◈Episode 24 Irreversible (3)
The heresy interrogation continued until past midnight.
This is because not everyone who belongs to a temple can handle sacred power, which is why the latter half of the investigation was sluggish.
There is nothing I can do. If a person who is in a position that can only be promoted by using divine power cannot use divine power, that would be investigated, but according to the setting, if you commit injustice, God will take away your power. It was a convenient setting—you couldn’t say ‘You’re a sinner because you can’t use divine power’ to someone who couldn’t use it in the first place.
In the end, we have no choice but to interrogate in detail and find out.
But is there any way that the process can be short, easy, and fun? Moreover, I have no relevant skills, so I have to stay behind.
If it weren’t for the logout issue, I would have found it quite boring. Yes, if it weren’t for the logout issue.
“….”
It’s game time. Since there was no next quest and nothing to help with, I had plenty of time to worry.
Thanks to this, there are only two hypotheses. I either miscalculated the date or did not take into account the time skipped in the system. For example, sleeping time.
The latter cannot be called a happy circuit; it makes time change faster when the player sleeps in any game. It is said that time is folded like Chukjibeop.
If you do it, yes. With the amount of time I slept here, it is natural that the end of the full dive would be delayed. Strictly speaking, it’s not that it’s late, but I lived by skipping time, but anyway.
“You’ve waited a long time.”
After encouraging myself like that, I felt a little more at ease. It was at that exact moment that the Inquisitor returned.
“Others will be the ones to judge the rest. “The city will take responsibility for managing it until the heresy interrogator dispatched from the Great Temple arrives.”
Oh, I thought it would last a few more days. It would be perfect if you let go of this.
Interrogating the Heretic Inquisitor, Bishop, and major priests was fun as enemies popped out, but after moving on to the general public, it was so boring to just ask questions through conversation.
Even if you didn’t have the spirit to have fun. No fun is no fun.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
Bappambaam!
Quest completion BGM was heard along with the Inquisitor’s words.
「LEVEL UP!」
It’s a bonus that the level has also risen.
“Is that okay?”
But while I was checking the level, the thief—I don’t know why I’m not going—pouted. The words themselves were somewhat understandable.
If the group to which the perpetrator belongs judges the perpetrator, it is inevitable that someone will react like that. It’s not for nothing that they say arms are bent inwards.
“Even though they are insiders, they are all ordinary people. It is not at a level that a trained army cannot suppress. And in a week, the judges sent by the church will arrive. “The likelihood of problems occurring is small.”
“Do you think I asked about that?”
“Then what did you ask?”
The Archmage and I understood what the thief was saying, but unfortunately, it was too much for our Wall Window.
He probably understood it by asking whether surveillance was possible with the city’s troops.
“hmm. If you want me to take charge of it, that’s impossible. “I also want to take responsibility until the end, but…”
The Inquisitor trailed off for a moment and then finished the sentence with strength.
“I have a mission that must take priority.”
It was natural for the thief to be caught off guard. The rogue turned to me and pointed his finger at the Inquisitor. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I get it.
“…Those who come this time should not be deniers.”
“If that’s the case, don’t worry, Demon Knight. “This incident will lead to a large-scale search within the church.”
“under. Yes, I saw it. Who knows how to protect even a negative person by saying he or she is part of the same family?”
“…I will not allow any further humiliation, criminal!”
Meanwhile, the difference in attitude between me and the Inquisitor towards the thief is also funny.
“Hmm. You are better than that. “I wanted to ask you a while ago… but how did you find those who were running away?”
To change the topic, the Archmage asked a question. The rogue shrugged his shoulders.
“I already heard and knew that there was a secret person in the temple… and from the looks of it, they didn’t seem to be delaying the search. As soon as I got back to the back alley, I took the kids and waited around the temple. “Then we caught those who were running away one by one.”
I thought it was just Snowball, but there’s even a backstory that fits the character’s attributes.
If it weren’t for the bugs, it would really be a good game. Oh damn log out.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand that I’m not trying to reconcile with you guys. “I was just repaying the favor of the knight.”
“….”
Separately, I don’t know if that thief is scared or not. When you are afraid, eat it like you are, and when you start a fight, you fight like you are.
“…I will express my gratitude for that, even if it is belated. “I still cannot tolerate criminals like you… but it is true that I received help.”
