Player-Hunting Inquisitors

Chapter 22

Next weekend. I decided to visit the Black Market again.

This time, not as a VIP, but as a regular customer.

I wore a different mask than before and brought along a companion.

"The two shops in front of you, Yuria."

"Yes. As you said, there's an Elf inside."

Yuria's insight can detect things invisible to the naked eye.

No matter how hard one tries to hide suspicious points, it's difficult to fool Yuria.

Yuria concealed her eyepatch under a deep hood, and I also dressed in black clothes like a noble hiding their identity.

Since my physique is rather common, even this level of change would make it hard to recognize me.

"How is it? Anything suspicious?"

"There is something questionable. But I think we need to go inside the shop to be sure."

If Yuria sensed something suspicious, there must be a basis for it.

I entered Neno's shop, letting Yuria take the lead.

A sweet yet feeble voice greeted us.

"Hello, I'm Neno. How can I help you?"

"We're here to browse materials. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Understood."

The Elf still had a clueless appearance.

Their innocent demeanor seemed out of place in the Black Market.

Yuria and I pretended to be ordinary customers and slowly looked around the shop.

Yuria pretended to examine materials and even brought some to Neno to ask questions.

I compared the shop's interior with its exterior, trying to identify any empty spaces.

'It doesn't seem likely for there to be a large empty space in the design... However, the chance of a basement existing is high.'

It's common for shops like this to have storage in the basement.

While considering sneaking in at night to investigate if necessary, I waited for Yuria and Neno's conversation to end.

"Thank you. Can I take this Light-Shielding Flower right away?"

"Of course. It's 1 gold and 50 silver, but I'll give you a 20 silver discount!"

Somehow, Yuria had won over Neno's favor and was having a pleasant conversation.

"Thank you. Please come again."

After purchasing one material, we left the shop.

After leaving the Black Market, we headed to a secluded area to share our thoughts.

"You said Neno is a former slave, right?"

"Yes, there are marks of chains left on her neck. There are also faint traces of cuffs on her hands."

Yuria shook her head.

"She hasn't been freed. Officially, she's in an employer-employee relationship, but she's still being treated as a slave."

"How do you know that?"

I tilted my head and asked Yuria again.

"There's a small mark engraved behind her ear. It's hidden by her hair, so it's not visible to the eye."

Behind the ear.

Even if it's hidden from others, it couldn't escape Yuria's insight.

"When a slave is freed, the mark is usually erased. However, Neno's mark hasn't been erased. There aren't even traces of an attempt to remove it."

"So, she's still a slave. Judging by the fact that the mark was left just like in the old days, her treatment is predictable."

"Yes. They're running the shop to hide her status, but she must have an owner."

Thanks to Yuria, the list of suspects narrowed down considerably.

Among those connected to the Black Market, there are few who have enough power to hide a slave.

If we focus on investigating them, something should come up.

"I'll ask Lilin to investigate the suspicious families."

"Got it. I'll keep visiting the Black Market to monitor Neno."

Investigating the nobles is entrusted to the Flonia Family, who are subordinates of the Tenia Family.

They are a family verified by the Cult and, like the Tenia Family, actively cooperate in the Cult's affairs.

The Flonia Family's investigative skills are the best among the Empire's families.

They never fail to meet expectations.

"Yes. Oh, by the way, you noticed there's a basement, right? It might be good to investigate there as well."

"Thanks."

Yuria and I left the Black Market and headed to my house.

Upon arriving home, a familiar silhouette greeted us.

"Welcome back, Yuria, Kian."

"Good to see you, Riel."

As always, we shared our investigation results and planned for the next day.

Riel informed us that she met with Professor Thomas and agreed to visit his lab later.

Yuria planned to return to the academy to continue investigating Ella and the commoner group.

Natasha had temporarily left for the Papal Palace to report on the Cult of Light's matters.

All the Apostles at the academy were having an incredibly busy day.

**

The sun had fully set, and the night was illuminated by the moon and stars.

I headed to the Black Market.

'They probably don't suspect anything yet, but just in case, I need to investigate quickly.'

It was to investigate Neno's shop.

Unlike other shops in the Black Market, Neno's shop closes early.

My goal today was to find out what they do during that time.

I headed to the back alley of the Black Market and found the rear of Neno's shop.

