95 – Report on the Decline of Kindness (5)
“Well, I don’t know. “I heard a rumor that a ship was crossing the night sky, but no matter how much I think about it, I think I might have just mistaken it for a ship-shaped cloud.”
Roberta revealed her disappointment in Cain’s answer. Squinted eyes, narrowed eyebrows, and a sullen expression. I think it’s because I’ve never been able to manage my facial expressions, or because I’m used to living a life where I don’t have to.
The fact that the facial expression is revealed means that it is good to look at it in reverse. Cain patted her knee with his hand. She is a hand signal that she is leading the conversation. She also meant to get it together in advance so as not to surprise the two women by blurting out her words like Arianne did.
“On the contrary, people outside were worried about Roberta and this village. “There were rumors going around that he wasn’t feeling well, and he also said he was worried because the villagers didn’t come to the 10-day market this year.”
“Really?” Roberta was visibly delighted. Nice to meet you. Happiness. Relief. Achievement… Her expression revealed it all.
“I unintentionally caused you to worry! Still, I’m happy. I can’t believe there were many people who thought about the people of our village… Rather than being sick, there were a lot of different things going on. “There were so many.”
“Ah. I heard that too. The story is that the Knights Templar were taken away as a group… “
“Ah. Yes. There is that too. “It was a really unfortunate accident.” Roberta crossed herself in mourning.
“The members of the Holy Grail Knights set up a training center on the outskirts of town. Since I had permission from Count Wördem, I told him to do as he pleased. He also told me to let him know at any time if I needed village support… But one night, the tree fell down.”
“If the tree fell, it must have been a strong storm.”
Roberta shook her head in response to Cain’s question.
“The wind was a bit strong, but it wasn’t enough to flip over all the trees. The trees in the Black Forest have deep roots and are powerful, so the wind loses its power. It was that one tree that was broken.
It may be presumptuous, but according to the people who came out to investigate the accident from the Knights of the Holy Grail… “They say it seems to be due to the knights’ carelessness.”
“Careless?”
“Well, I ended up cutting down a big tree near the barracks. When I looked at the tree in question, I saw that it still had marks from a really clumsy ax hit.
I don’t know if it was because they were trying to build a fence or because it kept blocking their view during training, but I guess they just left it as it was because it wouldn’t go over even after trying hard. “Then, the wind that blew that night blew it away.”
Roberta picked her upright palm and laid it down. Maria asked cautiously.
“Oh my god. Would it be okay for me and my group to take a look there? “Although it is already over, I am sure many people will receive comfort if I convey this to the Diocese of Magdeburg.”
Roberta quickly understood the implication that donations would be collected in the name of consolation.
“I am grateful. But even if you are a nun, it might seem a little scary to you two.”
“Ah. These two happen to run an orchard. You know more about trees than I do. “You said yes, right?”
At Maria’s words, Cain fiddled with her cider glass.
“Yes. I grow apple trees. We make fermented apple wine at home, but it’s not as good as the one made in Berta Village. “How do you raise them?”
“Heart and sincerity?” Roberta rolled her eyes and burst into laughter. It seems like they are trying to change the atmosphere.
“I’m kidding. The terrain here is higher and fresher than other places, so there are fewer bugs and the quality of the flesh is firmer. “Because the temperature is lower, the fermentation period is a bit thicker.”
“I see. Our orchard is located in the central part of the empire, so compared to here, it is like a lowland area. Still, it’s amazing. “The hard work of the people working is incredible.”
Under Cain’s guidance, Roberta came down nicely.
“A lot of people worked hard. As you all know, they are far from conscientious in their work. “It would have been difficult if Count Wördem had not helped us both materially and spiritually.”
It is a well-known fact that Roberta’s family has been the gamekeepers of the Count Wördem family for generations. She was a gamekeeper’s daughter herself, and she knew all the things a hunter had to learn.
It is not well known why Roberta participated in the crusade, but her subsequent story is quite entertaining.
