Inquisition: Guardians of the Faith

The television studio was putting the finishing touches on preparations for the shoot. The crew adjusted the lighting, the cameraman checked his equipment, and the makeup artists were making final touches to the participants’ appearances.

The guest sat in his chair, dressed in a black judge’s robe. He was tall, clean-shaven, with neatly trimmed hair. The stern gaze of his brown eyes was both intimidating and captivating.

Across from him, the host was carefully studying a stack of documents. Young and slender, with blonde hair, she might not have had the looks of a model, but she was still quite attractive.

A signal sounded, and the bustle came to a halt.

“Hello, dear viewers! My name is Anin Goltz, and today we have with us Senior Inquisitorial Judge Valentin Corvinus.” The young woman smiled. “Your Honor, we are delighted that, despite your busy schedule, you were able to find the time to join us. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but our viewers consider you a legend.”

“Oh, come now, Anin. ‘Legend’ is probably taking it a little too far.”

“I’m not joking. Many people wonder how you managed to attain such a high position at the age of twenty-five. Would you care to share the secret?”

“I owe much of my success to the guidance of Cardinal Maximilian and to my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“But there are more than three hundred million citizens in our country, and all of them are sincere believers! Yet you are the first—and, if I’m not mistaken, the only one—to have achieved such results.”

“Well, what can I say… If anyone wants to know the details, they can find them freely available on the Inquisition’s website.”

“But since you’re here, perhaps you could tell us yourself? I’m sure everyone would be fascinated to hear the story directly from you!”

A flicker of doubt crossed the guest’s face.

“All right, since you insist. These events took place three years ago. As you know, the duty of the Holy Inquisition is to protect the faith and the faithful from heresy and the machinations of the Devil, and we do not interfere in police matters. However, that particular case began with them.”

After a brief pause, Valentin stared intently into the camera.

“It so happened that the law enforcement authorities in Rome picked up the trail of an arms trafficking operation. Usually, things like that fall into the hands of mafia clans. But this time, the evidence indicated that the shipment was intended for heretics belonging to the ‘Dark Alliance.’”

“Excuse me, Your Honor,” Anin interrupted. “Are those the people who claimed responsibility for the murder of Archbishop Augustus in Berlin a week ago? May the Lord rest his soul.”

“You are correct. They have many lives on their conscience. And they will stop at nothing to corrupt people’s minds and souls. Their goal, after all, is to turn people into servants of the Fallen One!”

Anger burned in his eyes, yet his face remained calm and stern.

“Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Head of the Inquisition ordered me to lead the investigation. Under my command, we managed to uncover heretical cells at many levels of government. Even among the closest associates of the Consul of the Republic! I won’t go into unnecessary details; those interested can find plenty of articles about it. There’s even a documentary.”

With a charming smile, the host looked into the camera.

“Let me remind those who don’t follow politics. This investigation led to numerous high-profile resignations, and even the Consul himself was brought before the High Court of the Inquisition.”

“You’re right,” Valentin nodded. “However, no evidence of his ties to the heretics was found, so he escaped execution. In the end, he was only charged with negligence. But even that was enough to strip him of his position and bar him from running for office for five years. And that, essentially, is the whole story. The investigation was highly praised by the leadership, and I was promoted.”

“Thank you, Your Honor, for sharing that with us. But tell me, have there been any other cases that were just as interesting since then?”

“I don’t know what one could call ‘interesting’ when the safety of our fellow citizens and the souls of the faithful are at stake. If we fail to do our job properly, who knows what disasters that could lead to?”

The young woman’s gaze darted toward the cards she was nervously fidgeting with.

“Let’s put your work aside for now. Tell us about your personal life. Are you married?”

“Not yet. The wedding is scheduled for next week. And, by the way, your channel has been invited.”

“We’ll definitely be there! And who is the lucky woman who managed to win the heart of such a distinguished groom?”

“You have it backwards.” A shy smile appeared on the guest’s face. “I’m the lucky one. Her name is Serafina, daughter of Damin Falken, president of Falkenras—the Republic’s largest manufacturer of automotive technology and a well-known friend of the Church. The sums her family donates to the Inquisition and the faithful run into millions of marks.”

“If I remember correctly, your fiancée is also involved in business, despite her young age,” the host said eagerly. “She’s only nineteen, isn’t she?”

