Chapter 6. Jealousy (4)
“I’m telling you this because I’m worried that you trust and follow His Holiness too much. That man is Satan himself, a devil. He’s one who climbed to that position by licking Satan’s asshole.”
Eckart’s eyes blazed hot like blue flames. No matter how swept up in anger he was, the words were too harsh. He was about to demand a correction when Hakan hurriedly added:
“I’m not just saying this. Sigh… I have no choice. You need to know this for your own sake.”
Hakan stepped closer to Eckart. When Eckart tried to back away, Hakan unhesitatingly grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer. Then he began whispering in a voice so small it wouldn’t be heard even from close range.
Eckart’s eyes slowly widened greatly, and soon even his breathing became shallow. Though Hakan’s words weren’t long and ended quickly, Eckart remained frozen.
“…Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but know just one thing. This is a matter involving the honor of House Estania. Even I cannot carelessly do anything that would trample on the honor of House Estania. That wouldn’t be right…”
In his finely trembling pale blue eyes, Hakan’s face with its self-deprecating smile was reflected. As if understanding Eckart’s shock more than enough, Hakan lightly patted his shoulder and stepped back, adding:
“Don’t trust that man too much. Of course, it won’t be easy since he’s the one who brainwashed you like that…”
Leaving the confused Eckart behind, Hakan headed toward the carriage and briefly turned his head to look up at the Papal Court. As if glaring at someone, he cast his gaze that way for a while before getting into the carriage. Eckart could only stare blankly at the carriage growing distant.
There was another gaze following the rear of the carriage leaving the Papal Court. Standing at the very window Hakan had looked up at, tilting a glass, was the Pope.
“…This has become troublesome.”
As he lightly swirled the glass in his hand, the wine sloshed and gave off a sweet scent.
“No, perhaps it’s actually fortunate. Things are taking quite an interesting turn.”
The Pope brought the glass to his lips and moistened his throat with wine. The deep, smooth aroma spread throughout his mouth.
“I’m curious to see how this will turn out. Whether he’ll really give up everything to save one sinner. It won’t end with just his own honor.”
Even after the carriage disappeared from view, Eckart stood as if rooted to the spot before finally moving. Instead of returning, Eckart left the Papal Court, and the Pope cast a cold gaze at his retreating figure.
“…I hope he won’t do something as foolish as pointing his sword at his own heart.”
The Pope turned around and set down the empty glass. Seeing the pile of work made him sigh deeply up to his chin. His eyelids were heavy with fatigue and his mouth felt completely dry. There was already endless work to do.
He had expected it wouldn’t be simple since human relationships were as densely and complexly entangled as spider webs, but he hadn’t thought there would be those who would risk danger to protect sinners. Weren’t humans beings who thought only of themselves when faced with their own safety?
Since there was no guarantee similar cases wouldn’t arise again, it seemed best to find other methods as well. Something plausible yet moderately open to compromise.
“It would be best to turn attention outward.”
The Kingdom of Yespe had no pretext, and the eastern continent was too far. The most manageable Ilknur Kingdom was already in the Church’s hands, so only one remained.
“I should look into the Haidar Empire. You go and investigate.”
“I shall follow God’s will.”
Though the Pope clearly stood alone in the room, someone suddenly emerged from the dark corner like a shadow and answered in a quite solemn voice.
“…It would be even better if you brought back the head of the desert emperor who follows heresy.”
“Yes. I shall do so.”
The figure wearing a mask with only red eyes visible answered and immediately disappeared.
Looking around the now quiet room, the Pope placed both hands on the desk. Spread on the desk was a map brought from the Ilknur Kingdom, with red marks placed throughout the vast desert that occupied more than half the continent. The Haidar Empire, called the mirage of the desert. If they could discover its location, they could send soldiers and knights under the pretext of heresy. Just like with the Ilknur Kingdom.
Other than that, they would take care of themselves, so there was no need to bloody his own hands. Since he had governed sinners with fire on God’s behalf sufficiently, it was time to mercifully embrace their sins as God would. Then the empire would become quiet again.
“War was unappealing since it required enduring unnecessary sacrifices.”
