To the Cathedral – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
Everyone’s jaws dropped at the sight of a dragon flying in from the north. In this day and age, people doubted the existence of such mythical creatures.
There was a reported sighting of one in Black Dragon Island not long ago, but even the Bishop never imagined that the day would come when he would see one in the Lutra Cathedral.
The Bishop of Lutra Cathedral was an old man in his mid-fifties. He had dark skin, as was typical of people from the south. In contrast, he had a pure white beard that reached all the way to his chest.
His hobbies included tending to the crops behind the Cathedral, listening to the concerns of the people, and working hard to maintain and develop the town.
A while after the Knights Templar gathered in the kingdom of Wenias to destroy it, the letters from his messenger stopped coming, coinciding with the night of the full moon when the image of a witch appeared in the sky and declared the world’s destruction.
He sensed trouble on the horizon. He had prayed daily to the Goddess for their safety, and offered wine to the patron deity of fertility enshrined in the Lutra Cathedral.
Even the Bishop—his name was Cordoa, but even he seemed to forget it—almost questioned God’s love when the dragon landed in the church’s square.
People said that a flying dragon was a bad omen. Whoever was riding one would be a harbinger of disaster.
“Your Excellency!”
There were two figures on the dragon’s back. Another, smaller beast seemed to be clinging to the creature, but the Bishop’s eyes turned to the humans for now.
The first person to jump down was a green-haired priest with a leather belt over his eyes.
The Bishop knew this adjudicator from Dea Ignis. He was the one who executed Corruption for tormenting the people, and helped to protect the pride of Lutra Cathedral.
“Secrecy!” the Bishop called. “What is going on here? You were supposed to be watching a witch. Why are you here, and riding a dragon at that?”
“Please forgive my rudeness,” the priest said. “It is a matter of utmost urgency. I apologize for scaring the public. Allow me to introduce this man.”
The other person jumped down from the dragon’s back. It was a young, but gallant knight, clad in armor.
“His name is Gouda, a knight. He defeated a dragon on Black Dragon Island and became its master. The dragon obeys him, so it is safe.”
“What?! I thought Black Dragon Island was a prohibited area.”
“He went alone to the island to liberate it. The Patron God of Swords and the Patron God of Shields gave him power.”
The Bishop regarded Gouda as if he was looking at a hero. The man looked uncomfortable, but Secrecy struck him with his staff, and he straightened up.
“I see,” the Bishop said. “This looks like an urgent matter indeed. A man riding a dragon. I have become a witness to a historic moment. I will make sure to write this down in detail before I’m gone.”
“Actually, Your Excellency, this is not the urgent matter I was talking about.”
“What?! What could be more urgent than this?!”
Lowering his voice, Secrecy whispered to the Bishop’s ear. “A horde of demons attacked the knights surrounding Wenias. The demons proceeded directly north, most likely heading for the Altar.”
Humans tend to be calm when told something that was beyond their imagination.
“Oh, my,” was all the Bishop said before going quiet, stroking his long beard.
“There is not much damage south of Wenias, but demons might come here too. The Knights Templar decided to join forces with the witches of Wenias to protect the people within their powerful ward. They have currently dispatched knights to Cathedrals across the continent and begun rescue missions. Please make a decision, Your Excellency.”
The Bishop nodded. He did not know what to say. First, he would have to decide whether to believe Secrecy or not.
After a witch declared the destruction of the world, the northern half of the continent was overrun by demons. The Knights Templar and witches were now working together to rescue survivors. It was all too hard to believe.
Secrecy was an adjudicator who lied like it was nothing and deceived the Church when necessary. But he truly cared for the masses.
“I cannot abandon the people and flee to Wenias, Secrecy.”
“I understand that. But Wenias is currently in turmoil without a leader from the Church.”
“But if I leave, the people of Lutra will panic. Most importantly, if everyone from the south went to Wenias, the kingdom would not be able to support itself.”
Secrecy’s face clouded. He must have realized what the Bishop had decided to do.
“Are you going to stay here?”
“Since they’ve sent knights to all Cathedrals, you must have realized it by now. Cathedrals are themselves wards against demons. Not only the Cathedrals, but most of the Church’s facilities on the continent are designed to defend against witches and demons.”
“But the people will be in danger!”
“Do you doubt the power of faith? The news you brought is grave. Once we know the problem, we can take action. We can do other things than escape. Come. I’ll make you some tea.” The Bishop started walking.
