Knox Cathedral – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
“Well, well. It looks like everyone is here.” The Vice Captain, old man Leyland Tanger, showed up on his beloved horse just as we were finishing our dinner and lights began illuminating the camp.
“You took your time,” Zero said. “I grew tired of waiting.”
“I should be commended for coming before the day is out.”
“Was the story really that long?” I said.
“Not at all. But it could take some time to process.” He dismounted with a sullen expression.
Gemma motioned him next to her. As the old man settled down on a log around the fire, he took a sip of the wine that Barcel offered him.
“To be honest, I have not been able to process it yet,” he said. “I don’t even know if I can accept it in the future. Therefore, I will simply tell you what I have heard.”
“You mean there is something worse than the prophet not existing?”
“Yes. The Church has been lying to us for a long time. But I believed that it had a noble reason to do so, one that would satisfy us believers. Yet my trust has been shattered.”
Okay. Sounds rough, all right.
Zero and I were not really followers to begin with, so it probably would not bother us too much, but Gemma might faint after hearing the story. Actually, she looked woozy already.
“Should I refrain from telling you, after all?” the old man asked.
“No. Please tell us,” Gemma urged, clasping her hands tight.
“Five hundred years ago,” Leyland began, “the organization known as the Church, founded by one prophet and seven Bishops, defeated the witches and brought peace to the world. I believe the Lady Witch is aware of this as well.”
Zero nodded. “So there was once a prophet, correct?”
“Yes. And the Bishop said that the person who founded the Church, the prophet, was a renowned witch.”
For a moment, everyone froze.
Needless to say, witches and the Church were at odds with each other. If someone said that a witch founded the Church, anyone would think they were crazy.
The Vice Captain eyed all of us. “I wore the same look as well,” he grunted. “I’m sure you’ve heard of white witches. They’re witches who stay close to people, heal their illnesses, call for rain when there’s a drought, and calm overflowing rivers. A long time ago, people relied on them. But they also feared powerful witches. Because if they offended one, they had no means to stand against them.”
I glanced at Zero. She met my gaze and nodded, affirming the old man’s story.
“The people sought for a force that could suppress raging witches, a savior who could conquer evil sorceresses. So the founder of the Church hid the fact that she was a witch, calling herself a prophet of God, and succeeded in gaining the people’s faith.”
Gemma gently pressed her forehead with the palm of her hand, picked up the flask of liquor, and downed its contents all at once. She was in no mood to keep her vow of sobriety.
“Uhm.” Barcel wore a frown. “If the prophet was a witch, what about the seven Bishops who followed her? Were they also witches?”
“Apparently, only the prophet was a witch. The seven Bishops were not aware of this, and the prophet continued to hide their true identity. The Church steadily expanded its power, eventually gaining the approval of white witches.”
“I have heard of that,” Zero said. “Many witches cooperated with the Church to hunt down evil witches and free the world from chaos.”
I had heard that before too. From Zero, of course. During the incident with the adjudicator Corruption, also known as the Gravedigger, Zero mentioned that she didn’t trust the Church. But she didn’t think it was evil either. She said that the Church had strived to bring peace to the world with the help of witches.
“But the Church currently teaches that all witches are evil,” Gemma said.
“Yes. Now here comes the worst part.” Leyland dropped his voice lower, as if to scare us. “As the Church grew in power, people learned that there were righteous witches and evil witches. They revered white witches and called them saints. However, evil witches learned to pretend to be saints.”
“Of course they did,” I said.
“The people were confused. Were witches good or evil? Wanting a clear answer, they turned to the Church for help. They wondered if the Church, which was cooperating with witches, was really worth believing in. That was five hundred years ago. Right before the Great War.”
A knot began to form in my stomach. I knew about the Church’s current state, how it harbored deep-seated hatred for witches, designating all of them as enemies and continuously hunting down survivors.
“The Church—no, the seven Bishops insisted that the Church separate itself from witches. No distinction should be made between evil witches and righteous witches. All those who call themselves witches must be hunted, or the people will not be able to live in peace.”
Gemma gulped. “What did the prophet do?”
