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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 21: Saint
It had been a week since returning to the Solar Theocracy from the northern borderlands of Albion.
While repeating the usual training and worship routines, Ray, Aaron, and Jenny were frequently called to the Inquisition Office.
"This is just a formal investigation. Please don't be too nervous."
It seemed that even the armed organizations needed thorough investigation since a great demon was involved in the incident.
"Let me emphasize again, you must keep complete silence about everything that happened in the north."
"You mean regarding the Violet family?"
"That's correct."
Father Moro instructed the three to maintain absolute secrecy about Margrave Violet and the great demon Capricorn that had possessed the young lady's body.
"However, you don't need to keep silent about vanquishing the witch. You'll receive formal compensation for that achievement."
Father Moro informed Jenny and Aaron that they would receive medals and promotions from the Inquisition Office.
Though the reward seemed modest considering the feat of defeating a demon, they were promised additional compensation.
"And above all... maintain complete secrecy regarding Brother Ray's stigmata."
"O-of course."
Aaron immediately agreed, but Jenny cautiously raised her hand.
"Um... why is that? Isn't bearing stigmata a blessing for the Solar Theocracy?"
"Indeed it is. But we are armed priests with frequent external activities. If rumors spread about the stigmata, you become an easy target."
"Ah..."
Moreover, stigmata only manifests its true power after awakening.
Throughout the Solar Theocracy's long history, countless stigmata candidates had died without awakening their powers, so the upper hierarchy's judgment was sound.
"Well then, I urge all three of you to be careful with your words and actions. I wouldn't want to see any of you in the underground cells of the Inquisition Office."
Father Moro dismissed the three after leaving this somewhat menacing warning.
"Hmm... this has become bigger than expected."
"Indeed. But it's not bad. What reward will they give us? Money, perhaps? I could go shopping after so long."
Jenny was looking forward to the reward money promised by Father Moro.
"Tsk, tsk, thinking about money instead of dedicating yourself to the Lord."
"Our young master, having been raised in privilege, doesn't understand, but most people in this world live to earn money. Not everyone eats with gold forks like you."
"Gold forks? Even my family uses ordinary forks!"
"Ah~ It's so frustrating talking to someone who doesn't understand~"
While the two bickered, Ray stared at the back of his hand.
Though covered with bandages, sacred blood occasionally seeped through, requiring frequent bandage changes.
"Stigmata..."
"You must feel strange about it. But it's an honorable mark. You should be proud."
Though Aaron envied Ray's stigmata, he couldn't deny its significance.
In the battle against that great demon, none of them would have survived without Ray.
"Ray. Ray Anderson."
"What is it?"
"From now on, we'll carry out various missions as members of the armed organizations. That's the duty of an armed priest."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Despite Jenny's interruption, Aaron gazed earnestly at the two without wavering.
"This incident made me realize how lacking we are compared to the evil enemies of the Solar Theocracy."
The witch disguised as an ordinary person was vanquished largely by luck.
What about the exorcism ritual?
When Father Moro was incapacitated, Aaron was powerless.
Of course, he wielded his sword against monsters and restrained the Margrave, but he couldn't have succeeded alone.
Above all...
'Without Ray Anderson, none of it would have been possible.’
Ray's abilities were crucial in revealing the witch's identity and vanquishing the demon.
"I have a proposal. How about continuing to carry out missions together?"
"You're suggesting we form a party?"
"Yes. Let's form a permanent party and work in unison."
A permanent party.
This referred to the standard formation of mission operatives recommended by the armed organizations.
While some armed priests operated alone in secrecy, forming at least a small group was standard practice for dangerous missions.
"Ray, I'll admit it frankly. Your abilities are exceptional compared to peers... no, even compared to other members."
"Well, I am talented."
He was indeed an experienced rookie.
Ray wasn't the type to underestimate his own abilities.
"Jenny, the same goes for you."
"Hmm~ I thought you disliked me?"
"You're the one who unilaterally dislikes me. I don't look down on capable commoners."
Jenny's role in this mission was significant as well.
She bought time against the Margrave, a top-tier sword expert, and even landed effective blows.
With her courage and skill, she would excel anywhere.
"With your healing powers, you're a talent anyone would want."
"So the three of us form a permanent party?"
Aaron nodded at Ray's question.
"These three will be the core. We might add additional members as needed."
