The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 49

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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 49. Still.

The sexual assailant was slipping through the crowd, making him easier to capture.
Just as I was about to drop down and seize him.

Whoosh!

Sena turned her head and looked up at me. Then she spun her body and began fleeing to the side.

Thud—

Because of that, I had no choice but to land flat on the ground.
With Sena’s physical abilities, I should have certainly caught her. But she had already anticipated where I would jump and evaded accordingly.

‘Did she see the future?’

It had to be. Before I could even see her, the eye-shaped stigma on the back of her hand had glowed faintly.

‘So that’s why the Knight couldn’t catch her.’

But I had no intention of letting her escape. I turned and pressed my feet firmly against the ground.
Then the wind gathered beneath my soles.

‘Gale.’

Whoooosh!

My body tore through the air.
The moment I took my stance, Sena startled and glanced back, but I was already upon her.

‘If the body can’t keep up, it’s meaningless.’

Appropriately reducing my speed, I scooped Sena up. Held like a bundle of cargo between one arm, she stared up at me with a dazed expression.
I spoke.

“Caught you, you wretch.”

Only then did Sena snap to attention, her voice trembling with alarm.

“W-what are you doing here!”
“I’m a victim of sexual harassment.”
“Why are you even—”
“You grabbed my backside and ran off, didn’t you?”
“I-I… I’m truly sorry about that…”

She apologized far more readily than I’d anticipated, leaving me with little to say. She must have been too preoccupied with her escape.

“No, wait! That’s not the issue here…”

Sena shook her head vigorously and continued.

“Why are you here? You weren’t supposed to be in the future I foresaw…”

Sena was the Saint of Foresight. Yet in the future she had glimpsed, I did not exist.

‘In a sense, it makes perfect sense. Had I been in my previous life, I would never have come to this place.’

In my previous life, I would have been skulking about by now, plotting my revenge against Baron Scalen.

‘Then it stands to reason that our collision was inevitable.’

But after that, hadn’t she failed to predict my movements? Had something changed when I met Sena directly?
I needed to ask her several things.

“Gasp!”

At that moment, Sena’s eyes widened in alarm as she looked toward something in the distance. A Knight was charging toward us.

“Shall I help you?”
“What?”
“Weren’t you running away?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“I could ensure no one ever finds you again.”
“Then you’d be the one captured!”

At that, I let out a soft chuckle.

“No, the Theocracy cannot capture me.”

It was the same before. Now I even had confidence that mere attempts wouldn’t be enough to take me into custody.

“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Choose. Will you surrender here, or will you flee?”

Sena watched the Knight drawing ever closer. He was approaching at a sprint, relieved that Sena had been captured.
Sena gently grasped the hem of my garment.

“I want to flee.”
“Very well.”

I turned my head toward the Knight. He had drawn near and was beaming brightly.

“Thank you….”
“Do not pursue us.”
“What?”

The moment the Knight’s expression turned uncertain, I pushed off the ground with tremendous force and launched myself skyward.
The Knight stared after me in stunned silence….

“Senaaaaaaa!!”

He realized what was happening and cried out loudly.

“Interrogator! I—!!”

Another voice followed in the distance, but….
I dismissed it without a second thought.

* * *

I brought Sena to a nearby forest. She collapsed onto a large boulder, muttering in disbelief.

“We… we actually escaped….”

I had not fled merely at her request. I had been wanting to speak with her about various matters, and this presented the perfect opportunity.

“N-now people will come looking for us!”
“They will. You’re the Saint of Foresight, after all.”

Bella had likely already been captured by them.
She could have fled if she’d wanted to, but that would only invite more suspicion, so she hadn’t.

‘I should buy her some meat when we return.’

Sena scratched her cheek.

“Ah, so you knew.”
“I learned it when I heard your name.”
“Doesn’t it frighten you, Interrogator, being around other people?”
“I suppose not. It’s become routine….”

If anything, I’d grown accustomed to it.

“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Rather, why were you trying to run away?”

In my previous life, she had taken her own life. So I needed to understand her reasons if I was to prevent that outcome.
If she lived, as Ludian suggested, perhaps a better future awaited us both.

“That’s….”

Sena began to speak but then clamped her mouth shut and shook her head firmly.
I hadn’t expected her to answer willingly anyway, so I moved on to the next question.

