Chapter 16

The Demon Hunting Method Of The Regressed Inquisitor 16

Agee Foris (2)

When Rost was heading towards Baron Ryan’s house, the King of Darkness, Belial, who was moving as Walsres Hope, came out of the alley.

“Hmm…”

“Is there a problem?”

“Well… is it a problem? Or not.”

Beside him was a mysterious man with his hood pulled deep over his head.

“I don’t want Foris to have an adventure in his territory for no reason…”

Agee Foris, like Walsres Hope, is a considerable power.

However, he is generally generous to those who are not enemies.

But if an inquisitor is murdered in his territory?

The attitude towards demons, which had been to eliminate them if they existed and ignore them if they didn’t, would change to extermination.

Is there anything more foolish than turning a man who is neither an enemy nor an ally into an enemy? Agee Foris is troublesome not because he is a great wizard.

It’s because he is the ‘Duke’ of the empire.

Even if handled as discreetly as possible, it is inevitable that Walsres Hope will be suspected.

How many people are capable of targeting the Duke?

“It’s not as bad as touching Agee Foris. But it’s not a good choice to rashly touch the professional handling team of the Pantheon either.”

“……”

The man waited quietly for Walsres Hope’s next words, as if he wouldn’t interfere.

Then Walsres Hope finally turned his head towards the man.

A grotesque smile that would send chills down anyone’s spine was plastered on his face.

“I need to see that guy one more time. Don’t kill him, just bring him here. Mez.”

“Yes!”

The moment Walsres Hoff gave his permission, the man called Mez nodded calmly and moved.

“Well, I hope that guy is useful.”

The seven swords symbolizing him, personally selected by Belial and infused with demonic energy.

Among them, the opportunity had come to verify the ability of the demon chosen as the ‘Sword of Restraint’.

“I hope I can see it by today… but it might be impossible.”

Walsres Hoff shook his head at the ominous mana felt from afar. In the direction the man was heading, Agee Foris was already there.

For the time being, both he and Mez would need to be cautious.

* * *

Before interrogating the captured Lost, Agee Foris first threw him into the underground prison.

The interrogation would proceed slowly.

The process wouldn’t be harsh, but life in the underground prison would certainly feel quite lonely.

Thinking that, Agee Foris’s uneasy face could relax a little.

“Duke Foris. Please release Mr. Lost.”

“Denied.”

“Mr. Lost only found out who the culprit was.”

“But in the process, he caused havoc in my territory. He handed that information to that damned stupid Orc prince instead of me or the guards.”

“I am not stupid.”

At Agee Foris’s rebuke, Titan pouted his lips in protest.

He was in a bad mood. He had hoped for a chance to fight Allen Wise, but the old man in front of him had stopped it.

Children and the elderly must be protected.

That was the last bit of conscience left in Titan. So he couldn’t get angry directly and was just pouting his lips like this.

“Then why is Mr. Titan, who caused the trouble, here?”

“Are you telling me to throw a royal from another country into the underground prison?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“The old man is quite spry.”

Agee Foris grabbed Titan by the neck and closed his eyes tightly at his shameless behavior.

That guy is royalty.

No matter how closed-off the Orc Kingdom is, hitting him here would cause an international incident.

As a duke of the empire, I must not commit such a disgraceful act.

“Lord, isn’t this treatment a bit too harsh?”

Unable to bear it any longer, the master of the Hunter’s Guild, Allen Wise, intervened.

Even he thought it was too much to imprison Lost in the underground dungeon when the two perpetrators were right here.

Of course, he was angry about the accident caused by Titan, but since the reason was to punish evil, Allen had no intention of reprimanding him.

Hunters are rough people by nature. How many of them can maintain propriety among such hunters?

The position of guild master is to protect such people.

“The guy who was angry earlier about not fighting in the hunting grounds is now protesting in the civilian area, and now he speaks well.”

“Y-yes, my lord!”

“Shut up! What’s the problem with imprisoning someone whose identity is unclear!”

Linea showed the family crest. In Titan’s case, Agee Foris knew Craig personally.

But Lost was different. He didn’t even have a simple ID.

The way a priest proves himself is by showing divine power, but it’s more problematic to say not to doubt someone who even uses a pseudonym.

Agee Foris is a man of power. Naturally, he knows things others don’t.

From noble mtl dot com

Not all clergy are purely devout and clean.

In the first place, isn’t the Inquisitor known as the unofficial task force of the Pantheon?

“Hah, but there could be a reason for using a pseudonym.”

“Did he lose his name after encountering the ＜Dreamer＞? So what? What does that matter? What’s important is not the name but the actions.”

There are many people like Lost who have no choice but to use a pseudonym.

That’s what trials are like.

But that doesn’t matter anymore.

“What could it be? Huh? Surprisingly, when you dig into people, quite a lot comes out. Even a nameless vagrant lying on the street, if you dig, you’ll find family connections!”

Of course, as a duke, even things I don’t want to know come to my ears.

The greater the impact, the more so.

And Agee Foris did not underestimate the power of information.

It was Agee Foris who allowed the Information Guild Shade to establish a base in the Foris Duchy.

The appearance of the Orcs was undoubtedly a major issue. Information related to Titan and those who were with him at that time. A lot was heard.

But there was nothing about Lost. Lost his name? Sure, that could be. But among those who had contact with the ＜Dreamer＞, there was no one with Lost’s appearance.

