Mage's Profound Truths

Chapter 18: Interrogation

"The Inquisition, huh?"

Merlin etched this place deeply into his mind—the powerful man in white robes had come from the Church of Light’s Inquisition.

Merlin became secretly more alert in his heart; if he ever encountered people from the Inquisition again, he would need to deal with them cautiously.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and under the guidance of a Guardian Swordsman, Merlin got off as well. Looking up, he found they had arrived at the church within Blackwater City.

There were many others like Merlin, though most of them didn’t receive the same treatment as he did. These were ordinary residents, brought into the church by the City Defense Corps.

"Come on, go in and explain things properly. As long as you have nothing to do with the evil heretic, you'll be released soon."

The Guardian Swordsman smiled and said to Merlin. Because of the connection with Cardron, he had a good impression of Merlin.

Merlin nodded and followed the Guardian Swordsman into the church.

Inside the church, there were already over a hundred people. They were lined up in three rows. A few people were being questioned about Old Etta, while some clerks were specifically responsible for taking notes.

Merlin had keen hearing. After listening carefully, he could hear the questioning of a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

"When did you first meet the evil heretic?"

"Many years ago. I'm a tailor. Mr. Etta would come to my little shop to have clothes made whenever the seasons changed."

"Did you ever see him apart from when he came for clothes?"

"Aside from tailoring, I never saw Mr. Etta. He was a very mysterious person, always holed up in his little cabin. He didn’t come out much. Who would've thought he was an evil heretic?"

"Alright, next."

That was the entire process of the questioning. Once done, the person was taken away by others for further interrogation.

"If the questioning is really this simple, then there’s nothing to be afraid of."

Merlin gradually began to feel more at ease.

Soon, it was Merlin's turn. Standing in front of him was a fair-skinned clerk, who was responsible for recording, while the questioning was done by a Guardian Swordsman.

The Guardian Swordsman only gave Merlin a faint glance before asking, "What is your name?"

"Wilson Merlin."

Upon hearing Merlin’s name, the Guardian Swordsman's expression shifted slightly. He then scrutinized Merlin more carefully, his expression clearly turning serious.

"What is your relationship with the evil heretic?"

Merlin didn’t hesitate and directly replied, "I didn’t know Etta’s true identity before, so I followed him for a while to learn about antique appraisal."

After speaking, Merlin secretly observed the Guardian Swordsman. Seeing no change in his expression, Merlin understood.

These people had clearly already investigated who Old Etta had interacted with. They must have already known about Merlin’s relationship with him.

The Guardian Swordsman continued to ask Merlin a few more questions in succession. Merlin answered them all truthfully, withholding only the matter of the ring.

After a long while, the Guardian Swordsman finished his questions. He looked up at another Guardian Swordsman and said, "Take him inside. Let Master Jason make the final identification."

The other Guardian Swordsman immediately stepped forward and led Merlin into a small room inside the church.

"Go in."

The Guardian Swordsman stopped at the door and said to Merlin blandly.

Merlin took a deep breath, then pushed the door open and walked into the room.

The room was somewhat dark and damp. As soon as Merlin entered, he felt several gazes fall upon him.

"Miss Calis?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly. He saw someone familiar in the room—it was Calis. She had also been brought here.

Calis also saw Merlin and nodded slightly in greeting. Her emotions seemed much more stable now; she didn’t appear as frightened as she had the day before.

Besides Calis, there were several strangers in the room: a bald old man, a fat woman, and the tailor who had been questioned earlier.

They all stood nervously in the room, fearfully eyeing the white-robed man seated at the front.

Seeing the white-robed man, Merlin knew he was the one who had killed Old Etta—the mysterious mage from the Inquisition, Master Jason.

Merlin, like the others, stood in the room. Jason said nothing and simply waited in silence.

After a while, a few more people came in from outside—eight in total. Unease showed in their expressions, and hints of fear flickered in their eyes. None of them knew what kind of interrogation awaited them next.

Behind Mage Jason was a massive religious mural, depicting the God of Light punishing a group of wicked demons.

Combined with the present scene and Mage Jason's cold demeanor, it made people instinctively feel fear.

