novelraw Chapter 263: Engagement - Moss
Chapter 263: Engagement - Moss
262. Engagement - Moss
Drip.
A droplet of water fell onto the cold, damp floor of the underground prison. Drip. Drip. The periodic sound of dripping water was the only noise in the prison, aside from the murmuring voices of the guards engaged in idle chatter.
Leo sat at a small table, his eyes closed.
He had been stripped of all his belongings and was still dressed in the military uniform from his battle with Count Herman Forte. Yet, it had been quite some time since then.
Creak.
Contrary to the common image of prisons with iron bars, the expensive metal wasn't wasted on holding mere prisoners here. Instead, a wooden door, covered in black moss—a type known as "doob"—opened, and a middle-aged priest entered. He greeted Leo with a "Good day," knowing he wouldn't receive a response, and sat down in front of him.
"How are you feeling today? You must have eaten something by now. Ah... the weather is getting colder. It's only natural since it's autumn, but the chill feels new every year. Oh, today's weather was quite clear. You should get some sunlight; I'll talk to the guards about it. Now, where were we... Ah, yes. We were about to learn the Lord's Prayer."
No, you fool.
This was the third time the priest had visited, only to recite the Lord's Prayer. However, Leo didn't question it, knowing this was the priest's way of trying to open his mouth and heart."O Almighty God,
Bestow your grace upon this land, so that those who toil may eat their fill, and lovers and families may live in harmony.
Test us, we pray.
Throw us into the flames of karma, as fiery as hellfire.
We shall prove that we are your proud sons and daughters. We shall repay the flesh and blood you have given us with a brilliant spirit. In the name of Namer, we pray."
The priest finished the prayer, seemingly unaware of what Leo might be thinking. Leo simply stared at the priest's bald head, but the priest smiled warmly.
"How was that? Not too hard, right? Now that I think about it, I might have recited it last time as well, but it seems you don't remember."
"..."
"Well then, since we've learned the Lord's Prayer, shall we have a little chat?"
"..."
"Oh, right. You wouldn't have much to say, being stuck in here. Today, I tended to the patients. Every time I see them, I'm reminded of how amazing military doctors are. They stitch up wounds without even blinking. I thought it might be a good skill to learn, so I've been practicing lately. It seems more economical to suture a wound and then give it a blessing for healing. However, I wish they'd change their approach a bit. They always say, 'It'll sting a little...' Ha ha. I suppose it's to keep the patient from being too nervous, but that military doctor was too flippant. Have I mentioned him before? He..."
The priest continued to chatter, whether Leo responded or not. The priest seemed more disappointed that a condemned prisoner kept his mouth shut than anything else, which only made Leo more determined not to speak.
We started off on the wrong foot.
The priest had come at a time when Leo was feeling particularly despondent, and since then, he had been reciting the Lord's Prayer and babbling on with an air of pity. Leo's refusal to speak was a reaction to the priest's excessive sympathy.
This had gone on until now. The middle-aged, bald priest had begun to ramble on about things Leo hadn't even asked.
"Oh, but you must be wondering why I'm out here on the battlefield. Ah, my apologies. I should have told you earlier, but it slipped my mind."
Honestly, that is something I'm curious about.
The Church of the Cross had strictly forbidden its priests from getting involved in the war between the Kingdom of Aslan and the Kingdom of Bellita. It was nothing new, but the reason for this priest's presence here was unclear.
The bald priest's head gleamed brighter than the lantern he had brought with him as he spoke.
"I used to serve in a church in Toridom. Oh, don't misunderstand—I'm still a priest. But when the war broke out, the Central Church decreed that we must not get involved in this conflict. Honestly, it felt like an unjust order. So, I decided to come to the front lines anyway. I couldn't just leave the dying soldiers to their fate. Whatever I do is not for the Church to decide, but for me. Let them excommunicate me if they want; priesthood isn't all that important when serving God. Not that they'll be able to excommunicate me anytime soon, anyway. Ha ha, the churches are all closed."
"What?"
"Oh? You've finally spoken."
"..."
Leo clammed up again, and the priest chuckled softly, as if genuinely pleased.
"That's how it goes. Death is not the end, but the beginning. It’s only natural to be afraid, and you should be, but there's no need to bottle it up. People often want to forget that they'll die someday. Even though death is the only thing that's truly fair for all creatures."
Damn it. So what happened? Leo's mind raced.
The churches are closed?
This was news to him. As far as he remembered, the churches had never been shut down before. Whether the priest knew what Leo was thinking or not, he continued to ramble.
"Living with the awareness that you'll die one day is actually beneficial. It makes each day precious, helps you cherish your family more, and encourages you to be polite to those around you. When you remember that you'll die someday, the distrust and hatred so rampant in the world seem meaningless. One day, that person will die, and so will you. That’s how you can learn to love your enemies. Well, love might be a bit much; perhaps 'forgive' is more realistic. It's about cultivating a sense of pity for one another..."
"Why did the churches close?"
Leo finally couldn't hold back and spoke again. The priest's eyes widened in surprise.
"That's what you're curious about? You don't seem like someone who was particularly devout..."
"Yes. I am curious."
"Well... if you insist, I don't see why I shouldn't tell you. It happened quite recently. I was tending to the wounded on the battlefield, and when the Bellita Kingdom's forces started to retreat, I found myself here in Langzra. That's when it happened. The king issued an order. It seems the King of Bellita was very displeased with the Cross Church for forbidding priests from participating in the war. He decreed that all churches be closed, and the cardinal was expelled from the capital. It's quite ironic, isn't it? The order was delivered via the Church's own communication channels. The person delivering it must not have known that Langzra had already been captured."
