## Chapter 576 – Nice to Meet You, Friend

“Elise?”

I asked cautiously.

“You’re really okay, right?”

Just moments ago, Elise had been spewing violent curses and administering Divine Retribution to the heretics.

Of course, Elise is a nun who knows her limits. I know her well, having fought alongside her many times.

But right now, Elise had completely lost it after seeing the horrific human trafficking site. Maybe not as much as Captain Vakerel, but there was a high probability she would suddenly unleash her inner violence.

I was actually snapped back to my senses because of that damn Captain Vakerel.

Not only did he break through the building and come out, but he also ran on all fours, flew to the carriage, and crawled all over it like a cockroach.

It was a sight I was afraid would haunt my nightmares.

It was a relief that he was a paladin; if he had been one of the Penitent Crusaders of the Radiant Cross, it would have been even more terrifying. Thinking about it that way made me feel a little better.

“…I have calmed down. I lost my reason for a moment. I am truly sorry for showing such an unsightly display.”

Elise, her face slightly flushed, hesitated for a moment and then nodded. She was trying to maintain a blank expression, probably because she was a little embarrassed.

Her anger seems to have subsided.

“Hehehe, that’s a relief. Hey, Elise, your verbal abuse towards the heretics has increased a lot!”
“Th-that’s… I got too excited…”

Seeing Elise’s increasing use of insults that targeted people’s parents, I felt an irresistible urge to stop her.

Anyway, the scene that had been chaos itself returned to normal.

Now, it’s time to beat the crap out of these heretics and raid their base. I first checked the state of the heretics.

ㅡ…
ㅡ…
ㅡ…

The three heretics were, to put it nicely, completely fucked up.

Due to the aftermath of the lynching that lasted about a minute, their skin was as blue as the Na’vi from Avatar.

But they were currently sleeping soundly, as if they were in the most peaceful place in the world. Rather, they probably found salvation in being knocked unconscious while being beaten. They were breathing with the most comfortable expressions on their faces.

ㅡ…

The black smoke that had been seeping out of their orifices was gone.

I wondered if they were dead, but they seemed to be alive somehow. As expected of heretics… are their bodies somehow enhanced?

“Look at the tattoos on their faces. They’re so disgusting, really.”

Winia said, poking the heretic’s cheek with the end of her staff. As she said, the heretics had hideous tattoos all over their faces, like the ones we’d seen before.

What do they mean?

No, can we even interrogate them in the first place?

If they don’t speak the same language, like those guys in the underground waterway… No. They must be able to speak, since they’ve been trading with the village. Then, well, getting them to talk shouldn’t be difficult.

But I don’t know what kind of trump card these guys might be hiding.

“Elise, you said there was a way, right? Can you explain it?”
“The priests have used divine spells to seal the heretics’ incantations. So, they won’t be able to use any evil sorcery.”

ㅡHoly Silence!

I remember the priests shouting that as they shot white flashes into the heretics’ throats. Whatever it was, it seemed to have the effect of blocking spell incantations.

ㅡKaaak!

I remembered what happened when I went to find the meteorite. The heretic I met back then spat out black blood and attacked me.

That was probably some kind of sorcery too, but if that’s blocked, interrogation will be easy.

“If we simply tie them up and conduct an interrogation with violence, it will be easy to find out their base.”
“I see. But the biggest problem is where to interrogate them. It’s a bit difficult to go to the village, and it’s damn cold here.”

It’s too cold outside to interrogate them for a long time. Blood will splatter, and I don’t want to get my Sasquatch fur coat dirty. If I take off my coat and interrogate them outside, it will definitely be damn cold.

“I don’t mind doing it outside.”
“Still, it’s better to do it in a warm place if we’re going to do it for a long time. Let’s decide when Claudia comes back.”

Claudia had gone to take the unconscious paladins and priests to the village. Let’s decide what to do when Claudia comes back.

We waited for Claudia and talked.

“Sir Paladin, if we do well, we can crush their base. And I believe we can rescue the people who have been captured.”

I think so too.

“I can never forgive them… Not only do they dare to buy and sell the lives of innocent people, but they also corrupt the residents of this peaceful village. Sir Paladin, I am very angry right now. It’s hard to bear.”

Elise glared at the heretics who were sleeping soundly, her fists trembling. As she said, they had corrupted the ordinary villagers.

Humans are weak to temptation and fear.

It didn’t take much for the ordinary villagers to turn into cruel human traffickers. They instilled fear with violence and tempted them with money. That was the completion of the corrupted human.

These evil beings easily corrupt humans. Elise couldn’t stand it, and I hate it too.

“But for the sake of a greater purpose, we must endure a moment of anger.”
“Elise…”

I choked the heretic who was slowly regaining consciousness again to knock him out and said.

“You’ve grown.”
“…Grown, you say?”
“That’s growth. That judgment and self-control will make you an even stronger messenger of God. I hate it too.”

Fusion Confucianism never tolerates such evil beings.

To benefit the world widely.

For the sake of this other world where I, my wives, my friends, and my future children will live, I will kill and eliminate evil beings wherever I see them. It’s enough to have imperialism on Earth. As the anti-war activist Kim Kat, I want to root it out.

“Elise, as you said, let’s endure it now, and if we raid their base, we can significantly reduce the number of future victims. Just think about that for now. We’re going to interrogate them soon anyway.”
“Sir Paladin… I think you are the right person for our Radiant Cross.”
“I fit in everywhere.”

As we were talking, Claudia soon returned.

“Claudia!”
“Kat.”
“Hmm?”

She came up to me and said.

“It seems like we can go into the village to interrogate them.”
“To the village? What about the paladins?”
“They said they’re going out to patrol around the village? Vakerel wants to ask you to do the interrogation.”
“Oh!”

