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“Just when the priests were about to faint from being overpowered by the Knights, Veronica’s antics came to an end.

Thus, the holy water brewed from the relics of the Cathedral and the remains of the saints was born.

“Now, the holy water is finally complete.”

In fact, the holy water created by Veronica wasn’t just ordinary water like other holy waters.

It was made from the water drawn from a rock that the Eastern Magi split in two with their staff, and after dropping in relics and artifacts, she blessed it herself. So in a way, this might be a special item outside the definition of holy water that I know.

It’s strange that holy water made by boiling the bones of a saint isn’t considered special…

Without even cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, Veronica cradled the jar and hummed a little tune.

“Now let’s get ready to catch some demons for real.”

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Magician in History

Mankind’s struggle against supernatural beings and phenomena boasts a longer history than one might expect.

Ancient magicians fought against supernatural threats with primitive forms of sorcery and curses, notably represented by voodoo magic, and numerous state organizations sprung up soon after the birth of the study of magic.

However, there is something that has an even deeper history than magic and state authority—religion.

“Religion is a traditional means chosen by humans to survive disasters that cannot be understood or dealt with through shallow knowledge. The Cult, Al-Yabd, Nirvana…”

As the 58th saint of the Cult, Veronica waggled her finger while she spoke.

“Well, there are several other assorted religions, but it’s not important, so let’s skip that. Anyway, among the current religions, there are four groups with significant power, including the Cult.”

Veronica strode purposefully across the Cathedral’s hall.

Wherever her steps reached, Knights from the Inquisition were deployed without a chink in their armor.

“And the Cult’s Inquisition is the foremost organization among those that respond to and study supernatural phenomena and mysteries. They catch demons well and also catch people! Though they do end up catching a lot of innocents, which brings them complaints.”

At the sound of the saint openly criticizing the Inquisition, a few clergymen passing by lowered their heads and sighed deeply.

One of their faces looked oddly familiar; I felt like I had seen it pass by a couple of times, likely due to the joint investigations led by the Inquisition.

Still grinning widely after directly insulting them in their faces, Veronica kept her smile, as if unbothered by it.

“Speaking of which, doesn’t your country have a similar agency? Was it called the Special Investigation Bureau?”

“Yes.”

The Special Investigation Bureau of the Kingdom of Abas. An investigative agency under the Abas Ministry of Justice.

With a name and duties reminiscent of the FBI, unlike the police or prosecutor’s office, the Special Investigation Bureau primarily deals with supernatural phenomena and events.

“I heard the news a few times when Abas was stirred up by dark magic terrorism. I’ve heard they were coordinating with foreign entities like the Imperial Ministry of Magic and the Inquisition. Of course, your Honor’s organization too.”

“Because it’s counter-terrorism work. So, how are we going to catch the demons? Do you have a good method?”

“First, we need to bless the weapon that your Honor has. The kinds of beings that could be classified as demons can’t be dealt with using standard methods, unlike ghosts.”

Veronica decided to bless my firearms. The special holy water made from relics and artifacts (wrist bones) through the Cathedral’s holy water was exactly what was needed for this blessing process.

Thud! With a heavy sound, Veronica placed the jar down and wiped her brow with her hand.

“Could you disassemble the pistol for a moment?”

“Sure.”

While I disassembled the pistol, Veronica fetched a silver bowl filled with water.

Drip, drop. The pure holy water, free from any impurities, filled the silver bowl. As she looked at the perfectly maintained silver bowl reflecting her face, Veronica tossed the disassembled pistol into the holy water.

Is this what they call blessing?

As I watched the pistol submerged in holy water with an interested gaze, Veronica, rolling up her sleeves, moved closer.

“It may be a temporary fix, but this should be enough to face demons. While it may not kill them, at least they won’t disregard your Honor’s gunfire like they did before.”

“Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Considering we’re already blessing this, let’s bless the bullets too. Hand over all the bullets you have.”

I pulled out the magazine packed with bullets from my pocket and handed it over. The fully loaded magazine plunged into the holy water along with the disassembled pistol.

“Would this do?”

“Though it looks shabby, it should be quite effective. I did something similar when I first caught a demon. Back then, I used a hunting rifle meant for catching pigeons instead of these military or police guns, yet I managed to kill a demon.”

Veronica proudly patted her chest as she spoke.

