Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Bishop Davitt
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(16) Bishop Davitt
Saint Vesta Cathedral was structured with a large central dome flanked by four smaller semicircular domes on either side, making it one of the largest buildings in Rom. In the center of the vast worship hall, which could accommodate several hundred people at once, hung a cross second in size only to the one in Rotican's Setina Cathedral.
It was here that he had first met Father Daniel. From a time much younger than when he met Braion, Jade had been running various errands, and he discovered Daniel sleeping in the worship hall.
The young Jade woke him in bewilderment.
"How can a priest sleep in the worship hall?"
The young Jade pushed Daniel aside and wiped the spot where he had been sleeping with a linen cloth, fuming.
Daniel just yawned lazily.
"What's the problem? There's no better place to sleep than the worship hall."
"Is that something a priest should say?"
"Students sleep best in school, and kings sleep best on their thrones. Do you know why the king of Pharens suffers from insomnia? Because he dozes off during council meetings. People sleep best in the places most familiar to them. Where do you think that's for a priest?"
Jade shouted in astonishment.
"This is the holy spot where Saint Vesta Himself slumbers. To sleep so irreverently in a place like this... God is watching!"
"I'm a man who works for that very God. For someone like me to be this tired, and Him not even providing a single blanket—what punishment would He give? At most, a flick on the forehead."
To Jade, who had only ever seen priests treat every item in Saint Vesta Cathedral as sacred relics, Daniel's actions and words back then were a shock in themselves.
Daniel's first impression had begun as that of a strange priest. Then he became a good man, then a mentor, and now he was a father.
Jade sat on the very chair where he had first met Daniel, reminiscing about that time, and at the same time, thinking of Saf.
'Should I have gone after all? A farewell is something you can do as many times as you want.'
If Daniel was like a son to Jade, Saf was like a daughter. Saf was an orphan like Jade, alone and special. To Jade, Saf was like a little sister—precious, so precious that after the Springpay incident three years ago, he could no longer approach her.
'No. It was the right thing. If word got out that she knew a guy like me, the other nuns or priests might look down on her.'
Jade lay down on the long bench that could seat four people and closed his eyes for a moment.
'I used to think falling asleep here would bring divine punishment, but now I almost wish it would. I don't pray anyway. I deserve punishment. No, I shouldn't have prayed at all from the beginning.'
No matter how much he prayed, God did not grant Jade's wishes. Instead, He only brought greater pain and deeper disappointment.
Jade's father, Lapis, was a respected physician. Hailing from the Lema region of Glitten Kingdom, people sometimes called him Teacher Lema. People sought him out even for the smallest pimple.
Jade's mother, Natalie, had also learned medicine from Lapis and assisted her husband.
Jade wanted to become a doctor like his father, who could heal bodies, and a cleric like Daniel, who could heal hearts. So during the day, he helped the priests at the cathedral, and at night, he assisted his father.
Then, a plague broke out in the outskirts of Rom. The emperor declared martial law, barring people from that area from entering Rom, and the nobles fled the city.
Rotican issued a similar decree. Priests were not to go to the plague zone, and if they had been there, they were not to enter Rotican!
The nobles ordered the renowned physician Lapis to stay in Rom and prevent the plague from infiltrating the city. But he did the opposite, heading to the plague zone to treat patients.
His mother left Jade at Saint Vesta Cathedral and followed his father.
Jade prayed day and night for their safe return. In the morning, he prayed to the angel who wards off plagues; at noon, to the guardian angel of physicians and barbers; in the evening, to the angel who protects women and mothers; and before bed, to the angel who guards fathers and the elderly.
Jade asked the priests if there were more angels to pray to and rummaged through documents seeking better prayers. He had nearly memorized the scriptures.
Lapis and Natalie, fearing the plague's taint might cling to letters, did not even send word to Jade. He could only hear that they were still alive.
After half a year, news came that the plague was subsiding. Relieved, Jade prayed to the angel who protects travelers, hoping for their safe return. But suddenly, a letter announcing their deaths arrived first.
Jade could not believe it. No one was dying of the plague anymore—why?
The army officer in charge of the area told the story through Father Daniel. Lapis and Natalie had not died of the plague.
It happened toward the end of the plague.
