A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 68

It’s already been over two years since I returned to Earth.

As I lay on my bed after turning off the broadcast, that thought suddenly struck me.

Two years—certainly not a short time.

And most of that time had passed without any meaning at all.

However, in the past few months, my life began to change significantly.

I met Bora, started internet broadcasting, and received help from Tuni.

The fact that people were gradually increasing around me, who had gotten used to being alone and could only be alone… brought about feelings I couldn’t quite put into words.

Did Iya want to see me living like this?

If that was the reason I was sent back to Earth…

“Hmph.”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I buried my face in my pillow.

I definitely wasn’t thinking of being grateful or anything like that.

Definitely not.

★

The Tritan Continent has been having a headache lately.

Recently, heretics have suddenly increased across the continent.

Moreover, even the heretics who were already captured and had repented were protesting that this wasn’t right.

“Ugh… This time they’ve appeared in Tria Village.”

“Again? No way!!!”

“It’s true… Get ready to depart immediately.”

At Lara’s words, Sasha slapped her forehead with a sigh.

For Sasha, who had only just become a priest a little over a year ago, it was indeed a grueling schedule, but the recent situation was serious enough that it couldn’t be used as an excuse.

“So? What are they saying this time?”

“They’re gathering among the beastmen and saying that the two gods the two cults serve are false.”

“That’s insane….”

Why are they doing such a thing?

The devout priests, Lara and Sasha, couldn’t understand.

“But, seriously, why have things gotten so busy all of a sudden?”

“Huh? Are you asking me seriously?”

“Yes.”

“…Ah. You’ve only been doing this for a year.”

Well, that might make it hard to understand, so Lara plainly stated.

“That guy suddenly disappeared.”

“That guy?”

“Selene. The Inquisition Officer of our cult.”

“Oh, Rene-senpai… I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with her…”

“Of course not. Even I’ve been doing this for over ten years, and I can count the conversations I’ve had on one hand.”

Selene.

She was the woman who had been the Inquisition Officer of the Iya Cult for the past ten years.

“…But, Lara-senpai, does it make sense to act like this just because one Inquisition Officer has disappeared? It’s not like there are no other Inquisition Officers.”

“It’s not just one Inquisition Officer that’s disappeared. It’s the Inquisition Officer Selene. …Well, you wouldn’t know. Do you know that three dragons challenged Iya two years ago?”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

At Sasha’s innocent words, Lara chuckled.

“At that time, Iya delivered a divine revelation saying, ‘I will send an Inquisition Officer of the cult; if you can defeat her in battle, I will accept your challenge.’ So how many Inquisition Officers do you think faced the dragons back then?”

“With dragons, all the Inquisition Officers would obviously….”

“Wrong. The only Inquisition Officer who faced the dragons at that time was just Rene.”

“…Huh?!”

Sasha’s mouth dropped open in surprise at Lara’s words, and pleased with her reaction, Lara continued.

“She returned home, drenched in blood, having placed leashes on three dragon necks, and to be honest, sometimes I still dream about it. And since then, most heretics have disappeared.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Why not? An Inquisition Officer is a profession meant for just such things. Of course, Rene is an exception—just how strong was her faith…?”

Priests… especially the strength of an Inquisition Officer, could be said to be determined by their faith.

In other words, Rene’s faith, capable of fighting and winning against three dragons alone, meant that no one among the Iya Cult’s Inquisition Officers could match her.

But Sasha had a question instead.

“Isn’t that strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I sometimes saw Rene-senpai muttering something when she was alone… No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like a strong display of faith….”

Iya, that damn girl. Making me do this every day. I’ll curse her. One day, I’ll definitely take my revenge, that wicked girl. Acting only according to her own whims. Do you know how much I’ve struggled because of you?

The words spilling from Rene’s mouth clearly didn’t seem like those of a person with strong faith.

It was more akin to blasphemy.

“Ah, that… It was definitely something that drew a lot of attention back in the day… Sasha, it’s the opposite of what you think. She’s actually too devoted, which is why she acts like that.”

“Huh?”

“It’s hard to explain, just remember that. I mentioned it was a topic of much discussion before, right? At that time, Iya herself even said, ‘It’s adorable when Rene does that; I actually like seeing it.’ So arguing over it is meaningless.”

Sasha, who tilted her head in confusion at Lara’s words, looked as if her soul had left her body.

But it was an understandable situation.

What Lara had just said was far too shocking for someone who had only been a priest for a year like her.

“Anyway, Rene suddenly disappeared, and since she’s gone, the rate at which they’re repenting is not as quick as before…. So that’s why it’s become this busy.”

