Black Village – Part 04
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Translator: Kell
“You little…!” The priest was about to rise to his feet when Zero silently stopped him. She probably meant it as “Don’t respond to her.” We already knew that Sanare took pleasure in making people angry.
“Dig a grave, the adjudicator said.” Another corpse spoke with a hoarse voice.
“They said they must give up the lives of half of the villagers as punishment for working with a witch,” another body said.
One after another, the corpses talked, telling us what the Church did.
“The remaining half must dig graves for the dying. Those who remain must listen to the suffering of the dying and repent for their sins.”
“The weak villagers were buried—the sick, the elderly.”
“The man’s wife was weak and unable to bear children. She was selected to be buried alive, but the husband opposed and chose to be buried alive himself.”
Voice returned to the corpse of the thin woman. It was her turn to speak. Raising herself up helplessly in the priest’s arms, Sanare stroked the priest’s cheek with her dirt-stained fingers.
She looked like a child playing with her toys. For Sanare, corpses were probably nothing more than tools.
I knew that too well, yet I couldn’t help but feel frustrated when she played with corpses before my eyes.
Under the heavy atmosphere of disgust, hatred, and discomfort, Sanare sang a tragedy, her voice cheerful, yet dramatically full of sorrow.
“The adjudicator laughed when they saw the two of them, the woman crying and clinging to the man, and the man smiling and saying it’s okay. They gave the woman the right to give them water, but only the woman. She was sick, yet she desperately fetched water for her husband. At first, she brought water to the other villagers as well. But soon her body gave out.”
I looked around the field. There were nearly a hundred villagers buried in the ground. One frail woman could not possibly provide water for all of them.
“On the first night, people pleaded. They begged to be dug up. On the second night, they were shouting profanities. They cursed the woman for only caring about her own husband. On the third night, there were only moans. Half of them were already dead. On the fourth night, the woman finally collapsed. There was no one left to bring the man water. The next night, the man also passed away. Dawn came, and then you arrived later on.”
The Knights Templar must have seen the villagers buried in the dirt, crying for help. But they couldn’t interfere with an adjudicator’s work.
“Don’t get the wrong idea now,” Sanare said. “The adjudicator did all this themselves. It’s what adjudicators all over the world do to hunt down witches. Tell me something, Father. Who is evil, the witches who saved a starving village or the adjudicator who tormented and killed the villagers to kill the witches?”
The priest gritted his teeth. I thought he was going to say something like, “A witch’s existence alone is evil,” but Sanare’s words surprisingly had an effect on him.
“Do you finally understand? The Church, the protector of the world’s order, is corrupted. Somebody has to correct it. But who can stand against the Church except witches?”
“Is that all you have to say?” Zero said, her tone indifferent. “I am getting a little bored.” Her words silenced Sanare. “To protect a thousand, the Church sacrifices a hundred to hunt down witches. This has been the philosophy of the Church for five hundred years. Extremely logical. Calling it ruthless now makes you sound like an ignorant child. Older witches would never say what you just said.”
“Are you supporting the Church?”
“A foolish question. I only support myself. I will not show mercy to those who make an enemy of me, be it the Church or a witch. I hope you are prepared for what is to come, wannabe Mage. Your ambitions and wishes will never be realized. Allow me to give you a prophecy. As someone who had discarded their human body, your death will be filled with torment that no human being can experience.”
Her beauty struck fear, and her expresionless face made my blood curdle. Zero’s voice was level, but the menacing aura emitting from her whole being was unnerving.
Sanare laughed it off. At the same time, all the corpses buried in the field chuckled and guffawed in unison.
The sun was sinking in the horizon, and the glow of dusk bathed the world in crimson. The black field was burning red. The corpses laughing inside it looked like souls burning in the pits of hell.
