Iberia, a devout religious nation.
In the past, this prosperous country was known for its openness and inclusivity.
Although its faith originated from Laterano, the two nations operated differently and interpreted their beliefs distinctly.
Iberians believed that by strictly adhering to the teachings of the Code, and unearthing the encouragement and call for goodness within it, their hearts could draw closer, making people indomitable.
During that golden age, many foreign residents moved into Iberia; even those who were not devout believers were allowed to integrate into this large family.
Advanced technology and rapid progress immersed the nation in joy from top to bottom, and the power of religion once waned.
But in The Great Silence decades ago, and the ongoing aftermath of the disaster, Iberia once again realized humanity's insignificance in the world.
Thus, Iberia became an almost completely closed nation.
This country recognized its decline and the impending disaster; they did not refuse any residents who wished to move away.
If you wanted to leave Iberia, you only needed to report to customs, and you could depart this somber nation.
Conversely, if outsiders wished to enter Iberia... the scrutiny they had to endure was not so simple.
The almost forgotten Code was re-established, the Holy See gained more political power, but it was no longer as gentle as before, and the Inquisitor system emerged.
Whether noble or commoner, as long as they were loyal to Iberia and dedicated their body and mind to the nation, they could become an Inquisitor after an investigation.
In this increasingly decaying nation, countless Inquisitors traveled throughout Iberia, protecting law-abiding citizens and punishing destabilizing elements that violated the law, barely maintaining internal stability within the Empire.
Lamps to dispel demons, swiftblades to punish heretics, and hand cannons to blast aberrations were all weapons symbolizing Iberian law.
When Goki, Skadi, and several other Saltwind City residents finally climbed onto the mobile city, they saw several such Inquisitors.
The moment they saw them, Goki and Skadi gripped the weapon cases in their hands, while the emaciated, hungry townspeople radiated immense fear, their already weak bodies beginning to tremble violently.
"Citizen, Hearth sir, a citizen reported to the Grand Inquisitor that at 8 AM today, you, in collusion with other citizens, left Saltwind City armed, with the purpose of robbing food from passersby—is this true?"
Holding a swiftblade hilt in one hand and pressing the grip of a gunlance at his waist with the other, a gray-haired man in a tight suit, looking exceptionally young, stepped forward.
From the feather-like organs at his hair ends, Goki could tell he was a Liberi—a bird-person.
He drew his swiftblade and pointed it at the man named Hearth who was at the front.
According to reports from other citizens, this man had been clamoring to rob passersby more than a month ago, and today he finally made his move.
"The Inquisition will not implicate the innocent. Confess your crimes truthfully, and we will punish you according to the law."
Upon hearing this, a weak woman behind Goki immediately fainted.
The young man seemed a bit nervous; Goki could tell his words were somewhat stammering, as if he was an inexperienced newcomer, but his expression was indeed full of anger.
"Don't you feel ashamed? All the townspeople are enduring hunger and hardship together. We brought emergency rations and repaired damaged first-aid equipment precisely to prevent this kind of thing from happening—"
Subsequently, the young Inquisitor noticed two people among these citizens who were dressed noticeably differently—Goki and Skadi.
"Are you the passersby who were coerced? Don't worry, tell us the truth, and the Inquisition will bring you justice."
[Where did you see us being coerced? This young man is truly a greenhorn—but then again, it wouldn't be wrong if these robbers were more vicious.]
If the atmosphere around them wasn't so serious, Goki would have almost wanted to hold his forehead and sigh.
Evidently, this young Inquisitor was more like an intern; Goki was more concerned about the few people behind him.
Compared to the young Inquisitor who was nervous facing a group of hungry people, the several individuals standing shoulder to shoulder behind him, hands clasped behind their backs, appeared much more relaxed.
Their focus was clearly on the young Inquisitor, more like a group of experienced mentors observing an intern at work.
The leader, dressed slightly differently from the others, wore a hat slightly taller than a cowboy hat, a pitch-black mask covering his face, and the weapon at his waist was clearly more exquisite than those around him.
Moreover, he also gave Goki a faint sense of threat.
Clearly, this was the leader of the Inquisitors.