Moved by Lapis and Natalie's devoted medical efforts, numerous patients visited them to express gratitude and bring gifts. Among them were gold star crosses and goldhas, the gold coins issued by the Rom Empire.
The last plague patient eyed the gifts entering their lodging. He waited for Natalie to be alone, threatened her with a knife, and demanded the gold cross and coins.
Natalie said she had donated all the gifts to Saint Vesta Cathedral, which was true. But the patient refused to believe that Lapis would treat patients in such a dangerous area without reward. He could not imagine they had given away gold obtained for free to the cathedral without conditions.
He took Natalie hostage and threatened Lapis when he returned to the lodging. Lapis could only give the same answer. Calling it a lie, the man stabbed them both with his knife and fled.
Their bodies were discovered the next morning. The couple had fallen holding each other's hands tightly. Lapis's other hand was not pressing his own knife-wounded throat, but his wife's slashed abdomen. Even in his dying moments, he had tried to staunch her bleeding.
Daniel did not hide the truth from young Jade. He told him everything and wept with him.
The murderer who killed Jade's parents turned himself in. But not to the local patrol or army—to Rotican.
He claimed Lapis and Natalie had diverted a gold cross donated in Rotican's name to Saint Vesta Cathedral, donating only a portion while secretly keeping the rest. He said he had acted to prevent this in accordance with God's will, and wielding the knife had been an unavoidable accident.
Holy Emperor Dionysus bestowed merciful grace, pardoning his sins in exchange for a promise to live according to God's word henceforth. Dionysus also visited the plague-stricken area, sprinkled holy water on the ground, and declared that the plague would no longer afflict this land.
According to Rotican archives, at that moment, light descended from the heavens illuminating Dionysus, and tens of thousands witnessed the plague's miasma cleanly vanishing.
People cried out the Holy Emperor's name in prayer and shed tears. No one remembered Lapis and Natalie.
From then on, Jade stopped praying. He no longer uttered angels' names. He had qualified as a priest only because Daniel oversaw all his exams and initiation rites.
Bishop Davitt did not know Jade had passed the exams without a single prayer.
'I wasn't excommunicated. I was never a priest to begin with.'
Footsteps echoed from afar: thump, thump, thump. Short legs moving hurriedly.
Jade, who had dozed off on the bench, bolted upright at the sound. He thought he had only nodded off briefly, but the surroundings were already quite bright.
An old man glanced around briefly, spotted Jade in front of the worship hall, and hurried over. Jade rubbed his eyes, confirmed it was Bishop Davitt, then hastily stood.
Bishop Davitt was an old man past seventy, reaching only to Jade's shoulder with narrow shoulders. Bald except for a bit of white hair by his ears, his round face gave a friendly impression, and when he furrowed his brows in wrinkles, he looked like he was about to cry.
He wore exactly that expression now.
Jade greeted him in a clear voice, pretending he hadn't been asleep.
"It's been a long time, Bishop."
As soon as Davitt stood before Jade, he grabbed his shoulders and said,
"Father Jade, where has Father Daniel gone? Why are you here alone?"
Jade panicked for a moment, his memory failing him.
'Can I tell Bishop Davitt everything truthfully?'
On the way here, Daniel had told him much about the Holy Grail expedition. But it was all fragments, so the full context wasn't clear.
Jade barely recalled that after receiving the emperor's order for the Holy Grail expedition, Daniel had consulted Bishop Davitt.
"Father has gone to Athena Convent. With Brother Braion."
"Why there?"
"He said he's saying farewell to Mother Superior Julia, since they leave tomorrow..."
Jade deliberately avoided mentioning Saf.
Davitt clutched his forehead.
"Why on earth did Father Daniel go to the palace first? He should have come here."
"Was that a problem? We didn't even meet His Majesty."
Jade realized something odd mid-sentence and asked,
"How did you know we went to the palace first?"
"I tipped off the chamberlain there in advance. If Father Daniel came, don't let him see the emperor—just guide him straight here."
"The chamberlain? We didn't even meet him."
"The chamberlain's probably immobilized too. He could only send me a note via an errand boy."
"Excuse me, Bishop, but I don't know the situation. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Cardinal Lorenzo has caught on. The emperor won't even be able to move because of the Holy Grail matter."
"No way? Father Daniel said he only told you about coming to fetch me for the Holy Grail. How could Cardinal Lorenzo know?"
