Chapter 24: Encountering a Holy Inquisitor (II)

Compared to blue magic, black magic and white magic appeared much earlier. If black magic originates from the power of demons, then white magic traces its origins back to the natural magic of the elves.
Like the elves, who revere the power of nature, white magicians utilize the positive forces of elements. They believe that this is the proper way to use elements.
Black magic and white magic are not entirely opposed to each other; they emerged almost simultaneously in the world and were refined by magicians.
The magical systems were initially divided. During the era of King Sassen, dissatisfied with his attempt to use magic as a highly destructive weapon, some magicians who studied white magic left Sassen and came to Salonia, the capital of white magic.
Salonia was originally a small country, unable to compete with the most powerful empires of the time. To stop the empire’s advance, King Ian Colburn offered his palace as a gesture of hospitality, inviting these magicians to stay in his country.
Touched by this, the magicians agreed to the king’s request, thus beginning a centuries-long struggle against black magic.
In the early days, black magic, used as a weapon, indeed possessed astonishing destructive power. Some powerful black magicians could even level entire cities, whereas white magic lacked such strength.
The first to propose improving white magic was a magician named Claude Gallard. Concerned by the growing gap between white and black magic, he called on the magicians of Salonia to work together to organize and refine white magic. Yet, no matter what, white magic, which used the positive energy of elements, could not compete in terms of destructive power with black magic, which used negative energy.
At this time, white magician Christian Galdner proposed the theory of “the power of faith.” He discovered that human faith contained an incredible force. From then on, magicians began to combine the fragmented magical systems they had with the power of faith, giving rise to great white magic—a great achievement of human civilization, just like black magic!
It must be said that black magic emerged thanks to King Sassen’s substantial investment of manpower, resources, and wealth. In contrast, the emergence of white magic seemed predestined; it arose miraculously with almost no support…

Ultimately, it all boils down to Thalonia’s human geography. After all, during the battles against the orcs a thousand years ago, the north was the territory directly bordering the orcs, where wars lasted for a hundred or even two hundred years. This led to the northern people becoming more militaristic. The nations that emerged hundreds of years later were monarchy-based states like empires, and the first rulers, the Saxon kings, were themselves brave and skilled warriors.

Unlike the north, Thalonia in the south rarely experienced warfare. Even in the early days, thanks to its geographical advantages, its people had never witnessed the horrors of the orcs. They remained in the rear during the alliance wars, which made the locals kind, peace-loving, and averse to conflict.

It should be noted that there were many small, scattered nations near Thalonia. Yet, incredibly, over decades or even centuries, none of these nations showed any sign of invading others.

The king, rather than being simply the ruler of the country, was actually the most respected person there. In Thalonia, if you saw a noble or even the king take off his luxurious clothes and work in the fields personally, don’t be surprised—this was a common sight in the south.

Most astonishingly, there was no such thing as an army in the south. The guards used for basic defense, composed of ordinary people from nearby villages, were only meant to protect against animal attacks.

Peace was revered here, so there was no need for an army!

Thanks to this highly favorable cultural environment, the ideal foundation was laid for the beliefs of white magicians.

But as to which deity should be the focus of white magic worship, after much deliberation, the white magicians finally reached an agreement.

Light!

The omnipresent, omnipotent light!

The light that guides the way and drives away darkness!

Isn’t light the most fitting deity for white magic?

Thus, unlike ordinary light, white magicians combined their incomplete magical systems with their faith, naming the newly created light “Holy Light.” They also developed some doctrines and spread them across the nations near Thalonia.

More than a decade later, when the empire conquered most of the neighboring countries by force and army, the small nations of the south, without engaging in a single battle, united to form a great nation: Thalonia!

