A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 256

A room that wasn’t too narrow, nor too wide.

In the center of the room lay a luxurious silk carpet, and on it sat a beautiful woman with blue hair and amber eyes.

Her name was Ariel.

The first and last saint of the Iah Order.

“Can you tell me why you did that?”

Even in the empty room, she opened her mouth as if asking someone.

And of course, there was no reply.

“What could she be talking about?”

Only a voice echoed in Ariel’s mind.

It was a voice she had grown too familiar with, a playful tone of the goddess.

“I’m asking why you had to send Rene away.”

The subject Ariel was referring to was Rene, one of the inquisitors of the Iah Order.

Of course, it would be a stretch to call Rene an ordinary inquisitor, but nevertheless, there was a distinct concern in Ariel’s voice for Rene at that moment.

“Hm? Are you worried that Rene might be in danger? Of all people, Rene?”

The voice of Iah was still filled with mischief.

It was a statement born from the trust in the inquisitor Rene.

And Ariel knew well the reasons behind that trust.

“You know that’s not what I mean, right? I’d rather expect to see a dragon getting taken down.”

Expecting to see a dragon fall.

That was a metaphor for unnecessarily worrying about something.

“Well, if it’s a dragon, Rene could take it down, right?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

But now was not the time to use that saying.

The subject in question happened to be Rene, who had actually caught three dragons before.

“Anyway, that’s not what I was talking about; it was about the place you sent Rene to.”

Rene was currently headed toward the Elkin Empire to fulfill her duties as an inquisitor.

But she didn’t go to the Elkin Empire in an ordinary way; she was sent there using teleportation magic from the order.

“You could have just sent her to the front of the royal palace normally, but you sent her right onto the table where they were eating…”

The arrival point of the teleportation was indeed right on the table where people were gathered for a meal.

Not as a metaphor or saying, but on an actual table where people were dining.

And not just any people; these were the imperial nobles gathered for a meal…

“But at the time of Rene’s teleportation, that place was where the heretic was located, right? Rene told me she needed to capture that heretic as quickly as possible. I was simply fulfilling that request.”

“Even so, there was no need for her to be right on the table. If that was your serious intention, you could have sent her to the entrance of the room instead.”

Ariel shot back at Iah, who was making excuses, and it was Iah who declared defeat in the argument.

“True. To be honest… I thought it would be entertaining.”

“…En-entertaining?”

It was a remark that no one thought would ever escape her lips.

As Ariel was hit with shock at Iah’s unexpected response, she began to grasp the implications of what was said.

“Don’t you think it sounds fun? Imagine it from the perspective of that heretic. Eating dinner with their family just like any other day, and suddenly, an inquisitor pops up at the table accusing them of heresy. How surprised would they be?”

Ariel could understand what Iah meant.

If she were enjoying a meal and suddenly Rene dropped right onto the table, it would definitely be a shocking situation, regardless of any heretical labeling.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I, Ariel? There are a few secrets that can’t be revealed to Rene.”

“…Yes. I’ve only heard one of them.”

“That’s right. As you know, Rene is not from this world. She lived in another world and ended up in ours due to a mistake by the god of that world.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“In that world, what I did is referred to as a tactical nuclear deployment. In other words, what I did was a tactical Rene drop.”

“…That seems a bit excessive.”

“Oh?”

Iah was surprised by Ariel’s reaction after hearing the entire story and asked her, “Can I ask why you think so?”

“I understand the goddess’s intentions. However, considering Rene’s perspective, wouldn’t it be dreadful? The weight of her weapon, the warhammer, is not something an ordinary table could withstand.”

“You’re right. For even a paladin, it’s a struggle to just pull it along while it’s sitting on the ground.”

“Therefore, the moment she teleports, that table where the heretic was would likely break, and it wouldn’t be strange to think, ‘That table collapsed because of Rene.'”

“…That could indeed happen.”

“What does weight mean for a girl? Surely the goddess knows that…? Plus, considering how feminine Rene is, because of such…”

And after hearing all of Ariel’s words, Iah suddenly started laughing like crazy.

“W-What kind of reaction is that? Did I say something strange?”

“No, no. I was just curious about how Rene would feel if she heard your story. Would she really be grateful to you?”

“What does that mean…?”

“It’s just, there’s a secret that can’t be told.”

Ariel was worried about Rene. She was concerned about inflicting emotional wounds on her, sadly unaware of the fact that Rene was male in her past life.

Certainly, Rene had accepted and acknowledged herself as a woman now, but one could only imagine that she would make some awkward expression upon being told she was feminine.

And Iah was well aware of that fact.

★

“This person… is a heretic, and I will take her…”

“W-Who are you?!”

The one who raised his voice was a man sitting in the highest seat.

Given his ornate attire, this man must be the emperor.

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t introduced myself.

Honestly, I thought, ‘Shouldn’t he recognize me just by my outfit?’ but given the shocking situation, it was understandable.

