Victor steadied himself and said to everyone, “Everyone, I need to speak with Mr. Allen de Laval alone for a moment. Please give us some privacy.”
“My lord?” The Stern Knight hesitated, his hand not leaving the sword hilt.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a conversation.”
Victor looked at Allen, forcing a somewhat friendly smile onto his face.
Allen nodded thoughtfully and instructed Marianne, “Take Anna inside to keep the children company for a while. They might need an angel’s comfort.”
“Alright! I love playing with children!” Anna responded excitedly.
In the solemn Judgement Court, apart from a few gentle nuns, she had almost no playmates.
Suddenly, Anna remembered Sister Sophia’s teaching—the secret to making friends is sharing.
She lowered her head and pulled out the cloth bag of sunflower seeds from her skirt pocket, a slight struggle flashing across her face—it was the last bit she had. But in the end, the joy of sharing overcame her reluctance.
“Hehe, I still have some seeds here. I can share them with the children!”
Sister Sophia watched Anna’s unclouded smile, then glanced toward the unfathomable Allen, as if she had made some great decision.
She overcame her fear of Allen, stepped forward, and bowed to him. “Mr. de Laval, thank you for taking care of Anna. I apologize for any trouble she may have caused.”
Allen instantly switched modes, his face revealing an impeccable gentle smile, like a well-mannered boy next door:
“Not at all. Anna is adorable and kindhearted. I never find her troublesome. On the contrary, she’s helped me quite a lot.”
He calmly ignored Anna’s astonishing appetite that could have bankrupted him.
Sophia felt a twinge of discomfort at Allen’s nearly perfect change of expression.
Her emerald eyes locked onto him tightly, trying to pierce through the layer of elegant disguise, but only saw an endless fog.
“Mr. de Laval,” she took a deep breath and asked the crucial question, “Are you a good person?”
“Allen is a good person! A super good person!” Anna immediately blurted out.
But Sophia paid no attention to her. Her gaze suddenly sharpened, exuding a completely different aura from before, like a drawn sword.
The sudden oppressive atmosphere made Anna shrink her neck and quickly hide behind Marianne.
“I’m just a fool carrying a broken umbrella, hoping to wander the world.”
Allen’s voice was calm and unruffled, yet from it, everyone sensed an indescribable loneliness.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Sophia pressed on without backing down.
Allen looked at the tense young woman, then glanced at Marianne beside him, who was about to lose her temper over the insult, and suddenly smiled. “How do you define who is good and who is bad?”
“In one era, a person who saves countless lives is a hero; in another, the same person might be seen as a criminal for causing many deaths. So, is he good or bad?”
“The vast majority of people in this world are neither purely good nor purely evil. You and I are no exception. If I claim to be good, under your strictest moral scrutiny, I will surely have many flaws.”
“Only the Lord possesses perfect goodness. If I were truly the epitome of good, my name would be recorded in the Saints Chronicle of the Holy Scripture.”
“So my answer is simple: I am more honest than those who pretend to be good, and more restrained than those who openly do evil.”
These words left Sophia deep in thought and made Victor frown.
However, Allen’s assault was far from over.
His tone suddenly turned cold, even laced with a hint of anger as if defending his daughter from a bully: “But you all, Anna never gets enough to eat here in the Judgement Court! If you play the role of her guardian, why have you never noticed? This child is still growing! If the Heretic Inquisition Squad has the energy to scrutinize outsiders, perhaps you should first care if your own people are going hungry!”
“I…!” Sophia was instantly struck in a soft spot, her face flushed red, speechless.
“Sir de Laval,” Victor immediately stepped forward to defuse the tension, his tone businesslike as he signaled everyone to leave with his eyes, “The Judgement Court will cover all of Anna’s food expenses.”
The War Party members nodded and turned to enter the workshop. Anna, holding Marianne’s hand, looked back anxiously with a worried expression.
She didn’t understand the complicated talk but could read her superior, Judge Victor’s stern expression.
It seemed her previous gluttony report had caused big trouble, earning her a harsh scolding from Victor.
She feared that Allen, who was so kind to her, might also get reprimanded by the judge.