“The traces of that guy were first discovered in the village where he encountered the Titan prince, at the inn. There is no record of him before that. It’s as if he fell from the sky!”

I had already left an inquiry with the church. Based on the holy magic that Lost showed, I contacted the church and the pantheon.

I asked if there was a priest using the alias Lost, and the answer was no. Of course, it could be that the pantheon is trying to hide his existence.

But against Age Foris? Revealing his identity while taking such a dangerous gamble?

It doesn’t make sense.

If he was someone who didn’t matter, they could have confirmed his existence.

Conversely, if he was someone who needed protection, they should have tried to persuade me somehow.

But it’s neither. They literally don’t know the person named Lost.

Thwack!

Lord Foris struck the staff he had leaned against the chair hard.

“No one knows that name, and no one knows where he came from. But he knew about the Shade, had top-notch swordsmanship, and could handle various types of holy magic? And he designed this whole scheme?”

He used an alias.

Yes, he might have lost his name after encountering the ＜Dreamer＞.

But losing one’s name also means there’s nothing left to lose.

Usually, such people are idiots. Even if not, it takes time to accumulate new knowledge and memories.

But Lost is barely in his early twenties, no matter how generously you look at it.

“And such a person suddenly appeared, and we’re not supposed to be suspicious?”

“You’re obsessed with trivial matters, old man. Is that important?”

“Of course, it’s not important to me, a 7th-circle mage. I can kill him no matter what tricks he pulls.”

A menacing aura filled the room. Linnea seemed to freeze as if suffocating, and Allen Wise, the master of the hunter guild, bowed his head, waiting for the storm to pass.

“But as the lord of Foris territory, it’s the most important issue that must be prioritized!”

Crack─!

In the end, the teacup on the table cracked under the pressure of Age Foris’s mana.

“So answer me, depending on your answer, my attitude towards that guy might change.”

Through the cracked teacup, the black tea dripped like blood.

It was as if it was foreshadowing what would happen to someone.

“Who is that person?”

*     *      *

Belial will try to kill me.

Just because his suspicion was cleared once doesn’t mean he’s stupid enough to completely take his eyes off me.

Perhaps, once they find me troublesome, they will try to deal with me in some way.

Even if they don’t kill me immediately, there are many ways to disguise it as an accident.

And Agee Polis will suspect me. Just as they have done several times before, even that Shade couldn’t fully grasp the information about me.

I designed this incident and pulled the strings from behind.

Based on the fact that I joined later, they will realize that it was just a bait to divert their attention.

That’s why they said they would interrogate me. Saying so, they threw me into this cold underground prison.

Thanks to that, I could escape from Belial’s clutches for a while.

“Kya ha ha. It’s been a while since we had a newcomer.”

“You were here, senior. Nice to meet you. I’m Lost.”

“Hello! Hello! I’m Bella. What brought you here?”

“I talked back to a grumpy old man, and this is what happened.”

In the next cell, there was a strange being who was shouting loudly.

She is a prisoner serving a life sentence. However, she is a prisoner who can leave at any time.

“Senior, may I ask you one thing?”

“What is it? Ah! If it’s about dinner, it comes around 6 o’clock. I don’t have a good sense of time in this place where no light comes in! Kya ha ha ha!”

“When can I contact the ＜Wanderer＞?”

“…….”

A trial is something that humans must overcome at some point, it refers to a place.

But that doesn’t mean all trials hate humans.

There are trials that have goodwill, and there are trials that interact with humans.

One of them is the ＜Wanderer＞.

Agee Polis is interacting with the ＜Wanderer＞. They threw me into this underground prison saying they would interrogate me because of that.

“There’s still time before night falls, so let’s talk for a while.”

“Hey, what? You know, right?”

The woman in the next cell sighed as if it was boring.

This woman is Agee Polis’s collaborator for my interrogation.

“Hey, do you like nightmares?”

“Well, I don’t like them.”

“I like them. People who have nightmares have a bitter taste.”

“Even if you tell me, a human, I don’t really understand that feeling.”

Her true identity is a Nightmare.

A type of ghost that enters dreams and turns them into nightmares.

And entering dreams means delving into the deep psychology of humans.

She must be planning to dig up information about me in that way.

Of course, it doesn’t matter.

All important memories can be protected with holy magic.

Since I already know my opponent, dealing with her is a simple task.

“Ah! By the way, what brings you to my house? Planning to move in?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“That’s a shame.”

The Wanderers, Necropolis.

It literally means the land of the wandering dead.

That group, consisting of undead and ghosts, has already become a nation.

Just by wandering around, they cause harm to their surroundings.

Corpses affected by their aura turn into undead.

Wandering near a cemetery would be a disaster.

Fortunately, the Wanderers are not hostile to humans, so they move cautiously.

“I have someone who needs to be settled.”

“Uh, we don’t do that kind of work. Are you mistaken? We don’t do contract killings. We’re all good undead!”

“A necromancer.”

“Oh?”

I had to think about what means Belial would use to deal with me, and absurdly, I found the answer nearby.

Before the regression, Titan was murdered.

That created an opportunity for Craig to emerge into the world.

And the culprit described by Craig was one of Belial’s elites, ‘The Binding Blade.’

‘The Binding Blade’ Mez is a necromancer.

And necromancers are wizards who forcibly raise corpses and control them by taking away their will.

“If you like us that much, we should make you a companion.”

Mez is the arch-enemy of the free-willed undead living in the Wanderers’ Necropolis.

With this, I found a way to deal with the monster Belial would send.