Ch.29Devotion Offered by the Sword (4)
by fnovelpia
The outer walls of the main building were plain stone, but the interior was magnificent.
The delicate mosaic floor gave the feeling of strolling through a red rose garden. The geometric arabesque patterns on the walls and windows seemed to writhe with mysterious life even when viewed motionless.
The lobby, open all the way to the fourth floor, revealed a domed ceiling above. Second floor, third floor, fourth floor. Beyond the stone railings, people were everywhere. Some laughed while others leaned against the railings engaged in serious conversation.
The lobby was just as crowded. The accents varied greatly—just by listening carefully, one could hear every dialect of the Empire from north to south, east to west.
In the center of the hall, there was even a separate information desk. Monks sat at desks arranged in a row, providing directions, accepting documents, and taking consultation appointments. To Kain, it looked even busier than the capital’s courthouse.
“How may I help you?”
The mendicant monk greeted him with a friendly smile. Kain responded politely.
“I request an audience with High Inquisitor Heinrich.”
“Do you have a prior appointment? Or is this regarding a complaint or accusation?”
“Neither, but it’s an important matter.”
The monk smiled broadly again, looking somewhat troubled. Judging by how natural it seemed, this wasn’t a smile he had practiced just once or twice.
“I’m sorry, but he’s not someone you can meet right away. The same goes for all the other officials here. They’re all extremely busy. If we could schedule an appointment, it would save you time as well. Would you like to make one now?”
Kain briefly considered whether to mention Father Haspel to this mendicant monk. Using another High Inquisitor’s name might grant him easy passage. But the risk of exposure was also great, especially considering Anna’s response.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Kain clicked his tongue as if truly disappointed.
“Actually, I’m involved in a significant business venture. A trade that would have been impossible without the blessing of the Prophet of Life and Death. I wanted to express my gratitude through donations and charity events, and hoped to ask Father Heinrich to give a benediction.”
The monk’s expression suddenly hardened. Kain’s ear tickled. Lily, standing close behind him, must have been nervous as she was breathing on him. The monk looked Kain and Lily up and down.
“Um. The person behind you is…”
“Ah. My wife.”
“Hello.”
Lily greeted him elegantly from behind. The monk nodded reflexively, but his eyes remained full of suspicion.
“Well. I apologize, but I’d like to hear more precisely about your business. Oh, if that sounded strange, I apologize again. It’s just rare for someone to request donations and charity from a High Inquisitor.
We’re familiar with most people of such standing, but I haven’t heard of a couple where the wife is slightly taller than her husband.”
Though clearly rude, Kain bowed politely and deliberately. Anyone observant would recognize it as a Western pagan custom.
“It’s natural you wouldn’t know me. I’m a trade broker, primarily active in the West and East. I haven’t had the opportunity to make my name known in the South, but I’m considering expanding my business there with the help of good connections.”
The mendicant monk’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s hard to believe. Trading with Western pagans requires authorization from both the Empire and the Papal Office. But, excuse me, judging by your attire… you don’t appear to be nobility. Though your clothes are certainly valuable.”
He wasn’t wrong. Neither Kain nor Lily wore the shoulder decorations of high nobility, nor the waistbands worn by royalty.
The soft silk fabric with delicate gold thread patterns was certainly expensive, but it had the characteristics of wealthy merchant clothing rather than noble attire.
“You’re right. Authorization is important. But there are ways to trade without it.”
“Pardon? How so?”
“Conversation between people requires no permission. I frequently correspond with merchants from the Western pagan lands and the Eastern United Republics. When someone contacts me saying they need certain goods but don’t know who to meet, I introduce them to someone who can supply those items. I receive a brokerage fee in between.”
“Ah, I understand. You’re a kind of information broker. But how is such trade possible?”
The monk seemed quite interested. Kain wondered why a mendicant monk who aimed for poverty would be interested in such matters, but he focused on winning the monk’s favor.
“Well. Rather than walking through cities risking death by sword, people prefer to use intermediaries even at the risk of fraud. And the Blumberg Twin Trading Company in the Imperial capital is famous for its high credibility and solid insurance policies. Here’s my letter of credit.”
Kain placed a fake identity credit letter and a Southern Kingdom gold coin the size of a child’s palm on the table. The monk pulled the letter to examine it, kept the gold coin, and returned the letter.
“I understand. Just a moment… Ah, I’m truly sorry, but meeting Father Heinrich right now will be difficult. He’s serving as a judge in a religious trial that will begin shortly. He has much to prepare before the trial, so a visit is impossible, but…”
The monk busily shuffled through documents. After asking for understanding, he stood up, whispered something to another monk, and brought back a list.
“Fortunately, since it’s a public trial, I can add you to the observer list. I’ll inform the guards in advance so you can speak briefly after the trial. How does that sound? There’s about two hours left, so there’s plenty of time.”
Kain thought of a dog. A dog that fetches thrown garbage and pants as if to say, “Didn’t I do well?” The monk’s expression was exactly like that.
“That would be perfect.”
Of course, Kain remained courteous.
* * * * *
For two hours, Kain and Lily wandered around.
Befitting its status as the Empire’s second city and the holy site of the Two-headed Eagle, Magdeburg contained another castle within it.
Though it lacked a moat and drawbridge, it was a proper castle with elongated inner walls, a sanctuary dedicated solely to the Order. The Inquisition Headquarters, St. Lia Cathedral—the world’s largest temple—and the Veneration of the Sword Park.
