The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 59

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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 59. Not Everyone Is Like That, Are They?

In the end, he chose to surrender Yang Gwang-cho and perish. There might have been a better way, but it was truly lamentable.

‘Now I have two Yang Gwang-chos.’

The aura they emanate is identical. Had I not glimpsed Sena’s future and released him, Yang Gwang-cho would have fallen into the Grand Inquisitor’s hands as originally planned.
The mere thought made my teeth chatter and my stomach ache.
My purpose was to disrupt their schemes and make the Evil Book Society choke on their own ambitions.

‘But with this, my peace of mind….’

Has returned somewhat. Rage will likely rear its head occasionally until I shatter the Evil Book Society with my own hands.
Having reached the pinnacle of wrath, I could control it, but I would not extinguish this small ember to prevent complacency from taking root.

‘Now then….’

I grasped both Yang Gwang-chos and stepped over the corpse on the ground. Then I set them down beneath a single shaft of moonlight streaming into the cave.

‘It would be wasteful to simply consume them as they are.’

Now I would begin the consecration—the act of dedicating objects to the Goddess.
However, there was one significant difference between the consecration of ordinary people and that of those who possessed divine power.

‘In the consecration of Holy Knights and Holy Maidens, the Goddess bestows her blessing upon the dedicated object.’

Of course, depending on the value of the dedicated object and the sincerity of the heart, blessings occasionally descended upon commoners as well, but such occurrences were exceedingly rare.

‘Conversely, objects offered by those with divine power are most often imbued with blessing.’

Yet even that required objects as precious as Yang Gwang-cho. Offering dung would only appear as mockery.
Yes. In truth, the Goddess was a rather materialistic being.

‘A jest, merely a jest.’

I glanced up at the moonlight and allowed myself a quiet laugh.

‘Not everyone is like that, is it? When someone shows genuine kindness or gifts something precious, one naturally wishes to repay them.’
“….”
‘Though my own heart may lack such sincerity, this is a rare and precious medicinal herb.’

I closed my eyes and pressed my palms together.

‘I, Kael Luminara, offer this most precious Yang Gwang-cho to the Goddess. Look upon the efforts of this humble lamb with compassion and bestow thy blessing.’
“….”
‘All of this is to protect the lambs struggling through this harsh world. My strength is but a terror to demons.’
“….”
‘I beseech thee, do not turn away from this resolve. Mother of mankind, she who stands above all others, gentle hand descending from the heavens, warm smile like a single ray of sunlight, that which no malice can obscure….’

Whoooosh—

Before my prayer could even finish, white light flickered across the Yang Gwang-cho.
It seemed my sincerity had reached the Goddess after all.

‘My gratitude.’

I held my palms together for a moment longer, then opened my eyes and grasped the two blessed Yang Gwang-cho.

‘The energy feels different now. Has its efficacy increased?’

Indeed, the effect of my prayer was remarkable.
With a subtle smile, I handed one Yang Gwang-cho to Bella. She accepted it carefully and reached toward the bag I was carrying.

“Don’t store it. You are to consume it.”
“Pardon? But I’m a mage, sir…”

Bella tilted her head in confusion.

“Regardless, you need a certain level of physical capability to keep pace with me. How long do you expect me to carry your bag?”
“Ah…”

Today alone, I had stopped several times waiting for Bella to catch up.
Today’s leisurely pace was manageable, but circumstances would surely differ later.

“But wouldn’t it be better if you consumed both, Interrogator? That would serve you better than me taking one.”

Normally, that would be the case. Bella is slow, but she follows along well enough on her own.

“If I consume two at once, my muscles will dissolve. The same herb must be taken with time between doses.”

Yang Gwang-cho strengthens muscle density. Since it carries the Goddess’s blessing, it would be at the level of upgrading from a wooden bowl to a stone one.
But if you try to cram more stone into the same space, eventually the bowl itself will shatter.

“However, I cannot simply store it away and consume it later either. Since it is no longer alive, its nutrients will leach away as time passes.”

If I had left it alive and returned later, that would have been fine. But I had already harvested it.
Still, I held no regrets. Had the one who fell from the cliff not discovered it, I would never have visited this place either.

