Player-Hunting Inquisitors

Chapter 11

I watched Yuria defeat the monster and wrote down the final conclusion in my notebook.

'Probability of being a player: 100%.'

"What do you think, Miss Natasha?"

"Indeed, her movements during the day were very different. Her understanding of the sword itself seemed to change in an instant."

"I felt the same. It would be best to deal with him as planned."

We should hear Riel and Yuria's opinions as well, but they probably came to the same conclusion as I did.

If they hadn't reached a conclusion, Yuria wouldn't have stepped forward to defeat the monster.

'Then, it's about time to reveal myself.'

"I will go to the students, Miss Natasha."

"Understood."

Revealing myself, I slowly began walking toward the campsite.

"Everyone, congratulations. You showed excellent composure and response to the unexpected situation, setting a great example for the students."

The students seemed a bit startled by my sudden appearance, but intoxicated by the joy of victory, they erased their doubts and innocently accepted my words.

"Of course!"

"It was really scary, Professor~!"

I waited for the students to calm down before delivering my message.

"As an apology for the unexpected situation, I will take the night watch. Please rest comfortably."

"Thank you!!"

The joy of victory was short-lived, as they must have been overwhelmed by immense fatigue.

The exhaustion from wandering around all day, the unfamiliar sleeping arrangements, and even the nighttime ambush.

The students quickly fell asleep, and I quietly waited by the campfire for the two people.

"Saint."

"Welcome, Yuria, Riel. You've worked hard."

"Hehe, that's right."

Seeing that they didn't deny my words, it seemed they were somewhat fatigued as well.

Well, they must have spent the whole day monitoring Cornell.

It's reasonable for them to be a little tired.

"Let's get straight to the conclusion."

"Yes."

"Okay!"

I signaled to Riel. Riel set up a barrier to prevent sound from escaping.

"The probability of being a player, Miss Natasha and I see it as over 90%."

"Riel and I feel the same."

This fact was confirmed by as many as four Apostle-level individuals.

That alone indicates how noticeable his skill improvement was.

Until now, he had endured well, but in the end, he fell into the trap.

"Alright. We'll proceed according to the plan after confirming his identity as a player. You two should get some rest."

"Got it! Let's go, Yuria. Let me hug you while we sleep."

Riel clung to Yuria as if she'd been waiting for this.

"Oh my, I was just about to say that I wanted to sleep with Riel. She's so warm, it's really nice to hug her while sleeping."

Yuria said with a playful smile.

Watching the two of them enter the tent amicably, I reviewed the final plan.

'So, after luring him into the trap, how should we handle the aftermath?'

Cornell, after all, is a noble. If he were to have an accident, a detailed investigation would inevitably follow.

Of course, we could reveal the truth to the Count's family under the name of the Cult, but most parents cannot accept the death of their child.

Therefore, it is crucial to handle it in a way that doesn't raise suspicion.

'It would have been convenient if he had fallen victim to the monster earlier.'

For now, he's intoxicated by his strength and careless, but it will become more difficult to handle him once we return to the academy.

Even more so if he joins forces with other players.

Therefore, it is ideal to deal with him now that his identity has been revealed.

"Miss Natasha."

"I'm listening."

Speaking into the air, a response came back.

"When the possessed is a noble, what is the usual way to handle the aftermath?"

Since I mainly operated in the Demon Lord's domain, I lacked knowledge regarding human nobles.

I had no choice but to ask Miss Natasha, who had more experience.

"Disguising it as an accidental death is ideal. If that's not possible, the Cult's power can be used to cover up the incident."

"The former sounds better. We can give the family a hint to prevent them from investigating further."

"That should suffice."

Good. The final piece of the plan has been set.

Listening to the crackling of the campfire, I waited for the next day's sunrise.

**

At the break of dawn the next day.

"Does anyone here want to visit the monster's nest?"

Gathering the students who had just woken up, I made a proposal.

"The monster you dealt with was the Forest Big Worm. Normally, it doesn't leave its nest, but for some reason, it attacked you. I plan to investigate this, so if anyone wishes to accompany me, please raise your hand."

The students hesitated and looked at each other, but no one raised their hand.

"Since I'll be accompanying you, I can assure your safety. Additionally, those who come along will receive extra points, so two or three of you, please raise your hands."

After my additional words, two hands finally went up.

Of course, those two were Riel and Yuria.

"Alright. You two, get ready and follow me right away. The rest of you, please stay nearby and don't overexert yourselves. Don't venture far in greed for points. Just dealing with that monster is more than enough."

Cornell, too, was hesitating, seemingly wanting to raise his hand, but I moved on before he could decide.

'By provoking him subtly like this, he should react.'

He seemed to regret not raising his hand quickly enough.

"Then, let's head out."

Meanwhile, Riel and Yuria had finished preparing and stood before me.

The other students, still weary, were seen assigning night watch and retreating to their tents to rest.

Cornell, still undecided, kept watching me, but we ignored him and departed.

"So, what do you think?"

Once we were far enough, I initiated the conversation.

"He seems eager to follow us. He'll probably sneak after us soon."

Yuria reported her observations.

"Then, it's going according to plan. But Kian."

"Riel?"

