The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Future City (1)

Inside the carriage heading to the future city, Nidavellir, I decided to make the most of my spare time.

“Hmm…”

The first thing was, of course, the sword I received from my master.

It was something I hadn’t paid attention to until now, or rather, hadn’t even thought about.

The fact that I couldn’t overlay it with divine power wasn’t such a significant flaw.

Because I could properly utilize mana instead of divine power.

“So. What should I do…”

The circle I possess is one.

In other words, it’s a 1-circle that can manipulate mana. Since I don’t intend to become a wizard or a magic swordsman, this is enough.

It’s a stage that most nobles go through, and even some middle-class families are similar.

Creating a 1-circle is not difficult. It’s the Titans who can’t do it that are strange.

Anyway, the problem now is not the number of circles but the total amount of power.

I haven’t delved deeply into mana training. The size of the circle is small, and the amount of mana I can utilize is also small.

“Should I go for variety, or should I dig one well?”

The sword my master gave me is a famous sword.

Even without divine power, it was enough to leave a scratch on Mez’s neck.

To properly utilize this power, I need to train my mana and expand the size of my circle. Since I’ve been training divine power instead of mana until now, I have a long way to go.

If I split my efforts into two, it might lead to a situation where I achieve neither.

But once I reach a certain trajectory, I will definitely become stronger.

High risk, high return.

“Titan, what do you think is the best course of action?”

“Digging one well is good, but the more you can do, the better.”

“Why?”

“Because having more means allows you to gain an advantage over stronger opponents. If you’re not going to spend your whole life training just one thing, it’s better not to limit your means.”

“That’s true…”

He’s not wrong.

Come to think of it, I’ve already learned a lot of miscellaneous skills.

That’s because I’ve used every means available to me as an inquisitor.

I was the one who trapped enemies in dirty and cowardly ways.

However, what I have to do this time is not a skill that can be quickly brought to a high level, but something that requires long and steady effort to bear fruit, which bothers me a bit.

“What about you?”

Whoosh!

As soon as I spoke, Titan pulled out a dagger from his bosom and threw it at a nearby tree.

A bird that was just about to take off was pinned to the tree.

“Do I need to say more?”

“Yeah, you’re great.”

“I can do this too.”

Titan threw another dagger. But this time, it didn’t stick like before.

The dagger, drawing a gentle curve, sliced through the wing of a bird flying in the sky and fell.

“Oh.”

It didn’t seem to fly that fast, so how did he hit it?

Normally, it would have dodged.

“How…”

It was the moment I was about to ask while looking at the bird falling from the sky.

“Heeheehee!”

*Thud!*

The dagger that had been falling, slicing through the bird’s wing, pierced the horse’s head.

One of the two horses that had been walking with a plodding gait died instantly.

The horse walking beside it, startled by the impact, reared up and fell.

“Just asking, but did you do that on purpose?”

“…I may be a great guy, but I didn’t do that on purpose.”

In an instant, we lost both horses. Our carriage journey was over.

“What are we going to do about this?”

“Can’t we just walk?”

*Cough! Cough! Ugh…*

At that moment, Claire, who had been lying in the carriage, coughed deliberately.

“…”

Even a heartless Titan didn’t say anything more.

“Titan, I’ll tell you the solution. You can pull the carriage.”

“Are you treating me like a beast of burden?”

Even with his pride…

“Titan, think carefully.”

“Should I break your head?”

“No, not that. Do you really think a horse is just a simple beast?”

“Here we go with the nonsense again.”

“Horses pull carriages. That’s why someone as frail as Claire could join us on this journey, right?”

“So?”

“What do you think of a king? Isn’t a king someone who leads his people from the front?”

“…Is that so?”

“Pulling the carriage is something only you can do. Neither I nor Linea have the strength. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a king’s duty.”

“Hmm…”

Titan quietly got up, moved the fallen horse, and grabbed the carriage.

“I am on a journey to become a king. Leading everyone is a role only I can fulfill.”

It seems we won’t need to buy horses anymore. We’ve got a beast stronger than a horse.

* * *

A well-raised Titan was far better than two horses.

It was natural that the speed of movement increased as the heaviest one in the carriage got off, but he had more stamina than a horse.

“More than that…”

I looked up at the sky in the distance.

“It seems like we’re almost there?”

The city’s neon lights are not yet visible. But I could see the steam, a characteristic of the future city.

Steam rising into the sky and the slightly darkened scenery because of it.

And to alleviate it as much as possible, strange devices floating in the air are constantly blowing the steam away.

“There are many useful tools in Nidavellir, so should we buy some while we’re here?”

I had been to Nidavellir before the regression. It was a short time, but I could feel why it was called a future city.

And why Nidavellir was the most severe trial.

＜The One Who Draws the Future＞

Deus Ex Machina

Not all trials are hostile to humans. Even ＜The Wanderer＞ wasn’t, right?

She loves humans more than anyone else. It’s just that her excessive love tends to hinder human growth.

Nidavellir, where we will arrive this time, is the same.

A city created by ＜The One Who Draws the Future＞ Deus Ex Machina.

A treasure trove of resources with cutting-edge technology that surpasses the technological level by 2-3 stages and an inexhaustible mine.

That’s why it’s a future city.

And that’s why.

It’s also the most severe trial.

“Mr. Lost! I can see Nidavellir over there! If you need anything, I’ll buy it for you, so let’s stay for a while?”

“Shall we?”

Linnea, who seemed unusually excited, could be seen. Her ears were perked up, and her tail was sweeping the floor of the carriage relentlessly.

“Cough! Cough!”

Claire, covered in dust, coughed, and Linnea looked at her, feeling excessively intimidated.

