Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Heart-Speech
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The Path of Penance is the shortest and most well-known route to the temple.
The name holds a double meaning.
One is that it was the path the first apostle of God walked to awaken his powers after hearing the divine voice.
And the other is that it is an equally arduous path to walk.
Steepening slopes that appear without warning. A narrow path clinging precariously to a sheer cliff.
This path, which incorporates all the elements of an ordeal, sees its difficulty spike dramatically after a certain point.
That point is the city of Leoder, a unique place in many respects.
It blends various characteristics, serving as Shion's administrative capital, a key transportation hub, and a major trade relay point.
‘Just because it's a nation of faith doesn't mean everyone's a priest.’
Simply following the word of God doesn't solve the problem of putting food on the table.
Shion is no different from any other country.
People live their own lives, and paths branch out in every direction accordingly.
Naturally, where people gather, villages and cities are bound to form. Provided the conditions are right.
In that regard, Leoder possessed the various elements a city should have.
A well-planned, densely packed city center. A river encircling its perimeter. A large lake, like a pool carved into the city's heart, creating a peaceful scene.
The grandeur of the Letia Mountains overlooking it all.
The National Administration Office, which oversees the country's finances. The Monastery of Repose, said to be the largest in Shion.
And the Grand Market, where merchants from Schwerin in the south, Grafton in the west, and even Ferrara and Rhodes in the southwest tread.
‘Now it finally feels like I'm in a foreign country.’
Loan, who had been pressing on toward the temple, skimping on sleep, food, and rest, decided to stay a night here in Leoder.
It was a conclusion he'd reached after piecing together the stories of pilgrims he met on the road.
And as he listened to the voices around him in the market's most popular restaurant, he came to fully understand the city's diversity.
Within it coexisted faith in the Great Mother Goddess, the subtle scams of swindlers, the upright spirit of pilgrims, the shrewd calculations of merchants, quiet prayers that calmed the heart, and loud rumors gathered from all corners.
And so.
A handsome boy in a Union suit was enough to draw everyone's attention, but it wasn't long before he naturally blended into the atmosphere.
“These days, the Path of Penance isn't an ordeal because the road is rough. It's because of the Fallen Monks, have you heard of them?”
“I know. They say just surviving an encounter with them is as good as being chosen by God.”
“Thank goodness for Bishop Matthias. I hear he's very concerned about the safety of the faithful.”
The news of the bishop's death had not yet spread.
His reputation, at least, seemed to be firmly established.
Loan nibbled on a dish of shredded and pan-fried potatoes as he thought.
‘True. It's hard to dislike a leader who protects his own.’
Especially when the world is so harsh.
Just then, a discussion was in full swing nearby about the very things that made the world harsh.
“Did you hear? They say the reason the ghouls are so rampant lately is because demons are behind it.”
“Demons? What nonsense. There's no such thing.”
“You don't know what you're talking about. They say the Fallen Monks became that way by borrowing the power of demons.”
“Talk is cheap.”
“It's not just talk. A few southern villages were completely wiped out by the Fallen Monks, and I heard the Brien have settled there now.”
“The black mages?”
“Exactly. Who do you think the Brien get their black magic from?”
Elsewhere, a debate about the political situation in neighboring countries was raging.
“Shion is no different from the other duchies now. It's no longer a safe haven protected by God. Things are getting noisy in the north and south.”
“I know the southern villages are suffering, but isn't the north okay?”
“Of course it is. All the bishops and combat priests have been deployed to the north. It's practically a war zone.”
“So the south has been left vulnerable.”
“The Union should be helping out at a time like this, but they're not living up to their name at all...”
The man, remembering there was a Union member present, quickly lowered his voice and glanced back.
The others followed suit, their interest piqued.
The boy in the suit, seemingly oblivious to the man's voice, was absorbed in dipping his bread into cheese.
Then, as if sensing their gazes, he looked up and smiled brightly.
“It's a little salty for my taste, but it's delicious.”
He had been distinguishing and listening to most of the conversations in the restaurant, but arguing with ordinary people was pointless unless they provoked him directly.
The Commander and the Liberty Division were already up in northern Shion, but there was no reason to inform these people of that fact.
Loan's smile helped the restaurant regain its usual liveliness.
If there was any change, it was that someone had requested to join Loan at his table.
“Hello, Runner of the Union. Would you mind if I joined you?”
The man who spoke, lowering the hood of his robe, was an elf.
It was hard to tell an elf's age by their appearance, but in human terms, he looked to be in his thirties.
He had a very kind face, and his mana was pure and dense.
It was strange that Loan hadn't noticed him approaching.
When Loan hesitated to answer, the man glanced around.
“As you can see, there are no empty tables.”
To be precise, there were no empty tables. However, there were many others occupying tables alone, just like Loan.
He had specifically chosen Loan.
Curious, Loan gestured for the man to sit.
“Thank you. I'm Fabian.”
“Loan, Runner of the Union's Faith Division.”