After a long time, Mage Jason finally stood up. He swept his sharp gaze over everyone, then slowly said,

“All of you, to some extent, have been in contact with the evil heretic for quite a long time.

The evil heretic is insidious and cunning, skilled in dark magic, so I must personally test whether you’ve been corrupted.”

Hearing this, the bald old man and the fat woman began to tremble all over.

If not for the support of those beside them, they might have fainted on the spot.

In the Church of Light, anyone found to be associated with a heretic is subject to the harshest punishment.

The most severe of these is being tied to a stake and burned alive.

So, hearing Mage Jason suspect them of connections to a heretic, fear welled up in everyone’s hearts.

Mage Jason gave a slight smile, placed his hands over his chest, and spoke in a low tone:

“There is no need to panic. As long as you haven’t been corrupted by the heretic, the God will surely forgive you.”

With that, Mage Jason began chanting incantations, and a faint white light began to radiate from his body.

The sacred white glow gradually spread from Mage Jason, soon enveloping the entire room.

He had taken off the light armor he wore before, now dressed in a wide white robe.

As the holy light grew brighter, the silver cross sword insignia on his robe became increasingly distinct.

Those shrouded in the holy light felt as though they were completely seen through, with no secrets left hidden.

Merlin glanced sideways at Kalis and saw her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Merlin frowned slightly—though he was dressed, the holy light seemed to render clothing meaningless.

It felt like being completely naked and watched, and it was no wonder Kalis was so embarrassed.

“So this is the power of magic... Luckily, I didn’t bring the ring with me—otherwise, I would never have escaped Jason’s detection.”

Merlin shuddered inwardly and grew even more wary of these mysterious mages.

For he had no understanding at all of this strange and powerful force called magic.

While others trembled in fear under the holy light, Merlin remained calm and composed.

He even had the focus to observe Mage Jason, noticing the striking silver cross sword insignia on his robe.

Such a unique insignia had only been seen on Jason; not even the guardian swordsmen of Grand City bore it.

Merlin secretly speculated whether this insignia symbolized Jason’s identity in the Inquisition.

The holy light lingered for a while before gradually fading away.

Then, Mage Jason revealed a warm smile and announced loudly,

“Very good. I have just examined all of you—you are all faithful believers, not corrupted by the heretic.”

Everyone finally relaxed, with some even silently offering prayers.

“Squeak.”

The door of the cabin opened, and Jason waved his hand and said, “You may leave now.”

The crowd gave a slight bow to Mage Jason, then turned and quickly left the cabin in haste—clearly, no one wanted to stay before Jason any longer after what just happened.

Borg, the swordsman who had been guarding outside, walked into the cabin, his face showing a trace of doubt as he asked, “Lord Jason, did you discover anything?”

Jason shook his head slightly and said, “I found nothing. I just used a spirit-detection spell to check—none of them have any magical power, and there’s not even a trace of heretical aura. It seems that the heretic arrived in Blackwater City alone.”

Borg nodded, then continued to ask, “What should we do with the things in the heretic’s home?”

“Pack them all into a carriage and transport them back to Grand City. Hand them over to the bishop—perhaps we can find some clues about other heretics.”

Mage Jason gave instructions to the swordsman Borg.

※※※

Upon walking out of the church, the cold wind howled, and Merlin couldn’t help but shrink his neck, though his heart was burning with excitement—he had finally passed this trial of the Church.

Next, he could secretly and methodically study the magical notes left by Old Aeta.

“Miss Calis, are you all right?”

Merlin politely asked Calis, who was following behind him.

“I’m fine…”

Calis forced a smile; it was clear that she was still very tired. Most likely, the matter with Old Aeta had dealt her quite a blow.

“Miss Calis, just go back and rest for a few days—you’ll feel better.” Merlin said gently.

Calis nodded, then said goodbye to Merlin. She quickly climbed into a carriage and left.

Watching her carriage disappear from view, Merlin turned his eyes toward the outside of the church—he knew the steward would surely come.

Sure enough, Merlin saw the familiar figure of Moss. But beside Moss, in the biting wind, there was another familiar figure.