220 – Witch Hunt (2)
Rattling wooden floor.
Iron shackles tied to the feet.
Sealed magic circuit.
The convoy, along with a number of plausible devices, transported criminals — specifically, the subjects of the ‘witch hunt’.
“So, what did you get arrested for?”
The middle-aged man who asked that question had a rather harsh look.
That outfit is also not an ordinary outfit.
Priest’s uniform dyed dark red.
Those are definitely clothes worn by one of the cults called heretics.
It’s not a blood religion – but it’s a tribe that uses similar blood techniques.
It seems that Osgar Javert has at least caught one plausible criminal.
If you see him flaunting it like he’s showing it off, he’s definitely not in his right mind. That’s probably why the widow in the black dress squatting in the corner had such a frightened expression on her face.
I don’t understand why that person was brought to this place……. Actually, considering that the woman goes missing midway through the story, I think I finally understand why. She was the victim of a ‘witch hunt’.
“I’m asking you for the second time now why you were captured. Don’t you understand the common language?”
The man revealed his true colors more blatantly.
A red, well-shaped murderous intent.
In terms of skill, he is a talented player who would have made quite a name for himself even outside of the late 4-star level.
“… Hee!”
A short scream was heard from the widow behind her. He was probably surprised by the murderous intent.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t have much effect on me.
At least, I have grown to the point where I feel like I can reasonably beat this level of villain.
Anyway.
Wherever you go, there is something called ‘ranking’, and it seems like he wants to establish that at this moment.
I asked him.
“What did you get caught doing?”
What came out of my lips was a very calm and cool voice without any tremors. Of course. That’s not even a threat to me.
“… Something like this.”
I didn’t miss the brief tremor of his eyebrows as he looked at me. The man immediately clears his throat as if nothing is wrong and spits out her words as if he were growling.
“I was making a drinking party by sacrificing some humans, and that Inquisitor showed up. He fought quite fiercely, but…”
“There wasn’t one.”
“What?”
“He smiled brightly without any scars.”
The guy glared at me.
So what are you going to do?
I looked at her man without saying anything.
He flinched briefly and slightly looked away.
Then he opens his mouth carefully.
“So… Why were you captured?”
A more subdued voice.
It looks like he was somewhat discouraged.
I thought about how to answer for a moment.
Will you tell me why you were caught?
Or shall we say the purpose of capture?
In the end, he was caught for a purpose, so this would be appropriate.
“I want to meet the Pope, the Pope.”
He opened his mouth and widened his eyes at my answer. His expression suddenly became stupid. He asks blankly.
“You were caught trying to meet the Pope? You crazy guy…”
“Why are you crazy?”
“No… That’s…”
“Isn’t this the quickest way? I heard that all the targets of witch hunts come face to face with the Pope. They say the Pope’s eyes can recognize witches.”
“No… Wow. What the…”
He kept making exclamations like “Ah, me, wow”.
Then the man closed his mouth and walked a little away from me.
I smiled at him, showing that there was no need to be scared.
A man who avoids my gaze even more without knowing why.
‘It has become quiet.’
I nodded with satisfaction at the improved environment inside the convoy carriage.
“Ah. But uncle.”
“… Yes?”
I guess it was an illusion that the man’s voice trembled a little?
I asked the person who was looking at me like I was crazy.
“Do you know how long it takes to get to the Vatican by carriage? If we go at this speed, it’ll take quite a long time.”
“What… Is he really crazy?”
The man completely turned away from me.
Tsk.
How far is it from Holy Constantine?
Seeing as they are being transported by carriage, it looks like they won’t be using the portal customs clearance office.
If that happens, it will take a really long time. I think it will take at least a few days.
“Oh… It won’t take long.”
What resolved my concerns was a very mature and yet delicate voice. The woman crouched in the corner. It seemed like she cautiously opened her mouth.
When I made eye contact with her, she trembled for a moment and then moved slightly toward me, as if she had gathered her courage.
“Should I call it a shortcut? There is a road along which walking or carriages speed up. It is also called the pilgrim’s path. Of course, only those in the know know about it.”
The woman spit out quite sophisticated information.
This is the first time I have heard of this information.
