The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 19

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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 19. Your Share.

The Pope and several Cardinals made their way to the chamber where the Primordial Scripture was kept.

“This is the place, Your Holiness.”

A scripture the size of a human torso rested upon a pedestal, emanating a pale luminescence that flowed like gossamer threads into the air.

“Hmm… I have not witnessed such radiance emanating from a scripture since I ascended to the Papacy.”
“Nor have I, Your Holiness. Allow me to show you at once.”

Marcel donned white gloves and approached the scripture, carefully turning the pages with reverent precision.
The title of the new section read as follows:

「The Age of Turbulence」

Upon seeing this, the Pope murmured thoughtfully.

“A record of turbulence… Does this passage foretell that the world shall soon be consumed by upheaval?”

Marcel replied:

“It would appear so, Your Holiness. However, much of the content remains unwritten, and I cannot offer you a definitive answer at this time.”
“Then we must examine the contents at once.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”

As Marcel turned the pages, passages began to reveal themselves.

「1-1. Fate is not immutable. Should one harbor deep longing to transform oneself and act upon that desire, one may yet twist the threads of destiny.」

The record continued:

「1-2. Yet fate resembles a great wave, and it appears that no mortal strength alone could withstand it.
Do not despair. I watch over you—endure and act.
Should one righteous soul step forward, others shall rise to join them, becoming a bulwark against the tide.」

And upon witnessing the next page, the others could not help but be astonished.

「1-3. Kael Luminara, descendant of Luminara, is the one who proves that destiny is not predetermined.
The sword that once wandered the wasteland now advances like a rhinoceros, and his blade is the hammer that changes fate.」

「1-4. Thus the world’s destiny enters upheaval.
Those who cower in fear shall be swept away by the turbulent waves.
Yet fear not, little lambs, even if the waves consume the heavens. Look forward and act. The path exists within you.」

With that, the scripture came to an end.
A stunned silence hung in the air before the Pope finally spoke.

“The world’s destiny enters upheaval, and even if the waves consume the heavens… This is nothing short of a prophecy.”
“It would seem so.”

The others nodded in agreement, and the Pope continued.

“The fact that the name Kael Luminara appears in the opening chapter of this turbulent age—does this mean the world’s upheaval stems from him?”
“I suspect it may be so. More importantly, this is the first time a new chapter has been recorded in the scriptures since Saint Eldoras 102 years ago.”

Saint Eldoras.
The Theocracy reveres the Seven Great Virtues—the saints of ages past—and Eldoras embodied Humility.
Though Eldoras was the most formidable Holy Knight in the Religious Order’s history, he always humbled himself and respected all others.
The Pope stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Upheaval, indeed… Judging by the Kael Inquisitor’s recent activities, something extraordinary is certainly unfolding. He has already eliminated two heretics within the Theocracy—an apostle of the Evil Book Society and a fallen bishop.”

Cardinal Barun spoke then.

“Indeed. Light always reveals itself in times of chaos. He deserves our praise for his deeds thus far.”
“I agree.”

Several cardinals nodded in assent.
Marcel posed a question.

“Then, Your Holiness, how do you intend to handle this matter?”

If this truth became known, the Theocracy would descend into chaos.
After all, the Goddess’s words had been newly inscribed for the first time in 102 years.

“For now, let only those present here know of this. We shall observe the situation as it develops.”

The Pope responded.

“While it is our duty as the faithful to spread the Goddess’s teachings far and wide, the records remain incomplete, making it difficult for me to offer a clear interpretation. If we cannot answer the believers’ questions, it will surely cause great confusion.”
“Indeed, that is true.”
“So let us wait and observe for now. It does not seem the time has come for us to take decisive action.”
“Yes.”
“However….”

The Pope smiled faintly.

“I sincerely hope this upheaval will prove beneficial to our Theocracy and to humanity.”
“Yes. I share that sentiment.”

At Barun’s response, the Pope nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Then let us depart.”

The Pope leaned upon his staff, which bore a sprout adorned with two small leaves, and made his way out.

“The trials that lie ahead will make us humans all the stronger.”

* * *

“From now on, we are going to obtain the holy relic of a Saint.”

I spoke to Bella as we rode along.
Bella blinked for a moment before asking back.

“Pardon?”
“More specifically, we will obtain the holy relic of Saint Bertior, one of the Seven Great Virtues—Charity.”

