Ch.19Report on the Fall of Innocence (6)

The two of them talked for quite a long time. With what they had learned so far, they couldn’t see the complete picture. That’s why they tried to at least grasp the outline of the situation. This would help them gain more from tomorrow’s meeting with the Inquisitor and the high-ranking knights.

Both the Church and the Empire were protecting the heroes in the same way. Both groups seemed to lack a proper understanding of the current situation. However, their approaches were completely different.

The Empire had chosen Kain and Lily as investigators because they were free from the influence of nobles who could affect the imperial family and the Empire.

Kain wasn’t a nobleman and had never revealed his hometown. This meant he couldn’t be threatened with lines like, “If you don’t obey us, we can’t guarantee your parents’ safety back home.”

Lily was in a similar position. The White Blood Knights were essentially an independent armed group within the Empire. They weren’t particularly friendly or hostile toward the nobles, and while they claimed loyalty to the Empire, they didn’t show absolute obedience like the imperial army. However, if anyone other than the Emperor tried to interfere with them, they certainly wouldn’t stand for it.

Moreover, the White Blood Knights were tasked with secret guard duties. With Lily around, at least they wouldn’t be the first to attack.

So the Empire was aiming for a “completely independent investigation, influenced by no one.”

In contrast, the Church’s approach seemed focused on “elevating the Pope’s authority and controlling the situation.”

Unlike the Empire, they hadn’t yet made any notable appointments. The Church and Pope’s confusion was evident in how they had practically imprisoned the Knight of Chastity, William, and the victims in the sealed monastery.

Instead, they had initiated the “canonization” process. To elevate someone to sainthood, an extensive investigation into their life was required.

Every action and deed from birth, miracles performed, evaluations from those around them—all investigations would be legitimized, without limits, and the information would be available to any high-ranking Church official.

Either the power structure was too complex for pretense, or the Pope wasn’t powerful enough to play games as before, or the matter was so serious that it couldn’t be concealed even if they tried.

Kain and Lily believed the third possibility was most likely. This was evident from how the Church had reached out to the Empire and requested escorts from both the Church’s Holy Grail Knights and the Empire’s White Blood Knights, despite their notorious poor relationship.

The fact that they had even helped the Empire deal with the bandit knights while requesting escorts clearly showed how desperate the Church was.

“Still, he’s quite an impressive old man.”

This wasn’t sarcasm but genuine admiration from Kain. The Pope was a cunning politician.

Through “canonization,” he had justified the investigation of the heroes, preventing any gossip. All investigation results would go to the Pope, and the control of rumors and information would depend on his directives. If rumors had been rampant, the Pope’s authority would have diminished further. Now, the Pope had gained the initiative to spread misinformation and deliberate false rumors.

If there were no issues with the Seven Heroes, he could simply make them saints. If problems arose, he could gracefully withdraw, saying, “It’s unprecedented to venerate a living person as a saint,” and then gloss over the revealed issues.

It was a clever move that reduced political burden while securing the Pope’s initiative.

It was a trick because it wasn’t a straightforward approach. The very use of such a trick was evidence that the Pope had no better options. The canonization process was merely a way to buy time, and the real intent was to understand “what exactly happened.”

“The Pope knows how to handle secret intelligence organizations. It seems he’s confusing everyone so that no one except the person at the very top can see the complete picture. He’s mixed everything up so thoroughly that it’s impossible to tell what’s intentional and what’s genuine confusion.”

“What’s the benefit of doing that? If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know, and if you do…”

“He wouldn’t openly reveal his weaknesses like that. Even the Empire, if they realized what the Pope didn’t know, could use it as a bargaining chip.”

Lily pulled her knees close and complained.

“I don’t like it. We’re working hard in the field, seeing all sorts of things, while His Holiness the Pope is deliberately stirring up muddy waters. He’s even blurring our vision. It feels like we’ve become loaches.”

“What’s wrong with that? Loaches hide in muddy water to protect themselves. The water will settle on its own, and we just need to wait patiently. It’s frustrating and confusing, but we’ve learned a lot today. Tomorrow… we’ll learn even more.”

Kain tapped the wooden board with his finger. They had already discovered everything they could in the current situation. Anything beyond this would be speculation and imagination based on limited facts. Imagination was free, but they shouldn’t form preconceptions.

“Let’s sleep now. I think we’ve done enough. We’ll talk with the Church people tomorrow.”

“Alright. Good work.”

“Good work.”

Unlike Kain, who closed his eyes, Lily rummaged through her bag for a while.

“Do you have something else to do?”

