#037. The Inquisitor Is Too Kind (1)

#037. The Inquisitor Is Too Kind (1)

The funds acquired from the ruins event were substantial.

Though only thirty percent of the total spoils, it was enough to live comfortably for several years.

Those willing to forsake the harsh existence and embrace a comfortable, easy life through the power of the gods, could hardly do so with nothing.

There’s no era to live well without money.

Even primal times used sea shells.

Regardless of the time period, some degree of gold is needed.

The result was a heaped-up pile of gold coins and ingots.

“Are you truly content with taking gold instead of magical implements? Exchanging it will be a bother, and as adventurers, you would greatly benefit from lighter, directly helpful equipment.”

Commander Edwin, realizing that we were not just some mediocre clan aiming to strike it rich and retire, even extended consideration during the division of spoils.

Even Mother made moves to choose magical implements during this process, but I strongly objected.

“What troubles you so? Is there a cursed item in the lot?”

“There are no curses, but they can lead to a similar result. Our operating zone is within an abandoned mana facility, after all.”

It was a frontier village, meant to exterminate monsters and expand humankind’s sphere of activity. But to receive subsidies for killing those monsters, they first had to host the very mana-waste facilities that attracted them.

Monsters, nourished by discarded mana, grew sensitive to its presence.

Insects, small and insignificant, transformed into formidable beasts. Animals gained wisdom and malice, morphing into monsters. All because of this.

“The more audacious our expeditions become, the greater the likelihood of powerful, mana-sensitive monsters causing incidents. Arcane tools were created for humans to fight humans, not to contend with monsters.”

The clan members, who had only considered the efficacy of arcane tools, were deeply shaken by this revelation. They had never pondered the inherent dangers.

“We wouldn’t take such impure things even if you gave them to us!”

“…I no longer desire arcane tools better suited for assassins.”

“I am strong enough without relying on such trinkets.”

Because they felt a sense of unease.

Because they evoked memories of a flawed past.

Because humanity itself was strong enough, even without dependence on arcane tools.

For various reasons, the Theresa Clan distanced themselves from such artifacts.

That my words were met with approving gazes from everyone was merely a bonus.

“It wasn’t for naught that the Zeppelin Trading Company coveted your talents, was it? Not even the guild’s office workers are as sharp as you!”

“Huhu. Indeed. Who do you think Ian belongs to? He must continue to be a young master worthy of protecting, more than anyone else, understood?”

Soon, the second round of loot distribution within the Theresa Clan began.

“As Clan Leader, I receive a share for three. Ian, as the top contributor, receives a share for three. Everyone else who participated receives a share for one.”

“Does Anna get a share too?”

“Why would we give her one? No.”

My younger sister, Anna, who undoubtedly believed she would receive a share as well, gripped Nina’s waist and shook her, her face a mask of shock.

“Anna no share?”

“What’s the good of having a nanny, if not for times like these? I’ll buy you anything you want with my own money.”

“Nina good! Mommy mean!”

Such charming petulance.

It was heartwarming to witness, but the Clan’s internal atmosphere also improved thanks to the matriarch’s fair decision.

A mother who cherished children above all else.

Within Theresa’s embrace, there was a shared understanding that fairness was paramount to being such a mother.

I was acutely aware of how proper her upbringing as a noblewoman had been, and how vile Ronoah was to have so thoroughly corrupted such an admirable character.

“Ian, are you also going to spend your share on something delicious?”

“No.”

Gorgon seemed to expect me to use the money in a charming way, but the means of its use had already been decided.

“This money will be used for reinvestigation funds or compensation for unresolved requests categorized as cold cases by the guild.”

Everyone, from Gorgon who had posed the question to Shoah who had started a new life thanks to the Theresa family, listened intently, only to be taken aback.

Gorgon, voicing everyone’s unspoken questions, turned to me.

“Why would you do something like that?”

“Because it’s a debt our guild must pay to Sodom Village if we are to move forward.”

A truth everyone knew but chose to ignore.

Sodom Village housed ‘the Alley’.

Adventurers who had flocked there seeking fortune.

Those who had lost limbs or suffered nerve damage, those whose minds had fractured, adventurers whose bodies and spirits were sickened and rusted by the trials of adventure, rendered incapable of returning to the field.

The rising tide of monsters threatened daily life, until finally, ordinary folk found themselves unable to make ends meet.

Those who had fallen became like sediment, layer upon layer, a rotting underbelly of human society.

Even the patrol of guards, something others took for granted, never reached these vulnerable souls.

The alleys stank, you see.

Too dangerous for the guards.

No decent reward to be had for getting involved.

And being branded a nuisance by those who sought to exploit them was a threat to their livelihoods.

The guards didn’t enter the alleys.

And within them, many crimes took place.

“Back when Gomorrah was Vice Guildmaster, crimes like these weren’t isolated incidents. Someone has to investigate, and that requires manpower. If the Guild won’t expose its own dirty laundry, then I’ll step up and uncover the truth, put a definitive end to their corrupt past.”

“Why, though? Why you? If you save the money you’re earning now, you could enroll in the Academy in the capital and change your life.”

