Chapter 290: Learning to Use Power 5
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
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The dagger, "Smile of the Innocent," had an ornate handle and a blunt blade.
It was more suited for ceremonies than combat, and true to its sacred status, it did not harm anyone.
Indeed, it would be peculiar for worshippers of the Goddess of Life to deem a lethal weapon a divine artifact.
Thus, despite the dagger having mercilessly stabbed the bellies of dozens, not a single drop of blood was shedonly groans filled the air.
After the swift knife work of the 4 Assassin, the suspects were divided into three groups by the divine artifact.
First, those completely innocent:
Heh, a divine artifact, huh? Never thought Id live to see such a precious thing.
But elder, if its serious enough to use a divine artifact, isnt the situation quite dangerous?
"Ah, I have lived a life with no shame before the Goddess."
These were true religious figures, about ten in number, who hadnt spent a single coin frivolously or lied.
In modern society, they would have been exemplary in the religious community.
Was it because the faith of the Lord of Antibes was so strong, or because it's a world where the Goddess makes her presence felt through oracles?
How could there be ten righteous people in one town?
Second, those who committed minor sins:
Uh, it hurts like Ive been whipped Im sorry, I wont do it again.
Ugh, it's less painful than being stabbed...
Hoo to be punished by a divine artifact, ugh
Those who hadn't committed major crimes like hurting others or blaspheming the Goddess, but had minor wrongdoings.
From a boy whose calves turned red because he bought snacks with the money meant for offerings, to a couple limping as if they had been beaten with sticks after committing adultery in the temple.
Even for religious figures, living a sin-free life was challenging.
However, as Raphael mentioned, since there were no lingering effects after paying for their sins, everyone was reassured.
It was comforting to end with just a whipping instead of amputation, as would be the case for thieves in some societies.
And the third group:
...So these must be the culprits?
Exactly five of them.
There were people rolling on the ground, foaming at the mouth, unable to speak of their crimes, precisely five, as seen in Yulia's crystal ball.
Five, unable to stand and writhing in pain.
The innocents and those with minor sins grimaced and slowly moved away from them.
Isn't there some twist? Are these five really the culprits? Came all the way south for a side quest, and it's cleared just by stabbing with a dagger, really?
-It's not just a dagger, it's a divine artifact.
-But lol, what happens if you stab players with it?
-Not so much an investigation quest, more like a tutorial?
-A tutorial with a divine artifact from the temple? But it's too dramatic for a tutorial, isn't it?
Ah, does it feel like a tutorial? Well, it makes sense now that weve received a letter as soon as we cleared the 45th floor. We're heavily involved with the temple, so it seems they want to educate us about divine artifacts.
[Morning Commuter donated 10,000 won!]
For how much would you give the artifact a try?
Ah, you can't use the Goddess's divine artifact for such selfish desires. Thanks for the 10,000 won.
The tension dissipated among the party members.
Katie, fascinated by the divine artifact, soon started following Raphael around, while Grace and Irene quietly conversed a little distance away, discussing other divine artifacts.
Han Se-ah casually brushed off the viewers' mix of bets and jokes about self-harm with the sacred object"A hundred thousand if you stab yourself, a million if you stab Roland"while keeping an eye on the unfolding situation.
The Lord of Antibes, looking bewildered as he approached me, clearly couldn't make heads or tails of the scene.
For a gentleman of his standing, this must all seem utterly bizarre.
"Hero, what in the world... What exactly is happening here?"
"Our coachman, who brought us south, turns out to be an Inquisitor, and he seems to be carrying a divine artifact."
"What? A divine artifact? So, you're saying that dagger is a divine artifact?"
Imagine a stranger arriving and suddenly beginning to stab people familiar to you with a dagger.
One old man joyously prays after being stabbed, others roll on the dirt floor, and the hero just watches.
Could anyone make sense of such a scene?
Though he had agreed to the idea of summoning an Inquisitor, the Lord had briefly stepped away to attend to his duties, only to return and find dozens of people stumbling around in front of his mansionimagine his shock.
He had intended to use the temple's crystal to call for an Inquisitor and wait, but the Inquisitor had already arrived and started an impromptu tribunal right in front of his mansion.
