The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Baron Ryan’s Attack (1)

The moment everyone realized what Titan meant.

We fell into silence for a while.

“Lost.”

“Well, such things happen. We’re not the only hunters here.”

“There was human blood.”

“Maybe someone got hurt fighting the beasts, don’t you think?”

“Who and who? This plant that doesn’t attack people?”

“……”

Quick-witted.

But also not quick-witted.

Without noticing that Burke’s complexion was turning blue.

He must have guessed.

He could naturally think of what had happened here and what kind of tyranny his family had been committing.

But there was nothing he could do. He had been caught in a weakness.

So he wouldn’t be able to rashly appeal to Duke Foris.

“Titan.”

He closed his eyes and lit a flame.

After taking a puff of his cigarette.

He spoke after a brief pause.

“The person who should solve this matter is someone else. So all we have to do is report what we suspect happened here.”

“……”

“Got it? If you remember what I said, it’s best not to act rashly here.”

“Y-yeah! I’ll talk to the master about this matter.”

Burke, who had been watching, finally came to his senses and shouted.

Titan, who finally realized what was going on, spoke with a displeased expression.

“Good. Remember what you said and refrain from unnecessary actions.”

Bang!

Titan swung his hammer hard and smashed the tree nearby. But there was no further action.

It was an outburst of anger that was understandable but still hard to accept.

“It just ruined my mood.”

*     *      *

After today’s training ended in an unsatisfactory manner, and Burke hurried back to the hunter’s guild. We decided to have dinner a little early.

“Come on, sit down. We need to eat.”

“Yeah.”

“Even if you acted rashly there, you would have only caught the tail. To do it properly, you have to crush the head.”

“……You mean we have to figure out who the head is?”

“That’s right. Fortunately, we recently built a connection with the information guild, so we can use that.”

“Hmm.”

Of course, I already know who the head is without needing to go to the information guild.

But taking the stance that I know that would raise suspicion.

I’ve been acting suspiciously lately.

In such a state, if I publicly announce that I know who the leader of the enemies is, the suspicion is likely to turn towards me.

I need to put on a show.

“It could really be that I was accidentally attacked and injured by other beasts there.”

“Attacked by beasts in the middle of an area with only plants? That’s quite a plausible story.”

“I’m just saying to keep the possibilities open.”

“Lost, I don’t understand. Why hunt your own kind? If you don’t like someone, can’t you just break their head in a fair duel?”

“Indeed, humans might just be stupid.”

And even if you don’t like them, you shouldn’t break their head recklessly.

“Not might be, they are just stupid. If they were even half like orcs, this wouldn’t have happened…”

Such great pride.

When I think about it, how often do I feel proud of being human? There might not have been a time when it outweighed my self-loathing.

Really, as Titan said, we might not even be half as good as orcs.

“Let’s eat first. What do you want to eat?”

“Then I’ll have this…”

I choose my meal and hand the menu to Linea.

I’ve recently learned that since she’s a beastman, she mostly eats meat.

Wouldn’t you get tired of eating meat for all three meals a day? Maybe she’s used to such a lifestyle because she’s a noble.

“Give it to me too.”

“Do you even know how to read?”

“Mm!”

Titan didn’t answer.

He just snatched the menu from Linea’s hand.

After staring at the menu for a while, Titan came to a conclusion.

“Shouldn’t we just ask for everything written here?”

“Be honest, you can’t read, can you?”

“That’s right!”

“Why are you so confident about it?”

“Is there a reason not to be confident just because I can’t read?”

“No, but you’re royalty.”

“That’s right!”

Shouldn’t you know how to read then?

His confidence is so overwhelming that it leaves me speechless.

“Studying is nothing more than a trick devised by weaklings who can’t solve problems with their bodies.”

“I’ve heard the opposite. Can your father read?”

“No, my father can read and write. Normally, I should have received such education too. But…”

“But?”

Titan answered my question with a slightly serious expression.

“There was no orc stronger than me who tried to teach me.”

Does he mean he physically overpowered the teachers who tried to teach him? Is that even possible?

“I don’t take orders or lessons from anyone weaker than me.”

“…Just do it all.”

“Hmm!”

Yes, I need to eat well since I’ll be rolling around to death soon.

* * *

It was around the time we each returned to our rooms, promising tomorrow. As I was putting on my coat and refining my plans, I heard a knock.

“Mr. Lost, are you asleep?”

“Linea?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“What’s the matter?”