“Aha!”
“So that belongs to you. A reward for falling so gracefully from the cliff.”
“It feels like I could do it twice more!”
“Good. Then consume the Yang Gwang-cho first, so you can survive if you happen to fall incorrectly.”
“Um…? Yes…?”

I set down the large bag and sat quietly on the ground. Bella followed and sat beside me.

“After consuming the Yang Gwang-cho, observe the energy spreading through your body. You must circulate it throughout to see its proper effects.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”

I placed the herb in my mouth and chewed it steadily, closing my eyes. Seeing this, Bella did the same.

“….”

Silence descends in an instant. The flowing water, the wind brushing past my ears, even Bella’s breathing—all fade away.
In that pure silence, I feel only the energy spreading through my entire body.
The energy dissolved in Yang Gwang-cho flows through me without restraint. I manipulate it, circulating it widely from the crown of my head to my fingertips, then to my toes.

Ssshhh—

Then the Yang Gwang-cho’s energy clings to various points, gradually tightening my muscles.
A sensation of being crushed spreads through my entire body. But it is a familiar pain, so I pay it no mind and focus solely on circulating the energy.
In my previous life, Marik was chasing me, so I wasted some of the herb’s energy.
But now, with no one threatening my life, I can feel it. Not a single drop of the herb’s energy is lost—my entire body absorbs it.
This is no mere illusion born from the Goddess’s blessing.

“….”

Having gathered all of Yang Gwang-cho’s essence into myself, I slowly opened my eyes.
Then I saw a man approaching from the riverbank, one arm hanging limply at his side.

– Found you, you bastard.

It was Marik—a malevolent specter born from the memories of my past life.
I clenched and unclenched my fist lightly. The power I felt was unmistakably different.

– …Did you consume it? Don’t tell me you devoured that Yang Gwang-cho?

Marik’s question upon seeing my transformed state.
I nodded. Just as before, I had seized and absorbed their Yang Gwang-cho.

“Are you dead?”

Marik offered no answer. His form simply dissipated like mist, that murderous glare fading with it.
He had already perished atop the cliff.

“Mm….”

A faint whimper escaped. Bella’s brow was deeply furrowed, cold sweat beading on her skin.
Of course—this pain was unfamiliar to her.

“Focus.”

I placed my index finger upon her creased brow. Her forehead eased slightly.

“Follow the flow of my holy power and circulate the Yang Gwang-cho’s essence through your body.”

I channeled my holy power into her form. It spiraled around her frame like an aura, and her mana and the Yang Gwang-cho’s essence followed in its wake.
As the pain intensified, Bella’s body flinched momentarily.

“Endure the pain. Suffering is fleeting, but growth is eternal.”

Bella’s breathing gradually steadied. Soon after, she exhaled deeply and opened her eyes.
She had perfectly absorbed the Yang Gwang-cho. I withdrew my hand and gestured toward a boulder the size of a bear.

“Enhance your body with mana and strike that boulder with your fist. Your body should be able to withstand it now, even without relying on your waist and lower body.”
“Yes.”

Bella nodded solemnly and positioned herself before the rock.
She took a deep breath, then drove her mana-reinforced fist into the boulder with a sharp cry.

CRASH!

The boulder shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.
I had anticipated the outcome, but Bella, genuinely astonished, bounced excitedly in place.

“Wow! Amazing!!”
“Now you’re beginning to keep pace.”

Bella whipped her head around and asked.

“If I can do this, how strong are you, Interrogator?”
“I am….”

At that moment, something descended rapidly from the sky. A massive eagle beast, drawn by the loud noise, plummeted toward us.
I lightly reinforced my fist with holy power, then struck the approaching eagle with the back of my hand.

WHOOSH!

The eagle flew backward and crashed into the wall, spraying crimson blood like paint. I flicked the blood from my hand.

“This is about all I can do.”

Bella’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow! That’s incredible!”
“I could do this much even before consuming Yang Gwang-cho.”

The difference now was that my enhanced physical capabilities meant I required less holy power than before.

“Still! You’ve grown even stronger!”
“Well, that much is true.”

I let out a slight chuckle and turned my steps toward the riverbank to wash the blood from my hand.