Allen… you must be okay! You promised to give me extra snacks tonight!
Outside the workshop, only Allen and Victor remained.
Twilight stretched their shadows long.
Victor was under thirty, but years of dangerous work had etched a weariness beyond his age between his brows.
Allen’s youthful face masked eyes deep with a maturity unbefitting his years.
“Sir de Laval, this is our second meeting,” Victor tried to begin with an authoritative tone.
Allen smiled and cut in, “It shouldn’t be just the second. You were there at City Hall Square, and also during my public confession, right? Including today, that’s the fourth time.”
“…”
Victor, hold steady! This guy is a sly little fox! Don’t let him lead you by the nose!
Victor took a deep breath, swallowed the awkwardness of being seen through, and got to the point: “Why did you kill that heretic?”
Allen shrugged innocently, “I didn’t kill him. As the leader of the Wild Dog Gang, I found a suspicious person in our ranks and just ‘questioned’ him a bit. Who knew he was so fragile mentally that he bit his own tongue to die? I’m such a good person; why would I want to kill him on purpose?”
“Good person?” Victor almost laughed in disbelief at Allen’s innocent act, “You used such cruel means on him; how is that good?”
Allen looked at him puzzled: “What are you talking about? Aren’t you in the Inquisition supposed to be saints? Is your interrogation room and torture equipment just for show? Torturing heretics isn’t just lawful, it’s your sacred duty! And many nobles have a penchant for harsh torture; am I that special?”
He shrugged earnestly, “Besides, haven’t I given you all the intelligence I extracted? I’m cooperating with you. You can’t accuse a helpful citizen like me of killing to silence, can you?”
Victor was speechless.
In this era, feudal nobles outside the royal capital had few entertainments except subjecting disobedient serfs to brutal private punishments.
Lorraine Kingdom did not officially have slavery, but disguised slavery was rampant.
“…Hmm.”
Victor knew Allen was a master debater, and continuing on this topic would only lose him the argument.
He suspected Allen might have killed to cover his tracks, but lacking evidence and under Archbishop Luthien’s orders, he had to suppress this thought for now.
Allen noticed the conflicted expression on Victor’s face and instantly switched back to a warm smile, eagerly addressing him, “By the way, we’re old acquaintances now. You know me, but I don’t even know your name. Let’s be friends.”
“…Victor Solen. I don’t make friends with heretic suspects,” Victor replied coldly.
“Solen?” Allen stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Do you have the Supreme Magic Ring?”
“Huff… huff…”
What nonsense is this guy spouting again! Deep breath! Deep breath! Don’t let him rile you up!
He forcibly suppressed his rising anger and sternly asked, “Who told you to say to those Wild Dog Gang members… that you want to create Heaven on Earth?”
“Of course, the Lord,” Allen’s expression immediately turned sacred and devout, as if glowing, “These ideas are divine revelations. I’m a worthless, uneducated scoundrel—how could I conceive such a beautiful future on my own?”
Victor: “…Guh guh guh!!!”
No mocking! Absolutely no mocking! This guy is deliberately trying to get under my skin!
Just as Victor was about to lose it, Allen suddenly became serious: “I’m meeting Archbishop Luthien tomorrow.”
“What?” Victor was stunned; this was news he truly didn’t know.
Archbishop Luthien was always busy and wouldn’t bother telling him such trivial matters.
Allen stared intently into Victor’s eyes and smiled, “I know you doubt me, that you’re hostile toward me. That’s okay. Archbishop Luthien… although I haven’t met him… he has met me, hasn’t he?”
Victor’s heart skipped a beat and he instinctively looked away. This hesitation was precisely what Allen caught.
“Oh… so he really did see me. Looks like when I was in the Inquisition, he was there too,” Allen nodded in realization. “After all, he’s the former Grand Inquisitor. Did he say anything to you about me?”
If he answered, he’d be exposed; if he didn’t, suspicion would grow. What to do?
Victor’s expression changed subtly, forcing calm, wearing a poker face.
But Allen still saw through it.
Satisfied, Allen nodded, “Although I don’t know what he said, I guess he thinks my identity is special, maybe… like someone recorded in the Holy Scripture?”
