My Childhood Friend Became an Inquisitor

“Are you okay? Am I not unpleasant?”
“Unpleasant? Not at all! Your hair even sparkles, it’s pretty.”
*

“…Huk!”

It felt like I had a terrible nightmare.

A dream where Anne, who returned to the village after a long time, heard about my engagement and led an army to massacre the villagers.

Haha, really. To think I’d have such an absurd dream. I thought I had sorted out my feelings, but it seems some guilt towards Anne still remained.

Certainly, I wasn’t in good shape in many ways. Pressing my throbbing head, I looked around.

“Where is this?”

My sense of reality returns, and I begin to recognize my surroundings more clearly.

I was in a white room. The stuffy air suggested it might be underground, but light so bright it hurt my eyes was seeping in, and every visible space from ceiling to floor was entirely white.

The room wasn’t very large, and it was extremely sparse. Just a hard-looking bed, a small desk and chair, and a chamber pot. A black book lay on the desk, and on one wall hung a cross that seemed to be made of pure gold.

Turning around, I saw several layers of silver bars- no, looking closely, they were solid silver bars blocking the exit, and beyond them stretched an endless expanse of white.
It’s a dreamlike scenery that seems more fitting for a fairy tale or scripture than reality, but gathering my wits, the answer came quickly.

‘A prison, is it.’

Silver is softer than iron, and yet valuable. Perhaps because of this, the bars were placed quite loosely. Not only could an arm pass through, but if you squeezed carefully, you could probably pull your whole body out. It seemed pointless as imprisonment.

Although I hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, the desire for freedom is the same for everyone, so I unconsciously reached my arm through the bars.

And then, I learned why the bars were so loose.

Bzzt!

“Argh!”

I hadn’t noticed, but there was an invisible transparent membrane between the bars. The moment my right hand touched that membrane, a terrible pain started from my arm and spread throughout my entire body.

As if dozens of lightning bolts struck at once, as if fierce flames were burning to the bone. My mind flashes black and white from pain I’ve never experienced in my life.

After screaming unintelligibly for a while, I lift my trembling hand in the afterglow of pain. Surely, from what I felt just now, it seemed like my hand had completely vaporized.

As if telling me not to exaggerate, not even a small burn mark remained on my hand. As if the pain that had been so vivid was just an illusion. Unable to put any strength into my hand, I lay limp like a corpse for a long time, clenching my fist.

“Huu, hwa.”

The searing pain that remained like a phantom didn’t easily disappear, but after more time passed, I could move my body except for my right hand. How long had I been like this? A few minutes, or perhaps hours.

Only after barely pulling myself together could I face reality.

This place is a prison. Dragging my feet, I approached the desk and opened the book, finding it to be a scripture filled with praises and adoration for God.

Even in the cracks of solid rock, weeds take root, so corruption cunningly waits for its time.

This place is a prison. Full of religious colors.
…As my thoughts extended that far, memories I had buried under too great a shock began to surface one by one.

The army of the Holy War that rushed in like a tidal wave.
The village that was swept away like foam without proper resistance.
And, the most beautiful memory that became the most terrible nightmare.

“Ah, uh, aah…”

For some reason, you who mercilessly slaughtered the villagers spared only me.

Should I be glad then? That I survived somehow, even if as a bird trapped in a cage? As if God really answered my prayers, because I didn’t die even in this state?

That can’t be right.

“Aaaaaaah!”

As my defense mechanisms crumble, the shock, fear, astonishment, and despair of that moment vividly come back to life.

It was too great a shock for a mind already ravaged by pain to bear. As if I had become an idiot, my mind went blank, and I remained frozen for a long time, unable to utter a word.

The emotions spewed out fail to become language and crumble, leaking out of my mouth. Just meaningless emotions continue for a long time, then with pain as if my throat was being torn, a cough mixed with blood spurts out.

“It’s… a lie…”

Even though it was a fact I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears.

I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. I wished not to believe it. Because the moment I acknowledged that fact, everything surrounding me would collapse miserably.

Anne. Not someone else, but that innocent and kind child, really?

“It’s a lie… right?”

Looking at the illusion shimmering beyond the bars, I pleaded.

