The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 62

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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 62. Welcome Back, Senior.

A night steeped in profound darkness. From the heavens, torrential rain fell without mercy.
Bern, a man with his robe pulled deep over his head, trudged through the relentless downpour along the roadside.

‘My scar throbs every time it rains.’

Bern touched the scarred tissue that marred one side of his face.
Thirty years ago, while pursuing a Mage—a remnant of a Demon from the Theocracy—he had earned this wound.
That day too, rain had poured down relentlessly like this.

‘At last, I can atone for that day.’

After that day, Bern had voluntarily relinquished his position as a Heresy Inquisitor to capture the Mage he had let slip away.
How could a Heresy Inquisitor—the Goddess’s hammer meant to strike down Demons—have allowed even a Demon’s remnant to escape?
Such a person as himself did not deserve the title of Heresy Inquisitor.

‘So I have grown stronger all these years, pursuing him to repent before the Goddess.’

For a full thirty years, no less.

‘Thanks to that, I finally found his whereabouts.’

The wretch had fled the Theocracy to the Empire and become a reasonably renowned artificer of magical artifacts.
More than that—while Bern had been floundering in that moment, the wretch had built a family as if nothing had happened.

‘Demon’s blood. I must kill them all.’

Bern scratched at his itching scar.
In truth, he knew it himself. This wasn’t merely atonement before the Goddess, but also vengeance against the wretch who had stolen one of his eyes and lived in peace.

‘This time, I will not let him escape.’

Bern stopped walking and stood before a small Mansion. It was where Arsein and his family were staying.
Arsein had likely grown attached to this place over the years.
Bern scratched his scar fiercely. Something boiled within his chest, so he clasped his hands together and prayed.

‘Goddess, I am unworthy, yet at last the day of atonement for that sin has arrived. Please bear witness to what unfolds.’

Bern then leaped lightly over the Mansion’s iron bars. A dog, sensing the intrusion, barked sharply in his direction.

‘…A sinner keeps a hound, does he.’

Bern stared at the dog barking loudly through the rain, then drew his blade with a casual motion.
A torrent of azure sword energy poured forth, rushing toward the beast.

Crash!

Yet the sword energy never reached the dog. A translucent barrier materialized from nowhere, intercepting the blade’s force.

“What vagrant crawled out of the gutter? Trying to harm someone else’s pup?”

Following the voice, an Old Man stood at the Building’s entrance.
Bern let out a soft laugh and removed his robe.

“Time has passed, it seems. Look at us both—aged like this.”

A flash of lightning illuminated his face for an instant. It was a middle-aged visage with sparse whiskers.
Bern touched the corner of one eye, regarding Arsein.

“Do you remember this scar? Born from your wicked sorcery.”

Arsein’s wide eyes narrowed as he nodded slowly.

“I do indeed. You were a youth then, I recall.”
“And now you’ve become a decrepit old man.”

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

“So why seek me out after thirty years? Surely you haven’t come to make peace.”
“Peace?”

Bern erupted into bitter laughter.

“Your wit has grown sharper with the years. I’ve come to atone—for that day, for allowing the Demon’s remnants to escape.”

Arsein ground his teeth and shot back.

“Why am I a remnant of a Demon? I have committed no crime in the Theocracy.”
“You were born with a Demon’s talents. And you had the audacity to bear children without understanding your place. That itself is an unforgivable sin.”
“Shut your mouth!!”

Arsein’s roar pierced through the sound of rain and echoed across the space.

“I have caused no harm to anyone! I merely cherished the talents I possessed and shared them with those around me!”

The reason Arsein had been seized by Bern was because I had used the magical artifacts I created to help others.
Word of this naturally spread until it reached the ears of Bern, who had once been a Heresy Inquisitor.

“How can you condemn me as a Demon! I am merely a human with talents different from yours!”

Arsein poured out emotions he had suppressed all this time. He was one who had to leave his homeland simply because he was a Mage.

“Hah, pathetic. A creature born of Demon blood daring to call himself human.”

Bern twisted his lips into a sneer.

“You should never have been born in the first place. If you had any shame, you should have taken your own life the moment you realized you could wield magic.”
“You bastard….”
“Now that I think about it, your parents are also to blame. Giving birth to and raising such a creature….”
“Shut that mouth of yours!!”

Arsein thrust both hands forward, unleashing a torrent of flame. Seeing this, Bern swung a sword wreathed in azure mana.
That alone was enough to extinguish Arsein’s fire.

“You’ve grown stronger than thirty years ago. But not enough to match me.”

