The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor - Chapter 5

The Demon Hunting Method Of The Regressed Inquisitor 5

Poris Duchy (1)

Things seemed to be going too smoothly.

I had been too relaxed during the leisurely journey.

I had forgotten that there was a time when what was natural was not natural.

Orcs are rare.

Ordinary people usually die without ever seeing one in their lifetime.

That changed from the moment the army of the Dark King, Belial, began to seriously attack humans.

The great king of the orcs, Craig Khan, whose young son was killed by demons.

It will be about seven years from now that he will participate in the war as an ally of humanity.

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Until then, orcs were beings that could only be encountered through literature or rumors.

In other words, it means that it is difficult for ordinary people to easily accept that Titan is an ‘alien race’ called an orc.

“I told you I’d attack if you moved?! Calm that guy down!”

It’s as if we’re taming a beast.

They don’t even think that they can communicate with Titan.

Unlike in rural villages, they know too much halfway, which is why they act like this.

“Do I have any reason to endure this insult any longer?”

The atmosphere is not only tense among the soldiers of the duchy.

Titan, who has been receiving clear hostility from earlier, is no different.

I also bear some responsibility for this situation. It was my decision to bring Titan to the Poris territory.

If history had gone as it originally did, Titan would not have ridden the carriage and would have headed to a place other than the Poris Duchy.

At least, while I was staying in the duchy, I hadn’t heard any rumors about orcs.

Titan probably headed to another city, and I can’t guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t have happened there, but at least the situation would be different from here.

The only thing I saw was when we were subjugating bandits, but Titan has his own strength.

Even if something were to happen, Titan could have escaped.

But not in the territory of the Foris Duchy.

The owner of this land, Duke Age Foris, is one of the five great wizards in the empire.

Titan doesn’t matter, but if we get involved, it could be dangerous for us too.

I didn’t want to do anything too conspicuous, but I had no choice.

“Wait…”

Just as I was about to get up from the carriage to sort out the situation.

“Hello? Gatekeepers.”

Someone stepped forward before me.

“Could you please listen to me for a moment? I am Linea Spirine of the Spirine Count family.”

Linea, who had been hiding herself, took off her hood and revealed herself.

In her hand was a noble’s insignia, and her demeanor was confident.

“……”

The most bewildered by the situation were not the gatekeepers, the children in the carriage, or Titan who was being defended, but me.

The Linea I know doesn’t do such conspicuous actions.

She only stepped forward to fight the bandits because it was an unavoidable situation.

She doesn’t step forward unless there’s a reason to.

At least, that’s the Linea I know.

Even if I had twisted fate, this is too dramatic.

“I-I’ll go check it out!”

The gatekeeper, realizing that the insignia Linea presented was genuine, hurriedly sent a few people as messengers.

In the meantime, Linea put her hood back on with a bitter smile.

“Is this okay?”

“Pardon?”

“You seemed to be in trouble, wasn’t that the case?”

“No, um… yes, that’s right.”

“I’m glad. Can I consider my debt repaid with this?”

Linea, who sat back in the carriage, smiled bashfully.

I can’t make heads or tails of it.

She seems to doubt me, yet she tries to help me.

The actions are not simply considered a reward according to the noble spirit.

Is it really just a feeling?

It was while waiting for the superior of the duchy in such a chaotic atmosphere.

Creak.

At last, the castle gate opened.

Thud.

An old man with a cane appeared.

The sight left me dumbfounded. Linea is a noble. It is only natural for someone of appropriate status to respond.

But the person who appeared before my eyes now is excessive no matter how you think about it.

“Well, well. I came personally because I heard there was a commotion.”

I never imagined that monster would come out in person.

One of the five great mages of the 7th circle or higher in the empire.

The lord who rules the vast duchy.

Duke Agee Foris.

He abandoned his duties and came down to the castle gate. Even if Linea is a noble, it is not a match.

No matter how famous the Count of Spirine is, neither the Count of Spirine nor his successor came, so there is no reason for him to come personally.

It was the same before the regression.

Agee Foris never appeared until Linea committed suicide.

But why on earth?

Too many unknown things are happening in this short period.

Agee Foris is walking directly to our carriage.

Agee Foris, who appeared like that, said with a grotesque smile.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Prince Titan.”

