TRSDICI 10

Chapter 10

What Do You Mean?

Before entering the forest where the examination would begin, the Cardinals gathered inside a small chapel.

Each of them sat in their seats while watching translucent images reflected in front of them.

Cardinal Bianco asked:

“What are these moving images?”

Varun answered:

“They are magic tools used by the Zarkan Empire. Bird-shaped devices record what they see, and we can observe the view from far away like this.”

“Magic….”

Bianco clicked his tongue.

“You people use the remnants of demons quite freely.”

Most high-ranking clergy of the Holy Kingdom believed magic was a remnant of demons that opposed Goddess Ella, and they rejected it.

Because of that, mages within the Holy Kingdom were extremely rare, and even if they existed, they usually lived in hiding.

But the Zarkan Empire valued national power more than Goddess Ella, so they openly acknowledged and developed magic.

“Magic is simply one of the phenomena of this world. In fact, nowhere in the Goddess’s teachings does it say magic must be rejected.”

“But the origin of magic came from demons.”

“And it was humans who developed it into something useful for the continent.”

Their gazes briefly clashed before Varun spoke again.

“You should not reject magic so strongly. Magic is only a tool. The tool itself is not evil.”

“Hmph….”

“If you dislike magic that much, then perhaps you should stop watching through the magic tools and personally enter the forest instead.”

Bianco covered it up with a cough.

“This year’s examination is under Cardinal Varun’s supervision, so naturally we must follow his methods.”

“Yes. I hope today’s experience broadens your perspective, Cardinal Bianco.”

The two glared at each other once more.

“Please wait, Cardinals.”

At that moment, Renika, the Saintess of Truth, interrupted them.

Varun slightly lowered his head toward her.

“My apologies, Saintess. We showed you an unpleasant sight.”

“No, that is fine. More importantly, over there….”

Renika pointed toward the floating images.

“The atmosphere feels strange somehow.”

The Cardinals tilted their heads and focused on the images.

The images showed the examinees’ carriages and the scenery of the forest.

Then suddenly, black figures quickly moved through different parts of the forest.

“Are those monsters?”

At the Saintess’s words, a knight standing nearby shook his head.

“No, Saintess. Those are not monsters.”

“Then what are they?”

“Humans. They are heading toward the carriages.”

The knight turned toward Varun.

“Cardinal Varun, is that also part of the examination?”

“No.”

“Then that means….”

“Yes.”

Varun bit his lip.

“They are enemies.”

At the same time, the black-clothed figures began attacking the carriages.

The startled examinees drew their weapons and began fighting against the attackers.

“W-What is this?!”

“How dare they interrupt a sacred examination!”

The Cardinals became furious at the bloody battle filled with killing intent.

“Everyone, calm yourselves. Right now, identifying the enemy is not the important thing.”

Varun responded calmly.

“The candidates are not weak, so they will not fall easily. However, if this continues, many people will certainly die.”

Varun looked toward the nearby knights.

“Leave this place and assist them. I will contact the Papacy through carrier birds… no, through the magic tools.”

“Yes.”

Four knights quickly rushed out of the chapel. The Saintess also turned toward her own knights.

“You should go help as well.”

“But Saintess….”

“One of you staying behind is enough. Even if I do not specialize in combat, I can at least protect myself.”

“Understood.”

The Saintess’s knights bowed and quickly left the chapel.

“L-Look over there!”

At that moment, Bianco shouted in shock while pointing at one of the images.

In the image was a carriage surrounded by twenty enemies.

Usually, each group only faced two or three attackers, but this group had an unusually large number.

Fortunately, one man had prepared beforehand, so they were not caught off guard.

“Could the enemies have been targeting them specifically?”

“We don’t know. Perhaps the stronger enemies were naturally drawn toward the strongest prey.”

Varun gritted his teeth.

“Either way, this is bad. It will take time before the knights reach them…. At least half of them will probably die.”

It was a cold and logical conclusion.

Both in numbers and strength, they were at a disadvantage.

But then—

Whoosh!

The man standing in the center of the encirclement suddenly vanished.

When he appeared again, an enemy’s neck was already flying into the air with blood spraying everywhere.

An overwhelming sight that instantly captured everyone’s attention.

Varun, who had remained calm the entire time, suddenly stood up from his seat, while the others widened their eyes in shock.

Slash! Swish!

Without stopping, the man began cutting down the enemies rushing toward him one after another.

His swordsmanship was elegant and smooth, yet cold like a winter wind.

The green forest was gradually being dyed red because of him.

“That’s impossible….”

Renika unconsciously muttered.

Varun nodded.

“His martial ability is abnormal.”

“How can someone so young possess that level of skill?!”

“More than that, he does not hesitate to kill at all. As if he has done it dozens of times before….”

“Still, with someone that skilled there, we no longer need to worry too much about that side.”

The Cardinals each voiced their thoughts.

