The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

The Dreamer (1)

Titan’s opinion made me think a lot.

Yes, we must assume the premise might be wrong.

Stronger than the previous measures, it’s about the possibility that Pinocchio’s purpose itself is different from what we imagined, and filled with malice towards humans.

Then there are two assumptions.

First, if Pinocchio has changed his mind, unlike what Geppetto knew.

Second, if Geppetto lied to us.

“…….”

I looked at Geppetto, who was sitting far away, holding the tea brewed by Linea.

No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like he’s hiding anything from us.

I want to believe that too.

But…….

“I guess I’m still far from being like the Saint.”

I can’t erase the doubts sprouting in my heart. It seems I find it hard to trust people blindly.

I realize once again how difficult it is to show infinite trust like the Saint.

“Well, let’s see what happens.”

We broke through large and small mechanical devices to get here.

Finally, we arrived at the center of Nidavellir. Commonly known as the ＜Castle of Mechanical Devices＞.

It’s too late to turn back now. So we just do our best.

“Rest as much as you can while staying alert.”

Even now, various mechanical devices are pouring out of the Castle of Mechanical Devices.

What I see immediately is a mechanical device that looks like a reindeer. It now closely resembles a living creature, as if devices were attached to a reindeer.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we should think of it as an ordinary creature. I was astonished when that thing’s leg strength blocked Titan’s hammering.

Fortunately, other parts were relatively weak compared to its leg strength, otherwise, we would have been annihilated.

The weak point is the red flashing nose.

I’m just grateful to Linea for quickly identifying that.

Just destroying that caused it to self-destruct in flames.

Geppetto said that all the heat generated in exchange for its immense power is dissipated through that part.

Besides that, various other miscellaneous mechanical devices are coming out in a row.

“There is no way back.”

The path ahead was filled with mechanical devices. A frontal assault was inevitable, with no chance for ambush or evasion.

It was time to face the true nature of the ordeal head-on.

*     *      *

Since we began breaking through the path.

There was no room to worry about Geppetto.

Neither I nor Titan could keep our bodies intact amidst the barrage of gunfire. It was the strength we had saved and saved.

We had conserved as much strength as possible to swiftly defeat the enemies and reach this point.

The remaining strength was meant to get through this very moment…

“A new model!”

The shield borrowed with divine power couldn’t withstand the gunfire for even a minute.

It was hard to catch even one enemy, let alone annihilate them with Jupiter’s lightning.

Even if they had the form of living beings, their bodies were partly metallic.

Despite that, the lightning didn’t work. It couldn’t be an effective means.

There was no time to worry about the unexpected danger behind us. All we could do was look ahead and break through the path with Titan.

“Damn it…!”

Titan, who had half given up on blocking the gunfire except for the vital points, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He had been enchanted with all sorts of divine magic to break through the path.

His strength had also increased significantly.

Yet, Titan’s charge was completely halted by a single entity.

I could see the look of bewilderment on the face of the orc warrior who had been calmly smashing the enemies.

“Tsk.”

I temporarily lowered our defenses. I deployed divine magic towards Titan, who was on the verge of being overwhelmed by concentrated fire.

I offered half of my divine power.

In return, I borrowed…

Heimdall’s White Shade.

Minerva’s Shield.

Brunhilde’s Chainmail.

Canopus’s Jar.

I deployed four divine magics at once. Among them, Canopus’s Jar was the power woven from the strength of four gods.

All the attacks pouring towards Titan were blocked. The entity that had been suppressing Titan’s charge was flung away.

“The duration is 3 minutes…”

“That’s enough!”

Titan, who had only been able to clear the enemies around the center of the charge, finally takes a proper stance.

It’s a stance full of gaps.

But if he’s trusting my holy magic, then he’s planning to unleash his most powerful force.

Crack!

Titan’s muscles swell.

Not just one arm, but his entire body swells up, giving the illusion that he’s grown several times larger.

Gathering all his strength, Titan raises both arms and slams them down towards the ground.

Boom!

With a shockwave, all the mechanical devices in front lose their balance and collapse. The ones nearby shatter into pieces, unable to withstand the shockwave.

“Haa…”

Titan, holding a hammer and a spear in each hand, jumps into the midst of the unbalanced mechanical devices.

With intense sounds of destruction, red liquid and mechanical parts fly out.

“Ugh…”

Watching Titan, I suddenly feel something surge up and fall to my knees.

It’s the side effect of deploying holy magic all at once. It’s similar to Claire’s symptoms. That guy suffers from this phenomenon 365 days a year.

Of course, it’s not as bad as me, who directly used holy magic and caused an overload.

Moreover, my current state is not just because of the excessive influence of holy power.

The Canopic jar symbolizes the liver, stomach, lungs, and intestines – human organs.

The burden on them has intensified, causing internal turmoil.

