Player-Hunting Inquisitors

Chapter 4

After parting ways with Natasha, I returned to my lodging and began preparing for the interrogation.

'I need to keep it hidden in the staff so it doesn't catch the black eyes. A binding rope, a dagger, and some combat tools should be enough.'

Since it's an urgent task, it needs to be handled discreetly, so I only packed equipment that I could carry on me.

The mission begins around midnight, and Natasha is tasked with monitoring that player during this time.

After finishing the originally scheduled meal with a member of the cult and evening prayers, I headed to the designated meeting place.

When I arrived at the place where I had met Natasha earlier today, I saw her revealing herself.

"Did you arrive a bit early?"

"Yes, there's no time to waste."

Natasha, who said, "Let's get going," guided me to the lodging where the player was staying.

The inn where the player was staying was surprisingly luxurious, not quite fitting for him.

When Natasha gestured, small spirits clung to her.

"Here, room 302. He's completely asleep."

It seems she had tasked the spirits with monitoring him while bringing me here.

As planned, I would enter the room and secure the player.

Meanwhile, Natasha would stand by outside to prevent him from escaping through the window.

"I came here because of the adventurer staying in room 302. Is he inside?"

"Ah, yes. If you wait, I'll send a staff member to inform him."

"No need for that. I'll go see him myself."

Fortunately, the staff let me in without much suspicion.

They probably thought I was a servant of some noble, which works in my favor.

'When leaving, it'd be better if I checked out on his behalf.'

Such a luxurious inn is bound to care about the whereabouts of its guests. It'd be better to adjust the plan slightly to create an alibi.

Standing in front of room 302, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. It seems the player had passed out drunk.

Thanks to that, I could easily unlock the door and enter the room.

Once inside, I signaled out the window.

Then, a figure quietly climbed in along the wall.

"Secured."

"Good job. Did you bring the rope?"

"Yes."

Even though someone had entered the room, the player, still drunk, remained unconscious. Thanks to that, restraining him was easier.

I tightly bound the player's ankles with the rope I had prepared.

Still half-asleep and mumbling, I lifted him and hooked the rope onto the chandelier on the ceiling.

After pulling the rope a few times to secure it, I suspended the player in midair.

"Aagh! Who's there?!"

"Shouting won't help. This hotel has excellent soundproofing."

Still not fully awake, he seemed unable to grasp the situation.

"I have no money! I'm an orphan without parents!"

"Does it look like we're doing this for money?"

Ignoring his cries, we began preparing for the interrogation.

"Here's the dagger and combat tools. Do you need anything else?"

"What I brought is enough."

This interrogation was to be conducted by Natasha.

Meanwhile, my role was to inspect the player's belongings and prepare for cleanup after the interrogation.

"It's best to spill everything you know."

"I'm just a regular adventurer. I don't know anything!"

Crack-!

At some point, Natasha had a whip in her hand.

A brief 'lesson' followed for the player, who wasn't ready to answer yet.

'This is an adventurer's registration card, and there's a wallet too. As expected, there's barely any money. The weapons haven't been maintained at all.'

During that time, I rummaged through his belongings. At first glance, they seemed insignificant, but they revealed the player's characteristics.

Among the weapons was a katana that looked luxurious.

The scabbard was unnecessarily ornate, and the blade was completely unmaintained.

It was entirely different from how adventurers usually purchase weapons according to their financial situation.

"Now again. What did the goddess instruct you to do?"

"How could someone like me receive a mission from the goddess?"

Crack-!

"We already know. That you came from Earth. That you received a quest from the goddess."

"How do you know that... Even if that's true, it's not a crime!"

What a ridiculous statement. This world belongs to those born here. They trample over others' worlds, enchanted by the goddess's sweet words, yet claim they've done nothing wrong.

Crossing the boundaries of worlds itself is a grave crime against the celestial order.

If he could see the status window, he must have completed quests too.

Without knowing what kind of impact those quests might have on our world.

"No need for long talk. Spill everything you know quickly."

"What do you mean everything?! I'm just an adventurer!"

Natasha smirked and swung the whip she had taken out.

Crack-

A loud sound echoed through the room.

"Don't pretend you don't know. The quests you've completed so far, and Earth, where you lived. Spill everything you know."

"Wait, how do you know about Earth... Argh! Fine! I'll tell you everything I know! Just spare me!"

'Violence always gets answers,' Riel once said.

Seeing him confess so easily after barely being hit, it seems that's true.