He looked at Victor meaningfully.
Victor finally lost it, shouting, “You’re a dangerous man! How dare you compare yourself to a saint in the Holy Scripture?!”
“If you don’t believe it, fine,” Allen shrugged carelessly. “Anyway, I think I’ll get along well with Archbishop Luthien.”
He looked at Victor with a hint of sympathy.
“Victor, comrade, you really should study the Holy Scripture more. It’s such a great book.”
Victor: “…Aaaaaargh!!!!”
His fists clenched hard. He really wanted to hit someone!
Just as Victor was about to explode, Allen suddenly sighed, his tone turning unusually heavy: “Actually, I envy you, you know?”
Victor frowned, “What?”
Allen turned his back to Victor, gazing at the huge setting sun sinking below the horizon. His voice was low and distant: “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid of what?”
“Afraid the sun won’t rise tomorrow, afraid… we’re living in eternal darkness.”
“That’s impossible…” Victor instinctively refuted but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He stared intently at Allen’s back, breath caught, “What… do you mean?”
Allen slowly turned around. All the teasing and cynicism vanished, leaving only a seriousness Victor had only seen on Archbishop Luthien’s face—an all-knowing solemnity:
“Victor, do you really think you have time here to play this boring cat-and-mouse game with me?”
“Do you truly want to save humanity?”
“I…”
Victor felt his defenses shatter from an indescribable emotion.
What he sensed from Allen was no longer merely suspicious and irritating, but a divine omen from a higher dimension!
“What should I do…”
Before Victor could recover from the shock, the words slipped out.
Allen didn’t answer immediately but fell into a brief silence.
He faced away from Victor, staring at the distant, almost tragic sunset.
The dying sun, like blood, dyed the sparse weeds and scattered stones of the workshop yard a mournful golden red.
In the solemn atmosphere, Allen’s silence felt as heavy as lead, pressing down on Victor until he almost couldn’t breathe.
After a long while, Allen finally spoke slowly, “The threat in the stars watches humanity, the shadowed beings corrupt humanity, and we have nowhere left to run.”
In this twilight-covered silent yard, Allen’s voice was amplified, pounding like a drum on Victor’s heart.
“Doomsday is coming. We can only choose to fight desperately for that faint chance of survival.”
Allen turned to Victor and said with almost commanding authority:
“The royal capital hides many heretics. I need you. I need the power of the Heretic Inquisition Squad.”
“I plan to eradicate the Thieves’ Guild. They collude with heretics. I can trust you, Victor. You are a true guardian of humanity. So please, stay vigilant. Toward everyone, including your colleagues, your superiors…”
Allen pointed at himself, his gaze open and sincere.
“And me. Who I am, even I can’t say clearly. Perhaps, as you think, I am an apostle of the evil god, a shadow left by an unspeakable evil. If I truly threaten humanity, please don’t hesitate to kill me.”
“But until then, I want you to save humanity and join me to… wipe out the enemies of mankind.”
“Victor, do you have this resolve?”
“…”
Victor opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse.
But looking into Allen’s eyes, still bright in the dusk, an inexplicable, almost fanatical urge surged within him.
He was incredibly dangerous, the craftiest heretic! He might be a minion of the evil god! But—
He knew the apocalypse! He knew humanity’s true enemy!
He intended to destroy mankind’s enemies!
If he missed this chance to cooperate, Victor Solen might forever be just an ordinary inquisitor struggling in darkness, powerless to stop the destined destruction!
He craved power! He craved truly saving humanity!
“Can I trust you?” Victor asked with difficulty, his voice trembling slightly.
“No.” Allen’s voice was calm and resolute, like a divine oracle. “Do not trust me. Doubt me. Scrutinize me. And in the end… destroy all enemies of humanity, including me.”
Destroy all enemies of humanity…
The last flicker of struggle in Victor’s eyes faded, replaced by resolute light.
“When do we start?”
At that moment, Victor Solen finally stepped into the web carefully woven by Allen de Laval.
A victor’s smile appeared on Allen’s face: “We can start anytime, my friend.”
Thus, the villainous young master Allen de Laval gained his first inquisitor ally.