“Ugh!”

I vomit blood.

No, can it even be called blood? Something black and sinister bursts out from inside me.

It’s not just the aftermath of holy magic. The erosion has festered to the point of ruining my insides.

“Lost! Get out of the way!”

That’s why I was distracted.

As soon as I was distracted by the erosion, I lifted my head at Titan’s shout to see something flying towards me.

“What…”

It was a weapon I had never seen before.

Titan had already gone far ahead, perhaps intending to take down as many enemies as possible while under the influence of my holy magic.

That’s why one of the bombardments aimed at him veered towards me.

For a moment, I was stunned by the unfamiliar shape of the weapon.

It’s different from a bullet. It’s not a blade or a dagger either.

It has a streamlined shape reminiscent of a fish. Flames are coming out from the end, increasing its speed.

What is the state of the weapon? Is it okay to block it like this? Is it okay to block an unfamiliar weapon?

The end of the weapon is converged.

But it feels more blunt than sharp. Compared to a bullet, its speed is slow enough to be visible.

With this, I can block it with just one of the holy spells currently on me.

But it’s best to avoid unfamiliar technology.

“Tch!”

After countless questions and conclusions flowed through my mind, I threw myself.

An unfamiliar weapon. Moreover, its speed is slower than a bullet and its end is blunt.

Even an ordinary person could have blocked it with just a shield, let alone holy magic.

But that’s why I avoided it. There’s no way a weak weapon like that would appear here.

And that was my mistake.

I realized too late that it wasn’t just Titan and me here. I was so focused on breaking through that I half-forgot about Linnea and Geppetto.

“Linnea!”

The fierce battlefield dulled my senses. A terrible mistake.

A mistake that only new recruits would make! Just a few months ago, I was roaming the battlefield, but I’ve been living too comfortably since my return!

I reached out to block the unidentified weapon passing by me, but it was too late. The weapon, which slipped past my fingertips, flew straight towards where Linnea and Geppetto were.

I stepped forward.

It’s not too late yet. I can still block it now. If I swing my sword immediately, I can shoot it down.

“Ugh!”

The moment I grabbed my sword, black blood surged up as if it was flowing backward.

My body stiffened and I lost the opportunity.

I saw Linnea, who was trying to dodge, stop for a moment.

A brief hesitation, then she bit her lip and shook her head.

Linnea, who was trying to dodge, turned back and threw the dagger she was holding for self-defense while covering Geppetto.

The dagger, thrown with fierce momentum, collided with the weapon. Thanks to that, the direction of the weapon was slightly altered.

But still close.

BoooM!!

The last thing she saw was the shape of the weapon striking right at her feet, followed by a blinding light and a deafening explosion.

*     *      *

As soon as the aftermath of the explosion subsided, I ran to where Linea had been.

It was a foolish act. Linea should have avoided it instead of shielding Geppetto.

Geppetto might have lied to us. He might have just driven us into a dead end.

So there was no need for Linea to sacrifice herself.

Crunch!

I bit my lip.

Bright red blood dripped down, staining the white priest’s robe.

For a moment, I weighed the lives of Geppetto and Linea.

Moreover, I judged based on a hypothesis that wasn’t even confirmed as truth.

I am disgusted with my own cowardice.

I am indeed someone who cannot live like the Saint.

“Damn it…”

I couldn’t lift my head.

I poured holy power into Linea, who was barely breathing with her head down.

What would I have done? Would I have shielded Geppetto like Linea did?

I wanted to live like the Saint, even in my final moments.

So I blocked the path and fought the demons.

It was a process of preparing for a planned death.

I had prepared for death by blocking the path to survival.

“Hehe… Mr. Lost…”

“Keep your mouth shut. I’m treating you. We’ll go back once the first aid is done.”

Linea barely managed to smile as she looked up at me.

I could see her blinking repeatedly, as if she couldn’t open her eyes properly.

The white robe she cherished from Nidavellir had turned into rags, and her originally white skin was burnt as if it had been scorched.

Her ebony-like hair was almost half burnt, and her once beautiful tail was also scorched.

Because she had shielded Geppetto.

She took the attack that she could have avoided with her body.

Thanks to that, Geppetto only lost consciousness and didn’t show any other injuries.

“I’m okay.”

“What’s okay about this?”

“I’m talking, aren’t I?”

Yes, she had passed the brink of death.

Because she was a beastman, her body was sturdier than a human’s.

But if it had been someone else, they would have died. Moreover, if it weren’t for the holy magic, she would have slowly died here as well.

“We have to go save Pinocchio.”

“Geppetto might have lied. Pinocchio might not have wanted to become human.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“The deeper we go, the better the quality of the weapons. Even the weapon that did this to you, right? We can’t be sure.”

“Even so.”

“Why.”

I made a wrong judgment.

