Although my mentor was an inquisitor of heresy, he was quite active in that role.
In other words, he was an inquisitor who had a lot of experience with the world.
“He had absorbed so much of the world’s ways that his whole body was practically steeped in it.”
Because of that, I don’t think he was a proper inquisitor.
So, the person coming now would probably be my first real experience with an inquisitor.
“I wonder what kind of person will come.”
I hoped for a good person (please, let it be someone sane), and I passed along the news that Princess Lasiell had accepted.
After Father Cadon returned to Bishop Hamon, he seemed to have found happiness again, as his condition was visibly improving day by day.
Thanks to that, I felt a bit bitter, realizing that I could no longer ask Father Cadon for help with the temple.
“But the situation is different now, so…”
Thanks to having the full authority over the temple, I was able to leave a lot of things to Priest Ando and Priest Chilan.
I encouraged my seniors, saying that it would be enough if they refrained a bit, and suggested that they slowly take on more of the temple’s duties again.
They were very pleased with my words and gladly accepted the offer.
Of course, I asked them to agree to only take on tasks when I wasn’t around, so they understood.
“It wasn’t just that they understood, they were extremely grateful.”
Actually, the two of them had been deeply disappointed when they heard the news of Bishop Hamon’s martyrdom, to the point of despair.
They had hoped that the new bishop would grant them absolution.
Although they still handled the temple duties, they weren’t just there to treat patients.
However, since I had taken over the full authority and granted their absolution, they were more than willing to help me with anything I asked.
“Ahhh!”
“You did well with the emergency treatment. The aftereffects shouldn’t be too severe.”
“Oh, I tried to follow the instructions you gave on that paper from last time, but was it helpful?”
“Of course. Even if you did it clumsily, the difference between doing the treatment and not doing it is huge.”
“Thank you. Next time I get injured, I’ll definitely do the first aid.”
Perhaps because quite some time had passed since the labyrinth opened, people seemed to be gradually gaining experience.
In the past, many people would come with rotting wounds from neglecting them, which caused a lot of trouble, but now there were many more people who came after applying first aid.
Honestly, it’s too unreasonable to tell them not to get hurt, but I believe that at least they should be able to handle basic first aid on their own.
So, I gave out papers with first aid instructions to the patients who came to the treatment center, and it seemed to be effective.
“Just remember, the best thing is to come for treatment as soon as possible.”
“Yes!”
I sent the fully recovered patient off and started preparing to leave.
It had already gotten dark, and it was almost time to close the treatment center.
Until then, I had been calmly thinking about having a late-night snack after finishing my evening prayers.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter—
“It’s raining?”
As soon as I stepped outside, I felt cold raindrops on my head.
The rain had just started, and it was fortunate that the rain was light.
As I was thinking that I should hurry back, I heard rustling sounds from a dark bush, and something moved inside.
Rustle—
“Hmm?”
Rustle, rustle—
Is it an animal?
The movement in the bush was too large for it to be an animal.
Plus, I could feel that the presence was getting closer.
A sense of caution rose, but before I could act, something black suddenly jumped out of the bush.
“!!”
I jumped back in surprise and brought my eyes closer to figure out what it was.
In the dark, rainy night, it was someone wearing a deep black robe.
If it had been someone with even a bit less courage, they might have run away thinking it was a ghost.
“W-who are you?”
“I am looking for a priest.”
Fortunately, the black figure was a person, and they answered my question.
If they were looking for a priest, it must have been a patient, so I relaxed.
If it had been a ghost, as a priest, I would have sent it to the afterlife instead of running away, but it seemed that I wouldn’t need to work overtime.
The voice that had come from the figure confirmed that it was indeed a person.
“Ah… Are you injured?”
Even though it was a bit late, I didn’t plan to send away someone who had made it all the way to the treatment center empty-handed.
I had to treat the patient in front of me, even if it meant staying a little later.
“No, I am the one in charge of this temple. I am probably looking for Chief Priest Arthur.”
“…Why are you looking for him?”
“I have received the command.”
A suspicious figure who said they had received an order?
For a moment, I had a strange thought—could it be that Princess Kanabi sent an assassin to kill me because she was short on resources?
But quickly, I realized the true identity of the person.
“Are you by any chance the inquisitor?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Just as I expected, the mysterious figure who suddenly appeared was an “Inquisitor of Heresy.”
‘Already here?’
