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Chapter 7 : The Lord of the Domain (2)
“We have arrived.”
The knight at the head of the group said. Inquisitor Godwin gave the domain spread out before him a cursory glance.
The buildings were old, and the roads were dirty. The lord’s castle looked like a ruin.
The image of a failing domain.
“To think I’d have to come to a backwater place like this.”
Ẃеbn ov̀ ë ľ Е̃ nüm̄ а
Godwin said with dissatisfaction.
“Tell me about it.”
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The knights chimed in.
The temple knights belonging to the religious court were considered the elite within the church.
It wasn’t often that such men came to a place like this.
“I heard the Griffiths don’t even have knights.”
Е ň ům̃ а̂ . ї d
“No knights?”
“I heard they disbanded the knightly order because they didn’t have the money to maintain it.”
“So Priest Thomas was beaten by a beggar like that?”
“Yes.”
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The knights shook their heads.
The lord’s son had incited the villagers to riot against the temple. A temple knight was killed, and the priest was dragged to the lord’s castle.
Еnu m a ..і̃ď
Nominally, the lord was the highest authority in the domain.
But in reality, there was no noble who could touch a priest of the Theos Church. Because the Theos Church was the state religion of the Holy Empire.
It was an unprecedented event, so the church, just in case, had dispatched an inquisitor and elite knights.
“How crazy do you think he is?”
A knight asked.
“Who are you talking about?”
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“The Black Magic Prince.”
“We’ll know when we meet him.”
“I heard the Black Magic Prince sent a letter to the religious court.”
Another knight said.
“I read it too. He said the priest of his domain had committed blasphemy, fraud, and insulting a noble, and asked us to come and judge him.”
At Godwin’s answer, the knights burst out laughing.
Еn̊ ũm а
“No matter how crazy he is, he must be scared of us. Seeing him trying to figure out a way to get out of this.”
“He must also know that it won’t be easy. Enough chatter, let’s go.”
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“Yes, Inquisitor.”
Godwin led the knights and entered the domain.
“I-it’s an inquisitor!”
“Hide! Hurry!”
E ñ um̌ å
The villagers who recognized the inquisitor’s insignia hurriedly hid themselves.
In an instant, the street became deserted.
‘Just as I thought.’
In a weak country like this, an inquisitor of the Theos Church was like a grim reaper.
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Once you were marked, neither the lord nor the king could protect you. If necessary, they would even fabricate crimes to condemn you.
“To the temple.”
W e b n o v́ е l̄ Е̌ n ù m̀ ǎ
Godwin decided to check the temple first.
“Hmm?”
Contrary to his expectations, he could not find any signs of destruction at the temple.
Godwin called the novice priest who was guarding the temple and asked.
“Has everything been repaired?”
“No, sir. Nothing was broken in the first place.”
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“Didn’t you say there was a riot?”
“They only protested outside and then left. Young Master Edward controlled the villagers.”
‘…A clever one.’
The temple was a sacred and inviolable area. If the rioters had trespassed into the temple, it would have been fine to execute them all.
But if they only protested and withdrew, the justification for punishment disappears.
Godwin, who had considered Edward to be either an ignorant brat or a madman, felt a sense of unease.
Еṅŭm̀ а.. і̇ d
“How was Priest Thomas captured?”
“He was caught by Young Master Edward while escaping through the secret passage.”
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“Secret passage?”
“He had a tunnel dug that leads to the back of that hill in case of an emergency.”
The novice priest pointed to the hill behind the temple.
“Didn’t you say the villagers only protested?”
En̊ u m̃ а
“They did. But Priest Thomas got scared…”
Godwin let out a sigh.
Edward knew that he shouldn't enter the temple recklessly, and he had controlled the villagers appropriately.
Thomas would have been fine if he hadn't left the temple. If he was really anxious, he could have just sent a messenger.
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But Thomas, unable to overcome his fear that the villagers might storm in, had tried to flee and ended up getting caught instead.
‘He knew.’
Е n u m̆ ă
Edward knew exactly what kind of person Thomas was and where the secret passage was.
‘Pathetic fool.’
He remembered how Thomas had once described Edward as an idiot he could play with as he pleased.
But the one who had actually been played in the other’s hand was Thomas.
Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that this mission, which had seemed so easy and thus incredibly annoying, might be difficult.
“Let’s go to the lord’s castle.”
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Godwin went to the lord’s castle with the knights.
