---

The treatment of the captured necromancers will roughly end here.

“So, is this the end of matters related to the necromancers?”

“The treatment of necromancers has concluded, but… there’s a slight problem.”

“Another one?! Shouldn’t this be the time when we wrap things up? Can’t the High Priest handle most things himself?!”

The High Priest merely shook his head.

“It’s just that there’s an issue regarding the inquisitors… so I can’t make a quick decision.”

Inquisitors? What kind of problem could there be with them?!

“What’s the issue…?”

“Well…”

The High Priest hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Some of the inquisitors seem to want to quit their duties as priests.”

“Huh? Why?!”

“It seems that the work of being an inquisitor has placed quite a mental burden on them.”

Hmm… mental burden, huh? I hadn’t really thought about that.

Physically, I’ve given them divine magic without much of an issue, but I hadn’t considered the psychological aspect at all.

“What kind of mental burden are we talking about?”

“It’s because they had to suppress or, if things didn’t go well, kill their fellow priests, who shared the same faith and lived together in the same place… This must have weighed heavily on them.”

Indeed… even if they charged out of the temple as sinners, they were once priests together…

Having to suppress or take down their former companions must be quite psychologically taxing.

“Do they want to quit being priests?”

“Yes. It seems they’ve developed a sense of disillusionment with their priestly duties. Of course, they understand that it has to be done… but while they grasp it intellectually, they can’t accept it emotionally.”

“Well… I can understand that.”

Even if they understand it intellectually, there are cases where the heart just won’t accept it.

“In such cases, it can’t be helped. However, it would be quite a loss if each one of them quits being priests… Let’s give them some time to clear their thoughts and recover their weary bodies and minds. If they still wish to resign afterward, we’ll let them go.”

“Are you sure? Can we just let those priests go?”

I nodded at the High Priest’s words.

“While it’s a pity to lose individuals who are skilled enough to serve as inquisitors, we can’t force those who want to leave. Plus, we should reward their dedication.”

“When you say reward their dedication…”

I smiled slightly as I looked at the High Priest.

“If they quit being priests, they should at least have no issues surviving. For those with clear goals, we can hand over a decent amount of money… basically a severance package, and for those who quit without a clear goal, we can find them jobs related to the church.”

“Severance package…? Jobs…?”

“Money is necessary for survival. While they are free from such restrictions within the Church of Life, that’s not the case outside.”

In other words, think of it as finding them job placements.

Jobs related to the Church of Life… hmm. There’s an abundance of positions to create.

Like using Jo-in individuals for mail or delivery services, purifying mana stones harvested from monsters, healing, blessing newborns, conducting funerals, guiding faith, missionary work, and basic education, to name a few.

There could be an endless supply of jobs!

Oh, maybe I should create a guild next? A guild directly under the Church of Life. It’s possible to quickly transport mail and packages using Jo-ins, but the services are too expensive for regular commoners.

If I create a guild that travels around with pilgrims, it might be a useful endeavor.

Of course, we need to ensure that other guilds can also survive, so perhaps limiting transportation to mail and items related to the Church of Life would be necessary.

Well, to be honest, if I need money, I can generate it in countless ways. Money doesn’t hold much value to me or the Church of Life.

“What’s most ideal is for them to change their minds and continue their priestly duties, though.”

“That’s true… but…”

“Oh! That’s right! If someone who quit as a priest wishes to become one again, we could consider giving them their position back without excessive procedures, just a reasonable level of testing and a little investigation afterward.”

To be frank, having more priests in the Church of Life wouldn’t hurt. There’s no downside to having more of them!

It’s a bit lacking to just take in orphans who lost their parents, take care of street urchins, or recruit those who aspire to be priests, or children who wish to follow in the footsteps of their priest parents.

There are always not enough pilgrims journeying around the world, priests doing various jobs after settling down, or priests remaining at various temples to handle multiple tasks!

The more priests there are, the better!

“To reinstate former priests… will that be alright?”

“If there’s someone problematic, we can filter them out during the testing process. We’d check on their character and also what they did after quitting as priests.”

Just because someone was a former priest doesn’t mean we can automatically restore their position. Who knows? There might be someone trying to return as a priest after committing some questionable act.

