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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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***
Chapter 57: Untitled
It had been a week since they arrived in Baron Enfield's territory.
Ray's actions in the barony included violence, troublesome behavior, assault, and insults.
"You bastard! You son of a bitch! Got a problem? Huh, you got a problem?"
"Why is the food in this place so terrible! Get the owner out here!"
"Oh, really? Look at this guy? He doesn't know the first thing about customer service!"
Whenever he went out, he would pick fights, insult people, and constantly cause trouble, even resorting to assault.
If they hadn't known Ray was a priest, they would have wondered what kind of person he was.
"Young master, is there a reason for acting like this?"
The veteran Inquisitors expressed concern over Ray's conspicuous behavior.
"You see, there's such a thing as physiognomy in people. How should I put it? The ups and downs of life show on one's face."
In truth, he chose them by looking at the evil deeds in their souls, but unable to express that directly, Ray brought up physiognomy.
This tactic, which he had used several times during his time as Pastor Kim, was even more effective in this world.
"That's not wrong, but..."
"Well, just wait and see. If they're just tough-looking guys, they'll write it off as stepping in dog shit and move on. But..."
"If they're vampires, they'll retaliate against us. They'll have the power to do so."
Exactly.
In this world, no commoner would try to retaliate against a noble just because they were subjected to some abusive power.
In modern Earth, it would be spread in the media and netizens would bash them, but in a class society, such abuse of power was taken for granted.
A noble can hit a commoner, right? A noble acted abusively? Aren't nobles supposed to be like that?
What's the reason for such common reactions?
Simple. Because there are no pitchforks.
One shot for you. One shot for me. One shot for all of us!
The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!
In short, the masses only began resisting the nobility when the guns entered the scene. The new-age pitchfork.
'In other words, you need power to kill nobles and knights without consequences.'
Ordinary commoners don't have that kind of power. But what about vampires?
"If we stir things up everywhere, one ill-tempered bastard will take the bait. They'll be looking for an opportunity to 'educate' this arrogant noble young master."
"It's risky, but not bad for luring out hidden vampires."
And for this, they needed to find a denominator where as many ‘villains’ as possible gathered.
"Let's filter out the suspicious ones during this Mass."
That method was attending weekend Mass.
***
The church was a place where nobles and commoners alike gathered.
Freedom of religion? Can't people believe in other religions or not go to church?
Oh, no, you're a heretic.
Not going to Mass on the weekend?
Are you, by any chance, a pagan?
In a world where such questions are asked as naturally as breathing, you have to attend Mass if you don't want to be suspected.
'All the scumbags in town are gathered here~'
Ray participated in Mass, observing the residents who had gathered from all over town.
It was easy to find souls with evil deeds among the residents who packed the church.
'There are few villains bad enough to be suspected of being vampires among the commoners.'
Among commoners, this was the extent.
Nobles and the middle class would come at leisure, so he would have to wait until then, but...
"Oh~ that guy came too."
Ray spotted the lord's castle administrator whom he had bothered several times recently.
"Hey, Beardy! You actually came to Mass, after all?"
Naturally, he picked a habitual fight and caused a scene once again.
And so, the villains caught on Ray's radar cursed him with their expressions as they left.
"Roy. Focus on Mass."
"Ah, yes. Sister Anise..."
Iris subtly pinched his hand.
It was a warning to Ray, who wasn't focusing on Mass because he was picking out vampire candidates.
For reference, Roy and Anise were their aliases.
"Just move your lips. Don't act it out."
"Yes."
'Looking at her like this, she seems like a perfectly pious young lady.'
With her eyes covered by a blindfold and her demure posture, Iris was the picture of a noble lady.
She was perhaps even more aristocratic than the actual noble Ophelia.
No, Ophelia should probably be considered an anomaly.
To think that this Iris could become such a terrifying Inquisitor when dealing with heretics.
It was best not to get involved with her, but having her on his side made him feel incredibly secure.
"How many are there? Candidates."
"Seven... If you include the ambiguous ones, a little over twenty."
"That many?"
"It's a reasonable number, though."
"Can we be so suspicious just based on 'physiognomy'?"
'Why is she saying something so normal again...?'
As an Inquisitor, shouldn't she just arrest and torture everyone suspicious?
Come to think of it, Inquisitors seem to be less likely to wrongly accuse innocent people than the police and prosecutors who conduct major investigations.
"So? Do you think they'll take the bait?"
"After all the trouble I caused, if they still endure it, they must be truly remarkable individuals."
There were a total of twenty-two suspects.
Among them, those with blazing red evil deeds narrowed down to four.
It was highly probable that one of these was a vampire, but the possibility of all of them being vampires couldn't be ruled out.
