Chapter 132: Inquisitor of Heresy 3
A craze that sent chills down the spine
Fear was in the eyes of the Rhine Kingdom Army as they watched Rosenkreuz's massacre.
But Woohyuk kept wearing a calm expression.
He was proving that he was a true believer in the God of Light.
“You truly are full of faith, Your Majesty King of Rhine. You didn’t even blink or flinch while watching the execution.”
“I’m already used to it, Lord Rosenkreuz. Since then, I have already punished numerous heretics and pagans until now.”
“You truly are a hero under the protection of the God of Light. In truth, I heard some distasteful rumors about you before coming here, but now that I have met you in person, my doubts have vanished.”
“I don't know how the rumors depicted me, but I do not serve anyone other than the God of Light. I'd like to emphasize it.”
“Indeed, your innocence has been fully revealed and proved. Under the authority of the Holy Aperian Empire’s Inquisitor of heresy, we will take measures to ensure that no more impure rumors spread around.”
Woohyuk was the heroic king who had fought against the demonic camp and achieved a great victory.
Recognizing him as the representative of the God of Light and establishing friendly relations would mean that the power of the priests within the empire would grow stronger.
His existence was invaluable in the current situation where the conflict between Emperor Tiberius and Pope Ignatius was deepening.
'Well, I don't know if he has a hidden ability, but...’
As Woohyuk had recognized the absolute superiority of the God of Light, Rosenkreuz was willing to let it slide if Woohyuk was using the powers of other gods, unless he violated the divine commandments recorded in the temple.
"Thank you. In fact, the people’s support is currently very weak as it hasn’t been long since their hardships have ended. That may be why some people spread false rumors about me.”
“I understand. You did purge countless nobles of the Rhine Kingdom to ascend to the throne. However, your legitimacy has already been guaranteed by the God of Light. So please do not worry and continue to claim yourself as his representative.”
The kingship.
If he acknowledged and obeyed the authority of the Holy See, they would recognize Woohyuk's current dominion.
Once this would be established, even Emperor Tiberius could not treat Woohyuk carelessly, and no one could object to his legitimacy.
"Of course. I will not stop this war until all evil on this continent is eradicated.”
“What a confident but trustworthy declaration. Oh right, do you know anything about this man? If you have been to the witch's sanctuary, you might have come across him.”
Rosenkreuz unfolded a portrait of the member of Eteria Rodinus.
Woohyuk looked closely at it and shook his head.
“I do not know him. Is he a pagan?”
“Yes, the worst kind of pagan. He is a descendant of the one who stole the Holy Grail from Solomon's temple.”
Rosenkreuz didn't mention Lemegeton or Eteria Rodinus.
It wouldn’t be advantageous to him if Woohyuk learned of their existence.
In fact, only a small fraction of humans knew about Pronoia, the organization he belonged to.
“If so, we must find him and punish him.”
“We would appreciate it if you could capture him and bring him to us. I have a few questions to ask him regarding the whereabouts of his other allies.”
“Yes, if that is the will of the God of Light, I will happily follow it.”
“I will now go to the Norton Kingdom in the northwest. I probably won't be able to visit this place again for a while, so I will be using this as a means to contact you in the meantime.”
Rosenkreuz presented a snail-like artifact.
Woohyuk received it and checked the item’s information.
[Informant’s Messages]
Type: Personal item
Effect: It is possible to receive and send messages to those with the same artifact. Can be reset at any time, and up to 10,000 communication details are stored (can be selectively deleted at the user's will).
It was an otherworldly mobile phone.
The difference with Earth was that it had not been universalized yet as it was too expensive to mass-produce and difficult to obtain.
Therefore, only some people of upper classes, such as Rosenkreuz, could use this means of communication.
“I will contact you as soon as the occasion arrives.”
“Then, until we meet again.”
Rosenkreuz climbed on his horse and pulled on the reins.
Soon enough, he disappeared with the priests and his party, and Woohyuk sighed in relief.
“Phew...”
He had never seen such a madman ever since his birth.
Even the shadow killer could be counted as a normal person.
Still, he was glad that everything had gone as planned.
“Now you should return and continue doing your job. I have some personal business to attend to.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The kingdom’s troops scattered in all directions following their respective commanders.
They are very busy cleaning up the remnants of the Witch Cult.
As soon as he was left alone, Woohyuk touched the adventurer's watch with his finger.
[It was a success. Seeing how he left immediately, I don't think he noticed anything.]
[Good work.]
Two people with the same voice were speaking to each other.
Afterwards, a summoning magic circle spread on the ground below him.
A teleport.
No, to be more precise, it was the Call to Arms skilled used by the Ragnarok Clan master.
“Ugh, I’m dizzy...”
The summoned Woohyuk frowned and complained.
Before long, the interior of an ornate mansion entered his eyes,
“Now, give me a detailed report.”
Another Woohyuk was sitting in a chair and spoke to the newly summoned Woohyuk.
Only then did he take off the Jester’s Mask and return to his original form.
A woman with black hair was in a purple dress.
It was Choi Kayoon.
“… Nothing special. All the corrupt nobles of the Dane kingdom you brainwashed were burned, and I accepted the political transaction presented by Rosenkreuz.”
