Chapter 45
Del Maria was certain this would be the final blow. But her iron rod only sliced through empty air.
“…!?”
Isabel’s light had clearly faded. Her movements had slowed.
The accumulated shock from Del Maria’s rapid strikes should have been more than enough. So how?
A decision made in a split second decided the outcome.
Isabel didn’t dodge the rod—she gripped her mace short and lunged straight toward Del Maria’s chest, thrusting it forward.
In that life-or-death moment, what saved her was the strength of her hardened bones and muscles.
Thud!
With a heavy thump, Del Maria’s body was knocked backward.
Even without Divine Power, Isabel’s mace was unyieldingly dense and heavy. Her blow crushed Del Maria’s chest.
“Gghrk…!”
Multiple ribs shattered in a single strike and pierced Del Maria’s lungs and heart.
“….”
“Ki… khik. Kihihihi…”
Isabel stood silent in victory, while Del Maria, defeated, laughed—a raspy sound of blood bubbling in her lungs and air leaking through.
“…I’ll report all of this directly to the Cardinal.”
Pft.
Del Maria scoffed. It was a clear, mocking laugh.
“Why are you laughing?”
“You really are… a pampered little bird raised in a greenhouse… You think I… gghrk, acted alone in madness?”
Even in death, Del Maria laughed—a laugh filled with too much to say.
“…Tell me.”
“Ghhhk… You stab a hole in someone’s lungs and still expect… kih… kihihhk…”
Still wearing that witchlike grin, Del Maria… died.
“….”
Isabel’s legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot. The world she had believed in was now shaking at its roots.
The existence of apostates within the Church? Emotionally, she still didn’t want to accept it. But after everything she had seen, nothing should surprise her now.
To simplify it—infected wounds only need to be found and drained.
And yet, what she couldn’t understand was why the light that shone from someone as vile as Del Maria had been brighter than her own.
‘Lord Essus… what does this mean…?’
No answer came to Isabel’s plea. The hallway remained cloaked in darkness, thanks to the cloud-covered twin moons. But the hundreds of children’s skeletal remains were all too clearly visible.
Then she heard it—
Footsteps in armor echoing from below.
“The Knight of the Lighthouse will definitely destroy that witch, right?”
“…That, I don’t know.”
“He has to! He’ll find her and punish her! He has to!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… I hope so…”
Children’s voices. And another voice Isabel recognized—emotionless, flat in tone.
As the footsteps drew nearer, Isabel raised her head. And when she looked forward, Karl was standing before her.
“What are you doing there? Praying or something?”
“I was just… sitting.”
“…?”
“That woman lying there… she too was bathed in light.”
Seeing the confusion in Isabel’s eyes, Karl nodded.
He had long doubted whether this world's so-called Divine Power truly came from a god.
But the people of this world accepted that light as divine without question, calling it a miracle bestowed by God.
Long ago, the Church’s records spoke of a devout Holy Knight who had radiated that very light and led the charge in purging demons.
‘It does look holy at a glance, and there are stories passed down… so I suppose it’s not entirely irrational to think that way.’
At any rate, Isabel seemed shocked that Del Maria had wielded what was considered Divine Power.
“It seems… I still can’t understand His will.”
Karl could sympathize with her confusion. As an outsider, he had no intention of questioning the foundational worldview of someone born and raised here.
“Are you confused?”
“Yes…”
“But nothing about what you need to do has changed, has it?”
“…Pardon?”
Isabel reflexively looked up.
“You told me yourself, remember? You’re not an Inquisitor because you were ordered to be—you’re doing it of your own will.”
“….”
“Let’s assume for now that this power is truly granted by God. You’re an Inquisitor with the authority to audit even the Vatican, and you’ve chosen this path for yourself. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a reason you were made to witness all of this.”
“…!”
Isabel fell silent. Karl watched her for a moment, then turned to leave without another word. The five rescued children followed behind him.
“Who is she? She’s wearing the same clothes as that bad woman. Is she evil too?”
