Ch.46People, Lions, Bulls, and Eagles (3)

Maria took out another date as if to show the old man. She continued chewing while watching the old man’s face gradually wrinkle in disapproval.

“I didn’t realize a single date could hold such significance. But when God created this world, surely He also created the western desert, the oases, and date palm trees, right? I don’t understand why eating this would be considered blasphemy against God.”

“Not only have you fallen to the devil, but you’re also an ill-mannered brat! You foolish soul who would sell your spirit for sweets, clean your ears and listen well!

The noble land shaped by God extended only as far as Magdeburg, and the regions to the left were originally lands created by the devil! Even this place, Masada, was made by the devil!”

Even Kain turned his head slightly in surprise. This was obviously nonsense. These lands existed long before the Empire and the Western Kingdom were established. They just weren’t called Masada back then.

Maria flicked her tongue slightly but asked politely:

“So… are we currently having this conversation on top of the devil’s creation, sir?”

Her tone clearly conveyed, “I’m genuinely asking because I don’t know.” Perhaps that’s why the old man’s anger seemed to shift to a lecturing tone.

“In principle, yes! That’s why we should be praising the wisdom of Emperor Alexios and the great prophet Pope Innocentius here!

They were the ones who revealed that the devil’s land could be purified by burying the bodies of pagans and heretics, then sprinkling the blood and tears of their families! Not just Masada! Damascus, Hebron, and even as far as Emmaus!”

“I’ve heard various things about purification, but this is the most extreme version I’ve heard yet, sir. Where exactly did you hear this from?”

Maria seemed too dumbfounded to even think about arguing.

“Don’t judge the world with that bird-sized head and those glass bead eyes of yours! It’s common knowledge, common knowledge!

Not some profound wisdom, but common knowledge that everyone in the Empire knew when I was your age!”

“What was it like back then?”

“The Age of Great Conquest!” the old man shouted. “When the great Alexios I ordered that not even a foundation stone of Masada fortress should remain, I gladly carried it out! And not just me! Everyone has had their moment of glory as a magnificent eagle, even though now we’re like plucked chickens!”

The old man was so excited that he omitted too many details, so Kain had to piece things together slowly.

“Were you perhaps a crusader?”

“Isn’t that obvious!” the old man shouted at Kain.

Indeed, this old man before them was talking about the Third Crusade from more than 30 years ago, much earlier than the Fifth Crusade that had fought against the Demon King.

Back then, Magdeburg was the Empire’s southernmost fortress city, and Masada was the land of western pagans.

The old man, now thinking these “stupid youngsters” finally understood him, raised the intensity of his criticism.

“Back then! Everything ran in perfect order under the Emperor’s command! Those filthy noble bastards who only filled their own bellies?

Alexios I slaughtered those pigs and stuck candle wicks in their bellies! They say human fat candles burned in the capital all year round!

But now… huh…! Young folks don’t even know what ground they’re walking on, happily munching on those devil’s seed fruits, and the current Emperor is so weak that he allows those noble bastards to flap their wings again!

Princess Anna should have ascended to the throne! She would have cut off the knees of anyone who challenged imperial authority and saved the suffering people!”

“Isn’t that statement… disloyal?”

A startled Kain waved his hand up and down as if telling him to lower his voice, but the old man paid no attention.

“What do I have to fear when I’m just a worn-out old rag with not many days left? Has the Empire become so corrupt that one must die for speaking the truth, for speaking what’s right?

Even when the imperial family tries to do the right thing, those noble bastards won’t listen, and that’s the truth behind the Empire’s current state! Are we not allowed to speak even this truth?”

Even though Masada was an imperial direct-rule city with no nobles to worry about, such statements seemed a bit excessive.

This kind of anger was more like what they had encountered in Maxiburg, where people suffered under the robber knights—bitter expressions wondering what the high and mighty were doing while they suffered.

“I understand,” Kain said, giving the old man a gentle smile. “Then, sir, what should be done for a better Empire?”

The old man glared at Kain with displeasure but soon straightened his back with a grunt.

“You’re not a very bright young man! But if you want to hear what this old crow has to say, I’ll gladly tell you. It’s an old man’s duty to enlighten the ignorant!

Burn all heretics, cut the throats of pagans to soak the ground with their blood, and cut off the limbs of those noble bastards who challenge the august Emperor’s authority!

Isn’t it because the nobles are consuming everything that the will of the righteous Emperor cannot spread widely?

