The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 75

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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 75. Then let me ask again.

We arrived in Milheim City over the course of two days.
If the distance had been greater, word of Rorik’s failure might have reached the higher-ups, but fortunately it wasn’t far enough for that.
I dressed in plain clothes worn over my priestly robes to keep them hidden.
Since I didn’t know the exact location of Braeot Research Institute, I needed to gather information first.

“You there, handsome young man. Take this with you before you go.”

As I walked down the street, an old woman handed me something warm.

“By the look of your clothes, you seem like a wanderer or traveler. You should fill your belly properly, shouldn’t you?”

I examined what she’d given me and furrowed my brow. It was galma.

‘Is she a follower of Barsenon?’

No, something about this didn’t feel right.
I glanced around briefly. There weren’t many, but I could see people eating steamed galma.

‘Earl Rainward was the one who spread it throughout the Theocracy in earnest, but galma was already circulating here?’

In a way, it was inevitable.
While it was impossible for a small research institute to spread it as widely as Earl Rainward had, it was certainly possible to gradually introduce the residents to galma.

“Hmm? Is it because you’ve never seen this crop before?”

The old woman, reading my expression, spoke.

“But there’s no need to worry. We were a bit hesitant at first too, but now we know there’s no problem. If you look around here, you’ll see plenty of people eating this crop.”
“I see. I’ll enjoy it.”

I took a bite to compose myself. The blandness and sweetness were doubled compared to eating it raw.

‘No wonder the residents’ suspicions dissolve instantly.’

It tastes delicious and provides substantial nourishment. Who in their right mind would discard such a crop?
This is how they become addicted to galma—gradually, like being soaked by a gentle rain.
I popped the galma into my mouth whole, skin and all, and crushed it between my molars.

“Hehe, tasty, isn’t it?”
*Munch munch*—
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

I glanced into the Old Woman’s lap. Three steamed galma remained nestled there.
Should I snatch them and run? Or simply ask for more since I’m still hungry?
Before I could deliberate further, Bella stepped forward.

“Old Woman! Could you spare some for me too? I have something to trade in return.”

Bella withdrew honey and nuts from her bag and offered them.

“My goodness! Such expensive goods!”
“Hehe, I happen to be hungry too. Give me all of them!”
“Oh my, of course! Such a pretty young lady with such a pleasant manner!”
“Hehehehe.”

Bella was far more adept at this sort of thing than I was.
Once Bella and the Old Woman finished their exchange, I swallowed the galma remaining in my mouth and asked.

“Where did this come from? It’s delicious—I’d like to purchase some myself.”
“Oh, it’s not for sale. Someone from the Braeot Research Institute shared some with me to try.”

Braeot. The research institute we had been searching for.

“Where is it located?”
“Ah, if you go straight to the right from that shop over there, you’ll find it.”
“I see. Thank you for the meal.”
“Old Woman, thank you so much!”

We turned to leave, and the Old Woman waved us off with a smile.
On our way toward Braeot, a Little Child passed in front of us, eating galma.
As Bella moved to approach the Little Child, I grabbed her large bag firmly by the strap.

“Stop it. Do you plan to change your outfit every time someone sees you? Even your large bag won’t be enough for all that.”
“But….”
“Either way, eating a few won’t cause much trouble. Even if we steal theirs, they’ll just be wandering around again tomorrow. So we have no choice but to eliminate the source first.”
“Tsk…. Making jokes about food….”

Bella was an orphan from the Orphanage. Because of that, she understood the value of food well.
The reason she always carried a large bag filled with supplies was likely for a similar reason.

“Don’t worry.”

I adjusted my sword and moved forward.

“I never intended to leave them alone from the start.”

* * *

Braeot Research Institute.
In the office there, a middle-aged man named Haber was waiting for contact.

‘By now, he should have succeeded in cultivating the galma, but there’s no word at all.’

Rorik had set out for Rainward Count’s Estate about a month ago with galma seeds.
It was to spread galma throughout the Theocracy.

‘If he had taken a communication artifact, we could contact him regularly, but that was impossible.’

Although communication artifacts were not distributed in the Theocracy, they secretly possessed a few.
But they couldn’t give one to Rorik.
To prove that galma was an excellent crop, Rorik would have no choice but to stay at Rainward Count’s Estate.
Rorik was a commoner without a title and no proven divine favor.

‘So a search of his belongings was unavoidable.’

