“Did the church send soone to follow us?”
“…You an they were trying to watch Lady?”
When I explained what had just happened, Karia snickered as if she couldn't believe it, while Faibi's voice, tinged with unmistakable displeasure, ca out cold.
“Lady. What was that inquisitor's na again?”
“Do you really think I’d rember the na of that lunatic?”
“It was Nian. Nian, the Inquisitor, Lady.”
Because of the sugaki skill, which makes it almost impossible for to call soone by na, I furrowed my brows, and Benedict, who was standing beside , spoke up on my behalf.
“If it's Nian, then he's one of the direct subordinates of the Pope's secretary. He's known for being a bit extre, but other than that, he's considered to be without flaws.”
...Directly under the Pope!?
Wait a minute. Does that an the Pope has taken an interest in now!?
Because I caused a miracle, now I’m being watched by the Pope!
Agh, I’ve thought countless tis since coming into this world that I was screwed, but this ti... it feels like I’m really screwed.
I’m not ready to deal with that man yet!
Damn God! Why did you give a miracle and cause all this trouble!?
Why did you set this trap!?
Was my easy life lately too disappointing for you!?
Was it so frustrating to see walking around, nose in the air, all smug!?
“No. Lady, the situation’s a bit different now.”
“…What?”
“You’ve heard rumors about how things are chaotic inside the Church, right? That the Holy One is restructuring the internal factions.”
I rember hearing that story before. They said the Church was in chaos, didn’t they?
That was a few months ago. Is it still in turmoil? What exactly have they been doing?
“I’ve heard about that. However, he is trying to make the Church more efficient.”
“Of course, those who carry out purges always make excuses like that.”
The mont the word “purge” was said, the air in the room grew cold.
It was a word that should never have co out of the Church, which preaches love and rcy, but it fit better than any other word, clearly describing the current situation.
“When there was chaos in the kingdom before, they said it was for suppressing rebellion. Or for standardizing districts. But just because they make excuses, it doesn’t change the reality. Lady.”
“….”
“You may not have known before, but now you know that the Church is not as clean as it seems, right?”
“…I’ve co to realize that to so extent.”
Even if she was a fake saint created by the Church, everything she had done under the na of a saint wasn’t easily erased.
Faibi, who had heard so things from the people who had supported her, wasn’t entirely disconnected from the Church’s situation.
“However, the fight happening inside the Church right now is, I believe, to resolve internal corruption.”
Those being purged by the inquisitors were the ones who had used the Church’s authority for personal gain.
They had no seeds of faith left, and sensing the purge, they scread in panic as they disappeared one by one.
“I’d like to say that people who carry out purges always say that.”
“This ti, it’s different. Because those people really… had no faith.”
Faibi, who hesitated for a mont, bit her lip before continuing.
“I know, Lady. This ti, it's an exception.”
Karia didn’t dispute Faibi’s words.
The way Faibi spoke with such conviction was enough to make her look sowhat confused.
“Banar Renatru. The second son of the Renatru family and the bishop of the Nebido territory. He was involved in child abduction and molestation, among other cris. Recently found decapitated.”
Karia slowly continued, pulling a notebook from her robe and flipping through it, ntioning several nas.
“Pravi Kena. The third son of the Kena family. Currently stationed as a bishop in the Kena family's territory. He colluded with the family to embezzle taxes in the na of donations. Recently arrested by the Church, and the Kena family is also under investigation by the kingdom.”
Karia kept turning the pages quickly, ntioning a few more nas, before shrugging and placing the notebook back into her robe.
“Besides them, there were many others who were purged, all of them dark-hearted scum. Just as you said, Lady.”
To put it another way, the fact that the Church had reached the point of openly committing such cris was a clear indication of how deeply corrupt it had beco. But Karia didn’t ntion that, returning to the original topic.
“Now, regarding Inquisitor Nian. He was one of the more extre ones among the inquisitors. He has repeatedly carried out actions beyond his orders and has been disciplined for it, but instead of changing his ways, he preferred to quietly handle things without getting caught.”
Nian’s secretive actions were fairly good at going unnoticed. In fact, there were even those who believed that Nian had changed his heart after receiving the grace of the Divine.
However, his cruel nature didn’t disappear, and the Church had been keeping a record of his wrongdoings.
“Recently, soone who did sothing similar to Nian has been imprisoned. There are multiple charges against them, and they’ll likely face the death penalty.”
The targets of the purges weren’t just those without faith. They also extended to those with distorted faith.
“I don’t think he’ll ever admit he was wrong. He probably wanted to prove that he was right in so way. Then, when he heard reports of a miracle happening, he must have acted. I think he believed that if the Divine granted him a miracle, it would validate his actions, and he could proudly claim his righteousness.”
It seed that Karia had done extensive research on the turmoil within the Church. There was not a single gap in her words.
“Is this reliable information?”
Despite everything, Benedict did not make any quick judgnts and asked for proof.
“I’ve spread so rumors through Bishop Johan. The credibility is high.”
“Is there concrete evidence that this was an act of the Inquisitor’s own will?”
“First, there’s been no word from Bishop Johan, who is supposed to beco a cardinal soon. Neither the Lady nor anyone from the Academy Church knew about it. The Pope and his subordinates have been too busy dealing with the Church’s internal chaos to even show their faces at the events at Soul Academy.”
Thinking about it, that’s true.
It’s rare to see sothing like this happen, and if the Church’s higher-ups are nowhere to be seen, it’s unusual.
Normally, a cardinal would be standing beside Faibi.
So, for them to send an inquisitor to watch instead? That doesn’t add up.
“Besides, it’s a miracle that’s occurred once in a hundred years. Why would that lunatic show up to find the person responsible? It would be normal for at least a cardinal to co and speak officially.”
As soon as Karia finished explaining, my grandfather spoke up. Considering the lack of information compared to Karia, he must have made this guess the mont he saw the inquisitor’s face.
‘As expected of Grandpa! You’ve got the mind of a politician! If you weren’t a hero, you would have founded a country!’
‘Of course! If this isn’t a complint, what is it!?’
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