It seemed that Claudia had told them that story while moving the unconscious people.

“Claudia, thank you!!!”
“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

The paladins saying they would patrol around the village meant they couldn’t stand it and wanted to be outside.

Then there’s nothing to worry about.

We immediately dragged the heretics to the village.

The place to interrogate them was decided to be the barn where the victims were held. The space of sorrow where people suffered because of the heretics will now be transformed into a torture chamber for them.

As soon as we entered, Winia lit the lamp, and we threw the heretics onto the barn floor, tied their arms and legs, and restrained them.

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

Soon, the heretics began to open their eyes one by one. As soon as they opened their eyes, they tried to get up, and realized that they were restrained.

“Wh-what!!! Th-this…! What!!”
“Daoc!!! Daoc!!!”

Some of them spoke our language, and some shouted in a language I couldn’t understand. Elise and I decided to lead the interrogation.

Claudia and Winia seemed to be planning to watch.

Winia… I think it would be better for her to rest.

“Winia, go inside first. I’ll be back soon.”
“I don’t want to be alone. I’ll just stay here.”
“I thought it might be a bit cruel.”
“Well, it’s not the first time, so it’s okay. It’s just interrogating heretics. It’s the same as us eating meat.”
“Excuse me?”

It seemed that Winia thought interrogating heretics = eating meat. Well, the values and common sense of the people in this world are very different from modern Earth.

Originally, people’s thoughts change depending on the era and background.

People in this world tend to be a little insensitive to violence compared to modern people. Especially the general public treats evil beings like monsters.

Winia is no different.

“Still, I don’t want to show you anything unnecessary.”
“Oh, are you thinking about me, Darkie?”
“Of course I’m thinking about you.”
“Hehe. But Darkie, this is nothing.”
“…I guess.”

Well, Winia is a mage and has lived a rough life.

“Wh-what is this…!”

Anyway, the interrogation begins. The heretics who had regained consciousness coughed repeatedly and twisted their bodies. Of course, they couldn’t cut the ropes, and they couldn’t chant anything.

“Cough… Cough…!”

Black smoke was coming out of their mouths, but no meaningful spells were cast. The priests’ Holy Silence worked well.

I kicked the head of the guy who was acting up.

“You heretic bastard!!!”

ㅡThwack!

“Kukhek!”

The heretic who was kicked fell, and the other heretics glared at me with demonic faces. I looked at their faces and greeted them.

“Hello everyone! I’m a paladin of the Bronze Celestial Church!!!!!”
“A minion of Verde!”

The heretics who were startled by my revelation as a paladin jumped and tried to grab their heads. But they couldn’t because they were restrained.

Elise immediately introduced herself.

“And this nun is a combat nun of the Radiant Cross!”
“A hunting dog of Izzermart!!!!!!”
“…”

Elise stared at the heretics with a blank expression.

She looked like she was thinking deeply about how to interrogate them.

Anyway, I stroked the head of the heretic who was kneeling in the middle and said.

“Hehehe, you know you’ve been caught by us, right? Hey. Why did you do human trafficking? We want to hear about that.”
“Do you think I’ll talk!!! You dirty minion of Verde!!”

The heretic who shouted fiercely bared his fangs.
Why is this bastard so confident?

“No torture can open our mouths!!”

That’s nonsense.

I tapped his nose with my finger as if massaging it.

“Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose.”
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose. Nose.”
“I asked what you’re doing!!!!”

The heretic exploded with a convulsive rage,

“Eyes.”

I immediately stabbed his eyeballs deeply with my finger.

ㅡThwack!

“Giyahhhhhhhhh!!!”
“Hehehe, you bastard. Hey. You think torture can’t open your mouths? Have you heard of the Heretic Puzzle? Do you want to test if you can breathe until the heretic is cut into two hundred pieces?”
“Kheuheueuk…!”

The heretic who shed tears of blood let out a painful groan. If we have enough time, it’s not difficult to open their mouths.

No one can withstand cruel and inhumane torture.

“…Heretics. Where is your base, and why did you commit human trafficking?”

Elise knelt on one knee, matched her eye level with the heretic who was shedding tears of blood, and said in a low voice.

“We have many questions for you. From the god you believe in, to your doctrines. Of course, we are curious about your purpose and base, as well as the location of the businesses you use to raise funds. Today, we intend to ask you all of that.”

ㅡTap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

She said that and stretched out her finger and slowly tapped the heretic’s nose.

“Don’t expect to be able to hide the truth. We will not stop until our curiosity is satisfied. Of course, you will not die in the process of satisfying our curiosity. Because I am also skilled in healing.”
“…!”
“Sir Paladin. Is it okay to say ‘eyes’ here and stab them?”

I wondered why she was tapping his nose, but it seemed she was trying to imitate what I had just done.

“You can say ‘ears’ there.”
“Hoo. ‘Ears’, you say.”
“Ah, no!!”

The heretic shouted urgently, knowing what pain was.

“Then, in order to induce ‘panic’, I will say ‘thighs’ here.”

ㅡFlash!

At that moment, Elise raised her mace and, as if dropping a meteor, slammed it down on the kneeling heretic’s thigh.

ㅡWham!!

“K, Khaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!”

A painful scream erupted, and the heretic’s body fell backward.

“Ugh, uaaaaaak!!”
“Kyaaaaaaak!!”

Soon, the heretics on both sides also began to scream. The special medicine to treat these cult bastards was the mace.

“Kheuheuk…! Khaaaak!!! Kheuheuk, heu! Hehehe! Hehehehahahaha! Foolish ones!! Do you think you can open our mouths with mere pain!!! We will never be defeated, and we will never surrender!!”

The heretic who was hit in the thigh bluffed.

With that as a starting point, the full-scale interrogation began.