"..."
The two pondered Aaron's proposal.
But soon they reached the same conclusion and extended their hands.
"Alright, let's team up with capable people."
"Not bad, young master."
Thus, the party of three was formed.
***
After returning to Solar Theocracy from the mission, Ray decided to take care of matters he had been postponing.
Ray headed straight to the blacksmith's forge under the Papal Office.
It was where he had his sacred container melted down to create weapons, a reward for his top-ranking entrance performance.
Ray had already commissioned hand axes, daggers, a portable folding spear, and whips, but that wasn't all.
"Is anyone here?"
As he suspected from the silence, no one was visible inside.
If no one was around, why leave the door open? Well, no one in the Solar Theocracy would be crazy enough to rob the Papal Office forge.
"Excuse me~"
Ray cautiously entered the interior.
The forge, where bellows were used and metal was heated, still retained a warm glow.
"Come in!"
A cheerful voice called from further inside.
Ray carefully walked forward and encountered a blacksmith.
He was an unusual man.
His long hair, which must have been quite lengthy, was braided in multiple strands.
The man with well-developed lean muscles appeared to be the blacksmith here, judging by his hammer work.
However, he seemed too bright to be merely a blacksmith.
Not just in impression, but physically so.
'He looks like a noble young master, but why is he in a place like this...'
Aaron was also a golden-haired Western stereotype, but the man before Ray was somehow... dazzling.
With his brilliant honey-blonde hair and multiple gold necklaces and earrings, he reminded Ray of a rapper from the American continent.
'In modern times, he'd have a hip-hop vibe.'
Ray didn't recall seeing someone like this during his previous visit.
As Ray moved deeper inside and faced the man, he was shocked.
'Crazy...'
Ray could see the colors of souls.
This ability was usually used to distinguish demons and evil people, but it worked the other way around too.
Generally, virtuous people displayed colors close to sky blue, and most people Ray had encountered in Solar Theocracy had accumulated good deeds. But this...
'Sky blue mixed with white?'
A soul color like clouds in the blue sky.
In that clear, pure soul, the sky blue wasn't a blemish but rather humanity dotted throughout.
Just as pure evil exists in demons, pure good exists in this world as well.
If the color had been purely white, Ray would have been terrified of the young man.
"What are you doing? Aren't you here to pick up your items?"
"Ah, yes..."
Ray became cautious around the man.
"You're that Ray Anderson fellow, right? The one who asked to melt down a container to make weapons."
"Yes... thank you for your hard work."
The man grinned and opened a box. Inside was a crossbow, but its form differed significantly from conventional crossbows.
Ray took it out and checked if it worked properly.
'Perfect. No, it seems even better made than with modern methods?'
Of course, he'd need to test it properly, but the ‘Helsing Vampire Hunting Crossbow’ that Ray had designed and commissioned seemed well-reproduced.
"Whoa~ This is quite a piece! This crossbow from your design. Rapid-fire capabilities with bulk-loaded bolts for mass firing. Where did you learn about this?"
"Um... I created it. Created it myself."
"You came up with this on your own?"
The golden man's eyes widened.
Of course, this wasn't Ray's original design.
It was a traditional crossbow from the distinguished Dutch vampire hunter family, the Helsings.
'It was quite useful when the Count resurrected.'
Perhaps due to their shared experience in resolving that incident, the current head of the Helsing family had willingly provided Pastor Kim with the crossbow design, which was practically an antique.
At the time, Pastor Kim had accepted it thinking it was just a collectible.
'For vampire hunting, shotguns are the best after all.'
But since firearms weren't available in this era, it was time to rely on traditional power.
"May I try firing it?"
"Sure, sure. I tried it once, and it's excellent. The master craftsman did a superb job."
Isn't he the one who made it?
Ray became increasingly puzzled about this man's identity.
"There's a target over there, so feel free to shoot."
As the man indicated, Ray loaded the crossbow in front of the prepared target.
The anti-vampire crossbow passed down through the Helsing family was a rapid-fire weapon that loaded an entire magazine of silver arrows at once.
It featured a mechanical sight and folding limbs for portability.
This masterpiece was reportedly designed by Abraham Van Helsing, the first vampire hunter of the Helsing family.
"Hah..."
Ray brought the mechanical sight to his eye, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!
The bolt shot rapidly through the air and hit the target.