Still, the Inquisitor was an NPC who could accept it.
“thanks. Thanks to this, we were able to eradicate the seeds of evil that were parasitic in the church.”
“…don’t say thank you because it doesn’t suit you. I told you so. “It’s not for you guys, it’s just to repay the knight.”
Thanks to this, I was able to watch the thief turn his head and frown in embarrassment. It was almost like the expression of someone who had seen a ghost. Even if only the ears and lower abdomen are exposed.
“But gratitude and turning a blind eye to crime are two different things. “If you just stole the demon contractor you took with you—.”
“There’s no way you idiots would just say thank you.”
“The gratitude was pure and sincere!”
“Yes yes.”
The thief picked his ears and answered roughly. The Inquisitor twitched his fingers as if he was trying to hold the mace, but ended up clenching his fist.
It was unexpected. I thought I would pick it. I had no intention of stopping him.
“It wasn’t stolen, so don’t worry. “I brought the body with me just in case.”
Still, the Inquisitor’s short patience achieved what he asked for. The rogue snapped his fingers. It was around that time that a trace caught my ear.
“Did you call Deathbringer?”
Wow, it’s hard to find because the tracking skill doesn’t activate… Ugh!
“You may have heard, but Priest Nari needs to collect the body.”
The reason why I remember my previous job as a thief came out.
Deathbringer… They all have pretty cool names, but the thief was particularly creepy, so I couldn’t forget it.
I think it’s probably because the word ‘death’ doesn’t really suit Korean sensibilities… Anyway, thanks to this, it’s become the job that people remember the most accurately, even though it’s the number one job that people don’t play the most.
For your information, the most common profession is Inquisitor. Just by visiting Sasage (incident bulletin board), you can see all the pronunciations for each cognitive quota.
“…I’m sure.”
By the way, while I was lost in other thoughts, the thief… Well, the thief gets confused with the other kids, so since the name is already mentioned, I guess I’ll just call him that. But since I don’t have the confidence to continue talking about Deathbringer, I’ll shorten it to Debra.
Yes, Dev, along with another thief, inspected the corpse of the demon contractor.
At first, I thought it was something to do with the sack, but when I opened it, a brutally beaten corpse rolled out. Seeing that the eyes of the thief NPC who was cutting the sack are still burning, it seems like it was his doing.
“…Can I ask you something about this too?”
“Are you curious about Moore? “If it’s a question I can answer, I’ll answer it.”
“I mean that hero.”
But Dev suddenly came up with an unexpected word.
“Are you serious?”
“…Oh yeah. “You heard.”
The Archmage was silent for a moment, as if trying to choose his words. Then he nodded his head weakly, twitching his tired eyes. It was like an iron eye that had been cut into ice.
“That’s right. The Inquisitor is a warrior. Chosen by God.”
…Is the Archmage okay? That guy seems to be at max fatigue.
Well, even though I have high strength and agility, I’m already at a dangerous level, so it’s a bit funny that an intelligent character with no fatigue is maxed out. It is probably true that they have survived this far because they are a Shagi race with high basic strength.
“…really?”
“It’s true.”
“No…”
The thief’s lower coffin was dented. It seemed like he absolutely didn’t want to believe that the Inquisitor was a hero. The Inquisitor, who thought that the title ‘Hero’ was too much for me, also acknowledged that opinion, but somehow expressed his resentment, like someone who was offended.
Anyway, these were two NPCs that would make a fun combination if put together.
Sigh.
Well, I don’t want to watch it any longer. I straightened my body, which had been leaning against the wall, and took a step forward.
I must have completed the quest. I must have heard about the follow-up method for the informer. I must have confirmed that the person taken by the thief was also disposed of.
Considering the nature of the concept and as a player, there was no reason for me to remain in this position any longer.
“Where are you going?”
I don’t want to sleep in a temple, so I’ll just go to any inn and sleep there. Why did this damn game make me feel so tired and sleepy?
I didn’t feel it well before because I was nervous, but now that I’ve relieved my anxiety about logging out and have some free time, I’m really tired. I wanted to rest.
“Are you planning to go to Tatara?”
But why do such misunderstandings pop up?
“If it’s Tatara… isn’t it the same city that was there before?”
“…And that’s where the Mabel Company is located.”
uh. right.
“…! If it’s Mabel Company….”