Watching their reactions, Renika became confused.

‘Wait… don’t tell me none of them noticed?’

At first, she was also amazed by his strength.

But what shocked her even more was something else.

Renika looked back at the image, wondering if she had mistaken it.

But no matter how many times she looked, she had not seen wrong.

‘That’s divine power!’

Divine power could only be used by those chosen by Goddess Ella.

Then how could that man use it?

‘Wait, isn’t that the man I met earlier during confession?’

His sharp features became visible through the splashing blood.

A face like that was not common, so she was certain.

‘Then is he truly someone secretly hidden by the Holy Kingdom? Is that why he was able to kill a thousand people?’

That would explain some things, but she still could not understand why such a person suddenly wanted to become an Inquisitor.

‘No matter what, he is definitely using divine power.’

The divine power lacked the usual white color, so the others could not recognize it.

But Renika, the only other person here capable of using divine power, could clearly tell.

‘Still… there is no reason to tell the Cardinals about it.’

Even a casually spoken sentence could one day create enormous consequences.

Renika understood the danger of words, so she always spoke carefully.

‘In that case….’

Renika looked away from the images and examined the people inside the chapel.

‘I should do what I need to do.’

I cut down the enemies rushing toward me again and again.

They tried targeting my breathing and weak points, but they could not keep up with me as I moved like the wind.

‘The group members are holding out well too.’

The group members stood around Bella and the coachman while focusing on defense.

They were struggling while blood splashed around them, but since only three enemies attacked them, they did not seem in serious danger.

Swish!

The moment I finished off the last small fry, a sharp blade suddenly aimed for my neck.

I quickly twisted my head aside, but it still cut me slightly.

I swung my sword widely and forced the attacker back.

“To dodge even that…. You’re beyond my expectations.”

For some reason, the man’s voice sounded familiar.

And now that I looked closely, his build and thrust-focused swordsmanship also felt familiar.

“Voice-Stealer?”

His fingers twitched slightly.

I grinned.

“So I was right.”

Voice-Stealer.

A criminal famous within the Holy Kingdom for piercing people’s vocal cords because he enjoyed silence due to his sensitive hearing.

He was also someone I killed in my previous life before confronting Baron Scalen.

‘Back then, defeating him was pretty difficult. That was before I reached the Realm of Joy.’

I spoke.

“Your hearing must be sensitive.”

“If you plan to scream and distract me, forget it. It’s not that extreme.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And I’ve already torn out the vocal cords of people like—”

His expression suddenly stiffened mid-sentence.

I asked seriously:

“What’s wrong?”

“What did you just say?”

“What do you mean?”

The man frowned.

“What? You idiot bastard?”

I laughed quietly and answered:

“My, you caught that? Your hearing really is good.”

“You crazy bastard…!”

Grinding his teeth, he kicked off the ground.

“I’ll pierce your vocal cords first!”

The tip of his sword flew toward my throat.

While watching it, I quietly muttered:

“Wow, your face….”

His sword tip immediately shook.

Swish!

Because his attack path became unstable, I lightly twisted my body and dodged.

Then I charged toward him and unleashed a storm of sword strikes.

Once he lost control of the flow, he retreated while barely blocking my attacks.

I did not stop there.

Every time an insult came to mind, I threw it out while attacking.

Swing sword.

Idiot bastard.

Dodge attack.

You dodged that?

“Please!”

Losing his reason more and more, he recklessly thrust his sword forward.

“Just shut your mouth already!!”

I swung my sword and deflected his attack.

Then I drew a diagonal line across his completely exposed upper body.

Slash!

Blood burst into the air at the same time.

Frowning deeply, the man quickly retreated backward.

He pressed down on his bleeding chest while gasping heavily.

The fight was already decided.

The man stared at me silently before glancing sideways.

There, the group members had just finished defeating the last enemy.

Tap!

The man suddenly turned and charged toward the group members.

‘As expected.’

I quickly chased after him and shouted toward the group:

“Move!!”

Only then did the others notice the man rushing toward them.

The tip of his sword shot toward Myron’s neck.

But I could stop it in time.

I had already predicted the actions he might take.

‘Hm?’

But then I suddenly felt something strange.

Swoooosh!

A strange force surged from Bella, who stood farther behind.

The moment I sensed something approaching, I scraped my foot against the ground and stopped myself.

Because I felt like I would get caught in it too.

Then, just as Voice-Stealer’s sword was about to pierce Myron’s neck—

“Nooooo!!!!!”

Bella screamed with her eyes tightly shut.

Boom!!

An enormous wave of force exploded outward and covered Voice-Stealer’s entire body.

The man instantly lost consciousness and froze in place.

“W-What… is this…?”

His body trembled violently as he slowly regained his senses.

That brief moment was enough.

I kicked off the ground again and thrust my sword forward.

Stab!

The sword pierced through Voice-Stealer’s throat.

