Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Justification
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At the summons that beat on his heart.
The abbot finally moved and stood before Loan.
Loan had him step aside, then let the people behind him inside.
“Huh? Huh?”
The abbot shook his head back and forth as the people moved, and the knights, on high alert inside the gate, reflexively extended their swords and maces.
“St-stop!”
Behind the people who flinched back in surprise, Loan's voice rang out.
“Let them in.”
The abbot sidled up to him and said.
“They have been exposed to the dark energy. We don’t know when they might turn…”
“So you’d have them stand outside indefinitely? I was exposed too. What will you do with me?”
“That is…”
The abbot looked extremely troubled.
It was likely the same judgment he had made when he closed the gate, but Loan didn't think they would turn.
First, the turbidity of their mana was minor.
He hadn’t specifically purified them. He figured that since the exposure time was short and the amount was small, they would be fine after some rest.
“If you’re so worried, why not just quarantine them inside?”
The abbot, seeing no other choice, ordered it done and let the people in.
In a somewhat calmer voice, the abbot asked.
“But why did you ask me to come outside?”
“I have something to ask you.”
“Is it a conversation that must be had out here? Danger could strike again at any moment, so please, come inside…”
“When did they start coming?”
“…”
Loan wanted to know.
The identity of the corrupted monks. The reason the abbot, as a man of the cloth, had made such a decision.
And whether he could truly hold him responsible.
“It hasn't been many days. About a week, I think.”
“Have you been dealing with them this way the whole time?”
“Not from the beginning. They weren’t too much for the knights to handle. But perhaps because of the dark energy that settled in with the fog, the people outside suddenly started going mad, and we could no longer cope. The knights, too.”
“Did they become corrupted monks as well?”
“Some might have, but most just became victims. The ones we call corrupted monks are the pilgrims who were on the path of penance before they were turned.”
“How do you know that?”
The abbot pointed to a corpse lying nearby and said.
“They all wear necklaces made of shells. It’s a symbol of the pilgrims.”
Loan checked for himself. It was true.
As Loan approached, nodding slightly, the abbot spoke.
“I don’t know who made them like this, or how, or why. I suspect it might be the work of Le Tell or Brien.”
“Le Tell is certainly capable of such a thing. And Brien… aren’t they the cabal of dark mages operating in Schwerin?”
“That’s right. Schwerin is further south from here. It’s not so far that we don’t suffer from their activities from time to time.”
The nation of magic, Schwerin, shared a border with Cion.
If the corrupted monks were the product of human enhancement and awakening through dark mana, then a collaboration between Le Tell and Brien was worth suspecting.
“And so?”
“In any case, they were not something we could stop. The current situation was unavoidable.”
“You seem to be able to sense the dark energy. Judging by the knuckles you’re wearing, you should be able to manifest divine power as well. With that much faithful power, couldn’t you have saved people without being consumed by the darkness?”
“I might have, but I also might not have.”
In other words, he doesn’t take risks.
The abbot did not change his stance that there was nothing wrong with his judgment and actions.
Loan suddenly tilted his head up, his gaze following the line of the gate.
His eyes swept over the sharp blades embedded in the outer wall. The remnants of human flesh and blood, the red stains, were vivid under the moonlight.
“The stains coloring the outer wall weren’t left by the corrupted monks, were they.”
“…”
For the first time, the abbot avoided a direct answer. His reaction was an affirmation.
“The corrupted monks may have lost their humanity, but they could speak. They even spoke with a cause-and-effect logic for their actions, calling it divine judgment. They wandered in search of victims before rashly attacking. They recognized their opponent’s strength and attacked in groups. Beings like that wouldn’t have recklessly tried to scale the walls to capture this monastery.”
“…”
The image of people trying to climb the gate came to mind—grasping the sharp blades with bare hands to escape the monks' maces.
The traces of wounds from being cut, pierced, and sliding down.
It was clear that those who tried to survive by climbing the gate had become the victims.
Desperate hearts and screams filled with pain still lingered on the outer walls of this gate.
Loan said, as if sighing.
“The innocent people who struggled to survive died because of this wall. A place for those who serve God has become a place of despair, not hope.”
His words were filled with blame for the abbot.
But despite that, Loan concluded that he couldn't hold him responsible.
He understood the choice to close the gates because there was nothing else they could do. He also understood the sentiment of not being able to let in potential threats indiscriminately.
Of course, there was the option of letting them in and quarantining them, as they had just done, but that couldn’t be considered completely safe either.
One couldn't simply condemn the desire to protect one's own first.
It could be dismissed as a difference in values.
However, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that the perpetrators of this act were followers of a god of love and benevolence.
And that most of their choices were skewed toward excessive safety.
The abbot spoke to the silent Loan.
“It is a harsh world. Evil is rampant. Unheard-of beings threaten our lives. Our Orthodox Church must step forward and save the world.”
Loan tilted his head. The words didn't fit.
He had been pondering whether there was no other way than to sacrifice civilians, whether it was something a person of faith should do, whether being free of responsibility made it morally right, and whether that action could be considered the will of the entire Orthodox Church.
