The Regressed Sword Demon Is a Catastrophe-Class Inquisitor - Chapter 93

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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 93. Asking the Obvious.

Four days later.
Edmond Bartelo rode his horse across a vast, empty meadow.
For the first time in ages, the crisp wind against my face brought an inexplicable sense of liberation.

‘The mansion must be in chaos by now. Rayner should have returned by this point.’

This departure was an escape I had long dreamed of.
As the sole legitimate heir of the Duchy, I had grown up wanting for nothing, yet I had borne the weight of my father’s towering expectations and relentless pressure.

– Always conduct yourself with propriety. Should you falter, the cadet branches will eye the position of family head. And they would never allow their only direct-line rival to live.
– ….
– We are part of the Theocracy, yet mankind is forever consumed by desire. This is no different for the Theocracy’s people than for those of the Empire.

These were the words my father repeated like a mantra.
So I conducted myself as befitted the future head of the Bartelo Family.
At first, the burden was heavy, but I found joy in earning my father’s approval.

– Splendid. At merely five years old, you have mastered the entire history of the Theocracy.
– Edmond, I heard about it. You defeated someone four years your senior in a duel?
– Remarkable. At seventeen, there is no child as mature and accomplished across so many disciplines as you. You lack nothing to lead the Bartelo Family in the future.

The relentless studying exhausted me, and I envied watching my peers at play, but my father’s praise made it bearable.
The problem began after I came of age.

– You have memorized all the doctrines of the Ella Faith? That is important, certainly, but it serves no purpose in building the family’s prestige.
– Defeating a knight ten years your senior is obvious. You were educated from childhood. Do not grow complacent.
– Focus on administering your territory rather than swordplay. You will not be a knight wielding a blade, but a family head commanding others. It is not you who protects yourself, but your knights.

At some point, my accomplishments became merely expected of me.
No matter how hard I strived, my father no longer praised me as he once had.
Instead, he grew more exacting, and the slightest misstep drew his rebuke.
All I wanted was a single phrase—’well done’ or ‘you worked hard’—but it never came.

– Young Master Edmond. Would you not care to attend a social gathering with me? Many young ladies wish to see you.

So there was a time when I wavered at a peer’s words.
They said that since effort was meaningless anyway, why not indulge in a little transgression?

– I must decline. I need to return and inspect the Estate with my Father.

But thinking that things would improve someday, I returned to my original life.
I sometimes wished I had siblings. Then Father wouldn’t have been so obsessed with me.
But Mother passed away two years after giving birth to me, so that was impossible.
While living an ordinary life as always.

– Edmond, I entrust our Family to you….

Father also ascended to Heaven.
Since Edmond had no issues with capability or conduct, he naturally became the head of the Bartelo Family and managed the Estate smoothly.
Thanks to this, the Bartelo Family enjoyed a period of prosperity.
Now there was no Father to praise me, but I managed the Family according to Father’s dying wish.

‘If Heaven exists, then someday Father will see my achievements and praise me.’

That was enough for me. No matter how difficult, I could endure.
Before long, I obtained the rank of Cardinal, and through the Papal See’s arrangement, I even married a woman.

– Hello, Barthelo Archbishop. My name is Lucia.

Though she was a woman I met through the Papal See’s arrangement, she was worthy of being loved.
Thanks to her, there were times I didn’t think of Father.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad to live for her rather than for Father’s sake.

‘But….’

Through my wife, I came to know women for the first time.
Though I had passed the age of youthful vigor, I had awakened to the pleasures of the flesh.
A sensation that made my nerves dizzy—something I had never felt before.
I finally understood why my peers had pursued the opposite sex so desperately.

‘I thought I would be different….’

It was when my wife was staying at the Monastery for several weeks of spiritual retreat.

– It’s an honor to meet you, Barthelo Archbishop. My name is Anika, and I’ve been assigned to serve you.

I succumbed far too easily to a maid’s seduction.
Fortunately, no one had ever caught wind of my secret meetings with the maid. As the master of the mansion, Edmond could do anything within these walls.
Those trysts continued even after my wife returned from her spiritual retreat, and eventually, a grave problem arose.

– Archbishop, I think… I think I’m carrying your child.

My mind went blank.
If this infidelity were exposed, I would lose my position as Cardinal, and my wife would be consumed by despair.
So I made my decision immediately.

– Leave your position as a maid. I’ll provide you with ample funds.
– Then, Archbishop… what about you?
– I cannot come to you. This was always meant to end this way. Do not return to the mansion. I’m sorry.

I couldn’t bring myself to kill her. I loved her just as I loved my wife.
So I returned to my ordinary life, focusing solely on my wife to ensure I never made such a mistake again.
But as time passed, the maid began appearing at the mansion. Unable to ignore it, I went to her home myself.

‘The house is small. I gave her more than enough money.’

Perhaps she had saved the money in case of unforeseen circumstances.
There was a boy in the house. He seemed remarkably intelligent.

– So you’re Sriben.
– Yes, sir.
– …
– But who are you, mister? This is our house.

I couldn’t tell him I was his father. I had renounced that role myself.
After that, the maid returned home, and I gave her more money before returning to the mansion.
Then my wife, holding young Rayner, asked me a question.

