The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 14

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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 14. Me?

Bella’s hymn was certainly not a song, but rather an anomalous sonic assault.
Yet all I truly needed was a deacon capable of singing hymns.

‘Of course, if that were all there was to it, I’d be better off finding another deacon.’

But the Bella I witnessed today possessed a fortitude and perceptiveness entirely unlike those cloistered nuns who merely read scripture in their cells—she remained unflustered even in perilous circumstances and instinctively found her role to play.
Beyond that, her meticulous preparation meant I wouldn’t need to concern myself with trivial matters.

‘And most importantly….’

The vast mana Bella possessed.
During today’s trial, when she incapacitated the Vocal Cord Thief with a shout, I’d assumed it mere coincidence, but witnessing this spectacle now, it was undeniable that Bella commanded far superior mana reserves than ordinary individuals.

‘The charging demons are collapsing upon hearing Bella’s hymn.’

It seemed Bella unconsciously released mana while singing.
This was impossible for ordinary people. In terms of sheer mana quantity alone, it rivaled my current holy power.

‘Though she certainly can’t sing well.’

I recalled a conversation I’d had with Bella previously.

– What’s your specialty?
– Um… cleaning, cooking, singing?

Ah, so she truly meant to lead heretics to Hell through song.
Though I’d gravely misunderstood her meaning and ought to apologize as is proper, listening to Bella’s singing made any such inclination ascend to the heavens.
Just as I wondered how much longer I’d need to endure this melody….

“Cough, cough!”

Bella stopped singing and coughed.
It was only natural, having continuously expelled high notes and mana through her vocal cords.

Screech!

At that moment, a dog-like demon lunged at Bella with its maw wide open.
Bella saw it coming, but could only grasp at her own throat—her body refused to move.
Before those razor-sharp fangs could tear into her flesh.

Slash!

I planted my feet firmly against the ground and cleaved the creature’s body in two with my blade.
After shaking the demon’s blood from my sword, I turned to find Bella staring at me with wide eyes.

“Are you alright?”

The moment those words left my lips, my expression hardened.

“For the record, I am not.”
“Your… no, Interrogator? How did you get here…?”

Bella’s voice was beautiful.
I found myself wanting to study in depth how she could sing with such a captivating timbre.

“I was resting in the Chapel when I heard the demon’s screams. So I came to investigate and found these creatures instead.”
“I… I see. Thank you so much for saving me.”

Bella bowed deeply, her large satchel swinging down to obscure the back of her head from view.

“Never mind that. What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to leave with the others?”

There was no reason for Bella to be here.
Initially, I’d harbored suspicions about her involvement with the Evil Book Society due to certain irregularities, but it was Bella herself who had knocked out the Vocal Cord Thief during the attack.

“Ah… I spotted some medicinal herbs we’d need on the way to the Test Grounds. I thought it would be good to gather them and bring them back.”
“And nearly got yourself devoured by a demon in the process.”
“W-well, about that…!”

Bella hastily offered an explanation.

“Cardinal Barun specifically told me that no demons appeared in this area. But then suddenly….”

Barun had no reason to lie.
I suspected the monsters simply hadn’t approached because they sensed the vast magical power Bella possessed.
Monsters grew by consuming magical energy, after all.

“You didn’t mention that remnants of today’s attackers might still be nearby?”
“I did mention it. Of course, the possibility of them returning is small, but I said it would still be dangerous….”
“Then why did you enter the forest? Is your life so worthless?”
“But there was medicinal herb needed for a sick child at the Orphanage….”

And just like that, I had nothing to say.

“And for some reason, the monsters would faint whenever they heard my singing.”

Of course they would.
Though I suspected it wasn’t just the monsters.

“Could this be the power of my singing?”

Surely not.
I was about to object strongly, but I caught myself and answered instead.

“It’s possible.”
“Ah, so it is?!”

Bella’s eyes widened dramatically.

“But people tell me I can’t sing. They say it feels like someone’s scratching their eardrums with their fingernails.”

It was an accurate assessment, but I grasped Bella’s shoulders and spoke earnestly.

“Don’t lose heart now. When I first introduced you, didn’t you confidently say that singing was your specialty? Every gift bestowed by the Goddess has its purpose.”
“Really?”

Bella’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

“Then let me sing you a song—”
“Silence!!!”
“Y-yes?”

I exhaled deeply and lowered my face into my palm.
Reassuring words truly don’t suit me. More importantly, if this encouragement continued, it would create various problems for Bella.

“I’ll speak plainly.”

I looked at Bella.

“Simply singing hymns doesn’t make monsters collapse. Monsters fall because your mana is released when you sing.”
“Mana?”
“Yes. And contrary to what others say, you don’t sing well. My—”
“Your?”
“No, I mean even if I sang carelessly, I could sing better than you. I hate to admit it, but that’s the reality.”
“Ah…”

Bella hung her head low.
For some reason, her expression resembled Aren’s pitiful look, and guilt washed over me, but I couldn’t let her walk down a dark path.