Blood poured from his mouth, and I pulled my sword out immediately.

The man collapsed onto the ground with blood scattering everywhere.

“Phew….”

Only then did Bella let out a sigh of relief.

But as I looked at her, I could not help feeling confused.

‘What was that? Even with sensitive hearing, there’s no way he would faint just because someone shouted loudly.’

This was not a normal phenomenon.

If I did not sense wrong just now, then that was clearly…

‘Mana.’

Bella had instantly released the mana inside her body outward.

The overwhelming amount hit him like a wave and caused him to lose consciousness briefly.

But normally, that should be impossible with ordinary levels of mana.

“What exactly are you?”

“Huh?”

Bella tilted her head as if she truly knew nothing.

I sighed and let it go.

Maybe she really did not know.

And even if she did know, she probably would not tell me.

“Ugh….”

At that moment, Myron groaned and collapsed onto the ground.

Blood flowed from the stab wound in his abdomen.

“Fortunately, your organs weren’t hit. Press the wound and stop the bleeding. If you get treatment, you’ll survive.”

“Thank you….”

Myron looked around at the battlefield before looking up at me.

“Young Master Kael, I apologize for everything I said before. I was wrong, and you were right.”

“What exactly?”

“That being cold-hearted is better than dying. Looking back now, I was trapped in ideals. Reality was never kind enough to care about me….”

Myron coughed up blood while forcing himself to continue speaking.

“Save your strength. Even if you’ll live, this isn’t a light injury.”

“Haha, I feel like I’ll regret it if I don’t say this now….”

“Hm.”

“Thanks to you, we were prepared for the ambush. If I had continued arguing with you, things would have become far worse.”

“You understand that much at least.”

Myron laughed weakly while looking down at his wound.

“When I had the chance to kill an enemy during the fight, I hesitated. That’s why I was stabbed. But you never hesitated at all.”

“…….”

“It truly felt like death has always followed you.”

“That is not a good thing.”

Did I ever want to become close to death?

I only wished for a slightly freer life.

But my desire to fly through the sky only ended up throwing me into hell.

“I know. I cannot even begin imagining the weight carried by your sword.”

Myron answered seriously.

“But because of your resolve, we survived.”

“…….”

“Thank you for saving us. And I sincerely apologize for my arrogance before.”

The other group members also lowered their heads in gratitude.

Did they know?

That in truth, they were simply dragged into the struggle between me and Baron Scalen.

“Stop talking. At this rate, you really will go meet the Goddess.”

“Haha, that does sound possible….”

Just then—

“Found it!”

Bella shouted after searching through her giant bag for a while.

“Wait, let me see.”

Bella hurried over carrying several herbs and started applying them all over Myron’s wound.

The bleeding visibly decreased.

“You brought medicinal herbs?”

“Yes. I told you already. I brought all sorts of things just in case.”

Bella looked strangely proud while saying that.

I nodded.

“As expected, even turtles are useful when they carry medicine.”

“…….”

Bella stared at me speechlessly before sighing deeply and lowering her head.

“Thank you for saving us, Young Master Kael.”

“Good. Even the turtle has manners.”

“Ah, seriously!”

I chuckled while watching Bella puff up angrily.

“What in the world happened here…?”

At that moment, someone landed nearby.

Judging by the sword at his waist and his stiff posture, he seemed to be a knight.

Earlier, imperial magic tools had been flying in the sky, so they must have used them to understand the situation.

I asked:

“What about the other areas?”

“We haven’t confirmed everything yet, but for now there are only heavily injured people and no deaths. Most of the enemies gathered here….”

“I see.”

As expected from people aiming to become Inquisitors.

Even from appearances alone, they were not the kind to fall easily.

“Then handle the wounded and clean up this place. And guide me to where the Cardinals are.”

“…Why?”

The knight’s eyes were filled with caution.

After what had just happened, that reaction was natural.

“Sir Knight, you can trust him.”

Bella spoke up.

“He’s the one who turned most of the enemies into that state.”

The other group members nodded in agreement.

As the pain faded, Myron was also slowly regaining calmness.

“I understand.”

The knight looked toward me.

“May I ask your name?”

“Kael Luminara.”

The knight’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you perhaps Father Luminara’s son?”

“Yes.”

“My apologies for not recognizing you, Young Master Kael. My name is Roban. I met Father Luminara several times at the chapel long ago.”

Roban straightened his posture respectfully.

Father originally walked the path of a priest as the second son.

But after his older brother, who had no children, was killed by a demon, Father inherited the Luminara family.

That was why some people still called him Father Luminara.

Though I never realized it in my previous life, Father seemed to hold a fairly important position within the Church of Ella.

“Then I shall guide you immediately.”

“Good.”

Roban kicked off the ground, and I followed after him.

Now it was finally time to drive the Sword of Joy into the bastard who threw my previous life into hell.

(To be continued)