Ch.99. Uncomfortable Meal (2)

“It’s been a while, Bishop Andre.”

When called by name, the bishop nodded and smiled more deeply. His already narrow eyes became complete slits. The rosary hanging around his neck shimmered softly like the moon, reflecting the street lights.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve met since… before you went to defeat ‘The Third Calamity’? I wonder if you’ve been enjoying your vacation.”

Vacation? Can’t you see I just got back from work? Are you being sarcastic? Since I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my recent activities, I immediately changed the subject.

“What brings you to the Kingdom of Kairos, Bishop?”

The bishop raised an eyebrow. He looked as if he was asking whether I really didn’t know. Well, do you think I’ve been enjoying my vacation to ask such a question?

“You probably know better than I do. It’s somewhat inappropriate to discuss openly on the street…”

The bishop glanced around as he spoke. Yes, I know. It must be related to Isis suddenly leaving the hero’s party. Daphne’s confused expression, my subtle expression, and Bishop Andre’s friendly smile created a peculiar scene. Bishop Andre glanced at Daphne and nodded slightly in greeting.

“You must be the hero’s new companion. Pleased to meet you. I am Andre Zabine.”

“I-I’m Daphne Ephiphone.”

Daphne hesitantly returned the bishop’s greeting, then slowly moved behind me. There was a strange pressure behind that gentle smile. I sighed and stepped forward, subtly shielding Daphne. Andre Bishop was an uncomfortable figure for different reasons. I knew very well what lurked beneath that appearance. Glancing at the bishop’s wavering shadow, I switched to a defensive stance.

“You must have plenty of important matters in the Holy Country, yet you came personally.”

“Well, when it concerns the hero, how could I send someone beneath me? The Pope himself ordered me to come, so it’s only right that I handle this personally.”

Bishop Andre said this with a small sigh. If not for his clerical attire, he could easily pass for an ordinary office worker complaining about overtime. The bishop quickly erased that tired expression from his face and clapped his hands once. His ability to manage his expressions was remarkable.

“By the way, have you eaten? If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a meal together while we talk leisurely—”

The bishop turned to look at Daphne. I could feel Daphne’s shoulders tense slightly behind me.

“What about you, Daphne? As a member of the hero’s party, if you’d like to join us for dinner, I’d be happy to treat you along with the hero. I’ve arranged quite a nice restaurant.”

Daphne immediately shook her head. A wise choice. The atmosphere was clearly not conducive to enjoying a meal together. Daphne then gave me a concerned look.

“Go ahead, Daphne. It’s the weekend starting tomorrow, so rest well and come in on Monday.”

Daphne seemed reluctant to leave, backing away slowly. She looked like a dog waiting for its owner who had gone to the bathroom. Only after I gave her a reassuring smile did she bow to me and slowly disappear beyond the shining street, looking back at us until the very end.

I felt a burning sensation on the back of my head. When I turned around, Bishop Andre was looking at me with a surprised expression.

“…Your personality seems to have changed a bit. Or is she special to you?”

“I don’t recall us knowing each other long enough for you to comment on my personality.”

I deliberately responded curtly, but Bishop Andre remained unfazed. Perhaps this answer was closer to Ilroy’s original personality.

“Well, that’s fine. Anyway, do you have time? If it’s really not possible, then I can’t help it…”

As if I had a choice to begin with. I shuddered, feeling a chill crawling up my spine and into my brain. I couldn’t show unnecessary wariness outwardly. I nodded as calmly as possible.

“No, it’s fine. I understand that we need some time to talk.”

Satisfied with my answer, Bishop Andre nodded and began walking away without further words. The rosary hanging around his neck swung and sparkled. I followed the bishop slowly, maintaining my vigilance. As I did so, I recalled what kind of person Bishop Andre was in the original work.

Andre Zabine.

One of the bishops of the Blue Orthodox Church, the main religion in “I Won’t Return.” He was characterized by his narrow eyes, short and neat blonde hair mixed with white, and a gentle impression. He was tall, about the same height as Ilroy, with a thin build. Up to this point, he seemed like just an ordinary clerical supporting character, but—

“The weather is quite nice.”

