The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 92

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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 92. Be Careful.

Rayner, who had been standing vacant, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Are you people unfamiliar with propriety? I am a legitimate heir of a ducal house. I can overlook the Kael Inquisitor’s conduct, but to be disrespected by a commoner like you is most unpleasant.”

Rayner seemed not yet to grasp the situation.
Of course—he couldn’t possibly imagine that the Sriben standing before his eyes was his half-brother.

“Well, come to think of it, perhaps it’s you who should be observing propriety, not Sriben.”
“What do you mean by that? Is he some retainer of a ducal house? From how he addresses the Kael Inquisitor, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“It’s not that. As you heard just now, Sriben is your older brother. Your half-brother, whom your father has been hiding.”

Sriben nodded and gazed at Rayner.

“It’s good to meet you, younger brother. Have you enjoyed your life as a nobleman?”
“….”

Silence descended abruptly. Rayner’s eyes merely blinked in disbelief.

“W-what…!”

Rayner shook his head even as the truth stood before him.

“Father would never have strayed while Mother lived. And born before me, no less? This jest has gone far too far. Yesterday’s pranks should have sufficed.”
“….”
“So tell me what I must do now. I will cooperate with the interrogation without you needing to resort to such measures.”

In a sense, this was a natural reaction.
Unlike the dissolute Rayner, the Archbishop was renowned for his piety.
Because of this, others would find it difficult to readily believe that the Archbishop had a bastard child.

‘And Rayner is the Archbishop’s son, after all.’

So the shock was too great—he might well deny the truth itself.
It was easier to turn away from truth than to face it.
But no matter how he turned his head, the truth remained unchanged.

“Do you truly believe this is a jest?”
“W-what are you even saying….”
“It means you haven’t noticed a single suspicious thing all this time.”

Rayner was a man of poor conduct, but he was far from foolish.
Having spent so long at the Archbishop’s side, he might well know something.

“That is….”

Rayner’s head drooped low. After his lips trembled for a moment, he finally looked toward Sriben.

“Are you truly my half-brother?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth, my younger brother. I realized I was the Archbishop’s illegitimate child when I was three years old.”
“How did you find out?”
“The Archbishop came to find me and my mother. Or rather, my mother visited the mansion repeatedly and dragged him out.”
“You only saw Father that one time?”
“No, I met him once more two years later, but that was the last time. That too was because my mother sought him out at the mansion.”
“W-wait a moment.”

Rayner asked in bewilderment.

“Do you remember how many years ago that was?”
“Hmm… probably about twenty years ago.”
“Do you remember what your mother looked like? Or her name, perhaps….”
“She was quite beautiful. The Archbishop couldn’t restrain his lust for her. A distinctive feature was a mole beneath her eyes, and her name was Anika. He never mentioned it, but she was likely a maid in the Archbishop’s mansion.”
“Good heavens….”

Rayner clutched his face in both hands. Despair clouded his eyes as if he had grasped something.

“It must be a lie. Surely it has to be….”

A deep breath escaped between the hands covering his face.

“All the circumstances converge into one truth….”
“Has something come to mind?”

At my question, Rayner lowered his hands and nodded. His complexion had turned ashen.

“About twenty years ago, I saw a woman come to the Mansion while I was playing outside. Of course, she couldn’t enter the inner chambers, but I was curious about her since she kept visiting, so I spoke to her. I asked what business brought her here so often.”
“….”
“Then she looked at me and asked, ‘So you’re Rayner. How would you feel if you had an older brother?’ Something like that….”
“What did you answer?”
“I said it wouldn’t feel so lonely. I’ve never had a brother before, and I still don’t.”
“I see.”
“In any case, what happened after that was the problem.”

Rayner bent forward and clutched his head in his hands.

“I told Mother about what happened that day. Her name, everything she said to me—all of it….”
“….”
“Mother’s face, which had been smiling as she looked at me, twisted in an instant. It was an expression I’d never seen before, and it terrified me.”

Rayner continued.

“After that, Mother fell ill. I asked her why she wasn’t well, but she only apologized….”
“….”
“And a few days later, Mother took her own life.”
“So the Archbishop told her the truth.”
“That must have been it. Mother had been in perfect health until then, with no illness whatsoever.”

My suspicion had been correct.
When Sriben’s mother kept visiting the Archbishop, the lady eventually learned the truth and took her own life.