Of course, Count Wördem could not tell the gamekeeper, who had become a hero, what to do like he used to do. When asked, ‘What do you want?’ Roberta answered, ‘I want to bring stability to the Black Forest,’ and the Count understood what that meant.
Half of the county lies in the Black Forest. So, it was as if half the territory was in the hands of bandits. So, Roberta’s declaration meant, ‘Give me the land that you can’t use anyway, and I will manage it.’
As a result, both the Count and Roberta were successful. The County of Wördem had found her stability and Roberta had created the ideal village she had hoped for. Thanks to this, Count Wördem’s power grew day by day, and so did Roberta.
However, Cain knew of intelligence that Count Wördem was accumulating a significant amount of funds from unknown sources. The ‘extortion of money in exchange for guaranteeing the safety of passage’, which was experienced at the entrance of the village, is probably income that is not even recorded in the ledger. Looking at the attitude of the guards and thugs, it seemed like they hadn’t been doing this for a day or two.
‘When Roberta’s name came up, I apologized first.’
Such seeds do not give in to their conscience. He apologizes only to a force stronger than himself, or even to a force stronger than him that can retaliate against him.
Cain judged that Roberta’s reputation for ‘hunting’ bandits in the past still remains the same. Perhaps the fact that the Knights Templar was eliminated ‘in that way’ may have something to do with such activities.
“It’s all thanks to Roberta and Count Wördem.”
It was a compliment that she didn’t mean, but Roberta smiled brightly. She immediately straightened her posture. It meant to end the conversation.
“I don’t know how long you will be here, but I hope it will remain as a good memory. Even if you sleep in Brother Henry’s cabin, you can eat in our hall. We run a restaurant for people who go to work for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The taste… “It’s small, but it guarantees at least one quantity.”
“I’m looking forward to tasting the cider.” Cain answered formally.
“I’m sorry I can’t really help you with the monster story.”
“Oh, no. No. In fact, when I only heard stories like ‘a monster appeared’ and ‘a ship flew in the sky,’ I got a tantalizing feeling. You know, but… Because of the work I have done. “It bothered me.”
Roberta shrugged her shoulders.
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter if that devil bastard crawls out again. Just put it back in and that’s it!”
* * * * *
Roberta called the woman without a left hand. She ordered these people, ‘Take her to the place where the sorrow was, but let her know as much of the good side of the town as possible.’ The woman led the three people cheerfully.
The name of the woman without a left hand was Edith. In keeping with her past history as a con artist, she was eloquent and knew how to please people. Even though it was a trivial story, it had an aspect that took people’s souls out while listening to it.
But she also had the extraordinary courage to never answer Cain’s questions.
When asked, ‘I heard there was a fight with several scary men and women,’ Edith replied, ‘There is no one here who looks nice other than me, Roberta, and Brother Henry.’ She then asked, ‘Are there still a lot of thieves even on the outskirts of the village?’ When asked, he said vaguely, ‘I don’t know much about things outside the village.’
Instead, she spoke passionately about what a great place this town was to live in. What a great place it was, with all the scum of the empire living there pretending to be people.
“People who come here have sacrificed something to break away from the past. “I was originally left-handed, but now in many ways, I’ve ‘broken my hand’ from before. If you look sometimes, you’ll often see people without a finger or two or people without toes.”
She asked Cain whether the fat and the thin had also sacrificed something. Edith shook her head cheerfully.
“Oh, they sacrificed their future. In fact, there are many people in this village who have no room for salvation.”
“What does it mean to sacrifice your future?”
“It means that I will live in this village for the rest of my life. These are people who will be buried here even when they die. We atone, reflect, and live a celibate life. Of course, that doesn’t wash away your sins. Because their crimes and the punishment they deserve are clearly recorded in the empire’s register. Of course… “
Edith waved her right hand vigorously at the young women carrying her basket. The women across the hill also responded with elegant gestures.
