The Medieval-Modern Man with a Gamer Mindset

19. Prison Without Bars

It was almost 10 days after we left on our journey that we arrived at the monastery.

Unlike when we first set out, everyone in the group looked haggard. Even though we had managed to maintain some hygiene. Our friend John told us what the monastery that we had arrived at after all this suffering was like.

John blinked his eyes several times and looked at me with his head tilted. The first impression of the monastery was quite different from the usual quiet and idyllic atmosphere that came to mind.

“It’s like a fortress?”

Yes. The monastery was built like a small fortress. The monastery I arrived at was located on a gentle hill, with stone walls surrounding it on all sides, wooden fences, and watchtowers of considerable height.

Of course, the walls weren’t very high, but they were high enough that three or four men would have to stack up to climb over them. The watchtowers were relatively close to the inner part of the walls, near the center of the monastery , so they were in an optimal position to keep watch over all sides.

That wasn’t all. The priests who climbed up to the watchtowers also wore swords at their waists. This was so that they could defend themselves right after ringing the bell in case of an emergency. Even though I only glanced at it briefly, it was clear that it would be difficult to challenge.

Looking at it this way, the monastery was essentially no different from a quasi-military organization. When I looked at Brother Setel with a trembling gaze, he seemed to understand and opened his mouth with a gentle smile.

“The monastery possesses numerous knowledge and holy relics refined with piety. However, in the eyes of the raiders, they are nothing more than mere treasures, so they are likely to be targeted.”

“Don’t raiders mainly operate along the coastline?”

“Those who are vulnerable to defense go against the current, and the bolder raiders abandon their ships altogether and go deep into the interior. The Powys area has been quiet lately thanks to the efforts of Lord Terbaire, but… it is still a time when it is essential to have the power to protect ourselves rather than relying on knights who we don’t know when they will come.”

Since the state is crippled, self-defense is essential. That was the gist of what Brother Setel said. The raiders were so ferocious and powerful that it was better to just let them take everything and leave rather than resist awkwardly.

After suffering so much, they eventually came to the conclusion that it was better to send them away quickly. When they realized that the raiders were coming, they would gather their household belongings in one place. They even provided a quick delivery service for the raiders .

However, this only happened once or twice. The raiders who had got a taste for quick delivery would come back every other day as if they were going to a neighborhood bar. They would wander around the village with axes or swords.

Eventually, several lords who couldn’t hold out any longer actively requested support from King Aethelsan while strongly giving up considerable rights. This was the reason why King Aethelsan began to respond, sending his second brother, Terbaire, to the forefront.

After telling me all this, Brother Setel tapped the hilt of the sword at his waist and raised the corners of his mouth.

“This is why most priests excel at martial arts.”

“No, aren’t priests forbidden from killing and only use blunt weapons?”

Where did the fantasy rule that priests couldn’t use sharp weapons go? I thought that only the knightly orders wielded swords, so I was surprised to see that ordinary priests also used them.

This question seemed quite funny to him. Brother Setel burst into laughter.

“Even if there really is such a restriction, monks are ordinary people, not clergy, so it won’t matter. Moreover, it’s not a prohibition against killing, but self-restraint. And the doctrine of restraint from killing also includes not giving up your own life easily. Not defending yourself is also considered killing yourself. So, it’s not a matter of principle that carrying weapons is prohibited. Besides.”

“Besides?”

“It’s fine to kill the pagans who turn away from the light of Lux Stella.”

…I quietly turned my head away from Brother Sertel. At that moment, John was also rolling his eyes like me. It was only natural that our eyes met.

John stretched his neck back to look at me on horseback, and whispered in a low voice.

“They don’t know women, can’t drink, and live only to work. They’ve been strange ever since then. Aren’t all those noble monks a little crazy?”

“The cause and effect are reversed.”

“Excuse me?”

“They must be crazy, that’s why they became monks.”

Then, John’s gaze became even more mysterious. John nodded his head as if he had realized something, with a mixture of curiosity, fear, and unfathomable doubt.

“Indeed, the words of Confucius are correct.”

“?”

After some time, we continued our conversation and moved on. Finally, we arrived at the monastery, and we could hear a voice stopping us. Two monks in black robes came up side by side on the castle wall.

“Brother Sertel, who are the people you’re with?”

“Narva Orn Stregos Glowis, the third son of King Athelstan and a man of the church.”

Brother Sertel spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. Then, the monks on the castle wall began to show noticeable signs of confusion. They glanced at each other and mumbled incoherently, as if they hadn’t been informed in advance.