'It's in good condition.'
How about rapid fire? Ray moved his finger on the trigger repeatedly.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The consecutive bolts pierced the air and embedded themselves in the target.
"Wow~ That's amazing. How is it? Satisfied?"
"Yes, the firing rate is less than I expected, but this is good enough."
"...You're saying it could be faster than this?"
"Um... according to the design concept?"
The man's expression hardened.
Ray's crossbow had just demonstrated a firing rate of dozens of bolts per minute.
Though the repeating crossbow sacrificed long-range power, such a firing rate was revolutionary.
Yet Ray suggested it could be even faster?
"Wait, let me try. Let me shoot it once."
The man took Ray's crossbow and fired repeatedly at the target.
He quickly identified the problems with the weapon.
"The bowstring gets looser with each shot. The timing of the mechanical device's back-and-forth motion seems delayed, which appears to be a material issue..."
Ray was impressed as the man pointed out additional durability issues and problems with bolt loading.
'What the hell, he can tell all this at first glance?'
Is he a genius?
The man handed the crossbow back to Ray and said:
"Well, we can improve it gradually. Do you have any other ideas? I could make them for you."
"Oh... perhaps a dual-separating greatsword, or holy grenades..."
When Ray roughly outlined his concepts, the shining young man was delighted.
"Wow~ These are concepts I couldn't have imagined! Can you make designs for them?"
"I can."
"Oh~"
The man shook hands with Ray and finally introduced himself.
"I'm Erdio."
"Ah, I'm Ray Anderson."
Erdio grinned and brought out a necklace from somewhere.
It was a brass star necklace worn by priests, but what distinguished it was its aura.
'What the hell is that?'
This wasn't Ray's first encounter with a brass star necklace.
He had buried one with his spiritual mentor Father Johan, and had used Father Moro's necklace as well.
The brass star necklace that repelled evil was itself a holy relic.
But the one Erdio handed over was of a different caliber altogether.
Even with Ray's spiritual sight, he couldn't gauge the power of that necklace.
"Take it. It's a gift."
"Um... is it really alright to give me this?"
"It's fine, it's fine~ I'm someone of high position."
As expected, Erdio was no ordinary person.
Indeed, a soul with such accumulated virtue couldn't belong to an ordinary individual.
"Visit often. I'll show you interesting items."
As Erdio smiled and saw him off, Ray became curious about the man's true identity.
***
After leaving the forge, Ray's next destination was the Eclipse Inquisition Office.
He had already arranged for permission and scheduled a ‘practicum.’
Ray headed into the Inquisition Office, which was unusually gloomy and dark even among the splendid buildings of the Solar Theocracy Papal Office.
"Please proceed to the basement."
The reason Ray headed to the basement of the Inquisition Office under the priest's guidance was simple.
'I need plenty of test subjects.'
Since the Capricorn vanquishing incident, Ray had received a ‘stigmata.’
Just as he had absorbed evil deeds to awaken his powers, this was the reward for the great achievement of vanquishing a demon.
However, the stigmata had not yet awakened. Father Moro had told him that until awakening, the stigmata would be a wound that regularly bled.
This might sound like a troublesome wound requiring frequent bandage changes, but Ray approached it from a different perspective.
Sacred blood?
That means holy blood, right?
Then, couldn't it be used like holy water?
Ray touched the beaker swishing inside his garment.
He had been collecting the sacred blood whenever it flowed and diluted it with salt water and vinegar.
Blood would decay if left alone as microorganisms grew in it.
And now Ray planned to experiment with this diluted sacred blood on the ‘heretics’ at the Inquisition Office.
ARGGHHHHHHH!
P-please! Please kill me! Stop! Stooooop!
True to its name, the Inquisition Office echoed with brutal screams throughout the underground space.
As evident from the entrance exam, the armed organizations were not a place to rehabilitate heretics and criminals.
Ray opened the door to the room containing prisoners who would be his experimental subjects, only to encounter an unexpected figure.
"Uh..."
"...?"
A woman in dark monastic robes torturing a prisoner.
The strong smell of blood and burning flesh hinted at what had transpired here.
The issue was.
The soul color of this woman who seemed completely out of place in this brutal setting.
Sky blue approaching white.
Like Erdio, she had a soul that had accumulated so much virtue one might wonder if such humans could exist.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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