Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Underground Tomb
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Five hundred years ago, when Rom was not yet called Rom but the Rotin Empire, Caitlic was instead a heretical religion. Countless believers were forced to renounce their faith, and those caught practicing it in secret were thrown into the gladiatorial arena as lion food.
The faithful had no choice but to hide in the underground outskirts of Rom to escape persecution. A sanctuary for offering prayers was built deep underground, and the area beside it soon became a tomb. When Caitlic was officially recognized as a religion and Rotin was renamed Rom, this place became an abandoned underground tomb.
Jade stood in a space where skulls were placed along the walls.
"Is this your first time here?"
Autis asked.
"I've only heard about it. First time."
Jade said.
"The souls of countless martyrs reside in this place. If our will aligns with the heavens, their spirits will protect us."
Autis continued with a dreamy expression.
"I often think this. Perhaps our religion shines because it was persecuted... Isn't that right? No matter how great human will may be, it has limits while alive. But once dead and turned into a spirit, it becomes infinite in spreading that will. The reason our religion could take root in this land is all thanks to the souls of the martyrs here."
Jade listened silently, but Franco spoke up as if displeased.
"Brother Autis, you've said similar things before. Exactly which verse from which scripture is that? Don't you know that twisting God's words is the greatest sin?"
"Even words not in the scriptures, if they carry the same meaning, are the same as God's will, as His Holiness the Pontiff has said."
"Even the Pontiff's words, if they're wrong, are wrong. The Rom Priesthood officially opposed that statement, and it's still under debate, so don't spout it carelessly. And we already argued for two days and nights about this last time, so let's not do it again. Not with the current situation."
"Times like these are when truth reveals itself. While we're at it, let's ask Father Jade here. As Father Danel's disciple, surely you'll give us your wise opinion to put an end to this debate?"
Autis slowed his pace slightly and turned his gaze backward.
'This guy... he's enjoying this. What? The situation? Or the debate?'
Jade shook his head.
"I share Brother Franco's opinion. This isn't the place or time for debate. And I'm not familiar with doctrinal arguments to begin with."
Autis widened his eyes in surprise.
"I heard rumors that Father Jade can't even memorize all nine scriptures."
Franco turned to Jade in shock at those words. His face, lit by the torchlight, looked angry.
"The rumors are true. My memory is poor. So I'm even less suited for doctrinal debates."
Jade replied appropriately, wanting to end the conversation, but Autis didn't stop.
"And another rumor I heard: Father Jade only attended theological college for eight semesters. Is that true too?"
"No. Not eight semesters—eight months."
Jade answered truthfully without hesitation. Though Autis had asked, Franco was the one more shocked.
The three stopped in the middle of the dark underground tomb. Jade thought they had paused in surprise at his answer, but when he saw Autis sit on a stone slab, he realized they had arrived at their destination.
The square stone chamber, about ten paces wide and long, had four stone coffins on each side. Surprisingly, there was no stench, but the air was so stagnant it was hard to breathe.
Jade thought extinguishing one of the torches they held would make breathing easier, but they showed no intention of doing so. Instead, Franco was debating whether to light a wall-mounted torch holder.
"I thought those were just rumors, but they were true."
Franco leaned against the opposite wall from Autis and continued.
"Then is it true that Father Jade possesses one of the four volumes of the Holy Writ—not the nine scriptures?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Jade lied in the same straightforward tone he had used to state the facts so far.
There were some who knew about the Holy Writ, but few knew it consisted of four volumes, so it wouldn't seem strange. And unless one was clergy, hardly anyone knew the scriptures were divided into nine books.
From the side, Autis asked in a voice full of curiosity.
"The four-volume Holy Writ? What's that?"
"It's also called the four apocrypha. You don't know either, Brother Autis?"
"I don't."
Fortunately, Autis was backing up Jade's lie.
"Anyway, we have to wait here a bit, so I'll explain in the meantime. No need to explain the nine scriptures. But to explain the apocrypha, some background naturally comes up, so I'll cover it briefly. Even if you know it, hear it once more."
Franco opened his mouth in a reluctant tone. But he couldn't hide his pleased expression that the topic was something he knew better than Autis.
"The first five apostles wrote down the words of God delivered by angels—that's the scriptures. Later, at the Eiton Council, the nine most noble words were compiled into books: the nine scriptures. What we now call scriptures are all books containing these nine words."
Jade nodded diligently as if hearing it for the first time, and Franco continued enthusiastically.
"However, four books called commentaries or apocrypha were published to explain parts the nine scriptures couldn't. They were called the Holy Writ because they explained the scriptures. But while three commentaries were bound into one volume, the fourth was omitted during compilation. Pontiff Gregos at the time said the three were sufficient and didn't have it reprinted."
