Chapter 61 – Entry

On the way back to the Magic Tower,

Mage Commander Aren stepped closer to Veronica.

“Did you deal with all of the Holy Order’s exorcism forces?”

Veronica cast her gaze toward him.

Beyond him, the towering building of the Papal Court was visible.

“We cleaned up most of those we identified, including the Jaeger family’s inquisitor. The Holy Order’s exorcism power won’t be what it used to be.”

Aren laughed.

“They will suffer quite a bit. Since a demon will cling to the Director of Palace Affairs.”

Being strong against simple humans and being strong against demons were two separate things.

The Holy Order, having lost its exorcism power, would face a major crisis, and there was a possibility they might not even be able to handle the Director of Palace Affairs, who was now possessed by a demon.

“Will the Director of Palace Affairs make a contract?”

“If it is him, he surely will. In order to achieve his goals…”

Aren saw her gaze shifting elsewhere rather than at him, he followed her gaze.

The impure and turbid energy descending upon the Papal Court was visible.

Veronica also laughed.

“Demonic qi has settled heavily over the Papal Court. It seems a demon has descended. The Holy Order people will suffer quite a bit, won’t they?”

All of this was thanks to the Director of Palace Affairs.

Sparing only a moment for laughter, a purple-robed Mage Captain approached Aren with a serious expression.

“Commander, it seems our mages sent to suppress the riot have all been wiped out.”

Aren tilted his head.

“All of them wiped out?”

“Yes, it was a female inquisitor wearing mana armor. There are no survivors among the mages. They were all slaughtered.”

“…”

There were certainly gains, but there was also an unexpected loss of forces.

Weighing the pros and cons, he departed with a bitter expression.

* * *

There were Holy Order forces besieging the Papal Court.

They did not dare to contemplate invading the Papal Court, where heavy demonic qi had settled.

There were also inquisitors, but they were similarly stamping their feet in anxiety.

“This has become a headache. Where is Ludrick? Hasn’t he come from the Inquisition Bureau?”

One of the inquisitors urgently searched for Ludrick, but no one knew of his whereabouts.

“I remember seeing him clearly this morning, has really no one seen him?”

The number of clerics surrounding the Papal Court exceeded hundreds, but not a single person gave a clear answer.

“Or else, summon all forces that exorcise demons. The Papal Court is in danger.”

Once the inquisitor’s order was handed down, the clerics urgently began to search for the exorcism forces they usually knew.

But all of their whereabouts were mysterious.

“None? Not even a single person?”

It was an incomprehensible situation.

At that moment, Rashid, dressed in uniform, showed himself along with Inquisitor Aria under his command.

“Oh, Inquisitor Rashid. I heard you brought back the Director?”

“You worked hard. You did a very great job.”

“We also wanted to bring the Director back, but we were detained, so there was nothing we could do.”

Several inquisitors flocked to him, showing friendliness.

Although it had not been long since he became a Chief Inquisitor, he quietly continued his active performance, and before long, he had become the most highlighted figure among the inquisitors.

Lightly nodding his head, Rashid looked around the messy surroundings.

It was a gathering of all forces stationed in Basilica, but they did not even dare to enter the Papal Court heavily enveloped in demonic qi.

“Are there no exorcism forces at all?”

The inquisitors showed signs of difficulty.

“None. Ludrick isn’t here either. Where did everyone go?”

Rashid’s eyes showed that he realized what the Magic Tower bastards had done.

“It is the work of the Magic Tower bastards.”

“The Magic Tower bastards?”

“Otherwise, does it make sense that there is not a single exorcism force in Basilica? They surely targeted our exorcism forces under the pretext of helping the Director of Palace Affairs. Otherwise, this situation cannot be explained.”

The expressions of the inquisitors froze all at once.

“To think the Magic Tower bastards would pull such a trick.”

“The Director of Palace Affairs shouldn’t have brought in the Magic Tower bastards…”

Rashid stepped forward.

“I will take charge of the matter here. Having large numbers won’t mean much anyway, so please pay attention to other areas, inquisitors. The interior of the Holy Order is still quite chaotic due to what the Director of Palace Affairs has done. In times like this, shouldn’t we set an example?”

“You are going to handle this place alone?”

The expressions of the inquisitors changed colorfully.

Some were relieved or worried, while others seemed concerned that he would monopolize all the credit here.

Though they did not speak of it, the reason they came here was clear.

It was to capture the Director of Palace Affairs himself.

If they personally punished the Director of Palace Affairs who caused trouble, it was natural that their own and their family’s status in the Holy Order would rise.

In other words, they had gathered greedily to claim even a single point of credit.

“…”

The inquisitors, who had only been watching one another, soon resigned themselves.

Exorcising the demon was impossible for them as well.

Since there would be no greater failure than getting swept away by the demon’s evil influence if they stepped forward rashly, it was also an inevitable choice.

“Then… we will leave the matter here to you.”

Sighing, the inquisitors began to depart one by one.

Aria glared at them as they left with an unfriendly gaze and said,

“They look like a pack of beasts who came to somehow bite and tear at my brother. When the Inquisition Bureau was actually being seized, they did nothing, yet seeing them try to claim the most important credit now makes them look truly pathetic.”

Even at the blatant criticism, Rashid’s expression remained unchanged.

Rashid spoke to the surrounding clerics.

“Bring the cleric leaders. I will discuss the matter here.”

Soon, the cleric leaders came to him.

Rashid asked for confirmation.

“Are there really no exorcism forces?”

