Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Priest Deolon
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"A lie?"
Jade racked his brain, trying to recall his conversation with Priest Deolon. Nothing in particular jumped out as a lie.
Jade asked,
"You're not just suspecting simple kindness from a stranger out of paranoia, are you? What's your evidence?"
Ruby stood at the altar at the far end of the chapel. He picked up the book placed there and said,
"For starters, yes, I did suspect his kindness outright. Kindness without strings attached is hard to come by."
Ruby sat on the lectern. His legs were shorter than the lectern's height, so they dangled in the air.
He placed the book on his thigh and continued,
"But the exact moment I sensed he was lying was when Deolon finished speaking and made his exit."
"There was a rushed vibe, sure. Did that seem off to you?"
"Not that. Of course not? I've only known the guy for ten minutes. I can't tell if he's lying just from him hurrying a bit. But in that hurried look, for a split second, I saw relief in his eyes—like, 'Phew, I finally fooled them.'"
"So you don't know exactly what the lie was?"
"Nope, just his mental state."
Jade scratched his head and said,
"Priest Deolon still looks like the real deal for this chapel, though."
Ruby nodded too, staring up at the ceiling.
"I think so too. It's too clean for a fake. He seemed genuinely terrified when he came down those stairs earlier, and he didn't give off any dangerous assassin vibes. An assassin would be at least as tough as the monastery guard Phuol."
Saf shuddered at the mere mention of the name.
Ruby drew the conversation to a close.
"That said, Deolon isn't a good guy either. The goat milk and bread were just a ploy to cover his lie."
"So the kindness he just showed was all an act?"
Jade asked.
Ruby stated flatly,
"Exactly."
"Then why not chase after him and confirm it?"
"Should I?"
"If he's dangerous, we need to assess that threat."
"Chasing him to verify my hunch would leave you two alone here—that's the real risk. If that priest brings an army to kill you, I can stop them. But if I'm gone, even a 'passing vagrant number one' disguised as 'assassin number one' could stab you with a fork, and you couldn't stop it."
Throughout his explanation, Ruby had been eyeing the book on his thigh. He asked,
"This is the holy scripture, right? Priest Deolon's name is on the cover."
"Let me see."
Saf sat down next to Ruby. They were about the same height with similar leg lengths, so both their legs dangled in the air identically.
Saf glanced at the first line of a randomly opened page and knew right away.
"Yeah, this is the holy scripture."
"Then I guess I should start reading it now."
Ruby opened the book to the first page.
Jade asked in surprise,
"Don't we need to get out of this chapel?
"Why?"
"You said that guy's dangerous."
"Did you hear me through rose-colored glasses? I said he lied, not that he's dangerous."
"You mentioned he might bring an army."
"And I said I could stop an army."
"If something like that might happen, best to avoid it altogether."
"Then can I take this holy scripture with me?"
"No, you can't."
"Yeah, yeah, 'Father Jayden' would say stealing is wrong. But borrowing the holy scripture to read in the chapel for a bit isn't a sin, right? Then I'll read it here!"
Ruby declared and began reading the holy scripture.
Jade was at a loss for words.
'He couldn't bring himself to say it's okay to steal the holy scripture.'
Saf, sitting beside him, explained.
"The first book of the holy scripture is Genesis. It's the passage where Magdaloraga Gatrriel recorded the words of the creation of heaven and earth."
"Don't add your own commentary. I'll read and understand it myself."
"Reading the holy scripture wrong is worse than not reading it at all. I need to provide additional explanations."
"Then keep yapping beside me. I'll keep reading."
"You can concentrate with me talking right next to you?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha. This flower boy thinks he can underestimate me? While I'm reading this, if you interpret and Jade explains a new lamb recipe beside you at the same time, I can memorize all three. So yap away however you want to bloom your flower."
By the time Ruby said that, he had already turned the first page.
"But if your explanations are slower than my page-turning speed, you won't get to say everything you want, so summarize wisely."
"Genesis holds many layers of meaning. You can't just grasp the surface of the sentences."