"So the fourth Holy Writ is a book that never came out?"
Autis asked.
"Officially, yes. But the monks copying it pitied the work and didn't discard it; they kept it in their monastery libraries."
"Hmm, I would've done the same."
"And now, centuries later, it's been revealed that the fourth Holy Writ contains content special enough to overturn all interpretations of the scriptures. After Gregos, pontiffs decreed that if it contained anything shaking the established scriptures, it was heretical just for that and to burn it immediately upon discovery."
"Has the fourth Holy Writ ever appeared until now? I mean, even if it was burned?"
"Not that I know of."
"If that's true, I'd really like to see it."
Autis quickly added.
"Don't misunderstand. My desire to see it is purely theological curiosity. If it's a heretical book one shouldn't see, of course I wouldn't!"
"I understand. Even I wonder if I could resist the temptation to read it if it fell into my hands."
Their gazes naturally turned to Jade.
'It can't be that they're asking if I want to read it too, right?'
Jade smiled faintly and replied.
"I've heard the rumor that Father Danel has the fourth Holy Writ. But I think it's a misunderstanding stemming from the priest having unique views on doctrine."
Even after his answer, Franco's gaze lingered on Jade's face.
"Then it wouldn't be hard for Father Jade to show me the scriptures you carry?"
Franco asked, fiddling with his short goatee. For some reason, Autis also looked at Jade with a tense expression.
"By all means."
Jade pulled a black leather-bound book from his bosom and held it out.
Franco stood, took the book, and asked with a glance.
"May I take a quick look?"
Jade nodded.
Franco turned, approached the wall torch, and opened the pages. The rustling of turning pages and the crackling of the torch filled the chamber.
To hide his tension, Jade spoke to Autis.
"But you're waiting here for Father Danel and Bishop Davit?"
Autis, sitting and twirling his wrist, replied.
"We were instructed to wait here until eight o'clock, and if no one comes, move locations. That's all."
"How do you know it's eight o'clock in this underground?"
Autis pointed to the ceiling with his finger. There was a hole about fist-sized, with faint light leaking in.
"At this time of year, when the sun peeks through that hole, it's eight. At noon, it aligns perfectly. If no one comes by then, we'll leave Rom and head to Liverpool."
Franco slammed Jade's book shut with a bang, finishing Autis's explanation.
"To be precise, not Liverpool itself, but the orchard on the way there."
He turned back with a smiling face and returned Jade's book. He tried to hide his expression but clearly looked disappointed.
"We'll wait for Bishop Davit there once more. He said he'll give further instructions then. So we don't know the journey after that yet."
Jade took the book Franco handed him and tucked it away.
Franco watched the motion closely and said.
"Your book is in excellent condition. You must take very good care of it."
"It's just made so durably."
The conversation paused briefly.
Franco returned to his seat, and Autis smiled softly in silence.
Jade fell into thought.
'Where did Bishop Davit pick up these two? If he paired them on purpose, what is the bishop planning?'
Jade was certain. At least one of them was not a monk.
Jade had lived in the monastery for three years and was familiar with monks' lives. They did more farm work than most farmers and were diligent, yet ate little. Naturally, their bodies were lean.
Jade had inherited his father's frail build, but over the past three years, he had gained some muscle. Not bulging or broad-shouldered.
Jade had seen exactly one fat monk. A middle-aged one named Giovanni, whom the monks of St. Antones Monastery teasingly called "old gourd."
Giovanni loved alcohol, didn't follow a regular life, and enjoyed plentiful meals. No matter the reprimands, he not only failed to restrain himself but encouraged others to live likewise. He claimed faith springs from the heart, not from hunger or abstinence.
Jade somewhat agreed with Giovanni but thought the rest was just an excuse for laziness. If that's the case, don't become a monk in the first place.
Anyway, there were fat monks and lean ones, but it was rare for one like Autis, with broad shoulders and thick forearms. In the darkness, he occasionally twirled his wrist—a habit swordsmen show when flaunting or fiddling with their blades.
Hard to see in the dark, but the calluses on his palm weren't from farm work. They differed in shape and position from those Jade got from hoeing and digging.
In other words, Autis was a soldier, mercenary, or someone who used a sword for other purposes.
'And the other one is more interested in the book I have than in me or the current situation. If he knew the book I carry is more heretical, rarer, and more astonishing than the fourth Holy Writ he imagines, what would he do?'
Jade lacked confidence in stopping even one if they tried to take the book.
'Intentionally or not, Bishop Davit paired these two. If he comes alone without Father Danel, what should I do?'
Jade desperately hoped Danel would return before the sun entered the hole.