“If only I hadn’t told Mother about that day… such a thing would never have happened. Why was I so foolish….”

I scoffed at Rayner’s self-recrimination.

“Foolish indeed—to think it was your fault.”
“What…?”
“Judging by how quickly your mother went to the Archbishop after hearing your words, she must have already known something. There’s no way she wouldn’t have noticed Sriben’s mother visiting the Mansion repeatedly.”

I spoke.

“Your mother was merely turning a blind eye to the truth, just as you were doing moments ago. She was a maid who worked at the Mansion, so she could have come and gone—surely it wasn’t what I’m thinking, she told herself.”
“…If she had simply continued to look away, wouldn’t she still be alive?”
“Well, perhaps. Sometimes ignorance truly is a blessing.”
“Then….”
“That is precisely why.”

I fixed my gaze directly upon Rayner.

“The Archbishop should never have been discovered. He shouldn’t have been caught playing at virtue so half-heartedly—he should have severed his connection to Sriben’s mother long before.”

At that, Sriben beside me spoke with evident discomfort.

“Young Master, she wasn’t a good woman, but she was still my mother….”
“Mm, I apologize. That was my mistake to address.”
“As expected of the Young Master—knowing how to apologize for his errors. Admirable.”
“Indeed.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to Rayner.

“In any case, it was the Archbishop’s fault for committing the transgression and then compounding it with hypocrisy. What could a mere four-year-old possibly have understood?”

Rayner, who had been turning my words over in his mind, let out a faint laugh.

“Thank you.”
“Don’t make that expression—it displeases me. I was merely stating the facts.”
“I… I see….”

Sriben patted Rayner’s shoulder.

“That’s right, younger brother. What good does it do to regret that day? What matters now is correcting your dissolute behavior.”

Rayner smiled bitterly and asked.

“But what became of your mother after that?”
“It’s ‘older brother,’ not ‘you.'”
“…So what became of older brother’s mother after that?”

Rayner, apparently thinking it would become tedious, corrected his form of address.

“One day, he went out and never returned. While my younger brother grieved with the household staff, I took to the streets to survive.”

At Sriben’s matter-of-fact words, Rayner’s eyes widened.

“Surely not….”
“Your suspicion is likely correct. They say the Archbishop possesses exceptional martial prowess, so he would have left no trace.”
“…I see. It must have been difficult, bearing it alone.”
“Do you despise me for it?”

Had Sriben never been born, Rayner’s mother might have dismissed that night as a mere indiscretion and moved on with her life.

“Your birth was not your will. Father simply failed to restrain his desires.”
“I see. But knowing that, you should exercise some restraint yourself. Before another wretch like me is born.”
“…I shall be more careful.”

Rayner continued, gazing at the ceiling.

“Perhaps my dissolute life stems from that very thing. I didn’t understand the situation then, but as I grew older, I came to sense it vaguely.”

I interjected at Rayner’s pathetic excuse.

“That’s nonsense. Your birth wasn’t your choice, but laying hands on women was. I indulged you once, and now you want to die? Shall I send you to heaven without your consent?”
“I-I must decline.”
“Be careful. If you don’t wish to see me again next time.”

Rayner swallowed hard and hastily changed the subject.

“But is this the reason you consider Father a heretic? I dislike him too, but my desire to prove that Father is not a heretic remains unchanged….”

Of course it did. Unlike Sriben, he had accumulated many memories with the Archbishop.

“Of course not. I believe your father will become a Demon.”
“A Demon? You mean literally a Demon, not a metaphor?”
“Yes. More precisely, he will drink a Demon’s blood.”

Rayner, who had been dazed, let out a hollow laugh.

“Father is an Archbishop. What could he possibly lack that would make him become a Demon?”
“I don’t know the details either. But he’s already killed his own wife and Sriben’s mother out of greed.”
“….”
“Your task is simple. Return to the Mansion and behave as usual, but observe the Archbishop carefully.”

The only way to confirm whether he’s a Demon or not is to sever his limbs and examine them.
It’s not without reason that humans who’ve become Demons hide scattered throughout the world.
Of course, there’s also the method of requesting aid from the Shrine of Truth, but if the current Archbishop hasn’t drunk Demon blood, it would become problematic in many ways.
Afterward, my credibility would diminish, and I might not be able to utilize the Shrine of Truth at all.

