The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Shade (2)

A murderous intent so intense it’s hard to bear pours out. It’s more overwhelming than I thought.

I expected it, but the Shade of that time was beyond my capability. Even as an assassin, if it’s to this extent, he could easily kill Titan head-on.

“How dare you, do you know where you are!”

“Calm down? I know there’s been constant noise, but are you going to break the rules you set yourself?”

Didn’t even the guide who saw me off say that there were those who couldn’t accept the arbitrary change of business by the Shade of that time?

I don’t know who they are, but seeing that they can openly oppose Shade’s will, they must be quite powerful.

“It would be easy for you to kill us.”

Ignoring the chilling sensation running down my spine, I maintain my composure.

With my eyes closed, I put a cigarette in my mouth.

Then, lighting it with holy magic, I carefully open my eyes. I see a small flicker of flame at the end of my gaze.

“But you know this, right? Even if dozens of assassins come at us and kill us, taking your daughter is not a problem.”

My hands were trembling, but there was no longer any fear of Shade.

From now on, it’s important.

It’s time to start a proper negotiation.

To establish a friendly relationship in the future, it’s necessary to show that we have the upper hand here.

“No, even if you could kill us, it would be the same. With Titan’s physicality, he could easily break a person’s neck just by stiffening his body at the moment of attack.”

“…I don’t know. Why are you provoking me like this? Don’t you know that I can kill you anytime once I get Mar back?”

“Titan, break an arm.”

“I really like this proposal!”

“Stop!”

Shade calms his murderous intent.

Now he finally thinks about having a proper conversation. If it’s the Information Guild, they would know about the Inquisitors.

“Whether we become allies or enemies is up to you. I could have marked your daughter.”

We have prepared various means to deal with heretics.

Among them, it is possible to mark something that only priests can recognize. I have already marked the inn in the previous village.

Even if I die, other Inquisitors will see the mark and come running.

“I could also cast a curse.”

In addition, I can use some of the divine magic of the evil gods.

We have a faith of the evil gods that can only be exercised in the Pantheon, erasing their existence from the world.

Such curses are particularly cruel and terrible.

“What do you want?”

“I assure you, it’s not a bad deal for you either. The Pantheon wants to have a friendly relationship with you.”

“That’s nonsense…”

It’s good to gain an advantage through threats here. But it shouldn’t lead to the next step.

If we enter into a deal with the intention of stabbing each other in the back, it will become tiresome.

So instead of information about myself, I intend to reveal information that Shade would most welcome.

I show mercy from a position of overwhelming superiority.

Is there a better picture to gain an advantage?

“Ahhh!”

“Mar?!”

Just as the situation was being resolved, Mar suddenly screamed.

When I hurriedly turned around, Titan was breaking Mar’s arm.

“What, why? Didn’t you tell me to break it?”

Look at that confident figure.

It is proof that he had no interest in this situation.

Shade’s hands trembled as he spoke at Titan’s sudden action, unable to grasp the atmosphere.

“What is this…?”

“Oh, sorry. He usually doesn’t listen to me.”

I didn’t intend to go this far.

“Uh… Don’t glare at me like that, just let me see for a moment.”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Why should I trust you?”

“It seems your daughter is still in our hands?”

“You b*stard!”

Shade glared at me with bloodshot eyes, but he couldn’t take any further action.

It’s unfortunate, but what can you do?

Unless we show it through actions, Shade won’t ease his hostility towards us.

“Let’s see.”

“Ugh, it hurts…”

Mar whined.

The difference between the ‘Mar Shade’ I knew and the current ‘Mar’ was like heaven and earth.

I remembered him as a person with immense charisma, but my perception was changing in real-time.

“Hmm, it’s a clean break. At this level, I can treat it without a doctor.”

Healing through divine power is regeneration.

There’s nothing like divine magic for healing torn wounds or mending broken bones.

However, if the bone is completely shattered or if there’s an unknown disease inside, it won’t work.