“Then what does it mean that I didn’t appear in the future you saw? After we collided, it seemed like you saw a version of me from that future.”
“Ah… you were there even before the collision. But it was so dark, eaten away like by insects, that I mistook it for an absence.”
“And after the collision?”
“Yes.”

I am one who has regressed once. Perhaps that’s why I appeared as a variable—obscured and indecipherable.
But it didn’t seem like a pressing concern at the moment, so I let it pass.

“So what will you do now?”

Sena hung her head and answered.

“I’m not sure… I don’t know what to do…”

I leaned against the tree and studied her quietly before asking.

“Are you afraid of seeing other people’s futures?”
“…!”
“I thought so.”

She was still young, and her inexperience showed in how poorly she concealed her expressions.
The Saint of Foresight could see the futures of people by inscribing her stigma upon them.
But such visions didn’t always unfold in favorable directions.

“The future can be changed.”

After all, her stigma existed precisely for the purpose of altering futures.

“I… I know that. I’ve been watching it happen all along…”

Sena fidgeted with her fingers.

“But the changed future isn’t always better than before. Sometimes, different choices led to even more deaths…”
“I see.”
“Every time I see someone else’s future, it feels like a massive wave crashing down on me. Something beyond my control…”
“So you ran away? Because you were afraid of seeing other people’s futures anymore?”
“No.”

Sena answered with firm resolve.

“Fear is acceptable if it means I can create a better future.”

From what I could tell, she hadn’t been so crushed by responsibility that she’d turned a dagger on herself.
Rather, she was a girl who bore even burdens thrust upon her with unwavering sincerity.

“Then what?”
“But…”

Sena bit her lip hard.
Silence stretched between us before tears began to fall like droplets beneath her long bangs.

“It’s best that I simply disappear. Otherwise, I could take my own life….”

How could that possibly be the best future? She had done nothing wrong.
I pondered deeply before speaking.

“But then there would be those who grieve.”

Sena remained in Litbel Territory because of Litbel Bishop, who had raised her as a foster daughter before she became the Holy Maiden.
To that extent, Litbel Bishop was an important figure in Sena’s life.

“I wouldn’t know about that…. But at least I wouldn’t be the one grieving….”

True enough. Death would erase such emotions as well.

“Then do you wish to become like the future you saw when you bore the stigma?”

Sena’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at me. Her pupils trembled behind her long bangs.

“H-how did you….”

Only a handful of high-ranking clergy knew this fact. It became more widely known only after Sena’s death much later.
I continued without hesitation.

“The Goddess never reveals the answer. She merely poses problems under the guise of trials. Truly a tedious being.”
“Y-yes?”
“The future you saw is not the answer. It is merely a trial you must overcome.”

Now I understood why she had taken her own life.
I had more questions, but this was not the time.

Thud thud thud—

Footsteps surrounded us. All ten of them were armed with various weapons.
A man who appeared to be their leader spoke.

“Bold indeed. To dare kidnap the Saint of Foresight.”

I let out a quiet laugh and straightened from where I had been leaning against the tree.

“That’s about right.”
“Even if you’re a Heresy Inquisitor, you won’t get out of this unscathed. If you don’t want to die here, come quietly. Take him into custody.”

At the Leader’s gesture, three men began walking toward me.
Sena, who had been sitting dazed on the stone, suddenly sprang to her feet and planted herself firmly in front of me.

“Wait, please! This person didn’t kidnap me! I asked them to bring me here!”

The Leader chuckled softly.

“That’s something we’ll determine later. Holy Maiden, you’ll come with us as well. If you don’t, the person you’re trying to protect right now won’t remain unharmed.”
“That… that can’t be…”
“Please be mindful of your position, Holy Maiden. Many people move at your every action.”

The Leader glanced back at the three men who had paused.

“Drag the Heresy Inquisitor away quickly. I’ll take the Holy Maiden.”
“Yes.”

As the three men approached me, Sena looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Inquisitor. Because of me…”

I said nothing, instead studying the faces of those approaching me.
Their clothes were mismatched, and their gait lacked the formal bearing of true knights. They were certainly not the Holy Maiden’s personal guard.

“Ah…!”

