Chapter 12

The Demon Hunting Method Of The Regressed Inquisitor 12

The Attack on Baron Ryan’s House (2)

“Black Fox, come out now. I’ve cleared everything in front of us.”

“Ah, yes.”

At Titan’s words, Linea, who had been hiding in the shadow of the building, ran out. She first closed the eyes of the guards who couldn’t even blink.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I killed them?”

“Because they deserved to die?”

“Hmm.”

But isn’t it strange that she didn’t even blink an eye?

To Titan, Linea’s appearance seemed a bit eerie. She looked like something imitating a human.

She gets angry and has emotions.

But sometimes, it feels like she doesn’t see humans as humans.

She just shows kindness to people as if she has to.

“I don’t understand why you are accompanying me. It would be much simpler if I were alone.”

“…Isn’t it because you can’t remember people’s faces, Titan? It would be a big problem if you killed someone you shouldn’t.”

Titan shrugged. He had nothing to say, so he couldn’t help it.

Titan still cannot clearly distinguish human figures.

“Catch them!”

“Make them pay!”

Without even making an excuse, Titan just stared at it in disbelief, and soldiers came rushing out from inside the mansion.

“They’re starting to swarm. Tell me, who among them should be spared?”

“None of them.”

“Then can I kill them?”

“Do you need my permission?”

“No.”

Crack!

Only then did Titan draw his weapon. The hammer he favored had a dull sheen.

And the moment Titan’s arm, gripping the hammer, swelled up greatly.

“Die, you worms.”

BoooM!!!

First, there was a loud roar.

Then followed the sound of rocks and debris falling.

And belatedly, the painful groans of people followed.

But it’s not over yet. The attack just now was merely a knock to open the door.

A blow to break down the wall of the mansion that was blocking them.

The soldiers of the family who tried to block them were merely caught in the crossfire.

Thud!

Titan stepped forward with the same nervous demeanor as before.

His presence spread out as a heavy resonance.

The crowd fell silent.

“Not long ago, I smelled blood in the hunting grounds. I like the smell of blood. It’s a sign of a life-and-death struggle.”

“I don’t. For a doctor, it’s unavoidable, but it’s still not good for someone to get hurt.”

Lynnea followed behind Titan in a demure manner.

Titan does not think of protecting Lynnea.

Lynnea knows that too.

Titan finds Lynnea bothersome, and Lynnea has no particular interest in Titan’s existence.

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“But the blood of those who are not warriors… is unacceptable. It should not exist.”

However, even those two could share a common thought at this moment.

“Especially if it’s the blood of a child.”

The reason Titan was enraged and couldn’t make a cold judgment that day was because the blood scattered in the monster-infested area was that of a child.

“The blood of those you should protect… your blood…”

Thud!

Titan smashed the heads of those groaning on the ground one by one with a hammer.

Originally, he did not kill warriors who had lost their will to fight. The important thing was not the life or death of the opponent.

Therefore, his current actions lacked respect for the opponent.

Titan shook his head as he looked at the newly appeared knights. Their skills were on a different level from the nearby soldiers.

But Titan rather smiled and gritted his teeth as if it was a good thing.

“It reeks of a disgusting smell.”

Respect was not necessary for the opponent. The opponent was not a warrior.

Titan did not even recognize them as humans, let alone warriors.

“Humans who hunt humans, now it’s your turn to be hunted.”

The opponent was not a person but a beast.

There was no need for mercy in his hands.

Crack!

Titan’s muscles swelled once more. However, this time, the difference was that he was holding a spear instead of a hammer.

Titan did not overestimate himself. No matter how trashy the enemy was, he should not think he could handle them all easily.

The target was the leader.

The one shouting in the middle of the knights.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, Titan’s spear flew.

The spear, thick as a pillar to match his physique, pierced through the center and lodged into the body of the target.

No, it would be more accurate to say it crushed the target.

“Hoo…”

The knight who was the commander died from the sudden blow.

He died, but he reacted.

The reason he died so futilely was that he tried to block it instead of dodging.

There is a mansion behind me.

Mana was not loaded into the spear.

Because of that, I overconfidently thought I could block it.

Whoosh!

Titan immediately jumped in.

If the opponent reacted to his spear, he couldn’t stay still.

Although he couldn’t block it, there was no doubt that he reacted. Not only was he the strongest knight, but the other knights were also no less.

Therefore, he doesn’t miss the opportunity.

At this moment when confusion has caught the opponent’s command system, he must shake it as much as possible.

A warrior and a hunter.

Strategic yet intuitive judgment.

Thud!

Titan’s first attack, which jumped in like that, had a shabby aspect unlike the previous attacks.

But it was enough.

There was no need to put more force than necessary to blow off the head of a knight who was panicking.

Titan had already committed murder. When he broke the guards’ heads, he also confirmed the human strength.