– Where have you been?
– I went out on an inspection.
– I see. You must be tired.
– Not at all. You’ve worked harder than anyone.

I thought everything had ended well. My past mistakes were buried, and my relationship with Lucia remained as strong as ever.
But two years later, I realized that was merely my own delusion.
Lucia, who had been waiting in the room, spoke to me with a calm voice.

– Rayner told me today. That maid has come to the Mansion again.

Edmond was momentarily flustered, but he replied with composure.

– Ha, is that so? It seems affection lingers even after all these years.
– Then why don’t you let her into the Mansion? Stop turning her away.
– That’s impossible. The truth is, she left because she stole something from the Mansion.

Lucia studied me quietly before opening her mouth.

– You think I don’t know, don’t you?
– Know what?
– That the Archbishop has been intimate with that maid.
– ….
– That maid told Rayner. She asked him what it would be like to have an older brother. You really do have one, don’t you? A half-brother for Rayner.
– ….

As Edmond fell silent, Lucia sighed and bowed her head deeply.

– Tell me it’s not true.
– ….
– The Archbishop is an honorable and virtuous man. Other nobles may be different, but the Archbishop knows well that the Theocracy upholds monogamy.
– ….
– At the very least, tell me he’s a younger brother, not an older one. How can this be, when I am the Archbishop’s one and only wife? If he had always been dissolute, I wouldn’t have expected anything, but….
– ….
– Please, tell me it’s not true!
– I’m sorry….
– …Ah.
– Lucia!

She collapsed right there. I summoned a physician to examine her, but no physical ailment could be found.
It was a sickness of the heart—more intractable than any plague.
I asked Lucia, whose vitality had drained away in an instant.

– What must I do to earn your forgiveness? Please, tell me there is some way.

Lucia studied the look in Edmond’s eyes before responding coldly.

– Kill her.
– What…?
– I’m telling you to kill that woman.

Lucia was a woman of virtue, far removed from malice. Because of this, her words laden with murderous intent struck him like a thunderbolt.

– I won’t even ask for her son’s life. Just kill her. Then I’ll forgive everything.

Edmond’s eyes remained wide for a long moment before his head drooped.

– I’m sorry.

Edmond could not kill the maid.
He had always lived with integrity, and the affection he harbored for the maid still lingered within him.

– …I knew you would say that. You’ve always been that kind of person.
– ….
– Hypocrite.

Those were Lucia’s final words. Days later, she took her own life.
Afterward, someone from the Papal See came to inquire. It was strange that the woman who had arranged the marriage had suddenly committed suicide.

– The weight of the scrutiny that followed my reputation must have been too much for her to bear. I should have been more attentive, but I failed.

Edmond found himself lying without thinking. He could not bear to lose everything he had built.

– Ah, I see…. I hope you find peace in your heart.
– Thank you.

After Lucia’s funeral rites were complete, Edmond sought out the maid’s home.

‘She must have truly been desperate for money to break her promise never to return. Sriben seemed intelligent, so raising him must have been expensive. It was the same when I was growing up.’

But the moment he visited the maid’s dwelling, he understood immediately.
The maid’s supple skin and Sriben’s sunken cheeks. From the beginning, she had not taken money for Sriben’s sake.
He had noticed from the start. He had simply chosen to look away.

‘Ah.’

A tremendous hatred I had never felt before surged up within me.
I wanted to kill her immediately, but doing so would expose me as the culprit.
So the next day, when the Maid returned home drunk on alcohol and gambling, I silently slit her throat.
I had no intention of killing Sriben. That poor wretch didn’t deserve it.
Yet as I stared at her corpse, the doubts I had so carefully suppressed came crashing down upon me.

‘What am I doing all this for?’

There was no father left to praise me, no women I loved to cherish.
Only Rayner remained, but he was a son I had to care for, not someone I could rely upon.
Still, I fulfilled my duty to Rayner. It was my own form of atonement as a father.
Unlike Edmond’s Father, I never forced anything upon Rayner.
I simply let him live as he wished. I thought it better to regret this way, late as it was, than to repeat those mistakes.
The only consolation was that Rayner had enough sense not to stray too far.

‘Rather, it was I who was straying.’

For some twenty years, the desires festering within me seemed ready to explode outward at any moment.
Then one day, a Heretic Inquisitor came and left these words:

– Barthelo Archbishop, a demon is always at your side.

Edmond could not help but be startled. The Evil Book Society, having sensed his nature long before, had been approaching him.
Of course, I had ignored them entirely, only refraining from reporting them to the Papal See.

– It means to be wary of the wicked whispers of your heart. Do not cling to the fleeting bonds of my dark karma.

Perhaps he had already sensed something about Edmond. Otherwise, he would never have spoken such words.
Truly a promising Heretic Inquisitor. Not only did he possess formidable power, but also extraordinary insight.
Had I joined hands with the Evil Book Society back then, something terrible might have occurred.

‘Well, in the end, it came to this.’

Edmond, emerging from the memories of the past, let out a soft laugh.
Upon hearing the Heretic Inquisitor’s words, I deliberated once more. Should I continue living behind the mask, or should I cast it aside and live according to my desires?
This was the result of that deliberation.