“Ah, yes. The oil…”

The upper chest that had been chafed by the heavy chain mail. Kain’s mind vividly recalled the cleavage of Lily.

“Should I give you some space?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I can do it quickly.”

Kain lay down facing the wall. Perhaps because the room had no candles and moonlight was the only illumination, Lily seemed to struggle a bit. But soon there was a clattering sound, followed by the pop of a cork being removed, and then…

“Ah…”

An awkward moan.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I spilled a little.”

“Did you spill it on the floor?”

“No… my clothes got a bit wet. Not enough to change, but… ah…”

Kain pulled the blanket over his head.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“…I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.”

“I’m not asleep yet.”

The blanket was thin, and outside it was too quiet. Not even the sound of wind could be heard. That’s why the rustle of clothes falling to the floor sounded so loud. It was like leaves rustling right next to his ear.

Squelch… squelch… the sound of flesh touching flesh. “Ugh… hm…” a shallow moan. The chafed areas must have been quite swollen. Anyone would react that way when cold oil touched raw wounds.

With each squelching sound, the scent of olives filled the air. The cold oil warmed up with body heat, showcasing its unique fragrance. The more the oil was rubbed between fingers and chest, the more the scent would spread.

“Hm…”

Kain, wondering when it would end, glanced back slightly. Fortunately, Lily was sitting with her back turned. Her shirt was placed beside her. With her long, flowing golden hair gathered over her right shoulder, she was gently stroking her skin.

And Kain saw it. The countless scars on Lily’s back. He involuntarily recalled the suffering people he had seen in the chapel earlier that day.

Whip marks. Burn marks. Knife wounds. Stitched scars. Would an angel’s back look like that if its wings were forcibly torn out? The persistent moonlight blazed, as if urging him to look closely.

‘…I know because I’ve been beaten a lot.’

That’s what Lily had said. ‘I should have realized when I learned the weapon was a “scabbard.”‘ If the visible wounds were like that, the ones inside must be even deeper.

Was her back always so delicate?

It was an absurd thought. Lily was taller than Kain. Of course, it was because of her long legs, but she had never seemed small enough to make him want to embrace her.

‘It’s because of the olive scent,’ Kain thought. ‘It’s because of the warm olive scent mixed with her body odor.’

So when Lily seemed to glance back at him over her shoulder, when their eyes seemed to meet, when Lily tilted her head back and languidly stroked her chest from top to bottom with both hands, and when the outline of her chest, glistening with oil, was clearly visible because her back couldn’t hide it…

‘It must be the moon playing tricks.’

Kain forcibly turned his head away. He heard Lily pick up and put on her clothes with a soft moan. He also heard her lying down under the blanket.

“Are you asleep?”

A whispered voice, as if afraid to wake him.

“Yes.”

“I must have been noisy.”

“No.”

“Are you really going to quit?”

“Yes.”

“Hold my hand.”

“What?”

Kain’s head was already spinning. He wanted to clear his mind. Lily’s voice was as soft as the oil.

“You don’t see me as a woman anyway. And you’re going to quit after this job is done. So, before you leave, couldn’t you lend a hand to a colleague?”

“Do colleagues really need to do that for each other?”

“…Can I be honest?”

“Yes.”

“Bad memories keep coming back.”

Silence pooled in the moonlight. Lily slowly extended her hand.

“Those wounds, the wounds those people inside have suffered, are ones I’ve seen for too long. I’ve been holding back, but… I don’t think I can sleep like this. I don’t want to recall those bad memories.”

If only he hadn’t seen her back, it would have been easier to refuse. If only he hadn’t seen her crying behind the pillar, he could have told her not to be ridiculous.

Kain decided to think simply. How hard could it be to hold the hand of someone drowning?

He couldn’t extend his hand while lying on his side. So Kain lay flat on his back and stretched out his left hand from under the blanket.

Lily moved closer to Kain and reached out her right hand, holding his hand modestly. It was slippery, perhaps because of the remaining oil, and it tickled, warm and moist.

“You won’t do anything mischievous, will you?”

Lily asked teasingly. Kain gave a hollow laugh.

“Aren’t you trusting me too much?”

“I trust you. This is a ‘monastery’ after all. As always… you’ll follow the rules, won’t you?”

“Ha.”

Lily was right. This was a monastery. Unless they had set up a tent like the knights, this was a proper dormitory where monks slept. It would be disrespectful to pour out desires in such a place.

“Yes, it’s a ‘monastery.'”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s sleep.”