My assessment complete, I yanked Sena toward me.
The Leader’s eyes grew cold as he saw the blade suddenly pressed against Sena’s throat.

“Must you go this far?”
“If necessary.”
“Is it the power of Yejis you desire?”
“Well, something like that.”

The Leader laughed outright.

“Then you cannot kill her. Since you desire Yejis’s abilities, at best you can only flee with her.”
“Ho, how ruthless.”

That was the problem.
They had come to retrieve the abducted Holy Maiden, yet they were far too cold about it.
Normally, one would prioritize the Holy Maiden’s safety above all else, not gamble with her life in such a manner.
Yet this man carried himself as though Sena’s fate mattered not in the slightest.

“By the way, it seems mercenaries guard the Holy Maiden these days.”
“Given the urgent circumstances, Bishop Litbel simply hired us.”
“What reason would mercenaries like you have to linger in such a small territory?”

Litbel Territory was a modest place sustained by tourists visiting to see the Holy Maiden.
There was no reason for skilled mercenaries to congregate in such a place.

“We merely passed through before heading to another territory. Though small, the facilities are adequate, making it suitable for rest.”

The Leader exhaled a heavy sigh.

“I don’t understand why I must answer such things.”
“You must answer. The Holy Maiden’s life rests in my hands. What, afraid you’ll slip and reveal something if we continue talking?”
“….”
“If not, then shut up and answer. Don’t spout off as though you don’t care what happens to the Holy Maiden.”

The Leader clenched his teeth as though chewing on his anger. I pressed further.

“What’s your name? I’ll remember it and ask the others about you.”
“….”
“Hmm, it seems my words don’t sound convincing enough.”

I pressed the blade closer to Sena’s slender neck. If they truly had come to rescue the Holy Maiden, they would show a different demeanor than before.
Sena swallowed dryly and spoke.

“S-sir Interrogator.”
“What is it?”
“If he stays silent, won’t he be unable to answer…?”

I let out a small exclamation of admiration and nodded.

“I see. A fair point.”
“Yes….”

I fixed the Leader with a sharp gaze and pressed further.

“What’s your name? This time, open your mouth and answer.”

Veins bulged across the Leader’s face.

“Are you mocking me right now?”
“If that’s how it appeared, I regret the misunderstanding.”

I swept my gaze across all of them and issued my warning.

“Bring me the Knight. If the Knights arrive, I’ll release the Holy Maiden without resistance.”
“….”
“I have all the time in the world. But you—I’m not so certain about your circumstances.”

The Leader stared into my eyes for a long moment. Then he tilted his head back, exhaling slowly into the crimson-streaked sky.

“A Heretic Inquisitor… Keeping you alive would certainly prove troublesome in many ways.”

The Leader’s eyes burned with killing intent as he fixed them upon me.

“It would have been easier if you were simply a fool.”

Only then did I lower the blade I’d pressed against Sena’s throat and rise to my feet.
I wrapped flames around my sword and gave a slight nod.

“Like you?”

In an instant, three of them swung their weapons at me in unison.
Their arsenal varied—longsword, dagger, and axe—but a single blade was all I required.

Shhhhwing!

A crimson line bisected their weapons and flesh. Blood scattered across the twilight sky.
Those who witnessed the spectacle instinctively faltered, and the Leader’s brow twitched momentarily.
Silence descended upon the forest. No one dared speak hastily.
Sena’s small frame trembled. This was likely her first time witnessing death.

“Are you frightened?”

At my question, Sena nodded silently.

“But you must confront it someday. As the Saint of Foresight, you understand this well.”
“….”
“I will not allow the future you have seen to come to pass. Even if it grieves you.”

Sena bit her lip firmly, then looked up at me with something akin to resentment in her eyes.

“What if I despise you for it?”
“Regardless.”
“Why? Why would you do this?”

I fell silent for a moment, glancing at Sena.
A frame so fragile it seemed it would scatter with a single sword stroke. In my past life, that girl had gripped a dagger in her small hands and torn through her own thin belly.
She had endured immense agony and terror that even adults could not bear, and yet she had done such a thing.
I shifted my gaze to my sword. Flames flickered along its blade.

“You are too young to reach the next realm.”

I exchanged no further words with her, launching myself toward the others.

(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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