The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Future City (2)

So, what will you do?

Many people must have asked Geppetto about the trial, but no one would have asked like me.

The reason he was presumed to be the parent of the trial was just a fact inferred from the last appearance.

Honestly, who would think that?

That an individual created the trial.

It’s common to think that they are just related to the trial. That they know the most about it.

Even in the Pantheon, they must have found a way to attack the trial, but other groups would have only tried to satisfy their own desires.

Isn’t it Future City? All the inventions that transcend the century in this city were made by the ＜Future Seeker＞.

How much would the value of such a ＜Future Seeker＞ be?

If it’s related information?

“A parent…”

Everyone must have approached Geppetto to satisfy their own desires.

Or to get advice on how to destroy the trial.

No one would have thought that Geppetto was trying to protect the trial.

Of course, I don’t believe it either.

But I’m not stupid enough to follow the same path as others.

I’ll just push forward, thinking that an absurd assumption is the truth.

“…Hahaha! You’re a funny religious person.”

“Is that so?”

He laughed heartily.

But there was definitely a brief gap in between.

He must have thought. He must have been so bewildered that he had to prepare a separate answer to my question.

“No, isn’t it an unrealistic story? Do you think this old and sick dwarf created such a big city? Even I can’t access the center of this city.”

“That’s true. It was just a joke. I thought you didn’t like people like me, so I tried to start a conversation differently from those who came before.”

“Well, you have humor. Better than the stiff-headed ones who came before.”

Has his guard been lowered?

Because I showed a friendly attitude towards the trial, unlike others?

Because I didn’t show greed or make hostile remarks?

No way.

He’s lived so long that counting his age is meaningless. Such a person wouldn’t take the bait without any caution.

He must have noticed.

That there was a slight gap before he spoke.

So, it’s not that he lowered his guard, but rather raised it to the highest level.

“If you don’t have a place to stay, come to my house. You seem like an interesting group, so I’ll treat you.”

How to deal with suspicious people varies from person to person.

Geppetto decided to keep us close and watch us.

At the same time, it’s a way to prove his innocence.

Even if he sends a blatant suspicious look from the closest place, he won’t find any doubts.

“Then I’ll accept your kindness and stay for a while.”

“Kuhahaha! Do so.”

A psychological battle that started knowing each other’s intentions.

“Tourism, I’m looking forward to it.”

Sincerely.

*     *      *

Inside Nidavellir, there were many strange vehicles instead of horses.

The most representative ones were carriages that moved with gears and steam.

No, it’s misleading to call them carriages. They all look different and operate in subtly different ways.

The only common point is that they mimic the appearance of living creatures?

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

A small dog-shaped mechanical device making strange sounds as it moves around.

I don’t know what the purpose of that device is. Judging by the number of similar ones around, it seems to be a familiar device here…

“It won’t get boring watching them.”

“Isn’t it something we can’t even eat?”

“That’s true. But if we hunt, we might get some valuable items.”

“How about catching one?”

Titan raised his hammer as if to say, “Let’s break it once.”

Isn’t it quite interesting for someone who said they weren’t interested?

“Stop. I don’t want to cause trouble in someone else’s city.”

“Tsk…”

And the loot we get means nothing to us.

How can we, who are not engineers, use parts of mechanical devices?

Selling them to the engineers here would probably lower their relative value, and even if we take them to another city for trade, we might get ripped off.

It’s a treasure to those who need it, but it means nothing to those who don’t know.

“Mr. Lost, Mr. Lost. Look at this! Isn’t it cute?”

“It is.”

“Do you have to show that much disinterest…?”

Linnea, the most sensitive member of our group, was jumping around with sparkling eyes.

Despite everything, she is still an ordinary girl. She doesn’t show any absurd skills or unreasonable cruelty.

“Oh! How about this? It seems to suit you well, Mr. Lost. And it’s practical too.”

“Hmm… That’s true. It wouldn’t hurt to carry this around.”

This time, Linnea had her eyes on a watch. The watch itself required considerable technology, and it was small enough to fit in a pocket.

Inside, intricately made gears were turning.

This is… no matter when I see it, it’s an incredible technology. Can craftsmen who only hammer things make such small and delicate gears?

“How did you make this?”

“If you’re curious, why not buy it and disassemble it? You can find the materials nearby, so it might be a fun pastime to figure out the method.”

“You have a very old-fashioned way of saying you can’t tell me.”

“So? Are you going to buy it or not?”

“Let’s hear the price.”

Even if it’s a bit expensive, it’s worth buying. A plan is only perfect when it includes time conditions.

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll buy it for you.”

“Then I’m sorry.”

“For what? It’s a souvenir, isn’t it?”

Well, it might not be such an expensive item for Linea.

Being a doctor and the daughter of a count’s family, how much money must she have?

With a combination of money and more money, there would be nothing to fear.

Even under that old robe, aren’t there expensive clothes that can’t be hidden? From the point where she wears such things as everyday clothes, she is already a different breed from us.

“What would be good for Claire?”

Claire was left at the mansion.

She might have been looking forward to sightseeing as well, but it will take time for her to recover from the fatigue of the last trip.

“How about this?”

“…Mr. Rost, you are too harsh on Claire.”

“In what way?”

“Bringing her to a city like this to study!”

What’s wrong with that? It’s all for Claire’s good.

Surprisingly, Linea doesn’t seem to like the book I chose, “How to Become a Master of Mechanical Engineering.”

As a doctor, she must have studied a lot, but I didn’t expect her to be so negative.

Shouldn’t we raise her academic level in advance so she can live comfortably later?

“Well, Linea is a noble, so she wouldn’t understand the desperation of commoners.”

