The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 71

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 71. Who Loses?

After hastily completing his treatment, Arvin visited the Papal See. Before him sat the Cardinals and the Pope.
The Pope spoke.

“You’ve labored greatly in vanquishing Gluttony, one of the Five Great Calamities, Holy Knight Arvin. You’ve resolved a trial that has troubled us for years.”
“It was thanks to Kael Inquisitor and Bella. I merely assisted them.”
“How fortunate that they were nearby. Whether we call this chance or destiny….”
“Perhaps the predetermined fate itself has been twisted? Just as my eyes, which had been shut all this while, have finally opened.”

At that, everyone recalled the passage written in the Primordial Scripture. As a Holy Knight, Arvin was familiar with it as well.

「1-3. Kael, descendant of Luminara, is the one who proves that fate is not predetermined.
The sword that wandered the wasteland advances at last like a rhinoceros, and his blade is the hammer that changes destiny.」

The Pope held a faint smile.

“That may well be. In any case, we have no choice but to permit the Luminara Family to distribute supreme-grade magical stones throughout the Empire.”

The Pope turned to regard the Cardinals.

“Does anyone object?”
“None, Your Holiness.”

Of course, there were Cardinals who were displeased.
If supreme-grade magical stones were distributed throughout the Empire, the Luminara Family would find it far easier to utilize magical artifacts.
Yet none dared voice opposition to the condition the Pope had set forth.
Above all, the defeat of one of the Five Great Calamities was an achievement no one could deny.

“Come to think of it, we were also deceived. I truly believed Holy Knight Arvin had established that village for the purpose of reformation, yet I never suspected it was to lure out Gluttony.”

The Cardinals concurred with the Pope’s words.

“Indeed, it may be a harsher punishment than mere execution.”
“Yet thanks to that, we subjugated Gluttony, did we not? After all, they were criminals as well.”
“However, had Kael Inquisitor not been present, we would have lost both the village and Arvin. We can only call it fortunate.”
“The problem is that even the criminal’s corpse vanished, so we cannot tell whether he escaped or perished.”
“We have issued warnings to the nearby territories and villages, but no particular news has reached us thus far.”

Arvin lowered his head.

“I apologize. I will accept any punishment for this matter.”
“Punishment, you say….”

The Pope stroked his chin.

“To be honest, it is somewhat difficult for us to impose any punishment upon you, Holy Knight Arvin. Even if the pretext was a false justification to create bait, in reality, many of the criminals genuinely repented and were reformed.”

Approximately three hundred criminals had been gathered in one place for several years, yet not a single murder occurred, nor did even one attempt to escape.
It was a remarkable achievement, even if the more hardened criminals were dragged away to the Papal See before reaching the village.

“If there is any sin upon you, Holy Knight Arvin, it would be only in mocking them. However, that is not something that can be resolved by us imposing punishment, nor does it violate any law.”

The Pope regarded Arvin.

“Thus I ask: what do you wish to do regarding this matter, Holy Knight Arvin?”
“You entrust the choice to me?”
“Because it is a path you have chosen of your own volition.”

Arvin pondered briefly before answering.

“For now, I wish to continue my duties as a Holy Knight. I do not wish to squander this power the Goddess has granted me.”
“We would ask nothing less. It would be a waste to leave such talent idle.”
“Thank you. And I wish to establish another village to reform criminals.”

The Pope’s gaze deepened.

“Is this sincere this time?”
“Yes. However, unlike before, I will deliver those criminals who have already crossed the line too far to the Papal See.”
“What is your standard for that line?”
“I shall judge it myself. For now, I have eyes to see.”

The Pope nodded.

“Then let us proceed. Since there is already a precedent for success, there should be no issue.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness. There may be villagers who fled, so I plan to search for them while undertaking various missions.”
“They may be dead or have escaped. You might never find a single one in your lifetime.”
“That is my sin for mocking them. It is also the only way I can erase my guilt.”
“So it is not merely for their sake, but for yourself as well?”
“Yes.”

The Pope smiled faintly upon seeing Arvin’s resolute gaze.

“I hope you find strength for the long road ahead. I shall be watching.”
“I am deeply grateful for your consideration, Your Holiness.”

As Arvin bowed respectfully, the Pope spoke.

