A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Inside religious buildings, silence is required.

It’s partly to avoid disturbing the priests and believers at worship, but also to maintain the atmosphere of the building itself.

The Cathedral of Saint Basil in the Northern Regions is no exception.

Built on the site where Saint Basil once lived, this majestic building sits atop a gentle hill overlooking what was once a humble village turned metropolis, and just gazing at it brings a sense of sanctity to the heart.

In the early morning, priests and monks sweep the courtyard, while believers quietly pray in a solemn atmosphere. As the soft chime of bells fills the city, devout individuals clasp their hands together in meditation.

Both the sorrows of life and burdens of anguish fade away upon entering the cathedral, as if washed away by a rain shower.

Beneath the dreary, gray sky, this building, incongruous with the war-torn Northern Regions, was more than just a religious structure for the residents; it served as a kind of sanctuary.

Thus, the Cathedral of Saint Basil remained as tranquil as a lake with no ripples.

But then,

“I’m borrowing this item and will return it, you know?”
“That’s not happening! Absolutely not!”
“Alright, alright, let’s just put our hands down for now. Let’s talk, Brother.”

Today feels somehow different.

Episode 12 – The Mightiest Magician

Several priests are gathered, voices raised in a heated discussion.

From their attire, it’s clear they are priests, but they’re people I’ve never seen in the cathedral before.

The unfamiliar clergy are clutching a box. A luxurious wooden box adorned with religious designs, and it looks fairly substantial from a glance.

One of the priests raised his voice while holding the wooden box.

“This item is managed by the Inquisition! It’s crucial for our investigation, and we borrowed it with great difficulty. If it gets lost, Director Petrus….”

“I understand your concerns. We just need to return it promptly, correct?”
“Uh, um…?”

A feminine voice suddenly filled the air, causing a stir among the surroundings. The priests mumbled in panic, and the priest holding the box stumbled.

The other priests quickly caught their falling comrade. Yet, the one holding the wooden box, despite the shouts of several sturdy men, could barely regain his stance. Upon closer look, it seemed he was being pulled along, clinging to the box.

Is there a scuffle breaking out? I observed the squabbling priests with keen interest as I turned to meet Archbishop Theodosius.

At that moment, the priest clinging to the box shouted.

“This is problematic, Saint!”
“…Huh?”

I turned to look at the person tugging at the box on the opposite side from the priest.

“Saint Lucia?”

Lucia’s shoulders twitched. Her head slowly turned as if she were a child caught in the act of stealing.

“W-what brings you here?”

“…That’s what I want to ask.”

The moment I spoke, the priests parted like the Red Sea. They began to act as if nothing had happened, as if they had never fought at all.

“…Ahem.”
“Cough, cough!”
“……”

Why are they acting like everything’s fine? It feels like I’ve seen everything.

One priest after another pretended to be oblivious, and amidst all this, Lucia was still pulling hard on the wooden box that belonged to the priest.

“Ha!”
“…Ah!”

The sudden, unexpected intruder distracted the priest, causing him to lose his grip on the box. Lucia hugged the stolen box tightly, and the priest stared at it in disbelief.

I looked at Lucia and the priest with an incredulous expression.

“Saint, please tell me you weren’t trying to extort something from the priests?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what’s that box?”
“I received it. Just now.”

Lucia boldly lied with a blatant face, pointing at the box without a single flicker of her eyes.

With that brazen attitude, I couldn’t help but cover my face with my hand.

“…Oh, sweet Neptune.”

Now we’re at the point where saints are shaking down priests.

Veronica, who made a scene at the gambling houses after getting scolded by the Pope, is one thing, but now Lucia is doing the same thing. I wonder if the Holy See can handle these people.

I don’t understand why these saints are behaving like this. Is the cult going astray?

While I sighed heavily and rubbed my face, Lucia, still standing there awkwardly, finally opened her mouth, sensing her own embarrassment.

“By the way, what brings you here…?”
“…I came to meet the Archbishop for official business.”
“Archbishop Theodosius is not here right now. He had to go to Petrogard for a bit. Is it something urgent? I can arrange a meeting at the embassy today.”
“No, it’s just a document delivery.”
“Then follow me. I can guide you to his office.”

Lucia strode along, cradling the stolen wooden box in her arms.

The priests could only watch the box in a daze.

Although they had been robbed, it would be a major religious issue to forcefully reclaim an item held by a saint, so they could only silently gaze at the wooden box in Lucia’s possession.

“Let’s go.”
“…Ah, yes.”

I took a few steps back and followed Lucia leading the way. No matter how much of a comrade she was, I couldn’t bear to walk alongside her right now.