Saf began hurriedly explaining, tracing the verses with his finger.
Jade gave up and sat in the chair in front of the lectern.
'I get it. With a warrior who took down a demon planning to crush Rom in a week with his bare fists right here, what do I have to worry about?'
Jade watched Saf and Ruby sitting side by side.
Just looking at them gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling.
'Ruby goes without saying, but even Saf has better stamina and smarts than me, yet somehow I feel like their protector. Better not tell them that.'
Jade watched their ultra-high-speed holy scripture study with a pleased smile.
♦
Around the time Yol left Rom for the Red Desert tracking Jade, Cardinal Lorenzo of the Raphael Priesthood wrote several letters.
They were directives to the Mediterranean port managers.
'Prevent a man named Jade from using any ship heading to the eastern continent.'
He included a detailed description, noting he might be in disguise and could have companions.
Just as Yol hadn't foreseen his own death at the hands of the mysterious red-haired boy at the monastery, Lorenzo hadn't predicted Yol's failure either. But precautions were necessary.
Lorenzo sent a few more letters. They were orders to track down Jade, leveraging personal connections. One went to the cardinal of the Litua Principality, a few to Pisa Port and St. Paul Port, and one to Luna Principality.
The speed of communication was the speed of the horse carrying the messenger clutching the letter. Or the speed of an ox pulling a cart with the letter, or a mule loaded with a bag of letters. Sometimes, it was the speed of a man on foot.
Letters heading to Mediterranean ports usually traveled at carriage speed. But one raced at horse speed.
This letter shot out of Rom in an instant, then passed to the next rider after half a day.
Normally, letters paused briefly and spent a day in a relay station. Messengers had work hours too. If a holiday fell mid-delivery by bad luck, a one-day trip could take half a month.
To bypass holidays required extra pay. But that applied to ordinary nobles.
The couriers, seeing Cardinal Lorenzo's seal, delivered at speeds faster than army relay horses. When the letter reached the first village, it went straight to the next courier without stopping.
Only letters on par with enemy invasions or a king's death traveled this fast. If handed over at one in the morning, the courier leaped from bed; if during a meal, he rode off with bread in his mouth.
Couriers did their utmost not to damage the letters, no matter the haste.
If the envelope's seal was broken, everyone involved in the delivery faced execution. So if a courier received a seal-broken letter, he had no choice but to report straight to Lorenzo. It was the only way to escape blame himself.
Even though it wasn't an issue that Rotican's top power broker was sending letters somewhere, Lorenzo maintained utmost secrecy.
By the time Jade reached Mount Santarimo Monastery, Yol died, and the monastery burned in that horrific event, Lorenzo's letters had arrived safely and swiftly at Fairbank Village and to Priest Deolon at Akilia Chapel.
The wax-sealed envelope, untouched by water or finger from Rom to Fairbank, was finally torn open in Deolon's hands.
The single letter inside was in code. At a glance, it resembled holy scripture verses, but arranged in a way only Deolon and Lorenzo knew, it became a secret directive.
'A priest named Jade may secretly head your way on a mission to find the Holy Grail.
If a young priest pushes too hard and handles things recklessly, it could jeopardize the fragile friendly relations with the eastern kingdoms we've barely maintained, so if you meet him, persuade him subtly to prevent him from leaving.
He's a dangerous figure, so don't force it or he might act violently—exercise caution.
It would be wise to seek help from those nearby.
If unavoidable circumstances
prevent stopping him,
it can't be helped.'
This code contained another code.
In Lorenzo's letters, "unavoidable circumstances" meant interpret reversely, and "it can't be helped" meant "kill."
Thus, the letter wasn't "Block Jade. If you can't, oh well, but kill him." Instead, it was "Kill Jade. If you can't, at least restrain him."
Lorenzo loved these double- and triple-layered secrets.
It sealed the couriers' lips, coded the letter, and even if everything leaked and Deolon exposed it as evidence, he could deny, "I never ordered a killing."
'Coincidence?'
In truth, Priest Deolon had received a similar letter a month before Lorenzo's.