By that time, the Saxon king had grown old. Desiring to add another achievement to his glorious record, he sent his army along with his proud magi to attack Salonia. Unexpectedly, there were also a considerable number of magi in the south, and these white magi possessed powers on par with those of the black magi! In the end, the Saxon king passed away with only a trace of regret… In the years that followed, successive Saxon kings strived to conquer Salonia and fulfill their ancestors’ wishes, but regrettably, they never succeeded… For Salonia in the south had, over the long years, evolved into a nation different from the imperial autocracy—a nation founded on faith: the [Holy Church of Salonia]! It was not until over a decade ago that the elderly Saxon King Thirteen sought to follow in his ancestors’ footsteps and launched the largest campaign in history. Countless armies and magi were used as weapons, and even the empire’s most powerful grand magi rushed to the front lines. This campaign claimed countless lives, leaving countless families in grief. Both the empire and Salonia were immersed in deep sorrow. It was an extremely brutal [Yearlong Campaign]! A year later, the white magi of Salonia took the initiative, and King Thirteen, filled with remorse for starting this war, agreed to the Church’s ceasefire proposal. For the first time in hundreds of years, these two hostile and most powerful human nations attempted to engage with each other. This was a political dialogue that would mark a significant step forward in human civilization history, and the [Holy Knights] were the political product of this dialogue. Speaking of the [Yearlong Campaign], one name must be mentioned: one of Salonia’s twelve archbishops, the archbishop who headed the [Inquisition of Heresy] and the [Inquisition of Darkness] during the war, the most renowned and learned holy white magician in the Church, and reportedly one of the papal candidates—Saint Charles George! Originally, the concept of forbidden spells did not exist in Salonia’s white magic system, as they had [divine arts]. However, during the Yearlong Campaign, the Church’s white magi rarely used their divine arts—not because they couldn’t, but for some reason, which will not be discussed here. As a result, when faced with the forbidden spell-level attacks from the empire’s grand magi, the Church could only defend passively.

At that moment, Saint Charles George unleashed a forbidden-level white magic spell he had never used before—one that he had devoted his entire life to studying: [Gate of Heaven]! Approximately 20,000 royal knights and 40,000 to 50,000 imperial soldiers vanished in the endless holy light, just as if by the highest form of flame, [White Flame], whose intense heat could instantly vaporize people or objects. This forbidden spell, [Gate of Heaven], acted like a single blast from White Flame, causing those tens of thousands of soldiers to disappear instantly—leaving no clothes, horses, or weapons behind… After this spell was cast, all that remained was an empty battlefield swept by cold winds, utterly silent compared to the sounds of battle earlier… This forbidden-level white magic was eventually recorded in the Church’s magic archives, along with Saint Charles George, the holy white mage who had protected Salonia. However, after earning the title of holy mage, Saint Charles George disappeared without a trace. As a result, the positions of Archbishop, as well as those of the [Inquisition] and the [Inquisition of Darkness], went unoccupied for a time, causing great inconvenience to the Church’s operations. While the imperial mages rejoiced at this, the Church spent over a decade searching for this holy white mage. Unfortunately, no news of him was ever heard again. Out of necessity, the Pope took direct control of the [Inquisition] and the [Inquisition of Darkness], two agencies dealing with dark matters. He also trained a series of successors to take over the position of Archbishop. After ten years of selection from countless candidates, the chosen successor was killed by an evil dark mage during his training mission—how could this not infuriate the Pope?! It is said that the successor was the Pope’s apprentice, as the Pope was already very old, having ruled the Church for 37 years. It wasn’t that he craved power, but rather that there were no suitable candidates. Among the twelve archbishops, Saint Charles George was the youngest; the others were almost all as old as the Pope, since the Pope himself had originally been chosen from among the archbishops.

With the end of the Year of War, aside from Saint Charles George’s disappearance, as many as five archbishops left behind assistants and successors, while they themselves vanished without a trace. Even the remaining cardinals mostly devoted themselves to academic research or to gardening. Whenever the issue of a pope successor was discussed, all eleven remaining cardinals were absent…
The meaning is quite clear, isn’t it?
There was no other choice but for the pope to train his own successor. If that person was talented enough, they would inherit both Saint Charles George’s position and the pope’s own. But…
The elderly pope was incredibly enraged!
So enraged that he sent six Inquisitors from the Inquisition Bureau!
Inquisitors, in simple terms, are Dark Priests whose motto is “To plunge into darkness and guide toward light.” They are by no means normal or kind-hearted individuals!
Long ago, white magicians also proposed studying the negative aspects of “Holy Light,” but this was immediately banned. However, just as black magicians study white magic, it’s not unusual for white magicians to explore negative energies.
The definition of black and white magic lies in the use of negative and positive elemental energies. But over hundreds of years of human magical history, this distinction has gradually blurred. Ultimately, the fundamental difference between the two is merely their origin—one comes from demons, the other from elves, that’s all.
If magicians who study negative energies are called black magicians, then among white magicians as well, there are those who delve into and use negative energies—Inquisitors are one such group!
Unlike ordinary priests, Inquisitors possess both light and darkness within them—two utterly opposing forces. This requires them to have extraordinary willpower to suppress the struggle between these energies. Thus, only fanatical believers can serve as Inquisitors; otherwise, they might be overwhelmed by the forces of darkness and unable to escape.
By constantly suppressing these opposing forces and enduring the agonizing struggle, Inquisitors almost lose the most basic human emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Just as per their motto, “To plunge into darkness and guide toward light,” their sole devotion is to their supreme god!
Of course, this doesn’t mean they’ve lost their ability to think—it simply means their way of thinking has become much simpler.