Nonetheless, perhaps due to his profound faith, the old man was more intrigued by the divine artifact.
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Raei Translations
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Was there perhaps a twist after all?
This is a departure from the main story of the Tower to the remote reaches of the kingdom, involving a Southern Lord and a witchan unusual professionand now an Inquisitor and a divine artifact.
Thus, the viewers were divided.
Half thought this was merely a tutorial about divine artifacts in the South and that it would end there; the others suspected some predictable twist awaited.
The tutorial perspective prevailed.
"I'm sorry, so very sorry..."
One of the five on the ground, guilty of lesser crimes, was the first to confess, tears streaming down his face, whether from pain or shame.
It must have been both embarrassing and sad to receive a verdict from a divine artifact in front of a genuinely noble lord who sincerely cared for his people.
It wasnt because of any evil black magic, but rather out of gratitude toward the Lord of Antibes and his piety.
"I just, I merely..."
Upon hearing the testimonies, it turned out to be just the clich drama the viewers had predicted.
Lord Antibes, famous for converting barbarian warriors, not only gained fame but also substantial support from the temple.
Seeing his good reputation spreading to around the kingdom, they suddenly had an idea.
If our lord gains more renown, wouldnt the crumbs that fall our way be even larger?
The greed for more support from the central church was rationalized as being for the good of Lord Antibes' domain and the Lord himself, and thus they conspired with the witch.
"Ah, you claim its for Lord Antibes, but you just succumbed to your desires, didnt you? If this had truly been about spreading the Goddess's name, it wouldnt have been so painful. But selling the Goddess's name as an excuse for your crimes, this is what happens."
"Right, right, ahhh! I'm, I'm speaking, ahhh-!!"
Raphael's relentless stabs caused pain but no death.
Displeased with the story, he crouched next to the man lying on the ground and kept stabbing
Like a child poking at insects with a stick, he used the divine artifact to stab and knock out one person, then moved on to listen to the next.
The second and third targets were also repeatedly stabbed until they passed out.
Due to the ambiguous actions that hovered between interrogation and torture, the storytelling session dragged on.
Yet, even amidst the sweltering heat of the South, no one seemed able to leave the mansion's front yard.
"Oh, I never thought that would come from you."
"So they were brothers embraced by the Goddess, and they succumbed to mere greed, endangering their own brethren and sisters, is that what you're saying?"
The simple villagers found it hard to believe the confessions alternately pouring from the mouths of the five accused.
There were ten people who supposedly lived without a hint of shame before the Goddess, not even committing minor sins.
And even those considered sinners were only guilty of trivial wrongdoings like not making offerings, buying snacks with the money, or engaging in adultery.
To think that among such people, there would be someone willing to annihilate a village of barbarian warriors for money was absurd.
"I didn't mean to kill anyone! I just intended to scare them!"
"That's right! We were deceived by the witch's evil tricks!"
"Yes, indeed."
"Hold on a minute! Why are you trying to stab me againack!"
Despite the culprits insisting they had not harbored such malicious intent, who would believe them when they kept foaming at the mouth and fainting each time they were stabbed by the divine artifact?
The child who bought candy with offering money felt his pain subside in less than five minutes.
Those who embezzled grain bags meant for the temple and the adulterous couple who sinned while the husband was away, all felt their discomfort ebb away within thirty minutes.
"Ah, it was the witch?"
"Yes, thats right! We were bewitched by her!"
"But those two lying over there have already said that, havent they?"
"Why, why againack!"
Raphael seemed to agree, nodding his head as if he understood.
He then approached and once more thrust the divine artifact into their chests.
Despite his smiles, Raphael didn't stop stabbing the five with the divine artifact.
"The witch did it, you say. What do you think, sister?"
"Me, me...?"
As he casually sat down on the back of a man sprawled out like a corpse, he twirled the divine artifact and then turned it towards Yulia, who was holding her breath as quietly as a mouse.
"Yes, sister. I believe you hold faith in the Goddess and will cooperate in the search for the witch, right?"
"Yes, thats right! Of course, Ill cooperate! My workshop is also at risk because of the pests! ...So, no need for the dagger, I'll cooperate, right? Yes?"
He's acting more like a serial killer from a slasher film than an Inquisitor, really....
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