"Shouldn't we request cooperation from this church? We haven't even revealed that we're part of an armed organization."
"We entered under disguise. And local churches are often intertwined with territorial nobles."
"...You suspect the nobles too."
“There are no peasants or nobles when it comes to heresy.”
That was the correct attitude.
Vampires, especially due to their long lifespans and immortality, often infiltrated the higher echelons of society.
Why would they, being just vampires, do that?
If a vampire who had lived since the 15th century was still walking around like a beggar, he would seriously advise them to commit suicide.
Vampires could become rich just by buying some land and playing the long game.
The vampires Pastor Kim dealt with often owned land as a basic asset and often buried treasures hundreds of years old on their property.
The farming was pretty lucrative.
"Sister, if we catch a vampire using this method, my contribution will be significant, right?"
"...Right?"
"Then, please let me do one thing before we kill the vampire. I have something I want to experiment with."
"Like with the Sacred blood back then?"
"Something similar."
Iris tilted her head at Ray's suggestion, then nodded.
"Ronnie."
"Yes?"
"Sacred blood. I tried it too, but it didn't melt."
"...Yes?"
It was Iris, with her pretty face, who always said such chilling things.
***
Jorick's patience exploded right after encountering that annoying young master again at the church Mass.
He couldn't take it anymore!
"I'm a human too! A human!"
Although it was a bit of an exaggeration, Jorick erupted in fury, but soon he found a weakness of this arrogant noble young master.
"Heh, heh heh...! He has a very beautiful sister, it seems."
A noble lady, whose eyes were covered by a blindfold, indicating she was blind, participated in Mass.
She had escort knights, but she was a very weak and tempting target.
Just to his house! Let's just check the situation!
That night, Jorick couldn't resist the urge and sought out the accommodation where Ray was staying.
The two escort knights were guarding the perimeter, but they couldn't detect the movements of Vampire Jorick.
Vampires became faster and stronger at night.
His eyes saw the world more clearly than in broad daylight, and his movements were as silent as a cat's.
"Heh heh..."
Having easily bypassed the escort knights, Jorick found the bedroom where Ray and Anise were supposedly sleeping.
'Here you are, you damned brat.'
It was Ray.
Ray, unaware that he had been found, was utterly defenseless in his sleep.
Jorick had promised himself he would just check the situation and leave, but seeing Ray so vulnerable, it was hard to resist.
This was because the memories of what he had endured from this damned noble young master resurfaced, preceding his vampiric urge.
「Hey, tool. Can a tool try to stand above a person?」
「Why are you looking at me like that? Why aren't you opening your eyes gently? You're already ugly, and you look even uglier when you frown.」
「Jorick? Did your mom perhaps pay less at the naming office?」
This bastard! Insulting his mother crossed a line! Even vampires couldn't tolerate insults to their mothers.
'To hell with it. I'll just kill him.'
The moment Jorick, unable to control his rage, revealed his monstrous fangs and stepped closer, he caught a scent.
"Hm? What's that smell...?"
Then, a pungent smell assaulted Jorick's sense of smell.
"Shit, did he shit on the bed while he was sleeping?"
The moment he subtly pulled back the blanket, it was filled with garlic. And then...
"Huh?!"
A sharp silver gleam hidden within a pile of garlic.
By the time he realized it was a crossbow, the trigger had already been pulled.
Thwack!
"Aargh!"
The crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder, and Jorick stumbled backward.
And slowly, the black-haired boy stood up.
"Oh, it worked, it worked."
Ray, holding the crossbow, grinned.
"You, you mean...!"
A trap? But before he could even think about that, the crossbow Ray aimed poured out bolts.
Jorick dodged them with the vampire's swift movements, but the crossbow didn't stop at one shot.
'What kind of crossbow is this!'
Jorick ran around the room in a panic.
But as the blanket was thrown back, the pungent smell of garlic assailed his nose, making his eyes water.
'I need to get out of here first...!'
It was a trap.
They must have prepared thoroughly.
As soon as Jorick realized it was a trap, he leaped towards the window.
Thump!
"Huh?"
But the window didn't break.
It was impossible.
Jorick, a vampire, had thrown his entire body at it, and the window didn't shatter?
But he soon realized the reason.
"Uh... Holy books?"
The pages of holy books were plastered all over the window.
The pages of the Eclipse Scripture had tightly enveloped the window, forming a protective barrier.
"Hehehe! You can't escape!"
Realizing that retreat through the window was impossible, Jorick partially transformed his body into a mist and lunged at Ray.
Thump!
In close combat, Jorick, the vampire, had the advantage.
The crossbow rolled and slid across the floor.
"You bastard! You're dead!"
