A Dark Fantasy Spy

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It took about three minutes to calm my startled chest.

Lucia retracted her bony, skeletal fingers, and I plopped myself down at a distance from the box.

“Did you get a fright?”

“What on earth is that?”

Lucia, who had affixed the lock, replied.

“It’s the remains of Saint Balthazar.”

“…You mean the saint’s bones?”

“That’s correct.”

The wrist found inside the box belonged to a saint. Lucia explained that the remains belonged to Saint Balthazar, one of the three clerics who received revelations from God during the creation.

“What you just saw was the remains recovered by the archaeological team from the Holy See, based on a document from 1190.”

I had heard of the cult’s archaeological team.

Similar to the teams from the Magic Tower and the Ivory Tower that trace artifacts left by ancient magicians who scattered around the world to escape the Inquisition, the cult’s archaeological team investigates history and excavates religious artifacts.

Given its long history, the archaeological team is known to have a substantial collection of relics and books. Therefore, the Magic Tower’s excavation team and the cult’s excavation team are often regarded as the towering pillars of authority in historical academia.

I stared blankly at the box.

“But why is such an object here? Wait, beyond that… didn’t it just move?”

Lucia’s gaze subtly shifted toward the wooden box.

She quietly gazed at the box containing the saint’s bones, and I stared at her profile, demanding an explanation.

“Um. The story is a bit complicated to explain in detail.”

“……”

“To put it simply…”

Turning her head, Lucia aligned her gaze with mine.

“We brought these remains to catch a demon.”

—

Episode 12 – The World’s Strongest Magician

When the four Inquisition Officers had perished and Priest Rebecca had scarcely arrived at the cathedral with the wounded.

Lucia and Archbishop Theodosius determined that a necromancer or a possessed person was behind the incident.

Necromancers draw power from vile beings through contracts, while the possessed are controlled by such malevolent entities. Although they differ in many aspects upon closer inspection, one undeniable fact remains: they are connected to evil entities.

And that wicked being is referred to as a demon by the cult.

“The wounds were not healed by divinity. After witnessing them fester within hours, we suspected a curse and attempted an exorcism, but even that proved ineffective. Once the wounds darkened instead of healing, both the archbishop and I concluded that demons were involved.”

Lucia and Archbishop Theodosius promptly conveyed this information to the cult.

The statements from the archbishop, in charge of the diocese, and the holy relics awaiting canonization certainly carried weight, but the news they conveyed was utterly unexpected. Hence, it felt all the more heavy.

Upon hearing the news, the Pope immediately convened a meeting of the National Affairs Council. Saint Veronica, bearing the title of saint, and Director Petrus from the Inquisition also participated in the meeting.

“I heard that right after that meeting, the Inquisition proposed a joint investigation to the imperial government.”

“Who told you that?”

“Saint Veronica mentioned it to me.”

I was well aware of what happened next.

Both Lucia and Archbishop Theodosius sent letters to the Duke of the Northern Regions and the imperial government, and the Duke granted permission for Inquisition forces to conduct investigations within his territory. Evangelos, the commander of the Magic Tower Magician Battalion, along with Francesca, soothed the anxious magicians of the Magic Tower.

However, there was one fact I was unaware of.

“When I was notifying the National Affairs Council with the archbishop, I requested permission from the Pope to release holy relics.”

“……”

“That’s the remains of Saint Balthazar that are here.”

Lucia gently caressed the wooden box. I looked at the box and her in turn, raising a suspicious eyebrow as I asked.

“But did the National Affairs Council really grant permission for the holy relics to be released?”

“Of course. Since the permission was granted, that’s why the remains of Saint Balthazar are here.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m asking if the Holy See allowed you, Saint Lucia, to manage the remains.”

Reflecting on what I had previously heard, those transporting the remains were clerics from the Inquisition.

Thus, it meant the Inquisition had the responsibility for transporting and managing the relics, specifically those clerics partaking in the joint investigation. If Lucia had been appointed as the manager of the relics, the Inquisition clerics wouldn’t have endured such a burden.

Sure enough, upon my probing, Lucia began to subtly divert her gaze.

“Well, you see, the permission hasn’t been…”

“You didn’t receive it, did you?”

“……”

Lucia, who was avoiding my eyes, turned her head to face me. More precisely, she just slightly turned her head and glanced at me sideways.

Hesitating to provide an answer, she suddenly blurted out.

“Is that a problem or something?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not intending to use it for anything bad. I just want to borrow it temporarily and return it after use….”

It was a smorgasbord of nonsensical words. To claim the saint’s remains without authority, especially from a cleric, and say that was her intention.

