Chapter 31
I quickly wrapped the man’s severed hand tightly with cloth.
He couldn’t die.
He had to live long enough to reveal that he’d been acting under Count Vener’s orders.
That’s why I’d cut off his left arm instead of going for his heart.
“Phew!”
Once I roughly bandaged the wound, the bleeding stopped. His mana was already completely drained, but he should survive.
I tied Romul up securely so I could drag him along, just as Islyn came running into the clearing.
“Is it over?”
“…Yes.”
She looked a little surprised to see I’d captured Romul.
After she started serving under me, she’d learned my rank.
A lower rank could never defeat a higher one.
That had been an absolute law in her mind—until now.
But I had beaten higher-ranked opponents. Twice.
Once might’ve been luck, but twice wasn’t.
“…You’re truly amazing.”
“I am a bit amazing, aren’t I?”
Sure, neither fight had been entirely fair, but a win was a win.
Up until now, she’d worked for me out of obligation, but after seeing Romul defeated, there was something different in her eyes.
Islyn took out an artifact she’d brought—a chain with shackles and handcuffs.
It was mainly used to transport prisoners.
“The cuffs… will look a little empty.”
“Right.”
We left one cuff dangling and clamped the shackles onto his ankles.
Then, when Islyn waved her magic orb, Romul stood up.
Still unconscious, but he’d be able to walk all the way to Count Imera’s territory like that.
“Th-thank you, my lord!”
“Hm?”
The villagers who had fled earlier had come back.
All of them were weeping like children as they bowed deeply before me.
“Sob! If it weren’t for you, my lord, we all would have—!”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I didn’t do it for you.”
They were people of Count Vener’s domain.
It wouldn’t do me any good for my name to spread here.
“B-but still—!”
“Well, I’ll be taking this man with me.”
“P-please, at least tell us your name!”
“…You’ll find out someday.”
“My lord!”
After bringing Romul back, I asked Harun to build a special iron cell and locked him inside.
If Vener’s soldiers managed to kill him, all of this would be for nothing.
I wasn’t happy about keeping such a vile man alive, especially with people begging me not to, but once the Inquisitors of the Holy Union arrived, he’d suffer something far worse. So I held back.
Fortunately, even with the county guards watching him day and night, nothing happened for the few days before the Inquisitor’s arrival.
Romul sat in his little cage in silence, staring blankly into space.
‘Damn bastard. Doesn’t value others’ lives, but loses one hand and he’s broken already.’
Islyn looked worriedly at his vacant eyes.
“Will he be okay? He hasn’t said a word.”
“It doesn’t matter. Once the Inquisitor gets here, they’ll make him talk one way or another. And since he’s a Blank, it’ll be even easier.”
“You sound like you know a lot about Inquisitors.”
“Anyone of noble rank does.”
She shrugged and dropped the subject.
Of course, that was a lie.
Even nobles rarely met Inquisitors in person. They were wrapped in mystery, their methods whispered about but never truly known.
Terrifying people.
The Inquisitors—priests of the Holy See serving the “Lord God Hithera.”
Though nominally priests, their main duty was to hunt down black magicians.
Even royalty weren’t beyond their reach if they dabbled in forbidden magic.
Their authority rivaled that of kings.
The one coming here to Count Imera’s domain would probably be a low-ranking Inquisitor, but even he could destroy a local noble with a few words.
Best not to get on his bad side.
Still, I couldn’t shake my unease.
In stories, Inquisitors were depicted as vile tools of politics.
Their interrogations were simple:
First, accuse the suspect. If he denies it, cut off a wrist.
Then use a truth serum and ask again.
If guilty—execution.
If innocent—they live, but their hand is gone forever.
In this world, that basically meant a ruined life or death.
“Click.”
Behind the holy name of “Lord God Hithera” hid monsters without conscience.
“Inquisitor’s here!”
“R-right! Let’s prepare to greet him!”
Eimon looked visibly nervous.
Understandable—if the outbreak of ghouls in his territory couldn’t be properly explained, suspicion could fall on him next.
“Yes, Father.”
Normally, a noble’s visit required ceremony, but not an Inquisitor’s.
We only had to hand over the prisoner.
Clank.
We loaded Romul’s cage onto a wagon and went outside.
Harun stayed hidden in the manor—too many eyes around.
Chime.
A clear bell rang in the distance.
The sound was pure and serene, yet somehow ominous.
Chime.
And then, the Inquisitor and his party appeared.
Unlike ordinary priests, their presence was suffocating.
Except for one, all wore iron masks—cold, expressionless faces of metal with only two eye holes, no mouth slit to breathe from.
Through those dark holes, you couldn’t even see eyes—only emptiness.
Only the faint motion of their masks proved they were alive.
Their hands were gloved in white-painted gauntlets, their strength obvious even without rank indicators.
“Gulp.”
Eimon swallowed hard, overwhelmed by their presence.
One man smiled faintly at the sight.
He was the only one without a mask—the priest leading them.
A small bell hung at his waist as he slowly approached.
“Greetings. I am Telein, Inquisitor of the Holy See.”