The followers of darkness, those pagans, must be doomed to destruction… oh, to salvation!
As for God’s people, they must be protected from the corruption of darkness!
Just like now…
“Come here, kind child. As one of God’s people, you should not stand with the apostles of darkness! Lord, forgive this ignorant, kind child; he must have been deceived by darkness…” The inquisitor, who had taken a heavy blow from the werewolf yet remained unharmed, spoke to Jiang Zhe in a calm, emotionless tone.
As soon as he finished speaking, his two companions also murmured, “Please forgive this kind child, O All-Knowing, All-Present Lord…”
“…” Jiang Zhe immediately felt his situation become extremely delicate. Even if it weren’t for Lavia gripping his sleeve tightly, he wouldn’t have gone over to those three guys—those three clearly didn’t seem normal at all!
“Is he indeed deceived by darkness?” The leading inquisitor glanced at Connel briefly before fixing his gaze on Lavia’s hand, which was holding the boy’s sleeve.
“Is that little girl a follower of darkness?”
“Hmm… seems there’s no trace of darkness…” The other two inquisitors whispered among themselves, their emotionless eyes making Lavia feel a chill. She quietly shifted her position and hid behind Jiang Zhe.
“She’s my companion!” Seeing the actions of those three inquisitors, Jiang Zhe hurriedly explained. Then he pointed at Connel and said, “He… that person is also our companion…”
“What?!” For some reason, those three inquisitors suddenly became incredibly angry. The leading inquisitor even shouted, “How can God’s people associate with darkness?! Poor child…” He then focused his gaze on Connel and said in a deep, hoarse voice, “Wicked apostle of darkness, daring to deceive God’s people! Damn you!”
“Damn you!”
“Damn you!” The other two inquisitors repeated.
“Face the judgment of holy light!”
“Judgment!”
“Judgment!” The other two inquisitors repeated again.
“…” The werewolf stared at those three inquisitors in disbelief. Even after being imprisoned in a dungeon for hundreds of years, he could tell that these three were clearly not normal.
“Who are you guys?”

“We are the believers of the Lord, trapped in darkness—guide us with light, and let judgment be carried out!” As he spoke, the leading Inquisitor suddenly began to chant softly. Along with magnificent words full of praise, a ring of light spread from his body and gradually expanded outward. When it touched the hard rocks on both sides of the tunnel, there were several crisp cracks—the solid rocks shattered due to that seemingly formless ring of light…

“…” The werewolf immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped back. To be honest, the narrow tunnel greatly restricted his extraordinary speed.

“Whoosh whoosh!” Three beams of light, swift as lightning, moved even faster than before. One of them narrowly missed the werewolf’s shoulder, but even though it just brushed against it, the werewolf’s shoulder was instantly burned, emitting hissing white vapor.

“As expected, an apostle of darkness!” the Inquisitor said in a deep voice. Then, the three Inquisitors crossed their arms over their chests, and suddenly, countless beams of holy light shot out from the tips of their index fingers, filling the entire tunnel in an instant.

“Are you crazy?!” the werewolf shouted angrily. He could clearly feel the energy contained in those countless beams—enough to destroy an ordinary person.

The boy seemed unafraid of this light, but that girl named Ravia… the girl with eyes so similar to Cecilia’s…

Out of concern, he turned back and saw that the boy was touching his own body, while the girl stood beside him in a dazed state, not behind him…

“Tch!” In an instant, the werewolf rushed to the girl who had stepped back out of fear, ready to shield her from the attack. After all, Connel had an almost immortal life—losing just one or two lives posed no real threat to him.

But to everyone’s surprise, as those countless beams passed by Jiang Zhe, they suddenly changed course and all headed toward him… No, rather, they were all absorbed by that boy…

What a spectacular sight…

The tunnel was once again immersed in endless silence…

“I… I got hit by that lightning again? Did that light… refract?” Under the astonished gazes of the three Inquisitors, the boy touched his own body and said in confusion.

