The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 7

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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 7. How Peculiar.

On our way to the mansion, we stopped at a place where a scarecrow in tattered clothing came into view.
The ox pulling the cart had grown weary, and we had business to attend to.
The dark sky had begun to shimmer with the faint light of dawn.
It was the hour when diligent farmers stirred to life.

“Young Master? What brings you to these parts again?”

The Farmer who had given me the straw hat approached.

“I’ve finished my business and am returning to the mansion. Unfortunately, the straw hat did not make the journey back with me. But fear not—it fulfilled its purpose admirably.”
“I see….”

I reached into a pouch on the cart and withdrew a handful of silver coins, offering them to him.
One gold coin equaled a commoner’s monthly wage, and ten silver coins made one gold coin—this too was considerable wealth.

“Take it.”
“This is?”
“Payment for the straw hat. Use it to buy the scarecrow new clothes as well. You’ve worked tirelessly, watching over the fields day and night to keep the birds at bay.”
“But this seems far too generous.”
“Don’t refuse. Instead, bring us some water and food. At this rate, our ox will perish.”

I gestured toward Sriben sprawled upon the ground.

“Of course.”

The Farmer returned with bread and water, and we settled down to eat.
Sriben, devouring his food ravenously, spoke.

“Young Master, I’ve realized something for certain this time. I’m simply not built for physical labor.”
“You can’t know that yet. Everything is difficult at first. This is your first time pushing your body to its limits.”

I pointed toward the Farmer, who was leveling the earth with a hoe.

“That farmer probably struggled to wake up early at first, let alone plow the fields. But through sheer determination to survive, he’s grown accustomed to it.”
“However, I’m confident in using my mind rather than my body.”
“That’s something we’ll discover with time.”

Sriben, who had been staring intently at me, adjusted his glasses.

“Young Master, the truth is, before I was captured by Baron Scalen….”
“Stop.”

I cut off Sriben’s words.

“Your past doesn’t matter to me right now. More importantly, I can’t be certain whether it’s even true, and that uncertainty clouds my judgment.”
“….”
“I will judge you only by who you become from this moment forward. I’ll hear your past only when you no longer appear to be an operator of the Pleasure District. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Finish eating and let’s go. We don’t have much time left, so we’ll arrive before the sun fully rises.”
“Yes.”

The Farmer approached us then.

“Young Master, are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Please come again.”

The Farmer bowed respectfully.
In my past life, the residents had never even spoken those words to me in jest.
Without saying it outright, their eyes had always been filled with nothing but discomfort.
I had killed the wicked ones just as I did in my past life, so what was different?
It didn’t seem to be simply because I had given them money.
My head was beginning to ache, so I decided to ponder this later.

“I will come again.”
“Yes. Please travel safely.”

I nodded and climbed onto the cart.
Sriben, witnessing this, asked in bewilderment.

“Could I pull it harder?”
“If you don’t want to die, you’d better pull.”
“Ah….”

As Sriben hesitated, I settled onto the cart and observed the Farmer.

“Listen here.”
“Yes?”

I pointed at Sriben.

“Don’t you need an ox to plow the fields? If you want him, take him. He talks a lot, but if you beat him, he’ll work hard.”

Sriben quickly grasped the cart’s handle.

“I shall depart.”
“Wow, an ox that understands human speech….”
“Moooo….”

The cart rapidly disappeared from the fields.

* * *

Upon returning to the mansion, my Parents and Aren awaited me in the Garden.
As I descended from the cart, Father inquired.

“I heard from Aren that you’ve gone on a pilgrimage again—what are all these things?”

Father alternated his gaze between the cart laden with treasures and the ox sprawled on the ground.
Mother was offering water to the struggling ox.

“You can hear the details from him.”

At that moment, Sriben, who had been quenching his thirst, approached Father, knelt, and confessed.
How he had operated the Pleasure District in secret without the family head’s knowledge at Baron Scalen’s behest, and how it had all burned away at my hands, and so forth….

“Moreover, it was Baron Scalen who spread the plague half a year ago to sabotage the harvest….”

Upon hearing the account, Father stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I always felt something off whenever we met, and now I see you harbored such dark intentions behind that smiling face.”

I nodded in acknowledgment.

“I’m quite the villain, aren’t I?”
“But Kael.”
“Yes, Father.”
“As far as I know, you’ve caused many incidents over the years, but you’ve never taken anyone’s life until now.”
“That’s correct.”
“Yet from what I’ve heard, it seems you killed everyone at that place. Most people would hesitate to take a life. Did something happen during your pilgrimage that changed this?”

His tone wasn’t accusatory—it was laced with concern.

“You could say that.”
“I see….”

Father smiled bitterly as he regarded me.

“Kael.”
“Yes.”

I braced myself for the lecture I knew would follow. The Father in my memories had always been principled and upright.
But….

“You’ve endured much.”
“Pardon?”
“What? Did you think I would rebuke you for this?”

As I nodded, Father continued.

“Had you left those men alive, our people and territory would have faced far greater danger. You simply did what I should have done myself. If anything, I should be thanking you for this.”
“I see.”
“However….”

Father fixed his gaze upon me.

“Why did you leave without my permission?”

At that question, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Father.”
“Yes?”
“Have I ever acted with your permission?”
“….”

Father closed his mouth, visibly impressed.
Mother and Aren, standing nearby, interjected.

