LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 342
The treatment of the captured necromancers ended somewhat like this.
“So, is the matter regarding the necromancers concluded now?”
“The treatment of the necromancers has been settled, but… there’s a bit of a problem.”
“Another one?! Shouldn’t the problems be coming to an end by now?! Isn’t there enough for the High Priest to handle on his own?!”
The High Priest merely shook his head slightly.
“It’s just that it’s an issue pertaining to the inquisitors… It’s not something I can decide easily.”
Inquisitors? What sort of problem is there now?!
“What’s the problem…?”
“That is….”
The High Priest hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening his mouth.
“Some of the inquisitors seem to want to quit their roles as priests.”
“Huh? Why?!”
“It seems that their work as inquisitors has put quite a psychological burden on them.”
Hmm… A psychological burden… I hadn’t really considered that.
Physically, I had given them divine magic without much problem, but I hadn’t really thought much about the psychological aspect.
“If it’s a psychological burden, what kind of burden are we talking about?”
“It seems it’s significant because they had to suppress former fellow priests with the same faith or, if that didn’t work out, kill them…”
Indeed… Even if they fled the temple for committing heresy, they were once fellow priests…
Having to overpower or hunt down their former comrades must take a toll on them psychologically.
“Are they wanting to quit being priests?”
“Yes. They seem to feel disillusioned with their roles as priests. Of course, they know it’s something that must be done… but while they understand it intellectually, their hearts can’t accept it.”
“Well… that’s understandable. I get it.”
Even if they can understand it rationally, there are times when their hearts just can’t accept it.
“If that’s the case, there’s not much we can do. Still, losing each one of them as priests would be a considerable loss… so let’s give them some time to clear their minds and recover their exhausted bodies and souls. If they still want to quit being priests after that, then we’ll let them go.”
“Is that really okay? Just letting those priests go?”
At the High Priest’s words, I nodded.
“It’s a shame to lose the talents of those who are competent enough to work as inquisitors, but we can’t forcibly keep those who want to leave. Plus, we have to repay their dedication during this time.”
“Repaying their dedication, you say…”
I looked at the High Priest and gave a small smile.
“Even if they stop being priests, their lives shouldn’t face problems. For those with a clear goal, a suitable amount of money… roughly a retirement bonus, and for those who quit without a goal, we should create jobs related to the church.”
“Retirement bonus…? Jobs…?”
“Money is necessary for a person to live. While they’re inside the Church of Life, they might be free from such constraints, but the outside world is different.”
In other words, job placement for them.
Jobs related to the Church of Life… well, I can create as many as needed.
Using the Jo-ins for mail or delivery, working to purify mana stones gathered from monsters, healing, newborn blessings, funerals, faith guidance, missionary work, basic education, and so on.
We can definitely increase the number of jobs!
Ah, maybe I should create a guild next? A guild directly under the Church of Life. While it’s possible to quickly transport mail and parcels with the Jo-ins, it can be too expensive for ordinary citizens.
If we can create a guild that travels alongside pilgrims, it might come in handy.
Of course, we also need to ensure that other guilds have a way to survive, so we might need to limit what we transport to items related to mail and the Church of Life.
Honestly, if we need money, we can produce it in abundance. To me and the Church of Life, money doesn’t hold much value.
“Well, the best option would be for them to change their minds and continue being priests.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Oh! Right! If someone who left wants to become a priest again, it would be good to consider reinstating them after a simple test and a bit of investigation without too complicated a process.”
To be honest, having more priests in the Church of Life is a good thing. It’s not bad at all for the numbers to increase!
Taking in orphans who lost their parents, homeless street kids, aspirants wanting to become priests, or children wishing to become priests out of admiration for their parents—honestly, that isn’t quite enough.
Pilgrims traveling across the world, priests working in various fields at different places, and those serving various roles in temples are always in short supply!
The more priests we have, the better!
“Reinstating former priests… Is that really okay?”
“If there are individuals who might pose a problem, they should be eliminated during the testing process. We would need to check their character and what they did after leaving the priesthood.”
