Volume 12 Chapter 4 I Got Dragged Along
...I was praying for world peace in the holy capital, but I got surrounded by Cursed Inquisitors.
Well, I should've resisted, but the situation was just too unclear.
So, I decided to go along quietly.
It seems the Holy King's summons wasn't a lie, and I was taken to the Grand Holy Castle, the Holy King's residence.
By the way, Cirrul seemed to be treated as an outsider and managed to escape.
"Hey, so... why did the Holy King call for someone like me?"
I asked, and the blond young Inquisitor turned around with a sour face.
"Well, it's not like we can understand Her Majesty the Holy King's noble thoughts, and there's no need to tell you. You just need to follow Her Majesty the Holy King's orders."
"Huh?"
"Dissatisfied? But it's already impossible for someone like you, a 'Cursed One,' to have an audience with Her Majesty the Holy King... You should be grateful for that, but don't think about rebelling..."
'Oh, look, Noroa! There's a wild sea serpent swimming over there! Let's catch it!'
"Ah, yeah. Later, okay?"
Juju suddenly shouted, and the Inquisitors were taken aback.
I was too.
It seems Juju had switched gears since my true nature as a "Cursed One" was already exposed. Or rather, she just wanted an excuse to go outside.
'Later, when is that? What time, what minute, what second, and how many times will this planet rotate?'
"I don't know, though."
"No, no, doll. Now it's my turn to talk..."
'Shut up, it's my turn now! Don't you know that? So, you'll go bald within 2 years!'
"What... I'll go bald...?"
'I mean, why are you going along quietly, Noroa? Is it fun? Enjoyable?'
"No, it's not enjoyable... but somehow, I don't sense any hostility..."
I whispered.
The Inquisitors seemed to be on guard against me, but they didn't show any signs of attacking. If they had any intention of fighting, they would've ambushed me before talking.
Rather than making an enemy out of them, I wanted to know what kind of situation this was.
"...Sorry about this, it's become quite a welcome party..."
"Huh?"
The one who spoke to me with a wry smile was a small Inquisitor.
She was a young girl wearing a sloppy white uniform, with purple hair in twin tails and a lollipop in her mouth... For some reason, I felt like I'd seen her before, but I couldn't remember where.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. Nice to meet you, I suppose."
"Uh, maybe..."
'Wait, aren't you that lost kid from the Ravenyard festival?'
Kid, huh?
"...I'm not a lost kid or a brat. I'm an adult."
The girl looked displeased, fiddling with her lollipop. It was a pretty childish gesture.
"My name is Miimo Milnas. Despite how I look, I'm the head of the Inquisitors."
"Oh, head...?"
"Hey, don't make that face, like 'How can a kid like this...?'... It's really annoying."
"I'm not making that face."
'How do you know exactly what I'm thinking?! Are you an esper?!'
"Ah, it's you who..."
She was making that face.
I should probably be more careful, since she's a person in power.
"Anyway, about you. There were various plans that got messed up, and it ended up being this unique welcome party... Originally, we were going to give you a national guest treatment."
"National guest?"
"Didn't you receive the invitation?"
"Invitation... Do you mean that mysterious letter?"
I remembered the letter that was suddenly sent to me when I was at Count Emdo's estate.
It was what led me to come here.
"The one who sent that letter, the 'Doll Master', is Her Majesty the King herself."
"Huh..."
"Her Majesty loves games and enjoys giving people trials. If the invitation looked like a mysterious letter, it's probably just one of his games."
Miss Miimo let out a wry laugh.
"Well, anyway, we were going to assign a guide to you. But after you left your hometown, we couldn't meet up with you properly..."
"A guide..."
'Ah, we met a bear in the forest! Now that I think about it, they had a face that seemed confident in guiding us!'
"I think that's just a normal bear, though."
Well, it was actually an A-rank monster called Evil Bear.
Even if it guided us, it would be either heaven or hell.
"And then, when you were in Ravenyard, I went to pick you up myself... but while I was busy, I realized you were gone."
"...Ah..."
Come to think of it, after the Stake Loss (Cremation Cross) incident, I hurriedly left the city to avoid getting caught by the Inquisitor.
"I never thought you'd get a permit on your own and make it all the way to the holy capital. It was completely unexpected. And on top of that, you even got a wanted poster, so you ended up becoming a target for surveillance."
"Maybe... I did a lot of unnecessary things?"
"Well, a lot of people were saved, so it's not all bad, right?"
It's true, if I hadn't stopped by, Ravenyard would have been destroyed.
"Anyway, Her Majesty the Holy King is welcoming you. You don't have to worry about it."
"...That's good, then."
'If he's welcoming me, that means he's preparing a feast, right? I'll get angry if there's no octopus dish!'
"You're always energetic, aren't you?"
There are still some concerns, but the Holy King is the one I'm looking for... huh.
In that case, I can't avoid meeting her.
"And so, while we were talking, we arrived at the Great Holy Castle."
Before I knew it, we had reached the gate of the Great Holy Castle.
There were no walls or anything, so I could see the entire castle.
It was already impressive from a distance, but up close, it was even more overwhelming. The size was so massive that it made my neck hurt just looking up at it. And even up close, I couldn't find a single speck of dirt.
It was a majestic castle that seemed like a fantasy.
"Shall we go in, then?"
Miss Miimo led the way, passing through the gate.
I followed after her.
"Whoa?"
I crashed into the barrier with all my might.
"Ah... sorry. I forgot to hand over the permit."
"......"
"No way, I really messed up. So, don't look at me with those pitiful puppy dog eyes."
For now, I received a card from Miss Miimo.
It's similar to the permit to enter the Holy City.
"But, does this kind of authority certificate work even if I don't equip it?"
"Don't worry, it's okay. It was made specifically for you by Her Majesty."
"Huh...?"
I carelessly took it, and――
"...!!"
――A sudden electric shock ran through my entire body.
'Noroa!?'
The unexpected attack made my body jump reflexively.
Is this... forced equipment?!
- Holy City Level S Authority Certificate [Curse]
...Are you surprised? But it's not a dangerous thing, okay? It grants permission to enter all areas of the Holy City.
Rank: S
Type: Accessory
Effect: Grants Level S authority
Cost: You cannot harm the Holy King.
"This is..."
What is this?
It's completely different from the cursed equipment I've seen so far.
"...Is this an original cursed equipment?"
That's the only thing I can think of.
But does such a thing even exist?
The method of creating cursed equipment is supposed to be lost technology. And the Holy King, who's supposed to despise cursed equipment, made one...?
There are too many things I don't understand...
"――Then, let's go see Her Majesty the Holy King now."
For now, I'll ask the Holy King herself.
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