His pale face wore a strange smile, framed by spotless white robes.
“W-welcome. I am Eimon Imera, lord of this county.”
Eimon’s voice trembled.
“Ian Imera,” I said, bowing lightly.
Telein’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“Ah, so this is the young master whose name has been spreading of late?”
“Ha ha… You flatter me.”
“Modesty as well—how admirable. Seems the nasty rumors were exaggerated after all.”
“……”
There was meaning behind his words, but I didn’t take the bait.
He soon turned his gaze to the caged black magician.
“So this is the one said to have caused the ghoul outbreak?”
“Yes.”
“Ho… remarkable.”
Normally, they’d conduct a local investigation before forming a pursuit squad.
To have already caught the culprit—it was impressive even to him.
“You’re certain?” Telein asked, raising a brow.
“Yes. You can hear the details from him yourself—truth serum or whatever you use.”
“Hmm, perhaps. But…”
He examined Romul, who still stared into nothing.
Since losing his hand, he hadn’t uttered a word.
Becoming a Blank in this world was a devastating blow.
“It’s a relief. The truth will be revealed without deceit.”
“……”
At my words, Telein’s brow twitched.
Eimon sweated nervously between us.
Like him, I’d thrown a barbed remark—don’t try anything funny.
No false accusations, no cover-ups. Do your job properly.
If Telein was connected to King Erengold of Aisoter, things could get messy.
The king might use the Inquisition to reach his own goals—killing Romul, then claiming Eimon was behind it.
That would bring the Inquisition down on Eimon, and he’d lose a hand at best.
I can’t let that happen. Not after everything I’ve gone through.
I met Telein’s eyes steadily.
He faltered slightly, then smiled.
“Of course. I swear it in the name of the Lord.”
“That’s reassuring.”
A priest invoking his god’s name couldn’t lie without risking his own neck.
Telein bowed and signaled two of his masked knights.
“Take him.”
Romul bowed his head like livestock on the way to slaughter as they led him off.
“I-is that it?” Eimon asked, uncertain.
Telein smiled pleasantly and nodded.
“Our task is only to follow divine judgment. The sinner has been delivered into our hands, so we shall return.”
“I… see.”
Thankfully, he didn’t question the missing left hand. They’d likely have cut it off later anyway.
“Then, farewell.”
With a thin smile, Telein turned and left with Romul in tow.
“Phew!”
Eimon let out a long sigh of relief. I found that smile of Telein’s disgusting, though.
“Son! Why’d you talk to the Inquisitor like that? You could’ve—”
“What’s the harm? I didn’t say anything wrong.”
“Well… true, but still… ugh. I need a rest.”
Eimon trudged off to his room, exhausted.
“Whew! That was scary!”
Irene finally exhaled once the Inquisitor’s group was gone.
“Incredible, young master! You didn’t flinch at all in front of the Inquisitor—and you even caught a black magician!”
“I just… got lucky.”
“Ha! You must be very lucky these days!”
“Yeah, maybe so.”
She beamed, giving me a big thumbs-up, while Islyn stood quietly beside her, lips pressed shut.
“But who do you think ordered all this?”
“We’ll find out. He swore on the Lord’s name.”
“…Will we, really?”
Irene asked, worried.
“He’s a Blank now. Truth serum will work perfectly. He’ll confess everything before they execute him.”
“I see…”
All signs pointed to Count Vener, but suspicions alone weren’t enough—we needed proof.
At least the Imera family wouldn’t take the fall now.
All that remained was to wait for Vener to receive his punishment.
I returned quietly to my room.
“Phew.”
Catching Romul had gone better than expected.
I sighed in relief and opened my left hand.
[Your rank has changed. Would you like to check it?]
“Of course.”
[Name: Ian Imera]
Rank: Swordsmanship – 4 / Magic – 3
“Haaah…”
My swordsmanship rank had risen by one after defeating Romul.
Not just from killing him—experience from earlier fights, like with Krishni, must’ve finally pushed me over the wall.
Rank 4—among nobles, that was something to boast about.
Still nothing compared to Friana or Creed, though.
“Hm…”
Speaking of them—what were they up to now?
Friana was an important character in the story, so I’d ordered the clan to look into her whereabouts.
A knight who’d once fought for the Vener family.
I wanted to know her current situation.
She might be in danger—she had failed a direct order from King Erengold himself.
She could have been dismissed or worse.
“Tch.”
She’d been decent enough in the novel, but what could I do? I had my own problems.
I’d love to have her on my side, but that was probably a fantasy.
Why would a royal knight care about some beggarly count’s house?
We’d find out soon enough.
As for Creed, he should’ve reached the Bamboo Forest where the “relic” was hidden by now.
Soon he’d discover its condition—then come storming back to Imera in fury.
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t just anyone—it was Creed.
If he came back angry…
“No, no. What’s there to feel guilty about? I just told him where it was.”
That was the deal, after all.
I provided the relic’s location, and he fought as my stand-in during the duel.
A fair trade.
“Yeah. Exactly.”