The Pope’s gaze turned toward one wall. There, God overlaid with gold looked down at him with a benevolent face. The Pope muttered to himself toward God.
“Everything is God’s will…”
Beneath eyelids that had drooped under the weight of years, his purple eyes were quite piercing.
***
Was it his imagination? Eckart felt as if someone was following him. He could sense a gaze from somewhere.
Unable to know whether it was because he had something to hide, because of the reason he had come to doubt everything, or if someone had really noticed and was tracking him, he moved complexly through alley after alley without direction. With cautious steps, he moved away from the Papal Court.
He did not go to see the Pope again. Hakan’s words had been too shocking, and he couldn’t hide his confusion. He just wandered the streets alone, not knowing what to do with his troubled heart. Now he didn’t know what to believe, what was truth and what was God’s will.
He mounted his horse and deliberately galloped into the forest path. Occasionally stopping his horse and listening carefully as he crossed the forest, Eckart discovered something. The traces scattered about were definitely footprints. And of several people and horses at that.
After briefly examining the traces that had clearly trampled through the forest, he tied his horse’s reins to a nearby branch. Following the footprints, Eckart relaxed his hardened face slightly after a while. It was when he discovered traces leading out in a different direction.
Still not letting his guard down, he looked around and made his way to where Ronen was with difficulty.
Having barely arrived and opened the door, he saw Ronen resting his arm on the windowsill and looking outside through a gap in the curtains.
Approaching the bed, Eckart closed the curtains more thoroughly. His eyes were full of concern that the inside might be visible from outside. Due to Eckart’s arm squeezing between, Ronen moved slightly away from the window and looked up at him.
“…Something did happen after all. Since your colleague came all the way here, I wondered…”
Eckart sat down on the floor and loosened the clothes that were choking his neck stuffily. It felt like his breathing passages had finally opened up.
“…He came to inform me that Sir Ardwino had been captured.”
“Sir Ardwino… that knight cherished by the Duke of Estania?”
“Before that, he’s my colleague.”
“Of course, but… How did it happen? No, why? Why was he…”
Ronen trailed off. He had a look of disbelief. As if hoping what he was thinking was wrong, Ronen looked at Eckart with a bewildered face. Eckart answered with his gaze lowered.
“Because he… is a sinner.”
As if it was the answer he had expected, Ronen also lowered his gaze with a face that seemed to have lost words. A moment of silence fell between the two. Ronen was the first to speak.
“You too have a truly cruel fate. No words could console you, but… what happened to him is because God is too harsh. Not just that, but all the things happening now are the same.”
“…Is that so.”
“Without doubt.”
When everyone was so certain, he couldn’t understand why only he felt so precarious.
“Do you know the feeling of everything being denied? I am now doubting my world.”
At Eckart’s words, Ronen frowned.
“Why?”
“The Duke of Estania said so. Not to trust His Holiness too much. That I see the world with naive eyes. Yes, maybe those words are right. I thought that perhaps the world I knew was within the narrow confines of a monastery.”
Eckart brought up his own story. About what he had always seen and heard while growing up in the monastery. About what Severus, whom he had considered more benevolent and wise than anyone in the world, was now doing.
He couldn’t bring himself to mention what Hakan had told him, so that was as far as he went.
“He was someone who cherished even insignificant me. I thought he was surely God’s representative, someone who loved the world equally and broadly… But that faith is becoming precarious… The fact that it was faith that could be shaken so easily is so devastating…”
Eckart brought his hands together and leaned his face against them. Ronen, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth.
“I don’t know everything either, but I can be certain of this one thing. The current Pope is not someone who treats everyone equally, who cherishes even the insignificant.”
“…I’m curious why you think so.”
“Because I’ve already experienced it. How he treats a truly insignificant boy.”
A hazy emotion rose in Ronen’s light green eyes. It was disillusionment.
“He wouldn’t share even a bit of warmth with a boy of no use. His gaze wouldn’t even linger.”
As if recalling past events, or as if caught up again in the emotions of that time, Ronen squeezed his eyes shut and continued speaking.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
