Chapter 24 - Irreversible (3)

The heresy interrogation continued until past midnight.

Because not everyone affiliated with the Temple could wield divine power, the latter half of the investigation became sluggish.

It couldn't be helped. If someone in a position that required divine power to attain suddenly couldn't use it, that would be grounds for investigation—according to the lore, the god would retract their power if they committed an injustice, which was a very convenient setting—but you couldn't just tell someone who originally couldn't use it, "You can't use divine power, so you're a sinner."

In the end, there was no choice but to find out through detailed interrogations.

But there was no way that process would be short, easy, and fun. Not to mention, I had no relevant abilities, so I had to just stay back.

If it weren't for the logout issue, I would have found it incredibly boring. Yeah, if only it weren't for the logout issue.

"..."

Half a day in game time. Thanks to having no follow-up quests and nothing to help with, I had plenty of time to think.

As a result, I came up with exactly two hypotheses. Either I had calculated the date wrong, or I hadn't accounted for the time skipped by the system. Like sleeping time, for example.

The latter couldn't just be called wishful thinking, because in any game, time fast-forwards when the player goes to sleep. It meant folding time like a teleportation technique.

So, right. It made sense that the full dive would be delayed by the amount of time I slept here. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a delay but rather me living through skipped time, but anyway.

"Thank you for waiting."

Comforting myself like that put my mind a bit more at ease. It was right at that moment that the Inquisitor returned.

"Others will take over the remaining judgments. Until the Heresy Inquisitor dispatched from the Main Temple arrives, the city will take responsibility and manage them."

Oh, I thought it would drag on for a few more days. It was perfect if he stepped away from it here.

Interrogating the Heresy Inquisitors, Bishops, and key Priests at least had the fun of enemies popping out, but once it moved on to the commoners, it was way too boring because it was just prying through conversation.

Even if I didn't have the peace of mind to enjoy anything anyway, boring is boring.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

BA-BAM-BAM!

Along with the Inquisitor's words, the quest completion BGM rang out.

「LEVEL UP!」

My level conveniently going up was a bonus.

"Is that really okay?"

But while I was checking my level, the Thief—who I don't know why hasn't left yet—asked sullenly. What he said was understandable in its own way.

If the group the perpetrators belonged to was going to judge those same perpetrators, anyone would naturally have that kind of reaction. *'There's a reason they say people look out for their own.' *

"They may be traitors, but they are all commoners. They are not at a level that a trained military force cannot subdue. And the judges sent by the order will arrive in a week. The chances of a problem occurring are slim."

"Does it sound like that's what I was asking about?"

"Then what were you asking?"

The Archmage and I understood what the Thief was getting at, but unfortunately, it was too much for our blockhead.

He probably took it as a question of whether the city guards could keep an eye on them.

"Hm. If you are hoping for me to take charge of it, that is impossible. I, too, would like to take responsibility until the end, but..."

The Inquisitor trailed off for a moment before finishing his sentence with emphasis.

"I have a mission that must take priority."

It was only natural for the Thief to be dumbfounded. The Thief looked back at me and pointed a finger at the Inquisitor. I didn't know exactly what he was saying, but I got the gist.

"... The ones coming this time had better not be corrupt."

"If that is your concern, do not worry, Demon Knight. This incident will lead to a massive purge within the order as well."

"Hah. We'll see about that. Who knows if they'll cover up for the corrupt ones just because they're part of the same family?"

"... I will not allow any further insults, criminal!"

Meanwhile, the difference in the Inquisitor's attitude toward the Thief and me was hilarious.

"Ahem. More importantly, you there. I have been wanting to ask this since earlier... but how did you find the runaways?"

The Archmage threw out a question to change the subject. The Thief shrugged.

"I already heard that there were traitors in the Temple... and seeing as you weren't the type to delay sniffing them out, the moment I got back to the back alleys, I gathered the kids and waited around the Temple. Then we just caught the ones running away one by one."

I thought things had just snowballed, but he even had a backstory that fit his character's attributes.

If it weren't for the bugs, this would truly be a god-tier game. Ah, the damn logout.

"Ah, but don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm trying to make peace with you people. I was just paying off my debt to the Sir Knight here."

"..."

Regardless, I didn't know if that Thief guy was afraid or not. He gets terrified, yet still picks fights left and right.

"... I will express my gratitude for that part, belated as it is. I still cannot tolerate criminals like you... but it is true that we received your help."

Still, the Inquisitor was an NPC capable of acknowledging things.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to eradicate the seeds of evil parasitizing the order."

