episode_0049
by fnovelpiaGiovanni di Greco, baptized John.
He was born as the only child of the Counts Greco, a prestigious noble family of the empire.
Whenever he visited the County of Greco, he would always give alms to the poor. His father, Count Greco, did not stop him.
Giovanni had always grown up without want. The Greco Counts, who had amassed their wealth honestly, were renowned for their deep religious faith, and people praised their good influence.
Since the ancestors of the Count Greco family were from the Holy Land, they had deep faith. Priests from the Holy Land visited frequently, and it was not uncommon for the priests of the territory to welcome them with smiling faces.
It was not unreasonable for Giovanni, who grew up seeing such things, to dream of becoming a priest.
Before he knew it, Giovanni had become a young man. He had wanted to become a priest since childhood, so he left his family immediately. With only his two feet and a cane, he set out on a pilgrimage to a distant holy country.
During his pilgrimage, he encountered all kinds of hardships: swollen, bleeding, torn flesh, poor travelers, and even thieves.
However, Giovanni overcame all of these with his characteristically good character.
When he got a wound, he would crush some vaguely familiar herbs and apply them to his feet.
When he met a lost traveler, he guided him away from the path he was taking to the Holy Land.
When I met thieves, I offered them heartfelt forgiveness and warm words.
So, how much time has passed?
Giovanni was finally able to set foot in the Holy Land. He went straight to the nearby cathedral and received the sacrament of ordination to the diaconate from the local bishop.
It had been exactly two years since I started on the pilgrimage.
Even after becoming a deacon, he did not stop his good deeds. He always helped the weak and showed the possibility of salvation and repentance to those who had fallen into evil.
The number of people who looked favorably upon him increased. The same deacons relied on him and followed him, and the priests believed in him and trusted him.
It was only natural that Deacon Giovanni would quickly ascend to the priesthood.
The rank of priest Giovanni, who rose to the rank of lay priest, continued to rise smoothly, and he was able to ascend to the position of senior priest before he was over thirty years old.
As we age, the wrinkles on our faces become deeper.
The good heart of Father Giovanni grew stronger. Long ago, when he had set out on a pilgrimage in a state of peculiar enthusiasm, his eyes seemed to be dreaming.
Although the passion and warmth that characterized his youth have faded, as time has passed, a softly shining wisdom has taken its place.
The wrinkles engraved on his face seemed to represent his wisdom, which only deepened.
His age is now well over sixty.
Although there were several opportunities to offer him the position of bishop, Father Giovanni refused all of them.
The reason was that once he ascended to the position of bishop, he would not be able to go on inspection tours to help those in misfortune.
Even the Vatican, which had offered him the position of bishop several times, was so impressed by his character that they stopped offering him the position.
The Vatican, wishing to ensure that he could enjoy a comfortable old age in his native land, sent him to the empire instead of giving him the episcopal see.
As the head priest of the newly opened Chaldea Imperial Academy in the capital of the empire.
* * * * *
“He did not lose his good character even after coming to the academy. It is said that he introduced jobs to poor students and gently helped students who were on the wrong path to correct their path.”
“… Is that so?”
“In the Chaldean Imperial Academy, they called him the Saint of the Academy. That is indeed true. If such a person is not revered as a saint, the other believers will be ashamed.”
I shook my head in confusion. His words were not much different from the rumors I had heard at the Academy.
The head priest, Giovanni, was a good man who devoted himself to the Academy, and many students and professors of the Academy followed him. He was called the saint of the Academy.
Then, in the Academy that had been praising Father Giovanni so much,
“Why did the Academy record that the head priest Giovanni had accepted the devil?”
Why did you make that decision?
At my question, the wrinkles around Father Matthew’s eyes deepened. He licked his lips for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Because he deliberately accepted the devil’s possession.”
“… … .”
I looked at him with a blank expression. Father Matthew’s expression, which had lost its smile, looked so sad.
“Then, that’s… .”
Faced with Father Matthew’s attitude, I was desperately trying to find something to say, but eventually I ended up keeping my mouth shut.
That he is an apostate. That he is a heretic. That he is a devil worshipper.
Those words were rising to the very bottom of my throat, but I couldn’t bring myself to say them.
When I was unable to continue speaking, Father Matthew smiled weakly and said,
“I know what Brother Benedict is thinking.”
“… Worshiping the devil is a mortal sin.”
“Yes, but that decision was clearly made with good intentions.”
I could not understand what Father Matthew was saying. Father Matthew’s sad eyes were turned towards me.
