The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Original Sin (3)

He wanted to move immediately, but he had to think calmly.

Even though his divine power had naturally recovered while he slept, it was not yet enough to completely heal his body.

It would be more efficient to take minimal measures first and then heal the rest at once. In the meantime, he decided to resolve the long-standing issue with Claire.

“72 points. And I told you to remember not to make mistakes on question 28, which I tend to get wrong, right?”

“Damn…”

Settling grudges is one thing. Education is education. Claire must at least complete basic education.

Having been confined to the mansion for so long, she was behind others in terms of knowledge.

“Damn? Did you just say damn? What’s the word that follows? This won’t do. I’ll have to double your etiquette lessons.”

“…I wish you were dead.”

“Triple.”

“…”

It’s all for your own good.

I may have been a guy who roamed the back alleys, but Claire isn’t like that. Even if she’s fallen, she’s still a noble lady.

Even if not now, someday she’ll live a life befitting her status.

I’ll make sure of it.

I’ll turn her from a free-spirited lowlife into an oppressed and miserable noble!

“By the way…”

“This time it’s this. It’s a math problem to check your understanding, not your memorization. Solve it. You have 10 minutes.”

“You said ‘by the way’!”

“Fine, you get a 5-minute break. If you have something to say, finish it during that time.”

Breaks are important.

It seemed like stress was building up, so I decided to give her a break.

Of course, I timed it immediately.

The pocket watch Linea bought me was a great help.

“I’ve never thought of hating you…”

“Emotions tend to fluctuate a lot when you’re young. You may curse me now, but later you’ll realize I did it all for you.”

Let’s get that PhD first. Then you’ll understand my feelings.

“…By the way, I’ve been thinking for a while, you’re pretty good at making problems.”

“Really? I didn’t think you had many educational opportunities…”

“Linea said the same thing, so don’t even think about criticizing my educational environment.”

“Really? Then it means I’m good at making problems.”

Unlike Claire, who lacked basic education, Linea already has a PhD. She’s not a doctor for nothing.

Having received systematic education from a young age, she can objectively evaluate the problems I create, unlike Claire.

“She said that teaching doesn’t suit your nasty personality, but there’s no problem with the content or explanations.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Isn’t it?”

It’s Linea’s endorsement. At this point, I have no choice but to accept it.

I am smarter than I thought. Not in terms of cunning, but in terms of knowledge.

“Were you a noble too, Mr. Lost?”

“Well, I don’t know. Morpheus took my memories, so I’m not sure.”

“Oh, right…”

“But the source of my knowledge has nothing to do with being a noble.”

“Really?”

“I had a good teacher.”

If my master taught me the sword, my teacher taught me general social knowledge.

My master, though it’s a bit awkward to say, wasn’t very good at socializing.

He was so bad at talking to people that he secluded himself in the mountains.

Back then, my teacher took care of most of the daily life aspects.

Meals, clothing, education, and such.

“He was a bit strict, but I think he was definitely capable.”

The fact that I can share what I learned with Claire is proof of that. My teacher didn’t just make me memorize knowledge, but also taught me how to use it.

That’s probably why.

Why I remember those times so vividly.

“Was he a good person?”

“Well… Surprisingly, I might not have thought of him as a good person. He was strict, after all.”

He was the type who would calmly get angry with a smiling face.

Personally, I liked him. He helped me become who I am today. That’s why the doubts that naturally arise are troubling.

“The fact that I remember my teacher and master might mean that those moments weren’t precious to me.”

Not long after I came into the world, I encountered Morpheus, the Dreamer.

Trials are hard to understand even if you know them by knowledge.

By then, there was probably already a hole in my memory.

Yet, the fact that I remember the two of them might mean…

“Maybe they kidnapped me and forced me into harsh training or coercive education.”

“That…”

I think the memories in my mind weren’t bad.

But remembering them as memories and the emotions of that time are separate.

Considering that Morpheus didn’t touch those memories, it’s only natural to be puzzled.

Certainly, both the teacher and the master. Both were excellent guardians to me.

I try to think that way.

Therefore.

“I’ll go back and talk to them sometime.”

“Losing memories is much more cruel than I thought.”

I want to believe that they were my benefactors. That’s why, even though I lost my memory and wandered the back alleys, I didn’t return to my original home.

Because I was scared.

Because I hoped that the few happy memories I had left were not actually moments of harsh pain.

“Five minutes have passed. Open your book.”

“Just one more thing. What is your name, teacher?”

“Ravenna. Teacher Ravenna.”

“I see. I’ll remember that. If I’m really scared, I can check first.”

“A kid being considerate of an adult, how cheeky.”

I’m not that weak of a person. Even if I didn’t know before.

Now, I’m gradually letting go of my bitter, painful, yet precious memories.

“Now, really, open your book.”

Claire quietly opened her book.

The story had gotten a bit heavy, so she couldn’t resist.

Well, it’s all good. It’s not something I care much about anymore.

If Claire feels burdened and works hard like that, I can pretend to be pitiful as much as I want.

Thus, I continued Claire’s education for a while. Claire followed the education enthusiastically, but…

“Is your concentration at its limit?”

“Yes.”

“Seeing you answer so obediently, you must really not want to do it.”

She says it so straightforwardly.

Seeing no hesitation or empty words, she must really hate it.

“Then let’s stop here for today and go out for a bit.”

“With that body?”