You beyond the silver bars wore a blank and sorrowful expression, so that if I forgot where I was, it almost seemed like you were the one imprisoned. Silently.

Your beauty, which stood out even in childhood, had fully blossomed with maturity. Features as delicate as a masterpiece crafted by God, a gracefully extended jawline, and eyes that, though changed little, were full of expression.

Even if you didn’t say anything, I could look into your eyes and align our hearts. That was true even now, after being apart for nearly ten years.
Only, I couldn’t be certain. Whether we really hadn’t diverged.

Whether you and I were still the same people as back then.

“Ha, hahahaha…”

You were silent. Of course. It was just an illusion I created after all.
I felt pathetic that I couldn’t even reach out through the bars to touch you, afraid of the pain from earlier.

As I absentmindedly reached out towards you, the memory that remained like a brand made me flinch and stop. As I sighed and was about to withdraw my hand, your hand reached out through the bars and grasped mine.

The hand I held after so long was truly warm, bringing tears to my eyes. It wasn’t an illusion after all.

“Anne…”

“Yes, Louis.”

“It’s not true, right? It’s all just my misunderstanding?”

Holding hands through the bars, I sobbed, leaning on her warmth.

“You couldn’t have done that. Right? Such a terrible thing…”

“No.”

“Haha, that’s right. I knew it…!”

Even at that monotone response, my mind was instantly filled with joy and happiness. Yes, it couldn’t be. Anne really…

The hand I held was smooth and soft like when we were young, making it impossible to believe she was doing any rough work. Fingers too thin to exert such monstrous strength, skin as white and clean as if it had never seen sunlight.

The very image of a typical noble. Although I couldn’t possibly feel good about those arrogant and overbearing people, it was still better than a heartless murderer wielding a mace.

“It wasn’t a terrible thing.”

Thump, my heart sank.

“Because I was returning those who had fallen into darkness back to the Lord’s embrace.”

The hand I was holding, the warmth that had been such a source of support and comfort just moments ago.

It now approached me with terrible revulsion and disgust, like the appendage of an insect.

“Ha. Wh-What…”

Even in such a state, I was still trying to escape from reality.

It’s nonsense. Even if she really did that, the characteristics of such a warrior should rightfully appear on her body. With such a frail body, no. In the first place, it’s impossible for an ordinary human to exert such monstrous strength…

Like someone driving thunder into my head, knowledge flashed in the dark oblivion.

The Holy Body is bestowed upon the upper echelons of the Church. A part of ‘God’s’ flesh. A treasure of praise that grants eternal youth, heavenly beauty, and demigod-like strength to those who consume it.

Anne was young and beautiful to begin with. But the monstrous strength she displayed that defied the laws of nature cannot be explained by mere talent or effort.

The upper echelons of the Church – High Priests, Bishops, Guardians of the Gospel.
And Inquisitors.

“…Let go.”

She had ‘judged’.
Our village. Your hometown. Neighbors and friends. Those kind people who grew up together, who sometimes teased but worried about you more than anyone, who all gathered to see you off on the day you left for the city.

“What’s wrong, Louis? You don’t look well.”

“I said let go!”

I scream as if I’ve gone mad. I want to tear away immediately, but Anne’s hand was as firm as shackles placed on a criminal.

The more I struggle, the more force is added to the hand gripping me, and my caught wrist became so painful it felt like it would be torn off, but I still couldn’t stop. If I didn’t scream out and vomit it all out right now, it felt like the wildfire-like madness would consume everything inside me.

“Witch! Murderer! Do you know what you’ve done? The villagers, my friends…”

Everything.

Everything!

“Louis.”

Anne spoke my name with a somewhat frowning face. All of it should be hateful, but you were still beautiful despite that. With your slightly curved eye corners, your slightly scratched forehead, even as I scream filled with madness, my gaze is stolen by you bit by bit each moment.

I cursed myself. I want to hate you, I should hate you.
But despite even having made a fiancée, a part of me still loves you.

The incomplete hatred turned back and wounded me. After raging wildly, I could no longer hold back and charged towards the bars. Not knowing myself what I was trying to do. To grab your collar, or to try to hit you. Or.

Like a moth to a flame, to just jump into the fire and die.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The silver bars separating you and me, me and this world, burned my soul.