Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Choice of the Women Left Behind 1
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Milano's Great Cathedral
A place usually filled with the quiet, pure atmosphere of worship and prayer directed toward God—a holy and sacred space.
But at this very moment, instead of the usual pious air, all that could be seen were Holy Knights wrapped in blankets, rolling around on the floor like homeless vagrants.
"..Haa.."
"…."
The Holy Knights were either letting out heavy sighs or staring blankly at the ceiling.
Just a few weeks earlier, they had been the proud swords of the church, brimming with confidence and self-assurance.
Yet now, in this moment, there was no trace left of that former pride among the Holy Knights gathered here.
They had been hunkered down in this Great Cathedral for several months already.
And despite the considerable time that had passed, their situation showed no signs of improving whatsoever.
Santana's excommunication, which had occurred several months prior.
After that day, the Holy Knights' lives had been utterly upended.
Right after Santana vanished from the city, they were evicted from their original lodgings and left out on the streets. In the end, they had no choice but to take refuge in the only place they could rely on: the Great Cathedral.
Of course, the bishops and priests had objected strongly. Even if they were Holy Knights, living in God's sacred hall was blasphemous, they argued.
But when the Holy Knights shot back that the church should either provide new lodgings or at least give up their own residences, the bishops and priests had no choice but to grudgingly permit the Holy Knights to stay in the cathedral until proper quarters could be arranged.
The Great Cathedral might look grand on the outside, but as a living space, it was far from ideal.
Even basic sleeping and eating were ordeals. The stone floor radiated a biting chill, and there was no proper way to wash up comfortably.
The more they lived like this, the more they inevitably missed their old dorms.
But the painful changes to the Holy Knights' lives weren't limited to their housing woes.
What had truly devastated their existence was the drastic pay cut that followed Santana's disappearance—their salaries reduced to less than half.
What the Holy Knights didn't know was that their pay had always been heavily subsidized by Santana's "donations," raked in from his various business ventures. Thanks to that, they had enjoyed a life of abundance without want.
In this context, Santana's excommunication led straight to reduced funding for the Holy Knights, which in turn slashed their monthly wages to a pittance.
They had lost their homes and their pay had been gutted.
Moreover, after Santana—the man who had kept public opinion in check—was driven out, the gazes of Milano's residents toward the Holy Knights grew icy and hostile.
Thus, the Holy Knights floundered in this nightmarish situation unlike anything they had ever endured.
And among them, two women regretted it the most: Nune and Tine, who had been at the forefront of ousting Santana.
"How'd it go... a little?"
"…Haa."
In response to Nune's question, Tine let out a heavy sigh and slowly turned her head.
Her face, fresh from speaking with Archbishop Maxim Cafeo, was etched with even deeper worry than before.
"She says it's tough... In this situation, she can't possibly secure new lodgings right now..."
"Damn it... Is that bitch of an archbishop really gonna keep screwing us over like this? How long does she plan to leave us high and dry?"
Right after being kicked out of their dorms, Nune, Tine, and the other Holy Knights had strongly demanded action from Archbishop Maxim Cafeo—the prime instigator of this whole mess.
They insisted she provide them with a place to live, no matter what.
Since she had excommunicated Santana and caused all this, she needed to take responsibility.
The archbishop had seemed to acquiesce at first, even promising to arrange lodgings as soon as possible. But months later, she still hadn't taken any steps regarding the Holy Knights.
Even now, when Tine pressed her on when exactly new quarters would be provided, the archbishop's only response was this:
-"I'm swamped with urgent matters at the moment, so I'll handle it gradually when the time is right."-
In other words, she had no solutions, so they should just shut up and wait.
Hearing this, Nune and Tine felt profound disappointment in the archbishop once more.
"She said if we just trusted and followed her, she'd let us live like queens..."
"All lies. We never should've trusted that woman..."
Two Holy Knights sat dejectedly on the cathedral steps.
At this moment, thick regret welled up in their hearts.
Though the archbishop had planned the whole affair and carried out Santana's excommunication, they too had gone along with her scheme and worked to undermine him.
"If we hadn't let our stupid greed get the better of us back then and had helped Santana instead, would things be even a little better now?"
"…Probably. In hindsight, Santana was a good-hearted guy anyway..."
Though they had inwardly cursed Santana—the man responsible for their current misery—for a time, looking back, it was understandable.
He had been betrayed overnight by his loyal superior and comrades he trusted, then cast out.
To just swallow that quietly would go beyond saintly—it'd be deserving of utter scorn.
And so, Nune and Tine regretted their mistakes, gazing bitterly at the scene before them.
Holy Knights in wretched states everywhere,
while merchants went about transporting goods and filling warehouses as usual, wearing satisfied smiles.
The stark contrast hit them hard, stirring deep disillusionment.
"Life was at least livable when Santana was around..."
"How the hell did we end up like this...?"
Their salaries had already been cut to levels that barely sustained them, and they couldn't keep sleeping on the cathedral's hard stone floor under a single blanket forever.
For all intents and purposes, despite being called Holy Knights, their situation was no better than low-wage laborers.
And all of it stemmed from no one but their own greed.
In a position where they couldn't blame anyone else, the two let out deep, earth-shattering sighs once more.
"...I wonder what Santana's up to right now, wherever he is?"
"In the Bennetsa Republic, apparently."
"…Huh? H-how do you know that?"
Nune tossed out the wistful musing without much thought, but Tine's immediate reply piqued her curiosity, prompting the question. Tine answered in a bitter tone.
"When I went into Archbishop Maxim's room earlier, I glimpsed a letter on her desk. It mentioned Santana causing some kind of trouble in Bennetsa. Couldn't make out the details."
"Really? So that's where he is..."
Bennetsa wasn't all that far from here, and the roads weren't particularly treacherous.
Santana's group had been delayed by a stroke of bad luck with a storm, but without such mishaps, it was just a few days' journey.
The moment she realized that,
a certain thought suddenly crossed Nune's mind.
"Hey, Tine... You wanna keep living like this forever? Or... wanna bet it all on one gamble?"
"…What are you talking about? A gamble? You got some ace up your sleeve?"
"…Well, see..."
Tine eyed her quizzically.
In response, Nune leaned in close to her friend's ear and quietly shared the viable idea that had just popped into her head after so long.
"…That's a fucking stupid idea."
"Oh... not a fan?"
"…Let's do it right now."
With that curt decision, the two rose from their seats and headed into the cathedral.