Chapter 131 - Inquisitor of Heresy 2 (2/2)
A middle-aged man with red-brown hair wearing a gray robe was drawn on its surface.
“Anyone who knows anything about this guy, raise your hand quietly.”
The man drawn on the scroll was a member of Eteria Rodinus.
While everyone stared attentively, a blonde woman raised her hand.
“Oho, so we do have a witness. Tell us what you know.”
“He came to this village a week ago and asked about the witch. So I told him that she had run away, so he asked for the direction she went.”
”The direction? Was he chasing the witch?”
“Yes, he said that the witch was in possession of an important object. I don't know the details... And I haven't met him since then.”
When the blonde woman finished speaking, this time a black-haired young man behind her raised his hand.
Rosenkreuz scanned the man’s appearance and spoke again.
“What do you know?”
“The man went to the northern kingdom of Norton after getting information that the witch was there.”
”Information? Who did he get it from?”
“A woman of the Witch Cult hiding in the woods came here looking for something to eat. She began creating a commotion, but that man appeared and defeated her with magic. At that time, he also got information about the witch.”
“Did you witness it yourself?”
”Yeah. At the time, I was held hostage by the girl from the witch cult.”
”Hmm…”
Rosenkreuz was in deep thoughts.
He had come all this way by overcoming all the hardships, but now he had to go to the Norton Kingdom, where snow layered the ground.
However it didn't seem like the villagers were lying.
As he tried to speak again, the sound of a horse galloping echoed in the distance.
A cavalry with the flag of the Rhine Kingdom Army appeared out of nowhere.
Rosenkreuz welcomed them as he kept his guard up.
“Nice to meet you. I am Rosenkreuz, the inquisitor of heresy of the Holy Aperian Empire. I'm currently punishing these heretics.”
“…I see. We were searching the nearby areas to clean up the remnants of the Witch Cult.”
“Where is the King of Rhine? I wish to meet him personally since I’ve come all the way here.”
Despite being a king, a king of a small kingdom couldn’t treat the empire's inquisitor of heresy carelessly.
Therefore, even though Rosenkreuz was doing lse-majest, the Rhine Kingdom Army couldn't refute him.
The priests also knew that fact, so they didn’t hesitate to show their arrogance.
“His Majesty will arrive here soon.”
”What? He is coming here?”
“Yes, he is currently touring the lands of the newly occupied Dane Kingdom.”
”Hmm… It definitely is a good idea to improve his popularity amongst the kingdom’s citizens. That’s perfect. Then we’ll wait for him here.”
News that the newly risen King of Rhine had conquered the Dane Kingdom, which had fallen into the hands of the demons, had already reached the Holy Aperian Empire's Imperial Palace and the Holy See.
Therefore, Emperor Tiberius and Pope Ignatius were also curious about his identity.
Rosenkreuz was also curious about this king.
'He is the heroic king who defeated Demon King Dantalion and the Witch of Sloth.'
Things would become complicated if he would turn out to be a heretic.
It is necessary to eradicate the roots of heresy in advance before they could impact the world.
If he turned out to be a faithful believer of the God of Light, he obviously thought of actively supporting the king.
As Rosenkreuz continued criticizing the church members, a brilliant procession appeared in the distance.
The King of Rhine's visit to this area had begun.
'Is he Chun Woohyuk?'
A young man with black hair wearing a silver plate armor.
His appearance was as young as the rumors depicted.
However, Rosenkreuz did not sense evil energy from him as some of the priests had said.
'As I thought, rumors are just rumors.'
Since the Rhine Kingdom was in a corner of the continent, far away from the empire, the story could have been distorted.
Rosenkreuz greeted Woohyuk with a somewhat relieved look.
“You must’ve had a lot of trouble fighting the group of evil beings, Your Majesty King of Rhine.”
“Compared to Lord Rosenkreuz’s ordeals, it was but a small disturbance. In any case, welcome to my kingdom.”
Woohyuk treated Rosenkreuz with a polite attitude.
Rosenkreuz laughed loudly as the king’s attitude had pleased him.
”Hahaha! You are too humble. You are still the first hero to seal a Demon King ever since the War of Gods and Demons.”
“It would have been impossible without the protection of the God of Light. I am just an ordinary secular monarch.”
“Even an earthly lord can become his apostle if he receives the god’s revelation, as long as he isn’t stained with the dirty and ugly beliefs of heretics.”
Rosenkreuz's gaze turned to the captured church members.
Woohyuk nodded as if he understood his intention.
“The only way a pagan is forgiven of his sins is to be burned alive. Please exact punishment without minding me.”
“Then, I won’t hold back”
Rosenkreuz had the priests prepare the stakes and oil.
The blond woman and the black-haired young man writhed and cried out in despair.
“You, you said you’d give us a chance to repent!”
“Yes, we said everything we knew!”
They didn't know they would die like this.
Rosenkreuz looked at them and snorted.
“A true believer of the God of Light never compromises with paganism. So there is no need for me to keep my promise.”
“You motherfucker!”
“Go to hell!”
Every member of the church hurled curses at the inquisitor.
Soon enough, they were all tied to burning stakes and were swallowed up by flames.
“Aaaaaaaaaah!”
“Please save me, Lord!”
The screams echoed throughout the sky.
It was a sight that a normal person could not watch with his eyes open.
Rosenkreuz laughed like a madman as he smelled the scent of burning flesh.
“Kuhahaha! Hahahahahaha!”