“He received an offer from the devil that he could not refuse.”
“An offer you can’t refuse… . Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
Father Matthew nodded weakly. His eyes were filled with sorrow and grief, and their depth was even deeper than when I first saw them.
“Brother Benedict. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes. Anything I can answer.”
“Brother Benedict, do you care about the students at the Academy?”
It was a random question. I nodded in agreement.
“Do you love Academy students?”
Do you love your students? I nodded to that question as well, as I didn’t feel any difference from the previous question.
“Then, the last question.”
I thought he was asking an obvious question. Without thinking much about it, I waited for him to continue talking.
“If you were told that students at the Academy were in irreversible danger… . What would Brother Benedict do?”
“… … .”
I looked at Father Matthew with a stern expression. It was difficult to discern the hidden intention behind his question.
And there was only one answer I could give.
“I will protect you at all costs.”
“Is that the only way, even if it means driving Brother Benedict to ruin?”
“… Yes.”
Respect filled the eyes of Father Matthew. It was refreshing to meet the eyes of a priest older than me, shining with respect.
“Let me ask you one more question. Why did you make that choice?”
It was a surprising question. I looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to find something to say.
“… I am not as good as Father Giovanni.”
“I see.”
“I can’t give unconditional love like that. I don’t have the personality to do that.”
“Yes.”
“But, I… .”
Why do I want to protect the Academy and my students?
“… Because I have sinned.”
“Sin, right?”
“Yes. It is a very serious sin. And I will live with that sin for the rest of my life.”
“Is protecting the Academy Brother Benedict’s way of atonement?”
I nodded. Father Matthew’s eyes deepened.
I averted my gaze from those eyes. I turned my head and looked at the lonely clouds that had drifted far away.
What I felt was shame and embarrassment.
I was ashamed of myself for unconsciously accepting the fact that the reason I was protecting the Academy and its students was simply an act of personal atonement.
But, one word uttered by Father Matthew. Because of that… .
“Brother Benedict. You don’t have to be ashamed.”
I couldn’t help but look back at Father Matthew.
“Don’t worry about the beginning, look at the actions and the results. Protecting the Chaldea Imperial Academy and the students who study there and pursue their dreams. Is this an evil thing?”
“… No.”
“Then it’s done.”
Father Matthew smiled kindly. I looked at him for a moment, then looked away.
“Father Giovanni… .”
“Brother John also thought so.”
“… Yes?”
A foolish question popped out. Father Matthew ignored it and continued speaking.
“He also wanted to protect the students of the Academy. At any cost.”
“That’s, what the… .”
“Didn’t you say you accepted the devil yourself?”
My mouth slowly opened. Horrifying fantasies were swirling through my head, but I wanted to deny that they could be true.
“The demons of the Academy. At first, they were possessed by a traveler, and when they visited the Academy, they approached Brother John. And they said this.”
Do you see those little lambs running freely here?
I will infect them with evil.
Slowly, very slowly. I will not devour them all at once, but will show them the taste of despair one by one.
If we were to take possession of the bodies of those lambs, we would probably not be able to endure them and would be torn to pieces.
If that happens, we’ll find our next prey. One, two.
If that happens, I will wring out their insides like a rag, and their blood will dye the garden in heaven.
“Unfortunately, Brother John was a person who had not learned the exorcism ritual. He was just tormented by the whispers of demons and grew haggard day by day.”
“… … .”
“And then, in the end, the demons make a proposal.”
If you wish to protect them, hand over your body to us.
“And Brother John…. Couldn’t bear to see others suffering.”
I stared blankly at Father Matteo. After hearing the hidden story about Father Giovanni, I felt as if I had been hit hard on the back of my head with a hammer.
“Then, .”
“Yes, that’s right. Brother John made the choice to accept the devil himself.”
My hands clenched into fists in anger. I asked with a trembling voice.
“Did the Vatican… find out about it too late?”
“… As soon as Brother John realized the existence of the demons, he reported this to the Vatican. The Vatican immediately dispatched an exorcist group. ”
“Then why…!”
“Brother Benedict. It’s been over 80 years.”
I kept my mouth shut. If it was something that happened over 80 years ago, it was a time when the Empire and the Holy Land did not travel back and forth by train.
“The exorcist priests used every means at their disposal to rush toward the academy. However, Brother John eventually had to make a choice.”
It will take a long time for the exorcists to arrive. I wonder if the demons will stay still while they arrive.
In the end, he was forced to make an irreversible choice.
A choice that no one will notice, but someone has to make.
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