“If I wore that outfit, would I be evil too?”
“No… I guess not.”
Even after Karl had disappeared, Isabel remained deep in thought before slowly rising to her feet.
***
As Karl exited the house, a system window floated before his eyes.
[Quest: Shadow Hidden by Light – Complete]
[Quest reward granted]
A reward, huh.
Karl recalled receiving Sword Mastery last time. This one would probably be similar.
[Skill: Physical Enhancement granted]
[Beginner Physical Enhancement: Increases physical ability through body training]
[System anomaly detected. Skill adapting to user profile]
[Advanced Physical Enhancement: Drastically improves physical capacity. Increases probability of unlocking Aura.]
Increases probability of unlocking Aura…
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
He let out a dry laugh.
Still… It meant he was getting closer to unlocking Aura. And the enemies he’d be facing in the West Continent were only getting more powerful.
***
After wrapping up their work in Stanmore, Karl and Isabel returned to the Vatican and stood before Cardinal Thomas.
“I read the interim report yesterday, Lady Isabel. Where is Lady Del Maria now?”
Thomas turned to Karl and nodded in gratitude, then glanced around expectantly.
It was Isabel who answered.
“She’s dead. I killed her.”
“That… wasn’t in your report.”
Thomas’s expression hardened.
“I assume you knew I was considering matters related to Cardinal Richelieu?”
“I did.”
“And even so?”
When Thomas saw the uncharacteristically solemn look on Isabel’s face, he chose not to press her and instead waited for her to speak.
Isabel gave a full, unvarnished account of everything she had seen and experienced.
When she finished, Thomas wore an unreadable expression. He closed his eyes and remained silent in thought for a moment.
After a brief pause, Karl spoke up.
“Has the Vatican begun investigating Bishop Fabricio, as Lady Isabel reported earlier?”
Fabricio—the bishop whom both Karl and Isabel had witnessed colluding with Del Maria.
“That matter is underway. I’ve entrusted it to reliable external personnel.”
Given the uncertain loyalty of those within the Vatican, it made sense to assign the job to trusted outsiders.
“As for the other two Inquisitors besides Del Maria—forget about them. Investigating from the top down will be faster. If you stay nearby, I’ll make sure the Holy Father processes the reward as promised.”
***
Karl spent the next few days resting.
He couldn’t meet with Cardinal Thomas during that time—but under the circumstances, it was understandable.
Then one night, without any attendants, Cardinal Thomas visited Karl himself.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t wearing priestly robes, but rather looked more like a hunter.
“Have you brought the promised relic?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not in my hands. But… I’d like you to meet someone.”
“Alright.”
“You’re not even going to ask where we’re going?”
“I’ll find out soon enough.”
Karl had started to feel the urge to move again anyway. And Thomas wasn’t the kind of man he believed would stab him in the back now.
They didn’t head toward any part of the Vatican’s central structure. Instead, they went outside the city and walked for quite some time.
Eventually, they arrived in a forest where there was no sign of human activity. But Thomas walked confidently through the unmarked terrain, as if he had been there many times before.
At the heart of the forest, a well-built hut came into view.
Knock knock.
Thomas walked up and knocked on the door like it was a familiar routine.
Creeeaaak…
The poorly oiled door creaked open, and a massive man slowly revealed himself.
He was a towering figure, radiating a wild, beastlike aura.
“What is it? Didn’t I tell you not to come here again?”
“I’ve reached my limits… I had no choice.”
“Come in.”
The man spoke down to Thomas like it was nothing. When he turned, Karl felt like he was watching a giant bear.
Inside, they sat down at a table. The large man brought out an ordinary teacup and kettle, oddly mismatched to his size, and poured tea.
“And him?”
“Karl. A Free Knight.”
“A Free Knight, huh.”
The man grinned, revealing his teeth.
There was nothing sinister about his smile—yet the pressure it exuded was overwhelming.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Karl felt the presence of something truly colossal.