Behind that smile as he looked back was a slaughterer holding a cross.

Some called him the executioner, others called him the judge. Those who despised his group called them the dogs of the Blue Orthodox Church, or the Pope’s dogs, but there was an official term for Andre Zabine and the group he belonged to.

Inquisitor.

A group that would stop at nothing to uphold the authority of the Blue Orthodox Church. Their specialty was murder, their hobby was torture, and kidnapping and threats came as naturally as breathing. Of course, the Inquisitors were the most secretive group in the Blue Orthodox Church, and they didn’t have many occasions to take action. As a result, most people either didn’t know about the Inquisitors at all or dismissed their existence as an urban legend.

Well, I know very well that I’m not one of those people. And now I’m about to have dinner alone with the leader of those monsters. I wonder if I’ll be able to swallow anything.

“Here’s the restaurant I found. Doesn’t it look quite nice? You’ve been living in the capital all this time, yet you haven’t discovered this little gem.”

“…I haven’t had the luxury to go looking for good restaurants.”

“That’s a shame.”

Andre gestured to me at the entrance of a small restaurant called “Full Moon.” With the feeling of walking into flames carrying firewood, I moved toward the door that Andre had opened.

“I discovered this place by chance in the capital a few months ago, and their skills are remarkable. They cook to my taste quite well. You can look forward to it in many ways.”

Andre said as he sat in a corner seat with familiarity. Bishop Andre probably hadn’t come to kill the hero right now. If that were the case, I would have been murdered already. Even in the original work, it wasn’t time for Ilroy to die yet, so today he likely just came to talk with me.

Click, click.

Dishes began to be placed between me and Bishop Andre. A steaming piece of meat was placed in front of me, and a bean salad with bread was placed in front of the bishop. The bishop happily picked up his fork and stabbed a vegetable, bringing it to his mouth. A vegetarian Inquisitor. It was such an absurd combination that I couldn’t even laugh. The bishop politely chewed and swallowed his salad, then spoke again.

“Whatever reason you had for expelling that mercenary, Isis shouldn’t have done what she did. She should have remained by your side until the end. Looking at this situation, I wonder if we formed the hero’s party a bit hastily, before it was fully mature.”

Right.

Isis probably thought the Blue Orthodox Church could never touch her. That’s somewhat true, but she overlooked an important point: while they couldn’t touch Isis herself, they could certainly harm Aryen, who had become just a wandering mercenary.

“Don’t worry, the saint will soon return to the party. And we can punish the mercenary who enticed Isis.”

Let’s say Aryen enticed Isis to leave the party together. I’ll overlook everything else. The bishop was subtly suggesting this.

The bishop’s smile was gentle, but that made it all the more creepy. It felt like I was talking face to face not with a person, but with a dagger that could stab my neck at any moment.

“It seems you’ve also found someone to replace that mercenary. So you needn’t worry, hero. We could delay the next expedition and take time to reorganize the party when Isis returns.”

In the original work, there was an episode where the Inquisitors fought with Aryen. They kidnapped Isis, who had barely reunited with Aryen, and Aryen, who had gone mad, grew stronger and slaughtered the Inquisitors. Thanks to that incident, Aryen, who had been trying to live quietly, began to actively participate in defeating the calamities, the Blue Orthodox Church’s reputation was tarnished, and Ilroy also began his descent into the abyss.

For now, I need to prevent this. Even though I’m prepared for contingencies, it’s too dangerous. But how?

“But it’s not good to wait too long, so we should try to resolve this as soon as possible…”

“Isis.”

I cut off the bishop’s words. There seemed to be one way to escape this situation.

“She didn’t leave the party to follow that mercenary, Aryen.”

“Oh?”

Bishop Andre’s gray eyes gleamed with interest. The Inquisitor’s gaze, piercing through my eyes, seemed to cage me like prison bars.

“Then?”

I tried to appear as nonchalant as possible, putting down my fork on the plate and leaning back in my chair to face Bishop Andre. With an arrogant look, as the original Ilroy would probably do.

“I expelled the saint myself.”