[Could it be the same person? No, it shouldn't be similar.]
Soon, Goki recalled the event that occurred in Saltwind City; it seemed there were also two Inquisitors, a master and an apprentice, a large and a small.
The Grand Inquisitor spoke nonsense, and while the Little Orca Inquisitor was a cute girl, she was also a greenhorn just like this current Inquisitor.
Both were super door-kicking investigators, failed every communication check, had virtually no inspiration, completely whiffed all social knowledge checks, and immediately mistook Skadi, the main storyline NPC who was supposed to be the strongest fighter, for the final boss, directly rushing her as an enemy—it was enough to infuriate the KP to no end.
However, that should have been many years later; that Inquisitor girl might have only been born recently, still a cute elementary school student.
Just as Goki was pondering, Skadi quietly reached out and gently poked his waist.
"Goki, Goki, that masked one gives me a sense of threat—the material of his equipment, I've seen it on the Sea Guard."
Her expression remained calm; Skadi couldn't understand the Iberian language the man was speaking, so she could only let Goki decide.
As Hunters, Skadi and Goki had equally rich experience in fighting large creatures and non-human monsters.
The former would directly raise her greatsword, jump-slash, and cleave them apart, mincing the sea god in the ocean; the latter would raise his greatsword, roll, trim their feet, and slowly grind down gods while chugging blood vials—one could say they achieved the same goal through different paths.
However, when facing human enemies, Skadi was not as proficient.
Aside from her compatriots she had laid to rest a week ago, other Aegir corrupted by Seaborn had always been purified by specialized Sea Guard units.
And humanoid Seaborn... while their appearance couldn't be ruled out given the Seaborn's evolution speed, Abyssal Hunters had yet to encounter them.
"Goki, should we fight? If you nod, I'll start."
But no matter what, Skadi wouldn't do anything else but fight.
"Hiss—ow, ow, ow, lighter! Sister!"
Goki, on the other hand, immediately gasped, wincing in pain.
"Sorry..."
Skadi hastily withdrew her hand, a little apologetic.
The Little Orca's impression of "gently" was still not that gentle.
Goki had even considered using the 4000 blood echoes he got from killing the Seaborn last time, plus the blood echoes from hunting beasts these past few days, all into vitality to make himself tankier.
But in the end, Goki decided to save the points for when they were needed.
As for the Little Orca's strength—let it hurt, who cares, she's cute, so everything she says is right.
"Leave it to me, Skadi, don't worry."
Gently patting Skadi's hand, Goki gestured for Skadi to follow and then walked forward.
Skadi looked at her hand, which Goki's warm palm had just patted, her blood-red eyes a little dazed.
If possible, Goki still preferred not to fight normal humans.
Back in Old Yharnam, he had suppressed his anger, braved the machine gun fire from the Gatling Gun Hunter on the tower, parkoured his way to kill the Blood-starved Beast and the Darkbeast, without killing any other monsters, and eventually reached a reconciliation with him...
Of course, if someone truly made Goki angry, then he would just have to take their kidneys.
Beside Goki, the man named Hearth was trembling like a sieve under the threat of the Inquisitor's sword.
The fearsome reputation of the Inquisition had long been ingrained in the hearts of Iberia's residents; they absolutely dared not conceal anything from these judges.
At least, those taken away by the Inquisitors had never returned.
"I, I, Inquisitor sir, I confess, I will tell everything."
His pale lips moved, but the sound he made was as faint as a mosquito's buzz; Hearth intended to confess everything.
But soon, a figure blocked his path, and a black-gloved finger gently pushed the swiftblade aside.
"Hey, Mr. Inquisitor, I think you might have misunderstood something?"
Goki looked at the young Inquisitor, revealing a kind smile.
"Robbery? What robbery? Look at their thin arms and legs; they might not even eat one meal a day. What would they use to rob the two of us?"
When climbing onto the mobile city, Goki had already learned about Iberian law and various religious taboos from Hearth, and had devised a seemingly flawless identity.
"I am a Hunter, a Hunter who hunts beasts, and I am these people's guest."
A Hunter from Yharnam, for the first time, became involved in the mundane affairs of the Terra continent.