"... Cut it out with the ill-fitting gratitude. I told you. It wasn't for you people, I was just returning a favor to the Sir Knight."

Thanks to that, I got to watch the flustered Thief turn his head and fidget. It was practically the expression of someone who had seen a ghost. Even if all that was visible were his ears and lower face.

"However, gratitude and turning a blind eye to crimes are two different matters. If you simply smuggled away the Demon Contractor you took—."

"Bullshit, as if you lot would just say thank you and leave it at that."

"The gratitude was purely sincere!"

"Yeah, yeah."

The Thief dug at his ear and replied half-heartedly. At that, the Inquisitor's fingers twitched as if to grab his mace, but he ultimately just clenched his fist and let it go.

That was unexpected. I thought he was going to pull it out. I hadn't had any intention of stopping him either.

"I didn't smuggle him away, so don't worry. I brought the corpse just in case."

Still, the Inquisitor's brief patience got him what he demanded. The Thief snapped his fingers. It was around that time that a presence reached my ears.

"DeathBringer, did you call for me?"

Wow, without my tracking skills active, it was hard to notice... Bwahaha!

"As you've probably heard, His Eminence the Priest needs to collect the corpse."

The reason I remembered the Thief's advancement class just came out.

DeathBringer... Everyone else had perfectly cool advancement names, but the Thief's was exceptionally cringy, so it was impossible to forget.

I suspected it was probably because the word 'Death' just didn't sit well with Korean sensibilities... Anyway, thanks to that, it became the number one least-played class, yet simultaneously the most widely and accurately remembered one.

For reference, the most frequently misspelled class is the Inquisitor. Just going to the drama board, you could see all sorts of pronunciations like 'Inziquitor' and 'Inziquarter'.

"... It's confirmed."

Anyway, while I was lost in my thoughts, the Thief... well, 'Thief' is easily confused with the others, so maybe I should just call him by his title since it came out. But I wasn't confident in saying 'DeathBringer' over and over again, so I'll abbreviate it to DeB.

Right, DeB, along with another thief, had the Demon Contractor's corpse inspected.

At first, they held out a sack, so I wondered what it was, but when they opened it, a brutally mangled corpse tumbled out. Judging by the way the Thief NPC who opened the sack still had blazing eyes, it looked like it was his doing.

"... More importantly, can I ask you guys something too?"

"What are you curious about? If it is a question I can answer, I shall."

"It's about... that 'Hero' thing."

But DeB suddenly brought up an unexpected word.

"Is it true?"

"... Ah, right. You heard."

The Archmage fell silent for a moment as if choosing his words. Then, blinking his fatigue-drenched eyes, he weakly nodded his head. He had the glazed eyes of a dead fish.

"It is true. The Inquisitor is the Hero. Chosen by the god."

... Hey, is the Archmage okay? The old man definitely looked like his Fatigue was maxed out.

Well, even I, with high STR/VIT/AGI, was slowly reaching a dangerous level, so it would be funny if a pure INT build didn't have maxed-out Fatigue. It must have been his high base physical stats as a Shaggy race that allowed him to hold out this long.

"... For real?"

"For real."

"No..."

The Thief's lower face scrunched up. It was obvious he really didn't want to believe that the Inquisitor was a Hero. The Inquisitor, who believed the title of Hero was too much for him, also seemed to acknowledge the sentiment, yet still harbored a bit of resentment like someone whose feelings had been hurt.

At any rate, they were two NPCs who would make an entertaining combo if stuck together.

RUSTLE.

Well, that didn't mean I wanted to watch them any longer. I straightened my body, which had been leaning against the wall, and took a step forward.

I had cleared the quest, heard the post-processing method for the traitors, and confirmed that the guy the Thief took had been dealt with.

Whether considering my concept's temperament or as a player, there was no longer any reason to stay here.

"W-Where are you going?"

I didn't want to sleep in the Temple, so I figured I'd just pop into any random inn and sleep. Why the hell did this damn game have to implement fatigue and sleepiness?

I hadn't felt it much earlier because of the tension, but now that I had shed my anxiety about the logout and relaxed, I was seriously unbelievably exhausted. I just wanted to rest.

"Are you intending to head to Tatara?"

But why was a misunderstanding like that popping up?

"Tatara... Isn't that the city you were in before?"

"... And the place where the Mable Trading Company is located."

Oh. Right.

"...! If it's the Mable Trading Company..."

"Since it came from the Demon Contractor's mouth, something must be going on there as well..."

