The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 56
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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 56. Do Not Worry
The Grand Inquisitor seemed equally bewildered, remaining silent for a long moment. So I spoke first.
“Am I wrong? Correct me if I am.”
– …You actually thought that was correct?
“Your raven doesn’t seem to defecate, does it?”
– ….
The Grand Inquisitor exhaled lightly, regaining his composure, and asked.
– Who are you?
“I think you know better than I do who I am.”
– …Heresy Inquisitor, Kael Luminara.
I composed my expression and answered seriously.
“Do you think that’s correct?”
– ….
“That’s right. We’ve never met before, yet you guessed correctly. I suppose you’re the one who ordered those insects to be sent.”
– What happened to them?
“I happened to step on them deliberately as I passed. If you’re coming, you should announce it. Why did you arrive without warning?”
The Grand Inquisitor laughed lightly and made his judgment.
– You’re insane.
“You’re the ones who provoked me when I was minding my own business.”
Silence stretched between us for a long time. We pierced each other with nothing but the killing intent woven into that quiet.
– How do you intend to handle this?
“That’s what I’d like to ask you. You have so many other concerns to attend to—why burden yourself with me as well?”
Staying silent out of fear of future retaliation would be foolish. They would certainly torment me in the same manner.
So I had to bark loudly at least once, embedding in their minds that they too could suffer consequences.
Of course, I preferred biting to barking.
– How arrogant. For a mere Heresy Inquisitor.
“Yet the Apostles were trampled beneath my feet. I wonder who truly deserves to be called arrogant.”
– We are a far greater organization than you comprehend. We will hide within the masses and slowly devour you and your Family Clan. Why do you believe this will end with merely this?”
I offered a faint smile as I replied.
“I speak thus precisely because I understand. Whatever you inflict upon me, I shall repay tenfold.”
– ….
“I am the one who has trampled every last Apostle that sought my head. Do you truly believe my blade cannot reach your neck?”
I continued, my voice a low growl.
“Do as you wish. Just as I have done until now, I shall stand one step ahead of you, waiting.”
Until now, destroying the Evil Book Society had been merely a means to protect my nest.
Unlike my past life, the Evil Book Society had not brought ruin to my Family Clan.
But thanks to their persistent efforts to provoke me, I could now refocus my resolve.
I would torment and crush the Evil Book Society so thoroughly they could never rebuild.
From the beginning, this was an inescapable karmic debt stretching back to my previous life.
– How fascinating. A mere fledgling speaking as though he knows all.
The Grand Inquisitor scoffed.
– That arrogance will one day shackle your ankles. How can you claim to surpass us when you do not even know who you are speaking with?”
He believed I was ignorant of his identity. No one would act this way if they truly knew they faced a Grand Inquisitor.
“I see.”
I nodded.
“Nemesio. You will soon receive news that will delight you.”
– …What?”
The Grand Inquisitor’s voice trembled with genuine shock for the first time.
Though I had suspected the existence of a Grand Inquisitor leading the Evil Book Society, few within the organization knew his name.
Perhaps only the Apostles and a select few others.
Yet here I stood—not even the Pope, merely a Heresy Inquisitor—knowing his name with perfect accuracy. His astonishment was inevitable.
– Did you interrogate the Apostles?
“The Bald Man’s tongue was loose.”
– That can’t be….
The Grand Inquisitor didn’t believe me. The Apostles would never divulge crucial information, no matter how brutal the torture.
I suppressed my smile and opened my mouth.
“Ah, and….”
Then I fell silent for a moment, letting him wait for my voice to continue.
But I cut the connection abruptly right there.
Truth be told, I had nothing more to say. I simply thought it would infuriate him further, so I did it.
Buzz—buzz—
The communication artifact rang urgently. The Grand Inquisitor clearly wanted to continue our conversation.
But I despised obsession, so I crushed both communication artifacts in my grip.
After all, communication artifacts were paired with specific counterparts during creation, making them impossible to recycle.
“Hahahaha!”
At that moment, the man dragged before the Knight laughed as if in disbelief.
“Are you insane? Even knowing he’s the Grand Inquisitor, you dare….”
Crack!
I slapped his cheek without hesitation. When his head snapped back into place, I spoke.
“Shut your mouth. Are you the Grand Inquisitor?”
“….”
“There was a reason for every blow you received.”
The Knight beside me nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. No matter how we tried to interrogate him, he wouldn’t open his mouth except when we scraped his nerves raw. The Evil Book Society seems quite certain of something….”
This man was likely an informant for the Evil Book Society, gathering intelligence from various places.
In other words, he possessed knowledge of the Evil Book Society’s recent movements.
“Kill me. You’ll get no information from me.”
His eyes gleamed with needless madness. I studied him carefully before speaking.
“It seems we need a more in-depth conversation.”
“….”
“You all may leave. Interrogation is my specialty.”
“Yes. I will inform the family that the Interrogator has awakened.”
“No, I’ll visit them myself once the interrogation is complete.”
The Knight, having grasped my intent, nodded.
“Understood.”
The moment Sena left the room cradling Noah alongside the Knight, Bella instinctively cast a sound-dampening barrier.
I remained perched on the edge of the bed, studying him intently.
“Do you know why you’re begging me to kill you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Because you want to die without pain. Otherwise, you’ll be tortured until you divulge information.”
I placed my hand lightly upon his head. He flinched momentarily at my touch, then laughed bitterly.
“Torture would certainly be painful. But my resolve not to speak remains unchanged.”
Perhaps. I had witnessed many who kept their silence to the very end.
But….
“You don’t need to open your mouth at all.”