Lily fell asleep quickly. Her large chest, not fully covered by the blanket, moved gently. But she didn’t want to let go of his hand. She even tightly interlocked their fingers. When Kain relaxed his grip, Lily finally relaxed hers too.

‘Did she naively think nothing would happen because it’s a monastery? Or did she know everything and do it on purpose? Or if neither, was I seeing things strangely?’

Kain’s eyes gradually closed. He had seen and heard too much today. In addition to what he had seen and heard, even the smells were unfamiliar.

How much had the darkness revealed, and how much had the light concealed?

The roots of secrets were deep, and the grown malice was so high that it was hard to look up at.

What lingered at the tip of his nose was a sweet, tangy scent of oily flesh.

What filled his palm was a pleasantly warm, sticky yet moist temperature.

The walls were stone, the bed mattress was a wooden board, the pillow was a wooden block, but lying beside him was a good person, alive and breathing.

He was dizzy. It was complicated. Wanting to escape, Kain fell into sleep.

In his dream, he saw Lily. Naked, fully exposed. Her body, smooth with olive oil, glistened under the moonlight.

But her face wasn’t visible. It was hidden in shadows. In that state, she lay down in a swamp and gradually sank.

Kain tried to grab Lily and pull her out. But Lily couldn’t escape. Instead, she held onto Kain. She wrapped her arms around his back and entangled her legs with his.

She kept sinking as if the swamp were a bed.

‘Kairos. Let’s go. To the worse side.’

It was no longer Lily. It was a shadow. A shadow wearing a dress. A shadow with black blood gradually spreading.

Kain struggled. He moaned and screamed. The shadow laughed and twisted grotesquely. It was hard to breathe.

– It’s alright.

Something firm yet soft and warm touched his face. It was warm and cozy. Like someone curling up in sleep to find warmth in the cold, Kain instinctively sought the warmth.

– It’s alright. It’s okay.

Something soft and hot settled on his entire body. Kain felt like he was melting. He felt safe here.

– I’m here. I won’t leave. Don’t leave. Don’t go. Please don’t go.

A pleasant restraint.

– Don’t abandon me.

When morning dawned the next day, Kain couldn’t remember the dream. Their fingers were no longer interlocked, and Kain’s body was drenched in sweat.

Lily slept deeply with a smile like a doll placed by a spring window, but she too was soaked in sweat. It was puzzling how hot the night had been.

Kain didn’t bother to wake Lily.

* * * * *

After a quick wash and breakfast in the dining hall, the two were sitting on sun-warmed rocks for a brief rest when the squire they had seen yesterday approached them. His face was covered in bruises. He seemed to have been severely beaten during the night.

With unclear pronunciation, he informed them that the Inquisitor would arrive at 10 AM, and the high-ranking knights would come in the afternoon. They would be late because they were bringing additional supplies and more personnel.

“Have a good day.”

As the squire was about to leave after greeting them, Kain stopped him.

“Why were you beaten so badly? It seems too severe.”

The squire was restless. He glanced at other passing knights and servants. Lily added with concern:

“That’s right. Even for the knightly order…”

“It’s training.”

The squire smiled sadly.

“Everyone goes through this. We learn how to obey and make others obey, discipline… self-control, and how to survive on the battlefield where a single mistake can be fatal. All the other knights went through this too, so I can’t show weakness alone.”

“Even so, I haven’t seen anyone beaten as severely as you.”

Kain and Lily had seen servants and squires being kicked in the shins or hit on the head by other knights. But none were beaten as severely as the man before them.

The squire’s hands trembled. He tried to smile.

“It’s because the Lord favors me especially. Not just anyone can become the Lord’s squire or servant.”

“Why? Why do you endure it?”

Kain frowned. The squire’s chin now trembled slightly too. He seemed compelled to return quickly.

“…To become a holy knight.”

“I understand.”

The squire bowed and left. His gentle eyes looked sad.

Kain knew such eyes. They were the eyes of a horse that pulls loads until it collapses and dies on the road with its heart bursting. The eyes of a beast of burden that can’t even rebel when whipped in the eyes by its driver.

“Are all holy knights like that?”

“I don’t know,” Lily’s voice was subdued.

“But that doesn’t make a good knight. While patience is a knightly virtue… that way… that’s not the way.”

Lily shook her head as if trying to shake off bad memories.

“It shouldn’t be.”

“I think so too.”

Kain stood up, tapping the ground with his staff.

At ten in the morning, the Inquisitor truly arrived. Without even removing his hood, he beckoned to Kain and Lily.

“Let me see you for a moment. Let’s talk, just the three of us.”