The Fall of the Inquisitors

#99

Jeha arrived at the Belgarga mansion and flopped onto the bed. His body didn’t feel tired, but he felt exhausted nonetheless. To be precise, he felt annoyed. For the Demon King of Sloth, being idle wasn’t a bad thing. But having lived as a Korean youth, Jeha occasionally felt his conscience pricked by this sudden wave of laziness.

Kkamangi, as large as a leopard, forced its way into Jeha’s arms. Despite its massive size, it had a lot of aegyo and desperately wanted to snuggle into Jeha’s embrace. But there was no way it could fit with that bulk. In the end, Jeha draped an arm and a leg over the huge Kkamangi and let out a long yawn.

He tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. He wanted to toss and turn, but with Kkamangi clinging to him, it wasn’t easy. Eventually, he had no choice but to kill time blinking his eyes. As he did so, darkness began to fall outside the window.

“Paimon.”

“Yes, Master.”

Paimon replied instantly.

“Is the meeting still ongoing?”

“Yes, it is. Given the nature of the agenda and the temple’s face at stake, it won’t be easily decided. If you’re curious, why not take a look yourself?”

Paimon suggested. Jeha blinked for a moment, then waved his hand in the air. Immediately, a large mirror appeared. Inside, the archbishops and bishops seated around a large round table were engaged in a heated verbal battle.

“The Inquisitor system has been revived for less than a few months. If we abolish it immediately, the people will question the temple’s authority and decisions. This is a matter of the temple’s authority!”

The one shouting in a harsh voice was none other than Bishop Irellio. His face was quite angry, as if he had been personally insulted.

“Who says it isn’t? But we must face the current situation. All those priests outside the conference room are camping out, waiting for the results. What will we tell them? That we can’t abolish the Inquisitor system because of the temple’s dignity? You need to come up with a proper excuse!”

“What excuse is needed? This was a decision made by our Great Temple Council. Other priests just need to trust and follow. Just because some inquisitors went rogue, the temple’s authority can’t be shaken!”

Those who always maintained their composure couldn’t hold back and raised their voices this time. It was likely a manifestation of their frustration. Jeha stroked Kkamangi and watched their farce. It was quite amusing to see the high-ranking priests, who usually treated people with kind and benevolent faces, shouting and fighting.

While everyone else had flushed or hardened faces, one person remained aloof: Hereis.

Hereis acted as if the noise around him didn’t exist, reading through the pile of papers that a priest had submitted earlier. His appearance and bearing were so elegant and beautiful that one couldn’t help but admire.

“He’s really handsome…”

Jeha muttered while looking at Hereis. He was clearly wearing rose-colored glasses. But even if those glasses were suddenly stripped off one day, he was sure he would fall for that handsome face again.

Finally, Hereis finished reading the last paper and placed it on the table. He interlaced his fingers on the table and lifted his eyes. The archbishops and bishops who had been exchanging heated words turned their gazes to him. Even though he hadn’t said anything yet, his presence was fully radiant.

“Archbishop Hereis, if you have something to say, please speak.”

An archbishop with a white beard said. He seemed displeased that Hereis alone remained calm and composed.

Hereis’s tranquil blue eyes slowly scanned those seated around the table. Then he opened his mouth slowly.

“These priests have submitted complaints and petitions, over eighty cases in total. All from lower and mid-level priests. You all know how difficult it is for them to directly petition His Holiness the Pope. Just by looking at this, the Inquisitor system has completely failed.”

“Are we discussing success and failure now? So you’re saying we should admit failure? Have you considered the temple’s authority?”

Bishop Irellio said aggressively. Then Hereis, usually calm, fixed his sharp blue eyes on Bishop Irellio.

“Many nobles in Enkarosha have already witnessed the tearful petitions of numerous priests. Even if we can somehow silence the mouths of the people and priests, how will you silence the mouths of those nobles?”

“That is…”

“From the moment Marchioness Scarlet was framed, the Inquisitor system was a complete failure. The criminal Casto will be executed in the capital for insulting the nobility. By an inquisitor. And now priests across the land are rising up, crying out about the evils of the Inquisitor system, petitioning for its abolition. How do you propose to stop that?”