And now, out of nowhere, he was talking about saving the world.
“Salvation?”
“Yes. He said it is time to gather our strength until we can rise and vanquish evil. I have a duty to do so. Even if it meant enduring sacrifices, I had to protect the faithful for the sake of a greater victory.”
“Whose will is that? The Mother Goddess’s?”
“Bishop Mathias has interpreted the will of God and is preparing for a holy war. Those who must be kept safest right now are the ‘believers.’ They are the only way to prevent ruin.”
Loan stared intently at the abbot, Joel.
He met Loan's gaze with an unwavering look in his eyes. Loan could feel that his eyes were filled with faith.
Until a moment ago, he had thought it was faith and conviction in the Mother Goddess, or in his own judgment, but now he realized that wasn't it.
It was closer to a blind faith in this Bishop Mathias.
He felt a little dumbfounded.
“So, the conclusion is that you were playing it safe on the orders of this Bishop Mathias? That the safety of the believers is necessary to prepare for a holy war? I’m curious about that logic.”
Hearing Loan's words, the abbot gave a very benevolent smile.
He folded his hands neatly, as if about to begin a sermon.
He was treating Loan like a prospective believer, looking fondly upon one who was about to enter the embrace of the Mother Goddess.
“Humans can never attain perfect reason, nor can they judge. All humans are the same. Because we are imperfect beings. But God is different. The only perfect being is God. And there is only one God in the world. The proof is that only the faithful of the Orthodox Church can wield God’s power.”
“Only the faithful of the Orthodox Church?”
“Yes.”
The abbot's expression was incredibly bright as he answered.
As if swept up in overwhelming emotion, a dense and pure mana surged around him.
Loan asked.
“And so?”
“When the world is being stained by evil, the only ones who can stand against the beings known as demons are God, and those who believe in God. Only our Orthodox Church can do this. That is our mission.”
“By sacrificing ordinary people?”
“A necessary sacrifice. And only a part of it. If we can protect the priests and believers who have been granted entry to the holy land, we can prevent a much greater sacrifice later. My calling lies there. In protecting God’s soldiers.”
“Was the sacrifice also an order from Bishop Mathias?”
“He provided the standard. As such, the Orthodox Church will now become the focal point. The realms of politics and interests, divided and zoned by humans, are now meaningless.”
“It sounds like you’re referring to the Union.”
“I won’t deny it.”
In other words, he was denying the Union.
The center of resistance against evil must be their Orthodox Church, so the imperfect Union created by humans should step aside. That was likely his meaning.
Loan tried to keep his composure. To do that, he had something to confirm first.
“One more question. Are the claims and ideas of this Bishop Mathias the will of the entire Cion Orthodox Church?”
The abbot was silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty.
“As I understand it, there are still many differing opinions, but I believe that His Grace’s will will soon reach the Archbishop and the Pope.”
Loan nodded slowly, as if he now understood, and turned away.
His gaze was fixed on the distant canyon.
“Of course, the argument that humans are not perfect is valid. I’m no exception.”
Why did the boy’s back look like that of a sage who had transcended the world?
The abbot found himself listening intently to Loan's voice.
“Sometimes a crooked or slightly flawed face can bring about better results in certain situations. At least on the outside. So while there can be a standard, there is no such thing as absolute perfection.”
“What does that mean…?”
“The inside is the same. I am fundamentally kind-hearted. I also lost many people close to me when I was young. It’s only natural that my disposition is soft. Because I am that way, I step up for things beyond my ability as if they were my own. It’s because I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Muttering in a somewhat lonely voice, Loan gestured for the abbot to come to his side.
As he approached with a bewildered expression, Loan pointed into the deep darkness.
“There. Another corrupted monk is coming.”
“What?”
“No need to be surprised. It’s just one. The dark energy it’s dragging along isn’t that strong. It’s just one of them. If you deal with it quickly, you won’t be consumed by the energy you’re so worried about. It’s only one.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“How about it? As a warrior of God preparing for a holy war, how about giving a lesson to the imperfect Union?”
The abbot swallowed dryly, his gaze shifting between the darkness and Loan.
The man who had so confidently expressed his opinions just moments before was gone.
At a moment when the silence felt incredibly long.
A rustling sound came from the darkness.
The abbot unconsciously took a step back, moving behind Loan.
What emerged was a wild dog.
Loan said.
“Nothing is coming. At least not right now. There are no corrupted monks here.”
“Then why…?”
“Everything you said was just an excuse. You shouldn’t be arguing that it was your only option. You should be ashamed of your incompetence for creating a situation where that was your only option.”
“…”
“The Union is made of people whose mission is to lay down their lives to protect others. They have already been doing the things you won’t do, the things you can’t do. And you think you can replace the Union with such incompetence?”
A smile spread across Loan’s face as he looked at the abbot.
Bright as the moonlight. But with a somehow chilling expression.
“Where is Bishop Mathias?”
Loan asked.