The Demon Hunting Method of the Regressed Inquisitor

Future City (3)

Geppetto, who had been watching the book burn, threw off his gloves and snapped at me.

Until then, I had kept my eyes down. I didn’t particularly want to watch the book burn.

To be precise, it was because my eyes hurt from looking at the flames.

“Something foreign got into the furnace. We’ll have to end today’s work here.”

“Isn’t that too much?”

Was it really necessary to burn it to that extent? To the point of abandoning the work?

“There is no commonality, no single picture. It’s just a bunch of schematics of devices we learned by dismantling. It’s trash that makes me angry just to look at.”

“I bought that for a high price.”

“Everything has stages. But these days, people don’t even try to go through the proper stages.”

“Are you going to compensate me?”

“Half of them can’t even make a single gear. What good is it for such people to know just how to assemble and operate things?”

He doesn’t listen at all. Even if it’s an honorary position, as a lord, he must have quite a bit of money coming in. What a stingy old man.

“If those who envision the future disappear? If the foundation of that technology disappears, won’t we immediately revert to the old days?”

“Well, isn’t that why they can’t strategize?”

“What on earth are you? Are you a religious fanatic who even embraces trials?”

“And you, sir, living in this city, manage to live like that. Aren’t you treated as a heretic by other craftsmen?”

“So? Are you going to interrogate me?”

“I’m just a religious fanatic who only meddles in religious matters.”

“Hahaha! You sound like a madman.”

That’s what I just heard.

How could anyone do this job without going mad in the first place?

“Um, hold on a moment…”

I wipe the thick blood flowing from my nose with my sleeve.

This is bad, the effects of erosion are starting to show even when I’m still.

“What’s wrong, are you sick?”

“Yes, a little.”

My eyes feel a bit dry too.

This damn trial won’t leave me alone.

“Religious fanatic. Now I see you also use a sword? Doesn’t your god have anything to say about that?”

Was it because I raised my sleeve to wipe my nose? His eyes went to the sword at my waist.

“Ah, I’m affiliated with the Pantheon. As for the sword… Just think of it as being permitted by the God of War.”

“Really? That’s generous. Show it to me. I’ll take a look at it.”

“They said there were impurities in the furnace? Is it okay to touch it then?”

“It’s not my sword, so what does it matter.”

“What, is this old man crazy?”

“I’m joking. I’ll just take a look.”

Geppetto almost snatched my sword away.

But since he’s the best craftsman in Nidavellir, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Surely he wouldn’t break it.

No, this might actually be a good thing.

I’ve been uneasy because the sword didn’t respond to divine power, and now I might be able to find out why.

“Hmm…”

Thud.

Geppetto began examining the sword in various ways, such as holding it up to the light or tapping it with a hammer.

After checking the condition of the blade, the balance, thickness, and length, Geppetto finally spoke.

“Where did you get this?”

“I received it from my master who taught me swordsmanship. Do you know what it is? It’s not an ordinary sword.”

“This sword…”

Geppetto had a reluctant expression.

“It’s not made of metal.”

“Then is it made from the bones of a beast?”

There are indeed such weapons.

Even Metalwolf uses its carapace to make weapons.

If it’s something similar, it would make sense why divine power doesn’t work on it.

“Similar. But…”

“There’s something more, isn’t there?”

“Do you know the process of making weapons from beast materials?”

“Roughly, you grind or hammer it, don’t you?”

“Similar. Whatever it is, it needs to be transformed. For example, if you were to make a weapon from a beast’s horn, you would grind or hammer it into shape.”

I think I understand what he means.

It seemed like Geppetto was trying to explain something as he began examining parts like the crossguard, handle, and pommel of the sword, rather than the blade itself.

“But this material itself is in the shape of a sword.”

“From the tip to the pommel, all of it?”

“From the tip to the pommel, all of it. If there’s any part that’s been polished, it’s the pommel. The end part has been ground.”

“Then it sounds like this sword’s pommel was connected to some kind of creature.”

“Indeed. To think of having such a perfectly balanced sword as part of one’s body… it’s horrifying just to imagine. Even a chimera couldn’t exist like this.”