If the Emperor ruled from the beginning to the end of this land, and all imperial citizens united and marched forward together, what would there be to fear, and what couldn’t be accomplished!

The Pope too! Should issue a strict order to burn all those heretics, pagans, and desert dwellers who deceive and corrupt people! What is the Inquisition even doing, really!”

Kain nodded once, then twice. “I understand.”

With a bright smile, he even made a gesture as if he wanted to take the old man’s arm.

“I didn’t fully grasp your meaning, sir. I was thinking too casually about this. I sincerely apologize. And with such a large wound on your shoulder…”

Kain pointed to the drawing on the old man’s shoulder. The old man laughed, beating his chest.

“Wound? Those pagan bastards couldn’t touch a hair on my head! This isn’t a wound. Your eyes are worse than mine, old as I am! This is a mark of promise, young man. A promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“A promise that you reap what you sow. A promise that everything will be set right! Yes. Someday, even for those of us who live miserably, good days will come.

How did we old folks live? We walked around covered in blood, and built walls with the corpses of our comrades to block the roads…”

The old man’s eyes seemed to cloud over. But soon he tightly closed his eyelids. Instead, he patted Kain’s shoulder with a seemingly friendly gesture.

“You have a strong body. Have you considered enlisting in the imperial army?”

“My siblings are still young. But when they’re grown and don’t need my care anymore, I plan to enlist officially.”

Kain made up an excuse. To the old man’s eyes, he probably appeared to be a head of household caring for young siblings.

“Yes, yes. A man, you see, should carry the two-headed eagle flag at least once in his life…

So that worn-out birds like me can rest in our graves with peace of mind. When old folks meet, we just caw at each other… Don’t pay much attention to that, young man.”

“I understand. Come to think of it, I’m curious. Do you often have special gatherings or exchanges with other former crusaders?”

“Didn’t I tell you? When old folks gather, we just shed dirty feathers!” The old man laughed, showing his teeth with gaps here and there.

“But these days are quite interesting. Young people with purpose often come to visit and tell us good things.

How wonderful it is! The time is near, they say. The sinners will be punished, the wronged will be compensated, and the light will reveal what the shadow has hidden…

Anyway, you folks. I’m letting you off easy because I’m old enough, but avoid old folks with drawings like this. Understand? Many of them are quite cranky!”

“Thank you.”

Kain remained respectful until the end. The old man turned and walked away. Only then did Kain turn to Maria and Lily.

“A date, please.”

“I ate them all.”

Maria fluttered the empty pouch. Lily handed over the one she was holding. “I kept one just in case.” Kain accepted it gratefully.

The three walked toward the monastery. Eventually, Maria exhaled through her nose.

“Alright. You go first.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because your future wife whispered everything to me.” Maria ignored Lily, who was choking.

“They say when you sparkle your eyes and smile like that, it means you’ve caught onto something?”

“Did I make such an expression?”

“People never recognize their own expressions. Anyway, I held back because Agent Lily told me so. If it were up to my temperament, I would have confronted him right there. So tell me. What did you figure out?”

“I can tell someone is inciting the old folks. Probably the ones who drew pictures on their shoulders.

Revenge. Shadow. Judging by the tone that emphasizes the Emperor and the people more than the nobles, I suspect it’s the Black Phoenix Faith that Father Haspel found strange.”

Maria stopped walking. She sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead.

“…Kain. Weren’t you angry?”

“How could I have felt good about it? But I clearly saw the Black Fire drawing on his shoulder, so I focused only on figuring out exactly what it was. And you’re in no position to talk about that part.”

“Huh?”

“You deliberately made him angry.”

Maria tried to turn her head away as if this was nonsense, but she couldn’t hide her surprised eyes. Finally, she grimaced at one corner of her mouth.

“Fine. I lost. How did you know?”

“You chose to do things the old man disliked and skillfully drew out his testimony.”

“Excited people tend to say more unnecessary things.” Maria readily admitted.

“It works surprisingly well. If you subtly, slightly disrespect them, they get upset thinking ‘who do you think you are?’ And an investigator is someone who should listen, not someone who should speak.”

“What… what will happen to that person?” Lily anxiously looked around in the direction where the old man had disappeared.

“What will happen?” Maria shrugged.