“So that’s why we’re all here to find a solution!”

Bishop Irellio burst out in anger.

Hereis slid the neatly organized pile of papers to the center of the table.

“Authority has already been shaken. At this point, cleanly admitting failure would be the way to preserve the temple’s dignity. Before the Emperor acknowledges Casto’s crime and executes him, the temple should step forward first, reveal the criminal Casto’s sins, and declare the abolition of the Inquisitor system. Only then can we at least salvage the temple’s face.”

Hereis’s low-pitched words, spoken by a man of few words, carried heavy weight. He met each person’s eyes with his blue gaze, sending a powerful message.

Even from Jeha’s perspective, under these circumstances, preserving the temple’s face seemed the best option. They just didn’t want to face that fact.

“Unless you have a better idea?”

Hereis said one last thing and leaned back in his chair. It meant he had said his piece. The archbishops and bishops each touched their foreheads or sighed. Some shook their heads.

Jeha narrowed his eyes as he saw Bishop Irellio glaring at Hereis. There was no way he could look favorably on the man who had tried to kill Jeha and bring down Hereis.

“You’re next.”

Jeha muttered, looking at Irellio.

The meeting ended late that night. It had lasted nearly half a day.

Then, early the next morning, a large paper was posted on the high wall of the Great Temple.

It was a declaration of the excommunication of the inquisitor Casto and the abolition of the Inquisitor system, which had many harmful effects.

Unlike before, the temple publicly acknowledged its mistakes. Curious onlookers swarmed around the Great Temple wall to see the declaration. For those who couldn’t read, literate people read the declaration aloud again and again. The holy knights guarding it to prevent damage couldn’t hide their embarrassment and shame each time the declaration was read.

Nobles pushed through the crowds to attend the morning mass at the Great Temple. Every time they got out of their carriages, they looked up at the magnificent temple and couldn’t hide their sense of victory. This victory was enormous for the nobles. They were victors who had subdued the temple, which even royalty or royalty couldn’t subdue.

Of course, Jeha was among them. Since the archbishop himself would announce the abolition of the Inquisitor system during this morning mass, he couldn’t miss it. Probably most of the nobles attending mass felt the same.

The main mass hall was so full that there wasn’t an empty seat. The faces of the priests on duty looked particularly stiff, and that was no illusion.

Finally, the white-bearded archbishop appeared. With a deliberately calm expression, he began his sermon.

The nobles, who usually focused on the sermon, were a little different today. They had no interest in the sermon. They were just waiting for the words they wanted to hear.

The sermon, which felt unusually long, ended, and the archbishop cleared his throat.

“Today, let us offer prayers to God for Marchioness Scarlet, who was insulted and dishonored by the criminal Casto, who fell into the evil path. And let us pray for the people who were unjustly sacrificed due to the inquisitors’ deviations. The temple has decided to abolish the Inquisitor system, excommunicate the guilty inquisitors, and punish them severely. Furthermore, to console the people who died unjustly, we will offer prayers for them for a month. O God, take the souls of those unjustly killed by the wicked and grant them peace.”

The archbishop began reciting a long prayer.

The nobles bowed their heads and followed the prayer, but couldn’t hide the smiles on their faces. It was a perfect victory.

After mass, Jeha immediately headed to Hereis. In front of Hereis’s usually quiet residence, priests of various ranks were bustling about. They all had bright faces. They were on Hereis’s side and had wanted the abolition of the Inquisitor system.

When Jeha appeared, the bright expressions on their faces noticeably dimmed. To them, Hereis was a perfect archbishop. But there was one flaw: the existence of Marquis Belgarga.

Jeha, receiving looks as if he were the worst villain in the world, shrugged inwardly. The feeling of being a real villain wasn’t bad. He even thought, ‘So this is why villains do villainous things.’ It seemed he was becoming a real Demon King.

Just as Jeha reached the entrance to Hereis’s residence amid the sharp glares, the door opened and a person came out. Dressed as a holy knight, he was none other than Sir Evan, the commander of the holy knights.