“Pack your things, Bella. We still have a long way to go.”

Yet I continued forward, one step after another. Sometimes slow as a Turtle, sometimes swift as a hare.
If I persisted, I would surely reach my destination someday.

“Yes!”

Of course, Bella, now bearing her shell upon her back, had become a Turtle once more.

* * *

‘It’s about time I heard something.’

Nemesio, the Grand Inquisitor of the Theocracy, waited for word.

‘We haven’t presented the Demon God with proper offerings lately. Before the Demon God loses interest in us, we must conduct the consecration ceremony.’

The consecration was a ritual that demonstrated how devoutly the Evil Book Society worshipped the Demon God.
Such an important ceremony demanded an offering of considerable worth.

‘Yang Gwang-cho would be a sufficiently worthy offering to present to the exalted Demon God.’

Without the Demon God’s favor, the Evil Book Society would lose all purpose. Through reverence and worship, we must capture the Demon God’s attention.
Only then could the Evil Book Society grow stronger beneath the Demon God’s grace.

Buzz—

The communication artifact chimed. It was the Informant who had reported Yang Gwang-cho’s location.

– Ah, Grand Inquisitor.
“Yes. Have you secured Yang Gwang-cho?”
– Well, that is….

As the Informant trailed off, Nemesio’s brow furrowed.

“What is the matter?”
– The ones I sent to retrieve Yang Gwang-cho haven’t reported back. So I went to the mountain where Yang Gwang-cho was supposed to be to investigate what happened….

The Informant swallowed hard and continued.

– They were all dead. Burned and bearing the marks of blade wounds.
“…All of them dead?”
– Ah, to be precise, I found no living souls. It appears roughly four of them fell over the cliff….
“What about Yang Gwang-cho?”
– He was nowhere to be found either. Though the traces suggest we did locate him.
“Is there any possibility that Kyodo Marik killed the others and fled to consume Yang Gwang-cho?”
– None. Marik’s corpse is here as well.

Besides, Marik wouldn’t have done something so foolish despite his stupidity.
Had he merely brought Yang Gwang-cho back, he could have become an Apostle.

– My suspicion is that someone pursued them and seized Yang Gwang-cho.
“That seems to be the only possibility.”
– Yes. And it appears to have been an overwhelmingly powerful presence. The Kyodo fled over the cliff, and Marik wore an expression of disbelief even as his neck was severed.

Marik ranked among the stronger Kyodo. He was no ordinary acolyte standing at the threshold of Apostlehood.
Yet someone overwhelmed him so completely….

‘Who could it possibly be?’

It seemed unlikely they would have leaked information about pursuing Yang Gwang-cho, and tracking them would hardly be simple.

‘Surely not….’

Suddenly, someone’s words echoed in Nemesio’s mind.

– Nemesio, you’ll hear some news soon that will delight you.

There was no evidence linking Kael Inquisitor to this incident. His Mansion had been attacked recently—how could he have pursued the Kyodo searching for Yang Gwang-cho?
Yet instinct whispered softly. The one who killed Marik and the Kyodo, who stole Yang Gwang-cho….

“Kael Inquisitor…!”

I clenched both fists until they trembled.
Kael knew the name of the Grand Inquisitor. He could very well have learned that Marik was searching for Yang Gwang-cho.

– Yes?

Nemesio responded through gritted teeth.

“No, it’s nothing. Let me investigate further for now.”
– Yes, Grand Inquisitor.

After ending the call, Nemesio ground his teeth together.

‘Is there a traitor within our ranks?’

It was possible.
While it seemed unlikely that the Apostles and Informants selected through such meticulous procedures would betray us, if there truly were a traitor among them, it would explain how Kael possessed such information.

‘Perhaps when he spoke of having eyes in the heavens, he meant there’s a traitor within our organization.’

Of course, that wasn’t what he meant at all. Kael simply possessed extensive knowledge.
But unaware of this truth, Nemesio rose from his seat with resolute determination.

‘I must conduct an internal inspection first.’

Kael’s actions had planted seeds of suspicion within the Evil Book Society. That distrust would gradually create fractures in the organization.
Of course, Kael was unaware of this.

(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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