56 – Report on the Fall of Humility (4)
Meanwhile, more and more people were on the road.
Lily, who was ahead, was pushed by the crowd and drifted away. Still, Cain wasn’t worried that she might break up with him. Lily is taller than everyone else, so she’s easy to find, and when we meet her again at our destination, she’s gone.
Rather, I was worried that I kept getting attached to Maria. She wasn’t embarrassed. She was worried about what would happen if she accidentally got stabbed with a weapon hidden somewhere in her body.
Mary herself didn’t seem to care at all, and she even touched Cain’s side with her elbow.
“Surprising? I thought you would say it a little differently. ‘We have urgent business. ‘Let’s let other people do the work here!’ Something like that.”
“There was no better alternative.”
“Well? Moving out of the city might not have been a better idea, but it sure would have been less hassle. If you say, ‘Only I can solve all the empire’s problems, everything must go through my hands.’ Well, I guess I don’t believe that.”
Cain looked down at Mary. She saw Maria looking up at him with her expectant eyes.
“Maria. “What do you want to say?”
“Your priorities. “You don’t know that.” Maria jumped slightly in her place. Perhaps because he couldn’t see Lily, he jumped two or three times.
“You are number one for that pretty girl. If I had to choose between work and you, I would choose you. As for me, I would caution you to get rid of all the dangerous things first. I guess you could say that safety comes first. And you are included among those dangerous things.”
“Am I that threatening?” Cain raised her arms. “Why? I hit you on the forehead with a club while you were hiding?”
“No. They are different on the outside and on the inside, so they are threatening. I like honest people. It does not mean that you are kind or good, but if you are like a dog on the inside, you will act like a dog on the outside, and if you are lewd on the inside, you will be lewd on the outside as well. An ‘honest’ person in the sense that the outside and the inside are the same.”
“It sounds like I’m being very dishonest.”
“You didn’t know? “What you say and what you do are completely opposite.” Mary this time poked Cain’s thigh with her thumb.
“I said, ‘I’m tired of working, I’m going to quit after this job.’ But he works harder than anyone else in the world. ‘Lily is just a subordinate,’ she says, but in reality she ran to that kid first at Masada.
What on earth are your priorities? What is your main principle? A dangerous situation has arrived. So what are you going to do first? I don’t want to see another conflict like at Masada. It is said that stealing is done well only when one’s hands and feet work together. To do that, don’t you need to know where your hands and feet go?”
Cain found her speechless at her unexpected question. She had no idea that she would be interrogated in the middle of a crowded road like this.
“I didn’t know it was that important.”
“It’s important.” Maria wrapped her arms around Cain’s waist. It was not because she had any intention, but because she wanted to whisper closer.
“You. You don’t believe that something like that at Masada will happen again, do you? It’s a lot more complicated here than there and there are a lot of people. If you hesitate, a lot of people will get hurt. And… It’s a secret from Lily. She has three left.”
The leather straps wrapped around Mary’s body flashed through Cain’s mind. Leather straps with strange writing on them. Even after her heart was pierced, not a single scratch was left on her body. Instead, one of the straps from her arm fell off.
“This was before I met you guys, so you don’t have to worry about it. One time it was at Masada. Now I have one left in my arm and one in my leg, and I don’t know what will happen if they break off. But it’s true that something very bad will happen. “Isn’t that what sealing is all about?”
Mary pulled Cain’s waist tighter.
“That pretty and kind girl is a scary story, so only you know it. I like that kid. “I have no intention of causing you worry.”
“Why tell such an important story now…”
“If I have a mirror, I want to show you your expression. Really.” Maria grabbed Cain’s waist tightly and gently tickled him. “I did it because I was afraid of this kind of reaction. Why? And to be honest, I thought once would be enough. But now that I see the tail spinning, I wish I could leave at least one. Do you even think like that?”
“What a joke…”
“Hey. Do you know how to live forever? Everyone dies. And to be exact, since it’s a seal, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you don’t die. I don’t know the exact thing. My mother left it behind. Anyway. “Let’s get our hands and feet together. What are your priorities?”
“Well… You have to follow department procedures. Because there is such a thing as standard procedure. Ensuring safety is the number one priority in any situation. Among evacuation and hazard removal, take care of the urgent first. If this doesn’t work, leave and report… “Is this what you want?”
Maria seemed to think about the words for a moment, then nodded her head as if she understood, and this time she pinched the back of her hand until it hurt.
“Ahh, really. Why again?”
“I feel sorry for Lily.” Maria glared at Cain. “Aren’t you romantic?”
“What romance.”
“Do you not know what romance is? ‘The goal of my life is your happiness.’ Or, ‘I will burn this body for the sake of the empire.’ Or ‘Still, I am a warrior, I will not give in!’ “Something like that… Something that excites people. What? What about standard procedures and how to remove elements? The world is boring, really. Ugh. What’s good about something like this, really?”
Mary let go of Cain’s waist. She shook her head as if she didn’t understand.
“Anyway. Okay. What is our goal now?”
“Information collection and observation.”
Mary slapped Cain’s buttocks. Before Cain got angry, she stuck out her tongue.
“There’s nothing really cool about it.”
And she ran away into the crowd.
* * * * *
As soon as we passed the central fortress, the scenery suddenly changed. Shacks that look like garbage piled up together. People so naked and dirty that you’d think they were covered in dirt instead of wearing clothes. The eyes are large, but the pupils are blurry.
