of the flat terrain. It was a place of sacrifice.
I walked toward it and lowered the bundle I’d been carrying on one shoulder onto the rock.

“From now on, this shall be your cradle.”
“…?”

The creature’s eyes widened blankly. His expression screamed incomprehension.
Unable to help myself, I chuckled softly and kindly explained the situation.

“I shall not forget your sacrifice.”
“W-Wait…!”

Ripples of realization spread across his eyes as the meaning dawned on him. He quickly scrambled to his feet, attempting to escape the rock.
But….

“Ugh…!”

His broken leg betrayed him, and he stumbled, landing hard on his rear against the rock once more.
In that frozen instant, the rock did not release its offering.

Szzzzzt!

A chaotic circular pattern bloomed from the rock’s surface in brilliant azure light.
This was neither ritual nor chemical reaction. It was simply the fusion of mana and incantation taking form….

‘A magic circle.’

Nothing more than a magic circle installed by a Mage.
Upon confirming the phenomenon, I retreated backward, and simultaneously, the magic activated.

Flash!

“No, this can’t—! Gaaaahhh!”

Ethereal blue threads spiraled upward like tangled yarn, bending the Elder’s waist backward like a bow.
His skin shriveled rapidly, his vitality fading away. The activated magic circle was draining his life force.
And as his skin clung to bone….

BOOM!

A pillar of flame materialized upon the rock.
The Elder was consumed by the inferno that illuminated the night sky, and when the pillar of fire subsided, only ash remained.

“E-Elder!”

Just then, the others reached the mountain peak. They searched for the Elder who had vanished from my shoulder, then their gazes turned toward the rock.

“C-Could it be…?”

I nodded in response.

“Yes. I granted him martyrdom as you desired. Does anyone else wish to be martyred?”
“….”

No one raised their hand.
Martyrdom was truly such a difficult thing. It required the noble resolve to sacrifice one’s own life for the sake of others.

– You wretches!!!!!

At that moment, a voice filled with fury resonated through the night sky. It truly sounded as though it were crying out from the heavens themselves.

– I demanded a child and a woman, yet you dared offer an old man! Do you not fear the wrath of the Goddess!!
“Kyaaahhh!!”

At the thunderous rebuke, they cowered on the ground, trembling as they clutched their heads with both hands.

– Immediately offer a child no older than five and an adult woman! If you do not, calamity shall descend upon this entire region!!

As the echoing voice faded, silence descended.
Those huddled on the ground in terror as if struck by lightning looked up and asked.

“W-What should we do now, Interrogator…?”
“A-At this rate, the Goddess’s wrath will…!”

They had no choice but to believe this was truly the work of the Apostles of the Goddess.
Even the high clergy of the Theocracy were ignorant of magic—what of the slash-and-burn farmers dwelling in the mountains?
Deception has always sprung from ignorance. It was far too easy to deceive those who knew nothing.
Of course, in the end, I would kill the deceiver myself for being such a bastard.

‘Thanks to the voice, I’ve pinpointed Malkion’s location precisely.’

When the voice echoed from the heavens, a rope-like surge of mana leaked from a nearby cave.
It even matched the place where I’d encountered Malkion in my past life, so I hadn’t misread it.
I asked them a question.

“Have any of you ever witnessed the Goddess’s wrath?”
“I… what?”
“If you have, I’d like to see it too. When exactly does the Goddess grow angry?”

Ella—the Goddess who never uttered a single word even when the Demon God descended and the last Holy Knight fell.
So I want to see it. When exactly do you reveal yourself before humanity?
According to Ludian, the Goddess doesn’t solve the problem itself but grants the strength to overcome trials.
Looking at the frequency of blessings and the Holy Knights and Holy Maidens, that tendency is indeed far more pronounced than with the Demon God.

‘But…’

I couldn’t easily accept that either.
In the end, humanity failed to overcome the trials and was annihilated, wasn’t it?
That was why I still couldn’t trust the Goddess, even after becoming a Holy Knight.
Of course, I never had faith in the Goddess to begin with, so I don’t expect any reward.
But at least you should have answered Ludian’s faith. That foolish belief that didn’t break even against my rage.