“It’s unfair.”

Bella spoke, moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes.

“To my ears, there’s clearly nothing wrong with it. Why do other people keep saying I can’t sing? I believe in myself—why must I accept their judgment?”

Tears like dawn dew fell drop by drop onto the grass.
At the sight, I tilted my head and crossed my arms.

‘Something feels off.’

Though we hadn’t known each other long, Bella didn’t seem like a woman who stubbornly clung to absurdities.
Of course, shattering a belief one has held for so long in a single moment is extraordinarily difficult.
But Bella’s conviction was as immovable as a mountain—no one could break it.
Wasn’t this the kind of belief that could only emerge from someone who truly sang well?

“Are you certain?”

At my question, Bella lifted her tear-stained face.

“…What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you truly hear nothing wrong with your own singing.”

Bella wiped her eyes roughly with her arm and nodded silently.

“Hmm, I see….”

I tapped my forearm thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.
When Bella sang, the mana within her body naturally discharged outward.
That power was potent enough to render the Vocal Cord Thief unconscious, topple monsters, and awaken me from deep slumber from a distance.

‘Then could that mana be the problem?’

For instance….
What if Bella’s voice became distorted by the immense mana flowing through it, causing others to hear it warped?
Then it would make sense that Bella alone, directly experiencing the vibrations of her own voice, believed she sang beautifully.

‘Well, I can verify it directly.’

I regarded Bella intently.

“If you truly believe that, then I’ll give it a chance as well. However, if you’re wrong, I won’t waste any more of my time on you.”

I had no intention of working alongside someone incapable of perceiving even this reality.
My hypothesis could be incorrect, but there was no reason to devise alternative solutions for her sake.

“Do you have a way to verify this, Interrogator?”
“I do.”
“Wonderful! I’m confident, so let’s try it!”

This pint-sized creature gazed up at me with unwavering confidence.

“I hope my time isn’t wasted.”

I chuckled softly and placed my palm against Bella’s throat.

“Huh?”
“Don’t move. From now on, I’ll channel mana to suppress your mana as it tries to escape outward. You simply need to sing in this state.”

If my hypothesis was correct, Bella’s voice would sound proper this way.

“Understood.”

As Bella nodded, I spoke with a grave expression.

“Bella.”
“Yes, Interrogator.”

I infused holy power into Bella’s throat, blocking her mana from rising.

“Take it easy. I have much to accomplish ahead.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll only loosen your throat.”

Bella steadied her breathing.

“Then I’ll begin.”

I nodded.
The moment she opened her mouth—

Gush!!

Countless torrents of mana surged forth like a broken dam. The tremendous pressure of that mana reverberated through my holy power.
I poured more holy power into her, suppressing her mana.
Then….

Aaaahhh───

A voice luminous as sunlight carried on the night breeze, resonating through the forest.
A crystalline tone I had never heard before in my entire existence.
Until now, I had only known cries of despair and anguished wails, but her song struck me with such overwhelming force that it made me forget even my own darkness.

Boom!!

The mana I had been continuously suppressing erupted violently.
If I poured in more holy power to contain it, Bella’s body would not withstand the strain, and the compressed mana would detonate.
So I withdrew my hand and quickly shielded my hearing with holy power.

“Aaaahhhhh!!!!”

Mana erupts from Bella’s mouth like a waterspout, violent and uncontrolled.
Have I ever crossed between Heaven and Hell in a single breath?
That is precisely what I feel now.
I escaped that infernal torment only when Bella saw my face contorted in agony and ceased her song.

“A-are you alright?”

My ears…
My ears…
In that fleeting moment when I covered them, demonic echoes burrowed deep into my ear canals.

“I’m so sorry… Was I wrong after all…?”

I shook my head once, clearing the haze from my mind.

“No, you were right. You didn’t notice, but for a moment, I heard your true song.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The problem was indeed the mana released alongside your voice. Your conviction was not mistaken.”

Joy and accumulated grievance mingled across Bella’s expression.
The way she bit her lip suggested she was holding back tears.

“Thank you, Interrogator.”

Yet Bella smiled softly. I could glimpse how she had survived all this time.

“So if I can control my mana as I wish, I’ll be able to share my song with others?”
“Precisely. You’re sharper than you appear.”
“But how do I control mana? I want to clear up this misunderstanding with the Nuns as well.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Really? I’m grateful, but why would you go so far for me, Interrogator…?”

Doubt and wariness flickered in Bella’s eyes. I found that caution rather appealing.

“I am currently searching for a deacon who can sing hymns. With a deacon at my side, I can operate freely as a Heresy Inquisitor.”
“So if I become your deacon, that would suffice?”
“Yes. Train under me, and you will master mana control completely.”

I know Bella’s magical capacity firsthand—I’ve experienced it directly myself.
So if I cultivate her properly, she’ll become an excellent asset rather than a hindrance.