Gorgoh was right.

Education in this world wasn’t a public right, accessible to all.

It required exorbitant tuition fees, letters of recommendation, and in an era where those letters were scarce, even more money paid to the recommenders to secure their backing.

He knew the value of such an opportunity.

But he also knew, perhaps even better, the looming crisis at hand.

━━━

＜Sodom’s Darkness＞

Within the town of Sodom, countless crimes were perpetrated and condoned by the Gorgoh Vice Guildmaster’s faction. For the Guild to survive, someone must expose this darkness.

Quest Objective: Resolve the Unsolved Cases.

Quest Guidance: Utilize the faction within the Guild that follows you to overcome the interference of hostile forces, resolve as many unsolved cases as possible, and increase your completion rate.

━━━

A quest that hadn’t appeared yet, but might one day stand before him.

This quest had a time limit.

If he failed to clear it within the allotted period, the inquisitors of the Order would appear and conduct their own investigation.

And if that investigation confirmed the Guild’s involvement…

The Sodom Guild would be branded a haven for heretics that day, and would inevitably be led to its destruction.

But for now, luck was on his side.

Gomorrah was dead.

His faction of underlings was dead, too.

The criminal syndicate they cooperated with had been rounded up within the town.

Even the guards were changing allegiances, following the Sodom Guildmaster.

The easiest raid in history.

A raid without enemies was an automatic door.

Just push and it opens.

The accumulated knowledge from past runs, the keys known as ‘the answers,’ helped even a child’s small arms open the heavy doors of truth.

‘You don’t have to be some god-tier player to do this.’

Even back in his playing days, he wasn’t particularly skilled.

The game was an escape, something he dove into after losing his parents, his lover, his friends, becoming utterly alone.

He hadn’t been in the right state of mind to approach it with clarity.

If adapting came after just a few tries, I wouldn’t have been swindled in the first place.

Nor would I have been betrayed, able to see through people’s hearts from the start.

That clumsiness brought death even in the game.

Dying, dying, and dying again.

Even with mind control, my tender heart remained unchanged.

Unable to follow ruthless and brutal strategies.

There were many trials and errors.

Much effort expended.

The knowledge I’m about to impart is the only truth I’ve reached at the end of that history of failure.

The people who solve this truth must be the most trustworthy.

What could be stronger than a belief forged stronger than mind control?

Therefore, this is a tragedy.

A tragedy of committing sin to end a tragedy.

I am a mind-manipulator.

A deceiver who twists and controls people’s hearts.

Using this wicked power, I will…

[Mind Control Activation]

[Target…]

“How foolish. We don’t need money. Why pay for labor when we’re right here?”

“Gorgo’s right. The Teresa Clan can’t ignore the task of clearing out the Guild’s hidden dangers.”

“!”

I hadn’t cast it.

I hadn’t managed to cast it yet.

And yet, they all speak.

Saying they will join my cause.

I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I want to protect my family.

I don’t want to run anymore.

It’s a miracle born from the collection of such small wishes.

If the Teresa Clan has set its mind to it, the Sodom Guild Master is as good as done.

The Sodom Guild Master granted permission.

“If it were any other adventurers besides the Teresa Clan, I wouldn’t have trusted them. It’s the sincerity shown by your mother and comrades that I trust. I believe in the courage and dedication you displayed in defeating Gomorrah and restoring the Guild to its rightful state, and thus, I permit you to investigate the Guild’s shame.”

With the Sodom Guild Master’s approval and the Teresa Clan taking action, coupled with the player knowing the answer, the clues, testimonies, and critical evidence needed to uncover the truth quickly came together.

“Have you come to file a request?”

“We’re here to investigate the truth behind the alleyway fire.”

“Are you perhaps referring to the arson committed by an adventurer who was the main culprit in a slave trafficking incident that occurred around 10:12 PM on July 15th of last year to destroy evidence?”

“?”

“The adventurer who was the culprit was killed during the recent Guild civil war, but the ledger containing the evidence of the crime was found in his residence and has been kept in our possession. If you wish to view the case files, please fill out the viewer application form here with your personal information and pay a viewing fee of 10 Copper coins.”

The fact that we could confidently reveal the conclusion of the case that people who looked every bit the part of inquisitors were trying to dig up was thanks to such efforts.

Of course, I remained on guard.

In my memory, Inquisitors were malignant complainers incarnate.

-Filthy b*stards. Not only did they use a child as a shield to escape, but they handed over a minor inconvenience, a trivial detail, as if to say, ‘Here, choke on this and leave us alone?’

Deep-rooted distrust never wavers.

Truth falls on deaf ears.

Hearts remain untouched.

It wouldn’t be any different this time.

Even so, I was caught between a sense of duty, of something that *had* to be done, and a vague, creeping despair.

“Little one. Is the story true, that you investigated and resolved this matter at your own expense, according to the clerk?”

“…It is.”

“Take this.”

The Inquisitor offered a necklace.

Cautiously, I asked, “What is it?”

“A Certificate of Candidate for Sainthood.”

“?!”

The nefarious mind-controller received a Certificate of Candidate for Sainthood instead of mistrust.