Kain walked like an ordinary man, his left hand on his waist and his right hand holding a cane. Lily walked quietly with her arms folded. They would appear to be an ordinary couple to anyone watching.
Of course, the conversation they exchanged in low voices was anything but ordinary.
“I should send a drink to the Magdeburg Security Bureau chief. He said we wouldn’t be treated like people if we didn’t wear clothes like these, and he was right.”
The bureau chief hadn’t asked what mission Kain and Lily were on. The principle was to neither ask nor answer about missions, but to provide maximum convenience to personnel dispatched from the capital.
Kain had ordered “two sets of clothing that would make us look like merchants,” and though not by choice, agreed to pose as a “married couple” with Lily. It was recommended that a “married couple” working together would look more natural than “cousins” in business together.
Even so, it was quite surprising when the Magdeburg Security Bureau chief brought expensive and heavy clothing that only capital merchants would wear.
“Isn’t this too much? Pure silk, and what’s this? Gold thread embroidery? How did they dye silk red like this?”
Not only Kain’s clothes but also Lily’s were quite burdensome.
They were typical Imperial clothes in that they didn’t reveal the figure, but they were adorned with jewels cut in some mysterious way, as densely packed as morning dew, making them careful to wear.
“Too much? I’m not giving these to you for special treatment, but so you won’t be turned away at the door. In Magdeburg, if you don’t dress at least this well, you won’t be treated as a person. And I don’t know the secret either. Southern Kingdom craftsmen made them.”
“I’ve heard many times that Magdeburg is wealthy, but to the point of disrespecting people… what happened?”
“It’s because of the war, Agent Lily.” The female handler who came with them answered instead.
“The Pope and the Southern Kingdom benefited most from the Accursed Crusade and the Fifth Crusade. Magdeburg is a major trading city with the Southern Kingdom, and as a result, enormous wealth has poured in.
Additionally, His Holiness the Pope designated the ‘Veneration of the Sword Park’ as a special holy site. He declared that just one visit would exempt you from punishment for all sins committed against God.
People come for both pilgrimage and tourism. Even Northern and Western pagans come walking in with bags of money.”
“My goodness. I thought they were merchants. Real pagans? Is that possible?”
The bureau chief laughed heartily.
“When you see how hatred and conflict melt away before money, you’ll call it a miracle. It’s like a furnace. Simple, isn’t it? Where people gather and money gathers, merchants follow. Before money, religion, grudges, and conflicts all disappear.”
Even so, it was an absurd situation.
While traveling to Magdeburg in a disguised mail carriage, Kain and Lily had encountered numerous crowds. They ranged from poor people to those with money and power.
However, all of them, lined up as if Magdeburg were the world’s only toilet, wore sorrowful, dark, and desperate expressions.
Kain had visited this city long ago, before his Eastern assignment. Magdeburg was wealthy then too, but not to this extent.
“That? The Order’s policy has changed a bit. They threaten that if you live like this, you’ll go neither to heaven nor hell. You’ll burn in an intermediate zone until you’re purified, but they say you can skip that ‘purification process’ if you prove your sincere faith. Something about receiving punishment in advance?”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, even if you’re forgiven after doing something wrong and promise never to do it again, you’d still get a lash or two, right? Everyone gets those lashes before going to the afterlife, but they’re saying they’ll let you avoid that.”
“That’s just wordplay. And how do you prove sincere faith?”
“In the past, you’d join a crusade or make donations, but there are no such wars these days. So the Papal Office came up with pilgrimages and donations.
Of course, I think the greater intention of walking the paths of those who sacrificed their lives and remembering their will is good, but why is one of those holy sites the inner city of Magdeburg, which is the wealthiest, has the highest cost of living, and where the Papal Office takes everything?”
“What about the Finance Bureau? They wouldn’t just sit by.”
“Oh, those money bugs? Don’t even mention them. Why would they stop people coming with bags of money? Didn’t you see the stalls lining the road before entering the inner city, with markets continuing? That’s the Finance Bureau’s work.
Naive country folk get fleeced there once, and when they enter the inner city, they have no money left and struggle, until a monk kindly says, ‘It’s alright. Your faith is proven just by coming here,’ gives them a smile, and they happily return home.
They go back with empty wallets, empty hearts, and empty guilt—it would be stranger if their steps weren’t light.”
“Good heavens.”
“It got worse after the Veneration of the Sword Park opened. As I said earlier, pagans are flocking in. The funny thing is, even Western and Northern pagans acknowledge the Veneration of the Sword Park. They too launched holy wars against the Demon King.
And for those face-saving pagans, what could be better for showing off their power than spending money in the heart of an enemy country during a truce? People are the same everywhere.”
Kain and Lily didn’t know what to say. The bureau chief sighed deeply, as if tired.
“Magdeburg is a crucible. A crucible boiling with the flame of money. The religious court severely criticizes charlatans who claim to have the Philosopher’s Stone that turns lead into gold. But in my view, Magdeburg itself is the Philosopher’s Stone.
All the world’s hatred, enmity, grudges, and guilt turn into gold nuggets—if this isn’t miraculous alchemy, what is?”
Standing now in front of the ‘Veneration of the Sword Memorial Park,’ Kain thought those words were absolutely true.
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