“If the holy water seems unreliable, then trust me.”

“…It’s just the person themselves that seems unreliable.”

“Come on, don’t say that! At least I’ve never let you down when you trusted me.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Since I never believed it, it’s only natural I’m not disappointed.”

I let out a deep sigh as I gazed at the gun submerged in the water. Seriously, how am I supposed to kill a demon with that?

“Don’t worry.”

Veronica patted my slumped shoulders with a bright smile. Then she added some warm words of comfort.

“All that will happen is that we’ll end up dead, right?”

“Wow, that’s really helpful advice…”

“Oh, come on! No need to thank me for something like that!”

“…….”

I wasn’t grateful at all.

*

Right after the existence of the necromancer was confirmed, the imperial government declared a state of emergency across the northern regions.

The Magic Department shared the ongoing investigation’s situation with the Inquisition together with all relevant departments. Under the Ministry of Defense’s orders, the Military Government Headquarters began to support the Inquisition.

Though small in number, personnel to assist the Inquisition were dispatched rearward. Information collected by the Military Government and supplies dispatched from the central authority also began to flow in bit by bit. An officer from the Imperial Army who attended the meeting led by Commander Mikhail said that not only the headquarters but the military as a whole was seriously monitoring the situation. Apparently, the sudden appearance of an unwelcome guest had put the generals in quite a mood.

“Alright, brothers and sisters. Everyone, pay attention.”

The Inquisition troops, receiving hefty support, followed the orders from Veronica who had been granted authority from the National Affairs Council.

With my help, she managed to gain Commander Mikhail’s cooperation and sent personnel to various locations in the north to search for the missing and to track any traces left by the demons that might have fled.

“Do we have enough talismans in stock?”

“Yes, Saint.”

“Then, place the talismans around the city following the soldiers’ guidance. For areas like the plains, mountains, or rivers outside the city where monitoring with talismans is difficult, we should use other methods to keep watch.”

Holy relics and sacred artifacts. The cult spared no resources whatsoever.

Although Veronica wouldn’t employ the bones of Saint Balthazar in the investigation due to fierce opposition from the clergy of the cathedral, it was concluded that if no issues were found after a precise inspection, they could be used again in the inquiry.

“Hmm. You said the demon fled? Cunning little creature.”

“Archbishop. I won’t beat around the bush. Just tell me everything that comes to mind.”

“If it’s the will of the Saint, then of course I must share.”

The Archbishop Theodosius, a former exorcist and theology professor serving as an investigative advisor, assessed that it was highly likely the demon had fled somewhere. Though he added that since it was injured, it wouldn’t be able to run far.

As the investigation, including searches for the missing and tracking down leads, progressed, Veronica decided to bring Lucia, who had been in seclusion, back to work.

This was interpreted as a strong resolve to definitively exterminate the demon this time, but in reality, it was just out of pity for her younger sister who was huddled up in a room.

The image of Veronica smothering Lucia’s face against her chest, embracing her like they were reuniting after a long separation, making sure to say, “Did you have a hard time, little sister? How cute!” still vividly lingers, especially with Lucia gasping for breath.

“Are you awake?”

“…Ah, um, uh.”

“Looks like they’re gone. What’s the plan, Veronica?”

“Go and fetch a bucket of cold water, Colonel. Just douse her once, and she’ll spring right back to life.”

Anyhow.

With that, the cult had pretty much wrapped up preparations to hunt down the demon. Inquisitors, knights, two saints, and clergymen and monks to escort and heal the injured in case of emergencies. Likewise, the empire was gearing up as well. The Ministry of Defense, along with the Magic Department and police, planned to draft personnel to send north.

On top of that, the Military Government Headquarters launched a large-scale operation to dig out the collapsed underground cavern. They seemed intent on confirming the death of the necromancer and the demon, investigating the scene to formulate more effective countermeasures.

In particular, seeing how they responded swiftly as soon as they obtained information about how Muspel was ‘summoned,’ it looked like they were wary of undead or hellish monsters popping out in populated areas. Considering I was stuck at the cathedral while officials from the Military Government Headquarters I had never met before reached out to me, it really felt like they were in a panic.

However, amidst all this bustling activity in the northern regions, there were those who remained silent and unresponsive.

Their name was none other than the Magicians of the Magic Tower.

 

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