Chapter 289: Learning to Use Power 4

Inquisitor Raphael’s actions were far more aggresive than I had anticipated.

“Hmm… men in robes, pale hands, and there was a smell of herbs typically used in the temple. Sister Yulia’s magic confirmed this through the heroes, right?”

“Yes, we saw it through a large crystal ball.”

“If that’s the case, this is simple.”

Raphael spoke as though he had overheard everything from the shadows beneath the table.

He asked Han Se-ah whether Yulia was telling the truth and asked Irene if she sensed any evil dark magic.

After confirming there were no such indications, he nodded and made his decision.

From the start of the conversation, Raphael had suggested ‘Shall we start by capturing them first?’

Although there was a slight surge of anxiety, since he did not say ‘Shall we start by hanging them first?’ I decided to just observe the situation.

Even though there were clues, they were merely candles used in worship.

Considering the devotion of the lord of Antibes, it was unlikely there would be many residents who did not attend worship.

I watched with a bit of anticipation as Raphael vanished back into the shadows.

If Temple Knights are like tanks and monks to bruisers, then inquisitors are surely in the assassin class.

“What is he planning to do? …Ah, he’s gone.”

“Does he always exit under the table…?”

Our group, having never met thieves or assassins due to hiring the archer Grace, watched curiously as Raphael slipped away beneath the table.

Grace seemed a bit surprised too, suggesting that his technique of vanishing into the shadows was hard to detect.

Surely a 4★ assassin wouldn’t completely bypass a 5★ archer’s passive, so there must be various limitations on his movements like a non-combat state?

As usual, I passed time by surfing the web through a holographic window.

Raphael returned much quicker than expected.

This time, he didn’t crawl out from under the table but instead, knocked politely on the door.

“Excuse me, could you step out for a moment?”

“He’s back already?”

It was ample time for idle web surfing, but far too short for rooting out and interrogating dissenters.

Thus, when Raphael’s voice came from outside the door, we all got up without much thought.

Our party members weren’t the type to arrogantly abuse our status as heroes against the inquisitor.

So, to cooperate willingly, I opened the door of the parlor.

There was Raphael, not at the door, but standing at the entrance of the house, visible through a window.

“…What’s with those people?”

Dozens of people were looking around nervously.

It seemed a few Temple Knights had been summoned to round up every suspicious person.

The appearances of each person were quite different.

Naturally, anyone would be uneasy when Temple Knights in armor, together with the inquisitor, dragged people to the lord’s home in broad daylight.

Even if innocent, being taken from the street to the police headquarters rather than a local police station would make anyone nervous.

From a young-looking boy to older adults beginning to show white hair, anyone with pale hands seemed to have been dragged in.

“…Ah, that makes sense. In this hot southern region, it’s rare to see people with pale hands.”

“Eh, why?”

Grace murmured as she realized why they had brought so many people in.

“Hanna, think about it. Even if they turned to gathering herbs or hunting because there are no farms, working outdoors in the sun all day ages the skin. They might not be as dark as barbarian warriors, but they inevitably tan quite a bit. Even the hunters who just roam the forest end up with burnt skin.”

As everyone agreed with Grace’s explanation and stepped outside the mansion, tension began to build.

Naturally, when a group of well-dressed, beautiful people pour out of the lord’s mansion, they’re probably of high status.

“Um, excuse us… What do you need us for?”

“Ah! My apologies for the lack of explanation. There’s just something we need to inspect.”

When a deeply wrinkled old man stepped forward to ask, Raphael responded with a thin smile.

His loose robe and the ink stains on only his middle and index fingers suggested he might be like a temple librarian.

Just as I was analyzing this…

Whoosh-!

“Ugh, ah-?”

“Please, stay still.”

Raphael began to prod the old man’s abdomen with a dagger he had drawn from his robes.

Mages have their magic towers, and there are magical tools similar to modern scientific devices.

Witches have their covens, complete with enchanting tools right out of fairy tales.

What about temples, then?

Of course, temples house relics.

Like the golden-coated skull from the 40th floor that I tore out, which now eternally exudes life force.

Though they come with all manner of grandiose descriptions and fairy-tale-like backstories, such relics do exist.

A shepherd’s staff used by an ancient saint, a holy censer that defeated dark spirits, a statue of the Goddess that weeps holy water instead of tears, armor that a saintess personally blessed, a holy sword that beheaded a malevolent demon…

And the dagger Raphael was holding.

I had never even heard tales of that one.

“What is this, what is this…?”

“Just hold on a moment, brother. Hmm… You turned out to be cleaner than I expected?”

The old man’s weak grip startled and tried to grasp the wrist that was stabbing his belly, but how could an old man without any stars stop the blade of a 4★ assassin?

Ignoring his feeble resistance, Raphael twisted his wrist around, smiling broadly as if he were merely examining a local elder, giving off a slightly eerie vibe.

Spinning the dagger around in someone’s belly with such nonchalance.

Still, my lack of reaction to his antics was because the dagger he held seemed to faintly contain divine energy.

The blade appeared to be carved from ivory, not metal, chunky and blunt.

It was so dull, it seemed unlikely to cut through even roasted paper, let alone human flesh.

“Sir, are you alright?!”

“Oh, oh! I’m fine. It seems it didn’t actually pierce me…?”

“Yes, you’re fine. As long as you haven’t committed any sins.”

After stirring a few more times, Raphael smoothly withdrew the dagger.

Despite the milky blade moving in all directions inside the old man’s belly, not a single drop of blood was on it.

Like a mage flaunting a trick, he dramatically lifted the dagger, showing it off to the crowd and us, then casually draped his arm around the old man, allowing everyone to see his unharmed abdomen.

Despite the dagger being embedded so deeply that its handle was not visible, there was not a single drop of blood, nor was there any tear in the fabric.

“Is that dagger a relic?”

“Yes, hero. It is the ‘Smile of the Innocent,’ bequeathed by a saint who was once an inquisitor. This relic never harms the righteous and is designed to discern the innocent.”

“A relic, you say?!”

While his handling of the dagger with flashy spins might have resembled a street thug more than a saint, the old man’s shock at being in the presence of a holy artifact of the Goddess Faith was even more striking.

Being dragged here and stabbed, yet celebrating because the dagger was a relic… wasn’t this the ultimate display of an innocently deranged zealot?

Excluding Irene, it seemed that all those who believed in the Goddess Faith shared a touch of madness.

This included the Temple Knights, Lord Antibes, Raphael, and this old man, who all seemed to operate on a slightly different plane of common sense.

“No, this old man… he was only slightly startled when the dagger entered, but now that he’s heard it’s a relic, he looks like he’s about to have a heart attack from excitement?”

If there’s a dagger that can judge sinners, let’s try stabbing all the suspects with it.

That crude method made me feel like I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Ah, aaaah! I confess, I confess! Blinded by greed, I… the grain bags-!!”

“I, I confess, ohh-!! While my husband was away, I committed adultery, adultery-!!”

“I’ll confess, just a moment, wait! I embezzled some of the budget, aaaaah! I’ll talk, aaaaah-!”

And sh*t, this dagger doesn’t seem specifically designed to catch dark mages, does it?