15 – Report on the Fall of Purity (2)
Generally, monasteries are places where anyone cannot freely enter. It’s a place where those who aspire to be like, beyond just believing in, God gather.
But a monastery is also a place where people live. They have to eat and live, and if they are sick, they must go to a doctor. Therefore, they do not completely cut off their connection with the secular world unless absolutely necessary.
The Blockade Monastery is not such a ‘normal’ place. Blockade, as the word suggests, means no one can go out, and no one from outside can come in.
Once you set foot in it, you cannot go outside the designated area even after you grow old and die. After death, you are buried in the monastery cemetery. Leaving voluntarily is allowed, but you cannot come back.
That’s why the Blockade Monastery is built in remote and difficult-to-reach places.
The Otranto Blockade Monastery, where Cain and Lily are heading on horseback, is no exception.
A small monastery located in a valley between rugged rock mountains. The wind was so strong that it was difficult to find a tree taller than a person. The ground was literally a rocky area, with no place for moss to grow. It was a barren mountain, to be exact.
That’s why Cain was thankful for the first time for the security-provided chainmail armor.
An outdated model not even employed by the Imperial Army, it’s excessively thick and heavy, making it undesirable. But except for the imbalance, it was stable in this windy mountain path. Seeing the Mercy Knights struggling not to be blown away by the wind at the edge of the road, the gratitude doubled.
“Stop! Stop! The path ahead is blocked. Please turn back!”
“I’ve come from the capital!”
Cain shouted as he dismounted from his horse. He shook a long, slender tube containing the letter sent from the pulpit and Anna’s confirmation.
The wind was blowing too strongly, making it impossible to pull out the documents. They didn’t want them to fly away in the wind, causing trouble. Instead, Cain showed only the stamp at the end. The soldiers who verified the papal seal were astonished and signaled for passage.
It was an unexpectedly swift approval, but upon reflection, it wasn’t that surprising. The knights probably already knew they were coming, and once they confirmed the identity, it was a done deal.
As they passed through the wind-blown rocky fields, a V-shaped canyon appeared. The howling wind had subsided, replaced by a whispering sound, as if trumpets were being played in their ears. The wind seemed indifferent to the possibility of releasing its once-captured prey.
5 minutes, maybe 10. After passing through the canyon, a plateau came into view. There was no warmth typical of plateaus. Even an neglected dog bowl left untouched felt cozier than this.
The ground was red, and there were no trees on the bare mountains. The stone monastery built in such a place looked both imposing and lonely.
Still, the building had everything it needed.
Centered around a fairly large worship hall, assembly halls and monk quarters were arranged on either side. There was even a neat building that looked like a library. Despite the wind wearing it down a bit, the stone’s inherent solidity and heaviness made it stable.
In the front yard, fluttering tents were set up. Books were visible, and horses tied to stakes were also present. Temporary stables were built right next to the building.
Knights were busy around, some in full armor, but most seemed to be squires and trainee knights. Squires wore robes without hoods, while trainee knights wore robes with hoods. It really looked that way.
“It looks like a massive construction site,” Lily whispered as she approached Cain. The knights seemed quite busy, cutting logs with saws, pushing with planks, and nailing them. Wooden boards were arranged around to block the wind, and a large pot on a makeshift stove was boiling water.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what it was for. Diapers. Bandages soaked in blood. Sheets covered in filth… Passing knights glanced at Cain and Lily, but no one approached them to talk. It seemed they were too tired to be wary of strangers.
“Lily, it’s better to get off and lead the horse. It’s too uncomfortable like this.”
Cain and Lily agreed and got off. With a rustling sound, they stopped and then put on the percussion instruments. The same as wearing a sword and scabbard on the left hip, Cain held a wooden cane with an iron belt on his right hip, and Lily held a round wooden box containing precious documents and a certificate.
Whether they took two steps or ten, something rolled towards them. It was a trainee knight.
Whether it was a squire or a trainee knight, they were wearing worn-out clothes. Despite the nice words, the robe was nothing more than a worn-out piece of cloth. The trainee knight in front of them, holding his stomach and groaning in pain, didn’t look much different.
A man with red hair rushed out between the tents. Although he wasn’t wearing a helmet, he wore iron boots and a uniform with the symbol of the Mercy Knights on his chest. He looked like a formal knight.
The man kicked the trainee knight with his foot.
“This idiot, slowpoke, incapable fool who can’t do anything right, I told you to come find me immediately if there was a change in the situation, didn’t I?”
“I did!”
The squire shouted with a nearly malicious roar. The man seemed even angrier.
“You understand that, you remember that! Hey, you bastard. Who do you think you are to embarrass me. Who! Are you! To! Humiliate me! Shield yourself, shield your stomach, you idiot, if you don’t want to be drenched in blood and urine like last time!”
Steel boots mercilessly flew into the abdomen. The squire desperately clutched his stomach. A sardonic smile seemed to flicker on the man’s face, and then,
Thud.
He struck down the fallen man’s head. The squire’s throat tightened.
From Noble mtl dot com
“I told you to shield yourself! I told you! If you do this on the battlefield, you’ll die! Hey, you real idiot. If you hear it, you forget it! If you hear it, you forget it! Come on, let’s end this today! I’ll carve the lesson into your thick skull!”
Cain forcefully pushed the red-haired knight. As a result, the knight almost fell backward. Cain exclaimed, “Oops, I’m sorry! The wind is so strong today, you see!”
With a contemplative look, Cain forcibly grabbed the knight’s arm and then let go abruptly. The knight’s head was knocked.
“aaargh!”
“Oh, are you okay? Didn’t hurt your head? Can’t get up?”
The red-haired knight writhed on the ground and waved his hand.
“What are you doing!”
