Chapter 32
“Noah, the Inquisition is making suspicious moves. They may be targeting you. Be careful.”
Chris warned me in a tone more serious than usual.
“In that case, that’s perfect timing.”
“Perfect timing?”
“Cardinal Severino, the Grand Inquisitor, is one of Lorenzo’s clients, right?”
I put on a wicked smile.
“You don’t mean...”
“The Golden Balance deadline is coming up soon, and it would be disastrous if Mr. Lorenzo’s condition worsened and he couldn’t settle his accounts, wouldn’t it?”
—The Golden Balance deadline.
It was the date by which all cardinals were required to pay their assessed contributions to the Holy See.
If they couldn’t pay and were publicly declared insolvent, even a cardinal’s career would be over.
“I’ll write a letter to Klaus.”
At my words, Chris seemed to lose his voice for a moment.
“Wait. The other cardinals use Valois Bank too. I’ll speak to the Grand Inquisitor in advance, so don’t rush into anything.”
A note of panic crept into Chris’s voice.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood. ...But it’s probably those fundamentalists trying to set the Inquisition in motion. They’re persistent. Be careful.”
“Yes, thank you for the warning.”
I bowed my head and left the office.
I thought as I walked down the corridor.
If the Inquisition couldn’t act, the fundamentalists might resort to more forceful measures.
—But that wouldn’t be so bad.
If anything, I’d simply make use of it to further my own plans.
I took out the silver key and opened the door to the small chapel.
I lit the candles and checked the mechanism in the altar.
A hard, cold sensation met my fingertips.
—The mechanism was fine. No problem.
Before long, the leaders of the School of Truth-Seeking had gathered.
Some had been sent elsewhere, but everyone in the Holy City was present.
“Noah, it seems the Inquisition has started making moves.”
Kyle told me in a hushed voice.
“Yes, I heard. I’ve taken care of that.”
I replied calmly.
“As expected of you. If you handled it, then we can relax.”
“However, it seems the fundamentalists are making moves too.”
A stir spread among the leaders.
A few exchanged glances.
“Will we be all right?”
“Yes, they probably won’t do anything rash. But—”
I hesitated for a moment.
Only the candle flames flickered quietly.
“If the worst comes to pass, I want you all to see me off here.”
The murmuring fell silent in an instant.
“Hey! Don’t say things like that!”
Kyle clenched his fists and leaned forward.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful, too.”
I bowed my head slightly.
“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare for the worst.”
I looked around at the leaders one by one.
“The organization we’ve built together shouldn’t be so fragile that it falls apart without me.”
The leaders looked straight back at me. A fervent resolve shone in their eyes.
“Elios-san. If the time comes, please lead everyone.”
Elios looked surprised for a moment, but quickly straightened his back and nodded.
“Kyle. You’re the one who understands my lectures best.”
Kyle nodded silently.
“And everyone, if you run into trouble, consult Chris.”
Having said that much, I relaxed my shoulders.
“That said, don’t worry. I won’t be beaten by some run-of-the-mill assassin.”
As I spoke, I lifted my sacred stole.
“Did you know? You have to spend 500 consecutive days in dungeons to earn this sacred stole and advance in rank.”
At my words, I felt the atmosphere in the chapel soften.
The leaders relaxed, and the tension eased a little.
◇
“That can’t be! Please investigate more thoroughly. There’s definitely a trace of forbidden arts in that underground chapel—”
The Inquisitor silenced Saverio’s near-screaming protest simply by staring at him without a word.
Faced with that icy silence, the priest was cowed into shutting his mouth.
“Calm down, Priest Saverio. This is the Inquisition’s conclusion. According to our investigation, that underground gathering is nothing more than an earnest study group. We found not a speck of evidence of heresy.”
“No! If the people gathering there aren’t heretics, then what are they?!”
The Inquisitor stepped closer and murmured in a low voice by Saverio’s ear.
“...Stop barking. Your sense of justice is now nothing but a discordant note disturbing the peace of the Holy See. This is an order from above. The underground chapel has been cleared of any suspicion. Any further investigation will be considered treason against the Inquisition itself.”
Saverio was at a loss for words.
The Inquisitor coldly looked away and spat out one last remark.
“...Go home. All that’s there is the devout prayers of those awaiting a miracle from God. That’s what the report says.”