“Hmm….”

When Bella fell silent, I tilted my head in confusion.

“What are you worrying about anyway?”
“Well, I’m concerned I won’t be able to give the Orphanage much attention.”
“Wasn’t the whole reason you came here to become a Heresy Inquisitor?”
“That’s true, but… seeing what happened today, I think I was being too naive about it.”

This one’s tougher than I thought.
Left with no choice, I equipped the Sword of Exultation on my tongue and swung it.

“So then, you plan to keep subjecting people to that dreadful singing of yours?”
“That, well….”
“When you can’t hold back anymore and start singing, the Nun listening will say this: ‘Please be quiet, Sister!'”
“Our Nun would never say that!”
“And the little child lying beside you will ask this: ‘Bella, what about my herbs…?'”
“Aaaah!”

Bella clutched her head, but I had no intention of stopping.

“As this continues, the Orphanage Director will quietly summon you. ‘Miss Bella, your hymns are far too irreverent….'”
“Alright, I get it! I’ll do it! Just stop!”

Finally, as Bella surrendered, I let out a scoff.

“Why hesitate when you’re going to do it anyway?”
“Ugh…. This feels like coercion….”
“If you hate it that much, quit. I have no intention of dragging someone along who lacks resolve.”

I’m bringing her along because she has various advantages, but if she lacks commitment, I’m not interested either.

“No, I don’t hate it.”

Bella looked up at me with determined eyes.

“I’d actually like to. Of course, if I can be of help to you, Interrogator.”

I wondered if Bella’s choice to walk this path had truly been entirely her own will.
She had only worried about being separated from those she held dear if she were to walk this road.

“Then do your best to be useful. You have the talent for it.”

How many humans possessed magical power comparable to Bella’s at her age?
I could say with certainty that she would rank within the top ten across the entire Continent. Considering she hadn’t even honed her martial skills, it was frankly absurd.
As for me, I would grow exponentially stronger from this point forward.

“Hehe, thank you. But if I ever become useless, you can just abandon me and go!”
“I have no such hobby. I’d rather put you to good use.”

At that, Bella opened her mouth with a smile brimming across her face.

“Interrogator.”
“What is it.”
“I think you’re actually quite kind, Interrogator.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Me?”
“Yes. Your words and actions are rough, but ultimately everything you do is to help someone, isn’t it? Thanks to you, I was able to steel my resolve.”
“You’re merely mistaking necessity for kindness.”
“That’s not true!”
“Hmm.”

It was the first time I’d heard such words. I’d never even heard them spoken in jest.

“So I look forward to working with you going forward, Interrogator.”

Bella bowed deeply. Once again, her shell-like hair slipped down the back of her head.
Well, there was nothing wrong with her thinking well of me.

“Very well, Turtle.”

Bella, lifting her head, responded with a disgruntled tone.

“…It’s not a turtle. It’s Bella.”
“Never mind the details. We’ll rest at the Chapel and head to Divinar Diocese tomorrow.”

I turned my steps toward the Chapel. Bella hurried after me and asked.

“What? Why there?”
“To investigate.”

Approximately one month from now, the Divinar Diocese will burn to the ground at someone’s hands.
I know this because in my previous life, every time I met Ludian, he kept asking if I was the culprit.
He suspected me because it coincided with when my Family Clan fell and I disappeared.

‘I need to find out who it really was, if only to clear my name.’

Of course, I had no intention of staying there for an entire month.
Ludian had said there was an attack on Divinar Territory before the Diocese incident, and it was likely connected.
So if I kept watch over that attack, I would discover the culprit as well.

‘My suspicion was cleared the moment I heard that story. I was kidnapped before the Divinar Diocese incident, after all.’

But because I had been unjustly suspected all that time, I once knocked Ludian unconscious and threw him into the Ancient Ruins.
Somehow he survived and came chasing after me again.

‘Damn stalker bastard….’

As I was furrowing my brow, Bella spoke.

“Really? How convenient—my Orphanage is there too.”
“Your Orphanage?”
“Yes.”

The place that was attacked back then was an Orphanage.
There wouldn’t be many Orphanages in the Territory, so it was possible that Bella’s Orphanage was the one attacked.
But there was no need to plant unnecessary worry, so I answered casually.

“Quite the coincidence.”
“Indeed.”

Bella nodded and asked.

“By the way, Interrogator, don’t you need to contact your Family? They’d be delighted to hear you’ve become a Heresy Inquisitor.”

My family would be delighted that I’ve become a Heresy Inquisitor?
I pondered the question for a moment, then tilted my head in confusion.

“I doubt it.”

Unless they were shocked into silence.

* * *

Two days later, late into the night.

“My apologies for the late hour, Baron Luminara. I am Cardinal Barun.”

Cardinal Barun had come directly to the Luminara Territory.

‘This is troublesome….’

It was clearly no ordinary situation, and Benedict Luminara found himself swallowing hard.

(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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