“Of course, you’re free to refuse. But I will uncover the Archbishop’s true nature through my own methods regardless.”

If my predictions are correct, the Archbishop will undoubtedly become a Demon. It’s merely a matter of timing.

“So there’s only one way for you to stop me: cooperate with me faithfully and prove the Archbishop’s innocence.”
“….”
“Whether you’ll go chasing after women again or stand against me—that choice rests entirely with you.”

Rayner, who had been biting his lip, asked.

“How long must I do this?”
“About a month. If nothing emerges beyond that, I won’t concern myself with it either.”

In my previous life, the Papal See announced that the Archbishop had been killed by a Demon roughly a month from now.
But I have many other tasks, so I won’t devote more time than that.
If something happens afterward, I can simply assign it to another Holy Knight. The Theocracy has many skilled Holy Knights after all.
In fact, in my previous life, the Holy Knight completed the mission and returned. Though he was gravely wounded, of course.

‘Perhaps through meeting me, changes will occur, and the Archbishop might continue living as he does now.’

Even I cannot know how this will unfold. For now, I can only do my best.

“Understood. I will do my utmost to prove Father’s innocence.”

Rayner’s eyes gleamed with determination. With that resolve, I needn’t worry about him becoming complacent.

“Then depart for the Mansion first. We’ll spend a few days surveying Bartelo Territory.”
“Understood.”

* * *

Rayner returned to the mansion, and we decided to stay at an inn in Bartelo Territory while searching for any suspicious signs.
Even if the Archbishop willingly wished to become a demon, he couldn’t have obtained demon blood on his own—he must have received help from someone outside.
That someone was likely a member of the Evil Book Society.
After all, the Evil Book Society was far more accessible than actual demons.
It was just as we secured the inn and stepped outside to begin our investigation in earnest.

“Kael Inquisitor!!”

Rayner came rushing toward us in a panic. At the mention of “Inquisitor,” the townspeople’s gazes turned toward us.
Rayner wasn’t foolish enough to openly call me by that title under normal circumstances.
Something must have happened—something serious enough that it didn’t matter if others learned a Heresy Inquisitor was in this place.

“What is it?”
“Father…! Father…!”

Rayner cried out, his face drained of color.

“Father has disappeared!”

I narrowed my brow and asked.

“When? Are there any witnesses?”
“No, there aren’t. When I arrived at the mansion, chaos had already broken out. About two hours ago, a servant said Father was supposed to deliver some documents but was nowhere to be found.”

In my previous life, the Archbishop had vanished just as silently as this.

‘It seems he’s moved faster than in my previous life.’

Perhaps my encounter with him had accelerated his actions. Or perhaps there was another variable at play.
At least it wasn’t because of my arrival in this territory. The Archbishop had already disappeared before I came.

‘Well, from my perspective, this is fortunate. I no longer need to keep watch over the Archbishop for a month.’

I spoke.

“Rayner, prepare three horses for us. Bella and Sriben, follow me.”
“Yes, Interrogator!”
“Yes, Young Master.”

I didn’t know what had happened to the Archbishop, but I knew where he had died. So if I went there, I would be able to meet him.

“Wait, might you take me along as well? If Father is truly about to walk down a wrong path, I will stop him myself. Above all, I don’t wish to part ways so suddenly without proper farewell….”

Of course, I intended to dispose of the Archbishop to prevent any unnecessary complications.
If I killed him, the Papal See would certainly fall into great turmoil.
The evidence of heresy was certain, and I was a Heretic Inquisitor as well, but he was a prestigious Archbishop.
However, there was a way to resolve that, so it posed no real problem.

‘Still, if the Archbishop hasn’t yet become a Demon, and if Rayner can turn his heart around, then this disappearance incident would end as nothing more than a farce.’

That too would be an acceptable outcome. Why would I wish to stain my blade with needless blood?
As for Sriben, I would simply ensure he faced proper judgment under the law.
Of course, that meant stripping him of at least his Duke and Cardinal titles, breaking both his arms, and throwing him into prison.

“Come along.”
“Th-thank you!”

But I didn’t believe this situation would end that way.
The fact that the Archbishop had moved meant he had already made his decision.

“Then let us go.”

In any case, before long, a conclusion would be reached one way or another.

(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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