When Bern had fired his blade energy at the dog, had he infused it with more mana, it could not have been blocked.
While Arsein had abandoned all his past and built affection anew, Bern had been dwelling on the memories of that day.

“I will trample every seed you have sown. I will make you pay the price for daring to live as human when born of Demon blood.”

Bern kicked off the ground. His form instantly tore through the air.
Arsein, his lips trembling, drew something round from his bosom and hurled it.
The moment Bern sneered dismissively and severed it—

Whoooosh!

Black mist erupted across the Manor Courtyard in an instant, a defensive artifact meant to escape from the intruder.

“…How pathetic.”

Bern paused, unable to see his surroundings, and clicked his tongue. He was compensating for his insufficient magical prowess with artifacts.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Something surged through the rain and mist—sharp icicles. I sensed them rushing toward me.
Bern relied on his instincts to deflect every single icicle. No matter how obscured his vision, he could handle magic of this caliber.
But the assault did not end there.
Something round rolled toward Bern’s feet.

‘A bomb?’

Bern flinched and quickly retreated.
He had heard tales of mana bombs—magical artifacts infused with mana that detonate—existing in the Empire.
But Bern, who had already swung his sword to block the icicles, could not create distance.
Brilliant light flared from the artifact as the compressed mana burst forth.

Crackle-crackle-crack!

Yet contrary to Bern’s expectations, yellow lightning engulfed his body. The shock caused him to shudder before he dispersed it with his mana.
The attack stung, but it lacked the force to kill.

“…So I’m being underestimated, am I?”

Bern ground his teeth.

“Have you forgotten that your magic took my eye?”

The fool was laughable.
In the past, when Bern’s hand had nearly touched his back, Arsein had turned and detonated his mana.
That blast had blinded Bern’s left eye and left an indelible scar across his face.
And now this wretch dared show mercy to someone stronger than himself?

“Don’t mock me, you demonic bastard!!”

Bern caught a glimpse of Arsein from the corner of his vision. The heavy rain had caused the mist to dissipate more rapidly.
Bern’s form pierced through the fog. Arsein, startled, unfurled a defensive barrier before him.

Clang!

Yet the barrier shattered instantly upon contact with Bern’s blade. The recoil sent Arsein’s body hurtling through the air.
Arsein crashed against a mansion pillar, blood spilling from his lips. Bern approached the slumped figure.

“Now you mimic humanity? You, born a Demon?”

Arsein, breathing heavily, watched Bern draw closer. The scars Arsein’s magic had carved into Bern were grotesque.

“I never intended to take your eyes… I merely wanted to prevent you from pursuing me….”
“Only the strong can afford compassion.”
“Back then, I was the strong one….”
“You….”

Bern, standing before Arsein, ground his fury between his teeth.

“How long will you keep pretending to be human? Do you truly believe such pretense will make you one?”

Those words stirred forgotten memories within Arsein.
The moment those around him learned he could wield magic, they whispered that he was a Demon’s remnant.
Yet Arsein harbored no hatred toward them. They simply did not yet understand magic’s true nature.

– Come, everyone, try these!

So he crafted magical artifacts to aid them. In time, they became his companions and allies.
Some even apologized for their past careless words, admitting they had simply not understood true magic as he did.
There, Arsein harbored hope—that one day these artifacts would transform how people perceived magic.

– Are you the one who created this artifact?

But that hope shattered the moment a Heretic Inquisitor arrived.
He branded Arsein a heretic for merely wielding magic and sought to execute him.
Thus Arsein abandoned his modest dream and fled.
He had not known then that this curse would follow him to this very day.

“…Because I wanted to live as human.”

Blood and tears streamed from the corners of Arsein’s eyes, mingling together.

“Even though I was born a Demon, I believed that one day I would become human….”
“….”
“That’s why I fled…. In the Theocracy, I may have been a Demon, but here I could live as a human….”

Arsein looked up at Bern.

“And I have already achieved that dream…. I obtained a respectable profession and built a family…. But you remain as pathetic as ever….”
“Shut your mouth!!”

Bern spat out his words with venom.

“You’re no different than thirty years ago! If anything, you’ve only grown uglier with age!”

Bern raised his blade high. His sword rippled with furious blue mana.

“And this is your pathetic end.”

The blade descended faster than the rain falling from the heavens. Yet as it bore down upon him, Arsein’s lips curved upward into a smile.
He had clearly lost, yet somehow he felt satisfied. Seeing Bern’s face, he realized his life had not been so bad after all.
The blue blade was about to sever Arsein’s neck.

“Your stubbornness ends here.”

Clang!

A man appeared from nowhere with those quiet words, intercepting Bern’s blade. He then deflected the blue sword and swung a blade wreathed in flames.
Bern’s eyes widened in shock as he was forced to stumble backward.