“That’s right. At sixteen, she founded Aquila Aeris. In just three years, she achieved remarkable results in the development of civilian drones. Her products are used by numerous companies, farmers, rescue services, the police, and even the Inquisition. But, of course, Serafina still has a long way to go before she can match her father’s company.”

“I’ve heard she even has foreign clients. Is that true?”

“Well, you’re getting ahead of yourself. It’s true that the Northern Confederation, the Egyptian Republic, and the East Asian Empire have already contacted her, but no contracts have been signed yet.”

“What an accomplished young woman! At that age, many people are only just starting university. How does Miss Falken manage her studies with such a demanding schedule?”

“She recently graduated with honors from the Vienna University of Technology, having studied remotely in Aircraft and Communications Systems Engineering.”

“Your Honor, it seems you were right: you truly are incredibly lucky to have such an extraordinary fiancée!”

The host glanced at the clock above the cameraman.

“What a shame our airtime is limited, while our viewers still have so many questions. So I’d like to turn to politics. What do you make of the statement by a representative of the Council of Magi of the Slavic Union? A few days ago, he accused the Inquisition of being a repressive institution whose purpose is to eliminate people inconvenient to the Church.”

“I don’t make anything of it. Why should I care about the opinion of people who, in the twenty-first century, worship pagan gods and wooden idols, thereby violating one of the fundamental commandments of the Bible? Not to mention that they have no qualms about giving shelter to heretics and sorcerers.”

“But, Your Honor, the Union is one of the largest countries in the world by territory and possesses enormous resources. Its economy is also considered one of the strongest in the world.”

“Forgive me, Anin, but only faith in our Lord and compassion in one’s heart are truly worthy things. No worldly wealth can replace them. I can only pity the Slavs. By rejecting the true faith, they condemn themselves from the outset to eternal suffering after death.”

Without taking her eyes off him, the woman nodded in agreement.

“And what do you think about the decision recently made by their Legislative Assembly?”

“You mean the ban on information and educational channels from the Holy Roman Republic? What is there to say… It’s a historical blunder! How can they deprive their citizens of the right to receive objective information, replacing it with propaganda and the glorification of magic?”

“However, they claim that this was merely a mirror response to our decision to ban their broadcasts.”

“Are you serious?” the guest laughed. “That is a classic distortion of the facts. The Inquisition’s Censorship Council identified illegal content in those programs and declared their material heretical and destructive to faith in the Lord. Therefore, our actions were entirely lawful.”

“I see…” She paused for a moment. “But let’s talk about the East Asian Empire. What do you think of their monarchical system?”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that question. As a judicial official, I have no right to interfere in politics.”

“And what if you answered not from an official position, but as a private citizen?”

“As a private citizen? You know, I greatly value our democracy and every citizen’s right to choose, which is why it saddens me to see people forced to live in a totalitarian society. But that is merely my personal opinion and in no way represents the official position.”

The wall clock showed that they were almost out of time.

“Your Honor, is there anything you would like to say to our viewers?”

“Believe in our Lord and work for the good of your fellow citizens. But above all, remember that witchcraft is a path to the Devil, and anyone who encounters signs of it is obliged to report them to the Inquisition. You must never forget that failure to report such activity may itself be considered heresy.”

“Thank you for joining us today. Unfortunately, our program has come to an end. Let me remind you that our guest in the studio today was Senior Inquisitorial Judge Valentin Corvinus. Thank you for staying with us!”

In a spacious room, two men watched as the credits began to roll across the screen of a huge television, followed by the studio logo.

One of them was a thin priest in a red cassock, his short-cropped hair covered by a red skullcap. The other was a heavyset elderly man in an expensive suit, who was slowly swirling a crystal glass and studying its contents.

Noticing the cardinal’s gaze, he smirked.

“Excellent wine, Your Eminence. And an excellent program.”

Maximilian picked up his phone from the table and gave an order:

“Everything is fine. Put it on the air.”

He then pulled the decanter closer and filled his glass.

“What do you think of my protégé?”

“A very interesting young man. Most importantly, he understands how to take a hint. Without him, it would have been considerably more difficult to solve that problem.”

The cardinal nodded in agreement.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t finish the job back then. Still, the former Consul certainly won’t be able to interfere with us now.”

“Amen,” his companion said with a smile.