Ch.185185. Inquisition (3)

A moment later.

“Here’s your drink.”

The two who had descended to Lisa Raeldotir’s room in the basement of the sanctuary sat facing each other in the prepared reception room, sipping drinks brought by a maid doll.

“…What is this?”

“It’s a drink made with a caffeine extractor developed by Lunifer Paicentrius. I’ve been specially importing it because it’s said to be effective for staying awake.”

Eric hesitated briefly at the sight of the black, tar-like drink, but soon took a sip—and addressed his sister who was putting on unnecessary airs.

“Sister, you’re disgusting. Why are you being so formal with me?”

“You’re disgusting too. Why am I even doing this? You’re an Inquisitor, so if you acknowledge family—wait, huh?”

That’s right. Inquisitors, as internal investigators, have a duty to sever all relationships, and these relationships naturally include family ties.

And except for a few exceptional situations, if an Inquisitor fails to uphold this duty, they would immediately be judged as a “heretic” and could be executed without question…

“You… you… is this really okay? Inquisitors aren’t supposed to acknowledge acquaintances…”

To put it simply, even “acknowledging family” like this was a violation of duty.

“Hey, what are you trying to do?!! If you say it like that, what are you trying to accomplish?!! What about Father?!!”

In other words, seeing her brother essentially committing suicide before her eyes, a flustered Lisa abandoned all dignity and shouted at him.

No matter how much they bickered and fought, family bonds are ultimately quite difficult to sever.

And one more thing.

Would Eric, who had completed all his Inquisitor training and risen to become the head of the Inquisition, really make such a simple and trivial mistake?

“Calm down, sister. There’s no problem. I’ve received permission from Him and am exempt from that duty.”

“…Huh?”

That’s right.

Through divine revelation, Eric had been exempted from some of the Inquisitor’s duties, one of which was that he didn’t have to sever ties with his relatives.

“You scared me, you—damn brother!!”

Thus, Lisa shouted at Eric with deep relief in her heart, while Eric responded to her energetic demeanor with a sly smile.

“But is such an exception even possible?”

And suddenly, Lisa voiced the question that had popped into her mind.

“You know, you’re an Inquisitor, right? Why would the great God of Vengeance make special accommodations just for you? What would other Inquisitors say?”

Though Lisa had raised this concern out of worry for Eric, he—having grown even more cunning during his Inquisitor training—deflected it nonchalantly.

“Sister… you know very well who our father is, don’t you?”

“…A transcendent being who has surpassed all limitations of mortals.”

“Yes, and Father is an apostle of the Bleeding God, and I am his son and likewise an apostle, your brother. So, perhaps He made this consideration thinking of you and Father?”

“…That makes sense.”

Knowing well Ma-Duk’s kindness and thoughtful consideration from the beginning, Lisa was somewhat convinced by what her nemesis (brother) had said.

“What could they do even if they knew? If they’re jealous, they should become transcendent beings themselves. What can those useless people who just dump work on me do anyway?!”

“Brother, is it hard?”

“…Yeah.”

At Lisa’s words, Eric lowered his head slightly and took another sip of his drink.

The black beverage had a strange charm.

Beyond the drink’s distinctive bitterness mixed with subtle sourness, the sweetness of sugar—seemingly his sister’s preference—wasn’t bad either.

The moment he took a sip, he felt his drowsiness fade slightly and his mind become clearer, making him think it would indeed be good for work, but then…

“By the way, sister, you’re undead—does this even have any effect on you?”

“Yes, it does!!”

At his casually uttered remark, Lisa openly displayed her irritation and began to argue with Eric.

“First of all, Noble Blood vampires aren’t even undead; strictly speaking, we’re spirits! Even regular vampires can get pregnant if they want to once they reach True Blood status, so how do you think I feel! I’m sick of it, really!”

Having been stressed about related issues several times before, and given that her brother standing before her had teased her about it in the past as well.

It’s not like he could do anything about it anyway. Lisa committed the outrageous act of using the Inquisitor as an emotional garbage dump.

“Anyway, so. I’m already busy enough as it is, why are you here?”

