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Chapter 148: Tectonic Shift

Even the veteran Retoma was once a newcomer.

That’s why he received training centered on the Inquisition manual.

‘It’s not something you can master overnight!’

It’s a manual for training new inquisitors.

Can someone really familiarize themselves with that manual, which contains countless accumulated experiences, in less than a day and then teach it?

‘The Inquisition manual isn’t that easy!’

“Did you plan and decide on this in advance?”

Because of this, Retoma couldn’t help but be suspicious.

But Jeryd shook his head. If he had hidden Ethan like a secret weapon, he would have brought him in sooner.

“…Then, really, truly.”

Retoma emphasized each word.

“Did he really familiarize himself with the manual in that short time and is now teaching the newcomers?”

“Yes, it’s surprising, it’s unbelievable. But that’s correct, Retoma.”

Jeryd answered briefly. This time, Retoma looked at Deputy Director Benjamin.

“Deputy Director.”

“Yes, that’s right, Mr. Retoma. I saw it clearly too.”

With both the director and deputy director confirming it was true, Retoma had no choice but to remain silent.

If by any chance these two weren’t joking with him, it meant that everything he was seeing now was real.

Crackle-!

At that moment, yellow lightning and deep blue cold energy began to flow from Ethan.

“!”

He used tangible energy to restrict the newcomers’ movements and force them into a kind of formation.

“To be able to force movements like that by applying pressure with energy flow.”

It was a very advanced technique.

Crackle-.

As if sheathing a sword, Ethan smoothly slid the mace to his waist and took up a stance.

Whoosh-!

“Perfect blunt weapon technique. It’s the manual itself.”

The manual describes in detail how to wield a mace.

Of course, even though it’s detailed, it was written based on the intuition of veteran instructors, so there was some intuitive aspect to it.

Intuitive means it’s difficult to understand.

But Ethan perfectly reproduced those intuitive movements with his body.

Whoosh-!

Ethan swung the mace again and again.

The mace didn’t touch the new inquisitors, just cutting through the air.

But after repeating this several times, even the excited new inquisitors couldn’t help but grasp Ethan’s movements.

He meant for them to watch.

Whoosh-!

As if to say this is the perfect technique of an inquisitor.

The new inquisitors fell into a state of complete tension. Maintaining that tension quickly tired their bodies.

Even though they hadn’t been hit by Ethan’s attacks, they all looked extremely exhausted.

At that moment, Ethan relaxed his body and dropped the mace.

“Huff… huff…”

“Gasp… gasp…”

Only when Ethan withdrew his energy did the new inquisitors finally let out the breaths they had been holding.

Some even collapsed on the spot.

The collapsed inquisitors looked up at Ethan from where they sat.

His eyes, which they had initially thought looked gentle, now felt chillingly cold.

“This instructor’s goal is to make you into proper human beings. That means the goal is to make you into inquisitors who can each do the work of one person.”

It was clear that if these people fought the Followers of the Moon at their current level, they would all die before long.

‘I need to educate them properly so they can pressure the Followers of the Moon bastards. That would kill two birds with one stone.’

The first goal was to properly pressure the Followers of the Moon bastards to keep their attention away from the Academy, and the second was to spread Ethan’s name within the Holylight Order.

‘I’m gradually building a foundation to meet the Saintess.’

Making the new inquisitors into proper human beings would extend and strengthen the foundation for meeting the Saintess.

“From now on, all responses will be unified with ‘Understood’. Got it?”

Even after Ethan’s words, the surroundings remained quiet.

When Ethan gripped the mace again in his hand, only then did someone shout loudly.

“Understood!”

Starting with that, the other inquisitors also shouted at the top of their lungs.

Now, there were no more new inquisitors who ignored or looked down on Ethan.

-You have achieved an achievement!

-You have gained Likes for achieving the [Instructor of the Inquisition] achievement.

-You have gained ‘3’ Likes!

***

“That was amazing, hahaha. How old are you? Are you really a new teacher from the Academy?”

That evening, a modest welcoming party was held for Ethan.

Jeryd, Benjamin, and Retoma, a veteran inquisitor from the Erant branch, attended.

Retoma, having heard Ethan’s introduction, applauded and marveled.

“My, I wonder if I’m looking at the youngest master. You’ve been a new teacher for less than half a year and already have such skills? I was really surprised earlier. How were you able to educate like that?”

Having heard that Ethan was a new teacher who just started this year, Retoma couldn’t stop praising him.

“You flatter me. There are still teachers like Teacher Claudie at the Academy, and many other excellent teachers. As you probably know, the Sword Saint’s grandson is also a fellow new teacher who started with me.”

“Oh, with this year’s Ivecar, could you beat Freya Academy? Anyway, I was really surprised.”

Jeryd couldn’t hide his astonishment as he watched Retoma.

Retoma was a composed man.

Back when Jeryd was a new inquisitor, Retoma, who was his senior, never once praised him during the five years they worked together as mentor and mentee.