Secrecy hesitated for a moment. The Bishop stopped to ask what was wrong, but then he saw something unexpected. The small figure that was clinging to the dragon’s back was now clinging onto Secrecy’s legs.
It was a rat Beastfallen. The Bishop was aware of Secrecy’s aversion towards them. Yet, he did not shake the Beastfallen off. Not only that, but he even patted her head.
“Lily, you go see your parents,” Secrecy said. “Explain the situation to them and bring them here.”
“You’re not…”
“What?”
“You’re not gonna leave me?”
Lips pursed, Secrecy poked the Beastfallen with his staff and pushed her away.
“If you’re so afraid of us leaving, then just cling onto Heath.”
Lily let out a sad whimper. The Beastfallen’s ears drooped, her tail hanging helplessly to the ground.
Gouda looked at Lily. “I’m letting Heath rest until tomorrow. We pushed him too hard to get here. If he can’t fly, we can’t leave either.”
“Really?”
“What does Heath say?”
The dragon purred and rubbed its nose against Lily. Realizing that there was no need to worry about being left behind, Lily perked up her ears and tail and took off running.
Secrecy watched her go wearily. “Why would she believe you and not me? You’ve only known each other for a few days.”
“She believed Heath, not me,” Gouda said.
“Are you saying she trusts a dragon more than me?”
“I’d say Heath is more trustworthy than a liar.”
Oh, he knows Secrecy’s true nature, the Bishop thought.
“I only lie when I have to,” the adjudicator said. “Or it’ll damage my character.”
The Bishop laughed brightly. His laughter made Secrecy focus his attention back on the current matter.
“My apologies, Your Excellency.”
“No, no. I’m glad you are doing well, and I see you’ve made some friends. I did not know you could touch a Beastfallen now. They grow up so fast.”
Gouda looked at Secrecy, taken aback. “Are you father and son?”
“If we were not in the presence of His Excellency, I would have hit you, Dragon Slayer. That mercenary’s already taken the role of the idiot. We don’t need another one. When I was sentenced to death, His Excellency appointed me as an adjudicator. I wasn’t exactly young back then, though.”
“So you were already all grown up, yet you were too scared of Beastfallen?”
“Keep your mouth shut,” Secrecy raised his voice.
“From my perspective, he was but a young child,” the Bishop began. “Even now, you two look like children to me. As you can see, Secrecy cannot see well, so his parents abandoned him, and he was taken in by a Beastfallen—a sly vixen. She taught him how to swindle and steal. But one day, for some reason, the vixen burned down an entire village, framed him for the crime, and ran away.”
“So that’s why you hate foxes,” Gouda muttered.
Secrecy clicked his tongue.
“So the priest was sentenced to death because of a false accusation?” Gouda asked.
“He might have committed some wrongdoings, but I believed he did not deserve the death penalty. Unfortunately, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who was intimate with the local lord was among the victims. Someone had to die for the crime. All his testimonies were ignored and he was sentenced to death. He used to say, ‘No one believes me no matter what I say. That’s why I only tell lies’.”
“Your Excellency, this is not the time to be talking about the past.” Secrecy could not stand listening to it any longer.
The Bishop looked at him and the amused Gouda with gentle eyes. To him, the two of them were still children.
Accompanied by the two men, the Bishop sat down in the guest room of the Cathedral.
“Now then. Where shall I begin? First of all, I have a message for the Knights Templar I need you to pass on urgently.”
Gouda and Secrecy quietly waited for the Bishop’s next words.
The Bishop eyed them both. “There is no need to risk going to the Altar. If necessary, we will elect a new prophet.”
“What?” Gouda said. “You’re going to abandon the supreme authority of the Church?!”
“Not at all, friend of dragons. There is no prophet in the first place.”
Unable to process what the Bishop said, Gouda turned to Secrecy. But Secrecy was just as puzzled as him, waiting for the Bishop to explain.
“What I’m about to tell you is something that only the Bishops of the Seven Cathedrals know. It has been passed down orally from the first Bishops. It’s about the disgraceful beginnings of the Church.”
“Disgraceful beginnings?”
“What if I told you that the person who established the Church, the one who led the seven Bishops to war against witches, was a witch herself? Would you be able to keep your sanity?”
Bonus throwback illustration:
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