Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 117

117. Between Belief and Madness (2)

A video taken by followers of the Order of Light went viral.

It showed heretics captured in a hunting ground filled with numerous users, being burned at the stake.

Adding to the controversy, Aile himself was featured in the video, and a post from a user who had been burned by them surfaced on the community forums.

Some who heard the whole story criticized the followers, but the reaction wasn’t particularly strong.

This was because, from the perspective of users belonging to the Order, it was unavoidable.

They couldn’t refrain from attacking heretics due to the penalties they would receive from the Goddess if they backed down.

Moreover, the mark of a heretic on their heads implied they had committed heinous acts against someone, making them seem undeserving of sympathy.

And these debates only served to keep the issue alive.

The Order of Light, which had previously been of little interest, gained significant attention simply by being talked about and being exposed in this way.

Far more people than before began to seek out the Order of Light, and joining the Order spread like a fad.

Of course, it was too much of a burden to create a new character with the Inquisitor job like Aile did.

Mostly, new users were interested and started as Inquisitors, while not many existing users dared to take such a risk.

However, simply joining the Order was a different matter entirely.

Those without a guild could easily have faith, and it was quickly spreading among users who wanted new experiences or were genuinely interested in the Order.

And the influx of many users into the Order meant an increase in the influence that Lugh could gain.

[You have received a quest from the Goddess of Light, ‘Lugh’!]

[Heretic Hunt – Delegate Dellund (0/1)]

[The time of judgment has come.]

[Time remaining ‘26:29:58’]

[Reward for success: ?]

‘What is this……?’

Aile paused at the sudden quest.

It was a quest from Lugh that he had always received, but it felt different from the impromptu quests he usually got.

This time, he was given a formal quest, specifically the mission of ‘Heretic Hunt.’

Until now, it had all been about giving impromptu quests on the spot according to the situation, but it seemed that enough influence had been secured to allow for normal activities.

As it was directly carrying out the will of the deity, the reward would also be different from ordinary quests, which was clearly a boon for Aile.

‘But to eliminate Dellund?’

Aile frowned, knowing well who he was.

The target of this heretic hunt, Dellund, was one of the nobles of the royal capital and held the position of delegate with the authority to attend the Grand Council.

He was also a staunch supporter of the Prince in this succession issue.

‘If I recklessly touch such a big figure, it won’t end as a normal matter…….’

The Goddess’s will to eliminate a member of the Grand Council.

But no matter how fanatical the group devoted to the God was, they couldn’t openly defy the royal family that ruled over all of Warlord.

Of course, if the fact that Lugh’s will had been handed down to the Order of Light was conveyed, they would have used any means to eliminate Dellund, regardless of the aftermath.

However, Aile, who still had reason, was different.

If he committed such an act without a valid reason, a major conflict could occur, inevitably leading to the weakening of the Order’s power.

However, the fact that the Heretic Hunt quest was given despite this suggested there was a reason.

‘I should look for information, after all.’

* * *

“Is it here…….”

Aile muttered, standing in front of the street and looking across.

At the end of his gaze, a magnificent mansion was situated beyond the fence.

Aile had gathered a vast amount of information while heading to the royal capital, and he had a rough idea of what his target, Dellund, had done.

Information about influential nobles was quite difficult to obtain, but he also learned that suspicious individuals were sneaking in and out of his mansion at night, and that occasionally invited guests would enter the mansion and never come out.

It seemed that the operation was carried out meticulously, so it had not been suspected by people so far.

However, among the highest-ranking users who specialized in handling information from the royal capital, there was a small rumor that human sacrifices were being performed inside Dellund’s mansion.

‘These stories are usually the pattern seen among demon worshippers……. To do such a thing in the middle of the royal capital, he’s a bold one.’

Aile did not simply assume that Dellund was a demon worshipper.

The reason why the Goddess’s formal quest was given at this point.

If Dellund was a spy or collaborator of the Twilight Council [a rival faction to the Order of Light], it was somewhat understandable.

There were countless large and small demon-worshipping groups in Warlord, but the Order of Light was in an all-out war with the Twilight Council.

If the Goddess had given this quest to eliminate a helper of the Twilight Council who had infiltrated even the high ranks of the capital, it would be easily understood.

‘Then shall we go.’

Aile, having finished checking his equipment for the last time, walked towards the mansion.

As it was the mansion of a high-ranking noble, there were naturally high-level guard NPCs [Non-Player Characters] standing at the entrance.

Ordinary players would have been chased away in a rough manner just for suspiciously approaching the area.

But Aile had a reliable backer.

Clang!

The guards stepped aside, and the firmly closed iron gate swung open.

It was thanks to Princess Seia’s cooperation, not because he came in Aile’s own name.

