Knox Cathedral – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
Our cover-up story was that the young Director of the Forbidden Library sacrificed himself to imprison a demon inside his body so that he could use its power. While the Director looked like a normal human being, inside he was a demon. I wondered if it could enter the Church’s warding.
“Oh, I get it,” Gemma said. “What do you think, Lady Zero?”
“It might be able to enter, but it will lose its ability inside. It might even lose consciousness. I think it is in our best interest that it is able to sense danger.”
“So he’ll have to wait outside. We need someone to guard him.”
The Director couldn’t move on his own. If a wild dog attacked him, he would be dead. We couldn’t leave him outside the warding alone.
“There’s too many of us,” Barcel said. “If we go into town all at once, there will be chaos. Let’s give priority to the wounded and exhausted soldiers and let them enter the town first. The rest will wait outside with the Director. How does that sound?”
Gemma almost nodded in agreement, but then quickly turned to Leyland. “What do you think, Vice Captain? I think Barcel’s suggestion is good.”
“Do as you see fit. You are the Captain.”
“Right.”
They had had this conversation many times throughout the journey.
For as long as she could remember, Gemma had always listened and acted in accordance to her attendant’s opinion. She knew she had to make her own decisions, but deep inside her mind would say, “What would Barcel think?” She decided to be free from this way of thinking, but old habits were simply difficult to change.
After deciding to stop following whatever Barcel said, she began to strongly seek the opinion of the Vice Captain.
But Leyland would not spoil her. He drew clear line of their relationship as Captain and Vice Captain.
She had to think for herself, make her own decisions. Only when the Vice Captain felt that she was making the wrong decision did he speak.
“Uhm, let’s do this, then,” Gemma said. “We leave Lady Zero outside the warding to guard the Director. We’ll need about ten people to serve as messengers in case anything happens. With her and the Director together, it shouldn’t be that dangerous even outside the warding.”
“What about the rest of the soldiers?” Leyland asked.
Gemma pointed at the town. “From the looks of it, the warding seems to extend outside a bit. As Barcel said, we bring only the heavily exhausted soldiers inside and have the rest set up their tents out here. I hope you don’t mind that, Lady Witch. We will be imposing quite the burden on you.”
“I accept,” Zero said. “But you will send someone immediately to bring me a warm blanket and some soft bread, yes?”
Gemma looked relieved. “Of course! Well it depends on the situation in town, but we’ll bring you as many supplies as possible. I would rather we just all entered together, to be honest.”
“A Beastfallen showing up would only cause panic,” I said. “It would be easier for us to just wait outside.”
Most of the Beastfallen across the continent had been possessed by demons. No one would believe me if I said I was a good Beastfallen.
“Barcel. Select about twenty soldiers to remain outside, including reliefs.”
“Roger that! Um, can I be among them?”
“What?” Gemma asked, puzzled.
It was the first time that I saw Barcel himself suggesting to leave Gemma’s side.
She must have been surprised. For a moment, she did not know how to react. “Very well,” she said. “The Vice Captain and I will head to the Cathedral and ask for an audience with the Bishop.” She then turned away.
After a few moments of watching her go, Barcel smiled at me. “You can say something.”
“Finally felt like letting go of your child, eh? Or is it because you can’t stand watching her clinging to the old man?”
“Man, you’re really ruthless.” Barcel chuckled uncomfortably. “You’re right on both counts, though. I hoped that time would fix things between us, but ever since we left the Forbidden Library, the Captain hasn’t looked me in the eye or spoken to me outside of work. Nevertheless, she made it through the journey just fine. She can do without me now. I wouldn’t want the man she hates following her around.”
“So you’re gonna quit being her attendant, then?”
“Maybe I should change jobs. Become a mercenary. What do you think? Wanna team up?”
For a moment, I waited for something. When I realized that I was waiting for Zero to cut in, I looked around.
Zero was standing beside me, looking the same as usual. When she noticed my gaze, she looked up and cocked her head as if to ask what was wrong.
“I thought you were gonna say, ‘Mercenary is mine’.”
“Oh? Did you want me to say that?”
“Not really.”
“Well, I did not think that you teaming up with the attendant would take you away from me. If you want to work with him, I will not stop you.”
“I’m not gonna do that.”
“Hey. Can you please stop using me as an excuse to flirt with each other?” Barcel cut in. “It might not look like it, but I’m actually grieving here.”
We’re not really flirting…
“The Captain found out that the man who raised her was actually the one who killed her father. You should be glad she still talks to you. It could be worse, you know.”
Barcel pursed his lips. “You’re the one who did the killing.”
“And that’s why she hates me too.”
“Man, I wish she only hated you.” He made it sound like he was joking, but he probably meant it.
Unfortunately for him, the mastermind was always hated more than the perpetrator.
“So anyway, I’m staying outside the warding with you two. I’m going to sponge food off of you, so please make sure to prepare some for me too.”
Watching the file of knights head toward the Cathedral, Zero suddenly spoke. “Mercenary. The Captain loved the attendant, didn’t she? As a foster parent, a mentor, and a friend.”
“Where’d this come from? Well, I guess she did. Before she found out that he killed her real father.”
“I do not understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
Zero had recently begun to think more like a normal human being, but as a witch, she was fundamentally unfamiliar with the inner workings of the human mind.
“It is a fact that the attendant killed her father. She simply did not know it. She loved him for more than a decade. Although he did some questionable things, the attendant continued to act in a manner worthy of her trust. Is that correct?”
“Well, yeah.”
“So what if she discovered that the attendant killed her father, then? Is one secret enough to destroy a relationship that was built for over a decade?”
“You’re really asking me, someone who’d never built a relationship with others?”
She was asking the wrong person.
When she saw my frown, she looked a little relieved. “So you do not know either.”
“I wouldn’t say I don’t know. It’s called ‘common sense’. For years she trusted her, but she was lied to, deceived. Betrayed. She then starts thinking that he might have lied about other things too. He might even deceive her again in the future. I guess the deeper the relationship, the more devastating it’ll be when it falls apart.”
“Hmm, I see.” For some reason, she looked at me.
“What?”
“I was thinking how catastrophic it would be if our relationship fell apart.”
I snickered. “Yeah. The world might get destroyed.”
“That would be terrifying. I, for one, hope that this relationship will last forever.”
“Forever? Even after we’ve saved the world?”
“Correct.” Zero nodded as if it were obvious. “I will save the world, and you will become human and open your dream tavern. Then I will eat the food you serve in the tavern every day. Well? Sounds great, no?”
As I imagined it, I let out a dry chuckle. It sounded too perfect. Sounds great actually. I found myself silly for thinking that.
“Sounds good,” I answered, nevertheless.
Zero gave a contented smile. “I know, right?”
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