It was a bit surprising to see them appear in an unexpected situation, but since I had been standing in the rain, I couldn’t just leave them outside. So, I spoke.
“I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. I’m the temple’s head, Arthur.”
“I see.”
Even though they had found the person they were looking for, the inquisitor’s voice remained as calm as ever.
It was exactly that indifferent attitude that made me more fearful.
Moreover,
‘Hearing their voice, I can tell for sure. It’s a woman.’
Inquisitors are mostly male or female, but honestly, I would have preferred a man in this case. Living in the labyrinth is never easy, and I hoped for a male inquisitor I could rely on.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I couldn’t just send someone back because of their gender after they had made it this far.
Stepping out of the bushes and under the streetlamp, the inquisitor was drenched in the rain.
It was late at night, but I didn’t think they had eaten before coming to meet me, so I asked.
“Have you eaten?”
“I haven’t.”
“That’s good. Let’s go get something to eat then. I was just getting hungry myself. It’s a bit late, but it’s still an okay time, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I understand.”
The inquisitor calmly accepted my offer, more easily than I expected.
There must still be a restaurant open, and since we’d be working together from now on, it would be best to eat together and get to know each other quickly.
“What do you like to eat?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Then, noodles?”
“Yes.”
With the calm inquisitor, I walked toward a nearby shop.
It was late, but this noodle shop was open until later, and since it was tasty, I often came here.
“Ah! Priest! Come this way! Have you been working all evening without eating?”
As soon as I entered, the shop owner greeted me with a big smile, excitedly.
“I had a light meal, but I got hungry, so I came.”
“It suddenly started raining, so come in and warm up!”
“Two bowls of noodles, please.”
“I’ll have…”
At that moment, the inquisitor subtly raised their hand and spoke.
“Please make it special.”
“Ah, don’t worry. Our noodle shop has never been called narrow-minded.”
The shop owner joked as they went inside.
The inquisitor, having removed their hood, followed my lead and took off their robe’s hood as well.
The face of the inquisitor, now that their hood was off, looked younger than I expected.
Perhaps in their early twenties.
I had anticipated that someone fresh out of training as an inquisitor would be young, but they looked much younger than I thought.
As I filled an empty cup with water from the bottle in front of me, I spoke.
“I was surprised when I heard that an inquisitor would be dispatched to the labyrinth to protect me. I couldn’t understand why an inquisitor like you would come for someone like me.”
“Yes.”
I could tell they weren’t a very talkative person, but it seemed they were even worse than I expected.
“Have you heard about the altar of the evil god in the labyrinth?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true that your goal is to find and eliminate the altar?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure if you’re okay with suddenly being thrust into this situation in the labyrinth.”
“It doesn’t matter. When I’m given an order, I just carry it out.”
It seemed like the inquisitor was not a good conversational partner.
However, since I had to get along with them, I continued trying to engage in conversation without showing my discomfort.
“Is this the first order you’ve received?”
“It’s confidential, so I cannot say.”
“Here’s your noodles~”
Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward, the noodles arrived, and the tension was eased.
“Please, eat.”
“Yes.”
With the same indifferent expression, the inquisitor began to eat the noodles.
“Is it to your liking?”
Since the inquisitor had such a calm personality, it was hard to tell if they liked it or not.
“Yes.”
I didn’t expect a profound response, but once again, the answer was a single word.
“When did you arrive here?”
“As soon as I arrived, I came to the temple to find you, Priest Arthur.”
They arrived in the labyrinth and immediately came to the temple to meet me.
Should I call it good luck, or should I call it foolishness?
It seemed that I’d have to take responsibility for arranging a place for them to stay.
“How much do you know about the situation here? You’re aware that I’m operating separately from the Church’s extermination force, right?”
The inquisitor replied.
“…Melody.”
“Excuse me?”
“I just told you my name. Since the term ‘Inquisitor’ can cause discomfort, I would appreciate it if you called me by my name instead.”
For an ordinary person, hearing the term “Inquisitor” could cause unnecessary tension, much like how one feels uneasy when standing in front of the police, even without having committed any crime.
“Your name is as beautiful as your face.”
Melody.
Honestly, it didn’t seem like a name that would match the role of an inquisitor.
“…Thank you.”
For the first time, they gave a somewhat human-like response.
Perhaps they were embarrassed by the compliment about their name, as their otherwise impassive face showed a subtle but noticeable twitch of their eyebrows.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I said.