You're Out of Your Mind
You're Out of Your Mind
Evening at the monastery.
"Is it true? That you beat up the bad guys, I mean! I heard it from Luka! He said the higher a soldier's rank, the more bad guys they've beaten up!"
After finishing his meal, Daniel found himself surrounded by children bombarding him with questions.
Flustered, Daniel hesitated over what to say before giving an awkward smile.
"It's true I've achieved victory in numerous battles. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to rise to this position."
At Daniel's words, the children's eyes lit up.
For children living in this era, a war hero was as popular as a prince on a white horse, so it was only natural.
The one who seemed most excited among them, Luka, shouted.
"Mister! Can you tell us what happened on the battlefield? I'm so curious!"
It was a problem.
Because he could not explain the horrors of the battlefield to such young children.
However, Daniel knew.
For the children confined to this cramped monastery until adulthood, a day like today was a rare and fascinating event.
'Even I found the monastery so stuffy that I ran away from home....'
Deciding it wouldn't do to betray the children's expectations, Daniel opened his mouth.
"Alright. Then I shall tell you about the exploits I achieved at Penbark."
After clapping his hands to get the children's attention, Daniel quietly continued.
Of course, it was a story heavily sanitized so that even young children could listen.
Daniel, who was not without the gift of gab, modulated his intonation to heighten the mood at each critical moment. Every time, the children swallowed hard or gasped involuntarily, utterly absorbed.
When he finally told them that the villain Kaledra had fled, the children let out a cheer all at once.
From the children's perspective, it was a satisfying story where good clearly triumphed over evil, so they couldn't possibly dislike it.
Thanks to this, Daniel's likability in the children's eyes shot up.
Daniel, who was already popular with the monastery children, had now practically become a god-like being.
"Mister! You're really super cool! Can I be like you when I grow up?"
"Mister! So what happened with the princess?"
"She's not a princess, she's his adjutant! Mister! They say a tank is as big as a house, is that true?"
The children clamored, their eyes shining even brighter than before.
Just as he was wondering whose question to answer first, the wooden door to the dining hall opened.
Kkiiiik─
Beyond the open door stood Abbot Hieronim, holding a candlestick.
Looking at the children with mild displeasure, Hieronim spoke.
"Hasn't your bedtime passed? Go inside and go to sleep now."
"But Father Abbot...."
"I said go inside! If you don't go to sleep right now, there'll be no snacks tomorrow!"
When Hieronim scolded them, the children, who had been gauging his mood, nodded one by one.
"Let's go."
"Yeah. He seems especially sensitive today."
Led by Ella and Luka, who had exchanged those words, the children rushed out of the dining hall.
Only after confirming the children had all left the dining hall did Hieronim let out a sigh and look at Daniel.
"You must have come here to rest. I'm sorry to have troubled you with the children for no reason."
Daniel let out a low laugh.
"It's fine. Playing with the children is quite enjoyable."
"That's a relief then. More than that, I wanted to ask if you are still curious about the black mana."
"......If possible, I'd like to know."
Hearing the answer, Hieronim nodded and turned to go.
"Follow me. This isn't a story for here."
As Hieronim led the way, Daniel rose from his seat and followed behind.
Relying on the candlelight, Hieronim walked down the corridor, climbed the stairs, and only after walking all the way to his own room did he take out a key and open the door.
Hieronim entered and placed the candlestick on the desk.
When Daniel followed him in, Hieronim pulled out a chair and pushed it toward Daniel.
"Sit down."
Daniel did so.
Seeing Daniel seated, Hieronim took one candle from the candlestick.
Amid the chaotic flickering of the flame, Hieronim spoke quietly.
"Daniel. I've never told anyone this before, but I, too, have met someone who uses black mana."
"......You have, Father Abbot?"
"Yes. It was when I was very young."
Recalling the past, Hieronim began to pace slowly.
"Playing with the village children as usual, I ended up getting lost in the forest near the village. I was terribly scared. I felt as if the world were collapsing around me at that young age, you see."
A small laugh echoed in the room.
"After wandering for a long time, crying and wailing, I succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed. Just when I thought I was going to die like that, I heard footsteps. When I raised my head, there was a woman I'd never seen before."
Hieronim approached a wall-mounted candlestick and lifted the candle.
"She was a truly beautiful woman. She grabbed my shoulders, shook me, and asked if I was alright. When I opened my eyes, she saw I was conscious and simply healed my wounds. Then she carried me on her back and took me to her cabin."
The flame spread to the candle in the wall sconce.
The room became a little brighter.
"After getting something to eat at the cabin and regaining my strength, I tried to return to the village. The woman, being considerate of me, escorted me all the way to the village. Once I safely reached the village, I was overjoyed and went around babbling about the woman."
Having confirmed the candle was lit, Hieronim returned to the desk.
"The villagers, curious about the outsider, went to find the woman's cabin with a mix of wariness and curiosity. The woman welcomed the villagers and showed them her ability. It was the ability to heal. An immense power that could heal any wound whatsoever."
At the mention of a healing ability, Daniel's nerves went on edge.
Because it was the same ability that Frien possessed.
"When word spread that an outsider had healing powers, people flocked to her, one and all, to receive treatment. The woman became a celebrity in an instant. And that was the root of the trouble."