Hand on his forehead, the Vice Captain hunched over. “She revealed to the seven Bishops that she, too, was a witch. The idiot.” He could not hold himself back from cursing at someone from five centuries ago.
She should have known what would happen if she revealed herself to be a witch in that situation.
“The Bishops were not surprised,” Leyland continued. “Because even after preaching with her for decades, only the prophet retained her youth. They knew it was not a miracle of God, but a witch’s magical power. The Bishops proposed to eliminate all witches, knowing that the prophet herself was one.”
A proclamation of separation, so to speak. The Church had gotten big. It had learned of ways to fight witches.
There was no longer any need for a witch to be at the top of the Church. In fact, it would only be detrimental to the Church if believers learned the truth.
“The discussion took place at the Altar on Generos Island. The Bishops created a prison called the Altar in advance and lured the prophet there. If she opposed the elimination of witches and confessed to being a witch herself, she would be imprisoned forever.”
“That can’t be true!” Gemma rose to her feet. “This is too far for a joke, Vice Captain. I did not wait here so I could listen to this story.”
“I did not want to talk about this either. I begged the Bishop many times to tell me it was not true. But I was assured that this was the truth. In fact, this answers the questions as to why it is customary for the prophet to live alone on the Altar, and why it is that only Bishops are allowed to visit them.”
Gemma stumbled a few steps back from the fire. “I need some time alone,” she said, tottering toward the town.
A few moments later, Barcel stood up.
“Are you going after her?” I asked.
“The Captain tends to be unsteady when she’s had alcohol.”
“You’re so overprotective. She hates you, you know.”
“I may be an idiot, but I’m the one who raised her.” Chuckling, Barcel quickly disappared in the direction Gemma went to.
“Well, then.” Zero stood up. “I have safely escorted the Knights Templar to Knox Cathedral. My job is done.”
“Yes.” The Vice Captain rose to his feet as well, leaving me no choice but to get up. “Your presence was very reassuring. If it weren’t for you, half of the current troops would not have made it here.”
“Not at all. Thanks to the Knights Templar, I had it rather easy. It was, however, a little hairy at the start.” She flashed a grin.
The Vice Captain chuckled awkwardly. “We no longer have to go to the Altar, but the Bishop has asked me if we could search the small churches in the vicinity of Knox Cathedral for survivors. I’ll be sending men out for the task tomorrow, but if you need troops for your mission to save the world, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Are you prepared to lay down your life for a witch?”
“I am always ready to help the world. Regardless of the Church’s beginnings.”
The Vice Captain left, leaving only the both us. Well, the Director was inside the carriage.
Maybe it was because we had been working as a group, but I suddenly felt anxious. “So what’s the plan? We’re gonna look for your master, aren’t we?”
“Actually, the Director already told me where she is.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“He said she was at the Altar.”
I turned to her, surprised. “You knew all along?!”
“Think twice before you accuse me of being a wicked witch now, Mercenary. The Director can not see all the way to the inside of the Altar. Master had indeed warded herself off in the vicinity of the Altar, but even I could not see what was going on inside. Of course, I had no idea if the prophet was alive or not, or if they even existed.”
“I guess.”
I think hiding the fact that the one who destroyed the world is hiding at the Altar is a tad bit wicked, though.
I decided not to pursue the matter further. In fact, disclosing that information would have only made Gemma and the soldiers uneasy.
“So I guess we’re going to the Altar, after all?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a remote island, right? We taking a boat or something?”
“The Director says the sea is frozen. We can walk there.”
“Do seas actually freeze?”
“If it is frozen, then yes.”
“That explains the cold.”
I remembered when we met Zero’s master in Wenias. The surroundings froze in an instant, including the river. Perhaps the reason why it was so cold in the north and why the sea was frozen was because of Zero’s master.
“So we know where she is,” I said. “Good. But I can’t help but feel uneasy. Like she’s waiting for us.”
“Hmm. Who knows?”
“Sounds like you have something on your mind.”
“Sometimes I avoid saying things I do not want to say. Does that scare you?”
“It does.”
I was afraid of everything in general.
Zero chuckled. “Fret not, Mercenary. I will protect you. I swear.”
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