"What if that guy doesn't follow us?"

Our plan was entirely premised on him following us. If he didn't, it would all be for nothing.

"I've considered that scenario too. It's a bit extreme, so I'd rather not use it."

The plan was to summon a group of monsters to create chaos, then cast an illusion spell on him to separate him from the group.

The team members, distracted by fighting monsters, wouldn't notice his disappearance.

I could then excuse myself to search for him and proceed with the interrogation alongside Miss Natasha.

However, traces of magic might remain, so it's not the best option.

I explained this plan to the two of them.

"Hmm, not bad. It is extreme, as you said."

"Indeed. It would be ideal if it didn't come to that."

It seemed the two of them were also concerned about that possibility.

While we were well-versed in judgment, handling nobles was always tricky.

"You'll have to get used to it. There will be times when we have no choice but to use such methods in the future."

With that, we continued our conversation as we headed toward the monster's cave.

As we approached the cave, Yuria signaled to us.

"He's following us. He'll probably arrive here in about ten minutes."

"Alright. Let's proceed as planned. I'll go into the cave first, so lure him here."

"Got it!"

Fortunately, it seemed he chose the easier path.

**

Cornell moved his feet quickly, blaming himself.

'What was I afraid of that I couldn't raise my hand! I should've raised it when the two of them did!'

Having missed the perfect opportunity to close the distance with the two of them, he belatedly tried to follow them.

Chasing the traces left in the forest, he barely climbed to the mountainside and finally found the two he was looking for, letting out a sigh of relief.

'Phew, they haven't entered the cave yet. It seems the professor went into the cave first.'

"Miss Riel! Miss Yuria!"

When he shouted, the two women also reacted and looked at him.

'They're welcoming me with their expressions! I knew it was a good idea to come.'

"Oh my, Mr. Cornell. Why are you here?"

"Haha! I came late to lend my hands to the investigation!"

"Hehe, that's very reassuring."

'She smiled at me!'

Cornell, trying to calm his lips from curling up, failed to properly grasp the intention behind her smile.

"Shall we go in now? The time the professor asked us to wait is up."

"Sure. Please, Mr. Cornell."

"Of course!"

Hearing Riel's words, the three of them slowly entered the cave.

When Riel chanted a spell, a small flame ignited, illuminating the interior of the cave.

"Miss Riel, you seem proficient in fire attribute magic?"

"That's right. I've been interested in it since I was young."

"I was scared of flames when I was young. My parents even scared me by saying I'd wet myself if I played with fire."

Cornell tried to strike up a conversation with the two of them, attempting to close the distance.

In doing so, he naturally mixed in memories of Earth, but he himself didn't find it strange at all.

If it had been just the two of them, it might have been a bit scary. He thought that fortunately, with him being there, they'd feel less afraid.

While indulging in his own delusions, he saw the two of them stopping in a small room.

"Here should be suitable, right? Riel?"

"Yes! More than enough!"

"What do you mean by 'suitable'?"

Riel didn't answer his question.

Instead, she quietly moved behind him and took her position.

"Why are you suddenly behind me?"

The answer to that question came from Yuria, who was standing in front of him.

"Because you are the Outsider from Earth."

In an instant, the atmosphere froze.

'How... How did they find out? What did I do wrong? Was it too obvious? Or... did they find some other evidence?'

Cornell felt his mind go blank.

He desperately tried to grasp the situation, but nothing clear came to mind.

"You can see the Status Window too, right? You even raised your Swordsmanship level with it last night."

'They even know about the Status Window? Are they also people from Earth like me?'

Cornell tried to maintain his composure, but he could no longer hide his restless eyes and trembling voice.

He tried to interpret the situation in his favor. 'If they're from the same hometown... maybe they'll help me? No, they have to!'

However, his anxiety only grew stronger.

To overcome his unease, he attempted to lighten the mood with a casual tone.

"You're from the same hometown, right? Let's get along well from now on."

"Pfft, 'same hometown.' What do you think, Yuria?"

Riel's expression, answering his words, was chillingly cold.

Surprised, Cornell looked to Yuria for help, but her expression was equally cold.

Cornell tried to step back, but it was already too late.

Yuria, with cold eyes, slowly approached him.

Cornell, like a deer in front of a predator, froze in fear, unable to move.

"It's amusing."

Crack! With a sharp metallic sound, Yuria's sword pierced through Cornell's shoulder.

A horrific sound, as if bones were being crushed, echoed inside the cave, and red blood spurted out, staining the cave walls.

Cornell trembled in pain, unable even to scream.

"Ugh..., why on earth...."

"Because it's our role to judge heretics like you."

Crack-!

Another horrifying sound echoed inside the cave.

Yuria's sword had precisely pierced Cornell's other shoulder.

The sensation of the blade slicing through torn flesh and bone was vividly transmitted to Cornell.

The red blood pouring out of the wounds showed no signs of stopping, soaking the ground.

Cornell struggled belatedly, but there was no mercy from the judges.

In his increasingly fading consciousness, the last thing Cornell saw was his Quest window.

At the very bottom, written in red letters.

'Caution! If your identity is revealed, you may be in danger!'

The phrase he hadn't paid much attention to before now struck deeply into Cornell's mind.