Fortunately, there are not many people coming and going. Samaritans did not bother to approach a properly dressed person. I just looked at it from afar, as if I was looking at an unpleasant creature.
There was smoke everywhere as if something was burning, and sounds of wailing, drums, and loud prayers could be heard. It was difficult to understand. The confusion was further compounded by the mixing of the Western pagan language with the Imperial language.
“The smell is terrible. “I feel a little dizzy.” Lily came closer to the two again and covered her nose and mouth with her hands.
“Okay. It looks like some kind of herb. It’s acrid. Maria, do you know anything?”
Maria sniffed. She too was frowning as if it was an unpleasant smell, but she still seemed less repulsed than the other two.
“It’s just a strong scented candle. A type of herb used at funerals in the South. However… “
“But?”
“… No. Because I’m not sure. I feel a little sick too. “Normally, smoking scented candles doesn’t upset my stomach.”
Are there any impurities mixed in? It was something unknown.
A newly built guard post was seen next to the white house. Two tired-looking members of the Holy Grail Knights were sitting there. Spears and swords were leaned against the wall inside the guard post, but the members’ hands were empty. When they saw Maria wearing the Heretic Inquisitor’s belt, the knights greeted her.
“Maria from the Magdeburg headquarters. These two are my employees. “I want to go inside that white building.”
“We have not been given any instructions.” A person who appeared to be a superior responded with keen interest. “But if the Heretic Questioner wants to go, who can stop him? Instead… “
The superior looking towards the central fortress covered his mouth and whispered.
“I hope you know that the Central Fortress is already seeing all of this, even if we don’t have to report it. You can see the whole city from there. And speaking of the person inside… “It might be a little unpleasant.”
“Lady of Humility?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Yes.” The superior frowned arrogantly.
Suddenly a loud noise was heard and everyone was startled. In the middle of the road, Samaritans built something like a makeshift oven out of bricks. A wide net was placed on top, and the women carefully spread out the bloody intestines of the animal.
“It’s that same thing again!” The subordinate lamented.
“What is that?”
“I just don’t know. Do you happen to know what it is? “If you call it a pagan custom, I plan to beat you up right away.”
An old man whose eyes had turned gray said a prayer in front of him. When the Samaritans started a fire and fanned it, tongue-like flames flew around, licking the intestines, rolling them around, and burning them.
The smell of blood, blood, and animal fur combined was extremely unpleasant. The wind blew, adding to the suffering. As the smoke rose into the sky, the Samaritans hugged each other and cried for joy.
“… No. It’s strange, but I don’t know what it is. As far as I know, there is no such custom in Stone Buddhism. The same goes for religious denominations.” Maria muttered as if she were confused.
“It’s our custom.”
A clear and pure voice was heard from behind the pillars of the white house. Amidst all the confusion, it was clear, sharp and clear, like a well-honed sword. Silver hair covers her shoulders, transparent skin, and white eyes. She was a woman wearing a long white silk robe. She was truly foreign, standing alone in such a dirty place.
It was Lady Arianne of humility.
There wasn’t even a sound of footsteps while walking down the stairs. The Samaritans cried and stretched out their arms towards Arianne. The knights shouted and tried to stop them, but it was not enough. However, when Arianne stretched out her arms and waved them slowly, the Samaritans fell silent again.
“Before eating a freshly caught animal, the intestines, which are the inedible parts, are burned. The internal organs are fresh and highly nutritious, so carnivores eat them first. However, it is also the most dangerous part as it spoils the fastest.
That is why they willingly offer their internal organs to the gods. The reason we burn it is because we believe that the smoke will reach the sky and convey His will. Noble Inquisitor. “Are these practices heretical?”
“As far as I know, there has been no official response, no policy, and no investigation.” Maria answered clearly.
“But I don’t know how this custom took root.”
“I know.” Arianne smiled, arching her back. It was a long, long laugh that left the listener perplexed.
“Oh, I know. No one taught us. They told us to worship God, but they didn’t tell us how to worship them. They told us to live proudly as imperial citizens, but they did not teach us how to live like imperial citizens.
I don’t know what your parents are like, but our parents had many shortcomings and shortcomings! hahahaha! Isn’t it a funny joke? It’s really, really fun. To us, the empire is like God. It just tells you the purpose, and doesn’t even say anything about the method.
But… under! Under! Under! When my mother was alive, no one showed her face even once. Now that he has passed away, one or two people are coming. It’s fun. Fun. Ruler. Heretic Questioner. What did you come to see? Did you come to catch evil spirits, or to sacrifice the people of this land like that?”
“I came to see the hero of the empire. “You are the Arianne of humility.”
Maria did not back down. She concluded clearly and firmly. Arianne leaned down like a cobra stretching her body.
“Please come inside. Come on, eat inside. “The sunlight has many spears and arrows, so it stabs people to death without them even knowing!”
Arianne turned her body and entered the building. Maria, who was following her, stopped for a moment. She gently pulled Cain and Lily’s arms.
“You two. Be careful. This smell…” Maria whispered.
“I’m sure. It’s Assas grass. It’s a poisonous plant that causes hallucinations.”
Lily clenched her fists, as if trying to hide her surprise. Cain glared at the shadow beneath the white house. Arianne is waiting for them.