The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 87

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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 87. I Must Decline.

In my past life, I first encountered Valter after I had become the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins.
I was wandering across the Continent as usual, evading the Theocracy’s pursuit, when Valter suddenly appeared before me.

– So you are the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins.

It was a wall I had never felt before.
At that time, having reached the pinnacle of fury, I believed I could hold my own against any powerful opponent to some degree.
But that arrogance crumbled miserably after my battle with Valter.

– Hmm, you have some skill.

Valter drew his blade without hesitation the moment we met.
Sensing he was an overwhelmingly superior opponent, I threw dirt into his eyes and countered with a flurry of tongue techniques, yet my sword never touched him.
It was a complete defeat. Every stratagem I possessed proved useless before his martial mastery.
And so I finally accepted the death that loomed before my eyes….

– Why would I kill you? I simply came to see who the next Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins would be.

Valter withdrew his blade from where I lay on the ground.
I seized the opening to strike, but his casual swing sent me tumbling across the floor.

– Tsk tsk, you’re an amusing one.

I spat blood-tinged saliva and asked.

– Are all Zarkan Empire citizens as strong as you?
– Hmm, not quite. At least, there is no one in the Empire who could suppress me.
– ….
– If you don’t mind, follow me. I’m curious why you became the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins. Tell this old man your story.

I pondered for a moment, then ultimately followed Valter. There was much I could extract from him.
And indeed, I gained greatly from him. Most importantly, encountering such a towering wall as Valter proved invaluable.
I continued to hone my martial prowess without complacency, always mindful of the possibility that another being like Valter might emerge.
Had I not done so, I would surely have grown arrogant and had my head crushed by someone.
Thus Valter became my teacher. Because of him, I was able to reach the Demon God in my past life.

Cough, cough—

I looked ahead at the sound of coughing. Valter walked before me in the dark Sewers.
The Empire had developed a more advanced civilization than the Theocracy, and its drainage system was correspondingly superior.

“But who are you?”

I asked. I knew him, but he didn’t know me.

“The name’s Valter. Would you recognize me if I said I was Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins?”
“I heard you were dead.”

After parting ways with Pupu, I had seen such news in the Theocracy’s gazette.

「Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins, Valter, Deceased」

Of course, I already knew he hadn’t died.

“I asked the Empire for that favor. Too many people kept coming to find me. Besides, the Emperor already knew I didn’t have much time left, so he readily accepted my proposal.”

It was the same reason as in my previous life. Nothing seemed to have changed.

“What’s your name?”

Unlike my previous life, I gave him my full name.

“Kael Luminara.”
“A nobleman’s son, raised with privilege. Though your actions suggest otherwise.”
“I merely judged sin.”
“Tsk, I see.”
“Why did you help me? The fact that you didn’t draw your blade against me suggests you had a reason.”

This was something I genuinely wanted to know.
I was no longer Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins, but a Heresy Inquisitor of the Theocracy.
There was no reason for me to be entangled with Valter, yet he was helping me nonetheless.

“Yesterday, I happened to watch you fight against some thieves. Your martial prowess at such a young age piqued my interest.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“You wouldn’t have. I existed outside your perception. But my range is so vast that I had to keep my distance.”

He had mapped the boundaries of my perception and positioned himself beyond them.
It was something my past self could have done as well, and knowing Valter’s capabilities, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

“In any case, when you headed toward this city today, I grew curious about what you intended to do, so I followed you here.”
“So you’re saying you helped me purely out of curiosity?”
“Hmm, it’s a bit ambiguous. If you had involved the residents, I would have changed my approach toward you. But you handled Forma with remarkable precision.”

Valter was of a similar ilk to myself during my Sword Demon days.
A villain, yes—but a hypocrite who avoided harming the innocent as much as possible.

“Of course, that’s not the only reason. After witnessing that technique you employed, I resolved to intervene. I’d never seen anything like it before, and my body moved of its own accord.”

He was likely referring to how I had blended ecstasy and fury to manifest the Flame Wind.

“May I ask a question now?”
“Of course.”
“Why has a Holy Knight of the Theocracy come here? It seems like overkill for apprehending a magical stone thief.”

Valter’s heavy footsteps echoed softly through the silence.
He was one who had transcended human limitations and mastered magical power itself. He could distinguish between mana and divine force merely by observation.
Others, no matter how strong, could never perceive such distinctions unless they were Holy Maidens or Holy Knights themselves.
But since I had no intention of hiding from him anyway, I answered honestly.

“I’m not a Holy Knight—I’m a Heresy Inquisitor. The Pope doesn’t even know I’m a Holy Knight.”
“Interesting. But are you certain it’s wise to tell me?”
“Could the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins report directly to the Pope?”
“Tch, you have a point there.”

Valter chuckled lightly.

“Well, it matters little to me whether you’re a Holy Knight or a Heresy Inquisitor. Your essence doesn’t change either way.”

After that, we made our way out of the Sewers in silence.

“From here on, things will be different.”

