When Perl left the tavern, the Black Market trio was still seated around that old, worn round table.
Claudia waited until the footsteps outside had completely faded before relaxing back into her chair, openly beginning to evaluate their recent collaborator: “I’ve long heard that Perl has mental issues. She always gives off this indescribably strange feeling, more and more like that old Bremer from back in the day—a weird old man with nothing but scalpels and operating tables on his mind.”
The man sitting nearby was buttoning his coat and nodded in agreement at her words, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Claudia stood up from her chair, smoothing out the wrinkled fabric of her outerwear as she spoke: “This mission is simple enough though. I can handle it alone. Having too many people would just draw unnecessary attention. Things are getting worse by the day, and I don’t know how much longer I can play the card of my mentor Mirel. I really miss the freedom of the previous emperor’s era.”
“Now you have just such an opportunity.”
The voice came out of nowhere, like a bucket of ice water poured down Claudia’s back. She turned around slowly and warily.
The man in the black priestly robe was already standing before her, though when he had arrived was anyone’s guess. The robe hung from his neck all the way to his ankles, revealing only a face so pale it seemed almost bloodless and a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes. Though the man was thin and gaunt, the dangerous aura radiating from him seemed to drop the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.
His hand rested on the chair where Perl had been sitting.
Claudia’s throat tightened, but she didn’t hesitate for a moment. She quickly signaled her two subordinates with her eyes, and they moved swiftly to subdue the stranger—only to be intercepted by two much thicker arms.
Behind the black-robed man, another towering figure had silently appeared out of nowhere—wearing the same black priestly robe, but with shoulders so broad they seemed ready to tear the fabric apart.
This giant’s face was utterly expressionless, his cold gaze sending a chill straight to the heart. He currently had both subordinates’ wrists locked firmly in a pair of iron-clamp-like hands. They howled in agony, their faces twisted and contorted from the pain.
Claudia felt a chill creep up her spine as a terrifying thought flashed through her mind—the Church? Why would they show up in a place like this?
“Who are you?” she forced herself to stay calm, her fingers already beginning to quietly gather the elemental mana needed to cast magic, trembling slightly from the concentration.
The black-robed man’s voice was low and icy, a seemingly gentle smile on his face: “My name is Werner, and this big one is Hans. We are executioners of the Heresy Inquisition Bureau, dispatched by the Holy See to oversee the witch hunts in the capital.”
He paused, his sharp eyes locked tightly onto Claudia: “Regarding Dr. Bremer in the capital, there are some matters we need to investigate. Though more than the man himself, we’re far more interested in his adopted daughter.”
Claudia noticed the silver cross insignia on Werner’s chest glinting in the dim light—the emblem of the Inquisition, a terror-inducing symbol enough to silence anyone who operated in the shadows.
Claudia felt cold sweat forming on her palms. She understood that these two were not subordinates of the Regent, but hounds of the Pope. Under the authority granted by the Religious Secret Law, the Inquisition wielded immense power and could enforce their jurisdiction within any nation that followed the Holy Church. Even nobles and royalty wouldn’t dare provoke them lightly.
“Bremer? That old man died long ago.” Claudia tried to keep her voice sounding calm and natural.
“I know he’s dead. Of course I know that. But there are still matters that need to be investigated thoroughly. The Church maintains close vigilance over anything that might involve heresy.” His tone remained gentle, yet that cold, oppressive pressure made it nearly impossible for Claudia to breathe normally.
“What exactly do you want?” Claudia asked with a frown.
Werner patted Hans behind him, and only then did this small giant release the two subordinates’ wrists.
“The Holy See sent us not only for the witch hunts.” Werner turned around as he spoke, the black robe sweeping up behind him. “We are also helping the Lucius Empire resolve an imminent problem—Death’s Decree.”