“That’s true, dear.”
“When he left on his pilgrimage, he didn’t even leave a letter behind.”

I nodded in agreement.

“It’s rather presumptuous of you to ask now, Father.”

Father pressed his throbbing temple and exhaled deeply.

“That aside, why did you bring that man here? I hear he was running the Pleasure District at Baron Scalen’s behest.”
“Ah, I thought he’d be useful as a Treasurer, so I brought him along.”
“A Treasurer?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm….”

Father considered Sriben thoughtfully.

“Baron Luminara.”

Sriben quickly seized the opportunity to speak.

“This territory lacks a proper reporting system relative to its size. The evidence is that you were unaware of the Pleasure District’s operations until now.”
“Indeed. I only heard rumors of unsavory establishments sprouting up here and there.”
“Therefore, I suggest dividing the territory into districts and appointing a leader for each.”
“A leader?”

Sriben nodded.

“Yes. That way, you can easily identify any problems in each district and assess the state of the harvest.”
“Hmm, that certainly makes sense.”
“Frankly, the Luminara Territory has tremendous potential. That’s precisely why Baron Scalen has his eyes on it.”

Father, who had been pondering deeply, finally spoke.

“But here’s the thing.”
“Yes.”
“Can I trust you? As Treasurer, you won’t just handle the Territory’s finances—you’ll be managing several critical operations.”
“That is….”

Sriben, who had been running his mouth at length until now, fell silent.
Father, observing him carefully, nodded.

“Well, fine. There’s no money going in anyway, so I can afford to watch for a while. Kael may be reckless, but he doesn’t act without reason.”
“Th-thank you so much!”

Sriben’s face brightened as he rose from his seat and bowed deeply.
Watching him, I thought to myself: that man is the type who’ll survive anywhere, no matter what.
But truthfully, I knew Father would accept him. Father is almost painfully virtuous.
Perhaps all the darkness Father carries was born into me instead….
I sighed and headed toward the mansion.

“Sriben, come inside. I have questions for you.”
“Yes, Young Master.”

I lifted my head suddenly beneath the blazing sunlight. I had returned safely to the mansion by morning, as promised to Aren.

“Mission accomplished….”

Aren was hurrying along behind me.

* * *

The next day.
Benedick received various pieces of advice from Sriben regarding the management of the Territory.

‘He certainly seems capable.’

It was no coincidence that Baron Scalen had entrusted Sriben with running the Pleasure District.
If Sriben worked diligently as Treasurer, the Territory’s situation would improve, even if only slightly.
Of course, I would need to observe him more before fully trusting him.

‘Ever since Kael returned from his pilgrimage half a year ago, something about him has changed.’

For one, his madness seems to have grown even deeper.
Where once I could predict his actions to some degree, now I cannot fathom where he might leap next.
Moreover, his martial prowess has become incomparably stronger than before.
Otherwise, he could never have returned so unscathed from the Pleasure District, the very den of our enemies.

‘The concern is that such power might flow in the wrong direction, but the fortunate thing is that he still thinks of the Family Clan and his own family.’

The Kael of old seemed as though he would abandon his nest and family in an instant if it meant pursuing freedom.
But the Kael of now was clearly observing those around him—like an eagle perched high, watching others below.
Was this merely my imagination?

‘I pray he does not stray too far.’

I could not know what had transpired during his pilgrimage that compelled him to pray to the Goddess, nor why he had changed so drastically.
Benedick had not pressed him for details, and Kael had not volunteered the information himself.
Benedick could only wait for the day when Kael would choose to speak of it.

“Ah, Father!”

Just then, Aren burst through the office door.
It seemed like there had always been days like this. Benedick paid it no mind and asked simply.

“What is it, barging in without so much as a knock?”
“S-sir, please look at this.”

Aren approached and handed over a letter.
Benedick tilted his head in confusion as he scanned its contents, which read as follows.

「Everyone… I, Kael Luminara, am departing for the Capital of the Holy Nation.
I shall return as the Family Clan’s prodigal son, a proud Heresy Inquisitor.」

Benedick blinked for a long moment before finally speaking.

“A Heresy Inquisitor?”

Heresy Inquisitor.
An organization that punishes those who persecute followers of the Ella Faith or bring harm to the Theocracy and The Continent.
While they hold the rank of priest in the clergy, they possess authority that makes even high-ranking nobles tremble.

“Why would you want that?”

Surely Kael wasn’t actually trying to become a true follower of the Ella Faith? Even with how much he’d changed, he wasn’t the type for that.
But if that wasn’t it, then what reason could Kael possibly have for becoming a Heresy Inquisitor?
Wait… could there be another reason?

“No, this can’t be!”

A sudden realization struck Benedick, and he bolted from his seat.

“Not him! If he becomes a Heresy Inquisitor…!”

Kael’s overflowing madness. The formidable authority of a Heresy Inquisitor.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen if those elements combined.
Benedick clutched his head before suddenly whipping it around.

“Aren! Where is Kael right now?”
“I… I’m not entirely sure either. There was only that letter in his empty room…”
“Ah…”

Benedick’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor.

“Oh, Father…”
“How could this happen…”

I had forgotten. That even an eagle is ultimately a bird capable of flying anywhere.
One that could soar far beyond most birds of prey at that.

“It’s already too late…”

Once that madman took flight…
Benedick could only wait for Kael to return of his own accord.

(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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