'Here, this is the building... It seems there's no guard stationed.'

I checked for the presence of barriers while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

'It's a barrier set up with a basic artifact.'

A building likely hiding many secrets.

The shop, which seemed ordinary during the day, now felt like one big trap.

'But that doesn't mean I can just stand by.'

Resolving myself, I slowly moved closer to the barrier.

Barriers set up with artifacts have a defined detection range for standardized performance.

Stopping right in front of the range, I gathered my Divine Power to its fullest.

Artifacts cannot recognize a massive lump of Divine Power as a person.

In other words, with Apostle-level Divine Power, I could pass through without any issues.

Successfully bypassing the barrier, I climbed over the wall and stuck to the shop's exterior.

In the darkness, I silenced even my breathing, pressed my ear to the wall, and checked for any signs inside.

However, I felt nothing.

'I have no choice but to go inside.'

Fortunately, it seemed no one was hiding.

Since one of the windows near the back door wasn't locked, I carefully opened it.

I slowly, very slowly lifted the window to minimize any creaking noise.

Holding my breath, I climbed over the window frame and entered. I moved cautiously, pressing my toes to the ground to avoid making any noise.

'Phew, it wasn't a trap. Then, before heading to the basement, should I check the other rooms first?'

I searched the entire building but only found rooms being used as storage.

'If they were ordinary merchants, they'd keep all their storage in one basement. Why would they use multiple rooms as storage?'

That means the basement is likely being used for something other than storage.

Expecting to find clues in the basement, I pressed my ear to the basement door.

"Hehe, yes. Well done."

"Thank you, Master."

Then, I heard a conversation between Neno and another man.

"Hey! I told you to call me Boss, not Master!"

The man seemed to be Neno's owner.

"Eek! I'm sorry. By the way, is the young master all right?"

"It's none of your business, you useless wench. I bought you for a hefty price because you were said to be skilled with medicine, yet you can't even cure a single illness."

Neno was nervously watching his master, and a frightened voice echoed.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!"

"Hmph, fine. I'm leaving now. You are sending the letters I ordered on time, right?"

"Yes."

Neno's voice still trembled.

As the master prepared to leave, Neno quickly moved to tidy up his master's clothes.

Taking advantage of the moment, I quietly slipped out of Neno's shop.

'Thankfully, he spilled everything himself.'

Nobles are arrogant and don't watch their words in front of their subordinates.

Thanks to that, I could easily gather high-quality information.

'A noble with a sick child, speaking with the Empire's accent. This should be enough to identify him.'

The outline of the situation became clear.

The Cult of Light must have approached the noble with the sick child.

Their skills in curing illnesses are exceptional, so it would appear as though the condition improved quickly.

But that's only on the surface.

The Cult of Light doesn't care about the patient's condition.

They will do anything to achieve their goal of summoning their god.

'Exploiting the heart of a parent worried about their child—how despicable.'

The fact that Neno's master mentioned a sick child, that Thomas was seeking magic materials, and that the Cult of Light's Cardinal visited Cornell... all these pieces formed a single picture.

The Cult of Light was approaching nobles with sick children, manipulating them under the pretense of treatment.

They pretended to heal the illness while expelling the patient's soul and possessing the body with a Player—a horrifying act.

'This is tricky. The Cult of Light has the Empire's royal family backing them, so direct confrontation is difficult...'

I left the Black Market and headed home.

While walking, my mind was filled with thoughts about the Cult of Light.

Upon entering my house, I sensed a familiar presence.

"Yo~, you're here."

"Ah, you've arrived."

While I was lost in thought, a lifeline of salvation was thrown my way.

"A message from the Pope. Read it."

Natasha handed me a neatly wrapped envelope.

'Let's see, what does the Pope have to say?'

After reading the letter, I couldn't suppress the smile forming on my lips.

"How is it?"

"It's perfect."

Phew, indeed.

I've been too reserved at the academy all this time.

The letter contained the message, "Do as you wish. The Papal Palace will not oppose the Saint's will."

In other words, I was fully entrusted with dealing with the Cult of Light.

In that case, it's time to showcase my skills after a long while.

"Natasha, it seems we'll have a chance to fight together again after a long time."

"Oh? I'm in!"

Even the demons couldn't withstand us; there's no way the rats hiding in the Black Market can handle it.