“Hmm…”

The white sword given by my master.

What once seemed beautiful now started to feel eerie.

“Anyway, it’s a good sword. There’s nothing I need to fix.”

“The information you’ve found is quite lacking.”

“Why should I put in effort for information I don’t need to know?”

“You’re so petty.”

The sword’s true nature remained unknown.

The only thing discovered was that it was part of a living creature, not metal.

What kind of creature would carry such a sword as part of its body?

It’s a mystery.

“Speaking of which, can I see some other weapons? You’ve made them, so you must have checked them.”

“Isn’t this sword enough?”

“This one doesn’t work with holy power.”

“Better than harming people with the power of God. In a way, it’s a holy relic. Use it sparingly.”

“That’s an interesting perspective.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. He’s more devout than I am.

“Is a sword enough?”

“I’m not picky.”

“You’re quite greedy.”

Geppetto showed me the weapons he had made, as if telling me to look around.

They were all ordinary weapons, so much so that they felt out of place compared to the outside scenery.

Swords, spears, axes. The kind you’d see in a typical blacksmith’s shop.

“How much are these?”

Among them, there were swords that were completed to a considerable level even in my eyes.

There is a problem with using the master’s sword as it is not imbued with divine power.

To use mana in the form of aura, a certain amount of training is required.

It is sufficient to use as a substitute for the time being.

“2,400 imperial gold coins.”

“Do you mean silver coins?”

“Gold coins. Imperial gold coins.”

It is a price I can’t even imagine. It’s a price that could be budgeted for a small territory for a year.

“……It’s expensive compared to its performance.”

“Poor people always find fault like that. If you’re not going to buy it, put it down.”

I gently, as carefully as possible, put the sword down. I can’t even ask Linea to buy something like this.

After all, a person should have some sense of shame.

Now, the topic related to weapons is over.

It would be cheaper to buy weapons made with advanced technology scattered throughout the city. Although they can’t be called artisan’s items…

I change the topic. It’s time to start the psychological warfare.

It’s time to find out about the “One Who Draws the Future.” Others don’t know, but I do.

When trials clash with trials, what kind of disaster occurs.

Even if it hasn’t harmed humans, its power is too great.

It is necessary to identify the cause and clarify what kind of existence the opponent is.

“What is inside the city?”

“I don’t know.”

“Isn’t that too blatant? At least tell me what is commonly known.”

“There is technology. Far more advanced technology than we know.”

“For example?”

“Can you explain something you don’t know? We haven’t even completely conquered the outskirts until now. Even the most skilled artisan like me couldn’t fully understand the technology that was practically discarded after being pushed out of the outskirts.”

Clang!

Geppetto threw a piece of metal at me. As I dodged it slightly, it hit the floor and rolled with a sound.

“Look closely. Where the limits of my technology are, and based on that, what problems this city has.”

“…….”

What Geppetto threw was a gear.

Even the steel gears of various sizes.

There was one thing I could learn from him. At least for Geppetto, the technology to make gears wasn’t that difficult.

And that it was limited to a certain size.

“The smaller it is, the harder it is to make. Especially with that kind of metal.”

“But you still made it, didn’t you?”

“Only the most basic form. To apply it to a mechanical device requires calculations and work so precise that it’s beyond words.”

“For example, something like this?”

The pocket watch that Linea bought. Inside, large and small gears were turning regularly.

“Not bad. Our craftsman didn’t make this. He doesn’t have the skill.”

“They say you can tell if you disassemble it?”

“You’d know. Even Alex could assemble it. But he can’t make the materials.”

“Who’s Alex?”

“Our dog.”

“Ah.”

I wondered what he was talking about.

Geppetto stared at the pocket watch for a while. He seemed to be organizing his thoughts, so I left him alone.

If it’s something worth worrying about, it must be significant.

“Did you ask what’s inside?”

“Yes, and you answered it was technology.”

“Yes, there is technology that we can’t even understand. But there are things we can understand.”

“Finally, you’re telling me what I wanted to hear.”

“There’s nothing to hide. It’s what’s inside the city.”