Similarly, even after becoming director, Retoma was sparing with his praise.

But the rare praises he did give were sincere, so Jeryd felt extremely good about those praises.

For such a person to be lavishing praise like this.

Although he was praising Ethan, Jeryd felt good inside as if his own judgment in bringing Ethan was being recognized.

“I have a little talent.”

Ethan said with a slight smile.

“Hahahahaha! If this is a little talent, then I must be completely incompetent! You’re really amazing.”

It’s an unbelievable talent. Someone with such talent would naturally have a kind of superiority about that talent.

Especially someone who has already shown results.

But Ethan was extremely humble.

He wasn’t humble because he didn’t know the value of his abilities, but he was humble while knowing that value.

Such people are rare.

Retoma seemed to like Ethan’s character very much, as he took a pleased swig of his drink.

“You’re more amazing than me, Mr. Retoma. What I think is amazing is the consistency of talent.”

“Pardon?”

“I heard you’ve been in that position for over 30 years. Over 30 years in this perilous position of an Inquisition inquisitor. It’s impossible without maintaining excellent talent for decades. I think someone like that is far more amazing. My talent has just bloomed, but hasn’t your talent already fully blossomed and continued for over 30 years?”

“Ahem!”

At those words, Retoma’s face completely softened.

If anyone in the Inquisition were to say they couldn’t acknowledge Ethan from now on, he felt like giving them a good thrashing. Now Ethan and he were practically one and the same.

Jeryd whispered to such a Retoma.

“Didn’t I tell you, Retoma? That I brought in an amazing person.”

“I couldn’t help but have preconceptions.”

Retoma replied to Jeryd with an embarrassed expression, clearing his throat.

“Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about now.”

This allayed his concerns about the new inquisitors. If left in Ethan’s hands, they would surely become proper inquisitors capable of doing their share of work.

The welcoming party, which had been so cordial, quickly turned to talk of work.

“It will take some time before the newcomers can be deployed. Then we don’t need to deploy them against those Followers of the Moon bastards entrenched in that forest, right Director?”

“Yes, I don’t plan to deploy them. It’s in the final stages, but it’s not over yet. The resistance is fierce, and above all, since they’ve secured the magic stone containing the moon’s aura, the personnel we’ve already deployed will finish it as is.”

“Magic stone containing the moon’s aura, why are they trying to obtain that? Are those bastards trying to resurrect the Moon Mother?”

“That’s possible. We don’t know their exact goal yet. We’re just understanding that they’re trying to destroy the current world and create a new one.”

‘Moon’s aura?’

Ethan, listening to the conversation, focused on a specific term.

‘If it’s moon’s aura… Ah, that’s it.’

The Followers of the Moon are collecting relics containing powerful forces for their purpose.

The traces of those bastards found in the Moonforce temple were part of that effort.

‘I guess there’s a Moonforce temple in the forest?’

At least judging by the name including “moon,” it was likely to be an object containing Moonforce’s power.

‘It’s an opportunity to secure another temple and create believers.’

“Would it be alright to deploy the new inquisitors there?”

As Ethan picked up on Retoma’s words, Jeryd answered with a bright expression, as if hearing something welcome.

“We were considering deploying the newcomers for practical experience since it’s almost over, but because the resistance has become so fierce at the end, there was a high possibility of the newcomers getting hurt, so we were planning to reject the idea. But if you, Sir Ethan, deploy them there as part of their education, then there’s no harm in it.”

Jeryd no longer intended to apply common sense to Ethan.

He’s someone who completely mastered a manual that should take over a month to familiarize oneself with in just 30 minutes.

It didn’t make sense for him to start educating today, but he made it possible.

“However, there’s a high possibility that the situation will be resolved within ten days. To deploy them and achieve meaningful results, you’d have to complete their education within ten days. Is that possible, Sir Ethan?”

If he says it’s possible, then it’s possible.

Jeryd greatly trusted Ethan’s words.

And Benjamin felt the same way. He looked at Ethan with sparkling eyes.

Neither of them would have ever thought they could trust someone they just met today this much.

“It’s possible.”

***

-Everyone, have you seen? Someone called Hood the Archer has entered the rankings.

-Why did they suddenly come up?

-It’s because they’ve risen to the top of the trending videos ranking.

-Huh? Why suddenly a video?

-I subscribed and watched, and wow. A really amazing video has been uploaded.

-My, you’re making me very curious. I’m going to subscribe right away.

As many gods had predicted, a tectonic shift was occurring in the New World.

“Hood the Archer broke into the top 50?”

“Who is Hood the Archer?”

“That Robin Hood is in the top 50?”

“How did they break into the top 50?”

The gods examined Hood the Archer’s video with curiosity. The explosively growing number of subscribers and likes.

What made this possible was a single video.

Hood the Archer’s video, which continues to update its ranking in the trending videos list even now.

The gods checked that video.

“Th-this is.”

“This person…!”

“…[Only subscribed to the right gods]? Isn’t this the subscriber famous for their subscription reviews!”

The gods couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

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