“That’s… not going to be easy.”

“But it’s necessary.”

The High Priest nodded at my words.

“Understood. I will share opinions about such matters with others and make a decision.”

“Okay, great. So there’s nothing else?”

“There is one more thing.”

Wait, there’s still more?! Seriously?!

“What… issue is that?”

“It’s another problem related to the inquisitors.”

“Again?!”

The High Priest nodded, looking as if he understood, then said.

“While subduing the necromancers, some former priests felt a sense of disillusionment from those who committed such gruesome acts. Some started advocating that all heretics must be eradicated, fueled by their anger.”

“Hmm… so eradicating heretics…”

“Yes. They say that every seed of discord must be uprooted, to the extent that some inquisitors have claimed that anyone displaying signs of heresy should be burned alive.”

Well… that’s a bit of a dangerous mindset.

Of course, it would be great if it could be prevented gently! But just thinking about how many lives would be sacrificed in the process of uprooting the seeds makes it clear!

“In severe cases, some argued that even if it took burning dozens of innocent people, it would be a rescue operation for future individuals who might fall victim to those heretics.”

Hmm… that’s quite an extreme view. Given the background of horrific massacres committed by someone who was once a priest, it’s understandable that such opinions arise, even if it’s unfortunate.

Thinking of the presumption of innocence principle, no one should be considered guilty before confirming their crime… but the situation here isn’t comparable to Earth… especially since human rights aren’t firmly established yet…

Slavery still exists and all! Yup!

“Personally, I’m worried that innocent people might be sacrificed in the process of identifying those heretics.”

“I feel the same. However, it’s also unfortunate that we cannot dismiss its necessity.”

Hmm. While it’s indeed necessary, they shouldn’t just recklessly execute anyone in the process. In such situations…

“It’s not easy. The opinions themselves are quite sound, making it harder. But extreme opinions will lead to trouble…”

“What should we do?”

If it can’t be denied… it might need to be corrected.

“For now, let’s be careful in selecting the inquisitors. We should choose those with strong will and faith, and provide a thorough education that takes significant time and effort instead of another hasty training like this one.”

“Education… well, we did hastily teach them just divine purification magic and sent them off this time.”

“Right. It seems that’s why some lost their faith, and others were shocked by the ordeal. We should do our utmost to prevent that with thorough education.”

To root out heresy, but without being swept away by excessive hatred. Education is the only recourse.

“And the command over those inquisitors should be entirely held by the High Priest. Their powers and divine magic could pose a lethal threat to others as well.”

Even though they wield purifying flames against the wicked, since their inherent nature is that of flames… the intensity can increase depending on the user.

They could physically burn someone. Those flames can burn not just heretics but anyone else as well. If misused, it risks harming others!

Thus, those inquisitors should operate under the leadership of wholly trustworthy individuals.

“You mean it’s an organization directly under the High Priest?”

“Yes. So that no one else can intervene, it should be solely under the authority of the High Priest and… well, just to be safe, let’s consider the opinions of the Dragon Priestess too.”

The Dragon Priestess would usually be ‘me,’ hidden in the shadows, or perhaps one of my opinions is reflected in someone else.

“Understood. I’ll take measures accordingly.”

“Oh, and let’s have the inquisitor’s position last around 10 years. We can select those with deep faith and exceptional abilities, disguise their identities while training them. Ah, and ensure that inquisitors don’t know each other’s identities as well.”

“So, it’s to be kept utterly confidential?”

“Yes. Given the role of an inquisitor, other priests may become suspicious. If the identities of those who are suspicious of other priests were to be revealed, it could become a mess! So, their attire should be the kind that hides their identity, perhaps a white priest robe that does not reveal skin and a silver mask to cover their faces?”

That sounds like a rather peculiar outfit. Yup.

I had mixed feelings of worry and expectation for what these inquisitors would end up doing… but hey, it’ll somehow work out! If it becomes a problem, we can just abolish it!

Thus, the secret organization directly under the High Priest of the Church of Life, the inquisitors, came into being.

They would lead pious lives as the most faithful priests while also being alert to heresy…

These inquisitors would surely hope that others do not commit heretical sins.

 

---