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“Not everyone is a criminal. There are people who lived elsewhere and came voluntarily because they did not want to be harassed by thieves. If it weren’t for Roberta, she wouldn’t have been able to live together like this. This is a secret… “
Edith lowered her voice, causing Cain, Lily, and Maria to lean towards her.
“I am truly sorry to those who have left the church, but for us, Roberta is a prophet and prophet. “You govern us better than emperors and empires, and teach us better than the Pope.”
“Your faith is amazing.” She smiled to show that Maria was okay. Edith stroked her chest in relief.
“When everyone else turned their backs on us. He stood by our side. So how could you abandon Him?”
Soon they passed the longhouse. It was an imposing building even from a distance, but when we got closer, it was so uncomfortable that we didn’t want to touch it. There was no smell of blood, and the grain of the wood was clear, but the color of the wood mixed with white, bright red, and red, like when fresh pork was cut, was strange.
“This building is really old. It’s been there since we got here. It’s mysterious. Wasn’t it built by old kings? Or primitive pagans.”
Edith hummed and stroked his chin. But he soon shook his shoulders.
“I don’t know! Brother Henry would know that well. He is a nice and kind person, but he doesn’t try to get along with people. “I guess it’s because he’s so smart!”
“You’re so smart?”
“They say things that ignorant people like us don’t understand. So, what I mean is that even if you listen to it for just 3 minutes, you will feel sleepy.”
Cain nodded his head silently. A feeling of discomfort that she couldn’t quite put her finger on touched her. A cute family home and a bizarre longhouse.
Brother Henry is afraid of the villagers, and the villagers like Brother Henry but find it a bit difficult.
Roberta, one of her heroes who deceived the people of her empire, and her criminals who believed in her more than her empire and her pope.
It was full of ominousness, as if things that did not fit together were forcibly pulled together.
Moreover, there is neither the White Blood Knights nor the Holy Grail Knights here. If a problem arose, they would have to overcome it with only the strength of the three of them.
Even. This was not a place they were familiar with. Although Cain knew quite a bit about the forest, she had never set foot in a forest as insidious and dangerous as the Black Forest.
Soon, the group passed the wooden fence on the outskirts of the village. I saw a fairly wide road and an empty lot. Although it was not as large as the place where the village was located, it was large enough for the knights to settle down.
“Me. By the way.”
But Edith did not want to go any further.
“Depending on how you look at it, it might be scary, right? So don’t be too surprised.”
“Aren’t you done with the settlement?”
Edith scratched her chin again in response to Lily’s question.
“The settlement is over. What I’m talking about is something different. Hmm… So, it’s because of some decorations in this town. Depending on how you look at it, it’s scary. Still, it’s good for chasing away thieves and animals. Are you ready?”
Seeing the three people nodding, Edith moved his feet energetically. As I got closer to the empty lot in the distance, I could understand why Edith had given such warning.
The broken tree trunk remained intact. It was big enough to surround two adult men. Although it was thick, it was so thick that there was nothing you couldn’t cut if you tried.
But the problem was under the tree trunk. The same carvings that were carved on the pillars of the longhouse were also there. The skin was peeled, carefully carved out with a carving knife, and then seared over a fire to give it a neat finish.
No matter how you looked at the hollow shape, it looked like a human lower jaw.
“What the hell… here is… “
Maria and Lily stuttered. Cain looked around at the trees around him. The entire base of the tree had been peeled off and had a human face carved into it.
Each face was different. The differences between men and women and between old and young were clear. But everyone opened their mouths and shouted.
There were also human body parts carved into the open mouth. Ear. Cut off tongue. Finger. Eye. All trees whose bark has been peeled off are red.
The red tree inside is common, but it is so repulsive… So, I have never seen a tree with a mixture of white, bright red, and red, like an animal with its skin peeled off.
Cain looked at Edith. Edith scratched the side of her head in difficulty.
“It’s been there since we arrived.”