“Nothing special. He’s quite rude and irritating, but I don’t blame him. It’s not the first time I’ve seen someone who thinks like that, and it probably won’t be the last. It’s impossible to grab each and every such person and seek understanding. But…”

Maria tilted her head slightly. Like a lion watching an intruder in its territory, her wariness and anger were evident.

“But the one who’s inciting these people. I can’t leave such a person alone.”

* * * * *

The monastery in Masada gladly accepted the meat. From the older brothers to the young novices, their smiles reaching their ears were noticeable.

As it turned out, in this monastery of poverty, strict restrictions were imposed on everything from food to lifestyle habits, no matter how much money they had.

“However, we’re taught that refusing gifts from guests is another form of discourtesy. And letting good meat spoil is also disrespectful to food. Isn’t it proper to eat it soon by grilling, boiling, or stewing it?”

The middle-aged monk Barnabas chuckled. He and Maria seemed to be acquainted, as they exchanged greetings quite happily. After hearing the three’s situation, the monk willingly offered them a four-person room. The room was spacious and clean.

They were hungry and desperately wanted to rest. Barnabas gladly guided the three to the dining hall.

Although it wasn’t mealtime, the monks who had received the unexpected gift of meat willingly brought out cheese, loaves of bread, and mashed chickpeas mixed with olive oil from the storage. The soft yet nutty flavor added to the deliciousness.

“By the way, Brother Barnabas. Do you know anything about that bald old man? He started cursing right away…”

Maria described the old man’s appearance and behavior. Brother Barnabas scratched the side of his head awkwardly.

“You must be talking about old Baolo. It’s true he was part of the Third Crusade… I don’t know exactly where he’s from, but it’s true that he came here as part of the occupation force and settled down like others.”

“Was he always so extreme?”

“He certainly had that tendency. He was hasty, and his fists often moved before his words, but he also knew how to apologize afterward and was a cheerful, wine-loving person.

A good-natured person, you might say… But he became drastically darker more than ten years ago after losing his son. Two of his children below his eldest son died at a young age, and even that eldest son… It’s not a pleasant story.”

Barnabas seemed reluctant to say more. Kain took over, speaking as if genuinely concerned.

“He had something like a dark wound on his shoulder. Is it okay to leave it untreated?”

“He had something like that?” Barnabas was surprised. “That’s unusual. He’s someone who can’t stand being touched. Perhaps he bumped into something… or maybe he got into a fight with other crusader elders. They’re always like that.”

Kain and Maria’s eyes met. Barnabas seemed to know nothing about the Black Fire or any agitators.

“Don’t you have much interaction with the elders?”

“Well…” Barnabas smiled somewhat sadly.

“Rather than saying there’s no interaction, it would be more accurate to say we’ve grown distant. Not just with the elders. It’s the same with everyone in the village. Especially since Magdeburg became wealthy.”

“Magdeburg?”

“As you know, this city isn’t exactly the most attractive place.” Brother Barnabas spread his arms.

“But wealthy, well-dressed people stop by. It’s like a magnificent peacock briefly perching where sparrows play before flying away…

Among them are people who wear pagan clothes and speak pagan languages, yet are treated as honored guests. It must be hard for the elders who fought, bled, and died to accept this. But what can we do when the world has changed?

They still come to Sunday mass… but not with the same enthusiasm as before. Not just old Baolo, but everyone in Masada is like that.

Some elders say they should have suffered in Magdeburg instead. They say all they get for their backbreaking work here is jealousy.”

Brother Barnabas laughed as if it were nothing, but Kain, Lily, and Maria couldn’t think the same way.

Especially not now, when an evil person was infiltrating among people to spread their will.

“Is there a place where the village elders often gather? If I get the chance, I’ll convey your words to Magdeburg. If they could talk with the archbishops or learned monks…”

Brother Barnabas happily accepted Maria’s subtly thrown suggestion.

“What a blessed idea! But as far as I know, there isn’t a specific gathering place. The elders just meet as they go about their business… However, I’ve heard that the park next to the market gets quite noisy every evening.

There have been many complaints about the elders’ loud voices disturbing dinner. It seems to happen almost every night these days.”

“Is that so…”

Maria lowered her posture slightly, like a lioness who had caught the trail of her prey.

After an early dinner and an hour later, the three gathered their equipment.

Lily carried only an imperial sword, but Kain added a staff to that. Maria carried her usual weapons. Wearing deeply hooded robes borrowed from the monastery, the three moved stealthily into the town as darkness fell.