NOVEL WEB Chapter 264
262. Engagement – Dub
Tap.
A droplet fell onto the cool stone floor of the underground prison. Tap. Tap. The sound of the droplet, falling periodically, was the only noise that could be heard alongside the murmur of the guards chatting.
Leo sat with his eyes closed at a small table.
Having had all his belongings stripped away, he remained in the same military uniform he had worn while fighting Count Hermann Forte. Yet, quite some time had passed.
– Squeak.
When imagining a prison, it’s easy to picture a scene with iron bars, but there wasn’t enough luxury to employ expensive iron just to hold prisoners. A wooden door, covered in thick black dub (a type of moss), creaked open, and a middle-aged priest entered. He greeted Leo, knowing full well he wouldn’t receive a reply, and took a seat in front of him.
“How are you today? I assume you’ve eaten. Ah… the weather is getting considerably colder. It’s autumn, so that’s to be expected, but the cold always feels new every year. Ah, today’s weather was quite clear. You ought to soak up some sunlight; I’ll have a word with the guard about that. Let’s see, where did we leave off the day before yesterday… Ah yes, it’s time to learn the Lord’s Prayer.”
No, you old fool.
This was the third time he had come to recite the Lord’s Prayer. However, Leo chose not to press the issue, as he knew the priest was trying to open his heart and mouth with such recitations.
“O Almighty Lord,
Bestow your grace upon this land so that those who strive may dine abundantly and that lovers and families may live together in love.
Lead us not into temptation.
Cast us into the flames of the fiery wrath.
We shall prove that we are your proud sons and daughters. We will repay you by nourishing our shining spirit with the flesh and blood given to us by you. In the name of Namere, we pray.”
Regardless of what thoughts Leo entertained, the priest concluded the prayer. Leo merely stared at the priest’s bald head, yet the priest, smiling broadly, said,
“How is it? Quite easy, isn’t it? I think I recited it to you last time too, but I suppose you don’t remember.”
“…”
“Well then. Now that you’ve learned the Lord’s Prayer, shall we engage in some conversation?”
“…”
“Oh dear. You must have nothing to say since you’ve been here all this time. I took care of patients today. I find military doctors truly remarkable. They stitch flesh with thread without so much as a blink. I’ve been trying to learn a bit myself, thinking it could be useful. It seems much more economical to close wounds and grant healing blessings. However, I do wish they’d change their attitude. Saying it’ll sting a bit… Haha. I suppose it’s considerate so the patient doesn’t get tensed up, but that military doctor was rather sly. Have I mentioned him? He is…”
Whether Leo remained silent or not, the priest continued to ramble on. His demeanor was akin to pitying a prisoner who might be executed at any moment, making Leo even less inclined to speak.
We had gotten off on the wrong foot.
The priest had come when Leo was feeling particularly down, and since then, the priest had recited the Lord’s Prayer and chattered endlessly, pouring excessive sympathy upon Leo, which only caused him to retreat further into silence.
And so it had continued. The middle-aged bald priest had begun to talk about things unasked.
“Ah, I suppose you’re wondering why I’m on the battlefield. Oh dear, I should have mentioned it earlier, but I forgot.”
…Honestly, that’s a bit curious.
The Cross Church commanded priests not to involve themselves in the war between the Austin Kingdom and the Belita Kingdom. It wasn’t surprising, as it was a routine occurrence, but this priest’s presence here was puzzling.
Illuminated by the lamp he brought, his bald head shone even brighter than the lamp itself.
“I used to work as a priest in the church at Toridom. Oh, don’t misunderstand; I’m still a priest. But when the war broke out, the Monastery Church ordered us not to involve ourselves in the conflict. I really didn’t want to disparage the sacred church, but it was rather unjust. So, I just came to the frontlines. I couldn’t just leave the dying soldiers to their fate. Whatever I do shouldn’t be a matter for the church, but for me to decide. If they want to excommunicate me, so be it. Being a priest isn’t all that important in serving God. Well… even if they want to excommunicate me, they won’t be able to for a while. Haha. Churches have all closed down, you see.”
“What?”
“Oh? You finally spoke.”
“…”
Leo promptly fell silent again. The priest laughed heartily, as if delighted by his reaction.
“That’s the way to go. Death is not the end, but the beginning. You must be afraid, and of course, that’s natural, but there’s no reason to wrap yourself tightly in fear. People tend to wish to forget that they will eventually die. Even though death is the only fairness given to creation.”
Damn it. So, what the heck happened? Leo felt his body heat up with frustration.
The churches closed down?
That was news to him. As far as he could recall, churches had never closed down before. Whether he guessed it or not, the priest continued his chatter.
“Living with the reminder that one day you’ll die is actually better for you. It makes each day precious, encourages you to cherish your family, and treat those around you with respect. If you think of death, the pervasive distrust and hatred in the world seem trivial. One day, that person will die, and so will I. That enables one to love their enemies. Well, I do find ‘love’ a bit too much, so let’s say it’s more about being able to forgive. It’s important to have a mindset of pitying one another…”
“Why have the churches closed down?”
Unable to hold back any longer, Leo interrupted. The priest’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Are you curious about that? You don’t seem like someone who used to attend church regularly…”
“Yes. I’m curious.”
“Well… I suppose I can’t refuse if you want to know. It’s quite recent. I was caring for the wounded on the battlefield, and while the Belita Kingdom’s forces were pressed back, it all happened while I was here in Lanzara. It was by royal decree. The king of the Belita Kingdom was quite displeased that the Cross Church did not mobilize priests for the war. A command was issued to close all churches, and the cardinal was expelled from the capital. Quite absurd, isn’t it? The order was sent through the church’s communications. It seems the messenger didn’t know Lanzara had been occupied.”