“Were there any other special subjects during your conversation other than the transaction?”
“Not really. He just offered to recognize the legitimacy of your rule over the Dane Kingdom in exchange for being a representative of the Holy See. Oh, and he gave me this and told me to use it to contact him if I find a member of Eteria Rodinus.”
Choi Kayoon took the Informant’s Messages out and handed it to Woohyuk.
Woohyuk fiddled with it for a while and then showed it to Leifina next to him.
“Be careful of everyone who has this. It's highly likely that they belong to Pronoia.”
“Understood, My Lord.”
This was the residence of the Ecclet family in the Elrond barony.
It had been neglected for a long time and looked shabby, but Gustav, the butler, had restored it to its previous state.
The inside of the mansion was full of life because the maids had also been hired again.
“This looks like a place owned by a very prestigious noble. Just look at this elegant interior design.”
“This is the Ecclet House. Leifina will take over its line.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is. No wonder you gave it to her. Just look at her looks. I’m slightly jealous.”
Choi Kayoon's envious gaze glanced at Leifina.
Then Leifina shook both her hands with a tired look.
“Please refrain from misunderstanding. I am simply My Lord’s escort.”
"What are you talking about? I was just saying you were pretty.”
“Is, is that so...?”
Leifina's face turned red in embarrassment.
Woohyuk watched with interest, then spoke again.
"Is Tinia taking good care of the Gawain county?"
"Yeah. The other nobles can’t be careless around her because of her powerful will and aura. That must be why she keeps receiving anonymous love letters.”
“Does she tear all the love letters like you do?”
“…No. She reads them all night and looks for the nobles who sent it to her by analyzing handwriting. And when she finds the culprit, she asks for an honorary duel and beats them up with her fists.”
‘Such a Tinia-like thing to do.’
If he didn't find her a husband soon, the men who asked for her hand would suffer.
Woohyuk as in deep thoughts for a while.
“I don't know if there is a man stronger than Tinia in our kingdom. She said she would never marry someone weaker than her, so she won't be interested in most aristocrats.”
Although she had already chosen himself as her marriage partner, a woman's heart could easily change.
If a man stronger than her with good looks and good manners came around, she might change her mind.
Choi Kayoon's eyes shone at Woohyuk's ambitious plans.
“Her? Finding a man of her own? I think it’ll be quite fun to watch. She’ll bother me less than she does now, at least.”
"Does Tinia not like your monsters?"
"Yeah. I think her parents died during a monster attack. She must’ve often struggled against monsters during her mercenary days as well.”
“You’re right. I will talk with her later.”
“But when will you remove this protective barrier? I don't think Rosenkreuz can detect your demonic energy here.”
“No, we can’t underestimate him.”
An inquisitor of heresy of the Holy Aperian Empire wasn’t an ordinary person.
They had great natural talents amongst the children of high-ranking clergy, and were supervised by the Holy See from their childhood and were made to complete higher education courses.
Moreover, that was just the basics.
Since there were many candidates, they had to prove their worth through competitions.
As a result, even the ordinary children amongst them gradually became fanatics of their religion, and they became unable to hold themselves back whenever they saw pagans and heretics.
According to the information from uncertain sources, brainwashing was also conducted if necessary, but nothing had been revealed yet.
"Wow, that’s completely corrupted."
“The inquisitors of heresy are the heads of the Castineon, a special agency of the Holy See. Even the twelve cardinals cannot handle them carelessly.”
In short, the super-elite and most vicious fanatics were able to rise to the position of inquisitor of heresy.
That was why Woohyuk hid his energy as much as possible by creating several barriers even at such a distance.
He had already experienced Rosenkreuz's sixth sense-like ability to search for demons in the past.
'He noticed and ambushed demons who were 1km away from him with the slight reverberation carried by the wind.'
In the past, it was just an amazing feat to Woohyuk, but now that he had become Asura, that ability felt incredibly threatening.
If he noticed Woohyuk, an all-out war with the Holy Aperian Empire was inevitable. As a result, the existing plan would have to be abandoned.
“I tricked such a genius? I must have an innate talent for acting. I should’ve gone for the acting department even if I had to get a student loan.”
“It is still too early to be relieved. He has a really incredible sense.”
Maybe there is a hidden function in the informant’s messages.
When his thoughts reached that conclusion, Woohyuk took out the archaeologist's golden magnifying glass.
[Informant’s Messages]
Type: Personal Item
Effect: It is possible to receive and send messages to those with the same artifact. Can be reset at any time, and up to 10,000 communication details are stored (can be selectively deleted at the user's will). In addition, it is possible to know the current location of users in real time after obtaining administration rights (hidden function).
‘An administrator's authority.'
Apparently, these artifacts seemed to have been secretly modified.
A function that appeared to have been created by the Holy See to monitor their members.
Rosenkreuz, the head of the special agency Castineon, was probably unaware of this.
“Leifina, you take good care of this item.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
If his location were known in real time by the Holy See, his future plans would become a mess.
But now that he knew this trick, Woohyuk decided to trick Rosenkreuz in reverse.
1. Woohyuk used a UNO reverse card!!!