Moreover, they received a revelation from Iya saying, ‘You all have been relying too much on Rene until now? Now, it’s time for you to put in a little effort.’

In other words, it meant that they wouldn’t have any time to rest for a while.

“I don’t want to, really… I want to rest….”

“Me too….”

★

In the narrow room where other daily necessities were hardly visible.

Two men and women were engaged in conversation.

“They said those kids told me and Tet that we’re relics of the past.”

“…Aren’t they aware of the roles the two gods play?”

“There’s no way. If we were to argue about it, they probably know better than you and Ariel. They say it, knowing full well. They think it’s now their era.”

“What kind of foolish….”

The middle-aged man with faded gray hair.

Reinhardt, who held the Papacy of the Iya Cult, let out a deep sigh.

“Ah~. Is there a reason for me to work hard while being treated like that? I could just leave it all to those kids and go take a break with Tet~.”

“Even if it’s a joke, it’s not funny, Your Goddess.”

Reinhardt’s pale green eyes gleamed sharply.

However, the blue-haired woman.

Ariel, the Saintess of the Iya Cult… to be precise, Iya possessing Ariel’s body, shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing and smiled.

In her amber eyes only feelings of joy were reflected.

“No matter how I think about it… I don’t think they can send ordinary kids.”

“What do you mean, right. So….”

“Um, um, um, um….”

And a very small voice interrupted their conversation.

The source of the voice was a girl peeking out from the bed in the corner of the room, revealing just a hint of her red eyes resembling rubies.

“Why are the two of you talking in my room of all places…?”

At the girl’s words, Reinhardt let out a sigh, and Iya chuckled softly.

“If there’s only one reason for us to be talking here, it can’t be anything else but you, Rene.”

“…Huh?”

“Heretic. It seems you need to step up.”

“Yeah. Since it’s come to this, I’m counting on you, okay?”

“Ex….”

★

The place was a snow-covered mountain overshadowed in pure white.

At the summit of that mountain stood three men.

From left to right, there were men with brilliant golden hair, snowy white hair resembling the snow, and fiery red hair like flames.

However, one distinct characteristic that stood out was that all three had curved horns protruding from their heads.

They were entirely different from the straight-horned demons and possessed an incredible amount of magical power that was not found among beastmen.

In other words, their true identities were—

“We were told that one Inquisition Officer would be sent to us, right?”

“That’s true.”

“You’re insane, goddess. What on earth can one person accomplish….”

“There’s no need for all three of us to step forward. I’ll handle this myself and finish it.”

A dragon using polymorph.

One being, one who could be called a calamity in its own right.

The fact that three of them had gathered meant it would be no surprise if something happened.

Thud, thud.

“Hmm?”

“They’ve arrived.”

And in front of them, someone revealed herself.

“…What is it?”

“Uh, uh, hello….”

A girl of small stature with silver-white hair and red eyes, a sight that seemed completely out of place for the upcoming disaster, but wearing a priest robe nonetheless, clearly indicating her affiliation with the Iya Cult.

“…Are you perhaps the Inquisition Officer who was supposed to come here?”

When the pure-white man asked, the girl quietly nodded her head.

“Ha ha ha! Have the gods truly lost their minds!”

They burst into laughter.

The implication of sending such a girl to this location meant they believed their victory was already secured.

“Y-you’re the ones said to be the arrogant, gigantic lizards who challenged Iya…?”

However, after hearing the girl’s words, they halted their laughter and frowned at her.

“How dare you, a worthless creature, say something like that?”

“If you had just willingly accepted defeat and retreated, nothing would have happened….”

Overwhelming magical power poured forth, exerting immense pressure.

Yet the girl’s expression did not change.

She simply stood her ground, trembling slightly.

“H-h-hey, are you really planning to fight in that state? That’s a bit… no, it’s a big problem… Shouldn’t lizards fight in their lizard form for comfort…?”

“Are you saying we should show our true selves to a creature such as you?!”

As the red-haired man howled in rage and swung his arm, a blade of magic formed, shooting toward the girl.

The blade soon ignited into a storm of magical forces, slicing through the girl mercilessly, concluding everything.

No.

It should have ended there.

Boom!

A heavy sound resonated across the snowy mountain.

A giant Warhammer had suddenly embedded itself into the ground, and the girl stood quietly behind it, offering a silent prayer.

“…Did she block that?”

“No… it’s the Goddess’s Blessing.”

Only then did the three realize that they were facing a remarkable opponent.

The girl finished her prayer and slowly opened her eyes, declaring toward the three of them.

“My name is Selene… I am the Inquisition Officer of the Iya Cult… Are you… ready to repent…?”