In such cases, if you’re not careful, you might attach the bone in the wrong direction or worsen the disease, so you definitely need the help of a knowledgeable doctor.

This is why doctors are considered more precious than priests in the world.

Even if the treatment is slow, they can provide the most reliable prescription.

“Alright, it’s done.”

I borrow the power of Panacea, the god of healing, in exchange for divine power.

As soon as the broken arm is mended without any issues, Mar falls asleep as if fainting.

“…It’s just that he fell asleep because he relaxed, so don’t worry.”

I take Mar from Titan and hand him over to Shade.

There’s no point in provoking the opponent any further.

“Sniff… Mar…”

I never knew a grown man could cry so pathetically.

Especially if he’s the king of assassins, who is presumed to have succeeded in assassinating at least dozens of people.

“See, I do have some conscience, don’t I? Now you understand that what just happened wasn’t intentional, right?”

“It’s noisy. Nothing good ever happens when I meet you. Just bark out the information you need and get lost.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re older, but your mood swings are quite severe.”

“I said bark and get lost!”

I should treat him with some respect.

“Well, listen up. The information I’m offering in exchange is something you’re desperately looking for.”

Only then does Shade look at me.

But rather than interest, the emotion was more of ridicule.

“Where do you get such confidence…?”

“You must have had a good relationship with your wife.”

“……”

The murderous intent piercing my body now is incomparable to before.

It seems I need to get straight to the point.

If I delay any longer, my head might fly off.

“The Spore Witch. It’s the name of the demon suspected of killing your wife.”

Another nickname would be ‘The Blade of Calamity.’ Like Mez, she is one of Belial’s specialists in mass slaughter.

“What…?”

“Your wife probably had purple flowers blooming on her too. Flowers that bloom with the witch’s power leave no trace of demonic energy. They grow by absorbing demonic energy. If you had excluded demons from your list of suspects, you might want to reconsider.”

Shade, understanding the meaning of my words, starts trembling.

“W-what information do you want? Tell me what you want! Quickly!”

The situation has completely reversed.

The once prickly Shade is now practically clinging to me.

This information must be more valuable to Shade than any treasure. I could probably ask for more.

But…

“The whereabouts of a hunter who has settled in the Duke of Foris’ territory and the current state of the ‘Trials’ spreading across the world.”

“Just that…?”

“The value of information is relative.”

I have decided to kill Belial.

To do so, I am even preparing in advance. Of course, he is someone who must be stopped for any reason.

But it is certain that I have brought the grudge from the future to the present.

If so, the grace of the future must also be brought to the present.

If I alone hold a world that has perished, if I still cannot let go of that scenery, then I must do so.

“I told you. I want to establish a friendly relationship with Shade.”

Human desire grows closer the nearer it is to the eye.

The most crucial information for Shade.

If it is right in front of him, who knows what he might do.

To prevent such a situation in advance, I had to be in a superior position.

I have no backing.

A little investigation would reveal that I am not a priest of the Pantheon.

In such a situation, with no background, this was the only way I could establish an equal relationship with Shade.

At this very moment.

The final puzzle piece was finally in place.

It had been a truly troublesome journey.

*     *      *

It wasn’t a particularly long time ago.

Before the regression, the organization called Shade was still vividly clear in my mind.

Shade was the continent’s foremost information guild. It wasn’t because their information network was the best.

“Are you alright?”

“Haha! What’s the problem when the saintess herself is tending to my wounds? This kind of injury. It’s not something that won’t heal, right?”

“But there’s still pain, isn’t there? Here, here! It hurts, right?”

They didn’t care about any danger to obtain the information they wanted from the Pantheon.

Above all else, they tried not to abandon their humanity.

It was the same then as it is now.

The information about the demon identified by the Pantheon was helpful to Shade, and thanks to that, they could maintain a good relationship.

“This is the payment for this information. I hope it’s not insufficient.”

“Is it alright? We already owe you so much.”