‘So when war broke out, the Vatican’s movement was particularly fast.’
This is information I have never heard before in games.
That means it must be quite top secret information.
“You know quite well.”
“Well, that…”
“Do you have anything to do with the Vatican?”
“Well… It’s not like that.”
She visibly hesitated.
Instead of urging, I stayed silent for a moment.
I realized this while observing Lord Riepenstein – silence is sometimes a great means of urging.
Sure enough, she opened her mouth.
“Actually… I don’t have any memories from 5 years ago. Instead, I remember this information occasionally.”
“Hmm.”
“Gu, it’s difficult to explain in detail. I don’t remember. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
I observed her closely.
Dark black hair. Long straight hair.
And even pure white skin.
If I remember correctly, she must have been… …. (Former) Saint.
However, he is a person whose many things are kept under wraps.
A very short tenure as a saint.
An entity that suddenly disappeared from records.
In many ways, her existence has aspects that make her tilt her head.
Nevertheless, her value is considerable simply because she was a saint.
Well—something like a replacement for the position of a saint that will soon become vacant due to the collapse of Aria.
‘Because the presence of a saint is essential in the progression of the story.’
The problem is that she has been caught as the target of her witch hunt.
“Why were you arrested?”
“That… That.”
She stuttered her words and said.
“There were many wounded people in the village I was in and I treated them… It turned out that they were all heretics.”
“How much did you save?”
“A boat, about a hundred people.”
This makes it pretty clear.
If you were to heal a hundred people, you wouldn’t be able to do it with normal divine power.
At that time.
— Rumble!
The carriage shook violently once.
“aaah!”
A light scream.
At the same time, significant acceleration was felt.
The body, which had been leaning forward for a while, gradually returns to its original position.
The surrounding scenery is obscured and cannot be seen, but the speed must have increased significantly.
The carriage moved quickly like that.
◆
What the woman said was accurate.
We arrived at the Vatican fairly quickly – it felt like less than ten hours.
As for the Vatican, what we see is not the splendid main gate of the Vatican, but a dark place directly connected to an underground prison.
“Get down!”
I was immediately led away by the Paladins wearing plates.
It is probably no coincidence that I feel treated more harshly than men or women.
A long, black eye patch was placed on my face as if to make it difficult to predict the route. However, if we sum up the vision and feeling that can be seen at a glance below…….
It is a fairly cold, dark, and shady stone hallway.
A scenery that is the exact opposite of the infinitely splendid and sacred land.
The scent of blood, deeply colored, could be felt between the cracks in the stones.
“You heretics! Move quickly!”
Hmm. As expected, this is a place where customer treatment is not very good. Additionally, there are occasional screams heard from around you. No matter how much I do, I have no choice but to swallow my saliva.
I’ve seen a lot of things since being possessed……. However, I have never been properly tortured.
I hope that the person who interrogates me is not Osgar Javert……. And that is what you wish deep in your heart.
“Welcome, Ian.”
Of course, such wishes usually come true in reverse. A black eye patch that is easily removed. What caught my eye with a red light was Osgar Javert, with a very refreshing smile that made grapefruit juice flow.
It’s probably no coincidence that that smile looks even happier.
The problem is why he is happy.
There is one possibility that there are various torture tools (pulls, hammers, morning stars, awls, whips, scissors, etc.) Lined up behind him by type and size.
The other thing is that he may be interested in just breaking me down.
No matter what happens, it is the worst.
“I felt like I needed to have a more in-depth conversation with Ian, so I took him to the best room.”
“… Thank you so much.”
“Weren’t you looking forward to it, Ian? You were full of yourself.”
Sigh.
The boy’s pure white teeth appear at the corners of his mouth. It’s really cool.
I’m excited, but I’m also worried.
What kind of equipment will he use?
“Do you know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“What is important in torture is not force or bluntness.”
“Then?”
“Surprisingly, delicacy is the most important. Why do you think this is?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“… I don’t know.”
— Jeopuk.
What he took when he walked to the wall.
It was a scalpel that shined sharply in silver.
“You have to float it thinly so it can float multiple times.”
Ahahahaha!
Osgar’s smile was brighter than anyone else’s.