“I came from the capital. I apologize for the rudeness earlier. This blond-haired knight is my colleague.”
Cain and Lily had coordinated their words in advance. They acted as equals, as if they were ‘colleagues.’
This incident required much higher security than the Maxburg incident. As the opponent was the ‘Pope,’ even more secrecy was necessary. Therefore, Cain decided not to reveal that he was from Section 4, and Lily kept her status as a probationary agent a secret.
By not revealing even the slightest clue as to who was superior and who was subordinate, they attempted to delay the identification of the investigators.
Therefore, Lily confidently helped the squire to his feet.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know where to tie my words. Can you help me for a moment?”
Asking for help was no different from coercion. Lily clenched the reins of two horses and pulled the apprentice knight with her other hand. The red-haired knight, who was watching them, raised an eyebrow and made a sarcastic remark.
“What’s your name?”
Cain greeted him politely.
“Just call me Agent. And my friend too. What’s your name?”
“Ha! Agent, huh? Then call me ‘Lord’. The rumors about agents coming from the capital must be about you guys.”
“What’s happening inside?”
“It’s a mess, just like a stranger crashing into you head-on.” The knight spat on the ground.
“Are you in charge? I want to talk to the commander.”
“The command structure is a mess too. I’m sick and tired of the higher-ups changing their minds every day.” Click. This time, the knight’s spit didn’t miss Cain’s boots.
“Well, if you still want to hear it, let’s go over there first. Towards the library. The owner there is Chief Investigator, so talk to her. It could be considered heaven compared to headquarters. Here feels more like purgatory.”
“What’s headquarters like?”
“Hell.”
The wind howled loudly.
Lily walked out from the other side. The apprentice knight was nowhere to be seen. The red-haired knight brought the two of them to the front of the library and threatened to break the damn kid’s bones before leaving.
Before opening the door, Cain nudged Lily with his elbow.
“You did well earlier.”
“Your skills were impressive.”
Cain chuckled and opened the door to the library.
There were several monks in training. Among them was an elderly man who looked very old. He hunched over, holding a wooden cane as wrinkled as his face.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I came from the capital.” Cain simply replied. “Here, I have my identification.”
Lily quickly pulled out the documents from her bag and handed them over. The old man looked at the papers. His eyes were greedy, like someone searching for hidden food.
“Take them… I am Bartolomeo Sura, the director of this peaceful place, but due to recent events, I look like a mess. Let’s go to my room.”
Even if it was called a warehouse, it looked like a believable room.
A desk that seemed to have been around for over a hundred years. A wooden chair with no backrest. There wasn’t even a guest chair, so they turned over a wooden bucket and put a cloth on top. The cold stone emitted a chill, and the dried paper inside the bone-dry wooden bookshelf looked as dry as autumn leaves.
“This is the first time in my life.” The director began to complain.
“They throw patients around as if they were nothing, don’t they? Doesn’t the Order just put up tents in the courtyard? I’ve told them many times that it’s not allowed, but they don’t listen. They say it’s an order from His Holiness the Pope, but I’ve never seen that order! The Otrento Blockade Monastery is a sacred land built by God, and even the previous Popes respected this place…!”
The director’s words were like this. When he woke up to the noise, the knights of the Mercy Order had gathered. The covered wagons were full, and when they uncovered them, “unspeakably horrible things” were revealed. Surprisingly, those things were people.
The Mercy Order murmured the Pope’s orders. It was about requisitioning the monastery. The knights who forcibly pushed their way in broke the chairs in the cathedral and made makeshift beds. But when they seemed to be lacking, they brought furniture from their headquarters.
Not only that, they set up a temporary command post, lodging, and a dining hall. The monks of the blockade monastery had to serve various labor in confusion. They could endure everything else, but they couldn’t accept the request to carry the knights’ feces.
“They won’t listen. They won’t listen. This is a closed place, so even the mail doesn’t work well. I barely managed to send a letter to the diocese, and finally, the so-called regional commander listened. He’s a rude guy who can’t even command, but just shouts.”
“Is it that red-haired knight who spits when he talks?”
“The cursed guy! Causing trouble again in the sacred grounds! Ah, now I don’t have the strength to resist… That’s right. It’s him. Aldric Brothers, Lord of Hurburg. He’s the regional commander.”
“Why can’t the director control him?”
“The knights only listen to their gang’s leaders and His Holiness the Pope. They don’t listen to an old country bumpkin like me.”
The long-standing rivalry between the knights and the bishops is famous. As much as the rivalry between civil officials and court officials. They need each other, but when they find a gap, they step on each other to climb up.
“Why is he so angry?”
“Because he looks like he can’t play the role of a superior anymore.” Bartolomeo Sura chuckled.
“First of all, a heresy inquisitor is coming. If we borrow your expression, it could be called an inspector. And his superior is also coming, so it’s not a pleasant situation for the regional commander. He was pushed here because he was disliked by the overall commander in the southern region. So, the work he does here is just cleaning and changing diapers.”
“Confusing,” Cain and Lily’s eyes met. The old monk folded his hands. His swollen joints creaked.
“Can we see inside?”
“As you wish. After all, you are not people of the clergy, are you? If you can restrain from wandering around the dormitory, then I suppose you can do whatever you want. Please! Go outside!”
The monk also had a shaved head. The only thing that distinguished him from the other monks was his large, gentle eyes like a calf’s. His brown irises looked kind, yet at the same time, they seemed fearful.
“Please guide these esteemed guests inside. And, everyone, regardless of what you see in there, I kindly request that if you feel the need to vomit, please do so in the prepared bucket, not on the floor.”
“Vomit?”
The abbot grimaced and extended his hand again. It was as if he was shooing away a fly.
The monk said, “Come with me,” and led Cain and Lily.