Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 172

In a city within the Esmeier region.

Leaning against an alleyway, Eile meticulously reviewed the documents in his hand.

Information received from Nightmare.

‘So, it really is the work of the Dawn…’

Judging from the activities witnessed in the rear areas, it seemed almost certain that the Dawn, currently at war with the Nightmare Guild, was up to no good.

The aim was obviously to release the ancient spirits to gain an advantage in this war.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the two guilds involved in this situation.

A urgent message had also arrived from Princess Seia of the royal family.

“Things seem to be moving quite urgently.”

Another royal quest had been added to his quest window.

Seia’s request was an extension of the previous quest.

It was to track down the Dissolution Society and thwart their plot by any means possible.

The six major guilds, which had previously leaned heavily towards one side in terms of succession support, were now divided.

From the princess’s perspective, things were bound to become urgent.

“I need to use this as an opportunity instead…”

The power struggle between the six major guilds, the issue of royal succession, and the competition between deities over the sacred objects.

Eile closed his eyes, taking a moment to clear his complicated thoughts.

Just then, he heard the sound of running from the alleyway on his left.

The sound of about two people running through the alley.

“S, stop chasing me!”

A man’s panting voice.

It sounded like he was being chased by someone, and Eile, still with his eyes closed, subtly stuck out his leg.

“Kkeuack!”

Thud!

The man, turning the corner of the alley, tripped and fell.

Eile stepped on his back, immobilizing him, and slightly opened his eyes to look down at the wriggling man.

The mark of heresy branded on his head shone brightly.

“You’ve caught him!”

Maye, who had been chasing the man, approached.

She was a fellow Inquisitor of the Order of Light and a user who had helped him in the large-scale siege during the previous world event.

She was also a semi-ranked named player in the Order of Light.

The reason she was here.

It was because the Order was moving to capture the Dissolution Society on a large scale.

Along with the world quest, there was also the issue of the sacred objects.

The importance of this matter was exceptional, and chasing heretics was originally the Order’s responsibility.

It wasn’t a task with a high risk that required a full-scale war with the six major guilds, so it was natural for them to step forward.

It wasn’t just here; inquisitorial offices across the continent were conducting large-scale hunts with all their might.

“First of all, the face is right.”

Eile was certain after seeing the face of the captured man.

This man was also one of the suspects on the list given to him by Nightmare, and his face matched the information.

Of course, it wasn’t yet certain that he was a minion of the Dissolution Society.

“We’ll have to interrogate him to be sure, but it seems likely since he has the mark of heresy. More than anything, we can just burn him if he’s not related to the Dissolution Society.”

Maye said simply.

Inquisitors with the mark of heresy could proceed much more easily in tracking down criminals hidden in the shadows.

Even if they became a little more cruel or daring while chasing them, there was a goddess standing behind them who would give them a thumbs up, let alone say anything.

[‘Light’s Judge, Lugh’ anticipates the heretic’s screams!]

“…….”

“Oh, and we received a call from the other side, saying that everything is proceeding smoothly. In particular, in the Solstice region, they caught a lord who was colluding with them and are tracking down other big shots.”

“A city’s lord… it would have been difficult to arrest him arbitrarily, even if it was just a formality.”

“Another executor stepped in to handle it directly.”

“Haha…….”

Eile let out a hollow laugh at her words.

Clearly, most of the actual authority was held by the guilds that occupied the territory, and the NPC lord was only in a nominal position.

But even so, they were not an easy target to touch.

However, if an executor of the Order of Light stepped in, the story would be different.

They would have led the inquisitors without prior notice, boldly breaking down the door and causing a bloody mess.

‘Last time, they even dragged the lord’s head to the execution stand…’

Before Eile became famous, the Order of Light’s notoriety was not for nothing.

Everyone, regardless of user or NPC, avoided the Order.

‘Well, anyway, thanks to that tendency, things get done quickly and efficiently.’

At first, it seemed too reckless, and he couldn’t get used to it.

But perhaps because he had become too accustomed to the current environment.

Now, if he were to carry out this kind of work as part of a normal force, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to stand the frustration.

“Then…….”

Flash!

Eile tied the fallen man with a rope, grabbed his legs, and dragged him away.

“Kkeueueuk, where are you taking me!”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

A small building located below the back alley.

Eile and Maye, who had entered the building, threw the man inside.

Gruesome torture devices and bloodstains scattered everywhere.

It was a space prepared for them, without having to drag them all the way to the inquisitorial office.

Thanks to the cooperation with the six major guilds, it was definitely very convenient in this regard.

