novelraw Chapter 130*: Childhood Friend - Bronze Goblet*
Chapter 130*: Childhood Friend - Bronze Goblet*
*Chapter 130. Childhood Friend - Bronze Goblet*
By the time Rev crossed the border and arrived in Lutetia, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, it was autumn, with cool breezes blowing.
There had been a few skirmishes along the way. But compared to the previous hunting party, the opposition consisted of few priests, almost no paladins, and soldiers from an insignificant army.
Rev killed them all. There was no reason to spare enemies rushing to their deaths.
He passed through villages and towns without incident. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sacrifice them all, but after killing Lena Ainar and Leo Dexter, he was too confused. 'Why did I kill them?'
─ This question kept haunting him, complicating his thoughts.
He had simply done what he was supposed to do as Barbatos's apostle. But why did he keep feeling that something was wrong?
Another question that puzzled him was why he kept worrying about the lack of 'mirrors.'
When he became Barbatos's follower, his father had offered a mirror as a sacrifice.
But there was no need to regret it.What was there to regret about something offered to the gods? Besides, it wasn’t even his... or it was his, but he had used it all... What am I thinking?
Rev shook his head vigorously. After spending a night in a small mountain south of Lutetia, he packed up his tent, muttering to himself.
“Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Maybe I caught too much wind.”
That must be it. The long journey had accumulated fatigue.
Thinking he was dizzy, Rev loaded the tent onto Bante's back.
Bante, whose leg had been broken, had become strong again thanks to Barbatos's divine power. Although he limped slightly, it wasn’t much of a hindrance, having previously ridden a horse with a short foreleg named 'Woody.'
Rev descended from the mountain. The great capital of the Holy Kingdom, Lutetia, was not far away.
- Kill them. Just listen to me.
A strong urge arose again.
He was desperate to kill all the people there to replenish the divine power he had expended fighting the vile followers of the main god.
But,
‘...It’s not urgent. I’ll think about it after I get Lena.’
Lena was not far.
{Tracking} clearly indicated she was in the central church to the east of Lutetia.
Strangely, thinking about Lena made his desire to offer sacrifices disappear. He felt guilty towards Barbatos, but he wanted to see her quickly.
Finally, he arrived at the grand gates of the central churChapter The towering spires and white walls, filled with various statues, greeted him for the second time.
‘It brings back memories...’
Technically, it wasn’t his experience, but hearing how Lena had been expelled from here had shocked him. He felt sorry for Lena, who must have clung to these gates, crying...
But that tragedy would not be repeated. As Barbatos's apostle, he would make her a follower and ensure her lifelong happiness...
‘Wouldn’t that make Lena sad? Would she even like it?’
“Ugh!”
A sudden counterargument made his head throb painfully.
Until now, thinking of Lena had confused him so much that he tried not to think deeply, but now, faced with an undeniable contradiction, his mind felt like it was splitting apart.
‘I am the great Barbatos's apostle... but Lena’s dream is...’
“Ugh!”
“What’s the matter? You don’t look well.”
As Rev gasped for breath, a young monk guarding the gate approached with concern. He asked about the young man clutching his head and writhing.
But the response was not, “I’m fine,” or “I suddenly feel unwell.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t talk to me. How impertinent.”
“...Yes, my apologies.”
A noble.
The monk, startled by the young man’s intimidating gaze and subtle nobility, retreated to his original position.
If only a paladin were guarding the gate. Then, he could have complained, but...
The monk grumbled inwardly, watching the haughty nobleman stagger inside.
Unfortunately, there were no paladins left in the central churChapter They had all left with the priests to hunt down the evil god’s apostle.
The citizens of Lutetia were only just beginning to hear rumors about the appearance of the evil god’s apostle in the Kingdom of Orun.
Some speculated that there was no such mythical creature and that it was a civil war misreported.
Knowing the truth but ordered to keep silent by the church, the monk suffered. He loved to chat but now had to endure a harsh penance of silence.
‘Can we only speak after the hunt is over? This is killing me. Where is that noble going? That way...’
He considered informing the noble he was going the wrong way, but the annoyed monk muttered, “Hmph! Let him suffer a bit. If you get lost here, it all looks the same, and you’ll end up wandering in circles,” and stopped caring about the arrogant noble.
*
“Phew... finally finished.”
Lena stretched, having read a mountain of books piled on a library desk.
Records of eighty-seven saints were vast. On Priestess Ophelia’s advice, Lena traced their steps and found a clue.
Why did the church prohibit priests from marrying?
It was a custom decided after numerous meetings, and it seemed natural now to view priests as celibate. But in ancient times, it was not so.
Ancient priests rarely lived celibate lives. Before the saintess descended, there was no divine power or Holy Cross Church, and it wasn’t established as the state religion like it is now. Ancient priests were just laymen with personal faiths spreading their beliefs.
Their way of life was no different from commoners.
They worked with villagers, ate together, and lived communally. They took it upon themselves to help people in difficult times.
So there was no reason to insist on celibacy.
They would offer prayers of gratitude to the main god for granting them a beautiful bond when they fell in love and got married. Compared to modern clergy, ancient priests were much more free-spirited.