“First, provide me with the personal details of these individuals. We must also keep records of the criminals.”
“Yes.”

Arvin continued.

“Kor, Silte….”

Arvin recited the villagers’ names one by one.
The Pope had meant for him to provide the details later, but the Cardinals began writing down the names as they were listed.
After Arvin finally called out the last name, he spoke.

“I will send the detailed personal information in written form at a later date.”
“Very well.”

Suddenly, Cardinal Gregory asked.

“But what was your impression of Kael Inquisitor, whom you encountered? I mean in overall terms. As you know, he stands at the center of turbulent events.”

Arvin smiled faintly.

“Encountered, you say….”
“Ah, my apologies. I did not mean it in that way.”
“No, it is simply unfamiliar to receive such consideration.”

Arvin gazed at Cardinal Gregory.

“Then allow me to speak of Kael Inquisitor as I witnessed him.”

Kael carries himself with confidence and roughness, yet his martial prowess is undeniably formidable—so much so that even a Holy Knight wielding divine power would be an extraordinary achievement.
But because I had made a promise with Kael, I could not mention that he was a Holy Knight.
Perhaps his concealment of this fact stemmed from the scripture: “One of the blessed Holy Knights shall betray.”
Of course, having already accumulated numerous accomplishments and now having felled one of the Five Great Calamities, there would be little harm in revealing it.
Yet the fact that he continues to hide it even now suggested there was a reason Arvin did not know.
So I decided to speak only of what I had truly ‘witnessed.’
So Arvin decided to be honest and only reveal what he had actually “seen.”

“When I opened my eyes, it was just….”

The sacred power that painted colors onto a darkened world. The black priest’s vestments standing before me. And the tremendous attack that swept through Gluttony.

There was a miracle there.

Cardinal Gregory’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
Gregory’s eyes filled with bewilderment.

“Yes. What I witnessed that day was only that, so I cannot speak further.”
“….”
“Then may I take my leave?”
“Then, may I take my leave now?”

As Arvin shifted his gaze, the Pope nodded.

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
Thank you, Your Majesty.

Now it was time to face the world with these eyes that Kael had restored to me.
Now it was time to face the world with these two eyes that Kael had restored to me.

* * *

I returned to Luminara Mansion for now. It was because Father said he had something to give me.

“Take it. It’s the diary of the previous head of the family… no, the head of the clan.”

Father handed me an old, weathered tome.

“Sriben discovered it in a small secret vault belonging to Baron Scalen.”

My uncle’s diary in Baron Scalen’s possession? That made no sense whatsoever.
Our estates were adjacent, so they’d naturally known each other, but would they have exchanged diaries?

“You’re confused too, aren’t you? I’ve already skimmed through it, but I couldn’t find any meaningful connection between them.”
“Let me examine it myself.”

My uncle—the previous patriarch of the Luminara Family, Alderian Luminara.
Roughly eleven years ago, when I was ten, he was slain by a demon, and my father, who was a clergyman, naturally became the head of the Luminara Family.
However, we never discovered the identity of the beast that murdered my uncle. We only assumed it was a demon because faint traces of demonic and magical blood lingered at the scene.

– Haha! Kael, I’m stepping out for a bit. Make sure you and the family eat well while I’m gone!

He departed with those words, but he never returned to the mansion.
It was quite a shock to me. Though it wasn’t widely known, my uncle had been stronger than I am now at that time.

‘Which means the demon that killed my uncle couldn’t have been the demonized Baron Scalen.’

In my previous life, I’d defeated him even before obtaining the Sword of Joy, so my uncle would never have fallen to him.
The demon that slew my uncle must have been far more formidable than most demons.

‘Even in my previous life, I found no substantial information about my uncle.’

Well, I’ll understand more once I examine the diary.

「Year 289 of the Theocratic Calendar, January 1st.
Rumors have spread throughout the Theocracy that the Saint of Foresight was devoured by a demon.
For her, who could see the future, to fall to a demon… Just how powerful could that demon be?
My mood is foul. I’ll drink instead.」

Based on the date, this was written roughly half a year before my uncle’s death.
The Saint of Foresight mentioned here was naturally not Sena, but the previous Saint of Foresight.