Eile firmly tied the man to a fixed chair.

“W, what are you going to do to me! I can’t say anything even if I wanted to!”

The man screamed in terror.

Then Eile looked at the symbol of silence drawn on the man’s neck.

It was a special magic that the Dissolution Society had engraved for the sake of secrecy.

It was a powerful magic to prevent information from leaking even if captured members or subordinates died.

“Maye.”

“Yes.”

Maye nodded and unfolded a scroll.

It was true that the symbol of silence was a very troublesome magic.

In the beginning, it was very difficult to even reveal the purpose of the Dissolution Society.

But now, the story was different.

The Order of Light had already found a way to break it.

“Wh, what……! Kkuuhhh!”

With a flash of light, the man writhed in tremendous pain.

The white light emanating from the scroll burned the man’s neck, and the symbol of silence soon disappeared completely.

Of course, the side effect was that the seared flesh was horribly burned, but in fact, it seemed more appropriate to call it an added effect rather than a side effect.

It was a bit much to call the effect of inflicting pain on heretics a side effect.

“Then I’ll take care of it from here.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

“Is it really necessary for the executor to do that……?”

Maye asked, seemingly puzzled.

Clearly, torture was more physically demanding than one might think, and it was a messy and laborious task in many ways.

However, torturing a criminal was also one of the actions that slightly increased the dedicated stats [character statistics].

Rather, this was more efficient than the prayers he was always keeping up with.

It was much better to gain a small amount of stats than to rest with his hands behind his back.

“Although it is a small task, it is also a way to serve the goddess. It is my desire to approach her little by little in this way.”

“Th, that’s such a profound meaning……!”

Maye looked at him with impressed eyes.

How genuine her expression was, even though they were in the same position.

[‘Light’s Judge, Lugh’ is deeply moved by your sincerity!]

[‘Mother of Life’ stares at her with jealous eyes!]

‘Why are these guys doing this again…….’

He made up an excuse to take over the torture, and even the deities showed an unexpected reaction.

In any case, it was better to finish the job quickly, and Eile picked up a plausible-looking tool from among the scattered torture devices.

“Then I’ll guard the entrance!”

“Thank you.”

Thud!

Maye, still impressed, went outside.

Turning his head, Eile looked at the man tied to the chair.

“I don’t want to do such terrible things, but… well, it can’t be helped.”

Once again, Eile rationalized himself and approached the man.

The man, terrified, struggled and pleaded, but it was all in vain.

[‘Light’s Judge, Lugh’ shines her eyes!]

[‘Ruler of the Volcano’ flinches and covers his eyes.]

Kkeuaaaaak!

The echoing screams filled the alley.

* * *

The interrogation in the back alley was successful.

Even though he wasn’t a member of the Dissolution Society, he was a fairly well-connected henchman and had a lot of information.

Of course, it was impossible to be sure that everything he said was true.

Even though it had gone through a long verification process, he might have lied, and it was necessary to check each one individually.

And one of the most important places among the information the man spat out was this underground dungeon that Eile had now entered.

“Traces of contamination… the information seems accurate.”

This underground dungeon, with no one around, was completely dyed black.

The vibrating stench of decay and the contaminated earth.

It was a typical side effect that occurred after the magical power of the earth was forcibly taken away.

It was a scene he had seen many times before.

“They’re using spirit stones here…….”

A special stone that absorbs the magical power of the earth.

According to the information he had obtained from the guys so far, spirit stones could not be used in just any place.

They could only absorb a sufficient amount of magical power at special points with abundant magical power.

There was one more restriction on their plot.

To awaken the ancient spirits and control them, they had to gather and use the magical power of the region.

In other words, the work being carried out in Esmeier was to awaken the ancient spirits of the Esmeier region.

It was certain that they were trying to damage the Nightmare Guild.

“I must stop them… to earn the value of the sacred object.”

He still had enough fragments of the spirit stone, which were a means of purification.

His task was to quickly destroy the spirit stones here before they could be siphoned off and then purify the contaminated earth.

Kieeeek!

As always, undead flocked to block the intruder.

A fierce battle that had continued for dozens of times.

However, the undead here were far from enough to stop Eile, who had grown stronger in the meantime, and he mercilessly cut them down as he entered.

Kwaang!

Eile broke down the old door and entered the center of the contamination.

What appeared before him was, unexpectedly, a familiar-faced woman.

“You’ve gotten much stronger than last time.”

Mute, the heretical magician of the Dissolution Society.

She gave a strange smile and stroked the huge spirit stone.

“A clone won’t be enough this time, right?”