“I don’t know who you are.”

Not to Linea, but to Titan.

*     *      *

Two years ago,

That is, eight years from now.

That day was as dark as ever, and I was on edge with the ever-changing battlefield situation.

– Mr. ■■■. Did you hear? This time, the king of the orcs himself is coming to be an ally in the war.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve heard such good news. So, when are they coming?”

With the cessation of exchanges with the elves and the fall of Nidavellir, the emergence of a new ally was nothing short of a hopeful sign.

“They’ll arrive in three hours. So, hurry up and get ready.”

“Why are you telling me this important fact just now?!”

“I forgot.”

And that was the moment when the light of hope flickered precariously.

What a national disgrace.

The Saintess had a laid-back personality.

So laid-back that she would forget about inter-state matters like this.

Most of the aftermath was handled by Claire and me.

Anyway, it was too late to prepare a banquet, so we decided to prepare rooms for the king and his delegation to rest.

Just as we barely finished the preparations, the Great King of the Orcs, Craig Khan, appeared.

“Nice to meet you, Saintess of the Pantheon. The mask suits you well.”

“Yes, nice to meet you, Great King Craig. It’s a cherished mask.”

The two exchanged greetings and light-hearted chatter to lighten the mood.

The first impression was that he was a person befitting the title of Great King.

The overwhelming presence from the massive build of the orc was evident, but there was also a sense of gentleness within his seriousness.

The warriors lined up around him were intimidating enough to make an ordinary person’s legs tremble, but Craig Khan was different.

I thought that even an ordinary person would think of him as a ruler rather than an orc upon seeing him.

“I hope you understand that we couldn’t bring many troops as our numbers are not large.”

“If all those troops are elite, that’s a different story. Welcome to the Pantheon, Great King Craig.”

The Saintess, despite her usual clumsiness, was different when it came to doing what she had to do.

She responded to Craig in a manner befitting her reputation as a Saintess.

“But can you understand that we must ask the reason for this sudden visit?”

“I understand your and your people’s bewilderment, as it was almost a one-sided notice. It must have been perplexing.”

“Honestly, yes. I pondered over ten times whether this was a trap.”

“You’re honest.”

“If even I were to lie, who would believe in God?”

Craig gave a gentle smile as he looked straight into the Saintess’s eyes.

It was a somewhat rude question, but he seemed as magnanimous as he appeared.

“I had a son. He was the treasure my wife left behind.”

“……”

“I only recently found out that he died. Some b*stard dared to raise my son’s corpse with dark magic right in front of me. It was only after I tore off his limbs that I could understand what had happened on the continent.”

A quiet rage overwhelmed the surroundings.

The only one who could remain composed in the face of it was the Saintess.

Both Claire and I were holding our breaths in tension, but she was facing that oppressive force head-on.

“The b*stard worships someone called ‘Belial.’ Do you know him?”

“Yes, since you mentioned dark magic, he must be ‘Mez,’ one of Belial’s elite soldiers known as the ‘Seven Blades.’”

“Yes, but the b*stard said something. He said that no matter how much I struggled, I could never defeat that demon.”

Crack!

With that voice filled with anger, the marble floor Craig was standing on cracked.

He hadn’t moved or exerted any force. It was the influence of the aura emanating from Craig.

The king of the orcs, who possessed overwhelming physical abilities, wielded the aura that was once the exclusive domain of knights.

“He was just, just a child. A child who threw tantrums! And yet, after killing my son, that’s all he could say in front of me?”

It wasn’t mockery.

It wasn’t an apology.

Mez, one of Belial’s Seven Blades, simply revealed his fanaticism calmly.

“So, to show what I can do! Know that I am here now.”

No one could doubt that fact in the face of Craig Khan’s clear anger.

And that anger showed its results on the battlefield.

“Amazing. Such incredible power.”

“Indeed.”

The Saintess and I watched Craig fighting on the front lines of the battlefield.

Boom!

With one punch, dozens of demons and devils flew into the air, and with one kick, the front lines were overturned.

Like the epicenter of an earthquake.

Everything crumbled and shattered around him.

And in every attack, the emotion of anger was deeply embedded.

People praised Craig for that sight, and they mourned his murdered child, calling him the ‘Unfortunate Young Prince.’