As Jorick cheered and raised his fist, Ray threw something from his pocket.
"Cough! What is this!"
"Garlic essence, you idiot."
Ray, having repelled Jorick, raised his fist.
In one hand, he held garlic, and the other was smeared with garlic essence.
"Alright, this is garlic. This is garlic."
I'll show you why I was called the ‘Fucking Korean Garlic Man’ by vampires!
Pow!
Jorick staggered greatly from Ray's punch.
Ray's strength was amplified many times because of the Sun's Blessing was a problem, but the bigger issue was the pungent smell of garlic that assaulted his senses, making him feel like he was losing his mind.
"Aargh! Fight fair! You coward!"
"Why would I?"
Ray's Garlic Punch relentlessly hammered Jorick.
Garlic was a powerful vampire repellent.
Its antibacterial and antiviral properties had been widely known and used as medicine since ancient times, and these properties were antithetical to vampires, who were symbols of decay and death.
He had prepared it just in case, and to his surprise, it worked on the vampires of this world.
Even on Earth, garlic was more effective than religious symbols like crosses, so he had tried it, and it worked better than expected.
"Hehehehe! Die! Die!"
"Aaaaaargh!"
Ray pulled back, not pushing himself too hard as Jorick frantically swung his claws in desperation.
The bastard was already in a daze, but he was flailing wildly, making it hard to approach him easily.
Just as Ray was wondering if he should throw another garlic essence...
Bang!
A flash of light pierced Jorick's leg.
Simultaneously, Jorick's leg literally disintegrated.
"Aaaaaargh!"
"Sister?"
"Well done, brother."
The Radiant Light shot by Iris precisely melted away Jorick's leg.
He had seen it a few times, but it was truly a chilling miraculous power every time he witnessed it.
"Are you alright!"
Soon, Yan and Len arrived and bound Jorick, who had lost a leg.
***
Torture is a process that takes surprisingly long.
It involves inflicting physical or psychological pain on the opponent, subduing them, taking control of their mind, and extracting the desired information.
During this process, the subject must not die, and the veracity of the information they spout must also be ascertained.
In that sense, Inquisitors could be called professionals among professionals in this field.
"Wow~ That's brutal."
Throughout the night, Iris and the Inquisitors had completely dissected Jorick.
Since vampires don't die easily, he vividly saw what was possible when there were no boundaries in interrogation.
"If you're uncomfortable, you can stay separately."
"No, I'll consider it a field internship and learn from it."
Yan and Len looked impressed by Ray's answer.
Such a passionate and diligent brother.
Usually, those who witnessed the Inquisitors' torture, no matter how strong-willed they were, would be disgusted.
This was because intentionally inflicting pain and tormenting someone required an innate quality.
It was a completely different matter from simply killing them.
In that sense, Ray was very insensitive to the suffering of evil people.
'There were just so many bastards in the world.'
Pastor Kim was someone who had directly faced the monstrous villains he saw in the news and on the internet.
It would be strange to expect kindness towards evil from such a person.
"Let's eat something and then resume. I'll go buy some food."
"Yes, sandwiches are fine for us."
"...Pasta."
"Yes, pasta for the Saintess, and sandwiches for the Inquisitors."
It seemed incredible that they could calmly continue after literally carving up a monster in human form, but for them, it was just another day.
"Garlic worked well too... If so, is there hope for 'that' too?"
The fact that the vampires of this world were no different from Earth's vampires increased the possibilities.
Ray looked at Jorick's blood, extracted with a syringe.
'The quality isn't great, but the experiment is what matters.'
Jorick was indeed a vampire, but in terms of quality, he was the lowest of the low.
An 'elixir' made from such blood wouldn't last long and would have low efficacy.
He wished there was a better quality vampire.
For example, a Count level vampire.
"Ah, if that level appeared, we'd be screwed though."
That would be an anomaly.
But the sense of accomplishment and reward when he finally succeeded in subjugating it...
Still, just when he wished there were more high-quality vampires...
"Did you hear? Jerry's daughter, who went missing, was found!"
"Didn't that family's daughter disappear less than two weeks ago?"
Ray overheard the conversation between the village women while waiting for his sandwich order.
Usually, he collected rumors from the surroundings, so he focused on the conversation while pretending to receive his sandwich.
"Well, they say she was completely emaciated and died like a mummy, with no blood at all!"
"My goodness... another incident like that."
It was more than just idle rumor; Jorick's existence proved that a vampire was in this village.
"Hmm..."
Right, a low-level vampire wouldn't be wandering around alone.
There must be a parent vampire who turned Jorick.
And the fact that Jorick, who was an administrative official, was a vampire among the candidates...
'There's a high probability that there's also a vampire among the nobles in the castle.'
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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