As they became part of the massive organization known as the Holy Cross Church, they gradually became bound by various regulations.
Of course, all those regulations were initially created with good intentions. It's not entirely negative. However, Lena thought that the rule prohibiting priests from marrying didn’t seem essential for serving the gods and had external influences on its formation.
The prohibition on priests' marriages was established during the mid-period of the Arcaea Empire when the fifth saint, Cardinal Tigorov, was in office.
Cardinal Tigorov was a significant figure who left behind many writings. His "Theory of Perceptual Beings," written in his later years, is considered indispensable for understanding Constino's "Fetters of Creatures" and Lazar's "Responsibility of Creatures," earning him sainthood posthumously.
Despite his great contributions, Tigorov led a very debauched life.
Three marriages and divorces, a duel in his youth that left him lame, and abuses of his position as cardinal prevented him from being canonized during his lifetime.
Lena had only recently learned these details. They weren’t covered in the "Ancient Theology" classes that discussed the achievements of the seven saints. She could understand why...
The "Chronicles of the Saintesses" that Lena had read revealed these details. Tigorov was repeatedly reprimanded by the saintess for his misconduct, and after his third divorce, he was decreed never to marry again.
This decree marked the beginning of the prohibition on priests' marriages.
Initially, it applied only to Tigorov, but the logic that "it is better for priests to live celibate lives to serve the gods" gradually extended to all cardinals, high priests, and priests.
Of course, Lena’s research did not stop at merely uncovering this. She meticulously analyzed contemporary records to find out why this rule was expanded and discovered that the celibate lives of saintesses greatly influenced this.
Saintesses did not marry.
Not a single one.
This seems obvious by today's standards, but it wasn’t so in times when marriage was more freely accepted.
Upon Daniel’s recommendation, Lena also referred to a book titled "The Birth of the Saintess," which recorded that during the time when saintesses maintained their youth for decades despite their short lifespans, their celibacy was seen as unusual and significant.
Lena finally understood why the church prohibited priests from marrying but didn’t apply the same rule to monks.
The rule against priests marrying was originally based on the notion, "Since the saintess with divine power does not marry, it is better for priests with divine power also not to marry." This notion didn’t extend to monks.
Having grasped this thread, Lena began to put back the vast volumes of "Chronicles of the Saintesses" she had been reading.
She now knew the cause and reason.
But there was still a long way to go.
Knowing the cause and reason, now what? Next, she had to prove why priests should be allowed to marry and why the rule should be rescinded.
‘Ugh... This won’t be easy.’
Brushing off the book dust from her hands, Lena gathered her belongings and pondered.
‘I think I should link this to the "Responsibility of Creatures." Since it’s about relaxing the rules, a philosophical approach seems fitting. I’ll have to ask Veronian where to start studying from...’
Phew, there's so much to study.
The thought of having so much to study in the future brought a smile to Lena’s face, even though she was tired.
Studying wasn’t boring or dull for her. In Demos Village, she couldn’t go on weekdays because she had to gather food for the day, but she spent weekends at the church reading all day.
Compared to that, the central church was a blessed place!
A place where she could study as much as she wanted.
Although some classes were canceled recently due to the priests being dispatched, she could still attend various high-quality lectures as much as she wanted.
There were also many books.
The library was filled with more books than she could read in a lifetime, and the book prices were quite reasonable.
Lena had bought numerous theological books second-hand from Daniel and a few other apprentices who were about to graduate with the money she received from Rev. She was thrilled.
The book she held in her arms now was not a library loan but her own.
As she descended the stairs, Lena hummed a tune.
‘I’ll finish my morning studies and have lunch, then find a sunny spot to read.’
Before heading to the dining hall, Lena habitually looked for the "goblet" to offer a prayer.
But,
“Huh? Where did it go?”
The brass goblet, which had stood like an ornament near the library entrance, was gone.
It had been there when she entered in the morning. She had offered her morning prayer to the goblet with the Holy Cross Church’s emblem on it, so it must have been removed while she was studying.
“Hmm...?”
Lena was perplexed. Having been here for half a year, she had consistently offered prayers to that goblet.
The central church had plenty of statues and relics for prayers, and the main hall housed dozens of holy artifacts and several sacred items, but Lena found the goblet more convenient and somehow appealing.
‘Why did they remove it?’
Whom should she ask about this? ─ As she pondered and turned around,
“Ah!”
Lena let out a startled cry, her eyes wide in shock, and then ran with explosive joy.
“Rev? Is that you, Rev? Oh my goodness! How did you get here?!”
Rev stood at the library’s main entrance. Lena rushed over, hardly believing it, her face filled with uncontrollable joy as she approached him.
“Lena... Ugh!”
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. You must have had a hard time getting here. Are you unwell?”
Lena, who had been about to touch Rev’s gaunt cheek, froze and stiffened.
- Hahaha! Thank you!
Something horrifying invaded her mind. A slimy, heavy presence wrapped around her consciousness, licking it hungrily.
Lena tried to scream in terror, but her body didn’t obey. Only a faint exhalation escaped her, the last breath she could voluntarily release. Her eyes turned crimson as she stood there.