‘The Family Clan will be Rayner’s concern.’

Since Edmond became the head of the family, the power of the cadet branches had weakened considerably, so even Rayner, whose usual conduct was dissolute, could become the family head.
There would be some obstacles, but that was Rayner’s problem to handle.

‘Is this where I’ll stay for the time being….’

I dismounted and surveyed the landscape. A small house standing alone in the forest.
It was a house prepared by the Evil Book Society. I would come and go from this place, finally acting on all the desires I had suppressed until now.
I wanted to spend time with various women, and killing those who displeased me seemed acceptable as well.
Even if they lacked such inclination, I possessed the power to execute it.

‘Should I search for Sriben as well?’

That didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Perhaps by now he held some high position somewhere. He appeared intelligent, unlike his mother.
Of course, even if I found him, I had no intention of doing anything. I was simply curious about how he lived.
Or perhaps he was already dead.

‘In any case, I can do as I please. All the gazes that confined me have vanished.’

I felt sorry toward my father.
But ever since my wife took her own life and I killed the maid with my own hands, I had abandoned any hope of earning my father’s praise.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a fierce aura surged from behind. I instinctively drew my sword and spun around rapidly.

Boom!

A figure that had struck the ground descended before me as if leaping across space.
As a flaming sword came crashing down, I swung my blade wreathed in black light.

Crash!

A heavy force transmitted through the blades.
The aura was already extraordinary, and with the momentum of the charge added to it, this was only natural.

“Ugh!”

Ultimately, Edmond’s body could not withstand the force and was sent flying backward.

Boom!

Edmond’s form hurtled through the air and crashed into a wooden structure, splintering it apart. From amid the shattered debris, he pushed himself up with a rustling sound.

“So we meet again, after all.”

A cool voice echoed through the forest.

“Is it not so, Edmond Bartelo?”

A man approached him slowly.
A blade of flame angled across his body. A pristine black priest’s robe stretched taut. Eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light.
The sight of him stirred a memory from somewhere within.

– Then let us meet again.

Edmond let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, this is truly astonishing.”

He gazed at the man standing before him.

“Who exactly are you?”

He had come here without being detected by anyone. Even if someone had seen him, they would never have recognized him as Edmond.
Yet this man appeared as though he knew everything, arriving at nearly the same time as Edmond himself.
It felt as though he were a puppet dancing in the palm of some author’s hand.

“You ask the obvious.”

Kael Luminara.
The Heretic Inquisitor—one who cared not for rank or renown when heresy was at stake—bared his fangs at Edmond.

“I am the Heretic Inquisitor who has come to capture the Demon.”

* * *

Edmond departed before us, but we caught up quickly by taking only the necessary rest stops along the way.

‘If I give that bastard time, there’s no telling what he’ll do.’

The reason the Holy Knight knew Edmond’s location in my past life was simple.
In recent days, some creature in this area had violated women and slaughtered many people.
The Holy Knight had been pursuing that villain when he reached Edmond.

‘I thought becoming a demon would come later, but he’s already drunk demon blood.’

The black demonic aura rippling across Edmond’s blade—it was proof that he had already become a heretic.

“How did you know I was here?”
“Demons always give off a scent, after all.”
“I see.”

The moment Edmond smirked and leveled his sword at me.

“Father!!”

Rayner, riding hard on horseback, took his place beside me. His eyes widened as he saw the demonic aura clinging to Edmond’s blade.

“Father, surely not…!”

Edmond’s brow furrowed.

“Rayner? How did you come to be here?”
“I followed you when you disappeared from the mansion. But what is that ominous aura? You’re not the sort of person to possess such a thing….”
“Is that what you truly believe? That I’m really such a pious Archbishop?”

Edmond laughed derisively.

“This is my true form. I’ve always wanted to be like this. Do you know why your mother took her own life? It was because—”
“I know.”
“What?”

Rayner answered with unwavering resolve.

“Because my father lay with a maid. He even fathered a half-brother from that union.”
“…Indeed, so you’ve come to understand such circumstances with age? You’re certainly no fool.”
“I wasn’t certain myself. My suspicions only became truth when I encountered the Kael Inquisitor.”
“The Kael Inquisitor uncovered even that? No matter how capable, he should have lacked sufficient information.”

As Edmond stared at me with widened eyes, I opened my mouth.

“You were meticulous. You’ve kept this hidden from the Papal See itself, even from your own children all this time.”

Even I, possessing memories of my past life, had not known of his illegitimate child until now.

“But you dropped a rather significant clue.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The one standing right beside me.”

I gestured toward Sriben, who rode alongside me. Bella had tethered her horse earlier to prepare for battle.
As Edmond tilted his head in confusion, Sriben adjusted his glasses.

“A pleasure to meet you, Archbishop… or rather, I suppose I should call you Father.”
“…Father?”

Edmond’s pupils trembled violently as he stared at Sriben.

“You couldn’t possibly…!”

Sriben smiled faintly.

“It’s been about twenty years. Damn you, Father.”

A truly moving reunion between father and son.

(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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