It was from Duke Drake of Luna Principality.
'If a group searching for the Holy Grail appears in Fairbank, contact me immediately.'
Without Duke Drake's seal, it would've seemed a prank.
What idiot hunting the Holy Grail would detour to this village? Even a twelve-year-old fresh from geography class knew Pisa Port was the way to the eastern kingdoms.
Yet a week ago, people from Duke Drake himself arrived.
"You're Priest Deolon?"
They wore black hoods and robes hiding their faces. Deolon was startled, thinking Red Desert bandits had come this far.
The group's leader was a woman. Her face was hooded too, revealing only blue eyes and long lashes. Comically, she carried a broom bigger than herself on her back.
"Yes. But I never posted a help-wanted ad for cleaners."
Deolon joked to hide his fear.
She replied in a stiff voice,
"I'm here on behalf of Duke Drake."
She handed over a letter sealed with the duke's mark.
Deolon opened it.
'I, Duke Drake, take full responsibility for all matters Alisa handles abroad,
and delegate all my authority to her.'
Deolon knew the letter and seal were genuine but still couldn't believe it. The seal could be forged, or the original owner killed with someone impersonating.
Deolon asked without showing suspicion,
"It's an honor that His Grace sends a village priest like me letters twice. How can I assist, Alisa?"
Alisa's voice was young, but her tone calm like an elder's.
"A group passing through here to find the Holy Grail will appear."
"I waited after your previous letter, but no such group showed. While we're on the topic, why detour to this village for the Holy Grail?"
Deolon tilted his head.
"That's none of your concern."
Alisa continued with a cold glare.
"We'll patrol Fairbank, Manon, and Bearry—these three villages—for a month. If a group heading for the Holy Grail or Darkwood Forest appears, find us. This isn't a free request."
The cloth pouch she gave held enough money to forget chapel repairs for life.
"Advance payment. If you spot exactly who we want and help us complete our mission, we'll pay double that."
"Understood."
Deolon accepted nonchalantly but was terrified inside.
'Big money is a curse. If she changes her mind, it could be my bounty. If no results and she demands it back, return it quick.'
Deolon wrote to Lorenzo reporting everything verbatim. Of course, that letter would go at mule speed, not horse, with high loss risk.
Days later, Lorenzo's coded letter arrived so soon Deolon thought it was a reply. But they had merely crossed paths midway.
'Duke Drake followed by Cardinal Lorenzo?'
Lorenzo even named "Jade."
Coincidentally, Deolon knew Jade's face. Once visiting Rom, he'd glimpsed young Jade beside Priest Danel from afar, and the famous spring murder in Pompey etched it in memory.
'No way he's really coming here?'
As Deolon thought that, Jade actually showed up at his chapel.
'Lord have mercy. What's happening?'
Jade didn't mention the Holy Grail but used the alias "Jayden" and said he was heading to the Kuman Plains.
'Why the Kuman Plains? To cross them to Darkwood Forest!'
The timing fit too perfectly; Deolon was scared.
While treating Jade's group to food, Deolon agonized.
'Follow Cardinal Lorenzo's orders or Duke Drake's request?'
Deolon's assassinations were mostly poisonings.
With his mild looks and kind voice luring trust, even the suspicious ate the spiked meal. His poison was odorless, tasteless. Crucially, he'd built immunity over years by ingesting tiny daily doses, safe to eat the same food as targets.
In the chapel, he could hold funerals or cremations himself to erase evidence.
For desert travelers, blame scorpions or snakes—common for poisoning victims to seem fine days then die suddenly.
If Jade were alone, he'd follow Lorenzo. But two companions made three deaths hard to hide.
Plus one was a stunning beauty. Not by village standards, but the prettiest he'd ever seen.
'Too good to kill!'
Chatting idly with Jade, Deolon assessed.
'No money, uncertain path ahead. I can keep them in the chapel a day.'
Pretending kindness, he told Jade to wait, rushed out, mounted a horse, and rode beyond the village.
Deolon decided on Duke Drake's request.
'Hand over Jade to them, then slyly steal away "Sof." '