Holy relics. Artifacts imbued with the Goddess’s power.
The Goddess, moved by the deeds of the Saints of the Seven Great Virtues, had bestowed blessings upon their belongings, and those items possessed wondrous effects.
Any human was granted the right to use a holy relic, though the extent to which one could draw out its power varied from person to person.

“A holy relic? Those are incredibly precious items, rare in the world. Are you sure we can just take one?”
“We can.”

The Theocracy currently possesses only a single holy relic.
It is one of the Seven Great Virtues—Diligence—the staff of Saint Serabio.
That very staff had been passed down through generations to each Pope.

“Originally, the Theocracy believed all holy relics should be recovered, but in that process, we shed far too much blood without achieving significant results, so the thinking changed. After all, even if we recovered the relics, someone else would inevitably covet them again.”

Indeed, fifty years ago, the Theocracy had waged war against the wicked to protect the holy relics in its possession.
In that “Holy Relic War,” the relics scattered to the four winds.

“So the current Pope abandoned the recovery effort, saying the relics would naturally find their way back where they belong. Something about the Goddess’s providence, or so he claims.”

Of course, it was not a wise choice.
In my previous life, most of the holy relics were held by the wicked.

“In a way, perhaps the Pope has simply turned a blind eye—allowing the wicked to use the relics freely.”

Bella started in alarm and glanced around her surroundings. But all that met her eyes was open field.

“In any case, what matters is that the Theocracy will not concern itself greatly even if we obtain the holy relics. Of course, there will be noise from others, but the Pope will simply say we should wait and see.”

I never had the opportunity to meet the Pope in my previous life, but I understood his disposition well enough.
Ludian would occasionally lament that he could never fathom what the Pope was thinking.

“I understand there’s no major problem with us possessing the holy relic. But why specifically the relic of Charity?”
“Because I know where it is.”

The relic of Charity is an item I used in my previous life.
Therefore, I already knew its current location.

“Let us head to Rustben Territory first.”

* * *

We made straight for the Slums upon arriving at Rustben Territory.
This time, there was no need to gather information separately, so I planned to visit the nearby Diocese Office afterward.
The streets of the Slums were sticky, and the air carried the mingled stench of filth and faint traces of blood.
Most would find it repulsive, but to me it was a familiar scent.
As a wicked one in my previous life, I had spent most of my time in the Slums, beyond the reach of the Theocracy’s gaze.

‘How truly peculiar it is. The Goddess’s grace reaches least where a helping hand is needed most—in the Slums.’

Of course, the poor are not inherently virtuous. Rather, poverty makes them susceptible to darkness.
Yet it remains true that there exist those who would never have become wicked had someone extended aid.
And even within this darkness, there are still those who strive to remain good.
So perhaps, had someone helped them, the world would have fewer villains.

‘But that’s not my concern. I can only grasp what lies within my reach.’

Then Bella asked.

“So that’s why he’s here?”
“Yes.”

The heretic I came to apprehend this time was Mordak, known as the Chain Hunter.
He was originally a mercenary, but after tasting profit, he became a loan shark operating in these Slums.
He had already committed countless crimes, making him more than worthy of interrogation.

‘Though that’s not the only reason I’m searching for him.’

When I encountered him in my previous life, he possessed a sacred relic.
Since that was not long after I killed Baron Scalen, he should still be in these Slums.

– Where did you get these sandals?
– Ah, a little child had them…!
– Did you kill him for the sandals?
– No, I only severed his ankle for unpaid debt… Getting these sandals was pure chance…
– Why would a child borrow money from you?
– To buy medicine for his sister’s cold…
– That should have been a manageable sum to repay.
– We run a loan shark operation.

The debt had ballooned monstrously due to interest.

– I see.
– Aaarrrghhh!

After that, I severed his ankle and visited the house where the Little Child had lived with him.
There, small bones waited for an older brother who would never return.
Watching that scene unfold, I spent an hour avenging the brother right there on that spot.

‘By now, it shouldn’t be too late.’

Recalling memories from my past life, my pace quickened considerably.

“Follow me.”
“Yes!”

* * *

In an alley somewhere.
Rak, the Little Child, handed a silver coin to two men.

“H-here is the principal and the interest….”

One of the men accepted the coin and let out a low murmur of admiration.