“….”

A man now stood before Arsein. The flames dancing along his blade did not extinguish even in the fierce downpour.

“Thank you, Kael. For honoring my unreasonable request….”

Arsein had asked Kael to let him face Bern alone, promising to pay any price for this favor.
This was a matter he should have settled thirty years ago.
But he had failed spectacularly.

“Well, he did push himself at that age.”
“…I see.”

At Arsein’s unchanging response, I let out a short chuckle.

“That bastard is far stronger than he was thirty years ago. I haven’t neglected my own training, but still….”
“Your magic and magical artifacts aren’t tools designed to kill people.”

Had Arsein truly resolved to take a life, the outcome would have been different.
I knew well the danger of the magical artifacts he had created in my previous life.
In fact, it was Arsein—consumed by rage after his wife and son were murdered—who had killed Bern in my past life. No mere guard could have stood against Bern.

“Can I leave the rest to you? I’ll pay the price in full.”
“Don’t worry. Slaying the wicked is my specialty.”

I turned my gaze from Arsein and fixed it upon Bern. At my reckless bearing, Arsein felt oddly reassured.
Bern’s eyes wavered as he took in my attire.

“…A Heretic Inquisitor of the Theocracy?”

I greeted him by flicking my blade.

“Pleased to meet you, Senior. I am Kael, the newly appointed Heretic Inquisitor.”
“Why are you in the Zarkan Empire?”
“I heard rumors of heretics in this place, so I came to slay them.”

I stood before the wounded Arsein. Bern’s brow furrowed.

“Are you shielding that bastard?”
“Fortunately, it seems you haven’t yet succumbed to the weakness of age, Senior.”
“Why would a Heretic Inquisitor of the Theocracy shield a Mage?”
“I’m not shielding the Mage. I’m simply preventing a fanatic from murdering an innocent.”
“Hah.”

Bern let out a hollow laugh.

“Have you lost your mind?”

I nodded.

“I keep my mind elsewhere. Otherwise, it’s difficult to converse with a fool like you, senior.”
“…What?”
“Your parents gave birth to you as human, yet why did you become a Demon? You weren’t always this foolish from birth, were you?”

Bern clenched his teeth.

“Don’t spout nonsense with that loose mouth of yours, junior Kael.”
“Juniors learn from their seniors. If the senior is splashing about in muddy waters, how can the junior not dive in? I’ll have to play by smashing the senior’s head into the ground.”

Kael’s hair was soaked with rain, clinging haphazardly to his face. Between those strands, his eyes gleamed with an icy, sinister light.
Bern spoke, suppressing his fury.

“You speak as though you know me, but I abandoned the position of Heresy Inquisitor long ago. That means we are no longer in a senior-junior relationship to be having this conversation.”

Bern lowered his stance, gripping a sword wreathed in swirling blue mana.

“Step aside. Unless you wish to throw away your promising future.”

Kael was strong for his youth. His power would certainly be useful to the Goddess, so I had no desire to kill him if I could help it.
Though he now harbored the remnants of a Demon, such foolishness could gradually change with time.

“Ah, I see….”

Kael murmured, his head slightly bowed.

“So we were never in a senior-junior relationship….”

Kael appeared to be standing there like a preserved painting, motionless. Only the flames dancing across his blade wavered with the rain and wind.
But in the next instant, his form vanished from that spot.
Bern, who had honed his martial skills for thirty years to capture Arsein, lost sight of him.
When Bern caught sight of him again, Kael was already upon him.

“…!”

With an expressionless face, Kael brought his flaming blade down like a thunderbolt.
Bern hastily raised his sword to intercept the trajectory.

Crash!

The sword carried tremendous force through the air. Bern couldn’t withstand the full brunt of the blade and was sent flying through empty space.
His body tumbled across the ground several times, and covered in dust from head to toe, Bern lifted his head with a startled expression.

“What in the….”

Bern had devoted thirty years to rigorous training.
Though he hadn’t engaged in the fierce battles against heretics like during his time as a Heresy Inquisitor, and despite losing one eye to Arsein, he was far from weak.
In fact, he was confident he surpassed most opponents.
Yet a single strike from this young Heresy Inquisitor had driven him back so decisively. Such a gap in power would be impossible to explain otherwise.

*Gulp.*

Sensing something amiss, Bern swallowed hard. In his vision stood Kael, gazing down at him with serene indifference.

“Then there’s no need for courtesy, is there.”

Those were the words of a Heresy Inquisitor who had already cast all pretense of civility into the abyss.

(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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