This shouldn’t have happened. An orc who couldn’t even use mana, a half-baked priest. Even a doctor who hated fighting.

They thought they could challenge the trial with this combination.

“Why do we have to do this?”

“Because we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives.”

“……”

“I did too. I should have talked earlier. And…”

Rinea Spirine, who ran out of the safe Spirine Count’s house.

She must have had her reasons too.

“Mr. Lost. Regret stays with you. Even if the path looks hard, later on, you’ll wonder if you should have taken that path.”

“Shut up, I’m treating you.”

“I’m a doctor too, so it’s okay. I know this much won’t kill me.”

“Shut up.”

“I regretted it too… How much would Grandpa Geppetto have regretted? And what about Pinocchio, who had to leave without a word?”

“Rinea, please.”

“I thought you were a person without blood or tears, but you’re more emotional than I thought, Mr. Lost.”

“Haah……”

I have to give up. I have already lost more than half of my divine power.

In such a state, even the scout named Linea has moved away from the front line.

Titan is also exhausted. Didn’t old man Geppetto even lose consciousness?

We’ve only come halfway. We’ve barely managed to clear one path.

The road ahead will be even more difficult. If we continue like this, we might be annihilated.

Even if we clear the path, it’s better to wait for the next opportunity. We can gather more strong people and challenge the trial again.

But this is really…

“…How much was this again?”

I take out the pocket watch that Linea gave me. It’s a luxury item with a silver chain.

“I’ll consider this debt settled with this incident. Got it?”

“You won’t regret it, I’m sure.”

I decided to defeat Belial. Having made such a resolution, I can’t just back down here.

“I don’t regret following Mr. Lost and Mr. Titan.”

“Don’t forget those words. We’ll be traversing all sorts of rough terrains. Can you guarantee you won’t regret it then?”

“Yes, I definitely will.”

There are two prerequisites for achieving this expedition.

First, find Pinocchio towards the center of Nidavellir.

Second, make sure to save Geppetto and bring him back.

“Rest. Thanks to your efforts, Geppetto survived.”

Linea worked hard to achieve that second goal.

“You’ve done enough. So from now on, I’ll take care of it.”

“Yes, hehe.”

Linea’s bitter smile slowly erases the long-standing loser mentality that had seeped into my bones.

Yes, just as the saint taught me direction.

This time, Linea steadied my wavering self.

Titan stands firmly at the front, showing a reliable figure.

Then I must also muster my strength. The road ahead will surely be more difficult.

Because it’s the fate I’ve changed.

I must take responsibility.

“Titan. From now on, I will pave the way. So, you follow me while protecting the two people.”

“How? At this rate, we’ll die before we arrive.”

“In a slightly rough manner.”

“Have you finally gone mad? Well, fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll join your madness.”

“Then, I have one request.”

“…?”

“Just in case, remember my name.”

“Even though it’s an alias?”

“Right now, it’s my real name.”

Because I am living a life worthy of that name now.

Now, let’s erase one more painful yet lovely memory.

“Teacher. I will use the gift you gave me.”

I took out the ＜Fragment of Morpheus’ Dream＞ from my bosom and grasped it.

I thought, in the end, I would have to use this. Honestly, it was an unsettling item.

I hoped not to use it. So, I even held back when I encountered Belial.

But now, I have to use it.

“Our father, who chose the earth as his vessel instead of the sky.”

This is the first time I recite this prayer. It was forbidden even in the temple, and even the inquisitors avoided it.

“Cover the eyes of those who suffer with a light mist.”

Hecate said.

Malice, Belial is indeed an evil god.

And the reason I could accept that terrible fact relatively quickly is none other than this.

Because I already know the name of the god who dwells on earth.

“Shape the world that each person holds in their heart.”

Evil gods exist. The existence of Belial proves that.

Then, where are the gods we pray to?

Many sects say.

The gods entrusted this land to us and ascended to the sky. They say they are cheering for us from the sky.

But did all the gods do that?

Is there anyone who stayed on earth, worried about the remaining evil gods?

“That generous heart shows us dreams.”

This is a fact known only to the highest priests within the Pantheon.

A fact that only a very few among the inquisitors can know.

The unfortunate reality discovered based on the information casually thrown by the Saintess.

The fate of a god who chose to crawl on the ground instead of ascending to the heavens.

“Now, here, your son, who is suffering from his lack of ability, calls out that name.”

The god of dreams.

A god who loves people too much and cannot bear to see them suffer, so he soothes their hearts with sweet dreams.

But the god left alone on earth gradually lost his reason and weakened.

He shows sweet dreams to people, but in return, a contract was formed where he had to receive something precious.

An instinctive choice to fill the lack of power. The cruel price that led to a stigma.

Trial: ＜The Dreamer＞

“Morpheus.”

I summoned the trial that had taken my memories and recollections using the medium given by my teacher.