“We are not plotting anything. Times are changing, Zero. Coals of war are already smoldering around the world. The witches’ uprising in Wenias, the creation of a Magical State, the peace in that kingdom and Magic’s utility. No matter how hard the Church tries to suppress it, word is getting out. I’m merely fanning the coals. Soon it will become a firestorm. I actually heard someone in a tavern say, ‘Are witches really evil?'”
The Church hunted witches, dramatically reducing their numbers. Now people feared witches less. Still the Church continued their crusade, killing innocent folks to hunt down witches.
No wonder more and more people were questioning the teachings of the Church.
“On the other hand, the horrors of the Church are very familiar and real. Take the adjudicators from Dea Ignis, for instance. Everyone is afraid of them. Oh, by the way, Father.”
The corpse that the priest was holding began to move awkwardly again. The smile on its face made the priest shrink back a little. Still he never dropped the body. Deep inside, he was an earnest churchman.
“Thanks to you killing that helpless and gentle sorcerer Argentum back on Black Dragon Island, the princess became my doll. There seems to be a misunderstanding, so I thought I should clear things up. The princess willingly lent me her body. To avenge Argentum and destroy the Church.”
Cursing in my mind, I pinched the bridge of my nose. That explained why Sanare was able to leave the princess’s body and take over a corpse.
Talk about ironic. Dea Ignis’ actions and the Church’s witch hunts became an asset that boosted Cestum’s power. Once established, it could no longer be destroyed by ordinary means.
“What would happen if all the wannabe Mages in the world helped people? What if they used useful Magic? What if the Church hunted these witches, and innocent people suffered because of it? Which side would the masses take? What would happen if those people could also use Magic? If a war broke out, who would win then? What do you think, Zero? The world would change, wouldn’t it?”
All corpses stopped moving and talking. Before we knew it, the sun had gone completely down, and it was growing dark.
A sigh from Zero signaled that it was over.
“After all that talk, she just up and disappeared,” I said. “What an abominable woman.”
The priest stood up with the dead woman’s body in his arms and silently walked towards the village. Heaving a deep sigh, I followed him together with Zero.
After crossing the bridge, we came to a modest square lined with shabby wooden houses. The village, having lost half of its inhabitants, was quiet. Fear and suspicion filled the eyes watching us from the windows.
The priest took a deep breath. “Hear me! People of the village defiled by witches! I am an adjudicator from Dea Ignis, dispatched by the Bishop of the Lutra Cathedral! Through the noble sacrifices of many, your village has been forgiven. This village no longer bears any sin!”
The villagers stirred.
“The martyrs who lost their lives in the witch hunt shall be sent to the Kingdom of God according to the rite prescribed by the Goddess!”
“Whoa, there. Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“It’s completely fine. There are no rules in Dea Ignis that state we aren’t allowed to control each other’s conduct. Corruption told them to atone, and I forgave them. That’s all there is to it.”
A moment of silence followed. Then one by one, villagers came out of their homes and began gathering nervously before the priest.
“Really? Can we really dig them up now?” a villager asked. “Can we bury them in a proper graveyard?”
Every one of them looked exhausted. They were trembling, their faces pale.
About a hundred villagers were buried and killed. In small villages like this, most residents are relatives and acquiantances. The survivors were no doubt mentally distressed after listening endlessly to the resentful cries of the buried ones.
“The adjudicator said not to dig them up. We weren’t allowed to leave the village. If we disobeyed, all the remaining villagers would die.”
“Father,” another said. “We won’t get condemned for digging them up?”
“No,” the priest declared firmly. “I swear to God.”
A tinge of relief appeared on the frightened faces of the villagers.
“If anyone disagrees with my ruling and claim that this village is still corrupted, send a messenger to His Excellency the Bishop. The Knights Templar will come running to protect you.”
The priest relaxed his shoulders. He turned to the woman in his arms with a gentle, yet sorrowful smile.
“I want to bury this woman first. Would you mind showing me to the graveyard? I’m blind, as you can see.”
[previous_page]
[next_page]
Comment (0)