I Became the Moon Goddess' Apostle in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 44: Grand Inquisitor

In the past few days, Raven, being the sole surviving spectator, was interrogated heavily, alongside Lord Inquisitor.

And despite him being proven innocent multiple times over, he just kept getting looped into this.

The church was a lot stricter this time, with this newfound embarrassment.

And the one leading this particular case was a Grand Inquisitor.

He was just that thorough and strict.

Lord Inquisitor, for his crime of not being able to protect Archbishop Joseph Tatum, was relieved of his duties.

Which was a nice way to put it, since he was now only relieved of this particular post.

They would still use him, just a bit more, in a way that he might find ’uncomfortable’.

Raven, with his constant interrogations, was getting tired of this until this news reached Eve.

And in mere hours of reaching this news to her, he was released, unscathed.

A few days after this, everyone was officially an Arbiter, without any sort of announcement.

They didn’t know the actual motive behind the Apostle attacking their ARchbishop, since he escaped the clutches of Lord Inquisitor.

So, the most viable theory they had was to interrupt the inauguration of the new Order.

And hence, they didn’t get any official ceremony for that.

An emergency meeting was held immediately, and a few rules were brought into place.

First and foremost, the lead of the operation was massively enlarged, as the recruitment became even more public.

Secondly, the one taking charge was a being with strength barely below Cardinals.

A Grand Inquisitor.

Thirdly, there would be 4 more cities for this operation now, and each city would be led by its own Lord Inquisitor.

Except for Orient, the 5th city, which would be led by the Grand Inquisitor.

And lastly, missions would finally be given out to the original Arbiters from the Orient City.

They were suggested to get acquainted with their teams.

Every team would consist of 5 people, and there were 14 teams in total in this particular branch of the Arbiter Order.

Or as they called it, the Headquarters.

The team would consist of four people, preferably their roommates if they passed the bar, and one person wielding a special ability.

For Raven, it would be him and Pevon, alongside two other people.

And finally, a special ability wielder of their choice, which was the easiest choice for them.

Half the team was already assembled.

Raven, Pevon, and finally, Janet, with two more people they would be assigned in a day or two.

...

Currently, the trio was on their way to the office of the Grand Inquisitor for two reasons.

One to finally meet the rest of the team.

And the second was to finally get their first mission.

The assumed reasoning on why they were first was that they had two of the top three people on the team.

But the real reason?

Only Raven knew that.

The head office had now shifted.

The Grand Inquisitor’s office was a lot more lavish compared to the Lord Inquisitor’s.

To the point that the comparison wasn’t even fair.

The hallway was decorated with expensive murals, paintings, and artifacts of all kinds.

There were several chandeliers every few steps.

And the floor was decorated with carpets of the finest quality.

Pevon and Janet came from relatively rich households, but even they were surprised at this.

Of course, for Raven, it was nothing.

But they had no time to appreciate the building.

As they inched closer to the office, their heartbeats quickened.

Lord Inquisitor himself was so overbearing and powerful; just how much more powerful and domineering would a Grand Inquisitor be?

Knock! Knock!

They knocked on the door politely.

"Come in!" A smooth, deep voice entered their ears.

Completely opposite of the coarse voice of Lord Inquisitor.

They opened the door only to be faced with a rather young-looking man of normal fit stature.

He had a head full of white hair with a patch of black hair right above his left eye.

He stared at them with his heterochromatic eyes.

The right eye was deep, ocean blue, and the left one was blood red.

His face also had a burnt spot around the red eye and the black patch of hair.

His gaze was piercing, and Janet shivered just looking at it.

"Welcome to my humble abode, gentlemen and lady," He got up from the table and turned around.

"It’s our utmost pleasure to greet you, Grand Inquisitor." The trio bowed in unison and didn’t dare to get up until they were instructed to do so.

"Ah, don’t be so stiff!" His voice was like that of an excited college graduate, "Come, grab a seat."

Grand Inquisitor said, as he sat on his own chair on the other side of the table.

"Thank you, Grand Inquisitor." Their voices remained in sync.

They politely grabbed a seat and looked forward.

The remaining two members of their team hadn’t arrived yet.

"My name is Raven-"

Since it was polite for the lower-ranked folks to introduce them first, Raven took the lead.

But he was interrupted immediately by the Grand Inquisitor.

"No need," He said, his tone unserious, "I know nearly everything about the three of you."

His voice made them flinch.

Why the fuck was he saying a thing like this with a straight face?

"After all," He leaned back, "It’s my job to take care of people under me."

"So," He began speaking, "I have heard a thing or two about you lot."

’I hope it’s not anything negative,’ Raven hoped internally.

They stayed silent.

"Congratulations on your rank, Pevon Fusco." He started with Pevon.

"Thank you for the compliment, Grand Inquisitor." He bowed slightly again.

Grand Inquisitor nodded.

"And you, Janet Lacassue," He turned around, looking at Janet, who was sitting in the middle, "I quite like your special ability."

"Thank you for the compliment, Grand Inquisitor." She repeated the exact same words as Pevon.

"And finally you, Mr. Marlowe," He emphasized a bit on the Marlowe part, "I have heard quite a lot about you."

"Your track record is impressive, and your last Order head had a few positive compliments about you."

Raven pondered on what the previous Lord Inquisitor had possibly said about him.

But as long as it was positive, he was fine.

"But I hate one thing about you, Mr. Marlowe."

The room suddenly got heavier.

Sigh!