The Abbess Is Worried
The Abbess Is Worried
'Satan, huh...'
The fact that the word Satan had passed Hieronim's lips—a man who never uttered profanity—meant his disappointment ran that deep.
Of course, Daniel could understand Hieronim's feelings, but he still felt wronged.
Letting out a groan, Daniel spoke a single sentence after much agonizing.
"It's a misunderstanding."
Hieronim let out a hollow sigh at the feeble excuse.
"A misunderstanding? I would very much like to know exactly what part of this is a misunderstanding."
Daniel had been a good-natured child. A bit stubborn at times, yes, but he had always helped the monks with odd jobs and even assisted with the baking.
He was the kind of child you could swear would never do anything wrong, no matter where life took him.
And now that same child was confessing to womanizing. From Hieronim's perspective, it was only natural to be dumbfounded.
Steadying his breath, Hieronim composed himself with effort and spoke.
"Fine. Let us concede a hundred points and move past it as a misunderstanding. But even so, I cannot fathom what on earth possessed you to seduce His Majesty the Emperor. If by some chance you have developed an interest in power..."
"Abbot. Did I not say it was a misunderstanding?"
Daniel looked at Hieronim, asking to be believed.
"There are many tangled stories, so I cannot tell you everything, but please know that I did not approach those women with ulterior motives."
Hieronim fell silent for a moment after hearing Daniel's words.
Because Daniel did not appear to be lying right now.
Hieronim had watched Daniel since childhood, so he could tell.
That was sincerity.
But his doubts were not completely dispelled.
"...Can you swear to God? That you did not seduce those women with ulterior motives."
"I swear it."
Hieronim's heart softened at Daniel's answer.
Now that things had come to this, how could he cast stones at Daniel, whom he had raised like his own child?
In the end, Hieronim set aside his suspicions and decided to trust Daniel.
"Very well. You seem to have your circumstances, so I shall not pry further. More importantly, you have returned to your hometown after a long while, so it would be best for you to rest now."
Hieronim rose from his seat and picked up the candlestick on the desk.
"Follow me. I shall guide you to your room."
"Understood."
Daniel stood up from his chair, breathing a sigh of relief that the conversation had come to a close.
Hieronim and Daniel stepped out into the hallway, but after walking a few steps, they came to a halt.
They could see the children and the vice-head monk squabbling in front of Daniel's room at the far end of the corridor.
"You little rascals! The abbot told you to go to sleep!"
"How can we just sleep on a night like this? We don't even know when Daniel will leave the monastery!"
"That's right! We have a right to hear more stories!"
It was obvious at a glance that a few children had snuck out of their rooms and gotten caught by the vice-head monk.
Daniel, who had figured out their objective, let out a low chuckle and walked toward the children.
"Kids. I'll be here until tomorrow, so you don't need to worry."
The children turned their heads at the sound of Daniel's voice.
The moment they spotted Daniel, they abandoned the vice-head monk and came rushing over in a swarm.
"Daniel! You were somewhere else? No wonder you didn't open the door when we knocked!"
"We thought you were sleeping!"
"Hey, is it true? They say the imperial capital has really delicious bread!"
Hieronim put on a stern expression as he watched Daniel get surrounded by the children in an instant.
"You little brats! How many times have I told you not to pester someone who is tired from a long journey!"
The children flinched—apparently, the abbot was scarier than the vice-head monk—but Daniel let out a laugh.
"If you speak to them like that, won't the children be frightened? I'm fine, so please don't worry."
"But still..."
"I know you are strict about the monastery's rules, but surely you can relax them for just one day. These rascals don't look like they'll fall asleep even if you send them back to their rooms now."
When he put it that way, how could he refuse outright?
'I felt it then and I feel it now—his gift of persuasion is something he was born with.'
Hieronim nodded as if he had no choice.
"Fine. One day should be all right. But still, don't stay up too late playing with them. They can sleep in, after all."
The children let out cheers at Hieronim's declaration of surrender.
"Waaah! Daniel beat the abbot!"
"I told you, didn't I? Two stars beats the abbot too!"
"What? When did you say that? You said he wouldn't make it."
Daniel, who had been watching the children with fond amusement, rolled up his sleeves.