“Ah…that…”

“Brother Sertel, did that person really come here with us?”

“I don’t know if he will be admitted until we see the abbot.”

“…Understood.”

After a while, the heavy iron gate that had been blocking the way between me and the monastery was lifted up. Humility is important here. I got off my horse and walked in slowly, as befits someone who wishes to be admitted.

However, the moment I crossed the castle wall, I felt gazes shooting at me from all directions, and I changed my mind. I might have made a big mistake in my monastic debut.

***

I had always thought that the life I had lived under King Athelstan was gloomy and dull. I realized how shallow that thought was when I came to the monastery.

A whole new world. There is always something beyond everything. The life of nature could not compare to the monastery in terms of its gloom and darkness. Just looking at the monks I met on the street made me gasp for breath.

They all wore dark brown or black robes and walked carefully so as not to make any noise. They even wore their hoods down, so if you saw them at night, you wouldn’t be able to help but scream.

The only places where the lighting was good enough to breathe were the ones that were well-lit. Sometimes, I would walk down a corridor where the windows were so narrow that they were intended to block arrows, and I would understand why it was called a prison even without bars.

If a wastrel who had lived as he pleased came to a place like this, he would have truly felt like he was in prison. The fact that it was surrounded by walls made it even more so. I guess other people felt the same way, because everyone was just rolling their eyes.

Of course, that included John, Lord Topa, and the soldiers.

Brother Sertel and his party seemed relaxed, as if they were used to it… but those who had come to the monastery for the first time were overwhelmed by the silence that made the sound of their clothes brushing against each other echo in their eardrums , and they cowered.

My meeting with the abbot took place after I had overcome all these obstacles. In front of a luxurious, finely lacquered wooden door, Brother Sertel knocked on the door without saying a word, and from inside, something was knocked on without a word.

I gasped when I saw Brother Sertel finally open the door. Why bother with words when you can do it this way? It was like a preview of what life would be like here.

Just when I was starting to regret my choice, I followed Brother Sertel inside.

A room of moderate size, with the characteristic smell of old books and a faint smell of incense. The abbot sat on a chair with his back to the stained glass, looking at me intently.

The abbot was a thin man who could be called plump and slender when standing next to the corpulent Brother Sertel. He spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, making no effort to hide the fatigue that was deeply etched under his eyes.

“The third son of Powys. And one who sees a new opportunity in the schism between the church and Yubas.”

I stared at him, thinking it was some kind of test, but he didn’t even flinch. He was very good at hiding his expression. I decided to ask him honestly rather than deal with him clumsily.

“Wasn’t that the end of the story? You know that I planned this, so the people of the church must all know.”

I had already heard everything, so I didn’t know what the point of this was. I thought about it and spoke with a harshness that could be considered somewhat arrogant, but all that came back was a deep sigh from the abbot.

“You think so too. The church is one body.”

“What is that?”

“Repel the men. Then I will answer.”

When I turned my gaze, Earl Topa, the soldiers, and even John all nodded their heads. They must have judged that it would only put their lives in danger if they continued to listen. I also nodded my head, granting them permission to leave .

After a while, even Father Surtel left, and only the Abbot and I remained in the room. Only then did the Abbot finally explain the detailed situation.

“The Church is not as united as you think.”

“I ask the reason for that.”

“You are only twelve years old. Prince Narva, your plan was a plan that would be difficult to devise even for someone of an older age without considerable insight. There were many expectations within the Church that it would be of great benefit if it were to be included.”

At that moment, the Abbot showed his emotions for the first time. Now that I looked at him, I could see that he was not skilled at hiding his emotions, but that he was simply too exhausted to even bother.

“That was the problem.”

“Problem?”

“The one who leaked the information about the heretical acts that Ubas committed to you was Bishop Powys. The chaplain who assists King Athelstan informed you with the permission of Bishop Powys.”

The Abbot rubbed his forehead with his right hand and barely continued speaking.

“If you are as clever as you seem, can you understand why Bishop Powys told you about a fact that the Church has not made public?”

…I had a bad feeling. I had a bad feeling that things had gone wrong.

The arguments I had made when persuading King Athelstan and the chaplain in the castle were now attacking me in a different way. The words that there were forces that did not want the idea of a saint or the intervention of the Papacy.

An example of that was right next to me.

“Ubas was the man chosen by the Papacy, so you attacked him, but when the situation changed and someone appeared who wanted to join forces with the Papacy, you interfered? Why on earth would someone from the Church do that?”

