20. A Believer in People
I have always tried to make the most of my time.
Nothing too extreme, just enough to earn enough leave to go on holiday thanks to the qualifications I earned while I was in the military. For someone like me, being confined to a monastery was a far better option than the worst-case scenario.
In this medieval world, there was no better place to acquire a wide range of knowledge than a monastery. My interest had been piqued ever since I had celebrated the miracles performed by Subtel.
Despite my confinement, I searched for any writings related to miracles, and the Abbot allowed me to study, on the condition that I was accompanied by Subtel. I suppose he was trying to make it seem less like a forced detention.
I gladly took advantage of the Abbot’s hypocrisy. There was danger and opportunity here, and if I could gain access to information that was hard to come by in the secular world, then it would not be a complete waste of time.
Of course, the face of Subtel, who now had to follow me around like a servant, was twisted in frustration.
“You’ll be spending the rest of your life here anyway, so what use is it to you to know such things?”
“Are you regretting your choice? The monks are the ones who will be spending the rest of their lives here.”
“Do not compare the prisoners in a dungeon with their jailers, Your Grace.”
“I appreciate the advice. As you say, I will be living here for the rest of my life, so I might as well read some books since there is nothing else to do.”
Subtel could not persecute or kill me. The Abbot’s cautious nature was key to this. The moment he killed me, he would be completely at odds with King Aethelstan, and I doubted that he would take such a risk.
Those who are short-sighted might think that they would benefit by doing as they were told, but that was not necessarily the case. The most powerful people were the best at cutting off loose ends. This was especially true for those who were supposed to be morally pure.
Was it any wonder that the actions of a few or the bigotry of the lower classes were used as an excuse?
Bishop Powys, who had orchestrated this whole affair, was the kind of person who would sit back and do nothing even if King Aethelstan blamed the monastery. He would only point out that King Aethelstan had overreacted after the monastery had already been destroyed.
He would keep his mouth shut after giving the order, and then he would turn the tables on King Aethelstan by accusing him of ‘ignoring the authority of the Church’. As a result, the condemnation within the Church would be directed at King Aethelstan, who had seemingly undermined the authority of the Church.
At that point, Bishop Powys would secure his future appointments by allying himself with King Aethelstan, promising him his support.
That was the big picture that I had imagined for Bishop Powys. Of course, the monastery would be completely destroyed in the process. That was why the Abbot was using me as a hostage.
Thus, I am a nobleman. Even prisoners with money and influence can bribe the guards.
“So, if there are any books related to the miracles of Lux Stella, I would like you to pile them up here, nicely.”
“Do not be so presumptuous. Master, it is nice to call you a guest, but you are a prisoner. I cannot harm you, but your escorts are nothing special.”
When I gestured for them to bring me some books, they could not control their temper and bared their teeth. Of course, I am important to them; the others are not. Abbot Surtel was trying to restrain my actions by holding their lives hostage.
Do not think of them as gentle monks like the ones in my dream. They are not greedy at all; they are lunatics who enjoy accumulating power and money because they have nothing better to do. If they say they will do it, they will.
Thinking of Sir Topa, the surviving soldiers, and our poor John, my heart ached. If I could save them, I should. I opened my mouth, thinking so.
“Yes. You are right. I am not worth your concern. Should I catch and threaten those kinds of people?”
“Do not bluff. As long as we follow the cause of Lux Stella, we will not lose our light even in the shadows.”
“You speak of turning people upside down in a very noble way. Do it. Whether you flay them alive or not, do as you please. Before that, bring me the books.”
If I give them the impression that I am trying to protect them, it will only become more dangerous. From then on, I will become a pawn of the monks, be manipulated here and there, and become a tribute to the winner.
Even if I become a pawn, it does not guarantee the safety of the hostages. It is easier and more convenient to kill them than to keep them alive.
If they are alive, there is a possibility of impulsive action, but the dead do not have any possibilities. Therefore, if there is something you really want to protect, sometimes you have to know how to give it up first.
The most reliable way to hide a treasure is not to build an iron wall, but to put it in an insignificant place so that no one will pay attention to it. Of course, there is a possibility that this bluff will not work and they will really kill me.
Well, then I have to get revenge.
I sat on a chair in the library, crossed my legs, and tapped my index finger on the desk.
“I really can’t bear to inconvenience the monastery, so please tell them to take out any books that you think are not important. Is it really okay for me to take them all out?”