“Of course, our precious—”

“If you say you came to see me, I’ll just kill you, seriously. I could get Inquisitor qualifications too if needed, you know? I can just resurrect you after killing you anyway.”

“……”

Realizing he shouldn’t tease her anymore after hearing those words, Eric had to immediately explain why he had come to this Blood Sanctuary.

The conversation stretched on for a while.

“…So, let me get this straight. The new believers who’ve joined recently aren’t adapting, so at this rate, you’ll have to declare them all heretics and dispose of them? And since they’ve all been baptized, you have to dispose of them no matter what, so you came looking for personnel to at least try to educate them?”

“Exactly, that’s it.”

As Eric answered with a grin, Lisa, having finally organized what he had told her, looked sympathetically at him, sensing the deep fatigue behind his smile.

“If it’s personnel… can’t I just summon Blood Warriors or Angels of Vengeance for you?”

“Yes, and… if possible, I’d also like to borrow your guards, the White Guards.”

“These guys?”

White Guard.

These guards who protect Lisa Raeldotir, the Saint of the Vengeance Order, are beings that originated from maid dolls bestowed upon Lisa.

When wearing their White Guard-exclusive white—mythril full-body armor, they can barely exceed mid-tier limits and serve as tanks protecting Lisa.

But their essence is that of maids and servants who handle household chores, as well as top-tier secretaries who assist with Lisa Raeldotir’s work.

Therefore, normally Lisa wouldn’t be able to spare the White Guards who all have their own duties, especially since she herself has quite a lot of work to do…

“…Sigh, would two be enough?”

Given the situation, Lisa decided that she could handle a bit more overwork herself.

In other words, she decided to lend him two White Guards.

“Huh? You’re really lending them to me?”

“Don’t want them? Then I’ll just—”

“No, no, no! I do! Yes, I’ll take them! I’ll take them!!”

Playing along with Lisa who was openly trying to tease him, Eric was happy that he would at least receive some support.

And as she watched her brother smiling as innocently as a child, Lisa sighed and—addressed her brother.

“Right, so I wanted to ask. How’s your physical condition?”

“My body? Hmm… feels a bit creaky.”

After briefly moving his arms and legs to loosen his joints, Eric replied, making Lisa feel she should examine his body once.

“Are you at least eating regularly despite your condition?”

“Huh? Oh, of course.”

So, approaching Eric naturally while making small talk, Lisa suddenly grabbed the back of his head and quietly chanted something—

“—Deactivation.”

THUD!!

The moment she said that, Eric Bjornson, or more precisely, the doll containing Eric Bjornson’s soul, lost all power at its controller’s command and collapsed to the floor.

“…Sigh. My fate.”

And as she looked at that unsightly state with obvious contempt, Lisa suddenly recalled why her brother Eric had ended up with this metal lump as his body.

※ ※ ※

In truth, there were only two survivors from the Bjorn family.

One was Bjorn, who was captured by the Empire and taken as a prisoner and gladiatorial slave, and the other was Lisa, who had survived by becoming a vampire through a curse at just the right time.

The rest had all been killed long ago.

His wife, Rael Auredotir, died fighting valiantly on the front lines. The first son, second son, and third son met the same fate.

The fourth child, the eldest daughter, was killed and her corpse brutally violated, and the fifth child, Eric, was killed while resisting the plundering Rom Imperial army.

Fortunately, thanks to the contract between Bjorn and the God of Vengeance, they safely entered Ma-Duk’s divine realm and began new lives.

During this time, the mad love-sick Lunifer Paicentrius conducted an “experiment” with Ma-Duk’s permission.

The content was to possess a golem with a soul, allowing the soul to grow.

While souls can hone their skills or become stronger through blessings, it’s impossible to raise their tier without divine intervention.

Also, considering the vast energy consumed when a god directly elevates a tier to the next level, if the experiment were to succeed, the results would be incredible, but…

To cut to the conclusion, it was only a partial success.

It did succeed with Eric Bjornson, but the problem was that they couldn’t lower the cost for mass production.

In other words, the most fatal issue was that it was too cost-inefficient.

Therefore, the only golem-doll currently inhabited by a soul was Eric Bjornson’s.

Lisa could only look at her brother, who had ended up in such a state, with an indescribable gaze.