It was obvious that this matter had dealt Mary a heavy blow. When she came to Duanmu Huai's residence again the next day, she still looked utterly exhausted.
However—
her expression was now extremely resolute.
"I've already made my decision, sir. No matter what, I will make Shirley wake up."
"So what you're saying is—you don't intend to give up? Even though Shirley already wrote in her letter that this was her choice? As her friend, shouldn't you respect her decision?"
Setting down his teacup, Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes and stared at Mary.
She shook her head firmly.
"Precisely because we are good friends, I won't let her leave so easily. I will definitely bring her back… because this was our promise. We once promised that no matter what happened to Shirley, I would definitely bring her back!"
Not bad. That takes guts.
Hearing Mary's answer, Duanmu Huai nodded.
Then, staring at her, he suddenly asked:
"By the way, about the reason Shirley did all this—do you really have no idea at all?"
"Huh?"
Mary froze for a moment, then shook her head in confusion.
"None at all. We've always been together. I can't think of anything that would make Shirley become like this…"
That confirms it. Mary's probably straight. As for Shirley… hard to say.
At this moment, Duanmu Huai really wanted to recommend an anime to Mary—
Kannazuki no…
Yeah.
Those who know, know.
But before that, there were more important things to say.
"Really? Then I have to remind you of something. You may have forgotten, but the people in that research society all possess those bizarre monsters. And they've been killing people at night, offering them as sacrifices to open the Gate of Tartarus…"
"Since Dr. Čapek believes Miss Shirley has reached the Gate of Tartarus…"
"You understand what I mean."
Mary's expression instantly stiffened.
Duanmu Huai stared at her and spoke word by word.
"Are you willing to bet on that possibility?"
"Bet that your friend isn't a murderer?"
"..."
At that moment, Mary's hands and feet turned ice-cold.
Only now did she realize—
according to the documents, sacrifices were required to open the Gate of Tartarus.
If Shirley had already entered the Gate…
did that mean the strange murders in the fog city—
were also her doing?
Thinking carefully—
on the night Shirley collapsed, hadn't she originally tried to talk about those murders?
But then she brushed it off as a joke.
Now it seemed…
Could it really have been her?
That Shirley—
gentle, calm, occasionally a bit childish…
Would she kill people?
Mary didn't believe it.
But—
did she not want to believe it?
Or was she unwilling to believe it?
Or simply afraid to believe it?
Even Mary herself couldn't say.
She lowered her head, gripping her skirt tightly.
A chill spread through her entire body.
Just as Duanmu Huai said—
was she willing to bet on this?
That Shirley hadn't killed anyone?
That she had reached the Gate of Tartarus by some other means?
No…
Mary shook her head.
Then—
she steeled her resolve.
She believed in Shirley.
Shirley would never do something so cruel.
Sacrificing innocent lives to fulfill her own desires—
that wasn't who Shirley was.
They were childhood friends, inseparable since they were young.
Mary knew exactly what kind of person Shirley was.
She would never do such a thing!
"I won't bet."
Mary raised her head, looked at Duanmu Huai, and spoke firmly.
"Because I know Shirley is not that kind of person. She would never do such a thing!"
"…Alright. I hope you're right."
Duanmu Huai shrugged.
But seeing his reaction made Mary nervous again.
"Sir… if you encounter those people, what will you do?"
"Of course I'll kill them."
Duanmu Huai answered calmly.
"These people use forbidden rituals, consort with demons, slaughter innocent civilians—they are heretics."
"As an [Inquisition] inquisitor, I will kill every one I encounter."
"An inquisitor?"
"That's right. I'm an investigator—but I'm also an inquisitor of the [Inquisition]."
"Being an investigator is my hobby. Being an inquisitor is my profession."
"…Do you have a problem with that?"
"..."
Mary hesitated, then shook her head.
To be honest, Duanmu Huai's killing intent just now had genuinely frightened her.
But she couldn't say he was wrong.
No matter what those people intended—
they had killed so many.
That alone was a crime deserving punishment.
It was just that…
for a sheltered young lady like her,
killing was still something far too distant.
"Good. Since there's no issue, Lorena will take you to train."
"Huh?!"
Mary nearly jumped in shock.
Only then did she remember—
she hadn't trained yet today.
Before she could say anything, Lorena approached with a bright smile and grabbed her hand.
"Don't worry, Miss Mary! I've designed a training program just for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
"W-wait, I—"
"Training requires persistence. Off you go."
Watching Mary get dragged away by Lorena, Duanmu Huai chuckled and said nothing more.
After all, this was Lorena's only real hobby.
In the [Inquisition], there weren't many girls who could keep up with her.
Now that she had finally found one, there was no way she'd let Mary escape.
"Meow… meow…"
As Mary was dragged away, Duanmu Huai lay back on the sofa.
The black cat and the little white rabbit crawled out of his coat pocket and began running around on him.
He reached out, petting them while thinking.
At this point, things were mostly clear.
Of course, there were still unanswered questions.
For example—
who exactly were the seven members of Čapek's research society?
From the materials, Duanmu Huai only knew about Čapek himself and the woman named Mariabell.
After Mariabell died, the group was reduced to four members.
It was at that point that Shirley joined the research society and continued the study of Charonos and the Gate of Tartarus.
And despite joining later—
Shirley Brontë became the first to reach the Gate.
The Gate of Tartarus.
Charonos.
What exactly were they?
Duanmu Huai thought carefully, but knew little.
The Gate of Tartarus was, in myth, the gate of hell controlled by Hecate.
But its exact function—
was unclear.
Not to mention—
in this world full of horrors,
who knew if behind that gate lurked Outer Gods or Great Old Ones…
Whatever. I'll find out when I get there.
While Duanmu Huai leisurely petted the cat and rabbit—
Mary had once again begun her training.
This time, Lorena didn't make her run five kilometers.
But even so—
the series of exercises left Mary completely exhausted.
"Miss Lorena…"
Finally getting a moment to rest, Mary turned to her.
Although Lorena was overly "enthusiastic" about training, she was still kind and friendly.
Mary didn't dislike her.
"May I ask… what exactly is the [Inquisition]?"
"Oh, the [Inquisition] is Sir Knight's organization…"
As a pilgrimage priest, Lorena had spent a long time with Duanmu Huai and was quite familiar with the [Inquisition].
So she explained it to Mary.
Of course, she avoided the more extreme details.
Even so—
it was more than strange enough.
A mysterious organization traveling between stars,
eliminating anything that threatened humanity—
even gods.
Honestly—
if not for everything she had experienced,
Mary would have thought this was just a fairy tale.
"Then…"
Just as Mary was about to ask more about Duanmu Huai—
suddenly—
she felt a strange chill.
That feeling—
she knew it well.
That night—
it had felt exactly the same.
As if something was watching her.
Could it be…
Before she could react—
Duanmu Huai had already appeared beside them.
"Let's get ready to go, trouble has come."
(End of Chapter)