“Hoh? How did you manage to earn this much in just a month?”
“I saved it by doing odd jobs….”

Rak’s hands were rough. He wouldn’t refuse any work to earn money. In the first place, there were few who would even hire a young child.

“I-isn’t this enough to settle the debt now? I only borrowed a single dose of cold medicine….”

Rak had borrowed one day’s worth of cold medicine from them.
Even though medicine was expensive in the Slums, he had already repaid more than enough, yet their interest made no sense.
Still, this should finally end this tiresome debt.

“What are you talking about? The debt still remains.”

But these men were far more ruthless than Rak could have imagined.

“What? That’s dozens of times the interest….”
“Yeah, that was true until yesterday. But starting today, the interest has gone up.”
“W-what is it now…?”

The man chuckled.

“One silver coin.”
“I… what?”

Even a single silver coin had been painstakingly saved.
Had the sympathetic employer not pressed money into his hands, it would have been utterly impossible for a child to earn a silver coin in a single month.

“You’ve paid off the interest up until today. So all that’s left is one silver coin, huh?”
“B-but…!”
“Look at that face, will you? Want me to give you a taste of my fist?”
“This is too much! I only borrowed a single bottle of cold medicine!”
“Ha, you’re a funny one. Did we threaten you into borrowing from us?”

The man jabbed his finger repeatedly into Rak’s chest.

“You came crawling to us begging to borrow money. So why are you throwing a fit at us now?”
“There was no mention of interest like this!”
“That’s why you should have read the contract carefully. This is why ignorant fools are hopeless.”
“You bastards…!”

Rak’s eyes blazed with bloodshot fury as he glared at them. The man furrowed his brow and stepped closer.

“This little brat…”

The man was about to swing his fist when—

Thud.

A massive palm descended upon the man’s head.
Startled by the sudden presence, the man turned to look.
Standing there with an expressionless face was a man whose very appearance seemed incongruous with the squalor of the Slums.

“When did you—!”

In that instant, the man’s gaze plummeted downward as his face was slammed into the ground.

Crash!

The man collapsed to the ground without even a chance to scream.
A priest-clad man who had appeared out of nowhere turned to face the remaining thug.

“Th-this madman…!”

The man who locked eyes with Kael yelped in terror and bolted away.

“Wh-what?”

Yet for some reason, the man couldn’t move forward.
Sensing a force at work, he glanced back to find Kael gripping his garment firmly.

“Where are you rushing off to? Need to use the privy?”
“Let go, let go!!”

The man swatted at Kael’s hand with his arm.
Watching the man retreat, Kael pushed off lightly from the ground and closed the distance in an instant.

Crash!

Kael drove his fist down like a thunderbolt, slamming the remaining thug into the ground.
Having dispatched both in a heartbeat, Kael approached Rak slowly.

“Ah… ah….”

The bewildered Rak lowered his head.

“Th-thank you.”

Kael then stood before him, towering and imposing.
Kael’s very presence was on another plane entirely—nothing like these thugs who threw their weight around simply because they had some muscle.
This oppressive chill was something I had never felt even once before.
Surely he hadn’t helped me out of kindness. He had merely eliminated these nuisances to claim the silver coins for himself.
This world held no such warmth, after all.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Yet his question was entirely unexpected.

“…What?”
“I asked if you were hurt anywhere.”

Rak, who had been standing dazed, finally responded.

“Thanks to you, I’m not….”
“I see.”

Kael suddenly shifted his steps, picked up a silver coin that had fallen to the ground, and handed it to Rak.
Rak, not understanding the meaning behind the gesture, merely tilted his head in confusion.

“Take it. It’s your share.”
“Oh, no. You helped me, so I should give it to you….”
“Then I’ll just have to throw it away.”

As Kael made a motion to toss it, Rak quickly cried out.

“No, wait! I’ll take it!”
“Good thinking.”

Kael placed the silver coin in Rak’s small palm. Feeling an inexplicable weight to it, Rak clutched it tightly in his hand.
Kael’s gaze swept over him—or more precisely, over the worn old sandals on his feet.

‘Fortunately, I’m not too late.’

They were the charity of the Seven Great Virtues, a holy relic of Saint Bertior.
The very sandals I had worn throughout my days as the Sword Demon.

‘Now I can focus on capturing that bastard without worry.’

Kael smiled inwardly as he caressed the hilt of his sword.

(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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