*

Real name: Romain Scheer. Baptismal name: Agathon. Information about the Inquisitor who vanished 20 years ago in the Mauritania Continent, only to suddenly appear in the North, was laid on Cardinal Theodosius’ desk.

“Thank you for your help.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”

Lucia responded with a gentle smile. Under normal circumstances, I would have thought her personality was very nice, but…

Right now, that smile seemed oddly unsettling.

I stole a glance at the wooden box in her hands.

“Um… I’m not one to overstep, but it’s quite problematic to extort from a priest.”
“Extort? What are you talking about? That sounds like a gross misunderstanding to anyone who hears it.”
Lucia remained unfazed, with a poker face and innocent sparkling eyes.

“Anyway, what documents are you delivering to the Archbishop?”
I had come to the cathedral today to deliver materials about the Inquisition to Archbishop Theodosius. Plus, I had some requests to make of the Archbishop.

However, he wasn’t present, and the documents wouldn’t reach him. Instead, I managed to leave the documents in his office with Lucia’s help.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. Just some materials.”
I waved my hand dismissively. But Lucia glanced at me with a somewhat skeptical expression.

After I placed the documents in a suitable visible spot, I turned to Lucia.

“But Saint, what happened back there?”
“Ah…”

A small sigh escaped Lucia’s lips.

Her blue eyes, holding the box, fluttered aimlessly in the air. She briefly averted her gaze, choosing her words carefully.

“There was just a bit of a disagreement. Yes.”
“A disagreement? I recall you had a good relationship with the clergy. Did something suddenly happen?”
“Ah, those people are not the clergy from the diocese. They were sent separately from the cult. They arrived a few days ago.”

She mentioned the Inquisition staff.

The priests dispatched to the North had followed Lucia when she led a different Knights Order across the Northern gates, so apart from the staff participating in the joint investigation with the Inquisition, no priests should have been arriving here.

…Wait a minute.

“Hold on. So you didn’t just extort an ordinary priest, but an Inquisition priest, right?”
“……”

What a nightmare.

I stared at Lucia with a stunned expression. She slowly averted her gaze.

What on earth was she thinking to pull such a stunt?

I gestured toward the box she was holding, the one Lucia had filched from the priest.

“What’s inside that box?”
“Oh, this?”

As Lucia set the wooden box on the table, it made a heavy thud that resonated through the room.

The box was crafted from high-quality wood, exuding an almost fragrant aroma of fine timber. It was exquisitely made, but it had several distinctive features that set it apart from standard boxes.

The golden patterns carved on the surface filled the box with religious motifs occasionally seen in the cult’s cathedral.

The size of the box was also peculiar. It was rectangular, seemingly crafted to hold some long item, and it was heavy enough that even an adult male would struggle to lift it.

Then suddenly—

Clatter clatter! The box began to shake.

“Whoa, what the—?”

While I observed the engraved patterns with keen interest, I was startled and stepped back. As the box rattled, the table and everything on it trembled violently.

“Step back.”

Lucia stepped forward and stood in front of the box. She placed a hand on the shaking box and, with her eyes softly closed, began to mumble something. Though I couldn’t hear the words clearly, it certainly resembled a prayer.

As Lucia began to chant, the box rattled even more violently. It seemed ready to leap off the table, but Lucia remained unfazed, pressing down with one hand while continuing her soft prayer.

After about 12 seconds had passed, the shaking finally began to subside until it eventually came to a halt.

“……”

Gently stroking the now still box, Lucia lifted her eyelids.

“All done. You were quite startled, weren’t you?”
“…What the heck is that?”
I regarded the box with suspicious eyes. What on earth was inscribed inside it that caused it to tremble like it was about to smash the table?

“Are there monsters locked inside?”
“Not exactly… but well, you might not be wrong.”
“What do you mean…?”

“Would you like to see for yourself?”
Lucia unlocked the latch of the wooden box as she spoke.

Click. Click. With the cheerful sound of the lock being undone, she opened the box and stepped aside momentarily, while I peeked inside.

And I freaked out.

“What the hell, what is this?!”

Ignoring my reaction, Lucia calmly reached into the box.

When she pulled out the contents, I cursed loudly and dashed to the corner of the room as if fleeing.

“Why are you taking that out! Put it back in!”
“…You’re overreacting, there’s really no need to be that shocked.”
“No way!”
I shrieked.

“Why on earth is a human wrist in the cathedral?!”

In Lucia’s hand dangled a cut-off forearm just below the elbow.

It was a human wrist that had been inside the box.