novelraw Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176: Inquisition (3)
"Ugh……"
Grand Duke Marchand's mouth fell open.
A groan leaked through the gap between his blood-caked lips.
He was in no state to articulate proper words. Abel stood still, gazing at Grand Duke Marchand. Torn clothing draped over his exposed body, while his aged physique was covered in wounds all over. It appeared violent torture had been inflicted.
"What a mess."
Meanwhile, Gerhard stroked his chin.
Understanding the situation was not difficult. It was unexpected that a member of the imperial family had become a criminal in an instant, but that was precisely why only trustworthy dignitaries were seated here. The Emperor and Pope, the three dukes supporting the empire, along with himself, the head of House Farenheit, and……
"Young Sword Saint, Gerhard von Farenheit asks you."
Yes, the Sword Saint.
To think the Sword Saint was a professor at CIAR.
It was hard to believe, yet there was no room for doubt. He had ended up seated at such a clamorous stage, after all.
"The Grand Duke's body does not look well."
What was strange was Grand Duke Marchand's body.
The countless wounds carved into his flesh. They caught Gerhard's attention.
"The external injuries are not much, but the internal injuries are severe. It would be good if it were merely bruising, but somehow the blood vessels seem twisted and the organs also appear in poor condition. I cannot find traces of any spell having been used…… Do you have any idea?"
"Of course, Your Grace."
Abel affirmed concisely.
Then he raised his head. The seats encircled the circular space like audience seating. He looked at a woman sitting in one of them.
"……The empire has a torture technician with tremendous skill."
As Abel muttered,
"Sir Argento."
The woman, Iris, rose to her feet.
Her dark leather coat rippled. She wore simple attire as if preparing to hunt deer. Between her violet hair, Iris's pale red eyes also held a chill as if aiming a musket.
"And Duke Farenheit as well. My heart is not at ease having summoned you to such an unpleasant occasion. I ask for your broad understanding. The current situation must be kept top secret, and when I sorted out trustworthy people, your names came to mind."
"Naturally. This is also the Sword Saint's duty."
Abel said while bending one knee,
"This Gerhard von Farenheit is His Majesty the Emperor's sword. I have been ready to be wielded at any time."
Gerhard also bent one knee to show respect.
"Ahaha……"
In contrast, laughter reached both men's ears.
It was a sickly voice like rustling dead leaves.
"There is no need to be so polite. Especially not in a place like this. Is not today also a fine day to die?"
The Emperor, Luine Numeros, was speaking.
Between his golden hair long enough to touch the stone floor, his pale nape was connected to a grimoire device through rubber tubing. While a spell to prolong Luine's life was being supplied through the grimoire device, Luine wore a gentle smile and waved his hand dismissively.
"Please rise. Are not both Abel and Gerhard my friends? Where would friends greet each other so earnestly? Do not regard my friendship as shabby."
Abel and Gerhard rose to their feet.
They bowed their heads slightly while awaiting Luine's command.
"You two seem to be acquainted. Then this will be quick. The reason I summoned you is because I needed hands. I wanted to handle this matter discreetly and swiftly, and also secretly."
Cough, and.
Luine let out a dry cough.
The sound of coughing shook the silence for a while, and,
"Sorry, sorry. My body feels quite heavy today as well."
As Luine muttered in a light tone,
A woman's voice suddenly recited.
A woman wrapped in a robe was whispering toward Luine. While black smoke rose from the shadowy robe, the woman's voice echoed as if not of this world.
Pope Johanna.
The head of the Platinum Round Table Orthodox Church was speaking.
Grand Duke Marchand is an enemy of the empire, and.
Johanna declared in a stern tone.
A member of the imperial family mingling with apostates.
This must not be, and.
Johanna muttered.
We are curious about that.
The moment Johanna's words concluded thus,
"Inquisition."
Thud, and.
The sound of a cane touching the floor.
"Now is precisely when the procedure of inquisition is needed."
The head of House Sharma, Christophe, opened his mouth.
While wearing neat formal attire, the corners of Christophe's mouth were twisted frivolously as if playing in the sand.
"That is why we summoned you. The executor is Sword Saint Sir Argento, the assistant is Duke Farenheit, head of a prestigious house. If it is the work of you two, we can surely trust it, can we not?"
"Indeed!"
Thump, and.
The sound of a fist striking the wall.
"Handle it without error."
The head of House Zylon, Drogo, opened his mouth.
While his body was wrapped in thick leather armor, Drogo's face was flushed with rage.
"Several months ago, the Parousia Sect appeared in the northern Saint-Pierre territory. I have not forgotten that incident. Now that those bastards have set their sights on the north, I can no longer stand by. They must be swiftly eradicated!"
So that is how it is.
Gerhard scratched his temple.
I have gotten wrapped up in a troublesome matter. Thinking thus, he observed Abel's mood. Since Grand Duke Marchand was connected to the apostates, inquisition was unavoidable. The problem lay in the process. Inquisition was the most unpleasant duty among the Papacy's tasks, and perhaps for that reason, members of the Inquisition Bureau were famously all mad.
