“…Did he k!ll all the heretics?”
Inside a bar with a chillier atmosphere than the cold winter air, only steaming, delicious food and broken drinking glasses lay around.
It was a bizarre scene where the people inside suddenly seemed to have evaporated.
The gray-haired man spoke. “Yes, it looks like everyone here has been punished.”
The name of the person reporting to the man, trembling with cold sweat and unable to raise his head properly, was Lian, a second-class priest of the church. Right now, he just wanted to get away from this creepy place as quickly as possible.
“Hmm… how does Julius’ condition look?”
“Well, that is…the demons are being purified in the penance room in the basement of the church.”
After listening to Lian’s words, Krail clicked his tongue once and then took a sip of the soggy beer sitting on the counter. It tasted like there was no malt. Feeling even worse, he drained the entire beer. He glanced at Lian, who had reached his limit and was on the verge of losing his mind.
“I’m sorry, but could you please go to the store listed here and buy me a set of clothes and a bottle of beer?”
After accepting the note handed to him by Krail, Lian quickly left the bar before he fainted in front of the interrogator.
‘I haven’t even given you any money yet, but you are very motivated.’ Krail, pleased with the priest, slowly stood up.
The place where his leisurely steps headed was the underground penance room of the Central Church.
As soon as he entered, he felt the smell of bl0od and burnt air filling the atmosphere.
In the middle of this place, where a gloomy atmosphere prevailed, Julius, a man whose blond hair had grown long and was tied roughly behind his back, was wiping the bl0od from his face.
“I don’t think it would be very pleasant to stay in a place like this.”
“The screams of those demons are always delightful, Krail.”
‘Has he gone crazy by staying in a place like this?’ Krail shook his head at his friend’s crazed expression.
“Sometimes taking a break is a good choice. I will do the work today and tomorrow, so please go and see your daughter’s face, Julius.”
“Are you saying that as an interrogator or as a friend?”
“Both.”
After those words, no more answers were heard.
Krail looked at the silver necklace sparkling on Julius’ neck.
After Krail had returned it to him, Julius didn’t cry anymore. Instead, he dedicated himself to the act of making the heretics and demons cry and scream.
The people of the capital began to fear and avoid the cruel Inquisitor Julius. Fortunately, there had been no case of him “punishing” an innocent person yet, but you never know.
Once all the heretics in the capital were eradicated, Krail worried about where that lost anger would go.
‘We have to do something before that…’
In his pocket, there was a small book that had an interesting statement—the forbidden book described a certain high-ranking devil. Surprisingly, he had received the book from the saint.
Krail could still hear the noises near the entrance. He turned and left the penance room, took the clothes and glass that Lian had brought, and headed back to his friend.
They were a dress made by Rosa and a beer bottle from their hometown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to bring the beer from their hometown. It was an item he was barely able to bring while keeping its name hidden from the attention of the religious order.
Sometimes you have to vomit out what you have stored inside. If you just keep it in, the wound will not heal but rather fester.
He handed the items to his friend without saying a word and left.
A faint sobbing sound was heard from the basement.
The wounded animal did not go to see his daughter the next day or the day after that.
***
The present.
“Wahh…Uncle!”
Krail’s blurred mind slowly returned to the words of the kid next to him, who kept pulling on his sleeve. He took his gaze away from the beer glass in front of him and looked to the side.
He couldn’t see anything.
‘Is it a ghost?’
“Wah! Don’t ignore me!”
A ghost kicked his shin; it didn’t even hurt, the force behind it was weak to the point where it was laughable.
Only then did he look down and see a little girl with blonde hair standing beside him.
There was apparent dissatisfaction in her clear blue eyes.
She was Leira Tapnel.
Her grandfather hated her, and her father ran away because he could not bear the resemblance of his wife in the child. She was a poor child who did not even know that she had been abandoned.
‘Doesn’t she seem a bit too mature’ Seeing her grow up without any childishness made Krail worry about her future.
When she continued to get no answer, Leira couldn’t overcome her anger and started to make a fuss by hitting his leg.
“It’s not polite to make a fuss in the store, you stupid kid.”
“I’m only doing this because uncle ignored me!”
“Phew, I thought it was a ghost because I couldn’t find anything”
“Waah!!”
Leira, who had a few missing teeth in her mouth started to make cute noises, and bean to stomp her feet on the ground.
‘I guess I’ll leave the teasing at this point.’ Krail took out a silver coin from his pocket, gave it to Leira, and waved his hand.
“Use this to at least buy a gift for your mother. It’s not polite to greet her empty-handed.”
“…I can’t buy that with this.”
When he looked where the child was pointing, he saw a beautiful hairpin. It was a stunning craft reminiscent of wheat. The child had an eye for quality and chose the most expensive item.
Krail took out a gold coin from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Buy that with this; then buy whatever you want with the silver coins.”
“Thank you!”
He wanted to be strict with her, but he ended up losing again.
Smiling brightly at the store owner and looking happily at the child running wild at the sight of the hairpin, he came out of the store, and took out a c!garette. He chewed the chewy end without lighting it and looked at the dark sky.
At the center of the dazzling religious order seen in the distance, the saint must be making plans to deal with his granddaughter and him. Perhaps it would end with him encountering a powerful demon on his way to Kente Village and unfortunately dying.
Krail couldn’t help but smile at the notion.
That senile old man might think that Krail was a foolish puppet, but in the end, he was just a fool. A blind saint who was blinded by grandiose plans and lived only in the past without looking around.
When he took a quick look inside the store, he saw the child ordering around next to the owner, packaging the goods. If they took a carriage and headed to the village first thing tomorrow, she would be in the embrace of the couple before winter ended.
There would be a few high-ranking demons playing tricks on the way, but that was also the fun part of the trip.
Krail Raynell was the second top heretic inquisitor, following Julius. And he continued to grow stronger by the day. Excluding Brukin and Julius, there was no opponent in the world for him.
Even if several high-ranking demons came to face him, it would be no different from a moth jumping into a flame, and his power, which only grew over time, would make Leira’s first trip comfortable.
The only reason they were not beheading the saint right now was that he was the child’s grandfather; that was all.
Unbeliever Krail—he was Lyriam’s strongest babysitter, loved by angels. Even though he was a man struggling with a toothless child.