Merchant Noble is out (1/3 chapters for today)

 

 

Inquisition

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

One week after the destruction of the Horimas Order, Louis rushed into the church with a pale face. Although he was the king, he had come without any guards. It remained unclear whether he had hurried due to urgency or if he had come in secrecy. However, judging by his ashen face, it was likely that he was indeed in a hurry.

“Chief Priest! What is the meaning of this?!” (Louis)

Louis shouted as he barged in. In response, Zenon deliberately turned around slowly, as if to tease him.

“Oh dear, Your Majesty the King. What brings you here so suddenly? I must say I am not particularly impressed by your shouting in the church. Sister, please bring some water for His Majesty.” (Zenon)

Facing Zenon’s carefree demeanor, Louis stammered with a trembling voice.

“I have heard that the butler of Marquis Rizo, the knights of the Elector Azalea, and the servants of Marquis Friss have been taken by the Holy Knights. What on earth is going on?!” (Louis)

“Oh, allow me to explain. The Horimas Order has spread beyond the slums of the royal capital, and its followers have exceeded our expectations. They were scattered throughout the royal capital like a nest of rats. Nobles are not exceptions in this case. As we proceeded with the investigation, we began to suspect that some of the nobles might be following this heretical faith. Therefore, we have currently assigned the Holy Knights to conduct an investigation.” (Zenon)

At present, the church was investigating the Horimas Order. It had been revealed that its followers were not just the poor but also included certain intellectuals. Additionally, the possibility that some noble relatives were involved in the faith had come to light.

“That cannot be! This is unacceptable! My subordinates are being arrested without any understanding of the situation, and the nobles are extremely disturbed. I do not recall permitting such actions!” (Louis)

“Well now, the Edict for the Elimination of Heretics does not make distinctions based on status, does it?” (Zenon)

“Regardless! Stop it immediately. This is a royal command! Release the noble subordinates at once!” (Louis)

Louis screamed with a voice that was almost unrecognizable.

“What nonsense! Has the royal family become this rotten?!” (Cyan)

Before Louis could finish speaking, a loud voice rang out, overshadowing his shout.

The High Priest Cyan had arrived after hearing the commotion.

“Your Holiness, if you become angry, it will affect your health. Please calm down.” (Zenon)

“Let go of me, Chief Priest! I am speaking with the king.” (Cyan)

Zenon dramatically intervened, intentionally trying to restrain Cyan. He knew well that this old man tended to become more heated when someone attempted to stop him.

As expected, Cyan pushed Zenon aside and approached Louis.

“Listen here, young man! As the king who governs the kingdom, you must show the utmost respect for God. Yet, even with demons among your noble peers, you choose to hide that truth and interfere with the church. This is utterly disrespectful!” (Cyan)

With Cyan confronting him, Louis shrank back, his face turning red. He was an inexperienced king who had never faced such a tough situation before. While one could acknowledge his courage for entering the church alone, it would have been better had he not come at all if he could do nothing without his entourage.

“Demons? I do not mean that… I was trying to prove the innocence of my noble subordinates…” (Louis)

“Enough!” (Cyan)

Louis, who tried to make excuses in a small voice, was shouted down by Cyan.

“You royal family members should know this well! Do not interfere with our church’s actions any further. If you continue, I will excommunicate you for blasphemy against God!” (Cyan)

Upon hearing the word ‘excommunication’, Louis’s face fell. For the faithful, excommunication was crueller than death. It meant eternal damnation without any hope for salvation even after death. Moreover, for the faithful, those who had been excommunicated were looked down upon even more than slaves. A king who was excommunicated would be especially contemptible. If he were killed, no one would dare to blame anyone for it.

Before long, Louis began to wilt. It seemed his resolve to stop the church had shattered completely.

“Please, I beg you to spare me from that. If I am excommunicated, I will lose the trust of my people, and I cannot continue to live as a king.” (Louis)

Zenon watched Louis, who was pathetically bowing his head to plead for mercy despite being the king. Zenon regarded this king with cold eyes. This king was slightly mistaken. When he said, “If I am excommunicated, I will lose the trust of my people,” the truth was that the people’s hearts had already drifted away. The moment he failed to stop Leo’s massacre, he had already lost their trust. The reality was that “if he is excommunicated, it would provide a justification for killing Louis”.

“Your Majesty, the elimination of heretics is a task we should undertake. You can continue to govern as you have before.” (Zenon)

Zenon’s words came as a lifeline for Louis, urging him to exit. Faced with this unexpected assistance, Louis could do nothing but retreat.

No, I should not back down here.

Despite having urged Louis to leave, Zenon could not help but think this as he watched him go.

Has this king never considered why the nobles followed him? Did he genuinely believe that the nobles are loyal simply because of his “noble blood” as a member of the royal family? Unlike the other royal family member, Casablanca, he should have been able to understand the reasons why nobles obeyed him.

Nobles followed Louis with the expectation that they could remain nobles. Therefore, to continue receiving the support of the nobles, Louis had to meet their expectations. He had to protect the nobles from the church at all costs.

“This king will not last long.” (Zenon)

As Zenon observed Louis, who had left after being chastised by the High Priest, he could not help but mutter to himself.

A few days later, the royal palace was rocked by a shocking event. The daughter of Marquis Rizo and the wife of Marquis Friss were arrested by the Holy Knights. The charges against them were for meeting with followers of the Horimas Order. The butlers and servants of the respective nobles, who had been arrested and interrogated by the Holy Knights, provided ‘testimonies’.

“The knights of the Elector Azalea died without revealing any information.” (??)

“What a true knight. Damn it.” (Zenon)

Zenon expressed his frustration at the report from the Holy Knights.

The interrogation of the knights, who were reluctant to confess, had continued with severe measures that could not be put into words. However, in exchange for their lives, they ultimately proved the innocence of their masters. Since no confession could be obtained, it was impossible to arrest the Elector Azalea.

“Well, it cannot be helped. It is a success that we managed to arrest individuals from two noble houses. Continue with the interrogation. This time, we are dealing with noble daughters and wives. Do not use torture that leaves marks on their bodies. Use methods such as verbal abuse, water torture, and sleep deprivation that will not leave any traces.” (Zenon)

“Understood.” (Holy Knight)

“Our goal is to arrest the nobles themselves. Make them confess about their connections with the heretics. No matter how much they deny it, they must be lying. We must not relent until they confess the truth of their connections with the heretics.” (Zenon)

Regardless of the means or the truth involved, if we could obtain a confession, it would be in our favor. We need to extract those confessions before the desperate nobles pressure the church with violence.

“I can even create the truth itself. Nobles, you should tremble and wait for what is coming.” (Zenon)

Zenon muttered with a cheerful demeanor.

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @

Previous Chapter | Table of Content | Next Chapter