Just because someone was a former priest, we can’t just allow them back into the priesthood without scrutiny. Who knows? There might be those trying to return after committing something questionable.
“Well… that won’t be easy.”
“But it’s a necessary task.”
At my words, the High Priest nodded.
“Understood. I’ll share this matter with others and make a decision.”
“Okay. That sounds good. So there’s nothing else?”
“There’s one more thing.”
Wait, there’s still more?!
“What… is it?”
“It’s related to the inquisitors again.”
“Again?!”
At my words, the High Priest nodded as if he understood and said,
“While subduing the necromancers, some who were once priests felt disillusioned by the horrific deeds committed. Some began to argue that we must eradicate all heretics, fueled by their anger.”
“Hmm… Eradicating heretics, huh…”
“Yes. Those advocating for it say we should uproot all signs of discord and burn all those who show signs of heresy.”
That… sounds a bit dangerous.
Of course, it would be great if we could prevent it in a gentle manner! But I can only imagine how many would be sacrificed in that uprooting process…
“In extreme cases, there were those who said that if burning a dozen people could eliminate just one heretic, it would save many others from future sacrifices.”
Hmm… That’s quite an extreme opinion. Given the background of horrific massacres committed by someone who was once a priest, I can’t outright dismiss it, but it’s bittersweet.
Considering the principle of presumed innocence, we shouldn’t deem someone guilty until proof of their crime is clear. However, this situation can’t be compared to that on Earth… Human rights haven’t truly taken root here yet…
The slave system still exists! Right!
“Personally, I’m worried that innocent people might be sacrificed in the process of rooting out heretics.”
“I share your concern. However, I can’t deny the need for it, which is quite unfortunate.”
Hmm. While it is necessary, we can’t just act recklessly. Given this situation…
“It’s not going to be easy. The idea itself is quite reasonable, which makes it even more difficult. But overly extreme opinions are troublesome…”
“What should we do instead?”
If it can’t be denied… then we might need to rectify things.
“For now, let’s proceed cautiously in selecting inquisitors. We should choose individuals with strong will and faith, and conduct thorough training that involves significant time and effort, not just a simple course.”
“Training, huh… To be fair, this time we only taught them the purification magic and sent them off in a hurry.”
“Yes. Because of that, there are those whose faith is now shaken, and some seem to be in shock. Let’s prevent that as thoroughly as possible through proper training.”
We’ll root out heresy without succumbing to excessive hatred. It can only be done through education in some way.
“And the command of such inquisitors should rest entirely with the High Priest. Their force or divine magic could be deadly to others.”
Though it’s a flame to purify the wicked, considering its fundamental nature as fire… the intensity can be increased depending on its wielder.
In other words, it can physically burn. That flame can also burn those who aren’t heretics if used carelessly!
Thus, these inquisitors must be under the command of those we can trust completely.
“Sounds like an organization under the High Priest’s direct command.”
“Yes. We must keep others’ opinions entirely out of it, only the High Priest and… well, just in case, let’s also hear the opinion of the Dragon Priestess.”
Since the Dragon Priestess could either be me, who usually hides my identity, or a child reflecting my opinions.
“Understood. I’ll implement those measures.”
“Oh, and let’s limit the inquisitor position to about ten years. We should select those with deep faith and outstanding abilities, keep their identities hidden through special attire during training. Ah, and even among the inquisitors, they shouldn’t know each other’s identities.”
“Will it be completely secret?”
“Yes. Given the nature of the inquisitor role, other priests might end up suspicious. It would be troublesome if identities of those who suspect other priests become exposed. Therefore, regarding attire… perhaps a pure white priest robe that doesn’t reveal the skin, along with silver masks to cover their faces?”
That sounds like it’ll be quite a peculiar outfit.
I felt a mix of worry and excitement about what these inquisitors would do… but well, it’ll work out somehow! If it becomes an issue, we can just abolish it!
Thus, a secret organization directly under the High Priest of the Church of Life was formed.
They will remain faithful priests while suspecting heretics and will earnestly live out their pious lives.
Such inquisitors will surely hope that others do not commit the sins of heresy.