I do not extract information through words alone.
The twitch of an eyebrow. The flutter of an eyelid. The dilation and contraction of pupils. The pitch of breathing.
I interrogate through every reaction the body reveals.
In truth, these are far more reliable than words. Instinctive responses are more honest than thoughts filtered through the mind.
Yet some attempt to deceive even these, which is why it was crucial to strip away rational thought and cloud the mind.
“I will simply ask you questions from this moment forward.”
I moved my hand from his head to his ear, then grasped it firmly and tore it away with force.
Crack!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
He clutched at his bleeding ear, releasing a harrowing scream. Yet it would never escape beyond these walls.
“But do not despair.”
I gazed down at him with an impassive expression.
“Once the interrogation is complete, I shall grant you the death you desire.”
* * *
After the interrogation concluded, I asked the Knight standing before the door to handle the cleanup.
The corpse in the courtyard was already being disposed of by the Knights anyway—one more body simply meant one more they would not find beforehand.
‘Just as in my past life, they depart tonight under the full moon to gather medicinal herbs.’
He indeed possessed knowledge of the Evil Book Society’s movements in this region.
Of course, even under torture, he had refused to answer my questions directly. It was no coincidence that he had served as an informant for the Evil Book Society.
– Have you learned the location of Sunlight Grass?
– …!
– You have. When do they move? Yesterday? Today? Tonight, then…. Just as anticipated.
I posed questions and observed his reactions. It was an interrogation method I could employ when I already possessed a certain degree of information.
“Kael! You’ve awakened!”
Mother’s face brightened as she discovered me wandering through the mansion corridor.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
Mother’s expression grew tender with concern as she gently touched my face—a warmth I might have lost forever.
I lightly grasped her hand.
“I am well. I simply needed rest and fell asleep.”
Dispatching two Apostles of the Evil Book Society with barely a scratch—I had fought efficiently.
Real combat isn’t decided by raw power alone. Technique, deception, provocation, and countless other factors determine victory and defeat.
Since I combined all of these elements, there was no need to stubbornly insist on a test of pure strength.
“You are formidable.”
Mother smiled brightly.
“But what I meant was whether your inner self is well.”
“My inner self?”
“When you returned to the mansion, I saw them—the enemies felled by your blade.”
Of course she would have seen them. The courtyard was scattered with corpses burned and cut down by my hand.
“I have no intention of criticizing your actions. Had you not done so, you would have been wounded, and you are no longer a child.”
“….”
“But do not become too indifferent to malice.”
Mother gazed into my eyes. Her gentle gaze seemed to penetrate even into my past life.
“I fear that you might come to see only the world’s malice. I did not bear you into this world merely to show you that….”
Mother was truly remarkable. Whenever I spoke with her, even the fiercely burning depths of my heart grew calm.
Perhaps I was remembering the warmth from a time when I had no thoughts at all.
“Do not worry, Mother.”
I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly.
“I am seeing other things clearly as well.”
In my past life, I may have lived surrounded by malice, contrary to Mother’s wishes—like a lost child wandering through thick fog without a destination.
But now it was different. In fact, I had grown so accustomed to goodness that I had nearly failed to recognize malice.
“Then I am relieved.”
Mother finally smiled with ease.
“Then I’ll head to the Office for a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
I made my way directly to the Office. Without knocking, I entered to find Aren and Father already there.
“Brother!”
“…You’re awake, Kael.”
I spoke up.
“How do you intend to conclude this matter, Father?”
There had been no damage beyond the Mansion itself. Yet the nearby residents would surely have sensed that something had transpired within these walls.
“We’ll tell the residents that we were attacked by bandits targeting our Family. We cannot afford to cause widespread panic.”
It was the approach I had intended to propose. Yet I hadn’t known whether Father would reach this judgment first, especially now with Sriben absent.
Father possessed such an upright nature that he even hesitated before uttering the smallest lie.
“And for the time being, the Holy Maiden and her Knights will remain here to observe the situation.”
With Arturo away as well, this was fortuitous. Now I could depart with even greater peace of mind.
“The enemies will likely grow in number as days pass. Not just the Evil Book Society, but others as well.”
“I’m aware.”
Father nodded.
“Still, you must walk your own path. I will ensure that your Family becomes no burden.”
“….”
“You are no longer the reckless fool of old, but a Heresy Inquisitor who bears responsibility for his own actions. And I am not merely a member of the Clergy, but the head of this Family Clan.”
Father regarded me with resolute eyes.
“Go. I will do everything in my power to protect this place.”
The atmosphere had shifted somehow. His nature remained unchanged, yet his judgment wavered not at all.
It seemed Sriben’s return to this place was no longer necessary.
“Yes.”
I nodded and opened my mouth.
“Aren.”
“…Yes?”
Aren, who had been casting his gaze downward, turned to look at me.
“Each person walks their own path. There is no shame in being unable to wield a sword.”
“….”
“But at the very least, you must be capable of protecting yourself.”
Aren, who had been listening quietly, swallowed hard. Then he nodded with resolute determination in his eyes.
“I will remember your words.”
“Good.”
I turned and left the office. Outside, others were waiting for me.
Rak and Rami handed me my freshly pressed priestly robes.
“Safe travels, Young Master!”
“Thank you.”
“Us too!”
They beamed with bright smiles. Those who saw that light in their eyes for the first time would never guess they were born in the Slums.
This time, Bella handed me my sword. I accepted it and fastened it to my waist.
“Bella, let’s go.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”
I watch for malice, yet never forget benevolence.
That is how I live as a Heretic Inquisitor.
(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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