But what if an artifact not distributed in the Theocracy appeared during the process?
Rorik would only arouse more suspicion from the Count and be unable to present the galma before being cast out.

‘Still, he should return with news soon. There may be some delay due to various variables, but….’

Rorik would not fail. There was no crop as captivating as Galma in the eyes of those who didn’t know better.
Indeed, even the residents of this city who had harbored suspicions about Galma had quickly warmed to it, had they not? So the Count would be no exception.

‘After that, we target the Luminara Territory.’

Spreading Galma served to sow great chaos throughout the Theocracy, but the immediate objective was the Luminara Family.

– The Luminara Family must be brought down with certainty. The fate… has not yet vanished.

Words Barsenon had left with his followers.
Haber admired demons, but did not worship the Demon God. The Demon God was an unseen entity, after all.
Barsenon, by contrast, existed before his very eyes. An overwhelming power that seemed to disdain all things.
Merely standing in his presence was enough to make one’s head bow naturally.

‘Because Baron Scalen, the first to receive Barsenon’s blood, failed, the spreading of Galma was accelerated as well.’

Originally, Baron Scalen, with the aid of the Evil Book Society, should have annihilated the Luminara Family entirely.
But he died before the plan could truly begin in earnest.
So they considered bypassing Baron Scalen and having Barsenon’s followers destroy them instead, but the idea was rejected.

– The eldest son of the Luminara Family killed Mordin. Five years have passed since Mordin received my blood, but for ones as recently turned as you, it remains uncertain. Of course, even if Mordin had not been specialized in combat, that would not change matters.
– ….
– And yet I cannot act myself. The Holy Knights have pursued me relentlessly ever since I consumed the Saint of Foresight eleven years ago.
– ….
– So wait. Until my power reaches the heavens. Then I shall sever the bloodline of Luminara with my own hands.

Barsenon possessed tremendous power, yet he was all the more cautious regarding the Luminara Family.
Perhaps he had lost strength in his battle with the previous patriarch of Luminara.

‘In any case, for now I have no choice but to gnaw away slowly, as Barsenon instructed.’

Haber descended to the first floor and questioned a staff member.

“Any word from Rorik yet? A messenger bird, perhaps?”
“No, sir. He seems to be avoiding anything that might draw unwanted attention. Since the plan will succeed smoothly once Galma is cultivated, there’s no need for him to take unnecessary risks.”
“I see. Still, if it remains quiet after a week, send someone to check. We cannot wait indefinitely.”
“Understood.”

That was when it happened.

Bang! Bang!

– I’ve completed the task and returned! Open the door for me, would you?

Someone knocked on the Research Institute’s door. It was Rorik’s voice—the one they’d been waiting for.

“He should have a key. Why is he doing that?”
“Who knows? Maybe he lost it while staying in the Territory.”
“Well, open it. From what I hear, the plan succeeded.”
“Yes.”

The staff member approached the door.
It was fortunate that Rorik had returned at just the right moment. Now they could proceed with the next phase of their plan. The Theocracy, including the Luminara Family, would suffer a devastating blow.
The Theocracy, including the Luminara Family, will suffer a great blow.

Creak—

As the staff member opened the door, brilliant light flooded in, illuminating the edges of their vision. A tall shadow stood silhouetted against it.

“…Huh?”

The staff member looked up at the shadow, bewildered. It wasn’t Rorik.
The staff member poked their head through the doorway and glanced around. But there was only a beautiful woman with a large bag slung over her shoulder—Rorik was nowhere to be seen.

“Did you perhaps not see a man of similar height to me?”

The shadow nodded at the question.

“I saw him.”
“Oh, where did he go?”
“Nowhere.”

A soft sound of muscles tensing echoed faintly.
The shadow let out a small laugh.

“He’s right in front of you.”
“Ahhhhh!!”

At the sound of Rorik’s voice coming from the shadow, the staff member yelped in shock and stumbled backward.

* * *

The stone Research Institute was as massive as a grand chapel.
Various seeds and plants were arranged throughout the space, along with mysterious apparatus of unknown purpose.
They must have refined Galma here.

“Bella, wait outside and prevent the townspeople from being caught in the fighting. Apprehend anyone who tries to flee.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”

I stepped inside the Research Institute and closed the door behind me. Then I ignited flames across my garments.
My priestly robes were woven from Lumen fabric, so only the outer layer burned away rapidly.
The man still crouched on the ground widened his eyes as he took in my appearance.

