NOVEL NEXT Chapter 299
Johann stepped down from the stopped train with an unfamiliar gait.
The cool spring breeze brushed against his angular face. The thin coat, unable to conceal his robust body, suited the spring weather.
On the white background, a small red cross was embroidered on the left chest.
Publicly, it was clothing meant for leaving the monastery to perform external duties. For Johann, who had lived and dedicated his life to training in the Antine Knight Monastery, it was an awkward and uncomfortable outfit.
However, he did not express any dissatisfaction. Wasn’t this also a grace bestowed by the Lord?
The stretchy pants, inferior to a robe for covering him, and the stiff white shirt, along with the straps draping over his shoulders and the coat, all came together to finally become a shield against the cold of the Holy Empire. How could he not find joy in this?
Yet, it seemed that repaying such brilliant grace and spirituality from the Lord was not the moment for him. Johann glanced up from the bustling crowd and caught the hint of three figures approaching him. It was made possible by his distinctly tall stature.
In the distance, three priests were discussing while pointing at Johann, who stood out as taller than others. Or should he say two?
One of them was emitting an unusual aura. On the surface, he appeared to be just a kindly older priest, but within him, he likely bore a blade sharper than anything else.
As they pushed their way into view, they seemed to be discussing Johann for a moment before slowly starting to approach him.
‘…Is it them?’
Johann had no reason to hesitate. He fluttered the white coat and waded through the crowd toward the unnamed three priests.
With many people boarding and disembarking from the train, he could have easily been buried in the dense crowd without a chance to breathe, but as Johann subtly mustered his strength to squeeze through, the crowd naturally parted.
As he looked at the priests standing with astonished eyes, as if witnessing a great miracle, Johann found himself before the three priests.
The kindly older priest’s gently curved eyes slowly opened. Within them hid sharply glimmering blue irises.
“Brother Johann from the Antine Knight Monastery of the Order of Saint Matthew? Am I correct?”
“May the Lord guide you; I am Johann de Papin, one of the poor brothers of Saint Matthew.”
“…So, you are indeed Brother Johann from Antine?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
There was no need to recite the formal name of the order, but it was certainly necessary to confirm. As soon as the elderly priest verified Johann’s identity, he broke into a warm smile and then looked up in admiration at the solid and hefty figure before him.
“Goodness… how shall I put it… you are quite massive!”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It is indeed, Brother Johann. If you are with us, there truly will be nothing to fear.”
“You flatter me.”
“Ah! By the way, I just realized I haven’t introduced myself. May the Lord’s grace be with you! I am Priest Matthew. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.”
After a cheerful greeting, Priest Matthew glanced at Johann’s appearance, and truly, Johann was a formidable sight. No wicked criminal would dare confront such a massive man.
The imposing presence was so profound that the unnamed female priest standing next to Priest Matthew gaped at Johann.
“Wow… I mean, are all knights like this?”
“…Brother Johann was born this way. Priest Camilla. If everyone were of this stature, the Holy Empire would have a much larger territory.”
Another middle-aged priest, standing to the right of the female priest known as Camilla, muttered. He stood staring blankly at Johann for a moment before eventually reaching out his hand without hesitation to request a handshake.
“May the Lord’s grace be with you. I am Priest Peter, a humble servant affiliated with the Blue Rose Society of the Holy Empire. It brings me great comfort to meet a trustworthy knight like you, Brother Johann.”
As he said, Priest Peter wore an expression of complete comfort. Now that Johann had been dispatched for this mission, he seemed to be in a relaxed mood.
Johann took the wrinkled hand of Priest Peter that unexpectedly appeared.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brother Peter.”
“Indeed. You must have had a tough time coming here from Antine. First, let’s loosen up after the journey…”
“Rather, Brother Peter.”
As Johann held onto the hand they shook, Priest Peter looked at him with a questioning expression, as if to ask what was the matter. Johann continued speaking.
“I have a question.”
“Yes. Please feel free to ask anything.”
“Have you ever met other knights besides me?”
Priest Peter clearly explained to Priest Camilla, who seemed to be seeing a knight for the first time, that Johann was special. Then, wouldn’t it mean that Priest Peter had indeed met knights before?
That statement was half right, half wrong.
“Years ago, I saw them from a distance. It was unexpected when I ran into them at the church…”
The unknown knight who returned after judging heretics. Their white coat symbolizing the knights was spattered with blood, and on the forehead of the heretic they dragged back was a red cross marked with that blood. An unforgettable scene for Priest Peter.
“Heretics, witches, and devil worshippers have nearly disappeared from the world… but indeed, it seems they were thorough in surviving. Have you also had experience in judging heretics, Brother Johann?”
“Yes, I have.”