A light of hope was born.

Because an individual who could overturn the tide of this battlefield in an instant had appeared.

However, unfortunately, that light of hope vanished exactly half a year later.

When Craig Khan, the great king of the orcs,

succumbed to dementia and could no longer distinguish friend from foe.

He became a walking disaster, and a new trial for the continent that had not seen such a challenge for a long time.

*     *      *

The thing that surprised me the most after hearing that Titan was a prince was not his status.

I could accept that, considering the power he had shown.

I could also naturally accept that he was the child of Craig Khan.

But…

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“……”

I couldn’t believe that he was fourteen with that face.

Looking at the situation, I could tell it wasn’t a lie, but it was a truth I couldn’t accept.

“Hmm… alright.”

So I decided not to believe it.

What ‘tragic young prince’? Rather than being killed by an assailant, doesn’t he look more like the assailant himself?

At this point, it seems more accurate to say that the opponent was fighting to survive rather than having killed Titan.

“Shouldn’t you be thanking me first? You could enter so easily thanks to me.”

“If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been blocked at the entrance in the first place.”

Duke Foris looked at Titan’s face and seemed to smirk before entering. It was a cold response for someone who called Titan a prince.

It meant that while he allowed entry, he wouldn’t invite him to the lord’s castle.

It was an unspoken pressure to behave and not cause trouble.

“What a narrow-minded fellow. He doesn’t even know how to say thank you.”

“……”

I was at a loss for words at his audacity.

More than that, I felt it would be impossible to make this child understand with any words.

Therefore, I decided not to hang myself on the impossibility of making Titan understand. He’ll manage on his own.

As long as he doesn’t die.

“So? What are you going to do now?”

Honestly, I didn’t want to get involved with Titan for too long.

But if he’s the son of that Craig Khan, it’s a different story.

His status, power, appearance.

Everything makes him a magnet for attention.

I have to get involved with him.

“I set out on a journey to master Aura, so I plan to challenge that factory guy.”

“It’s not a factory, it’s a duke.”

“I don’t care.”

I will put him on the brightest stage. So that all eyes can be on him.

And then, I’ll bring in Belial.

I’ll stab the dagger I’ve prepared beneath the surface.

“Why do you want to master Aura in the first place? Is it to surpass your father or something?”

“That’s a given. But the reason I’m acting so urgently is different.”

Titan answered my question with a serious expression.

“Recently, my father’s memory has been failing frequently. It’s his time to go.”

The fact that the timer on the time bomb named Craig had already started ticking sent chills down my spine.

“I plan to inherit the throne. To do that, I have to become stronger than my father and forcibly pull him down.”

“Can’t you just ask him to pass it on?”

Or is it the culture of the orcs that I don’t know about?

Of course, his thinking is commendable.

If a warrior who surpasses Craig in strength also has a sound mind, there would be nothing better.

But the question is whether that’s possible.

There are many things to do, and I can’t just hang on to that absurd goal.

“Hmph, what if the day after he passes it on, he says, ‘Why are you sitting in my seat!’ and tries to break your head?”

“You had a compelling reason.”

It was a plausible reason, so I couldn’t argue any further.

This time, I plan to make the orcs a strong ally of humanity.

And since I plan to bring in the orcs, I have to deal with the time bomb named Craig somehow.

“So I have to train myself in battles with strong opponents. At least I have to reach the same level as my father for the fight to be valid.”

“But it’s not going to be that easy, you know? Even if you challenge the strong ones you’re looking for, they won’t accept.”

“Why not?”

“That’s just human custom. If you want to achieve your goal, there’s a lot more you need to learn.”

The strong ones often have plausible statuses.

Isn’t it obvious? From the start, they are different and have received all sorts of privileges.

Of course, there are exceptions, but there’s no need to compare those who have received support with those who haven’t, when they have the same talent.

A prodigy created by wealth and power. And that prodigy accumulates wealth and power again, solidifying their family.

They are fundamentally the ones who have.

And those who have a lot don’t easily take risks.

To make them let go, you need to employ appropriate methods.

“Shall I help you?”

Teach them the method. Thus, indebting Titan.

To bring the orcs to our side, we have to somehow turn the foolish one in front of us into a bomb disposal unit.