When I opened the door, Linea appeared in light clothing as well.

What is she thinking, coming to a man’s room at this hour without fear?

…Maybe she feels confident she can easily overpower someone like me.

“About what happened during the day. Did you deliberately hide it from Mr. Titan about the people we met earlier?”

“Well, there’s some truth to that.”

It’s a natural flow.

Evidence emerged that someone was attacked in a place where it shouldn’t have happened.

In such a state, there were other groups moving in large numbers.

It’s only natural to suspect them as the culprits.

Even the hunter guild would put them on the list of suspects immediately.

Of course.

If the report has been submitted.

Burke would probably hide anything related to his family even if he reports it.

And he would try to negotiate with his family based on that.

But the side with the weakness cannot gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Since Burke has already used it as a weapon, Baron Lyan can also tie it to Burke.

Even if he tries to report it to Duke Foris, he will only be detained.

Burke cannot physically withstand Baron Lyan.

If he is detained like that, even the child he thought of as his only family would be in danger.

In the end, he will be silenced.

And if by any chance he breaks through all the obstacles and accuses Baron Lyan?

“If he reports it, the family will be destroyed. A noble without territory allowed to live in his territory, but engaged in human trafficking there? Duke Foris would destroy Baron Lyan’s mansion entirely.”

Burke is finally freed from Baron Lyan. But he loses everything in return.

That’s what it means to be a noble.

They see the family as a whole, not as individuals.

Duke Foris is no exception.

He would surely try to bury Burke Lyan and his sister together.

Even if he shows some consideration as a whistleblower, he won’t think about Burke and his sister’s future.

Taking care of a criminal’s family? What a ridiculous situation.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t.

So, we plan to resolve this on our side. We will make the troublemaker a royal, not a baron.

Then Duke Foris won’t act recklessly either.

We will give him a justification and turn the punishment into a resolution.

“Linea.”

“……”

“I think Burke is a good person. This is the conclusion I’ve reached after spending this week with him.”

“……I think so too.”

“So, we have to give him a chance.”

A chance to choose how to die.

That’s the least mercy we can give Burke.

*     *      *

I went to Shade and requested information about Baron Ryan’s family, and the results came out faster than I expected.

As soon as they targeted Baron Ryan’s family and moved, they caught the tail in just one day.

“Wow, it seems like Baron Ryan’s family did something interesting? They have guts. How dare they in the Duke of Foris’ territory…”

“That’s enough, I know that. Just look into the hostages’ locations and the movements of each household member.”

“The price?”

“I’ll pay it once this is over.”

“Are you trying to cheat me, or are you saying you’ll have information worth that price once it’s over?”

“You’ll get information several times more valuable than you think.”

“Really? Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Shade smirked and stroked his beard.

He seemed to have been busy lately because of the information I gave him, as he hadn’t even shaved properly.

Judging by the fact that he didn’t seem displeased, it must mean he liked the information I gave him quite a bit.

Thinking that I could establish a friendly relationship as I initially planned, it wasn’t so bad.

“Ah, but what are you planning to do with this information?”

“Human trafficking is a crime that is not allowed in any country. They must pay the price.”

“If that’s the case, telling the Duke of Foris would be the best.”

“That person would punish Baron Ryan’s family by association. We need to give the innocent a way to live. After all, I’m a priest.”

“The old man has that side to him. Did he roll around a lot in his youth? If he’s an enemy, he’ll try to root them out?”

It sounds a bit creepy when he says it like that, but the Duke of Foris isn’t such a bad person. He is the first to take responsibility when the moment calls for it.

He’s just living the most appropriate life as a noble.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll handle this. If you’re planning to do it without the Duke of Foris knowing, it must be quite a headache, right?”

“Is there a need to do it without him knowing?”

In the past, I would have done that.

Until not long ago, I was racking my brain over it.

But now, I have power on this side too. Although it’s only superficial, it’s enough to grant me an indulgence.

“I’ll just crush them head-on with Titan. Kill those who need to be killed and save those who need to be saved. Before the Duke of Foris arrives.”

“Oh my, this will be quite an interesting spectacle.”

Pushing forward without thinking about the aftermath isn’t such a bad thing.

If you have the ability or social background to take responsibility for it, what better way is there?

It will strike like a storm. The stage will be set in the form that Titan desired, and it will pour out its power to the fullest.

So that they can’t even think about the hostages, just like an unprecedented fear suddenly descends upon them.

