25 – 5. Peace Movement
A council is an event where prominent figures, lords, and high-ranking clergy gather together in secret and flirt.
However, after listening to what was said around me, I heard that the reason why everyone in the city was gathered together was to make an important announcement on the last day of the council. We also held a pledge ceremony.
It was a sight that ordinary people could not normally see, so there was a reason why people were so excited.
The clergy chatted among themselves for a while, and then the bishop standing on the podium in the center stood up. Most of the stories would have been finished before anyway.
The bishop turned to the audience lined up behind him. After waiting for a while, the murmur subsided, and he cleared his throat a couple of times before opening his mouth.
“For peace, strife must be reduced. And for a long time, the church urged individuals to protect peace according to their conscience.”
“Many warriors knocked on the church door and pledged to dedicate their swords to God. This sacred and noble decision must have been helpful. And I salute them for their decision.”
“But in today’s world, there are still many believers who are suffering, and there are also many who do not sympathize with this cause. Therefore, it was decided that a more fundamental solution was needed. This council discussed this, and now we would like to make known the results.”
A council in a strict sense is originally an event where archbishops, including the Pope, gather in groups and discuss theological issues to each other.
However, such small councils were also held outside the Vatican. Of course, I avoided sensitive topics.
Even in the Vatican, if you mess up and mess around with the issue of people fighting each other using magic, wouldn’t they get a wide-area excommunication?
Unlike knights, it was difficult for priests to become thieves, so they tend to be more afraid of excommunication.
Therefore, the agendas that emerged had no choice but to be theoretical or close to them.
So, although there is a lot of fancy rhetoric attached to the front, the result will not have much of an impact on me. This was empirically the case when looking at the results of the council flowing into Bolle’s church.
“Those who refused to take an oath, and those who reneged on what they had sworn. “Despite our efforts to influence everyone, they chose to resort to violence.”
“This probably happened because he did not know what violence he was wielding. “He tried to embrace everyone with mercy and tolerance, but he rejected that touch. Therefore, he must recognize the violence he is committing in order to realize its harm.”
It seems like some strange sound came out. In principle… Am I right?
There was a slight commotion among the people around. It seems I’m not the only one who thought that.
“The Council of Villach resolved that most of the sanctions imposed on those who commit such injustice would not be held accountable.”
To be interpreted, it means that those who break the oath will turn a blind eye as long as they beat them but do not kill them.
“In addition, we cannot leave their guidance to individuals, so we will receive volunteers who will spare no effort in helping us achieve peace!”
“For the peace that God desires, and an army for that peace!”
And he meant to ask for a lot of interest as he would organize a militia to crush them with pinpoint accuracy.
I became disoriented.
*****
The miracle logic of using greater violence to eradicate violence.
After somehow overcoming the mental abnormality that came from there, I quietly reflected on the bishop’s words.
First of all, let’s be a little honest with ourselves.
I may be able to predict the movements of my enemies, but I cannot possibly understand the madness of humans.
It is human to know ten ways in the water but not one way in the inside of a person, so I decided to humbly accept that I was too complacent.
As is well known, mercenary-turned-rogues are blue ocean producers who sacrifice themselves to create jobs if there are no jobs available.
I think highly of that determination, but to be honest… Isn’t this a bit of a one-dimensional way of thinking?
But in name and reality, he is an intellectual of this era, the most brilliant intellect. The result of the collaboration of intelligent and cultured clergy was completely different from the plan of illiterate mercenaries.
We have completed a world where no one gets hurt, something every politician has dreamed of at least once, which only results in creating employment.
If anyone wonders how he doesn’t get hurt when there are so many oath-deniers ready to be beaten, he still lacks medieval sensitivity.
Right away, three or four city residents were gathered behind me, whispering softly.
“Even if they break their oath, aren’t they believers like us? “I wonder if it would be okay to show a little of the tolerance that the church emphasizes.”
“I guess I forgot, but since I broke the law, wasn’t I excommunicated for my actions? “Then you’re not a person.”
“I see!”
Although it was a bit of a hassle, I was confident that making the pledge was the right thing to do.
The world is so cruel that it is very difficult to make a living.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought that.
It was clear to see that the twisted sense of rebellion and belated adolescence that everyone had in their hearts calmed down after being instilled with humility, and that the knights and mercenaries who had grumbled and walked to church until just before now developed a healthy spirit.
When the priests were walking around and forming a line, the great men who would normally raise their fists and say, “Why are you standing in front of me?” And “Stand behind me?” And decide who would be right, began to quietly maintain order.
It is hard to believe, but we have truly succeeded in taking one step closer to peace in this place. The lengthy speech from earlier wasn’t all empty.
“Next, please come.”
After waiting in line for a while while looking at such an unfamiliar sight, I found myself in the lead.
There was a priest waiting in front of me. He asked me as I took a few steps forward.
“What is your name?”
“This is Raven.”
“Okay, Raven. Do you swear that you will only draw your sword for righteous purposes, that you will not remain silent against injustice, and that you will act honorably before God?”
“Yes, I swear.”
The vow itself ended with just a simple exchange of words.
There were many people waiting in the back, but even if it was informal anyway, there was no difference between the formal oath and restrictions made by the Vatican, so there would have been no need for the Church of Villach to go through the cumbersome route.
After that, the priest asked me some personal information. This was because there were cases where the oath was denied when someone impersonated or later broke the oath.
After the name, he asked about parents, home, and education, and after hearing the three combo of none, none, and none, he gave up on asking.
If you made a pledge and verified your identity, it was a blessed time that was promoted diligently as a new sign-up event.
Like any knight, I held out my sword to receive a blessing. Even if it was already a blessing, the only thing better than that was more blessings.
The priest accepted it and gave a blessing… While saying this, he paused and said when he saw the sword body emitting light on its own.
“… It’s a holy relic. “It’s also quite powerful.”
“I received it from my teacher.”
“Even if it’s a priest’s friend, it doesn’t seem like something you would give away willingly. “It seems like the teacher cared a lot for his student.”
Master. It was a nostalgic name that now remains only a memory.
I recalled a memory I had with a man called my teacher.
‘Raven, it’s urgent! ‘Come here quickly!’
‘What’s going on, Master? There could be something wrong with the bed…… !’
‘Turn off the light.’
‘… ….’
‘Close the window too.’
No matter how I looked at it, it did not fit the meaning of caring for it. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just give it to him because he didn’t know how to use the sword?
“… “That’s right.”
“Would you like to join us in the crusade for peace? “It will definitely be a great help.”
“I’m currently on my way to the Vatican, so I’m sorry.”
“It looks like you are on a pilgrimage. If that’s the case, I can’t hold on to it any longer. May your future be peaceful.”
The priest seemed to have mistaken something, but he did not bother to point it out.
He immediately placed his hand on the sword and recited a prayer, and with that, the soft light that I had seen a lot in recent years seeped into the sword.
I received the blessing and went to Lisia, who was watching behind her, with a luminous sword that sparkled even more than before.
The girl, who was looking closely at the sight of her giving a blessing, raised her head and asked as I approached.
“Have you finished your vows?”
“It ended sooner than I thought. Now that we’ve seen everything there is to see here, let’s go back. “We’ll have to start again tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
I took Lisia and returned to the inn.
I thought the journey would be delayed, but I was glad that it ended quickly, contrary to my fears.