Valter kicked off the ground and surged forward at tremendous speed. I pursued him.
Seeing that I kept pace without falling behind, Valter accelerated even further.
His movements transcended space itself.
Unable to follow by ordinary means, I caught up to him by channeling Gale.

“Hoh? So it can be used that way too.”

Valter’s eyes gleamed with intrigue as he noticed me drawing alongside him.
He gradually increased his pace, and I matched it with increasingly powerful bursts of Gale.
I maintained that state for several hours, yet chasing Valter proved far more exhausting than battling Forma.
Without Bertior’s sandals, I would have fallen behind long ago.

“….”

Valter finally halted his steps upon reaching a solitary house nestled within a forest.
This dwelling was prepared by the Empire for Valter, who had wandered without purpose for so long.
The Empire found it convenient to know Valter’s whereabouts, and Valter appreciated that no one sought him out anymore.

“Impressive. Honestly, I thought you’d arrive only after dawn broke….”

Valter regarded me with astonishment. Despite the considerable distance we had covered, the sky remained dark.
I gradually steadied my labored breathing before speaking.

“How are your cartilage joints?”
“Tsk, I haven’t felt well in ages.”

Valter tapped his knees and headed toward the house.

“Come inside.”

I entered the house with Valter. There, I encountered yet another unexpected figure.

“Bella. What are you doing here?”

My eyes met those of Bella, who was about to take a spoonful of soup.
Bella blinked rapidly, set down her spoon, and explained concisely.

“I handed the highest-grade magical stones to Arsein and was waiting outside for you, but this person kidnapped me.”

Valter then offered his explanation.

“Kidnapped? That’s quite the misunderstanding. I clearly told you to follow me if you wanted to meet your superior—you never objected.”
“I’d never met you before! At the very least, you could have explained the situation!”

Bella glared at Valter with fierce, narrowed eyes.

“And knocking me unconscious and leaving me here is textbook kidnapping! You even stole my communication artifact!”
“You wouldn’t believe my words, so I had no choice.”
“That’s rich coming from a kidnapper!”

Bella slammed her fist against the table with a heavy thud. I turned to Valter with a question.

“Did you perhaps not tell my Deacon who you are?”
“Tsk tsk, as if I wouldn’t.”
“Impressive. In every way.”

Perhaps she had instinctively sensed that he meant her no harm.

“You’ve got quite the spirited Deacon. Usually, people tremble the moment they hear my name.”

Valter didn’t seem displeased. Rather, he appeared intrigued by her unexpected reaction.
Was he thinking something like: you’re the first person to treat me this way?
In any case, it was fortunate that they seemed to be getting along.

“Interrogator, are you close with this person?”
“Well, he happened to help me with my work today.”
“Huh…?”

Bella, momentarily taken aback, turned to look at Valter with widened eyes.

“Really?”
“It just happened that way.”
“I… I see.”

After a moment of silence, Bella rose from her seat and bowed deeply at the waist.

“I apologize, Valter. Thank you for helping the Interrogator in my stead.”
“Very well.”

Bella lifted her head and spoke firmly.

“Still, kidnapping isn’t right. There were better ways to handle this.”
“Tsk tsk, be careful. I’ve lived this way all along.”

Valter pulled a communication artifact from his pocket and tossed it to Bella.

“I’m returning this now.”
“Oh, yes.”

I commanded Bella, who held the communication artifact.

“Bella. Contact Sriben and have him reach out to Arsein to search the underground of Gearnek Tower. The highest-grade magical stones they stole are there, along with items they originally possessed. Gather everything first, hide their belongings roughly, and if anyone asks where you obtained this information, say a certain outlaw told you.”

The communication artifact that could reach Arsein was with Sriben.

“Understood, Interrogator.”

Bella nodded and went outside to contact Sriben.
Valter spoke with a yawn.

“Let’s get some rest first. I’m exhausted from running so hard after all this time. We can discuss the rest tomorrow.”
“Very well.”

I too had exerted myself fully to catch up with Valter, and I was drowsy.
Both Valter and I had much to discuss, but tomorrow would suffice.

* * *

Bella and I slept inside, while Valter spread out the sleeping bag Bella had given him and rested outside.
I had suggested he sleep inside, as his bones must have been aching, but Valter simply dismissed it, saying “Just sleep together among yourselves.”
It was strange—he wasn’t normally this considerate.
When noon arrived and I stepped outside, Valter was already awake.

“Curious.”

It was something Valter said suddenly as he observed me quietly.

“What do you mean?”
“You clearly didn’t see me for the first time yesterday, did you?”
“That’s true.”
“Yet your eyes shine as though we’ve met several times before. It’s too ambiguous to call it longing, but rather… a sense of familiarity, perhaps.”

Valter possessed the ability to read emotions through a person’s gaze—a depth of understanding earned through the passage of many years.

“Have we perhaps met before? My own memory is a bit hazy on the matter.”

I couldn’t very well tell him we’d met in a past life, so I offered a vague deflection instead.