Lucia spoke boldly with a shameless attitude.

“It’s for a good cause, so I don’t think the Pope will scold me much. Protecting lives is a holy thing, so even God will forgive me.”

“That’s a fine sentiment, but it feels like something a person who’s just pilfered from a cleric shouldn’t say?”

“Sins can be absolved.”

“……”

“And besides, I am a saint after all. Who would scold me?”

This person, a saint? The cult is doomed. If they can’t manage Veronica, now they’ve got Lucia going haywire too.

What sin did I commit in my past life to be surrounded by such lunatics? As I sighed and stared blankly at the ceiling, Lucia cleared her throat softly to close her excuse.

“Anyway, with the involvement of demons, it wasn’t difficult to obtain permission for the holy relics. Just like we did with the saint’s remains, we were able to bring a few items necessary for the ceremony.”

“A ceremony, you say? What kind of ceremony are you talking about?”

“The Grand Exorcism ceremony. Didn’t I mention it? We’re going to catch a demon.”

So that’s why they brought the remains.

Nodding my head, I accepted it.

“I see now. What were you planning to use the holy relics for?”

Lucia placed her hand on the wooden box and replied.

“The remains of Saint Balthazar will be used to find the demon. Of course, to find the demon with the remains, we need to prepare ourselves as well.”

“Our…?”

The term “we” typically refers to the speaker and the listener combined. And in this context, the only people conversing are Lucia and me.

I glanced around, wondering if someone else might be present, and asked Lucia, unsure if I had heard her correctly.

“Why on earth would I be involved in that?”

In response, Lucia countered in a cryptic voice.

“Shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”

“…?”

“Recently, a report concerning a suspected necromancer or possessed person was forwarded to the joint investigation team. It was an item directly delivered by Archbishop Theodosius.”

Lucia added,

“Wasn’t that information presented to the archbishop by you, Colonel?”

“No. What are you talking about…?”

I had no time to defend myself. Cutting me off, Lucia reached for the file envelope resting on Archbishop Theodosius’s desk. The very documents I had placed into the office with her assistance earlier.

It took no time at all for her to tear open the envelope and check its contents.

Glancing through the neatly organized investigative information, Lucia locked eyes with me.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“Is it really okay for you to just rummage through someone else’s belongings like that, especially as a cleric?”

Lucia shrugged instead of answering.

“I can endure any amount of criticism if it’s to prevent significant damage.”

“…Oh, come on.”

“Of course, I’m not a formal exorcist, and what I’m doing isn’t official investigation, so if you choose not to help me, I’ll be out of options.”

Lucia, holding the documents from the envelope, lifted the wooden box.

Then, rather calmly and confidently, she smiled gently.

“But you’ll keep my secret, right?”

I looked at her with a befuddled expression. After a moment of silence, I shook my head in a way that indicated I couldn’t say no.

“Can you tell me your plan for catching that thing? I’ll listen and then decide.”

—

Petrogard Northwest.

“Hoo….”

Light tobacco smoke swirled through the streets.

A man adjusted his chin. Freshly shaven, his jaw looked immaculate as he leaned against the entrance, puffing out smoke toward the street.

Just then, the sound of a bell rang out.

Digging into his pocket, the man pulled out a small device, squinting at the short message displayed before stamping out his half-smoked cigarette with his shoe and stepping inside his home.

“Good news. Everyone, get ready to move.”

The man seated at the dining table turned his head.

With neatly trimmed facial hair and an exotic mixed appearance, he leaned back in his chair.

“The northern access permit’s been issued?”

“No, not yet. The staff at the site said they’d sort it out today.”

“They should hurry up….”

The mixed-race man stood up.

As if having heard the conversation, noises from upstairs grew bustling, and several people carrying heavy bags and boxes shuffled down the stairs.

The man who had been smoking tossed the device on the table. He then spoke to the mixed-race man organizing everything.

“You wake him up.”

“Me?”

“I’ve already been out for a smoke.”

He pointed to the large box placed in the corner of the living room.

“That one doesn’t like the smell of smoke.”

“Got it.”

Bags and boxes were placed on the dining table. The group huddled together to unpack, pulling out various electronic devices, wires, ammunition, clothing, and firearms from the bags and boxes.

In the midst of this, the mixed-race man approached the large box in the corner of the living room. He gently tapped on it like knocking, taking care to not let in too much light as he cautiously lifted the lid.

“Time to wake up. We need to head out.”

In response, cat ears perked up through the slightly opened gap.

The thin voice from within the box came shortly after.

“Meow.”