She didn’t know the details, but thanks to his past performance, it was possible to arrange a meeting with Dellund.

After passing through the spacious yard and garden, Aile knocked on the door of the mansion, and an elderly butler came out to greet the visitor.

“Welcome. We have been waiting.”

The pleasant-looking butler greeted him with a bright smile and led him into the mansion.

But as he faced him, Aile felt a strange smell of blood emanating.

It was a trace amount of blood that was difficult to notice, but he could quickly distinguish it because he had smelled it so often while playing Warlord.

Moreover, that wasn’t all.

He could feel a twisted energy from the elderly butler.

Aile had been living entangled with the undead and heretics, so he could react sensitively to that strange sense of incongruity.

“Is something the matter……?”

Swish!

The body of the butler, his head severed, sprawled on the floor.

Without question.

There was no need for conversation.

As the butler fell with a loud noise, the thugs who had been waiting also appeared from all directions.

“Intruder!”

“Kill him!”

The fanatics of the Twilight Council were swarming inside the mansion.

Even though it was a large mansion, it was amazing how many there were.

But Aile, with a calm face, simply closed the slightly open door of the mansion.

* * *

Crack!

A man whose neck was snapped instantly sprawled helplessly on the floor.

The floor was covered in bloodstains, the furniture was in a mess, and corpses were left in a terrible state everywhere.

With him as the last one, the fanatics of the Twilight Council who had been hiding were annihilated, and the luxurious mansion had become a scene of hell.

And Aile, standing in the middle of the devastated mansion, wiped the blood from his sword with an expressionless face.

The sticky bloodstains were all over Aile’s face, but now there wasn’t even a sense of discomfort.

Rather, he would feel empty without the subtle scent of blood lingering around his nose…….

‘That’s too much…….’

Aile turned his gaze at the presence he felt from somewhere.

Then, Dellund appeared on the long staircase leading to the upper floor.

As he had heard in advance, he was a young man who looked very young compared to his high position as a delegate.

“I wondered who was looking for me… was it a fanatic of Lugh.”

Dellund remained calm despite the chaos in his house due to the appearance of the pursuer.

Aile retorted as if displeased by his words.

“Who is the fanatic calling someone else a fanatic when they follow the devil?”

“Is that so? In my eyes, your current appearance seems closer to madness than anyone else.”

Dellund said, looking at Aile with a bitter smile.

Aile looked down at his blood-soaked appearance among the corpses, and only then did he feel a strange twinge.

“I’m sure you put a lot of effort into it……. How did you find out about me? Did the Order of Light sniff around here and there and catch the scent? Or was the Princess behind you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Aile, who kicked off the ground in an instant, closed the distance towards him.

Dellund was a delegate, but his combat ability itself was non-existent, so suppressing him was a simple task.

Moreover, he couldn’t call for help from outside the mansion because he would be in trouble if his identity was revealed.

But there was one fact that even Aile had overlooked.

Clang!

“What……?”

Dellund, who raised his arm, blocked Aile’s sword without any problems.

And his arm, which had blocked the attack, suddenly swelled up grotesquely and increased in size.

[A sinful being, a blasphemer, has been detected!]

Kwaddeuk!

Dellund’s whole body transformed, turning into the form of a monster.

Not only did the mark of a heretic appear above his head, but also a message indicating that he was a blasphemer.

‘So that’s what it was…….’

Aile quickly stepped back and grasped the situation.

He was not a helper or spy of the Crimson Twilight Council.

He was an ardent follower of Benaron who performed the devil’s rituals himself, and a man who gained power at the cost of innocent people’s souls.

The ritual of greed had been going on inside the mansion, and he had been gaining youth and power by sacrificing people as offerings.

Kueeee…….

Saliva dripped from the large mouth of the transformed Dellund.

Fortunately, he didn’t destroy the mansion as he transformed, but the huge mansion seemed cramped because of his massive size.

Large battles rarely took place even in ordinary cities, but such a mess was happening in the middle of the capital, of all places.

It was a development that Aile had not anticipated.

Kwagwagwagwang!

The hideous monster swung its arm greatly, and the floor of the mansion was completely shattered, and a loud roar echoed.

“Keuk, is it okay to rampage like this? You’ll be in more trouble if you get caught.”

“Do you think I haven’t prepared for this situation? This place is surrounded by a powerful barrier that even the royal wizards can’t detect. Not only can you not escape to the outside, but no one can come to help you.”

Dellund continued in a terribly hoarse voice.

The existence of a powerful barrier meant that no one outside the mansion could notice, no matter how big a fight broke out inside.

But Aile was rather pleased with that fact.

“Really? That’s good.”

Since no one outside can know what you do inside, it was a very good thing without having to think about it for long.