“Claire is a noble too, you know?”

“A fallen noble.”

“That is… true, but.”

She picks up the book and examines it.

Various mechanical device designs are drawn with explanations.

Just looking at it makes me dizzy. Isn’t it too difficult for a beginner to understand?

“Perfect.”

“….”

Difficult means high level. This is the perfect gift.

“I, I think it would be better to give her something else.”

“…Well, you have to consider the feelings of the person giving the gift too. Then, shall I buy this?”

“That book, really….”

This is why kids from wealthy families don’t understand. They lack a sense of urgency.

But Claire has that.

Isn’t it true that to become a great person, one must have a solid foundation of basic knowledge?

I made a promise to Burke.

To ensure that Claire could live a happy life in the future.

But happiness is not something given by others; it is something you create for yourself.

And to create happiness for yourself, you need money and fame.

A lot of money, that is.

Alright. If we have all the necessary things, then we just need to pave the way.

“Our Claire will definitely become the head of the Inquisition in the future.”

“But why mechanical engineering?”

“It’s a subject that’s not bad to know as a general education.”

“……It’s not good to interfere with the family’s educational policy.”

Seeing my resolute determination, Linnea finally turned her head as if giving up.

“I’ll take this.”

What Linnea chose was a dress.

A pure white dress. Even if it wasn’t from Nidavellir, it’s hard to think of a design that’s so hard to find.

Of course, the material would be excellent. Since Claire had a hard time even being in the sunlight, it wasn’t a bad choice.

“Still, my gift is better.”

“…….”

Claire would surely be happy too.

*     *      *

“Thank you, Linnea. And Mr. Rost? I recommend you return this trash before it’s too late.”

“…….”

Why?

“So you were a noble after all.”

I thought you would understand desperation, but you were very full.

“Linnea, Mr. Rost has started talking about reverse discrimination. It seems like it’s going to get tiring, so can I leave the rest to you?”

“Mr. Rost, shall we go?”

“Won’t you let go?”

“Rost, don’t be pathetic and just come out. Even I think that strange book doesn’t suit as a gift at all.”

“Yeah, you’re royalty too.”

“The madman is worse than usual today.”

I am not wrong.

The world is wrong. The nobles and royals act like that because they don’t know how valuable the opportunity to learn is.

Damn it.

Everyone except me is a royal or noble.

Where is someone who will understand me?

It was around the time when I started walking through the mansion with a book in hand, feeling an indescribable sense of betrayal.

“Huh?”

While I was conducting an investigation that wasn’t really an investigation, I heard the sound of metal clashing against metal from somewhere.

Could it be a blacksmith at work?

When I followed the source of the sound, sure enough, Geppetto was hammering metal in the forge.

“What is it? Do you have something to say?”

“No, it’s just different from what I expected.”

Mechanical engineering, which can be said to represent Nidavellir.

Even the artisans were seen performing intricate and delicate work with state-of-the-art tools.

I thought that if they were showing it to the public, their special skills would be even more impressive, so this ordinary blacksmith work was quite surprising.

“Hmph, that’s because those guys are deluded.”

“Is that so?”

“If you’re a religious person, you should know, right? What’s wrong with Nidavellir.”

“Knowing and practicing are different matters. Would they have designated it as the most dangerous trial in the Pantheon for no reason?”

The danger level of the trials.

If it were simply a matter of strength, it would be ＜The Corruptor＞ or ＜The Omnipresent＞.

But the danger level of the trials is evaluated based on how much they affect things. Of course, ＜The Omnipresent＞ Melis is also dangerous.

Human malice seems almost impossible to overcome.

But ＜The One Who Draws the Future＞ Deus Ex Machina is different.

“It’s cruel to tell someone not to see the answer that’s right in front of them.”

＜The One Who Draws the Future＞ is neither friendly nor hostile to humans.

Its mere existence is beneficial.

It is because of the inventions created by that mysterious machine that Nidavellir has developed this far.

“That can’t be called growth. That machine has taken away our sense of improvement.”

All the advanced technologies of Nidavellir are created by the ＜One Who Draws the Future＞.

I don’t know what their purpose is or what they want, but the ＜One Who Draws the Future＞ is the one who constantly creates something, holed up in the largest mine.

As you get closer to the center of the city, closer to its core, the technology changes every moment. Imagine how much more will fall into place later.

“Even just the outskirts are like this.”

Just looking at the various mechanical devices that move with gears and steam is impressive.

But if the inner part is said to have even more advanced technology.

Who wouldn’t want to conquer this trial? From individual artisans to the leaders of each country, no one can resist the temptation.

“Everyone has changed. No matter how hard they try, they kneel before the overwhelming technology they cannot compete with and choose to become disciples.”

“Learning if you lack something isn’t a bad thing.”

“Yes, learning from someone is a good thing. But if you can’t explain what you’ve learned to others, what meaning does it have?”

“It didn’t seem like that.”

＜How to Become a Master of Mechanical Engineering＞

If that were the case, would they have sold such a book? Slowly but surely, they are making the technology their own.

“Give it to me.”

“Yes.”

Geppetto, who had put down the hammer, lightly skimmed through the book.

“You’ve been scammed. It looked fine, but you bought this trash?”

“……”

Whoosh!

And then he threw it into the furnace.

For a moment, he hesitated and stepped back from the fiercely burning flames.

“You’re quite a coward for a man.”

“Who in the world isn’t afraid of fire?”

“You seem a bit excessive.”

“……”

I paused to make excuses for my ugly behavior.

After coming to my senses, I covered my eyes and sighed.

Sometimes I think, the greatest evil of humanity might be the words spoken without considering others.