"Good grief, you're dense. With people around the emperor tracking even how many times he shits a day, you think they wouldn't notice Father Daniel's visit, even if alone?"
"I see."
Come to think of it, more than one or two people had recognized Father Daniel on the way here. Not just the palace guards, but the patrolmen who escorted them.
"Why not blow the expedition trumpet on the way?"
Davitt spoke in frustration, then waved it off.
"Sorry. I got too worked up. This isn't the time to assign blame. Let's move first."
"Where to?"
"Somewhere safe."
"If it's Cardinal Lorenzo we're dealing with, where's safer than here?"
"Nowhere anymore. Honestly, I'm starting to suspect every single copyist here. We need to leave Rom."
"B-But Father Daniel has to meet the emperor tomorrow...?"
"Forget it. Abandon the Holy Grail expedition. At least for now, we need to go into hiding."
"Understood. Then as soon as Father Daniel arrives, we move."
"No. We need to hurry even a little. I'll send Daniel to the hideout separately later. It's better than moving together. Come on."
The old man flusteredly grabbed Jade's hand and pulled.
Jade was utterly bewildered.
Bishop Davitt was someone he had known well since his days at Saint Vesta Cathedral. Frail in body but diligent, stubborn but only in matters of faith. Austere like a monk, his temperate life was an example to many clerics. His tender heart had once collapsed from exhaustion after praying for hundreds of arriving devotees one by one.
Davitt was also the one who ensured Jade's parents faced no religious trial. Ironically, some Rotican priests tried to put the dead Lapis and Natalie on trial, claiming they had embezzled property donated to Rotican. Defeat in trial would mean Rotican declaring they could not enter heaven.
After two years of persuasion, Bishop Davitt proved the patients' gifts had been donated to Saint Vesta Cathedral. Though patients refused to testify, failing to canonize Lapis as a saint, Davitt spared no effort.
In Rom, if Jade had to trust one person besides Father Daniel, he would choose Davitt without hesitation. It was unthinkable that such a man had changed in just three years. But circumstances around him could have.
Davitt led Jade to the warehouse behind the cathedral and handed him a black robe with a hood.
"Take this."
"Can't you explain where we're going first?"
Jade took the robe reluctantly and asked.
"I've prepared a hiding spot for times like this. I'll explain on the way."
Then someone came running with heavy thuds and called,
"Bishop Davitt!"
Davitt reflexively shoved Jade into a corner and swiftly exited the warehouse.
As the door closed, the warehouse plunged into darkness. From outside came the voice of a copyist younger than Braion.
"Bishop, big trouble."
"What trouble? Explain calmly."
Davitt's tone was as relaxed as if his earlier fluster with Jade had been an act.
"Cardinal Lorenzo has visited."
"At this hour? Here?"
"Yes. He barged right in and went to the worship hall. What do we do?"
"It's been a while since he was here, so the cardinal probably needs time to pray. Leave us be so we can spend it quietly. I'll greet him myself."
"Yes. But why the warehouse...? Ah, no. Nothing."
The copyist's footsteps faded.
Moments later, the warehouse door opened again, and Davitt entered. His face, lit by faint dawn light, was pale.
"My God, Cardinal Lorenzo must have caught on already. If I stay away too long, it'll raise suspicion. Hurry."
Davitt went out the warehouse door again. Jade donned the robe and followed the bishop.
At the cathedral's back door waited two tall men, both cloaked in black hooded robes. In the pre-dawn darkness, before the sun fully rose, their faces were hard to see.
"This is Brother Autis, and this is Brother Franco."
Davitt, unable to distinguish them, pointed at both simultaneously while introducing.
They removed their hoods briefly to show their faces and greeted.
"Autis here."
"Franco here. An honor to escort you."
They swiftly replaced their hoods.
"Pleasure."
Davitt spoke to them, then gripped Jade's hands tightly.
"I'll follow to the hideout with Father Daniel. May God's grace be with you."
Davitt hurriedly closed the door and left.
Without even distinguishing who was Autis or Franco, one said,
"Shall we go, Father?"
"Where are we headed?"
Jade asked.
"Underground."
One of them answered and took the lead.
'Underground? That means the catacombs.'
Jade had a rough idea of their destination.
Jade glanced back briefly, worried about Father Daniel. Only after patting his chest to check the book was secure did he follow the two.