Fabian ordered some food from a server and smiled brightly at Loan.
“I overheard you on my way in. You enjoy the food in Shion?”
“Yes. A book I enjoy reading said, 'The food of Shion is simple and warm.' The flavors are quite rich, too.”
“Haha. That's a line from *A Gourmet's Stroll Across the Continent*. I always felt Hans wrote that part with a particular dryness, it being about his homeland's food.”
“You know Commander Hans?”
Loan asked, straightening his posture slightly.
“Of course. He was a very bright child. Full of purpose, too. Had he walked the righteous path in Shion, I might have even considered him my successor. Ah, but of course, it's not too late for that now.”
He didn't hide information in his words. There was no sense of arrogance. He spoke as if he genuinely believed it.
It didn't feel off-putting.
‘He must be much older than Commander Hans.’
And to speak of a Union Expert as a potential successor, he had to be at least a bishop, if not higher.
“Are you from the Monastery of Repose?”
“The Great Mother Goddess is everywhere, so the whole world is my home and my workplace. That's how you might put it in Union terms.”
“You don't seem like an ordinary priest.”
Their conversation paused as soup and bread were placed on the table.
Fabian, who didn't forget to thank the server, tore a piece of bread, dipped it in his soup, and replied.
-*Yes. I am an archbishop.*
Loan's eyes widened in an instant.
One reason was Fabian's revealed identity. The other was the way he was producing sound.
No, to be precise, it was the way he was conveying meaning without sound.
‘What is this...’
Fabian smiled.
-*Do not be alarmed. It is indeed me speaking. It's a secret art passed down in the Orthodox Church. You can think of it as the voice of the heart.*
It was fascinating how the meaning was conveyed even as he chewed his bread.
-*Having a private conversation with a Union Runner here would create quite a few rumors. Please understand why I'm speaking this way.*
Loan nodded silently.
He was eager to hear more.
-*Commander Hans told me about you. The purification of ghouls was something I couldn't have imagined, so I was very curious about what kind of person you were. Of course, it would have been proper for me to visit you, but I hope you'll forgive me for not being able to.*
There was no sound, but he could tell from the flow of mana.
There were vibrations.
He couldn't understand how it was possible.
It was the most wondrous and shocking thing he had experienced recently.
“It's alright.”
He said that one short phrase and ate his food, waiting for what would come next.
Fabian also continued his heart-speech while eating his soup.
-*I heard you were on your way, so I came to meet you. You must have been walking the Path of Penance. Did you run into any trouble?*
Loan now focused on the vibrations themselves.
A wave (波動) is literally a vibration—that is, a tremor that moves and is transmitted.
So far, all he had figured out was that there was something unique about the archbishop's vibrations.
‘I hope he keeps talking.’
Without answering, Loan held out the letter his seniors had written.
As Fabian took it and read, a shadow fell over his face.
And a moment later.
He regained his usual calm expression.
-*So that's what happened. Your journey must have been very arduous. I should have spoken more with Matthias. I had no idea he was putting such dangerous thoughts into practice. It is my oversight.*
Fabian added that he would cooperate with the Union for a thorough investigation.
-*While it was closer to an individual's deviation, I want to first apologize for the harm it caused to the Union, to you, Sir Loan, and to the people of Shion. I hope your perception of the Orthodox Church has not been soured.*
Loan, busy trying to figure out the principle behind it, simply nodded.
‘The answer is in the vibrations.’
Upon observation, he could feel countless vibrations within the wave.
Those myriad vibrations were directly striking Loan, creating meaning.
How did he create so many vibrations?
Curiosity and dawning realization surged within him, and he couldn't resist trying it himself.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah.”
“Hm?”
Fabian tilted his head, watching Loan suddenly make sounds of varying pitch and length.
Ignoring him.
Loan observed the process of creating sound and the tremors within the waves that spread from his mouth.
He noted how the vibrations changed as he raised and lowered the pitch.
A wave of sound was, after all, created by the trembling of the vocal cords in the throat.
He thought that if he could control that movement, it might be possible. Once more.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah.”
Since contracting and relaxing his vocal cords by will alone was difficult, he used the flow and volume of his circulating mana to assist.
As the tremors became countless, the sound began to grow fainter.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah.”
-*Sir Loan, are you perhaps...*
Fabian watched Loan making sounds in front of him with a look of wonder.
Could he be trying to imitate the heart-speech he was using?
He had heard the boy was very talented. The process for purifying ghouls was admirable. And perhaps because he was a mage, his very scholarly approach was also refreshing.
But right now, he seemed less like a scholar and more like a child with innocent curiosity.
Like a child with a new toy, turning it this way and that.
Of course, he wouldn't be able to use heart-speech just by doing that, but his inquisitive attitude was worthy of praise.
As he came to this conclusion.
Just as Fabian, with a small smile, was about to say something to Loan.
-*Ahem, can you hear me?*
Loan's mental voice echoed in Fabian's mind.
“Good heavens!”
The startled archbishop ended up crying out loud.