A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 201

‘Today was quite a struggle. Now let’s hurry back to the cult and rest.’

“Yeah… I’m tired…”

I nodded my head at Iya’s words and started to tidy up around us.

I used a magic tool to clean up the distinctively blue blood of the demon, and the ground was riddled with giant holes… Hmm. I should talk to Grandpa later and ask him to fix it.

‘Come to think of it, Rene, it feels like it’s been a while since you exerted this much power. Well, considering the opponent was quite strong, it makes sense, right?’

“Hmm… It feels a little different…”

Strong or weak.

If I had to categorize it, the heretic definitely belonged to the strong category.

But compared to the lizard heretics from before, this guy was much weaker.

In other words, the reason I fought like this wasn’t because he was strong, but rather because the way he fought was annoying.

If he had sent minions like the demons I faced before, even if it turned into a protracted battle, the end would have been inevitable.

However, this guy kept sending out minions he crafted with his magic endlessly.

He sent out minions with at least minimal combat ability and tracked my location while I took them down.

Repeating that over and over was bound to get on my nerves.

Being a heretic who belonged to the stronger side, it was impossible for him to get tired just from sending minions, so from my perspective, it was like an endless game of tag.

That’s why I ended up destroying everything around me, thinking about it this way.

“Quickly, kill me, silver-haired witch… you ignorant slave of the gods…”

Turning my gaze to the source of the voice, I saw the heretic, twisted and bleeding, speaking with his eyes closed.

How absurd is it for him to say he knows nothing?

“Kill you…? Why would I…? I just came to make you repent… it doesn’t work if there’s no one to repent…”

“Hah… after putting me in this state… you don’t even plan to kill me…?”

“Of course not…”

“Funny, isn’t it… All my insides are crushed, and even breathing is a struggle…”

…Wait a second?

“I only hit you once, though…”

“If that single hit was made by none other than the silver-haired witch, is it any surprise that it ended up like this?”

…That was close.

I’m glad I relaxed as much as I could at the end.

‘If I had died, Reinhardt would have been so mad!’

I know.

Every time I hear Grandpa’s nagging, I feel all the strength leave my body, and I just hate it.

Honestly, who would want to hear nagging in the first place?

‘Well… it’s not like you, Rene, would make such a mistake.’

There aren’t that many Inquisition Officers who would make such a mistake, to begin with.

‘That’s true. So then, it looks like you were almost the first one, Rene?’

I didn’t do it, so it’s all good.

‘Hehe… that too.’

While I had that conversation with Iya, I used healing magic on the heretic.

It’s not my specialty, so I couldn’t heal him perfectly, but I could lessen his pain.

“I’d rather you had died…”

“Come on, you need to repent…”

Why is it that heretics always think about anything else at times like this instead of repenting?

I just don’t get it.

Anyway, after asking Iya to contact the cult, I moved on.

Time had already turned to evening.

Looking up at the night sky, I saw my favorite constellation, Hillary, shining alongside Aphelia.

I just wanted to reach out and grab that star.

Thinking that, I stretched out my hand toward the sky, but of course, they didn’t come within reach.

All I could see was my hand stained with the distinctively blue blood of demons.

Looks like I didn’t clean it properly earlier.

I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and quietly wiped the blood away.

The originally white handkerchief was already stained blue from wiping the heretic’s blood earlier.

“…I heard a story once.”

‘Hmm?’

“They say that a person is happy if they can see the sky three times a day…”

‘That’s a nice saying. So, Rene, does that mean you’re a happy person right now?’

I wonder.

Am I really a happy person?

Being able to wipe the blood off my hands as if nothing happened, am I really…?

★

“Eh…?”

When I opened my eyes, I was looking at a familiar ceiling.

It felt like I had a dream about something that happened in that other world…

But I’m not sure.

I think I was in the middle of a conversation with Iya, but I don’t remember anything at all.

…Since I don’t remember, it probably wasn’t anything important.

Let’s just get up and do what I need to do.

With that thought, I got up from bed, took my usual shower, and sat down at my computer.