“…The rift with Ubas started a long time ago. Studying the relic of the Otherworld was just the last straw.”

Considering the way Ubas behaves, that is believable. Did he perhaps tell him to stop the incest and then get on his bad side? While I was thinking about the very likely guess that he had done something truly despicable,

The rift between the Church and Ubas that the Abbot mentioned was a much more realistic and important topic.

“The cause was the right to appoint bishops.”

“…”

“Ubas wanted to appoint people suitable for his rule as bishops, and the Church, led by the Papacy, recommended that he appoint more religious figures as bishops. The reason the debate intensified was because it was the bishop’s seat of Illenfoot, where Saint Illenio , the only saint of this system, is said to have stayed. In the end, the logic that it was right to respect the footsteps of Saint Illenio won, and it was done according to the will of the Papacy, but it is also true that this caused Ubas to change his mind.”

Listening to him, I could fully understand the background of why Ubas came to study the relic of the Otherworld. As a newly established family, he had paid a heavy price for borrowing the authority of the Papacy. Ubas only knew that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but he had not realized it.

“Ubas was not the only one who changed his mind. But is that why Bishop Powys is going this far?”

“The Papacy has a principle of preventing the inheritance of clergy. However, there are always those who find a way around the principle. If the right to appoint bishops lies with the secular monarch, wouldn’t it be possible to appoint their own flesh and blood as the next bishop if they just coaxed the secular monarch?”

“On the other hand, if the authority of the Papacy overwhelms them.”

“The inheritance of the bishop’s office will be blocked. Along with the inheritance of the priesthood, which is secretly practiced.”

I could not help but swallow my saliva. I had got caught in the middle of a dazzling confrontation between turning a blind eye to the inheritance of clergy and raising the power of the clergy. There is no fight as dirty and nasty as a fight over rice bowls.

Anyway, seeing him recite this important fact, it seemed that the Abbot had something up his sleeve. I pointed out that fact.

“So what is the conclusion?”

As expected. The Abbot tapped the desk with the index finger of his right hand and opened his mouth.

“Prince Narva. Bishop Powys is pressing all the nearby abbeys and local churches, saying that he should not be allowed to enter the monastery or become a priest.”

“Are you telling me to go somewhere else?”

“He does not hesitate to say that he should be killed to prevent the possibility of him becoming a representative of the Papacy.”

After saying this, the Abbot looked at me with half-opened eyes and said,

“I will not kill you. But you will stay here as a guest.”

…I thought the monastery looked like a prison, but it really did become a prison.

***

When I went outside, it was already too late.

After Subtel’s monks had completely disarmed Lord Topa and his men, the portly monk met me with a warm smile and a friendly wave.

He did so while holding the tip of his sword against the back of Lord Topa’s kneeling neck.

“Your Grace is most fortunate. Your men are fiercely loyal. They surrendered their swords only after I reminded them of your presence within.”

“…My apologies, Your Grace.”

He spoke so casually that I wondered if I had misheard him. I stared at Subtel for a moment before turning to offer a word of encouragement to the kneeling Lord Topa.

“You will not be doing yourself any favors if you give up on life when there is still a path to survival. You have much service left to give, Lord Topa. Do not despair.”

“…Yes.”

It was a bit more than a single word, but it would have to do since Lord Topa had responded. I turned my attention back to the portly monk.

“I would have preferred that you had simply ignored my earlier request for assistance. It would have saved you from getting your hands dirty.”

“hahahahaha! Your Grace, who knows when King Aethelstan’s wrath for the loss of his son might be directed at our monastery? Besides, our Abbot is more interested in protecting you.”

“Protecting me?”

Not imprisoning me? I thought about it for a moment before the answer came to me.

“He wants to see who comes out on top, even at this late date. Does Lux Stella grant miracles to the likes of you?”

“I am ashamed to say that I have yet to receive a miracle. Instead, I rely on the power of relics to drive away the demons of this world.”

That was a bit disappointing. If even that bastard could receive a miracle, then my chances would have been much higher. The only one who seemed untroubled by the situation was, of course, John.

John looked around, still kneeling, before looking up at me, the only one he could talk to.

“Um… Your Grace.”

“What is it.”

“If you’re going to be a monk now, does that mean I’ll have to stay here too?”

I looked down at John.

“You might as well cut your hair while you’re at it.”

It might be better to change professions while I had the chance, even if it was under duress. John was lucky that I was keeping him alive. Any other employer would have had him executed by now.