“Welcome to the Griffith domain.”
An old butler politely greeted the party.
“Where is the Baron?”
“He is away, sir.”
“What?”
Ŵ е b n̊ о̇v ёl È ñ ûṁ а̊
“Young Master Edward is acting on his Lordship’s behalf. This way, please.”
Godwin and the knights followed the butler with bewildered expressions.
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Unlike the old and dirty exterior, the interior was clean. The decorations were not splendid, but it was well-maintained.
However, there were no soldiers to be seen anywhere. That point made Godwin uneasy.
The party was guided to a hall in the center of the castle.
“Welcome.”
Е n ūmа
Edward greeted them with a bright smile.
‘Hmm?’
He had heard he was on his deathbed, but no matter how he looked at him, he didn't seem like a sick person.
A tall stature and a strikingly handsome face. His purple eyes shone with brilliance.
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His gait had the characteristic vitality of a young man, and his gestures had an innate grace.
The young master of a historic family. That was Godwin’s first impression of Edward.
W̆ẽ b̀ ńo̊ṽ.ė l Е̊ n̆ um a
“I am Inquisitor Godwin.”
“Welcome. The drawing-room is inside, but it is not spacious enough for everyone to enter…”
“There’s no need for that. We are not here to be entertained, but to interrogate the young master. Where is Priest Thomas?”
Godwin cut him off and got straight to the point.
Edward had asked them to judge the wayward priest, but the church had no intention of doing so from the beginning.
“I see.”
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The butler standing next to him turned pale, but Edward was composed.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better for you as well, Inquisitor, to conduct the interrogation in the drawing-room?”
“I have no business there.”
“Understood. Frederick.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Please bring the documents from the drawing-room.”
W ĕḃn оv еl̂ Е̊_num̂à
“Yes, Young Master.”
As Frederick disappeared, Edward leisurely walked over and sat on the lord’s seat at the end of the hall.
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“Shall we arrest him?”
A knight asked Godwin. Godwin shook his head. Securing Priest Thomas’s safety was the priority.
A moment later, the butler brought a thick bundle of documents and handed it to Edward. He glanced through it roughly, then pulled out a portion and threw it toward Godwin.
Swish.
Е̂ n̊ ùm̀ а
The documents scattered on the floor. Godwin and the knights scowled.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“The church that claims to serve the god of justice has been illegally taking the domain’s property for years. Those documents are the proof.”
Godwin also picked up the documents that had fallen to the floor. A familiar format and seal. They were the ones used in the church’s official documents.
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‘This idiot!’
Godwin cursed the foolish Priest Thomas.
Е n u̇m̂ а
This document should never have been revealed to the world. This type of document should be kept in a secret safe inside the temple, and in an emergency, it was the principle to incinerate it.
“Trespassing into a temple is blasphemy.”
“I have never trespassed. The kind Priest Thomas brought them out himself.”
Godwin bit his molars.
‘If you were going to run, you should have just run with your body. Why the hell did you bring this out too.’
If Thomas were in front of him, he would have wanted to grab him by the collar.
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“According to that document, the church knew that Mana Water was produced in this domain. Instead of buying it with money, they chose to scam us. Is this the justice that the god Theos speaks of?”
Godwin could not answer. It didn't matter, as he hadn't come to have a conversation in the first place.
“That man is a heretic who is engrossed in black magic. Arrest him.”
At Godwin’s command, the knights drew their swords as if they had been waiting.
“What is the meaning of this! How can such a thing happen in this world!”
The butler intervened.
W̄е bn o v̆ e l Е n um.ȧ
Godwin narrowed his brow. Because the old man’s aura was not ordinary.
“Frederick.”
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Edward said with a smile.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is not a place for you to step in, Frederick.”
“Young Master!”
“Go on.”
Ѐ_n ũ m ӓ
Frederick stepped aside.
“Do those documents look real to you, Inquisitor?”
Edward asked Godwin.
Godwin stopped the knights. Then he looked at the documents again.
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‘…A handwritten copy?’
At a glance, it looked exactly like the church’s official documents.
Ên u má
But upon closer inspection, the color of the letters was subtly different.
“Where is the original?”
“A messenger has it. It should arrive at my maternal family’s, the Lancer house, by tomorrow.”
Count Lancer was a great lord of the east and one of the powerful figures in Aerok.
“So?”
“I have asked them to deliver that document to the Queen of Aerok if something happens to me.”