“It seems they were all wiped out. We requested help from the knighthood, but the knighthood is also in a difficult position regarding exorcism.”

“Indeed. Since knights are not a group specialized in exorcism.”

“Also, near the Inquisition Bureau, we found a corpse suspected to be Inquisitor Ludrick. However, as the state of damage is severe, a detailed autopsy seems required.”

Indeed, the most excellent way to gather information was meeting with the cleric leaders.

“What state was it in?”

“It was burned to the point of almost losing its original form.”

Veronica of the Flame Hair.

She was the culprit.

‘It must be that woman’s work. If they targeted an inquisitor directly, a Mage Commander or a witch would have personally stepped forward.’

Since the period he spent with Inquisitor Ludrick was short, his death did not weigh heavily upon Rashid.

What he remembered was his empty seat, which was always vacant due to business trips.

Rashid mourned in silence, and she also expressed her deep condolences.

“It is tragic. He was someone I evaluated rather highly, at least when it came to hunting demons.”

The gathering of information was finished.

All that remained now was to retake the Papal Court occupied by the Director of Palace Affairs.

“Who is inside?”

The cleric leaders responded.

“It has been identified that clerics who originally handled guard duty, knights, and several inquisitors are inside. However, the demonic qi is too heavy, making entry itself almost impossible.”

She also seemed a bit worried about the Papal Court, where heavy demonic qi had settled.

“Unless one is an exorcism specialist, entering that place will be difficult. If only Chief Inquisitor Ludrick had not died, there wouldn’t have been any problems. What should we do now?”

Since no answer was visible, she naturally cast her gaze toward Rashid, and he, as expected, had the solution.

“What else? We go and capture your brother.”

“That place?”

As Rashid caressed his bracelet, his armory popped out.

Although it was not a particularly strange occurrence, she seemed slightly surprised to see a mana armor that was different from usual mounted there.

“That mana armor… so that was you, Chief Inquisitor?”

Rashid glared at her indifferently.

“That’s right. It was me.”

“Why did you tell such a lie back then?”

“Naturally,”

Rashid entrusted himself to the mana armor that emitted an energy similar to the demonic qi settled over the Papal Court.

Soon, Rashid, wearing Lucifer, opened his visor and continued his cut-off words.

“because I couldn’t say that I wore this.”

“You are alright, correct?”

“Why? Will you strike me if I am not?”

“Honestly, I don’t feel much of a difference between that Papal Court and you, Chief Inquisitor.”

Rashid, substituting his answer with a light laugh, grasped the Holy Blood Spear mounted in his armory.

It was a work left behind by him who had now become deceased.

“If it weren’t for this, I also would have been reluctant to enter.”

A spear forged from the blood of the Jaeger family.

Her gaze landed on the Holy Blood Spear he was holding.

“I did not expect you to possess that.”

“Why would I throw it away? Something so useful. At least when confronting a demon, there will be no weapon better than this.”

“Then it will be possible. Capturing my brother at that Papal Court.”

She also opened her armory.

Wearing her mana armor, she said,

“I will follow as well.”

“You?”

“Yes. As I hate losing, I was stimulated by Chief Inquisitor Ludrick and learned magic related to exorcism in advance. I am virtually the only exorcism force here, excluding you, Chief Inquisitor.”

Her words continued.

“Honestly, I did not expect you to step forward, Chief Inquisitor. If no one else had stepped forward, I planned to go and kill my brother myself.”

Rashid could agree inwardly.

She was originally the named inquisitor who captured the Director of Palace Affairs.

If it was inevitable for the Director of Palace Affairs to contract with a demon, she also inevitably would have acquired exorcism-related abilities.

“It is good that you are useful.”

Rashid’s words were directed to everyone.

“We will enter the Papal Court. Control external personnel thoroughly, except for us.”

As the two advanced toward the Papal Court, the movements of the clerics also became busy.

Before entering the Papal Court,

Rashid issued directives.

“I will take charge of the Director of Palace Affairs. You can handle the rest. There will surely be other inquisitors or knights caught in the demonic qi inside.”

“Can I handle my brother?”

Rashid glanced at her and asked,

“Why? Is there another reason?”

“He is still a blood relative, so I thought it might be better to settle it with my own hands rather than you doing it, Chief Inquisitor. Of course, I am saying this out of consideration for you. I also don’t want you to misunderstand me later.”

As long as the end goal is achieved, the means do not matter.

Who killed the Director of Palace Affairs did not pose much of a problem in obtaining the quest reward.

As long as he was cleared out, that is.

Rashid narrowed his brows and thought.

‘That might be cleaner. In any case, since he is this woman’s family, it’s better to support her rather than capturing him with my own hands and leaving room for future trouble.’

Vane Sanctum.

His influence extended throughout the entire Holy Order.

What if the one who captured Vane Sanctum was another person of the Sanctum family?

‘And the Sanctum family’s influence will also remain intact. If the one who captured Vane is his younger sister, Vane’s influence will naturally pass over to this woman.’

If she, holding the power of the Sanctum family, remained as his subordinate,

that would be good in its own way.

So Rashid decided to quietly concede the credit of capturing the Director of Palace Affairs.

“Fine. I will leave the Director of Palace Affairs to you. Since that seems better. Instead, you must absolutely not leave the Director of Palace Affairs alive. It is a summary execution, and the charge is the crime of sacrilegious usurpation and rebellion.”

“The crime of sacrilegious usurpation and rebellion… A fitting end for my brother.”