"..."
Leo fell silent once again.
Leo remained silent, having heard all he needed. He saw no value in sharing his own concerns. He fell into deep thought.
“Something like this has never happened before. What exactly is going on? Wait, was it like this during the last round with my childhood friend?”
No.
If he were to compare the timelines, this should be around the time when Rev rescued Enen in the Euta Tribe village where he grew mushrooms.
Though this time might have played out differently due to waking Rev up with the mirror, nothing like this had occurred during the previous round.
When he had visited Lutetia after that, he hadn't heard any mention of such events. Despite meeting the saintess at the central church, where information from all over the continent gathered, nothing of this magnitude had been mentioned.
This implied that something had changed in this round, something that hadn't happened during the previous scenario with the beggar siblings. The only significant events this time were the faster advance of the Kingdom of Aslan's army and the death of Count Herman Forte. Surely, Rev hadn’t done anything.
“Could it be that Grand Duke Astroth is angry because the war is turning against them? Or because his subordinate, Count Forte, was killed?”
King Kumaean de Tatalia of the Bellita Kingdom wasn't truly human. He had once been, but his body was now merely a shell, devoured by Grand Duke Astroth, an ancient being who had existed for countless ages.
It seemed that Astroth was indeed furious.
If the saintess were to visit Orville, everything would be destroyed. This sort of action indicated that something had gone terribly wrong.
Such was the nature of the Ashins. Incredibly powerful and terrifying, yet restrained by the divine power spread across the continent by the Church of the Cross. The efficiency of their sacrifices was extremely low, making it difficult for them to gather strength, and even if they did, there were forces they could never surpass.
The Lord. No, even before reaching the Lord, they couldn't surpass the Saintess.
Achievement: Baptism of the Saintess – Leo has acquired the ability {Divine Perception}.
He had witnessed it during the last round with his childhood friend—the infinite divine power flowing into the Saintess.
Her body, filled to the brim with divine power, was so overwhelming that even the portion inside her, though immense, was but a fraction of the power cascading from the heavens like a waterfall.
The Ashins could never surpass her. Just as Leo couldn't cleave the continent with his aura blade, it was even more impossible for them. At least the latter held some hope.
This realization had led Leo to stop worrying about the Ashins. The kings of Aslan and Aster Kingdoms had also nearly been consumed by Malhas, a combination of Malpas and Halpas, but even they had no effective countermeasures.
They could only live quietly, avoiding the Saintess's attention, and as long as they didn't interfere with his path like Oriax had, Leo saw no reason to concern himself with them.
Having organized his thoughts, Leo lapsed back into silence. There was no point in dwelling on such trivial matters when he could be executed at any moment.
While it seemed unlikely that he would actually be executed, the possibility couldn't be ruled out. The charges against him were abuse of power and treason against the royal family—offenses that carried the death penalty.
The problem stemmed from him exercising authority before the prince could make a decision in his conversation with Count Herman Forte. He had issued orders to soldiers despite not being a commander, which was considered abuse of power, and he had disregarded the prince, which was seen as an insult to the royal family. Moreover, he had taken it upon himself to make decisions regarding a matter of national importance, which could be interpreted as treason. If the count hadn't been captured, Leo would have been executed on the spot without even being imprisoned.
Leo Dexter was neither a royal like Lean de Yeriel nor a general representing barbarians like Rev. As a mere sub-knight, it was only natural that he would face military justice for such actions.
However, the outcome largely depended on Prince Arnulf de Klaus's decision.
In this land, the law bowed to royalty.
The king's word was law, and the prince's words carried the weight of judicial, military, and administrative authority. How the prince interpreted Leo's actions would significantly affect the outcome.
Of course, even the prince couldn't overlook the charge of insulting the royal family. The Klaus royal family was represented by only one person: the king. If a prince tried to officially cover up a charge of royal insult, it would be regarded as rebellion against the king, even if he were the heir.
Such were the constraints of status. Even princes could find themselves powerless at times.
Was it because he was trapped in this sunless prison? Leo found himself plagued by negative thoughts. If he had revealed from the start that he was a Swordmaster, none of this would have happened.
But now, it was too late. Claiming now that he was a great Swordmaster and that killing him would be a loss would only come across as a challenge to the prince's authority, especially after having been imprisoned.
So, was he doomed to execution? Should he break down that wooden door, take Lena, and escape?
Father would die.
Not just his father, but also Uncle Elson, Lena's parents, and the entire Ainar Tribe, who were bound to him by kinship, might be wiped out by association.
And even if they escaped, would they be happy? Would Lena truly be happy, and could she still become a knight?
That was utterly impossible.
"Hmm. You're silent again. It's getting late, so I'll be heading back now. I'll come again the day after tomorrow."
The priest stood up.
He wished he could say something to the young man who looked like he was bearing the weight of all the world's misfortunes, but unless Leo opened up on his own, there was little the priest could do to help.
All he could do was visit occasionally, recite the Lord's Prayer, and light the lantern.
'At least today, he said a few words.'
The bald priest took that as a small step forward in reaching out to the pitiful young man as he left the cell. As he carried the lantern away, Leo's solitary cell was plunged into darkness.
Drip. Drip.
Only the sound of the priest speaking with the guards and the water droplets echoed through the air.
Leo shuddered at the thought that the "moss of the condemned," the doob, had spread even further since yesterday. Mysteriously, this moss grew rapidly near those close to death, terrifying many prisoners on death row.
And here, Leo was alone.