Chapter 21

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Episode 21 (21/227)

Episode 21: Quinnze Blonde (4)

After the collision, about 30 shillings vanished.

Eil immediately set out to find the thief, but locating one woman hidden among the crowd in the bustling auction house wasn’t easy.

However, thanks to his quick reaction, Eil was able to scan the gaps between people and pinpoint the woman’s location in an instant.

The skill ‘Pickpocket,’ used by thief-class professions, could only be cast once on opponents with a similar level due to balance, so the woman who stole his money likely had a level not much higher than Eil’s, or possibly even lower.

In other words, he didn’t have to worry about being unable to do anything because of a level difference. If his skills were superior, he could easily shake her down.

“You’re dead if I catch you.”

Eil growled menacingly as he picked up speed.

Though some distance had opened between them—she was already slipping into an alleyway after leaving the auction house—it wasn’t enough for her to escape.

Worried she might vanish completely, Eil quickly followed her into the alley. There, he found the woman happily counting silver coins, her face beaming.

Startled by Eil’s sudden appearance, the woman gasped.

“What, you actually followed me?”

“Over there…!”

Before he could finish telling her to stop, she turned and started running.

Eil took off after her again, leaping over planks she intentionally knocked down to trip him.

A chase erupted through the city as the woman skillfully weaved through the crowd, clearly experienced at this sort of thing.

But Eil refused to let her gain any more distance, staying hot on her heels.

He cleared every sewer and obstacle throughout the city in pursuit.

There was no way he was letting 30 shillings—a fortune at this level—go to waste like this.

Thinking she’d finally shaken him, the woman occasionally glanced back, only to see him relentlessly chasing her, which left her utterly terrified.

But when she suddenly changed direction unpredictably, the situation shifted.

With incredible agility, she scaled walls and window frames, landing gracefully on the roof of a building. Eil had no choice but to pause momentarily.

“Seriously… did she train specially just to pickpocket?”

As Eil muttered to himself, the woman stood confidently atop the roof, smirking down at him.

She gave him a friendly wave before strolling leisurely in the opposite direction.

Eil couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly when, right then, a notification popped up in his vision signaling an incoming message.

Without seeing the sender’s name, he knew there was only one person who would contact him now. He promptly opened the message window.

Sure enough, it was from Lisa.

-I’ve completed my quest. Where are you? Let’s grab a bite together. I got a decent reward, so I can probably treat you to a meal.

-Sorry, something came up at the auction house. I’ll be a bit late.

-Oh… Do you need help?

-It’s fine. Go ahead without me. I’ll catch up soon.

After sending his final message and closing the window, Eil stretched his arms lazily, loosening up his body.

“Well then… time to catch you.”

* * *

“Haha! What are you gonna do if I keep running?”

Tricksi, the thief who had pickpocketed Eil, laughed cheerfully as she strutted across the rooftop.

Watching the victim of her thievery realize his money was gone, look dejected, and then make a futile attempt to chase her always brought her immense joy.

This time, however, she escaped to the rooftops, leaving the man below staring helplessly upward like a confused dog.

Because of this, she felt twice the thrill she usually did.

“This is why I can’t quit this life.”

Tricksi hummed a little tune.

Jingling her coin pouch, she tossed it high in the air and caught it repeatedly while leaping nimbly between buildings. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a pot breaking from the rooftop to her right.

Even though this area shouldn’t have been frequented by anyone, sensing movement nearby, Tricksi hesitantly glanced over—and was shocked to see Eil standing there.

“What… what?! How did you get here…!”

While she panicked, Eil suddenly appeared from the side rooftop and began sprinting toward her.

Just like Tricksi, who had memorized the terrain for pickpocketing opportunities, Eil had also mapped out the surroundings.

Actually, Eil knew the city layout far better than Tricksi ever could, having spent the past year gathering detailed information and committing it all to memory.

“Best to stop where you are…”

“Get lost!”

Tricksi defiantly flipped him off before taking off again.

‘This guy’s wearing heavy armor… there’s no way he can keep up with me!’ she thought smugly.

True, Eil’s equipment slowed him down compared to someone in leather gear, and thieves typically invested heavily in agility stats, creating a noticeable speed gap.

But contrary to her expectations, Eil wasn’t falling behind.

Thanks to divine favor, Eil received bonuses to all his stats from the Goddess, including a madness stat that further boosted others.

His slightly lower investment in agility due to class and equipment was easily compensated for.

Moreover, Eil had already anticipated her escape route. Based on her predictable avoidance of guarded areas, he moved ahead of her path.

Tcha!

“Wha… wait, ahhh!”

The woman was tackled mid-leap by Eil, and they both tumbled across the floor.

Eil quickly recovered from their fall, but Tricksi, caught off guard and having collided with a wall during the struggle, was still dazed.

Seizing the opportunity, Eil successfully bound her with basic ropes he’d purchased cheaply from a street vendor while cutting through shortcuts to intercept her.

Sure enough, above the thief’s head glowed a large mark of heresy.

Swoosh!

Eil drew his longsword.

“Hey!”

Tricksi, tied up and raising her hands slightly, spoke urgently.

“Let’s… let’s talk!”

“Hmm, I thought I was trying to talk earlier… didn’t someone tell me to get lost?”

“A… ah, no, that’s not what I meant! I’m really sorry! It slipped out. Please, give me another chance, and I promise I won’t do this again!”

“Yeah, sure you will,” Eil replied dismissively as he prepared to activate a skill.

Since everything lined up perfectly, it was time to try out one of his newly learned Apostle-exclusive skills.

Paang!

A bright light burst from Eil’s left hand, revealing a massive book.

This black tome adorned with red details was none other than the Light Church Bible, containing laws for the Inquisitors.

Tricksi stared wide-eyed at the sight of this unfamiliar item, but Eil paid her no mind as he swiftly opened the book with one hand.

Simply opening it caused the pages to flip automatically until stopping at a specific section, glowing brightly.

[Chapter of Sentencing]

[Please select a punishment for the criminal.]

‘What? Am I supposed to choose myself?’

Confused, Eil examined the page.

If this was necessary, why did they give him the Bible in the first place?

Apparently, these procedures were merely formalities, as the Inquisitor could assign any punishment regardless of the crime.

Following the instruction to choose, Eil scanned the numerous options listed on the page, each more extreme than the last.

Burning at the stake, hanging, beheading, drawing and quartering, poisoning…

And many others he hadn’t even imagined, all variations of capital punishment.

Even though she had only committed theft, the lawbook presented terrifyingly harsh sentencing guidelines.

Of course, Eil cared little for such laws, only grateful for the stat boosts.

‘Still… this is convenient. No unnecessary entanglements; I just need to pick what I want.’

Yet, choosing proved surprisingly difficult.

Not knowing the differences between the execution methods, none particularly stood out.

After pondering for a moment, Eil addressed the bound woman.

“Hey.”

“What… what is it?”

Tricksi eyed him suspiciously, and Eil scratched his head as he asked,

“How would you like to die?”