“What makes you so arrogant?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Abbot Surtel asked, his forehead wrinkled. Abbot Surtel must think that I am a little strange. I have no swordsmen under my command, and I am in confinement, so there is nowhere to ask for help.
Even though I have enemies who are after my life, they look at me like I am crazy. Rather, the ones who should be treated like crazy people are Abbot Surtel and the entire monastery.
“What makes you think you can catch me?”
“The monastery is the home of religious life. It is the center of this region and the place where various knowledge and relics are located. Even the raiders cannot easily ignore it, so those who follow the light of Lux Stella will not be able to easily defeat it.”
“Aha.”
I pretended to be convinced and changed my mind a little. These guys had a garden in their heads. Abbot Surtel seemed to have interpreted my answer in a completely different way, but he smiled mockingly.
“Are you finally realizing it? Now I must hear how you can be so arrogant.”
It must have been a question he asked to mock me, but I was able to answer with a bright smile without any ulterior motive.
“I trust people. Just as you trust in the safety of the monastery.”
“We will act before the hand of salvation reaches us.”
“Of course, you will.”
Abbot Surtel arbitrarily decided that I trusted King Aethelton. Surtel thought of me as a child who believed that his father would somehow help him because he was angry about his son’s crisis.
I decided to change that perception just a little bit.
“Now that you have your answer, why don’t you move the books? If I nag the abbot to read me a fairy tale instead of a textbook before I fall asleep, whose side do you think he will take? Will he not just Leave me alone and be quiet?”
“…”
“Move them. When I read them myself.”
***
I received the kind help of Abbot Surtel in this way.
Thanks to him, I was able to access a lot of knowledge that the church was reluctant to release. Among them, finding out how to gain the favor of Lux Stella was a great harvest.
As I learned more, I realized that Lux Stella was a little different from other gods. According to the scriptures, while the old gods of the Otherworld wanted offerings, Lux Stella wanted life.
I wondered what this meant and examined it in detail, but I could not help but shake my head. The old gods of the Otherworld liked one-time cool deals. If we offer this much of what our God likes, he will give us that much favor! If you make an offering in this way, you will be favored just that much.
In the process, even if you break a few rules set by God, he will laugh heartily and let it pass if the offering is hot. On the other hand, if he does not like the offering, he tends to leave a bitter aftertaste.
On the other hand, Lux Stella receives ‘vows’ instead of offerings. It is a vow to God to keep or fulfill only one thing for the rest of one’s life. There were many types of this vow.
Vow of Abstinence. The more you endure an ascetic life, the more your devotion is recognized. It doesn’t sound like much, but of course it’s difficult to keep. However, there are many who make the Vow of Abstinence, not knowing this fact.
Our monks, who aren’t far away, are typical examples.
Next is the Vow of Tradition. The more you spread knowledge and leave records, the more your devotion is recognized. Records are not limited to books, but also recognized in the form of rumors circulating among people.
Vow of Honesty. If you don’t lie, your devotion is recognized. It is said that your devotion is recognized even more if you remain honest in situations that are harmful to you.
Vow of Diligence. The harder you work, the more your devotion is recognized. It is said that your devotion is recognized when you feel like you have worked really, really hard. That’s why it is said to be the vow that lazy people surprisingly choose the most.
However, lazy people are the ones who just let things slide, thinking, “That’s enough.” Naturally, there are very few cases where their devotion is recognized.
The last of the much-anticipated vows is the Vow of the Temple. It is the simplest, but surprisingly the most avoided vow. The more you drive out heresy and spread the faith of Lux Stella, the more your devotion is recognized.
It is a really simple vow, so why is it not popular? So, I looked into the reason and it is said to be because the heretical groups who serve the old gods of this world are really unbelievably strong.
The heretics who have survived up to now are the real tough guys who have been filtered and filtered again, so instead of wiping them out, you end up getting beaten up. Because of this, it is said that even among the Templar Knights who have sworn an eternal temple to the heretics, there are very few cases of making the Vow of the Temple.
After learning about all these vows, I fell into thought.
The miracle that Lux Stella bestows is immunity to disease.
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Considering the toothache I had during the first conference, it is a pretty good miracle. No matter how high you rate the level of surgery in this era, they are probably people who accidentally killed people left and right, so it was a better deal to pray while pouring cold water.
It lacks a bit of impact, but in fact, what great miracle is needed for people to live?