After taking his eyes off the pocket watch, Geppetto looked up at me with vague anxiety and fear.

What did he see inside the city to harbor such anxiety?

“The closer you get from the outskirts to the inside, the technology continues like a history book inscribed with the history of technology. Naturally, there are guards inside. Violent ones made of mechanical devices.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Do you think that greedy craftsman would only stay on the outskirts because he knows his place? He hasn’t even been able to approach the inside yet, so he’s only on the outside.”

“Then should we consider the ‘One Who Draws the Future’ as the enemy of humanity?”

“No, that’s not it.”

A bitter smile. As if that couldn’t be the case. It was a smile close to ridicule.

“Anyway, I could understand the direction of the cross-section heading towards its own evolutionary endpoint.”

“What is that?”

“……”

Geppetto hesitated. It wasn’t a concern about whether he could speak or reveal the secret.

He simply seemed afraid that the answer he was about to give might be the correct one.

But it must have been a thought he had pondered over many times. So it must be something he could tell someone like me, who didn’t know much.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up.

After a moment of hesitation, Geppetto spoke.

“……＜The One Who Draws the Future＞ is evolving beyond simple mechanical engineering into the realm of life creation.”

“That is……”

“Yes.”

Deus Ex Machina.

“The realm of gods.”

*     *      *

Linea liked Nidavellir.

One reason was that the clothes she was wearing were made in Nidavellir.

Of course, as a beastman with senses far superior to humans, Nidavellir was by no means a pleasant environment.

The sound of forging that disturbed her ears, the smell of iron that numbed her nose.

Even the unbearable heat.

But despite that, she liked Nidavellir.

After awakening her abilities, the world had looked so terribly horrifying to her.

The red lines and dots scattered messily. How many times had she retched at the phenomenon that seemed to create a cross-section of the world?

She was dying. She was hiding such a secret.

In such a situation, Nidavellir, which she had come across by chance, was……

“Not red.”

The solidly forged iron and mechanical devices boasted a strength that she could never surpass.

In her world, filled with red, it occupied the most color.

That wasn’t all.

In Nidavellir, there were animals of unknown mechanical devices roaming around. Like the toys created by ＜The One Who Draws the Future＞.

Did she see them in the morning too?

A bird and a puppy made of mechanical devices. The shape of copper-colored toys not stained with red.

To her, such rigid mechanical devices felt almost like life.

“Hehe.”

She wouldn’t be able to stay long.

That’s why she had initially tried to settle in the Poris Duchy.

Even now, the noise around her made her head hurt. But despite that pain, she was simply happy.

The few moments when she could feel normal. She had to make the most of this time and enjoy it to the fullest.

“Huh?”

It was while she was watching the mechanical devices outside the mansion. She saw the figure of a child.

“What?!”

Linnea was startled and stood up at the sight of the child she had discovered by chance.

“Just now… Just now…!”

There was no red.

It was just an ordinary human figure.

There wasn’t just one person like Rost.

Linnea, forgetting her noble dignity, ran towards the direction where the child had been.

The child was near the mansion.

He couldn’t have gone far.

Using her physical abilities to the fullest, Linnea practically jumped down the building and arrived at the place where she had first seen the boy.

“There.”

The boy was there. He hadn’t gone anywhere and was just staring blankly at the mansion.

It was a boy. A boy stylishly wearing overalls and a yellow hat.

Catching her breath, Linnea carefully spoke to the boy.

“……”

“Ugh?!”

The boy quietly turned his head at the sound of her voice.

When Linnea met the boy’s eyes, she finally realized.

‘This child…’

He was not human.

There was still no red light visible from the boy.

Not even a dot, let alone a line.

That’s why the boy’s eyes were so blue they contrasted with the world.

But he was different from Lost.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t be seen like Lost. He couldn’t be seen from the beginning.

From head to toe. It was impossible for her to hurt the boy.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t hurt the boy’s pure white skin.

Linnea, trembling at the overwhelming presence, realized when she saw the mysterious, intricate mechanical device inside the boy’s eyes.

Yes, the boy in front of her was indeed.

“The one who draws the future…”

Deus Ex Machina.

The true master of this city.