“That’s impossible…” The leading Inquisitor finally showed a human emotion—one of disbelief.

“Did the holy light actually refract?”

“Wasn’t it our mistake earlier? Did that child absorb the holy light on his own?”

The three Inquisitors stopped attacking the werewolf and stared at Jiang Zhe in shock.

Just now, they deliberately avoided the boy. Although perhaps the people of God wouldn’t be harmed by holy light, they instinctively didn’t want to attack their “comrades.”
But those countless beams of light were absorbed as they passed by the boy… seemingly forced to be absorbed…
“Sos, are you… are you okay?” The girl’s eyes were filled with concern as she checked the boy for any injuries, just like before.
“I’m… I’m fine, really…” Jiang Zhe couldn’t make sense of it. He simply found it baffling—anyone who saw countless rays of light, though moving in straight lines, suddenly changing direction to shoot at them, yet not suffering even the slightest injury…
It was utterly incredible!
“Could it be that this boy has an innate affinity for holy light?” murmured the leading Inquisitor.
It wasn’t surprising he was astonished, because in this world, some might have an innate affinity for fire elements, or water elements, but there could be no one with an innate affinity for holy light!
Because holy light wasn’t just a mere element of light—it was light mixed with the power of faith, the foundation of [Divine Magic]!
Only those with strong holy light power within them could avoid such harm, but that child…
All three Inquisitors present sensed that there was only fire element around the child. Clearly, he had learned fire-based blue magic. How could such a child withstand countless attacks from holy light unharmed? And it seemed he had automatically absorbed those holy lights…
“Are you okay, child?” The leading Inquisitor walked straight toward Jiang Zhe, ignoring Connel who watched him warily.
“I’m fine…” After checking him for a long time, Jiang Zhe shrugged.
“Is that so,” the Inquisitor slowly reached out and placed his hand on Jiang Zhe’s forehead, then closed his eyes. After a long while, he said slowly, “Have you learned holy light magic, child?”
“No, I’ve only learned fire-based blue magic…”
“I see. But I can sense a strong holy light power within you…” The Inquisitor looked at Jiang Zhe doubtfully. Perhaps for those like him, who were like killing machines, thinking wasn’t their forte. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and said, “Where is Father Andrew now?”
“He’s still in that village, treating people!” one of the Inquisitors replied.
“Should we inform the father about this?”

“Hmm!” The leading Inquisitor nodded, then said to Jiang Zhe, “You may call me Brother Cheshé. Child, you have a talent for learning holy magic. After I kill that evil dark mage, you can come with us to Salonia…”
“Wait, wait…”
“You can become one of our companions, as a child of God, as a believer in the Lord, to eradicate all darkness in the world…”
“Hey…” Jiang Zhe was speechless as he watched this strange man ignore his opinions completely. Shaking his head, he said awkwardly, “I’m sorry, Brother Cheshé, but I’m already a student at the Rexox Academy…”
“Hm?” Brother Cheshé looked at Jiang Zhe in confusion. Perhaps his simple and obsessive mind was thinking, So what then?
With a bitter smile, Jiang Zhe shook his head and said, “That’s why I like it here. I don’t want to go to some Salonia!” As he spoke, he seemed to hear a faint sigh of relief.
“That’s God’s territory, where the Lord resides…”
“Hehe, so… this…” Jiang Zhe didn’t understand why the Inquisitor was so enthusiastic about him, but such enthusiasm was truly hard to accept.
Just then, a low voice came from the tunnel behind them.
“Hey! You minions of the Church, what do you want to do to my apprentice?”
“Professor Hod?” Ravia exclaimed in surprise.
Amidst Jiang Zhe and Ravia’s sighs of relief, Professor Hod strode forward, his expression stern as he stood between Jiang Zhe and Brother Cheshé. Frowning, he said, “! Not in your Salonia!”
“Ignorant sinner, our Lord is everywhere. Wherever the Lord appears, it is holy ground…”
“Absurd nonsense! Your Lord should stay in heaven!”
“Godless wretch, unforgivable…”
“Phony…”
“Pro… professor?” Looking in disbelief at the confrontation between the usually kind Professor Hod and Brother Cheshé, Jiang Zhe finally realized that the centuries-long conflict between the empire and the Church, as well as between dark and white mages, wasn’t unfounded…
In the end, the three Inquisitors left. Though they were furious at Professor Hod’s insult to the gods, for some reason, they managed to restrain their anger. After asking Jiang Zhe’s name, they left the tunnel.
“Hmph!” Seeing Professor Hod snort at the three Inquisitors, Jiang Zhe could tell the professor didn’t hold much affection for the Church.

