A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 254

I taught the Rebungis when it would be okay for Remagal to burn down, and after that, I chatted a bit before ending the space.

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【Title: Unicorn Rebungis… Today, I find myself resenting Bell-sensei…】(15)

【Title: So, the conclusion today is to periodically burn the gallery, right?】(8)

【Title: Just thinking that Rene would take care of things feels kinda nice…】(5)

【Title: It is a forced hiatus, so is it okay to burn it down today?】(12)

【Title: I can’t read a single thought from the new Rebungis in the gallery.】(12)

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After that, while checking Remagal a bit, a sudden question arose.

It seems that Bell comes up quite often in Remagal, but what could be the reason?

I haven’t really talked much about Bell, so I don’t understand why it’s brought up so often.

Well, they talk about things like the Dark Knight of the Rene Unicorn Order or the Eternal Hero…

Honestly, before feeling shy, there were quite a few points that needed to be addressed.

Of course, I won’t deny that one of the reasons I became a hikikomori is because of Bell.

But that’s a completely different story from romance.

In other words, even if Bell didn’t exist, my life wouldn’t have changed all that much.

To begin with, Inquisitors are prohibited from dating and marrying by the rules of the order, you know?

Before that, I can’t even imagine myself dating someone…

“Hmmm…”

But seeing the Rebungis talk like that even after hearing my explanation, I felt it would be odd for me to stop them, so I just left it alone.

…Thinking like this, I do feel curious.

Anyway, when it comes to family stories for me now, the first thing that comes to mind is the people from the convent.

Some might say it was just a short time of only 5 years, but for me, who vividly remembered my previous life back then, it was the warmth of a family I felt for the first time.

Sister Lily, who was strict yet kind, and Sister Linne.

Even the kids who bothered me, but still took care of each other, felt like family.

Since starting my life as an Inquisitor, I kept in touch with the sisters occasionally and heard news from them.

But thinking back now, it was somewhat regrettable that I had never talked to them in person.

If it were now, I could have gotten a bit closer to the kids, including Bell… that kind of feeling.

…Well, it’s an impossible story now that I’ve come to Earth.

Filled with such regrets, I quietly closed my eyes.

Normally, it wouldn’t be time to sleep yet, but today, maybe because of a lot of things that happened, I felt mentally exhausted.

★

It was quite a spacious tavern.

Perhaps because it was late, the sounds of clinking glasses and various voices were mixed together, creating a lively atmosphere.

Suddenly, the door of the tavern creaked open with the sound of wood scraping.

The new customer entering was a young man with the most common reddish-brown hair and pale green eyes.

He looked around the tavern as if searching for something, then spotted a group waving at him and headed over.

“You’re here? Bro, I heard you’ve been really busy lately?”

“Right. It’s not just anyone but that guy who went missing. But it’s not far, so I just dropped by. It’s been a while since we all gathered together.”

“You say ‘all together,’ but one person’s missing, isn’t it?”

“…Well, that guy’s never joined us when we gathered anyway?”

Everyone gave a wry smile and nodded at the young man… Bell’s words.

“Did you definitely relay the message to the sister before, right?”

“Yeah. She said he doesn’t even have time to come because he’s too busy.”

The person they were referring to was Rene, a girl they had spent time with when they were young.

Although the actual time spent together was only about 5 years, she was an unforgettable girl from their childhood.

“…Honestly, I thought saying he couldn’t come because of being busy was just an excuse. After all, I’m part of the Iah Order now, and back then, our work couldn’t have been that busy. I have consistently attended gatherings even after becoming a Holy Knight, right?”

There were areas where the work of a Holy Knight and an Inquisitor overlapped to some extent.

However, Holy Knights basically have the role of protection.

There were fundamental differences from Inquisitors, who have to actively engage with heretics.

But after Rene disappeared, the duties of the Inquisitors began to spill over into the Holy Knights, and the resulting workload was such that even Bell began to complain about it.

“But surprisingly, after that girl disappeared, we started getting overwhelmed with work too. It was beyond reason.”

But right after Rene vanished.

Just as Bell said, everything related to inquisitions within the order began to go awry.

As soon as it became known that Rene had disappeared, hidden heretics started to emerge openly.

Heretics caught by other Inquisitors began to revolt fiercely.

The heretics that Rene had managed to redeem were relatively quiet, though.

“That one girl disappearing affected the entire order… How much had she actually accomplished on her own? Seriously, the commander wasn’t joking when he said she was the pillar of the Inquisitors.”

After finishing that statement, Bell began to sip the beer brought by the attendant.

A moment of silence fell over the table.

The one who broke that silence was a youthful woman with blue hair sitting at the end of the table.

“…To be honest, I have a different opinion. Sure, she might have been busy. Bell, if you say that much, she must’ve been. But was Rene really just absent because she was busy? You were lamenting about being busy, yet you still made time to come here?”

“…What are you trying to say, Marie?”

“What else could I mean? Being busy was one thing, but I think Rene didn’t come because she didn’t want to see us. Don’t you think it’s shameless to say that? Especially you, Bell.”

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly at Marie’s words, but there was not a single person to refute her.

And in that atmosphere, Marie continued speaking.

“Of course, I don’t have the right to say this. No. Originally, who among us has the right to bring up Rene?”

“Are you already drunk?”

“A little bit.”

But that didn’t mean their mood turned hostile.

Marie’s words were all true, and it was an acknowledged mistake among them all.

“So Bell, stop it. You originally wanted to be a Smith, right? Just quit being a Holy Knight. Speaking from a female’s perspective, it… it’s a nuisance for Rene too.”

Bell shrugged at those words, not bothering to respond.

Marie didn’t say anything more about Bell’s attitude and let it slide.

After all, they both knew they would continue to see each other as family in the future.

There was nothing to be gained from fighting over such things.

Thus, the discussion about Rene came to an end, and they casually moved on to other topics.

★

After their long-awaited reunion with family at the tavern came to an end, Bell felt a slight buzz of intoxication as he returned to the order’s lodgings.

‘That’s… a nuisance for Rene too.’

And in Bell’s mind, Marie’s words kept swirling.

Bell also knew.

That what he had done to Rene in the past was something that was difficult to be forgiven for.

That’s why when Bell first decided to become a Holy Knight, he couldn’t sleep for nearly a week due to the waves of guilt.

It was because he felt an overwhelming guilt for putting his own feelings above the sins of his past.

But still, the reason Bell didn’t give up was… simply because he wanted to apologize to Rene.

Since realizing his mistake, he already understood that these feelings were a nuisance, so Bell had never entertained such futile hopes.

‘Well, at first, I wasn’t completely without some hope, though.’

However, since that day, he had completely cast aside those feelings, and what he wanted was solely one thing.

To be just ordinary.

To be able to converse with Rene, like how all the kids in the convent did.

For all this time, Bell only sought that while being part of the Holy Knights.

But Rene had vanished, and that meant the reason for Bell to move forward as a Holy Knight was gone as well.

Yet the only reason Bell remained in the Holy Knights was solely one.

To ensure that all that Rene had done would not be forgotten.

To protect what Rene had kept alone was his pledge to walk along an endless thorny path at this point in time, but it held no connection for Bell.

That was the only atonement Bell could offer to Rene.

★

When did I really start to like you?

There was no need to even say it.

From the very first moment I saw you, I must have definitely fallen in love at first sight.