"I apologize in advance."
Was that why?
Abel spoke toward Gerhard.
"It seems I will be showing you a nauseating sight."
"Ha, are you underestimating me?"
The corners of Gerhard's mouth rose.
"Inquisition is conducted in strict secrecy, but I know enough about the process. It is not torture that ends with pulling out a few nails, extracting a few teeth, preventing sleep, or burying faces in water. Is that not so?"
"I will not deny it."
"No need to worry. Do you think I might vomit?"
"Demian would have."
"Of course, if it were my son, he could not have endured it, but I have become less pure than that child."
Ironically so, and.
As Gerhard muttered,
'Indeed.'
Abel nodded his head while thinking.
Facing Grand Duke Marchand, he rolled up his sleeves. Then he reached out and swept over Grand Duke Marchand's chest. To find the location of the slowly beating heart.
'Inquisition is different from ordinary torture.'
Abel's eyes closed tightly.
He pressed on Grand Duke Marchand's chest while listening. Thump, thump, and. The aged heart barely functioning. Abel detected the soul remaining inside the heart. The Divine Power concentrated at his fingertips began to emit a faint radiance.
'Because it is the process of disassembling the soul.'
Grrrrr, and.
Grand Duke Marchand groaned.
Abel's afterimage settled in his bloodshot eyes.
"……Who are you?"
Grand Duke Marchand asked.
Breath reeking of blood touched Abel's nose bridge.
"Who are you, who the hell are you!"
Abel did not answer.
He merely withdrew the hand that had been pressing on Grand Duke Marchand's heart.
Thus, a translucent sphere settled in Abel's grasp. It was Grand Duke Marchand's soul. A small lump of light emitting a faint glow. The form of the soul, essential for sustaining existence, was utterly shabby.
"Where is this place……"
Grand Duke Marchand continued speaking.
"What on earth am I……"
Even so, it was only for a moment.
The flesh that had lost its soul was merely moving by inertia.
"Why is this happening……"
The lips of the agitated Grand Duke Marchand turned black, and before long his entire body began to rot and crumble. Skin necrosed so that bones were exposed, and the organs inside those bones turned to mush and flowed out.
It was a process resembling filth melting away. As long as body and soul did not coexist, existence could not be established. Grand Duke Marchand's flesh, having lost its soul, was collapsing.
"——Uurp!"
Meanwhile, Gerhard covered his mouth, and,
"……It was not retching but a cry I let out."
"I will try to believe that."
"No, really. I did not find it disgusting in the least."
"I am struggling to try."
"Damn it. I want to hide from embarrassment."
Tsk, and.
Gerhard clicked his tongue.
Was a weak stomach a trait of House Farenheit? Wondering thus, Abel shrugged his shoulders. In any case, there was no time to delay. While Grand Duke Marchand's body had completely collapsed, the soul caught in Abel's hand was stirring as if eagerly trying to ascend.
"I shall begin."
Abel put strength into his grip.
After constricting the stirring soul with his hand holding Divine Power,
"The procedure of inquisition."
——Crack!
He shattered it just like that.
A sharp noise shook Gerhard's ears. Frowning as he looked ahead, the fragments of Grand Duke Marchand's shattered soul were lingering in the air. Abel reached out his left hand to touch a fragment of the soul. As if examining a particular part of a map.
Along with that, he grasped his beloved sword with his right hand, and,
"From now on, I will dissect Grand Duke Marchand's soul."
Whoosh, and.
He swung it lightly.
Toward Gerhard's back.
"So I ask you."
——Kwoom!
The trace of a sword strike carved into the stone floor.
It was the trace swept by Abel's Aura.
"It seems Your Grace will need to assist."
Gerhard turned his head following the direction of the sword strike.
Fwshhh, and. A black form was scattering. It was pitch black like darkness, making it difficult to discern the exact shape, but at a glance it seemed as if Grand Duke Marchand's shadow was moving alive.
"I suppose I must."
Gerhard nodded his head.
Black forms resembling Grand Duke Marchand were all around.
Gerhard knew what those were. None other than death itself. The very death that had to reach Grand Duke Marchand. It had manifested in form and arrived.
"You know well, young Sword Saint."
Grand Duke Marchand had to die.
Because his body had collapsed leaving only his soul.
Yet he was alive nonetheless. It was because Abel was holding Grand Duke Marchand's soul.
Thus death had manifested in form. To subdue Abel and then achieve death according to providence.
"That is why an assistant is necessary for conducting inquisition. Because he must not die until the interrogation is finished."
Hiss, hiss, and.
The moment Grand Duke Marchand's deaths growled,
"I shall do my utmost to assist."
Gerhard extended both arms.
Then he clicked his tongue. That was the signal.
The Pocket Plain opened and House Farenheit's treasured sword was summoned. The treasured sword completed in a massive form like a temple pillar. Gripping it, Gerhard smiled.
"An opportunity to struggle against death——"
Thoom, and.
Gerhard's foot kicked off the ground.
"——How exhilarating is that not!"
Along with a thunderous roar,
A heavy trajectory swept through the air.