To be exact, it seems that it doesn’t go as far as being completely disease-free, but rather raises your immunity… Considering the level of this era, it is indeed a great benefit. What’s more important is the fact that there are more miracles depending on your devotion.
This immunity to disease is just the first miracle that Lux Stella bestows. If the first miracle is wide-ranging and powerful enough, how great will the second miracle be?
The church has cleverly not described this second miracle at all. It’s like saying, “You have to get the next one yourself.” It seems to have motivated people who have experienced the effects of the first miracle to live more fervently.
And the miracles that Lux Stella bestows were the reason I was drawn to the vow.
Ha… A vow. I think it would be fine if I could do it. Looking at the way things are going, it doesn’t seem like the monastery will allow me to make a vow, let alone anything else. Well. I wonder who would watch over me with their eyes open when I can gain God’s favor just by living my daily life quietly.
While I was worrying like this, there was a man who generously shared my worries.
“Your Highness, why are you so relaxed! We might all die!”
John of the stream. He realized the situation very late and was crying in a broken voice.
If Bishop Topa were here, he would have said something bitter… Bishop Topa and the soldiers were isolated separately, saying that there was a risk that they would conspire to escape. John was left here because it was considered harmless to leave him alone.
He only realized the situation then, and he cries like that every day without rest. It’s really terrible as a roommate who shares the same room, but the monks are even more terrible, so they just leave him alone.
“Your Highness will be fine because you are a precious person, but a lowly person like me doesn’t know when I will die! I was dragged here only because of Your Highness’s stubbornness!!!”
It hurts my heart to see him cry so much. John, who doesn’t add a single lie and only murmurs the truth, touched my heartstrings. He must be suffering from the fear of death, as he has forgotten all about his superiors and inferiors.
I decided to put down the book that I had written about the vow for a while. Knowing that this would happen, I had prepared a few warm words to comfort John in advance.
“John, I believe in people.”
“No… No! Your Highness! Now you believe them and look what happened!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not that.”
“Another lie!!!”
Looking at him burst into tears, he must have been quite cornered. I couldn’t help but click my tongue as I watched John, who was cornered and his mind was blocked.
“John, think about it. Those who are extremely reluctant to intervene with the Papacy are Bishop Yubas and Bishop Powis, these two. The two of them have prepared numerous means in case of any unforeseen circumstances and are earnestly hoping for my death.”
“Just tell me the main point, the main point!”
“But the abbot is keeping me alive because he is watching the mood of my father, His Majesty the King. He must be aiming for neutrality in other ways, but how will that look to those who want me dead?”
“…Uh.”
Only then did John’s excitement subside. I was able to smile brightly at John, who had calmed down a bit.
“I believe in the cruelty of people. This monastery will be attacked by both sides for daring to aim for a half-hearted neutrality.”
***
In the dark night, the footsteps of guilt-stained monks echo through the shadowy corridor, where even the moonlight is torn into thin strips.
The monks covered their bodies with black robes, preventing light from touching their skin, and wore sharply sharpened swords around their waists. Their wide-open eyes, trying to suppress the trembling of their hearts, only projected a murderous glare.
As the monks took each step towards their goal, the darkness of the corridor seemed to thicken, as did the shallow guilt. The echo of their footsteps, heavy with fear and guilt, rippled through the otherwise silent monastery in the dead of night.
A monk, carrying a lantern in his hand, appeared from the opposite direction, breaking the stillness. His hair, graying at the temples, framed a gentle smile that hid the sinister intentions lurking in the shadows.
“Brothers, what brings you here at this ungodly hour…”
The monks’ hands hesitated over their swords before settling on the hilts. In that moment, they remembered the men they once were, bound by strict codes and oaths. But the memory of their past selves was not enough to deter their resolve.
The flash of steel, momentarily replacing the moonlight, met the nape of his neck. It was only then that the patrolling monk realized the situation, his urgent cry for help coming too late for anyone to hear.
The innocent monk clutched at his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood, but his feeble attempts were no match for the gaping wound. He collapsed onto the growing pool of his own blood, life ebbing away.
The monks stood in silence for a moment, stunned by the fact that they had killed one of their own, a man who had done them no wrong. Then, one of them spoke, breaking the trance.
“There is no turning back now. Move, brothers. We must take this monastery for ourselves, in place of the power-hungry abbot.”
He spoke, deliberately ignoring the blade in his hand and the incriminating evidence it bore.
“It is time to act, to replace those who fear retribution with those who will deliver justice.”