The opponent will collapse without being able to take any effective countermeasures.

“But that’s not all, is it?”

“……”

“If that’s the case, there’s no need to figure out the movements of the baron’s household, right?”

“Don’t be curious.”

I placed the newly made white mask on the desk.

It was a white mask hardened with the mucus of the beast Cephalotus.

“That’s our business.”

“Oh, I don’t really want to know about that side of things.”

A crude cross was carved into the forehead of the mask.

*     *      *

As Lost expected, Baron Ryan’s household did not yield to Burke’s threats. There was no need to.

The tail that could be cut off at any time and what Burke valued the most.

When those two were placed on the scales, it was obvious which side would yield.

In the end, Burke decided to keep his mouth shut.

However, Baron Ryan did not fully trust such a Burke.

The mansion’s security became stricter, and they began to pay attention to recent information.

Thud!

‘No way…’

The two guards protecting Baron Ryan’s mansion swallowed dryly at the sudden vibration that resonated through the ground.

They knew.

It was easy to guess the source of this vibration.

Such rumors were circulating.

Someone had started to move to strike Baron Ryan.

Such blatant and bold declarations of war were spreading subtly.

Thud!

But they had laughed off those rumors.

After all, it was a noble’s mansion.

There is no way they would boldly barge into such a place. Such an irrational act…

“No.”

Thud!

Yet, the question arises.

Would that monster abide by human laws?

Can the orc race really make rational decisions?

What if they don’t think about the consequences?

And the assumption that came to mind was easily guessed from the regular and gradually increasing vibrations coming from the ground.

‘This is insane!’

Thud!

Recently, in the Poris Duchy, there is no one who doesn’t know about it.

Even those who think so have heard rumors about it.

And a few days ago.

When they happened to see that being with their own eyes, they felt something.

‘Please don’t come…’

Thud!

You must not fight against it.

The guards, while adjusting their postures, trembled at the approaching vibrations.

‘Don’t come…’

Thud!

The monotonous vibrations.

The sound of something with a massive build nervously stepping on the ground.

One person watched beyond the building, and another listened to the vibrations.

‘If it crosses that building…’

It appears. The opponent was already right nearby.

There was nothing to obstruct the view in front of the main gate of Baron Ryan’s mansion.

It was only natural.

Even though they lived off the Poris territory, Baron Ryan was a noble.

Since they often used horses and carriages when moving, the area in front of the main gate had to be open.

Therefore, it was easy to see those coming to the main gate.

“…….”

So that ‘monster’ will somehow reveal itself.

The guards gripped their spears tightly, breathing heavily.

After a long period of tension.

‘The vibration stopped?’

They realized that the vibration that had been shaking the ground had disappeared.

“Did it leave?”

“Seems like it?”

Nevertheless, the guards did not let their guard down and listened carefully.

No sound was heard.

The monster did not jump out from between the alleys.

“Well, there’s no way a fool would really charge in head-on…”

Just as the two were about to sigh in relief.

BOOM!

‘It’ appeared, smashing through walls and buildings in an instant, not from the alley they were watching.

“Ugh?!”

“Ah… uh?!”

There was no time to scream.

The guards’ faces were grabbed by it, the Titan’s hand.

As if trying to cover their mouths. To prevent their screams from escaping.

“Lost said you are not warriors but guards.”

There are no guards in his kingdom.

Those who protected their people were all warriors, so there was no one specifically assigned to such tasks.

“I think it’s a good thing.”

So it was surprising.

The idea of a profession solely to protect someone appealed to him.

It was a job worthy of pride by the Titan’s standards.

“Even if what you protect is filthy and ugly, those who try to protect something are commendable.”

“Ugh…! Uh!”

The Titan tightened his grip on the struggling guards trying to escape from his grasp.

I will not allow a single word. That was the resolve I felt.

“So you must know. There is a difference between calling out and screaming in fear.”

The guards wanted to scream in pain, but their mouths were completely sealed, so they couldn’t.

“A scream of fear spreads towards the things you are supposed to protect, the things you are turning your back on.”

If you are someone who protects others, you must reassure them. You must be a strong barrier they can trust and rest behind.

You must never scream.

“So if you are truly someone who protects something.”

Crack!

“Die as you are and protect your honor.”

The guards’ heads were crushed in Titan’s grip.

“I’m sorry. I apologize for not being able to let others know about the situation.”

It must not be discovered.

No one should be able to escape.

I will block all the rat holes.