“Hello… I am Selene Benedetta, inquisitor of the Iah Order… The reason I’ve appeared on this table suddenly is because of teleportation… But, are you the emperor of the Elkin Empire…? Otherwise, we’re in big trouble…”

“Just as you said, I am the emperor of the Elkin Empire, Raphaen Elkin Leonhart.”

And as I calmed down after finishing my introduction, the emperor appeared to be quite composed now.

“So why are you here? Why have you come to the royal palace of the Elkin Empire… and interrupted my meal? You surely know what a serious crime this is.”

…Huh?

Did I say something strange? Or was there something I forgot to mention in my introduction?

No way.

I had made everything quite clear from the start, including that I was an inquisitor.

Could it be that not just the crown prince, but the entire imperial family is a heretic…?

…No.

It must be that the situation was so sudden they forgot.

I could simply explain it from the beginning again kindly, so there was no need for pointless speculation.

Iah had told me that I often overthink things.

“So, uh, I am an inquisitor of the Iah Order… and the person here is… the crown prince of the Elkin Empire, right…? Anyway, this person is a heretic, and I’m here to take her…”

“What does that even… If you’re just trying to joke, I’d appreciate it if you stopped. My mood has already soured enough from having my family dinner interrupted.”

“Y-Yeah…? It’s not a joke…”

“You know well how strict the criteria are for labeling someone a heretic in the Iah Order! So, what? Are you saying my son, Geort, the crown prince of the Elkin Empire, is a heretic?! This joke is going too far! How dare a mere heretic inquisitor…!”

Bang!

Before the emperor could finish his sentence, I slammed the end of my warhammer down onto the floor.

The remnants of the table crumbled, causing a dent in the floor, and the emperor gasped and fell silent.

“A mere heretic inquisitor? If it weren’t me standing here, that would have been a dangerously reckless remark…”

No lies were spoken.

If any of the other inquisitors… my seniors had heard those words, that emperor would probably have been half-dead by now.

In the first place, the role of an inquisitor is such that their actions cannot be impeded by ordinary laws when investigating heretics.

Meaning that, given the confirmation that the crown prince standing before me was indeed a heretic, the emperor had absolutely no right to obstruct me.

That essentially meant he was siding with the forces of evil that rot the world.

To put it simply, if I deemed the emperor in my way, I could slam my hammer down on him until right before he would die, and it would be perfectly justified.

This rule applied to both the Iah Order and the Tet Order.

…It’s not like we drag people off and kill them anyway.

We’re just there to lead them to repentance; I really don’t understand why he’s reacting like this.

“Regardless, I’m taking that person away because she is a heretic…”

It’d be nice to take a comfortable carriage back…

So I reached out towards the heretic sprawled on the floor.

“Don’t be ridiculous! That child is definitely not a heretic! Who dares to call her a heretic…!”

For some reason, the emperor blocked my path.

“Geort, answer me! Is what this heretic inquisitor said true?!!”

“N-No! Father! Absolutely not! How could I be a heretic?! This is nonsense!”

“Then step aside. No matter how you label me an inquisitor, I don’t wish to use force against a woman…”

Hmm.

What should I do?

To be honest, slamming my hammer down on the emperor would technically also be justified, but thinking of him as a father who loves his son somehow makes me feel bad…

Umm.

Err…

“Are you truly not a heretic?”

“Yes! I’m absolutely, absolutely not a heretic!”

“That sounds like a lie, just now…”

“How could I possibly be lying right here?!”

“Then are you saying that the Iah God, who claimed you to be a heretic, is lying?”

“…Huh?”

Well, if I’ve said this much, I suppose I’m done.

“Very well, then I’ll be taking her…”

“Ugh?! Your Majesty…! F-Father…!!!”

After that, I gently pushed the emperor aside and grabbed the heretic’s clothing, and began walking toward the exit while dragging her along.

“…Stop that woman!”

At that moment, along with the voice from behind, weapons were raining down at me from all directions.

The crown prince aimed at what wouldn’t hit, only aiming for my vital spots.

…I think I’ve been patient enough at this point.

“Haah…”

I allowed all their attacks to land without dodging.

As those strikes made contact with me, they lost their strength and slowly fell to the ground.

It was a result of one of Iah’s blessings.

“Fuh…”

Iah’s blessing does not activate if I move based on personal feelings or label someone as a heretic who has committed no crime.

Meaning that the man I was taking with me was definitely a heretic.

But the emperor likely wouldn’t accept this.

So, I thought it might be easier to knock them all out and leave.

In the end, I let go of the heretic’s clothing, summoned my binding magic tool, and tightly gripped my warhammer.

There were… a total of 24 presences.

Counting outside, that makes 34, right?

They were probably the emperor’s elite knights.

“Make sure to stop that fake inquisitor no matter what!”

I took a deep breath and dashed forward in an instant.

Crash!