“A… a Heresy Inquisitor?”
“Yes, you’re only now recognizing me.”
“Why would a Heresy Inquisitor come to this place…?”

I ignored his question and posed one of my own instead.

“Did you distribute Galma to the townspeople?”

A man from the back of the room then stepped forward and spoke.

“I am Haber, the director of this facility. But what issue could there be with Galma? I cannot fathom why a Heresy Inquisitor would venture all the way here.”

I regarded the man before me with a tilted head. Their stupidity was almost breathtaking.

“You truly don’t understand?”
“What do you…?”

I mimicked Rorik’s voice. Rorik had left this place to inform Count Rainward about Galma.
With even a moment’s thought, they could easily deduce why I had come here.

“Surely not…?”

Haber’s pupils dilated progressively. His eyes began to ripple with profound shock.

“Kael—”

Kwaaaaagh!

I drew my sword and slashed upward in one fluid motion. The flaming blade met Haber’s arm, and it flew cleanly through the air.

“Aaaaagh!”

Haber staggered backward, clutching at his severed shoulder. His bloodshot eyes fixed on me as he spat out his words.

“What in the name of the Theocracy are you doing?! Even for a Heresy Inquisitor, this is unforgivable! What possible wrong have we committed?!”
“It’s unfortunate that you don’t know your own sins.”
“Yes! We don’t know! We merely provided galma to the residents! Is feeding the hungry such a grave crime?!”

He was still playing dumb, confident that Rorik would never break and reveal anything. It was a reaction I’d anticipated to some degree.
A smirk escaped my lips, tinged with mockery.

“There’s no point in continuing to prattle. I’ve already heard everything from the Saint of Truth.”

Of course, it was a lie. We had left Rainward Territory immediately and come straight here.
But to extract information, I needed to act as though I knew everything already. Severing his arm was part of that strategy.

“You were planning to spread galma laced with addictive substances. Not only to shake the Theocracy to its foundations, but to devour the Luminara Family as well.”
“That’s absurd—”
“Barsenon.”
….
“That creature was targeting the Luminara Family. It consumed the Saint of Foresight to glimpse some future, or so the story goes….”

Whether Barsenon could truly see the future, and if so, what vision it had witnessed, remained unknown to me. That’s why I didn’t delve deeper into it.
If Haber detected falsehood in my words, it could undermine my entire interrogation.

“I naturally assumed Baron Scalen was targeting our Family out of personal greed. But that wasn’t it at all.”
….
“It was then I learned that the demon who killed the previous Luminara Family Head was Barsenon. Had I not discovered this, how much resentment would I have carried?”

I fixed my gaze steadily on Haber’s eyes.

“Answer me. Where is Barsenon now?”

Haber’s eyes were clouded with bewilderment.
I had laid bare everything I’d learned by combining knowledge from my past life and this one, so he couldn’t help but be deceived.
Soon his gaze began to settle, and the confusion faded as a faint killing intent emerged.

“So there was a reason he moved with such caution.”

He offered no rebuttal whatsoever. He simply drew upon his demonic power.

“It wasn’t just brute strength.”

That was proof that everything I’d said was true.
His skin darkened, then shifted to an ashen hue as a sinister aura pressed down upon the air.
His body didn’t grow massive, but he possessed considerable demonic power.
Since he likely received blood from Barsenon, I could make some inference about Barsenon’s strength as well.

‘It seems he’s recovered the power he had eleven years ago.’

Of course, I could only speculate. It was possible Haber had cultivated his demonic power independently.
Still, the fact that Barsenon could share his blood with a human meant he was stronger than most demons.

“Well, as long as I kill you here, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The demonized Haber wore a bloodstained smile. But I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“Can you manage that in your current state?”
“What?”
“Your arm.”

I gazed at Haber’s shoulder.
Despite his demonization, his arm remained severed, still bleeding profusely—it hadn’t regenerated at all.

“How… why isn’t it regenerating…?”

His eyes wavered violently, as if battered by waves.

“Could it be… holy power…?”

Now I could see that he had deliberately taken some of my attacks.
He could have dodged them, but if he had, it would have revealed that he was far more than an ordinary Research Institute director.
His plan was to weather the crisis for now and regenerate later.
But in the end, everything fell apart because I was a Holy Knight.

“Then let me ask again.”

As I gripped the sword, the flames coiling around the blade flickered violently.
The sacred aura flowing from the heat pushed back the sinister demonic energy with acrid force.

“Where is Barsenon right now?”

(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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