I watched the peaceful scene for a moment, then lit a cigarette.

Watching the ember settle at the end of the cigarette, I spoke as if spitting out.

“Come to think of it, there was something called a lighter, wasn’t there?”

It was definitely a product from Nidavellir.

Of course, it has nothing to do with me. Lighting a fire with my divine power is almost like a ritual.

“I’ll buy it for you!”

“Oh, okay.”

Seeing Linea in a good mood today, with Vesta’s flame, I couldn’t say I didn’t need it. Is it the first time she thinks she can be helpful?

Well, considering what she’s done recently, she’s been nothing but a parasite.

“…So please forget about what happened last time.”

Is she talking about the time she ran to me with a dagger imbued with mana?

I’m still afraid it might appear in my dreams.

But well…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did something happen?”

“Really? Hehe.”

There was no malice.

I think it’s more comfortable for both of us to pretend we don’t know.

“Linea.”

“Yes?”

“I think we also need some heat stones.”

Of course, there’s no reason to refuse when she offers to buy them. It’s said that bestowing kindness upon others is a virtue.

“A lot.”

Let’s see Linea’s virtue today.

* * *

The mere existence of a Titan creates a sense of vigilance.

It can be seen as a major drawback, but if used well, it can be a great advantage.

I always kept that in mind.

So when we arrived in the city.

Fortunately, unlike in the Duke of Foris’s territory, no problems arose, so I could consider myself lucky.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

“Is it a Chimera? To achieve such results in bioengineering…”

“Look at this, the muscle density is incomparable to any ordinary creature.”

But curiosity grew.

As soon as we arrived in the city, we were surrounded by dwarves less than a meter tall.

They are dwarves.

As Nidavellir is called a futuristic city, it is inevitable that there are many dwarves who are engineers.

“Where did you find it? Instead of this, how about selling it to us? We’ll pay you handsomely.”

“Ah, no. Mr. Titan is our colleague, so selling him is…”

Linnea, who came out as the representative of the group, is troubled by the dwarves who start appraising Titan’s arm without fear.

“How much will you give us?”

“Mr. Rost…?”

Linnea looks at me as if she can’t believe what she just heard.

Only then did Titan, who seemed to have grasped the situation, glare at me and speak.

“Do you want to die?”

“It was just a joke. Elders, could you please step aside? We’ve had a rough journey and we’re a bit tired.”

“Ah, I see! Sorry about that. We should have been kinder to tourists. By the way, do you have any plans on where to stay?”

It’s an obvious trick.

And it’s also a natural flow.

“Well, what do we know? It’s our first time here. It would be nice if we had a guide…”

“That’s right. It would be good to have someone who knows the geography of this place well.”

“We don’t like too much fuss, and it would be nice if we could find just one guide. But where could we find such a guide…”

“Ahem! Ahem, ahem. As outsiders, there must be many things that are unfamiliar.”

“Of course. Isn’t this a futuristic city? It must be unfamiliar.”

“Then I…”

“Oh, come on! What would you know, always cooped up in your workshop? I, on the other hand, often go on food tours…”

“Food tours, my foot! Do you think people come to Nidavellir for food? Use your brain! That’s why I am the perfect…”

A fire ignites among the dwarves.

Rumors spread, and the crowd grows larger and larger.

Before long, a multitude of dwarves began to form a long line at the city entrance.

In a way, it could be considered a spectacle.

It will be sorted out if we wait a little longer.

The only dwarf who survived that intrigue and could observe the creature called an orc for the first time…

“What are you all doing! Do you have time to spare? If so, why don’t you quit your jobs and stop hanging around here?”

“Mr. Geppetto!”

“Why don’t you all get lost? You can’t even make a proper cogwheel!”

He’s the one with the most influence.

So who could it be? Among the dwarves, who are believed to live as long as the elves, who could seize this opportunity?

Probably the most skilled artisan who has lived the longest in Nidavellir.

“Nice to meet you, Lord.”

He is the master of this city.

“Lord? Don’t force us to discriminate based on such status.”

“You may not have the title, but you seem to enjoy the power.”

“Then should I, at my age, be treated the same as those young ones?”

I was lucky.

I thought I would have to go through steps to make contact, but I met him right away.

“So, why did you do that with the kids? What were you trying to achieve by making those innocent kids fight?”

“They looked older than us at a glance, though you call them innocent kids.”

“To me, they all look like babies.”

What a cynical old man.

The dwarf called Geppetto, with a single glance, drove away the dwarves that had gathered around and said,

“Hey, you religious guy.”

“Yes, Mr. Geppetto.”

“You came to dig something out of me too, right? There’s nothing, so don’t waste your energy and quietly leave.”

“Oh, it seems there were quite a few people who came before me.”

“Do you think you were the only one?”

“There must have been many.”

Little is known about the ＜One Who Draws the Future＞.

Not only now but also in the future before the regression.

Before the regression, the ＜One Who Draws the Future＞ was within the range of the ＜One Who Erodes＞ and was destroyed once.

Trials clashed with trials, and there was a great catastrophe as a result.

Of course, this time, the direction is to eliminate the very cause that would make the ＜One Who Erodes＞ move, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

“Still, you know a little, don’t you? You’ve been through trials and history together.”

“I said I don’t know.”

Really? Even so, would so many people have come and gone?

Of course, I don’t know. But among those who came before, wasn’t there anyone with more information than me?

The old dwarf in front of me met his end when the ＜Corroder＞ crushed the ＜Future Seeker＞.

He stayed in the city until the trial was completely destroyed.

Yes. That’s why in the Pantheon.

“Even though he’s a parent?”

They assumed Geppetto was the creator of the ＜Future Seeker＞.