#012

‘As expected, Anto-emon really is a giving tree.’

I had a rough idea of what had happened.

Antonio knew I had received a Blessing that didn’t belong to Order. Fearing that I would suffer hardships by being branded a heretic if I continued to linger around the Order Sect in ignorance, he likely reached out to his best connections with a request like, [There’s a guy who hasn’t received the Blessing of Order, but he’s kind-hearted, so please take good care of him].

However, the person receiving that request probably wanted to avoid such a tedious and bothersome task.

After all, if I turned out to be a real heretic, both Antonio, who vouched for me, and the recipient would be in trouble.

So, it seemed he sent his subordinate to kill any desire I had to wander around…

‘Still, using hypnosis on a first meeting is crossing the line, isn’t it?’

I knew it would all be resolved if he just made me suddenly change my mind and say, ‘I want to learn more by Antonio-nim’s side,’ but still, hypnosis.

Is that really a solution a guardian of Order would choose?

‘Is he actually a Heretic Inquisitor?’

I continued to doubt him even as I took the knight’s hand to stand up.

“Thank you, Heretic Inquisitor.”

“Just call me Nasir.”

“Yes, Nasir-nim. May I ask you one thing?”

“Ask away.”

“Who is the Casimir-nim you mentioned?”

“Antonio-nim’s stepdaughter.”

And the Knight Commander of the Sect, Nasir added.

‘His connections were even more golden than I thought?’

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Antonio-nim was the adoptive father of the Knight Commander?”

“Yes. I assume Antonio-nim never told you?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, that’s just the kind of person he is.”

Our Commander was very upset that he refused to accept gifts even after she became the Knight Commander. He is a man so rigid that he’s practically stubborn, Nasir muttered.

“Antonio-nim went against his own principles to ask for you. The Knight Commander was quite shocked.”

She told me to check if I possessed something like ‘Bewitchment,’ Nasir chuckled.

“Now that I’ve seen you in person, I understand. You’re the type of guy who could bewitch people even without such cheap tricks.”

‘Bewitch? He has a strange way of talking.’

“Sorry about earlier. Since my ability didn’t work on you, I needed another way to confirm that you weren’t dangerous.”

So, he basically tested whether I would fight back by releasing killing intent and swinging his sword?

‘Primitive medieval folk…’

Truly, this is a difficult place to live for someone with a modern mindset.

“Um, may I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Are you really a Heretic Inquisitor, Nasir-nim? Or did you just call yourself one to scare me?”

“Huh? Haha, no way! As if I’d impersonate one!”

Impersonating a Heretic Inquisitor is a grave crime that could lead to Excommunication! It would be unthinkable to do such a thing just to scare one person. Nasir laughed loudly.

“I really am a Heretic Inquisitor. Why, am I different from the image you imagined?”

“A little…?”

‘That guy is actually a Heretic Inquisitor…’

It seems the Order Sect at this point in time is running quite haphazardly.

‘Can I really avoid the Othergods by relying on an Order Sect in this state…?’

“Well, since things have turned out this way, an explanation is necessary. About your position, and what going to the Capital Church might trigger.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Are you aware of the subordinate gods who obey Loclem under Order?”

“Yes. I haven’t memorized all of them, but…”

“Then what about the gods who have strayed from Order?”

Gods who did not enter Loclem’s fold.

There are indigenous gods, like the ‘God of Luck,’ who neither serve nor oppose Loclem, but usually, they are those who wish for revenge against him.

Because Loclem thoroughly oppressed all those who believed in gods that refused to obey him.

‘Of course, there are also Othergods who plan to bring Loclem down even if they haven’t personally suffered under him.’

“…The Evil Gods, right?”

“Evil Gods. Usually, yes.”

Since those who refuse to be incorporated into Order eventually wish to overthrow it, Nasir explained.

“However, we don’t view everyone associated with gods outside of Order as heretics.”

Especially in cases where they received a Blessing regardless of their own will. Nasir paused for a moment, then spoke in a slightly lowered voice.

“Actually, I am also one who was blessed by a being outside of Order.”

“You are, Nasir-nim?”

My eyes widened.

This wasn’t acting; I was genuinely surprised.

‘A Heretic Inquisitor is a heretic?’

Holy moly, indeed.

“Yes. Since I did not receive the Blessing of Loclem-nim, I have no authority to judge, but I do have the authority to interrogate.”

My Blessing is quite useful for that sort of thing, though I can’t tell you exactly what it is, Nasir said.

‘Hypnosis would definitely be a cheat code for interrogations.’

But isn’t that a cheat code that someone on the side of Order shouldn’t be using?

“Anyway, there are successful cases like me, but not everyone is the same. If the Commander hadn’t protected me, I wouldn’t have even become a knight…”

‘The Knight Commander insisted, and they turned a hypnosis user into a Holy Knight? This place is completely insane.’

“Being blessed by a being outside of Order… it’s like a stigma or a shackle that follows you for life.”

‘If it were me, I would have put actual shackles on a hypnosis user… What on earth are these Sect people doing?’

“That’s why Commander Casimir wanted you to stay far away from the Sect and just do farm work, for your own sake.”

‘That’s why the Dark Realm became such a mess.’

“But after seeing you, I understand why Antonio-nim made such a request.”

The more I listened to Nasir, the more I began to worry about the state of the Order Sect.

Right now, a heretic Heretic Inquisitor is just listening to a few words from a suspected heretic and deciding, ‘This guy seems okay,’ and letting it slide.

‘When I get to the Order Sect, will it be crawling with heretics already?’

“You’re too good to remain a serf, Fabio.”

“…Thank you for thinking well of me.”