"Now, now. That's enough. Focus up. Today, I'm going to make you the very same special bread I ate in the imperial capital. I'll teach you how to knead the dough, so everyone head to the oven."
The children nodded eagerly, their mouths watering at the mention of special bread from the imperial capital.
Daniel led the children away.
As he watched that scene, the vice-head monk approached Hieronim's side.
A peaceful smile hung on the vice-head monk's lips.
"Daniel's popularity remains unchanged. In the old days, he often looked after the monastery children like that, too. Naturally, many children came to follow him. Seeing how he has risen steadily in the military, it seems Daniel is blessed with good fortune in people."
"It would appear so. Though it worries me that he is blessed to the point of overflowing."
He had said that out of concern that Daniel had monopolized the hearts of three women.
Naturally, the vice-head monk, who knew nothing of that, simply laughed it off.
"What is there to worry about? Daniel has excellent judgment, so he will conduct himself well."
"Conduct himself, you say."
He was not sure if that was even possible after having won the Emperor's favor, but there was no other choice regardless.
"Well..."
Hieronim, who had resolved to support Daniel no matter what the future held, added,
"I suppose we should count it as divine fortune that he is not entangled with bad people."
*
The following evening, an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city.
'I'm sure they said it was here...'
Bilof pushed open the door of the abandoned factory and stared ahead, tense.
Bilof had come here after receiving a radio message from the contract killing group he had hired, telling him to 'come verify as the target has been dealt with.'
But the inside of the abandoned factory was shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see.
As he hesitated over whether to enter or not, the factory lights all turned on at once.
"Ugh!"
Bilof frowned at the now-bright interior and slowly surveyed the space.
In the barren factory interior—empty but for a single chair—a man wearing a rabbit mask sat tied up.
'Is that supposed to be Daniel Steiner?'
He wouldn't know until he checked.
If the contract killing group had truly succeeded in killing Daniel Steiner, then Bilof had effectively achieved a tremendous feat.
Bilof stepped forward, caught between anticipation and tension, but the closer he drew to the figure in the chair, the stronger the sense that something was off.
The man sitting in the chair had a subtly different build from Daniel, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly.
Still thinking he had to confirm, Bilof stopped within arm's reach of the man and raised his hand.
Taking a deep breath, Bilof removed the rabbit mask the man was wearing—and immediately froze.
"This is..."
It was not Daniel Steiner.
The man was a Republic colleague who had been active as an intelligence agent in this city.
He stood there staring dazedly at his colleague, who had passed out as if struck on the head.
Pababak─
All the surrounding lights went out in an instant.
Only a single remaining light illuminated Bilof and the unconscious man.
Realizing he had been had, Bilof hastily drew a pistol from his coat.
"Fuck! What the hell is the meaning of this!?"
But no answer came from the darkness.
Only the sound of echoing footsteps resounded from all directions.
A sense of dread washed over Bilof in an instant. He raised his pistol and aimed into the darkness.
But he could see nothing, and Bilof's hand trembled as he aimed blindly into the dark.
Just as the heavy silence was dragging on, a single bullet flew out of the darkness.
Ting─
The flying bullet struck the slide of the pistol squarely.
His wrist twisted in an instant, and Bilof dropped the pistol.
As the pistol clattered across the floor, Bilof clutched his wrist.
"..."
He felt pain in his wrist, but he could not cry out in agony.
Because the fact that someone had shot his pistol from a distance meant they could kill him whenever they felt like it.
His heart, stricken with fear, made his breathing ragged.
Even so, the sound of footsteps was gradually drawing closer.
As they approached the edge of the light, human silhouettes began to appear.
There were at least twenty of them.
Bilof, who had been gritting his teeth, barely managed to open his mouth.
"Why are you doing this to me? For what purpose?"
There was no answer.
Only the sound of clicking echoed hollowly in the darkness.
Because of that, Bilof's pupils quivered faintly.
"You people... what the hell are you?"
At that, the man at the front stepped forward.
The man, straddling the boundary of the light, had a face shrouded in shadow.
"We are Daniel Steiner's shadows... and..."
In the chill-frozen space, the man continued speaking with emotionless eyes.
"the fear you carry."