Sure enough, once the three Inquisitors were out of sight, the professor’s expression became much kinder. Glancing at Connel, who was almost naked with tattered clothes all over his body, the professor asked in confusion, “Who are you, sir?”
Before Connel could speak, Ravia answered for him, “Professor, it’s he who protected us from that group of Gungro. If not for him, we might have…”
“Oh.” The professor nodded in understanding. After all, in the empire, there were many people with incredible powers. Even those who made deals with demons to gain power were often turned a blind eye to by the empire. Only evil necromancers were targets for elimination.
“Then thank you, sir. Once again, thank you for saving the lives of my two apprentices…”
“Hehe!” Connel smiled wickedly, waving at everyone—actually, at Ravia—and said, “Since your teacher has arrived, I’ll be leaving first. I have things to do!” With that, he showed his teeth at Jiang Zhe, adding a threatening tone, “Don’t bully her, kid!”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe raised his head in confusion, just in time to see Ravia, whose face was red, giving Connel frantic signals.
“What a strange guy… just like that one…” Looking at Jiang Zhe’s puzzled expression and Ravia, who kept her head down and said nothing, Professor Hod smiled as he watched Connel walk away. Then, the image of that temporary ‘companion,’ the wanderer Argus BartClarkefield, came to mind.
“That guy? Who is he?”
“Nothing. Alright, let’s leave this place…”
“But what about Scott, Allen, and the others?”
“Don’t worry. They’ve already left safely. I came back specifically to find you!”
“Oh…”
Half an hour later, on a nearby mountain, Jean Connel, who had separated from Ravia and Jiang Zhe, stood beside the ruins of an ancient-looking building, gazing into the distance absentmindedly, his expression shifting between tender and cold…
At that moment, a light and humorous laugh came from beside him.
“I knew you’d come here. The legendary werewolf, the most powerful Gungro, Jean Connel!” Along with the laughter, someone stepped out of the ruins—it was Argus, the fugitive who had met Jiang Zhe before.

“Who are you?” There was no longer any gentle tone in his voice when addressing Ravia. The werewolf merely glanced at him and said indifferently, “If you’re looking for trouble, I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood! I promised someone that I wouldn’t harm any innocent people except one person… So, don’t push me—get lost!”
“Oh! Don’t be so angry,” Agus said without the slightest trace of anger, with a slight smile, speaking earnestly, “Be my companion, Jean Connel!”
“Companion?” The werewolf turned his head in surprise, stared at Agus for a while, then sneered, “I don’t need a companion—get lost!”
“Well then, there’s no other way…” The playful expression on Agus’s face vanished as he spoke slowly, “Legend has it that Gungro possesses an almost immortal eternal life. Every soul consumed by Gungro adds another life to him. So… how many times do I need to kill you to truly kill you?” His tone made it clear he wasn’t joking.
Yet the werewolf merely glanced at him briefly, still staring at the ruins, and said calmly, “Who knows! Maybe 243,211 times, or maybe 243,212 times. If you have the time, you can count for me!”
“Twenty-four… thirty thousand?” Clearly, even Agus was shocked. After all, the true immortality of Gungro couldn’t be compared to those inferior, substandard creations made by Ivo Beric. Against a real Gungro, even Agus’s dark devouring technique, at its best, could only make that guy lose one life, not all of them…
Truly the only most powerful Gungro to exist in the world to this day…
Thirty thousand times? By the time he killed this guy, he’d probably be dead from exhaustion by then!
With a bitter smile, Agus decided to change his strategy.
“Want to know why I’m waiting for you here?”
“I don’t want to know!”
“…Hmm, actually, I know a little about that guy you’re looking for. Want to know?”
“I don’t want to know. I have plenty of time to find him!”
“You!” Agus felt helpless. He sighed and shrugged, saying, “I was planning to tell you for free. Why be so cold? Am I that annoying?”

“You’re right!” The werewolf finally turned his head and said in a deep voice, looking at Argus, “You really annoy me! Including that unknown dark force within you! Hmph! Werewolves are always the most sensitive to darkness; you can’t hide from me! And compared to that annoying dark force, you’re even more displeasing to me!”
“Oh, is that so?” Argus narrowed his eyes and said calmly, “I’m sorry… for being so displeasing to you…”
The atmosphere became tense in an instant…