“Casimir-nim will also be convinced once she speaks with you.”

‘If they have the eyes to push a hypnosis user as a Heretic Inquisitor, I’ll obviously get a free pass.’

“So, Fabio. If you go to the Order Sect, what do you want to do? Since you didn’t receive the Blessing of Order, you can’t be a priest who presides over rituals, but you can still receive Ordination. Since you like books, going to a monastery with a library wouldn’t be bad. If you wish to become a knight, it’s a bit late, but I could look after you…”

Nasir kept rambling, but I was too worried about the future of the Order Sect to listen seriously.

‘I thought it was a golden rope, but was it a rotten one?’

“So, what do you want to be?”

“Huh? Ah, I was thinking of becoming a Chanter…”

“…A Chanter?”

“Yes. But since I found out today that I didn’t receive the Blessing of Order, I should probably give up on the dream of being a Chanter. However, since that’s all I’ve thought about, I’ll need to think more about what else I want to be…”

“No, why on earth would you want to be a Chanter? That’s an Ordination given to those who aren’t even fit to be bell ringers!”

“Is, is that so? I didn’t know…”

“A Chanter is an Ordination received by losers who failed in family competitions and crawled into the Church, wanting to pretend to be clergy despite having no knowledge, no divine power, and no self-control! Those people can’t even be called clergy!”

Nasir’s voice grew louder as he became agitated.

But the more I heard the explanation, the more I thought that being a Chanter was actually the perfect “sweet spot” job.

‘A fake title created by silver spoons who want to live a lazy life while pretending to be clergy… isn’t that Pleasure Without Responsibility itself?’

However, I wasn’t so tactless as to say ‘That’s why I want it more’ to Nasir, who seemed so indignant as if he’d been cheated out of money by a Chanter, so I changed the subject.

“Is that so? I was just tempted by Antonio-nim’s words that as long as I could read the Scripture, I’d never go hungry for the rest of my life…”

“You learned all the Sacred Script just for that reason?”

He’s smart, alright… but isn’t he too naive? Nasir muttered.

“Well, he doesn’t know anything yet. Even if he’s smart, he had no choice but to be deceived.”

‘…As a game veteran, saying I don’t know anything is quite insulting.’

“Right. It would be best to experience things a bit more before deciding.”

Nasir’s overly kind attitude pushed my anxiety to its peak.

If a top-tier company with the highest market share and brand recognition hired someone who applied without any specs and didn’t even know which position they fit into, and the interviewer said, ‘Let’s figure that out slowly after you join,’ and just passed them—what would you think?

‘What on earth is wrong with the Order Sect?’

It’s only natural to have common-sense suspicions.

If I were a candidate for the next Cardinal born with immense divine power, it would be one thing, but I’m an unidentified heretic seed who could be killed on the spot without a second thought, yet they’re treating me this well?

‘When I arrive, will it actually be a camp for prospective heretics?’

The idea of an Order Sect conducting a sting operation seems like a more rational explanation than an “heretic-friendly” Order Sect.

‘Or is Antonio’s influence simply that incredible?’

The Knight Commander is a position equivalent to a three-star general in military terms.

Since the father of a three-star general personally put in a request to ‘take good care of this boy,’ they might just be being nice.

Of course, that three-star general is the kind of person who would promote someone from the top university in Pyongyang and say, ‘Wow, then you’re an elite,’ but…

‘Either way, it’s too late to back out now.’

Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to think positively.

Maybe once I arrive, it’ll be a surprisingly livable camp.

“Then I should go greet Antonio-nim for a moment.”

Since he’s already come this far. Nasir said so and took off his helmet.

‘…Golden eyes?’

Even accounting for a sun-tan, he had very dark skin and jet-black hair.

A beard grown long enough to look slightly unkempt.

And golden eyes on top of that…

‘Is he from the desert?’

While playing Conclude, there were a few minority groups who joined in, claiming they would resurrect their gods who were killed by Loclem, and I remember those from the desert having that color combination.

‘But who was the god they believed in?’

Since resurrecting a dead god was poor value for money, I had simply brainwashed the refugees as they arrived with their protections and divine remains to make them new followers, so my memory was fuzzy.

“…It’s a rare color, isn’t it?”

“Pardon?”

“The color of my eyes.”

Did I stare so obviously?

Or did he bring it up first, thinking I’d be curious since I’m a serf seeing another race for the first time?

“Yee-es, it is.”

“I’m told that in the Empire, this eye color is so rare that our people were once called the ‘Gold of the Desert.’”

“You were from the desert.”

“Yes. I lived in the desert until I was thirteen. Though I’ve lived in the Empire longer now.”

It hasn’t been that long since the Empire waged large-scale wars of conquest.

I don’t remember the exact year since it’s not the timeframe covered in the game, but since many of the refugees who came to the Cult Leader had actually experienced the war, I knew it was less than 30 years ago.

‘So that means the Sect accepted a heretic from a colony as a knight.’

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“…Should I be?”

“I thought your eyes would widen, since it must be your first time seeing someone like me.”

Usually, that’s how it goes. Nasir stared at me.

“Would it have been better if I were surprised?”

“No, I like it as it is now.”

Nasir said that and gave a wide grin.

“Fabio. You really have a way of surprising people over and over again.”

‘Is not being racially discriminated against such a surprising experience?’

Then again, racial discrimination is still an issue in the 21st century, so it must have been worse in the Middle Ages. Even in the 19th century, which isn’t that long ago, people of other races were exhibited in zoos as spectacles.

Seeing him so surprised just because I didn’t stare made me feel a bit sorry for him.

‘Anyway, it seems Medieval-land is the one at fault.’

13 – #013