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The Theos Church is systematically scamming and stealing Aerok’s property? If this became public, it would get a little noisy.
But that was all.
“Pfft!”
“Hahahahaha.”
The knights burst out laughing.
“Are you calling that a threat?”
Е̊n ǔ m̃ а̇
As expected, the brat was a brat.
In the first place, the Theos Church and the Holy Empire did not consider Aerok an equal partner. Because Aerok was an object of domination, not an object of compromise.
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Although they prioritized dialogue and compromise to increase the efficiency of domination, they could crush them with force at any time if necessary.
“Just so you know, we can erase this kingdom from the map at any time.”
The reason the empire did not use military force was because there was no need to do so yet.
The Queen of Aerok was acting as a faithful puppet of the empire.
We̊b n о̂ v̊el Е̊ ňu ma
“I understand very well how the church thinks of the kingdom.”
Surprisingly, Edward did not lose his composure. Even though it was no longer a situation to be bluffing.
“I am also curious as to what High Priest Leff thinks of you, Inquisitor.”
High Priest Leff was a big shot who oversaw the entire Aerok parish. He was like the heavens to an inquisitor.
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“What are you talking about?”
“Do you think that document is the only thing that has come into my hands?”
Е́ n̈ u̇ṁа̌ .іḋ
Was it because of Edward’s consistently relaxed attitude? A sense of unease slowly crept in.
“Why did Priest Thomas bring out the church’s official documents when he escaped? The principle should be to burn them or put them in a secret safe.”
“…”
“In fact, it was a coincidence that he brought out the official documents. He happened to bring them out by chance while packing the documents he absolutely needed for himself.”
The ominous premonition was gradually becoming a reality.
“What kind of document would a low-ranking priest, who can hardly avoid punishment for failing to manage his parish, absolutely need to preserve his position? Of course, the original of that document is also with the messenger now. If something happens to me, my uncle will send it to the High Priest.”
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Godwin’s face turned pale. The knights should not hear any more of Edward’s words.
“I will give you one last chance. Shall we go to the drawing-room?”
Edward asked again with a gentle smile.
“Sheathe your swords.”
“Inquisitor?”
The knights were bewildered, but Godwin did not retract his command.
Е̂ n ûm а
“Wait here. Lead the way.”
“A wise choice.”
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Edward grinned and led Godwin to the drawing-room.
Click.
As soon as he entered the drawing-room, Godwin closed the door. Edward sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.
“Have a seat.”
Е̄n ũṁa .ї d̄
Godwin sat on the sofa opposite him.
“Five kilograms of mithril ore in 2520, five tree roots inhabited by a dryad in 2518, two bottles of Fire Wine made with a salamander in 2517, and in the winter of the same year, a top-grade sapphire…”
Edward recited the bribes Godwin had received from Priest Thomas over the years without missing a single one.
“You’ve eaten quite a lot. You must be full.”
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“That’s enough.”
Stealing Mana Water from the Griffith domain was an order from the church. But siphoning off a portion of it and selling it to the villagers was something Priest Thomas had done on his own.
Еn u m̂ a
Godwin, who had the duty to audit the low-ranking priests in this region, had been turning a blind eye to Thomas’s embezzlement in exchange for bribes.
Thomas had packed the documents recording the details of the bribes while fleeing. He probably intended to ask for help with that.
One thing was clear: if that document were to fall into the hands of the church’s higher-ups, Godwin would not be safe either.
The church was lenient about extorting the property of outsiders, but it did not tolerate anyone touching the church’s property.
“What do you want?”
Although he had committed the grave crime of attacking a person of the church, Godwin could not punish Edward. If he did, his own neck would fly.
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Edward was by no means a brat.
He was a man of resourcefulness with an extraordinary brain and the boldness not to be intimidated even in front of an inquisitor.
“The excommunication of Priest Thomas.”
“What do you plan to do with him?”
“Why do you need to know that?”
Edward asked with an arrogant and disrespectful attitude. Godwin could not say anything.
Е ñu̇m à .і̃ d
“You will also have to compensate for the damages inflicted on the family and the villagers over the years.”
“How so?”
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“I’ll let it slide for 500,000 gold.”
“Th-that is…”
“Lump sum.”
“Impossible!”
Е n ū m̊а́
“Inquisitor.”
Edward leaned in.
“I am not making a deal right now.”
Meeting Edward’s cold gaze, Godwin trembled in spite of himself.
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(End of Chapter)
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