Chapter 16: Judgment and the Onigiri (Again)
The following day—
Cardinal Larsa stood in the center of the village square before the bound Inquisition Knights.
What was about to begin was judgment.
As one of the victims—seeing as Zereshia had literally cut my arm off—I had been asked by Cardinal Larsa to attend the proceedings as well. So I stood a short distance away, quietly watching everything unfold.
The morning air was cold and sharp, carrying a tense silence across the square.
Then Cardinal Larsa spoke.
“Now then, Inquisition Knight Zereshia, along with the knights under your command. You stand accused of attempting to massacre innocent civilians. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
“What is wrong with punishing the filthy wretches who corrupted the Saintess!?”
“…Good grief. So this is what Uranos was talking about.”
Uranos?
I tilted my head slightly.
“Who’s Uranos?”
“He is another Cardinal, equal in rank to Larsa. Among the Cardinals, he is exceptionally cold and merciless. He took everything precious from me.”
“Everything precious…?”
“…Raphiel-sama, please stop trying to manipulate his impression of Uranos-sama. He’ll get angry if he hears this.”
“Grana, I am merely stating facts.”
Manipulate his impression…?
I still didn’t really understand what they meant, but before I could ask further, Grana let out a weary sigh and explained.
“Raphiel-sama has had a terrible habit since childhood of picking strange things up. Do you know what an Explosion Stone is?”
“Explosion Stone? Isn’t that the kind of rock that detonates from even the slightest impact? …Wait, don’t tell me.”
“Indeed. Raphiel-sama brought one back to the temple, and part of the building exploded. After that, Uranos-sama began confiscating all manner of dangerous objects she collected—cursed skulls that killed anyone who touched them, demon arms, even the corpse of an immortal dragon that resurrected itself no matter how many times it was slain and devoured people alive.”
“They were all my treasures. Uranos is a terrible man.”
“Isn’t that completely justified!?”
Yeah, okay.
No wonder this Uranos guy got angry.
Just then, upon hearing Uranos’s name, the Inquisition Knights suddenly began shouting all at once.
“That’s right!! It was Cardinal Uranos who sent us to this village!!”
“That old bastard is the one truly responsible!!”
“We were deceived!! We merely obeyed his orders!!”
At their desperate outburst, Cardinal Larsa gave a calm nod.
“Very well. Then let us hear exactly what orders Cardinal Uranos gave you. Inquisition Knight Kausman.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
The man who stepped forward at Larsa’s summons was a tall, handsome knight.
He had served as vice-captain of Zereshia’s squadron and had regained consciousness safely around dawn.
Standing upright despite his injuries, the vice-captain answered clearly.
“Cardinal Uranos’s orders were solely to persuade Saintess Raphiel to resume her pilgrimage journey! We were never ordered to massacre civilians or exterminate heretics!!”
The Inquisition Knights fell silent.
The vice-captain they believed dead was standing before them alive, exposing everything without hesitation.
There was nothing left for them to deny.
“It appears there are no objections,” Cardinal Larsa declared quietly. “You will be taken to the royal capital and receive the punishment deemed appropriate. Until that final moment arrives, I suggest you spend your remaining time repenting for your sins.”
And just like that, the verdict was delivered.
As the captured knights screamed and begged for mercy, only Zereshia remained glaring at me with pure hatred burning in her eyes.
Honestly… it was terrifying.
Still, one thing continued bothering me.
“Why send people this dangerous in the first place if all they had to do was persuade Raphiel?”
“The Inquisition Knights Cardinal Uranos dispatched this time were already known troublemakers from the start,” Ronda explained.
“Ah, Ronda-san. …Wait, then why send people with disciplinary problems for a diplomatic mission?”
“Ohhh. I see now.”
Beside me, Raphiel lightly clapped her hands as though she had solved a simple puzzle.
“In short, he likely intended to create a reason to dispose of them. Cardinal Uranos probably assumed they would inevitably cause trouble. And even if they behaved themselves, the worst outcome would simply be that I resumed my pilgrimage.”
“…Um, if the village chief hadn’t been here, wouldn’t this have become a complete catastrophe…?”
“Quite the opposite, I think. Because Cardinal Uranos knew he was in this village, he likely concluded he could eliminate problematic knights without allowing any real casualties.”
“That’s insanely troublesome!?”
“Precisely. Which is why I do not particularly like Cardinal Uranos.”