“Since it came from the mouth of a demonic contractor, something must be going on there….” I was planning to
move after the results of the interrogation came out, but somehow the incident got sidetracked and I forgot about it. Problems with Mabel Company still remained.
“You might want to rest a little, but I can’t keep up with your sense of responsibility.”
…I had completely forgotten about this situation, but there is no reason to clear up the misunderstanding. Without stopping, I thought about where to get transportation.
Due to time constraints, I would have to log out midway, but it wasn’t that bad. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just log out?
“But I think it would be a bad decision to leave now. “Your stamina will be strained.”
That too… That’s right.
“So you’re saying we should give time to those guys who may be doing something at this very moment?”
But when it comes to demons, my concept doesn’t make sense!
“It’s a question of efficiency. If we leave right away, we can shorten the time. But if you beat yourself up, will you have the stamina left to deal with them when you get to Tatara?”
“Don’t pass on your weakness to me.”
“I admit it. Unlike me, you may have some energy left over. But is that really the case? “Can Tatara, who started off with a strained body and returned home with short stays in the open in between, really be able to bring out all his strength?”
Is that so… right…? Fatigue may be high, but it is only a level that falls when you sleep.
And according to the system, there is no difference between sleeping in an inn or sleeping on the street, other than the speed at which fatigue decreases. Considering that the game will turn off, there is no need to manage it in the first place.
“Look. It is sloth not to help others even though you have the power to do so. However, if you work yourself hard to help others, is that truly sincere?”
But for some reason, a quote that would be good to reflect in one’s life comes back to me.
“The world exists because I exist, and I must build myself up to be able to support others.”
No, if it were real, I would agree with every single word of it. If you’ve ever heard something like this in a game…
“So are you preaching to me?”
The player and my concept don’t listen.
“It’s not a sermon…”
“If you want to live like that, live like that, wise man. “Act according to the truth you have acquired and breathe in the direction you think is right.”
The concept of the setting is that even those who want to kill themselves hate the devil so much that they put it off as second priority when the devil appears. In other words, I prioritize dealing with demons over my own safety.
But would such a character leave the devil behind just because it was a bit difficult?
“I will do the same.”
Absolutely not! If you do that, it’s a character breakdown. That is absolutely unacceptable.
「❖ Hidden in the back
∎ Go to Tatara」
And the quest appeared.
“If you live like that, it will collapse someday.”
“It’s none of my business.”
The player doesn’t fall, so there’s nothing to worry about. Where else can you get a horse? Should I buy a horse at a trading post? I don’t think I can live with the money I have.
Write it. A request to the Adventurer’s Guild… there’s no way it can happen, right? Wow, what should I do with this? I caught the ganji the way it was supposed to, but I’m stuck here. This is why Gao must have money.
“…I.”
At that time, Dev raised his hand.
“I can arrange for the fastest horse in the city. “They are better than those raised in temples.”
…You liked this guy! But I don’t have much money…! What do you do if you don’t make money? Ugh. I should have gotten 500,000 gal for killing the draugr! Or even the price of solving this case!
“But it will take at least two or three hours. It may take longer depending on the horse’s condition. “Um, are you okay?”
“….”
It takes time. However, I have no way of getting a horse on my own, and I promised that I would get the fastest horse, so that is a fairly acceptable compromise.
“What is the price?”
The only problem is the price…!
“…What is the price? “I will try my best.”
Suddenly, I almost burst into tears with emotion. Heavenly mountain?
“Instead… I’ll just ask you one question.”
“Say it.”
“…Why are you so devoted when you obviously won’t get anything out of it?”
If you can say one word with one answer, you can answer as much as you want. As I waited for the question with that thought in mind, a somewhat strange question came.
“I won’t pursue either wealth or fame, so why…”
I wonder if the cross between using the system and questioning the concept is seen as dedication in the eyes of the NPC… I wasn’t specifically aiming for that.
The principle of action I had in mind was self-abuse stemming from self-loathing. Not something sublime like dedication and sacrifice.
“Do you give a reason for catching bugs?”
Well, there’s no need to explain it in detail, so I just thought about it.
“I just cannot tolerate the existence of pests devouring the world.”
For your information, I also grabbed my right arm when I said this. Wahahahaha.
I can’t resist this kind of over-indulgence opportunity!