Originally, the Pantheon had no intention of releasing information about the Spore Witch.

They were only full of thoughts of using it to manipulate Shade.

The closer any group gets to the top, the more their humanity fades.

Shade knew that and was willing to endure such situations.

They were that desperate.

But the Saintess thought differently.

The Saintess handed over all the information about the Spore Witch that she had gathered from the Pantheon to Shade.

And she did it for a very cheap price.

It was the Saintess’s kindness, putting others before herself.

– Just check the information. It’s not very good.

– Ah, yes. Mr. ■■■? Could you check it first?

The note handed over by Mar Shade contained information about the enemy’s hidden forces. The numbers were truly absurd, almost despairing.

– …….

It felt like the world was freezing over.

This wasn’t just a matter of the number of soldiers.

Morale itself would be broken.

They would think that even confronting them was meaningless.

– ……. How about running away? The Kingdom of Ares and Alfheim have already turned to ashes. It was a fight we couldn’t win from the start.

As expected, the leaders of each country and the high priests of the Pantheon who heard the report lost their morale.

There were more than a few who lost the will to fight and were ready to abandon their people to save their own lives.

– Wow, this is a mess. Seriously.

At that moment, the person who brought the information, Mar Shade, who had seen the army with his own eyes, stepped forward.

– The reason we gathered the information was to come up with a solution, not to give up.

– I know many members of Shade’s guild have sacrificed themselves. But we need to face reality now…

– Hey.

Mar Shade stubbed out the cigarette on the desk in front of the person talking about reality.

– You know what? When I was young, I had a really bad habit. I did it because I wanted to be praised.

A crooked smile.

– So I caused a lot of trouble. I would steal from my trading partners or hit them from behind.

The green monocular eye grew as if it would kill the opponent.

– But every time, my dad never got mad at me. He cleaned up after me and bowed his head. Isn’t it funny? My dad isn’t the kind of person who should have to bow his head anywhere.

Mar Shade tapped the eyepatch.

It was something she lost when she inherited Shade’s name.

– That’s sacrifice. Trying to bear even the mistakes for someone else is sacrifice. My dad sacrificed a lot. Just to be a proud person in front of me.

A story about the previous Shade.

And it was revealed what Shade had become the information guild for.

-So I tried to live like a human. So even in this crappy situation, I tried to live like that. I have to be dignified, don’t I?

Mar put on his coat.

Then, with a few simple gestures, he called his subordinates.

-We were not sacrificed. We sacrificed ourselves. We have done so until now and will continue to live like that.

She confidently walked out of the conference room. Numerous informants followed her.

-So at this moment, Shade returns to its original form.

There was no hesitation. The image built up over a long time was discarded.

There was no difference between an assassin and an informant. There is no meaning in any facade in the way of living with dignity.

It’s just a way of life.

If there is no doubt in your heart, that is proof of dignity.

-That damned demon army? Check how organically they can move when they lose their head. We’ll turn them into a disorganized rabble.

Assassin Guild Shade.

Their appearance was not seen after that. But anyone could see their sacrifice.

In just a few days.

As she said, the demon army turned into a disorganized rabble.

*     *      *

Leaning against the outer wall of the building, I looked up at the sky.

“The weather is nice today too.”

Right after I requested the necessary information from Shade, I revealed all the information I knew about the Spore Witch.

Yes, I paid the price in advance.

I didn’t think they would just take the information and disappear.

Thinking of Shade, who even left his daughter behind and rushed out of the room, I took out a cigarette and put it in my mouth.

I closed my eyes and lit the fire.

When I opened my eyes slightly, all I saw was a small flame and smoke.

“Living like the Saintess. It’s really hard. Even though I’ve already made my decision, I feel regretful.”

I can become ruthless as much as I want. So I chose to trust someone and leave the choice to them.

I am different from the Saintess.

I can’t become like the Saintess.

But I can try to do what the Saintess did.

“Is this enough?”

So that I could appear confident in front of her. That’s how I acted.