“…”
Leo fell silent again.
Having heard what he wanted, he felt no worth in sharing his own concerns. Leo became lost in thought.
‘This has never happened before. What on earth is going on? Wait, did this happen during my last encounter with my childhood friend?’
No.
In terms of timing, it was around when Reb rescued Enen from the Euta Tribe village where he was cultivating mushrooms.
Since he awoke Reb with the mirror, the events would have unfolded differently this time, but comparing to the last round, it was indeed curious.
However, when he went to Lutetia afterward, he hadn’t heard any of this. Having met the Saint at the Monastery Church, which gathers all the information from across the continent, he shouldn’t have missed such a significant event.
This meant something must have changed this time, completely unrelated to the last beggar siblings scenario… The only notable developments were the rapid advance of the Austin Kingdom Army and the reported death of Count Hermann Forte. Surely Reb hadn’t done anything.
‘Did the war turn unfavorable, causing Duke Astroth to get angry? Did Hermann Forte, his subordinate, die?’
The king of the Belita Kingdom, Caroman de Tatalia, was not human. He might have once been human but had been consumed by the ancient Duke Astroth, leaving only a husk of his former self.
He did seem quite enraged.
If the Saint were to visit Orberg, there could be total chaos; something must have gotten tangled up thoroughly.
Such was the nature of the Ahsin. Terrifyingly powerful, who were restrained by the divine power that the Cross Church had spread across the continent. With their efficiency in offerings being extremely low, gathering strength was a challenge, and despite pooling power, there were those they could never surpass.
The Lord. No, not even just the Lord, but the Saint.
[ Achievement: Saint’s Baptism – Leo gains the ability {Divine Insight}. ]
He had seen it during the last childhood friend round. The infinite divine power flowing toward the Saint.
The divine power that filled her body to the point of bursting was reaching for the heavens. The divine influence from the Lord cascaded like a waterfall into the Saint, and it was so overwhelming that the divine power filling the Saint’s body hardly amounted to but a handful.
The Ahsins could never surpass her. Just as I couldn’t split the continent with the Oblivion Blade. No, even more impossible than that. There’s no hope at all.
This was when Leo became indifferent to the Ahsin. The kings of the Austin and Aster Kingdoms had nearly been devoured by Malpas and Halpas, combined as Malhas, yet they had no tangible solutions.
The best strategy was to live quietly, avoiding the Saint’s notice, and as long as they didn’t obstruct my path like Oriax, there was no reason to be concerned.
Having sorted through his thoughts, Leo fell into silence once more. At this moment, he had a very real chance of facing execution.
There was no way he would be executed, or at least he hoped not. The reasons for his detainment were for abuse of power and royal defamation. Charges that would almost certainly result in capital punishment.
The problem was that the Prince had engaged in a decision before he could even hold a conversation with Count Hermann Forte. It was an abuse of power to command soldiers when he wasn’t a commander, and it was royal defamation to ignore the Prince. Additionally, he had made critical judgments on national issues autonomously, leading to charges of treason. Had he failed to capture the Count, he would have faced immediate execution without any option for imprisonment.
Leo Dexter was neither royalty like Lean de Yeriel, nor a general representing the barbarians like Reb Bijan. As a mere squire, he had caused this much trouble, so being summoned to military court was an absolutely expected outcome.
However, it was also up to Prince Anolf de Klaus to decide.
Above the law stands royalty.
What a king utters is the law, and the prince’s word encompasses judicial, military, and administrative orders, meaning the interpretation of Leo’s actions by him could significantly change the outcome.
Of course, there was no way even a prince could overlook charges of royal defamation. The representative of the Klaus royal family was only the king; he who attempts to cover up royal defamation, even as a prince, would be treated the same as committing treason against the king himself.
The constraints of status are remarkably strong. Sometimes, there are things even a prince cannot handle.
Perhaps it was being trapped in a prison with not a single ray of sunlight that caused Leo to spiral into negative thoughts. Had he revealed from the start that he was a Swordmaster, this situation might have been avoided.
Now, it was too late to reveal it. Claiming, “I’m such a grand Swordmaster; killing me would be a loss,” would hold little weight if said before the prince detained him, but asserting it now would be akin to challenging the prince’s authority.
Does that mean he would just sit here and await execution? If he were to break that wooden door right now, take Lena, and escape…
His father would die.
Not only his father, but Uncle Elson, Lena’s parents, the entire Ainar Tribe tied by family bonds might face a massacre under collective punishment.
Would escaping lead to happiness? Would Lena truly be happy, and would she be able to become a knight?
It was utterly out of the question.
“Hmm. You’ve gone silent again. Since it’s getting late, I’ll take my leave. I’ll return the day after tomorrow.”
The priest rose from his seat.
He wanted to say something to the young man who seemed burdened by all the misfortunes of the world, but without him opening his mouth, there was little he could offer.
All he could do was… visit occasionally, recite the Lord’s Prayer, and light a lamp for him.
‘At least today, I managed to exchange a few words with him.’
The bald priest thought that was enough of an advancement toward the poor young man and exited the prison. As he left with the lamp in hand, the solitary cell where Leo resided was engulfed in darkness.
Tap. Tap.
Only the sound of droplets falling and the priest’s voice conversing with the guards echoed through the gloom.
Leo shuddered at the thought that the dub, nicknamed “Executioner’s Blanket,” spread even more than it had yesterday. Oddly enough, dub proliferated quickly near those facing death, instilling fear in many a death row inmate, yet here he was, alone.