‘Well, I’ll ask the Goddess about this later if the opportunity arises.’

I spoke.

“In any case, what you think is the Goddess’s wrath is nothing but an illusion. This is just some idiot deceiving you.”
“….”
“Do you wish for rain to fall again?”

They simply nodded blankly without offering any other response.

“Then wait quietly. As the Heretic Inquisitor of the Theocracy, I shall gift you with rain.”
“Yes, understood….”
“However….”

I glared at them while pointing.

“I have not forgiven you. I am merely contemplating what punishment befits you. If you cannot bear to wait, shall I kill you now?”
“N-No!”
“Good. Then remain quiet.”
“Y-Yes, I shall remember!”

Satisfied with their prompt response, I nodded and turned my gaze toward Bella.

“Bella. Explain the situation to those within your magic. Watch carefully to ensure they do not escape.”

I intended to face Malkion alone.
Due to the terrain and the peculiar circumstances, it would be difficult for Bella to use magic where Malkion was located.
While her assistance would help, since I was sufficient on my own, it was far better to leave her here to account for any unforeseen variables.

“Yes, Interrogator!”
“Then I shall return.”

I descended the mountainside toward the cave where Malkion awaited.

* * *

Thud, thud—

Upon arriving at the cave entrance, a transparent barrier blocked my path. It was a sort of door that Malkion had created.
I struck the sturdy door.

Thud, thud—

“Open the door.”

Unsurprisingly, there was no response. So I had no choice but to wrap my demonic sword in black flames and strike with all my might.

Crash!

It didn’t shatter in a single blow. It was closer to a barrier than a simple defensive shield.
Still, thanks to the Demon Sword’s ‘Corruption’, cracks had formed in the barrier.

“Open, damn it!”

Crash!

As I brought the blade down once more, the cracks spread across the entire barrier in an instant, and the entrance opened.
More accurately, it would be correct to say it shattered.

Crunch, crunch—

The interior of the cave was brighter than I expected. Pale blue light scattered throughout the space.
As I ventured deeper, large and small blue ore deposits embedded in the walls illuminated the entire cave.
They were mana stones—ore infused with magical power.

‘Judging by the purity, they’re not the highest grade, but rather high to mid-grade.’

Still, in terms of versatility alone, mid and high-grade mana stones were superior to the highest grade.
‘Even for street lamps, once the magical power within the mana stone is depleted, it must be replaced. You can’t use the highest grade stones for such purposes.’

‘If I could make this Mana Stone Mine belong to my Family Estate, distributing magical tools would become far easier. Until now, we’ve been importing magical tools and mana stones from the Empire.’

Of course, this mountain belonged to another lord, so I couldn’t simply claim it.
But a method to obtain the rights to these mana stone deposits already existed in my mind. And it would cost nothing.

‘I’ll think about that later.’

Malkion’s ability to bring drought to this entire region stemmed from this very Mana Stone Mine.
No matter how exceptional one’s magical ability, the magical power to wield it was an essential condition.
But for a mere Mage—not even a tower master of the Empire, just someone stronger than most—it would have been difficult to supply that much magical power.

‘So he used these countless mana stones to compensate for his insufficient magical power.’

The rest was simple.
Supply the life force needed for this magic by exploiting the slash-and-burn farmers.
That’s why Malkion went to the trouble of deceiving the slash-and-burn farmers. If he killed them all, he’d have to abandon this place to evade the Theocracy’s pursuit.

“What are you?”

At that moment, a man appeared before me.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses. It was Malkion, who would later be called the Demon of Drought.
I paused briefly before responding.

“A true Apostle of the Goddess.”

It wasn’t a lie. I was a Holy Knight chosen by the Goddess herself.

“…What?”

The impostor looked utterly bewildered.
I wrapped my blade in black flames and fixed him with a steady gaze.

“Are you prepared to ascend?”

(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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