There were no emails from any company or anything…

Hmm. Should I check the responses to the攻略 post I put up before going to bed yesterday?

I provided detailed advice on every little thing, so it must have been helpful for many new fans.

There might even be others who cleared the Room of Evil Dream after me.

…I bet there’s a flood of comments asking for the Jormungand攻略 too.

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【New Dimension Gallery】

【Title: Hello, here’s the攻略 for Hecatoncheires】

【Author: ㅇㅇ】

…

【Likes: 65 / Dislikes: 39】

New Dimension Gallery: You really are the worst, never write攻略 again, ㅇㅇ

Head-Broken Priest: Hello, I am Rene, the official partner streamer of the Sirius Team broadcasting on Riming.

ㅇㅇ: Did you really write this rubbish and call it a攻略, you piece of garbage???

└ ㅇㅇ: You wrote this thinking “I’m so good at this, right?” didn’t you, you idiot?

└ New Dimension Gallery 3: Info) This beast girl probably sincerely thought this was攻略.

└ ㅇㅇ: Crazy lady.

Today, I’ll support you no matter what happens, Rene, but this is too much, you idiot.

ㅇㅇ: If they came from Remagal, they’d just upvote it. LOL

Is this really funny or what? I’m scared that there might be idiots who actually follow this攻略. LOL

└ ㅇㅇ5: Really LOL Just a complete waste of time. LOL

─────────────────

…Huh?

This is a completely different reaction from what I expected.

I wrote the攻略 so carefully, yet for some reason, I’m getting backlash.

Don’t they understand how grateful such攻略 can be for those who need information?

I’m sure there are people who cleared the game based on my攻略.

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【New Dimension Gallery】

【Title: Streamer Flare’s Reaction After Following the Beast Girl攻略】

【Author: New Dimension】

(Reaction from Flare.mp4)

[Oh hell… just once, I’m going to try following this. Who knows? It might really be easy.]

…

[…Eh, I guess it was impossible. I admit it. I was so arrogant. Even when I knew better, I got caught.]

[…How the hell am I supposed to follow this? No one can move like a beast! Why even post something like this?]

[Of course, I’m thankful for the攻略! But it’s like this. I went to Chef Baek’s OnTube to look for a recipe, and the ingredients are truffles and top-grade beef. And hellishly expensive wine!]

[How is this a recipe for cooking? It’s only natural to get that kind of response. That’s what I meant.]

[Am I aiming this at Rene?]

[Not at all! The person who wrote this攻略 said outright it wasn’t her! So why does it feel like I’m directing this at Rene? You have to admit it. It says right here, ‘That person is someone else.’]

[And even if it was Rene’s post! This is a攻略 meant to be followed, but no one can follow it. This is definitely something worth saying!]

[I’m just pointing out the issues with this攻略. Please don’t accuse me of bashing or defamation.]

【Likes: 72 / Dislikes: 3】

ㅇㅇ: Wow LOL Nice one LOL

Head-Broken Priest: Dude, just act like a poor victim and they’ll back you up. LOL

└ New Dimension Gallery: No need to act like a victim LOL

└ Head-Broken Priest: Oh wow LOL

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…Right.

Not everyone is on New Dimension Gallery or is a streamer, right?

There must be people who benefited from it.

Yeah.

That Flare streamer probably didn’t follow my攻略 properly.

By the way, how did everyone figure out that it was me behind the攻略?

I thought I had perfectly fooled them with a VPN and wrote it in a completely different style.

I felt like the new fans had excellent insight.

Anyway, having wrapped up my morning routine, I started to think about what to do for today’s broadcast.

According to the plan I made yesterday, today Streamer Rene was supposed to take a break, and only VTuber Rene was meant to broadcast.

But I also promised to go live today, so I have to keep my promise.

However, I can’t think of anything to do on New Dimension right now, so I thought I’d just do a casual chatting stream as I mentioned yesterday, but the problem is that I’m basically a homebody.

I don’t really have anything to talk about.

…Honestly, as much as I really don’t want to, I guess I have no choice but to resort to that method?

At the end of my thoughts, my gaze landed on the camera on my desk.