“I’m fine now.”

Not long after I opened my eyes, I had already removed the cast.

Now that I’ve gathered enough divine power, there’s no problem moving.

“What if you get ambushed?”

“He’s the kind of guy who would charge into a place where 80% of the Rubia hunters are gathered without thinking. If he wanted to ambush me, he would have done it while I was unconscious.”

Seeing that he didn’t, it seems like he didn’t end it just like that either.

I’m worried about Titan being missing with that kid…

It’s hard to believe that monster-like guy is dead.

If he had judged that he couldn’t hold out, he would have run away.

He’s not foolish enough to stubbornly stick around and get killed for nothing.

“So, since he failed, shouldn’t we be a bit more cautious? Like targeting someone who’s wandering alone.”

“I’m not planning to go alone. If I’m up now, Kurud must be up too. He’s sturdier than me, right?”

“You seem quite comfortable ordering the master of the hunters’ guild around.”

“Our comrade is a lifesaver, so he should at least do this much for us.”

Besides, it’s because of his big mouth that things escalated to this point.

No one has been hurt as deeply as I have, so if he has any sense of responsibility, he can’t just ignore it.

“It was Sister Linea who took care of the hunters, how can you be so shameless…”

“Linea will understand.”

“If Sister Linea were here, she would have been angry the moment you said you were going out.”

It’s an irrefutable point.

It’s obvious that she would have stopped me at the premise.

As a beastman, I can’t match her strength.

If she holds me down so I can’t escape, there’s nothing I can do.

In my current state, no matter what I do, I won’t be able to get away.

A doctor’s resolve is tougher than I thought.

“Then I should go even more so when Linea isn’t around.”

I should quickly take a look around before Linea returns.

*     *      *

As expected, Kurud couldn’t refuse my request.

“Damn it.”

With a very happy heart.

Men, by nature, curse when they’re happy and curse when they’re joyful.

He must be happy thinking about washing away his mistakes.

“A patient should just lie quietly in bed.”

“We need to gather information thoroughly since we don’t know when that guy will come back.”

“Tsk.”

There’s nothing wrong with what I said.

The reason the brat hasn’t attacked is probably because of the damage he suffered.

He faced several hunters, and in the end, a tough Titan who could stand up to anyone blocked him directly.

Moreover, he seemed confident and relaxed while blocking, so he must have something hidden.

If not? Well, what does it matter?

That brat hasn’t been able to kill me even in this situation.

Of course, I know that’s because others have helped. But, he offered to spare my life.

He offered to spare me, a priest of the Pantheon he so despises.

From noble mtl dot com

That means he has a strong aversion to killing.

Thinking that way, the possibility that the Titan is dead is extremely low.

Well, in the worst case, he might not be dead but captured somewhere and being tortured…

“First, let’s hear the name. That damn brat. He didn’t even know how to introduce himself, did he?”

“Oh, right. His name is Lilia. No last name. A commoner… I thought, but now I’m not even sure if he’s human.”

“That’s an unfitting name.”

“I think so too.”

Lilia, isn’t that too bright a name for that fierce dog?

Well, his fashion was strange from the start.

“She wears endlessly short and comfortable clothes, but on a rainy day like this, she insists on a fur coat. It makes her seem even crazier.”

“You’re very angry, priest friend.”

“When you’re crushed to the point of breaking your limbs, even non-existent hatred can arise. Still, as a devout priest, I decided to forgive that damn crazy woman.”

“Your words and actions are different.”

“People are inherently different inside and out. Repenting for that is the penance we must perform.”

“Then why don’t you do that penance?”

“Isn’t that why I’m looking for her?”

Otherwise, why would I be looking for information on that damn brat on a day when it’s pouring rain?

First, it’s information gathering. I need to find out where that missing person is as soon as possible.

If I leave Rubia like this and get killed by someone unknown, it would be a repeat of the pre-return.

At least I have to hold on here.

“Then let’s talk about the forces now. How about your side?”

The third force. In other words, the girl named Lilia had enough power to be treated as a force on her own.

But if that were the case, it wouldn’t have been called a force in the first place.

“Where are those troublemakers who cater to that kid now?”

“Well…”

There are many opportunists in this world, and such people naturally incur the resentment of others.

That means.

“I’ve locked them all up in the guild detention center.”

The hunters and merchants who had suffered so much wouldn’t have left the troublemakers who lost their focal point alone.

“Have you heard anything?”

“It was convenient because they answered this and that without even being asked.”

“Any useful information?”

“None. They were kids without any consistent behavior patterns in the first place.”

“Then we have to do the legwork. Like this, as we are now. Let’s work, Master.”

Kurud’s expression crumples. It must have been quite a while since he did such menial work after rising to the position of Master.

“Mr. Lost!!”

While we were searching the city for a while, Linea, who had gone to pick herbs, saw me from afar and ran over, waving her hand.

“Hey, don’t let the patient escape on their own!”

“Okay, I got it. Let’s go back.”

I intended to return quietly. But it seemed Linea had a different idea.

“I can’t live like this, really!”

Linea, who had been waving her hand back at me, started hitting my back repeatedly with a frown.

“Ugh?!”

Her actions were cute, but

It seemed she didn’t know how strong her own strength was.

While I was writhing in pain, unable to even open my mouth,

Kurud smiled brightly for the first time today and said,

“Wow, that feels refreshing.”