Among the weapons, a notebook caught my eye. I placed it on a desk in the corner and read its contents.

'Day xx. I'm slowly adapting to this world. Drawing water from the well has become familiar. But I still can't get used to the bathroom. I miss the bidet so much...'

The diary, written in Earth's language, was simple. It gave a rough idea of the life he had been living since coming to this world.

Lucky for him, this diary will make the interrogation end quickly.

While the interrogation was ongoing, I handed the diary to Natasha.

"Here's the diary. It might help with the interrogation."

"Good information. Thanks."

"The diary! Yes! Everything I, I mean, everything I know is written there.

It's written in Korean, so you won't be able to read it. Let me read it for you! Just stop the whip for now!!"

"Day xx, today I dreamed of the goddess.

The biggest reason I came to this world is to meet her one day and spend a night together... Are you out of your mind?"

The player, with a face saying 'How do you know Korean...' seemed to lose his mind. Perhaps he felt a glimmer of hope, only to have it crushed.

We never gave him hope. Besides, he claimed innocence, but based on the diary, he's guilty enough to go to prison.

He had repeatedly extorted merchants by forcing escort requests under the guise of being an adventurer, and he had skipped out on debts at shops dozens of times.

On top of that, he once deceived a naive village girl into thinking he was a great adventurer, only to abandon her when she got pregnant.

A typical player.

As outsiders to this world, they live ignoring the laws.

Because they have a strong sense of 'I'm special.'

Or perhaps, 'It's not my world anyway.'

"After doing all this, you claim you're innocent? Is all of this legal on Earth?"

The player, now silent like a mute, seemed to have finally accepted his situation.

Asking further about his crimes seemed meaningless. Natasha also seemed to think so and stopped the whip.

This player, as incompetent as he was, knew nothing and hadn't received any special quests.

He came to the academy not because of a quest but out of personal interest.

"Good work."

"It was nothing."

"Take care of the cleanup." With those words, Natasha stepped back behind me.

Now, it's time for cleanup. To let him leave a will, I healed his mouth and neck with divine power.

"Before you go to meet her, do you have any last words?"

"Who is she, am I going to die?"

Even until now, he hasn't given up hope for life. In some sense, he's quite remarkable.

Being that simple-minded is also a kind of talent.

"Since it's your last moment, I'll kindly tell you. She is the one we serve. She is the adversary of the goddess who sent you into this world and the ruler of darkness."

The rope that had been suspending him from the ceiling was untied, and he was forced to kneel on the floor.

It seemed like his body wasn't moving properly, as he collapsed onto the floor as soon as he was made to kneel.

Facing him, I knelt on the floor and recited a prayer.

"As your faithful servant fulfills their duty, I earnestly plead for this blasphemer to be given a new opportunity.

Though he was deceived by the honeyed words of the goddess and committed sins, everyone deserves a chance for redemption."

With a cold expression, I placed my hand on the crown of the player's head.

The faint warmth I felt beneath my palm would soon disappear.

This is a necessary process. The possessed are not souls of this world, so they cannot go to the proper place after death.

Thus, the inquisitor must personally send them off.

Otherwise, they would wander this world even after death.

"Through the guidance blessing I've received, I will guide him to you. He will face his sins and pay the price. This is the mission entrusted to me."

Feeling the activation of the blessing, I drew upon my divine power.

"All things are born from darkness and return to darkness; this is the law of the world. Darkness will embrace your wrongdoings, and being with it is a blessing."

The divine power I summoned fully activated the blessing. Starting from the crown of his head, where my hand rested, the divine power slowly spread outward.

Eventually, when the divine power completely engulfed him, the player no longer existed in this place.

Clap clap-!

In the space where only the player's traces remained, Natasha's applause echoed.

"It's gotten longer than before. Back then, it was just a single sentence."

"It seems I've grown as I became a saint."

In truth, it's one of the things I memorized while preparing for the professor interview.

Our god doesn't care about prayers or anything of the sort.

Long prayers are merely for the self-satisfaction of believers and hold no real meaning.

"I'll leave the report to you. I'll be off then."

"Goodbye."

The player had completely disappeared, but his belongings remained.

I took out the item pouch from his chest and stuffed all the miscellaneous items into it.

By the time the room was tidied up, the sun was slowly rising.

With the rising sun at my back, I left the inn and headed to the church.

The shadow before me was dark, as if it had swallowed that player whole.

Facing the shadow was never pleasant. Not even once.