From now on, he focuses on achieving the best results with minimal force, not overwhelming power.

Bang!

Titan roughly pulled out the spear that had pierced the commander and was still stuck in the ground.

When the soil and gravel popped out together, it momentarily obscured the knights’ view.

Clang!

“Ugh?!”

This time, Titan’s hammer swung from below to above, striking the opponent’s abdomen.

A delicate surprise attack following the flow of the flying soil and gravel. Already more than three knights were helplessly struck.

Whoosh!

After dealing with the third knight like that, Titan swung both the spear and hammer horizontally while spinning.

There was nothing to hit. Perhaps any more surprise attacks would be ineffective.

But he created a melee situation. The opponent’s formation was shattered along with the commander, and the rest lost their systematic movements and became a disorganized mob.

From now on, he rules with violence.

Boom!!

The first strike contained the overwhelming power previously showcased.

Even though it was dodged, the shockwave pounding the ground caused the nearest knight to lose consciousness and be blown away.

Thud!

A dagger thrown by Titan lodged itself in the neck of the fallen knight. Overwhelming power, precise skill, and stealthy ambush. Titan spared no means.

Clang!

Titan deflected the sword swung at him with his spear.

The force was extraordinary.

The power known as aura, which Titan had been curious about, was imbued in that blade.

Of course, until the moment he blocked it, Titan hadn’t thought it was aura. Nevertheless, he was able to deflect it to the side because of the certainty in his opponent’s face.

“Indeed, destructive!”

Despite deflecting it, the tingling sensation climbing up his palm made Titan smile. Such powerful strength.

Even a sword wielded by such a feeble knight carried this much power.

How wonderful it would be if he could wield that power himself someday.

“But…”

Whoosh!

Titan spun and swung his hammer. The hammer, combined with the rotation of his body, fell upon the knight’s sword imbued with aura.

“It’s not an unbeatable power.”

Crash!!

Titan’s sword shattered the knight’s sword imbued with aura.

As if that wasn’t enough, the hammer dug into the knight’s torso, eventually shattering his opponent as well.

A phenomenon created solely by the strength of the flesh, without any miracles.

“Next!!!”

Titan shouted with high spirits.

At that roar, the knights began to falter and step back.

In that brief moment, more than half of the knights had lost their lives.

It was only natural for their fighting spirit to be broken.

“Next? You damn monster. You’ve done well.”

But there was one who hadn’t broken. The knight who appeared from inside the mansion had a deeply furrowed brow.

And the moment he appeared, the atmosphere changed. Titan could sense a strange sense of anticipation blooming among the knights who had been in despair.

The presence of his opponent felt far stronger than the knights he had dealt with before.

“Who are you?”

“Did you come all the way here causing trouble without even knowing who I am?”

“No, I think I know.”

The one who taught all the knights here.

The very force of the Ryan Barony, which grew up as a knight family.

“The real leader. Am I right?”

The target that Titan must kill.

The middle-aged knight answered with a crooked smile.

“Yes, I am Tros Ryan, the owner of this mansion.”

*     *      *

At the time when the Ryan Barony was being attacked. Unfortunately, Burke was not in the mansion.

He was waiting for Rost and his party at the appointed place for today’s lesson, which would be the last day.

Burke Ryan sighed repeatedly with a troubled heart at a place not far from his mansion.

“Hmm?”

But even as he waited, a loud noise reached his ears.

He tilted his head at the earthquake-like noise coming from afar, but only for a moment.

The conversations of passersby reached Burke’s ears.

“Did you hear? A monster appeared at the Ryan Barony, and it’s a mess.”

“Aren’t there a lot of knights there? And it’s still going on for this long?”

The vibration, somewhat awkward to be called an earthquake.

The timely rumor.

And the moment he realized the place that was the center of the vibration and noise.

“No way…”

Burke was running.

He took the path that would take the least time from where he was to the Ryan Barony.

Weaving through alleys, jumping over low walls.

‘What is this explosion? Bombing? A wizard? Could it be Duke Foris…?’

Burke felt anxious.

It was visible even from afar.

With the explosion, dust was rising, and the side of the mansion was gradually collapsing due to the impact.

He didn’t care what happened to his arrogant and foolish father.

Stepmother and half-siblings? If they were dead, it would be for the best.

He might even applaud.

But his sister was different.

Burke’s frail and kind sister was the only one he could call family.

That was why he was still tied to the hateful Baron Ryan’s household.

“Please be safe…”

Burke quickened his pace. There wasn’t much distance left. Just a little further, and he would see the mansion’s front gate.

With that thought, Burke turned into the next alley.

“What?!”

The path that should have been open was blocked.

A wall of translucent ice exuded a cold chill, blocking the way.

“What is this…”

Burke finally regained his composure.

