__________________________
Name: Arsen Dimitri
Title: The Inquisitor, The Archbishop, The Youngest Inheritor, Repressed Desire, Justice Seeker, Sixth Sense.
Age: 28
Rank: B
Class: Inquisitor {Unique}
[Stats]
Strength: 30 (D) / Potential D
Agility: 27 (D) / Potential D
Stamina: 41 (C) / Potential B
Magic: 52 (C) / Potential C
Endurance: 17 (E) / Potential D
Magic Resistance: 11 (E) / Potential E
[Special Attributes ]
Luck: 13 (E) / Potential E
Charm: 19 (E) / Potential E
[Skills: {Tap to view}]
[Traits: {Tap To view}]
[Equipment: {Tap To view}]
[Favourability: 0]
[Loyalty: 0]
__________________________
'He ain't a nobody.'
At first, I thought Arsen Dimitri, the silver-haired man, dubbed as the younger brother of Vivian Dimitri, was just a low-class background mob, irrelevant to the future progression. However, his class seemed to be in disagreement with that.
'Unique.'
He had a Unique class, a very rare one to have.
'Then again, having a Unique class doesn't make him a significant character.'
This path of thinking wasn't wrong either.
After all, this world was filled with billions of characters. All characters who weren't even mentioned, let alone named in the story.
So, it was plausible that he was just a happy-go-lucky individual who had chanced upon this loot haul.
However...
'Repressed desire.'
His titles weren't shabby either.
'They are far more interesting than Calvin's.'
And even the potential in him wasn't bad.
All in all, he had a high chance of existing in the future development of the novel.
But the point was...
"Will he be an adversary or an ally?"
The same mirage that I felt, the first time I came face to face with my sweet old brother Calvin.
"Aaaarrrghhhh!"
Hindering my thoughts, I heard an ear-piercing cry.
'So, it occurred.'
...
Kneeling on the ground, Calvin was bleeding through his heart with saliva dripping down his face mixed with blood, making it a horrendous scene to gaze upon.
What he was suffering from was the backlash of the Trail Ritual.
Opposite to him was Vivian, standing in the fourth circle with beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, and not just that, her whole body was drenched in sweat.
In between her ruffled breathing, she heard a voice from behind her.
"S-sister Vivian, H-he is a heretic!" Arsen uttered in an alarmed tone, his complexion wasn't much better than Vivian's, or should I say, it was even worse.
However, different from Vivian, there was an add-on to his exterior, a stunned expression, an expression true to one's emotion, and an expression that Vivian didn't have.
Other than the fatigue visible on her face, nothing was evident, her thoughts were hard to read through.
After his utterance, she could hear shocked and alarmed noises, not just from behind, but from all over the circle.
Calvin being a heretic was a result everyone recognized, but no one expected.
And when expectations didn't match reality, we got a feeling of realization,
A realization that wasn't just felt, but lived!
And this was a realization that every being in The Prayer Hall not just felt, but lived through, rendering them speechless for the starting few seconds, just to form a messy chaos afterwards.
"Silence," Vivian shouted.
Instantly the atmosphere turned cold, and the voices grew silent, the only voice which transgressed the area was Calvin's groaning moans, which were hard to subdue as he was laying at the centre of it all.
"Knights, catch him!"
However, unexpectedly, another voice opposed the silence while at the same time enacted an order.
Glancing back, Vivian looked at the owner of the voice who enacted the order, just for her eyes to halt on a 15-year-old boy with short orange hair, and an extremely chubby build.
Of course, it was me.
"What are you waiting for, catch him!"
Looking straight into her eyes, I shouted out the order again, this time, the knights' cold feet grew back to life and they heeded my order, unlike the first one, where they were too exasperated to follow suit.
Vivian was still glancing my way, however, her eyes had long since turned cold, certainly not in accordance with how I took over the command.
However...
'I can't let you have your way. I can't let go of my bartering exchange.'
-Tak.-Tak.-Tak.
-Clink! -Clink! -Clink!
The knights were on their way to catch Calvin, closing in the distance at a rapid pace.
...
Back at the estate.
We were back sitting at the round table conference, in front of me were the members of The Inquisition, with Vivian being the face of them.
"Hand over, the heretic." Vivian asserted, not as elusive as her previous self.
