Lucilla stood watching as her sisters bound the Inquisitors. Something didn't sit right with her, but at the same time, she could understand why His Lordship had disbanded them.
If the videos were true—which their expressions made very clear—then they were doing more harm to humankind than good. However, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
She watched as Bastion passed her by and immediately followed behind him, her team trailing as well. They were his Custodes Sanctis... it wasn't their place to question his actions.
"You can speak your mind, Lucilla. God didn't give you a mouth just so you could think yourself to death," His Grace said as he sat down.
"My lord, the Inquisition may have done much evil, but surely they have done more good that can outweigh their sins," Lucilla said.
"When a surgeon's scalpel becomes septic, do we praise it on account of past victories even when it poisons the flesh?" He replied without even looking up from his work.
"No, my lord, but their duty is such that even such minor sins can be overlooked," Lucilla argued.
Even she understood that their crimes were unforgivable, but the Inquisition had been a force that held not just the planet but the entire Imperium from falling into the hands of the Ruinous Powers.
"Tell me, Canoness, if I marched into a hive city and murdered every tenth child or person on account of future heresy, would you still consider me a saint or a monster?" He asked as he raised his head.
"My lord, you are the Emperor's chosen. Surely there would be reason to do so… "
"Status does not justify the action, Lucilla. I blessed you all, and you were remade not so that you could blindly support me, but to be the hook around my neck… Their duty was righteous, but they have tainted it and suppressed humanity with their unchecked power. Such a thing cannot repeat itself again." His Lordship replied in a firm tone.
"But who will hold back the darkness? Their ways may have been barbaric, but the fear of their existence is all that stopped the trillions of souls on this planet from turning to Chaos."
"A new Inquisition shall be born and trained. But until then, my Custodes, you shall be their judge, jury, and executioner. You have been given minds that can process the world in great detail, skin that can draw information from a target, and bodies that have been touched by the divine… You shall serve as interim Inquisitors until a new order is established."
Hearing him speak, Lucilla finally realized what was happening. This wasn't a sudden move—it was something long in the works. His Grace hadn't just decided to take charge of their training; he had been grooming them to replace the Inquisition from the very beginning.
He had seen the rot within the Inquisition and immediately began to devise a better way to replace them. Knowing this, Lucilla didn't know how to feel. This implied that he had the means to remove or reform any organization he deemed inefficient.
"As you will, Your Grace," Lucilla answered, left with no choice.
This was a decision that would normally result in worlds being burned by the Inquisition, but Mordaxis had been cut off from the main Imperium. That alone turned this from a risky move into a well-calculated and measured one.
As for a replacement, if the Saint said her sisters could replace the Inquisition and do a better job, then she had confidence that they could. It might seem impossible for five hundred people to police an entire planet, but then again, the Inquisition had been no more than twenty to begin with.
Watching as the man returned to his work, Lucilla felt something she hadn't felt in a long time: hope. She had seen her sisters perform miracles, she had witnessed the Emperor's hand more than once, but somehow His Lordship felt different.
Without hesitation, she bowed and left the office to inform her sisters of the new orders. Their training would need to be intensified, and then they would await further instructions from the Saint.