I was originally going to move after the interrogation results came out, but somehow the incident got sidetracked and I completely forgot. The issue regarding the Mable Trading Company was still pending.

"It would only be natural for you to want to rest a little, but I simply cannot keep up with your sense of responsibility."

... I had completely forgotten about it, but there was no reason to clear up the misunderstanding. I didn't stop walking as I pondered where to get a means of transportation.

Time-wise, I'd probably log out halfway to Tatara, but that wasn't bad either. As long as I could log out, what wouldn't be great?

"However, I believe departing right now is not a good judgment. Your stamina will fail you."

That... is true.

"So, are you saying we should grant time to those bastards, who knows what they might be doing even at this very moment?"

But when it came to demons, logic didn't work on my concept!

"It is a matter of efficiency. If you leave right away, you might save time. But when you arrive in Tatara after pushing yourself so hard, will you have any stamina left to deal with them?"

"Do not project your own weakness onto me."

"I admit it. Unlike me, you might have strength to spare. But is that truly the case? If you set off pushing your body to the limit, taking only short naps outside along the way, will you truly be able to draw out all your power once you return to Tatara?"

Probably...? My Fatigue would skyrocket, but it was just a stat that would drop once I slept anyway.

Besides, system-wise, whether I slept in an inn or camped outside, there was no real difference other than the rate at which my Fatigue dropped. Considering the game was going to log me out anyway, there was no need to manage it in the first place.

"Listen to me. It is indeed slothful to not help others when you have the power to do so. But if you overwork yourself to the point of breaking just to help others, can that truly be considered diligence?"

But for some reason, the response to what I said purely for those reasons came back as a wise saying I should probably apply to my life.

"The world exists because I exist, and one must stand firm themselves to be able to support others."

I mean, if this were reality, I'd agree with every single word. But hearing this in a game...

"So, are you preaching to me?"

As a player and my concept, I wasn't listening.

"Not preaching, but..."

"If that is how you wish to live, then live that way, Sage. Conduct yourself according to the truths you have learned, and breathe in the direction you deem right."

It made sense; my concept's setting was that I hated demons so much that I'd push even those trying to kill me to the back burner if a demon appeared. In other words, I prioritized dealing with demons over my own safety.

But would a character like that put demons on hold just because his body was a little tired?

"For I shall do the same."

Absolutely not! If I did that, it would be breaking character. That was the one thing I could never tolerate.

「❖ What Hides Behind

∎ Move to Tatara」

And the quest popped up.

"Living like that, you will collapse one day."

"I do not care."

I'm a player so I won't collapse, nothing to worry about there, but more importantly, where do I actually get a horse? Do I have to buy one at the trading post? I don't think I can afford it with the money I have.

*INHALE. * Maybe a request to the Adventurer's Guild... Nah, there's no way that'll work, right? Wow, what do I do? I acted all cool and edgy, but now I'm stuck here. This is why you need money to show off.

"... Excuse me."

Just then, DeB tentatively raised his hand.

"I can arrange for the fastest horses in this city for you, sir. Even better than the ones they raise at the Temple."

... You son of a gun, I like you! But I barely have any money on me...! How embarrassing would it be if I couldn't pay? Aaaagh. I should've gotten 500,000 Gal for catching the Draugr! Or at least some compensation for solving this incident!

"But it will take at least two, no, three hours. Maybe more, depending on the horses' conditions. Um, is that alright with you?"

"..."

It'll take time, huh. But I had no way of getting horses on my own, and since he guaranteed he'd get the fastest ones, that much was a pretty acceptable compromise.

"The price."

The only problem was the cost...!

"... As for the price, well. I'll figure it out somehow."

I was suddenly so moved I almost choked up. Was he an angel?

"Instead... I just want to ask one thing."

"Speak."

"... There's clearly nothing for you to gain, so why are you so devoted?"

If I can trade one answer for horses, I'll answer as much as you want. Waiting for the question with that thought in mind, a rather strange inquiry came my way.

"It won't bring you wealth or honor, so why..."

Did the intersection of utilizing the system and sticking to my concept look like devotion in the eyes of an NPC...? I wasn't exactly aiming for that.

The behavioral principle I had in mind was self-abuse born out of self-hatred. Not anything noble like devotion and sacrifice.

"Do you give a reason for killing a bug?"

Well, there was no need to explain all that in detail, so I replied smoothly.

"I simply cannot tolerate the existence of pests gnawing away at the world."

For the record, I even clutched my right arm while saying that. Wahaha.

I can't resist a deep-immersion roleplay chance like this!