Chapter 339: Chapter 339 Ingrained Nature_1
"This was something that happened six months ago..." Sophie began her narration, "The organization had me approach a client, an external investigator from the Netherlands’ Black Magic Management Bureau."
"A Heretic Inquisitor?" Aiden raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Correct. However, unlike other Heretic Inquisitors from The Covenant countries, he was previously a somewhat renowned male Wizard, specializing in elements and Alchemy."
"A Heretic Inquisitor who was a former practitioner..." Aiden nodded with interest, "That’s quite intriguing, probably something only the Netherlands would have."
The Kingdom of the Netherlands’ Black Magic Management Bureau is actually what is now the Heretic Inquisition institution in the Netherlands Kingdom. The Netherlands was the last country to join The Covenant, and in earlier years it gathered a large number of Wizards, Alchemists, and other nonconforming individuals. When military conflicts arose with neighboring countries in the past, they also specifically recruited some affiliates of the black magic world.
Even today, the country’s policy towards these individuals is relatively lenient; they do not pursue actions that violate The Covenant prior to its adoption. Ophelia’s brother, the vampiric prince Kael Kaordo, holds nonconforming individual identification papers issued by the Netherlands.
The Netherlands’ Black Magic Management Bureau was originally just an administrative institution responsible for registering domestic Wizards and nonconforming individuals and enforcing related management regulations. It employed a large number of professionals related to black magic. When the Netherlands formally joined The Covenant, the Black Magic Management Bureau was transformed into a law enforcement agency corresponding to the Heretic Inquisition institutions of other countries.
Thus, unlike other countries’ Heretic Inquisition agencies, the Netherlands’ Black Magic Management Bureau initially included many individuals classified as heretics by The Covenant, some of whom became Heretic Inquisitors. They also had no qualms about recruiting heretical individuals, as long as their records were mostly clean. This led to some Senior Investigators who had high proficiency in black magic as Wizards before being officially recruited.
Other regional Heretic Inquisitors, like Aiden, have only minimal exposure to the workings of black magic, learning just a few simple combat skills for practical use, and most of their theoretical expertise is aimed at discovering the weaknesses of black magic.
However, the Heretic Inquisitors of the Netherlands are different; many of them are experts in the field. So, in the Netherlands—and probably only in the Netherlands—it’s not uncommon to see Heretic Inquisitors eschew guns and devouring magic bullets, instead directly confronting fugitives with black magic, defeating magic with magic.
In autonomous regions where The Covenant’s enforcement is strict and longstanding, recruiting self-taught witches and Wizards as Heretic Inquisitors is entirely out of the question—political vetting alone would never allow it.
"He’s a target that The Balance of Smiles has set their sights on; does this mean he also possesses the power of authority?" Aiden asked.
"Yes, he had dealings with that sort of thing when he was still a Wizard," Sophie explained, "But he only came to possess the power of authority after he joined the institution."
"Name?" Aiden asked.
"Joey Lawson, thirty-two years old, Senior Investigator at the Netherlands’ Black Magic Management Bureau."
Aiden tried to recall the name, then shook his head, "I haven’t really heard of him. Hasn’t he captured any famous criminals?"
This Joey Lawson must have had a considerable degree of proficiency in black magic to begin with. After training as an Inquisitor and with the power of authority added, he should have been fully capable of taking on almost any S-class fugitive alone. Even if he was well-behaved as a Wizard, he could have made a name for himself through combat prowess once he became an Inquisitor.
"I’ve heard him say that he intentionally avoids the limelight. He’s not like you, the warden; he is the kind that... doesn’t go about his law enforcement role in the proper manner."
"Does he take bribes?" asked Aiden.
Sophie shook her head, "His interest in money pales in comparison to his interest in power. He would extort black magic research from captured criminals and embezzle magical artifacts designated for sealing by the management bureau—the most extreme case was when he executed a Witch on his own and plundered her workshop. He has been using his position to covertly conduct research that violates The Covenant, and it was during this time that he obtained the power of authority."
"Old habits die hard... Clothed in official garb, but his essence is still that of a heretic."
Aiden was not surprised, as he had encountered too many black magic researchers. Such behavior is utterly incongruous for a Heretic Inquisitor, but for a male Wizard, it is all too normal.
The theoretical system of black magic is abstruse and difficult to comprehend. Even with massive resource investment in education, very few become masters. Furthermore, the deeper one goes into the study, the higher the risks that accompany it—this is a primary reason why black magic gradually faded from the world’s main stage with the advent of firearms technology, even being banned by legislation.
Given this barrier, those who delve deeply into black magic typically have a certain degree of dedication to the path, like the seven Great Witches of the witch assemblies, all of whom seek the utmost limits of knowledge.
The Dutch approach of recruiting heretical individuals to combat heretical criminals can solve many of the combat power issues for Heretic Inquisition institutions, but without a robust internal inspection system...
It must be understood that the majority of autonomous black magic researchers hold a passive attitude toward The Covenant, and recruiting such people to enforce it... it is not surprising that cases like this, where authority is exploited for personal gain, arise.
After all, a profession is just a profession; ethical standards come down to the individual. Remember, the two who falsely accused Veronica were also mounted police officers.
"But you sure know a lot of secrets, I guess he wouldn’t readily talk about this stuff, how did you probe this information?" Aiden asked curiously.
But Sophie shook her head, "No, he gave them up quite easily. I corresponded with him in letters for a while, then had a few face-to-face conversations. With some simple leading questions, he voluntarily divulged these secrets to me."
"He openly admitted to criminal activities to an intelligence broker?" Aiden frowned, "Could it be that he isn’t very bright?"
"At first, he didn’t know my true background; he just thought I was a hot new star singer from the autonomous state... very ’coincidentally,’ he happened to be a fan of my music," Sophie said slowly, with emphasis on the word "coincidentally."
"Bragging about such things to an idol? Then he really isn’t too smart," Aiden remarked, "So the organization figured this out and specifically sent you to get close to him?"
"Yes, during my tour period, he also came to the autonomous state. While he was staying in Black Iron City, I followed the organization’s instructions and made frequent contact with him, drawing out much of his information and gaining some leverage over him..." Sophie continued, "Everything went smoothly, until one time, after reporting to someone in the organization, I discovered that he had been monitoring me through black magic."