Hieronim's hand trembled faintly.
"Was it jealousy? Envy? I don't know the exact reason, but one of our villagers denounced the woman to the Papal See. The pretext was that she was continuing treatment practices in an unholy manner."
Taking a deep breath, Hieronim gripped the candle tightly.
"The woman's healing ability was so potent that it was enough to arouse suspicion. Therefore, the Papal See ruled that the ability was the power of a demon and dispatched soldiers. Back then, the Papal See still held a certain amount of power, so such a thing was possible."
Raising his hand to fix the candle onto the candlestick, Hieronim let out a low sigh.
"What do you think happened when the soldiers arrived in the village?"
"......Was the woman killed?"
Hieronim shook his head.
"It was the opposite. The woman mercilessly slaughtered the soldiers who tried to attack her. Ten soldiers died at her hands, unable to even put up proper resistance. Regrettably, I witnessed that scene with my own eyes."
Gazing at the candle flame, Hieronim continued.
"When she was killing the soldiers, the woman looked like a demon. However, after she had killed all the soldiers, what I saw was a girl more fragile than anyone else. The woman, her shoulders trembling and tears falling, noticed I was watching and turned her head."
And the woman said.
"It couldn't be helped. Only by doing this can the villagers live. I didn't want to do this either. I'm truly sorry."
She followed with excuses whose meaning he couldn't understand.
"This kind of ability... it would have been better if I'd never had it from the start."
After a short silence, Hieronim exhaled.
"After that, the woman left the village and never returned. Later, people from the Papal See came asking about her whereabouts, but I answered that I didn't know. I felt I somehow had to."
Turning away from the flickering flame, Hieronim looked at Daniel.
"That's all I know. Doesn't something seem strange to you?"
"......Yes. Why did she say that the 'villagers' could live, not 'I'?"
"I've made various guesses over the years, but the truth is probably known only to her."
Smiling bitterly, Hieronim spoke with concern.
"Now that you've heard the whole story, let me give you my opinion. Daniel? After this incident, I also researched black mana quite extensively."
"You did, Father Abbot?"
"Yes. From that research, I learned that, contrary to common perception, people with black mana are extremely rare—only about one appears per century."
Hieronim's tone grew serious.
"That means a person with black mana is not born as a hereditary trait. Since it was a scientifically inexplicable phenomenon, I could only judge it to be a prank of God. And so, after devoting myself to theology, I ended up becoming a monk."
But the truth still remained unknown.
"It's certain that black mana holds a special power, but what that power is has never been revealed. However, one thing is clear: extrapolating from my own experience, it may possess an extremely dangerous nature."
Hieronim approached Daniel.
"So, Daniel. If possible, stay away from that person. I'm saying this purely for your own sake."
It wasn't that he didn't understand Hieronim's feelings, but Daniel couldn't do that.
"I can't cast her aside now. I owe so much to Frien. It wouldn't be right to ignore that and distance myself from her."
"Frien?"
Since the name sounded feminine, Hieronim looked down at Daniel, seated in the chair, with a suspicious look.
"Could it be that you have a deep relationship with this woman...?"
"It isn't like that. However, it does seem that Frien has feelings for me."
For Daniel, who approached everything cautiously, to say such a thing meant her feelings ran deeper than simple liking.
It gave him a headache to think that not only was he keeping a person with black mana close, but he was even receiving her love.
Clicking his tongue, Hieronim went and sat down on a spare chair nearby.
"If that's the case, then I can't bring myself to tell you to stay away. Having a woman who likes you is a blessing in itself, so you should accept it."
"......It's not a matter I can think of so simply. Things are more complicated than you might think."
Wondering what he meant, Hieronim stared blankly at Daniel before breaking into a cold sweat.
"Don't tell me there are more women who hold affection for you."
Daniel did not answer.
Seeing this, Hieronim felt a headache coming on but barely managed to keep his composure.
"Alright. You're in the prime of your youth, so it's possible to be involved with two women."
Again, Daniel did not answer.
Hieronim, who had stayed silent, asked with a feeling of "it can't be."
"Three?"
Daniel nodded, eyes closed.
At this, Hieronim pressed his forehead with a trembling hand.
"Daniel. I didn't raise you to be a philanderer, so why...."
The shock rampaged through his mind.
He felt his headache worsening, but Hieronim was on Daniel's side above all else, so he opened his mouth as calmly as possible.
"I understand for now. Let's hear about the other two: where they are and what they do. Then I can at least give you some advice, can't I?"
With his eyes half-closed, Daniel clasped his hands together as if giving a confession.
"One is my adjutant."
"......And the other one?"
Daniel turned his gaze away, as if ashamed.
"She is Her Majesty the Emperor."
At the same moment, Hieronim froze solid.
Like a person struck by an inescapable disaster, he stiffened, mouth agape and expression blank.
Only after a long while did Hieronim come to his senses and open his mouth.
"H, H, Her Majesty the Emperor...."
But the words wouldn't come out properly.
Clutching the back of his neck and catching his breath for a while, Hieronim stared at Daniel.
"Daniel."
With a face of utter disbelief, Hieronim's lips quivered.
"Could it be that you are possessed by Satan himself?"
From Hieronim's perspective, not knowing the full story behind it, it was utterly impossible to comprehend.