An inexplicable dread washed over him.

“Damn it!”

It was dangerous. He shouldn’t be here. With that thought, Burke turned to go back.

“……”

There, he faced a mysterious figure dressed in white, with white hair and a white mask.

“Burke Ryan, the illegitimate child of Baron Ryan, and a hunter of five years.”

“…Who are you?”

The surroundings were unusually quiet.

Even though it was an alley, it was still daytime, yet there was no one on the streets.

“You were planning to escape from the family that oppressed you and your sister, to take revenge, by amassing money, power, and influence.”

“Who are you?”

“What method could that have been?”

The man listed Burke Ryan’s details one by one.

“Earn money as a hunter, get introduced to Duke Foris through Allen Wise, and appeal to him for mercy?”

“Did that crazy woman hire you to kill me again?”

“Or were you planning to slowly gain strength and challenge Tros Ryan to a fair duel?”

“How many b*stards like you do you think I’ve dealt with? Do I look like someone who would succumb to such threats?”

The two exchanged words that didn’t quite align.

The man in the white mask merely spoke about Burke’s situation, while Burke doubted the events that had repeated several times in his tragic life.

That’s why he was slow to notice.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand what you were thinking.”

“…Lost?”

The man in front of him seemed familiar.

The white hair, the golden eyes visible through the expressionless mask. It was eerily different from what Burke knew.

“But…”

Lost conjured a holy power in his palm. It wasn’t to borrow someone’s strength, but merely to show that light to the opponent.

An inquisitor must not show emotions. Their work is not something to be proud of before God.

So, they must not reveal any emotions. For that, they wear an expressionless mask and engrave the reverse cross symbol like a brand.

But Lost’s voice now did not follow that rule.

“You shouldn’t have become a demon.”

“……”

It was bitterness.

Lost’s light was shining on Burke. Yes, it was just light.

Yet Burke frowned and covered his face as if the light was blinding and annoying.

The eyes revealed between his fingers had turned from brown to a blood-red color.

When demons use their power, their eyes turn red. It’s the most common way to identify them.

Lost had not stopped doubting until now.

He thought it might not be true, that it might be his misunderstanding.

That there might still be a chance.

“You…”

But now everything was certain.

The person known as Burke was already dead, and the shell was merely a puppet moved by the power called magic.

It was easy to understand why he made such a choice.

As Burke had said earlier, he must have been tormented by assassination threats several times.

So, he needed power.

Power to protect himself, to protect his younger sister, to take revenge on them.

“You should have remained an unjust victim.”

But there was no power without a price.

The day will inevitably come when the power gained to protect the family will be wielded to kill the family.

“Victim? Remain a victim? Just keep taking it?”

“……”

Burke began to vent his anger. He spat out his feelings as if he were vomiting blood, explaining his situation.

Those were the emotions Burke had suppressed for years.

“What do you know? Do you think you know everything about me just because you have a few pieces of information? You know nothing about the pain, the emotions that were embedded in each of those experiences!”

“Yes, all I know are a few lines of written information.”

Burke shouted with emotion.

To him, it was still a vivid memory. The contemptuous looks even the mere servants gave him.

The attitude of other family members who looked at his sister with uneasy eyes because she was different.

The countless assassins he had to face just because he was an illegitimate child.

The dirty schemes that began to bind him when he gained power to survive.

These are things that one cannot dare to claim to know, and should not.

“But there are things I know well about you too.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

It was not now, but in the past.

Lost had become Burke’s friend. He shared his worries with him.

He could see how much effort he was putting in for his sister.

“I know that you have devoted everything for your sister. That’s why you should never have become a demon.”

“If I hadn’t become a demon, I wouldn’t have been able to endure until now!”

“Why do you think you couldn’t have endured? Even in those harsher times, you survived with sheer determination! You could have continued to do so!”

Anyone could see that this was merely discussing possibilities.

But Burke couldn’t easily deny it. Because he felt certain.

Because Lost, who surely knew nothing about him, was confident that he could make it.

Demons hate humans.

That impulse grows stronger over time.

“You abandoned yourself to find an easier path.”

Burke has many enemies.

Perhaps in the future, there will come a time when you have to kill someone.

You killed the one who needed to be killed.

But if that feeling leaves you with exhilaration instead of hesitation, then you have become a monster, not a avenger.

“You have already destroyed all the futures that could have unfolded by becoming a demon.”

Maybe, with effort, you could have escaped from the Baron Ryan’s house.

You might have found a clue to cure Claire’s illness.

Nothing can be guaranteed.

You could have done anything, and you could have failed at anything. At least it was possible to make such assumptions.

But all those assumptions were erased when Burke became a demon.

“You damn b*stard.”

So Lost moved.

He had to put an end to the foolish man who sold his soul for that.

It was the only thing he could do for a friend he once considered a friend.