「Theocratic Calendar Year 289, January 29th.
Benedick is far too rigid. Today I heard him grumbling again about how the family head does nothing but drink.
Then why doesn’t he become the family head himself? Why become clergy instead? Tsk.
I find it far more comfortable to crush demon skulls than to hold a pen.」

My uncle would occasionally leave to hunt demons even after becoming family head, whenever his body grew restless.
This despite lacking the holy power necessary to suppress a demon’s regeneration.

「Theocratic Calendar Year 289, February 15th.
Benedick and Lillian Luminara make a truly fitting pair. Kael and Aren are such adorable brats as well.
Ah, though I suppose I need to think more carefully about that Kael fellow….
Damn it, my head. Why are all the men in this family so stubborn?
Still, seeing their smiles brings me peace. I swear I will protect your family.」

So pretending not to be in pain back then had worked.
After that, I skimmed through the rest of the diary, but there was nothing particularly notable for several months. Most of it was mundane daily affairs.

「Theocratic Calendar Year 289, April 4th.
The atmosphere around the territory feels ominous. Not a single monster appears anywhere. It’s not as though I’ve slaughtered them all.
This is the perfect chance—I’ll leave the family head duties to Benedick and take a trip!
If I mention it beforehand, he’ll refuse. But if I leave first, there’s nothing he can do about it. After all, it’s always easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission.」

That day was when my uncle left the mansion. It wasn’t merely a casual outing for a change of scenery.
When I turned the next page, the date had changed drastically, with no sign of pages being torn out.
Below the date was blank space, and beneath that, words were written.

「Theocratic Calendar Year 289, June 6th.

I do not seek forgiveness. I am merely doing what must be done.
I do not wish for the truth to be known. For after this, everything will be finished.
But should I fail against all odds, I leave this record behind.
Of course, this record itself will be meaningless unless one reaches a realm similar to mine.」

The diary ended there. Father asked me.

“Kael, do you understand what that means?”

I could not interpret the words written below. But this silence—I understood it.

– Kael. You were born deficient. How could such a wretch come from Benedick….
– Deficient?
– Haha. Yes, I am too. You’re still young and wouldn’t understand, but our darkness spreads swiftly and easily. And precisely because of that, it’s also simple to find the genuine light that doesn’t yield to darkness.

My Uncle let blood seep from his index finger, dripping it drop by drop onto the paper.
Then the unmarked portions became distinct, and the word “light” took form.

– Kael. Behold the light within darkness.

I drew my blade slightly from its sheath, pricked my index finger, and let blood drip onto the blank spaces of the diary.
As the blood spread across the pages, words gradually became visible.

「Follow the traces of my blade.」

Father’s eyes widened.

“What is this…?”
“It’s a method my Uncle and I used for secret conversations without your knowledge, Father. He subtly twisted the paper with his mana so that blood would seep only into specific areas.”
“Then why not use water?”
“Because it relies on the mana contained within blood. We wouldn’t be so careless.”
“Ha, quite proud of yourselves.”
“Heh, thanks to that, we were never caught once.”
….

Baron Scalen must have possessed this for some reason, but no matter what he attempted, he couldn’t have uncovered anything.
Once blood was dripped upon it, the diary would be irreversibly altered.
Father exhaled a long sigh and asked.

“So, do you understand what this means?”
“I don’t know the details, but I suspect we’ll need to return to the place where my Uncle died to find out.”

More precisely, to where my Uncle’s final blade marks remained.

“I see. But why did Baron Scalen have this diary?”

I suddenly recalled the words Baron Scalen had left behind just before his death.

– Your Family… was not merely my personal greed….

At the time, I thought he was merely spouting nonsense to pique my curiosity.
Even when I had dismantled the Evil Book Society in my previous life, I had never heard such information.
But since our Family had already been annihilated in my past life, I realized there might be aspects unknown to me.

“Perhaps… our Family may have been targeted from quite some time ago.”
“Our Family? Was this land so coveted?”
“It seems there must be a reason far more important than that.”

I handed the diary to Bella. She sealed it in her pocket and carefully placed it in her bag.

“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Be cautious.”

I did not respond to Father’s words, instead adjusting my sword as I left the office.
Even if there were others besides the Evil Book Society targeting us, it mattered little.

Crack—

I would destroy them all with my own hands anyway.

(Continued in the next chapter)

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————