“We haven’t met, but I’ve heard of you. You’re quite famous even in the Theocracy. I’ve long wished to meet you once.”
“Tsk, how embarrassing.”

Valter stroked his beard as he continued speaking.

“But shouldn’t you, as a Heresy Inquisitor of the Theocracy, be capturing me?”
“What good would it do to capture a phantom? It would only exhaust me.”
“True enough. To them, I’ve already become a phantom.”
“More importantly, tell me your story. Why did you become Wrath among the Seven Deadly Sins?”
“Don’t you already know that much?”
“Hearing it directly from the person involved is quite different.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.”

Valter nodded. Bella had already brewed tea and handed it to us.

“Much obliged.”

Valter sipped his tea and began to speak.

“I was nothing more than an ordinary orphan. I merely survived, gripping a sword as though it were my only friend.”
“….”
“When I reached about fifty years of age, I met a boy named Tom—a child orphaned by a war between nobles. As a mercenary who had participated in that conflict, I bore some responsibility. Memories of the past stirred within me, so I took the boy under my wing.”

Bella and I sat quietly on tree stumps, listening intently.

“Tom followed me faithfully. Not only that, but he possessed talent with the blade. He picked up everything I taught him with remarkable ease.”
“….”
“Killing had grown tedious to me. With the wealth I’d accumulated through my years as a mercenary, I devoted myself entirely to raising Tom.”

A faint glimmer of light seeped into Valter’s aged eyes.

“It was an emotion I’d never felt before. I never knew if I could live such an ordinary life like everyone else.”
“….”
“The little child who once looked up to me had grown to look down at me, and with his massive frame, he wore that same smile as before.”

Valter smiled faintly, as if recalling an old memory.

“Each day felt new. I raised Tom, but Tom taught me emotions I had never experienced before. And that was from someone who had a hand in destroying his own village.”
“….”
“But then….”

Valter’s gaze suddenly turned cold and vacant.

“One day, he came back as a corpse.”

Bella gasped silently, and Valter continued.

“It turned out he had died caught in the schemes of some duke’s family. Tom and that duke’s son were both candidates for the Imperial Luminous Knight Order, and since Tom’s selection seemed likely, they struck preemptively.”

Valter looked at me.

“What do you think the Empire did when it found out?”
“They took no action. You were a commoner, and your opponent was a duke’s family.”
“Tsk, precisely right. The Emperor and the Empire at that time held beliefs of chosenness far stronger than they do now.”
“….”
“And you know what’s interesting? That duke’s family was the same one that had destroyed the village where Tom lived. Tom suffered at their hands twice over.”

A quiet, chilling murderous intent seeped from Valter’s voice.

“So I destroyed them all. The family head, his household, the territory, the residents, the buildings—everything connected to that duke’s family.”
“….”
“After that came the Emperor. The price of silence had to be paid.”

I spoke.

“So you became the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“Hmm, not quite. I didn’t just rage at that duke’s family or the Emperor—I raged at myself as well. I was furious beyond measure at my own hypocrisy, at playing the righteous one when my own hands had destroyed the place where Tom lived.”

Valter gazed at me.

“Kael, I am a villain. Trash beyond redemption.”
“….”
“Well? Won’t you take me to the Theocracy?”
“You don’t seem like you’d be easily captured.”
“I won’t resist.”

Since he seemed to speak with genuine sincerity, I exhaled deeply and replied.

“I’ll have to decline. I’m not quite so devout a Heresy Inquisitor.”
“Tsk tsk, I see.”

Valter let out a dry chuckle.

“Then I’d like to hear about that skill of yours… but it seems I’ll have to postpone it for now.”
“Time is abundant.”
“Could they be inside?”
“Unless they’re a fool, they’ll have noticed you’re not alone here. Better to be together than to invite needless suspicion.”
“Hmm, that’s certainly true.”

After our exchange, we both looked toward one direction. Then a figure leaped from afar and landed on the ground.
A man in a uniform inscribed with golden trim, a sword at his side, stood with formal bearing.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Valter. I am Hagen, a knight of the Imperial Luminous Knight Order.”

I could roughly guess why a knight of the Imperial Order had suddenly appeared here.
It was likely due to last night’s incident involving Gearnek Tower. There was no other reason the Empire would seek out Valter.

‘The Empire certainly moves fast thanks to magical artifacts.’

Of course, they wouldn’t know what Valter and I had done.
My suspicion was that they sought Valter’s counsel on the matter.
The current Emperor, after all, sought to use the criminal Valter rather than punish him.
Knowing this, Valter’s voice turned glacial.

“What brings the Emperor’s lapdog all the way here? I distinctly told the Emperor not to come looking for me.”

Valter’s eyes grew cold and sharp.

“Care to dig deeper?”

Hagen flinched violently at the sudden surge of killing intent.
And I nodded silently beside him.

‘Yes, this is the Valter I knew.’

Hagen must not forget.
Valter was once the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins, a man whom even the Empire and the Theocracy did not dare provoke lightly.

(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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