The Antine Knight Monastery is located on the ridge of a rugged mountain range. While there aren’t many heretics who manage to evade the Holy Empire’s pursuit, there have been a few rare cases. Johann had had enough experiences of ‘judging’ such individuals.
“It was quite an enjoyable experience. When I tore off all their ears, they began to spill tales about other heretics without me even asking.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, it was all useless information. We always gather all information before taking action, such as the locations of other heretics collaborating with them.”
“…It’s not that I doubt your accomplishments, but what sins had those individuals committed?”
“They were those who intended to offer human sacrifices. Blinded by common local mountain faith, they committed the sin of rejecting the Lord’s grace.”
“Then, what happened to those heretics…?”
“Brother Peter.”
A smile appeared on Johann’s face. A pure and bright smile that seemed far too fitting for the rugged features that would never seem to have one.
“It’s troublesome to try to know too much.”
Then, words too cold to think of as warm tumbled from his lips.
“…I-I’m sorry.”
Priest Peter flinched and jumped back, startled. Though it only lasted about a second, the feeling of being overwhelmed by Johann’s gaze was something he wouldn’t want to experience again.
Yet, those heretics who had to continue facing Johann…
– Swallowing hard—
As Priest Peter kept his mouth shut and swallowed dryly, Priest Matthew, who had been quietly observing something, nodded and stepped forward.
“Brothers, it seems we need to move now. Let’s get going.”
“Where are we going?”
Johann asked. Having simply received a single letter and exited the mountain valley, he had very little information. The only thing Johann knew from rushing out of the monastery was that he had to go to the city under the pretext of “protecting the holy places.”
Priest Matthew looked at Johann for a moment, seeming taken aback by his question. After a fleeting moment of incredulity, as if to ask why he was asking that, Priest Matthew again donned a warm smile and spoke.
“To the Papal States, Brother Johann.”
“Aren’t we going to the city?”
“Not right now. Immediately moving out after just meeting wouldn’t be… rather difficult, wouldn’t it?”
Johann recalled a time long ago when he began the heretic hunt without consulting the knight dispatched from another knight monastery.
Simply introducing themselves without planning ahead or establishing signals to use in similar situations led to quite some troubles.
“…That’s true.”
“Yes, exactly. Brother, you should also deepen your acquaintance with these two and hear more details about this mission.”
As Priest Matthew spoke, he had a demeanor that seemed as if this was none of his concern.
“Are you not going, Brother Matthew?”
“Unfortunately, my specialty has nothing to do with protecting holy places… I have merely been assigned the role of a guide.”
The Little Brotherhood primarily chases after demons and their worshippers. Recalling their roles, Johann nodded obediently.
“I am ready.”
“Then let’s go. To the Papal States.”
Following the three priests who began walking ahead, Johann unconsciously fidgeted with the hilt of the sword hidden inside his coat. And he thought.
‘…Hmm.’
His hand might itch a little, perhaps.
* * * * *
The dimly lit room was exceedingly quiet, allowing the owner to freely enjoy his time alone without hesitation.
‘How long has it been since my last rest?’
For the past few days, he had been swamped with work.
Given the elves, who had been quiet for years, were showing unusual signs, he felt the urge to seize this opportunity, causing him to become a bit impatient… but no matter how much he did, there was simply too much to accomplish.
The cause was related to the document sorting for the “National Compensation Act for War Veterans” proposed by Duke Adelhaid.
It has been four years since the great slaughter of the Great War was brought to a close, measured only by the number of years.
Just counting the soldiers, deputy officers, and even officers discharged as war veterans, the number was countless. Those who had been discharged during the height of the war also needed to be considered.
Once the personal details collected in this manner were aggregated, they were immediately handed over to the treasury as a priority. Based on those details, the treasury would sequentially disburse compensation. But…
‘…the enemy.’
The owner of this room, Duke Francisco van Kartroi, gazed blankly at the folder in his hands. It was a copy of the approval for war veteran pensions sent from the treasury.
The amount seemed woefully insufficient. They said this was already a better level, so the upper echelon of the Empire must have known this.
All of it was the backlash from the post-war treatment that had been far too lenient towards those who had committed war crimes.
Duke van Kartroi clenched his jaw tightly, biting down. No matter how he looked at it, the currently indecisive Empire needed to be put on the operating table.
Thinking this way, an audacious notion followed naturally behind it.
In the end, it would be himself who performed that surgery.
“…It is not yet time.”
But the time was approaching. Steadily, but at a pace that was not too slow.
When that time comes, this time of desperate patience will become the first stepping stone for the Empire to receive what it rightfully deserved.
Duke van Kartroi set the folder down and looked out the window.
The sky was stirring. It seemed rain was about to fall.