Cardinal Uranos, huh…
If he ever visited Papel Village someday, maybe I’d be justified in getting a little revenge for my severed arm.
Like secretly doubling the amount of chili peppers in only his mapo tofu or something.
Wait.
Why am I automatically assuming I’d be hosting the guy if he came here?
Was I developing some kind of hospitality brain damage from constantly entertaining visitors lately?
Yeah.
Better not think too deeply about it.
Just then, Cardinal Larsa approached me with an elegant smile.
“Eight, I truly apologize for all the trouble this incident has caused you.”
“Ah, no, it’s really fine…”
“I shall be taking my leave now, but should you ever find yourself in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to visit the temple in the royal capital. I would be delighted to help however I can.”
…And just like that, I somehow ended up connected to a major religious authority figure.
That was honestly kind of terrifying in its own way.
Then Larsa turned toward Raphiel.
“And Raphiel. I will not force you anymore, but perhaps it is time to resume your pilgrimage—”
“Eight, how is the arm Zereshia severed?”
“Eh? It’s completely fine, though?”
“What’s that? It feels as though your arm may fall off at any moment? How unfortunate. In that case, I must devote myself entirely to treating Eight for at least another month, so naturally a pilgrimage is impossible. That is all.”
Without changing her expression even slightly, Raphiel rattled off her excuse at machine-gun speed, nearly biting her tongue in the process before immediately sprinting into my house.
Apparently, she intended to avoid restarting her pilgrimage at absolutely all costs.
Maybe she felt safe now that the dangerously insane Inquisition Knights were no longer coming after her.
“My, my. That child…” Cardinal Larsa chuckled softly. “Eight, please continue taking care of Raphiel.”
“Uh… yes. Of course.”
“Oh, and do be careful. Other Saintesses who view Raphiel as a rival may eventually come here as well. Unlike her, they are… rather eccentric girls.”
“Right, understood— …Wait, what did you just say?”
“Well then, it is time for us to depart. —Miracle of Transfer: Gate.”
The instant she spoke, a geometric magic circle spread beneath Cardinal Larsa’s feet, and a radiant doorway materialized in midair.
The Miracle of Transfer truly lived up to its name—a miracle capable of connecting two distant locations instantaneously.
Apparently only a select few people could use it, but seeing something like this really drove home the fact that I was living in another world.
The vice-captain began escorting Zereshia and the other Inquisition Knights through the glowing gate.
“Gufufu… I shall remain here and continue supporting Raphiel-sama!!”
“Oh, that reminds me, Ronda. You still haven’t submitted your travel authorization forms, have you?”
“Eh? W-Wait—”
“You’re returning with us.”
“B-But I wish to stay by Raphiel-sama’s side—!”
Ignoring all protests, Cardinal Larsa dragged Ronda away by force.
Still, as she disappeared through the gate, Ronda turned back and shouted—
“Thank you for everything!!”
…Yeah.
At her core, she was probably a genuinely good person.
“Eight, I am hungry. Please make something.”
The moment we returned home, Raphiel rubbed her stomach and made her demand.
Now that she mentioned it, it was already breakfast time.
“Any requests?”
“I want onigiri. Because of Zereshia, I never got to eat them yesterday.”
“Understood.”
Accepting Raphiel’s request, I headed straight into the kitchen.
Good thing I’d cooked rice in the rice cooker before going to bed last night.
As for fillings…
Well, the tuna mayo and salmon I originally planned to give Raphiel yesterday would work perfectly.
For the tuna mayo, I mixed canned tuna with mayonnaise, while for the salmon, I used the bottled flakes sold at supermarkets.
First, I lightly salted the rice.
Then I shaped it carefully by hand and tucked the fillings inside.
“And lastly, wrap it with seaweed… done.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Raphiel immediately took a large bite of the onigiri, cheeks puffing slightly as she chewed.
Then her eyes sparkled.
“The balance of salt is perfect!! The crisp seaweed texture is wonderful! And the strong saltiness of the salmon along with the richness of the tuna mayo seep beautifully into the surrounding rice, creating an excellent accent!!”
“Glad you like it. Ah, Grana-san, you should try one too.”
“Mm. Then I shall partake. —SOUR!?”
“Ah, that one had pickled plum inside.”
At long last, peaceful daily life had returned.
Or at least, that was what I believed at the time.
Back then, I never could have imagined it.
Not even for a moment.
That the Demon King himself would soon descend upon us.