"I am afraid I can't do that," I confessed calmly.
"And can I know the reason for that?"
Smiling slightly, I folded my hands in a manner that enabled me to use my hands as a headrest.
"Are you trying to jest with me? Haha.. I would have surely laughed if not for the predicament we were in."
Understanding my words, the face of The Inquisition grew a bit indignant, they didn't like the words I had just said. I even noticed an amusing sight, Arsen, her beloved brother was still smiling sweetly, unhindered by not just my words, but the whole scenario.
"I wasn't jesting," Vivian said.
Fuuuuh
Taking a deep sigh, I slumped my shoulder, putting the entirety of my head's weight on my right hand.
"The Saintess doesn't need to act ignorant, looking at the events, even a fool can glimpse through the broad picture."
The table has turned. Presently, I was the one in the position of authority while Calvin stood in the sidelines, restricted by the knights.
Alishia didn't show an objection to me taking command, and Cassandra wasn't present to show her dissatisfaction, as she had yet to be notified about the incident.
This earned me a chance to be the one in control of the reins.
The knights were just [C] ranks, however, they had no difficulty in either catching nor apprehending Calvin, as even though a [B] rank, right now, Calvin was just a poor soul who was suffering from internal injury caused by the backlash.
"Master Lykus has yet to clarify how these two matters are related. The reason is certainly not substantial enough to defy The Inquisition."
"I am in agreement with that fact. However, I too am restricted. Handing him over is directly correlated with connecting the name of Clan Ulfred with the names of the Heretics."
"Master Lykus seems to be unaware of what The Inquisition is capable of?" Vivian asserted with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"No, no, no. I am fully aware of what The Inquisition can and has done. I am even aware that one word from The Inquisition can govern the rights of society, and can change the well-being of an individual, committee, or even a clan. However, you too, The Saintess herself, should be aware that one's shame doesn't diminish one's power."
"If shame doesn't diminish one's power, then why can't Master Lykus just hand over that heretic? It would make the matter easy for the both of us."
Hearing her argument, I smiled a bit heartedly.
"Being capable of handling hate and criticism doesn't mean one likes to go through that."
"Seems like this discussion is getting us nowhere."
"It does seem like that."
"Then how about we leave our disagreement here for now and pick it up where we left off tomorrow."
"I concede to that notion. Now, keeping our disagreements aside. I would like to wholeheartedly welcome the Saintess, the Archbishop, and all the members of The Inquisition as our honourable guest, do enjoy your stay in our estate."
Nodding her head she and The Inquisition left the room.
After their departure, I ordered the knights to lock up Calvin in solitary confinement.
I was in no mood to have a civil talk with him.
And other than being bartering leverage, he was of no use to me.
Well, he was of one...
But that objective could wait.
His plans had already failed, he didn't even get the chance to misdirect The Inquisition. Not even a slight chance to instigate them.
'Let him relish in his misery alone in solitude.'
His apprehended expression filled with confusion and misery was enough to provide me with a glimpse of his thoughts and inner emotions, which were chaotic, to say the least.
"Now that the scene is silent."
I was still seated in the prominent spot, gazing at the foreseen faces which were left in the room alongside me, which were 180-degree comprised of Alishia, Agatha, Ella, and Niktus.
"How did you inform The Inquisition? And above that, how was the matter related to one of The Twelve Cardinals?"
Alisha asked, her gaze occasionally darting behind me as if she was looking at something,
Or a certain someone...
Ella Ross.
My lovely maid was standing behind me.
"And what if I don't tell?"
As expected, my response dissatisfied not just Alishia, but Nikus and Agatha alike. They too wanted to know the secret, even though they didn't voice it out.
Now, Alishia's gaze became even more intense, not on me, but on Ella.
'She certainly has some insight.'
I didn't know if it was just a woman's intuition, or if it was just Ella's presence that irked her, which in my perspective made a lot more sense.
As, unlike how Ella usually acted, the sluggish, amateurish, and always irresponsible maid, her persona right now was a whole 180 degree turn from her "normal" self, and had been like that whenever we had a secluded meeting.
"No need to get that disgruntled, I was merely jesting. I was just about to disclose the secret. Hahahaha~."
...They certainly didn't like the joke.
Edited By: WorthyAdversary