East Road Quest

Chapter 49: Conspiracy

Father Puyol opened the door to the office that Director Manoli used.

Director Manoli, with a face full of anxiety, was staring at the dying candlelight. As Father Puyol entered, he abruptly stood up from his seat.

“Puyol! Where have you been? You’ve just returned?”

Father Puyol waved his hand dismissively.

“Here, I am known as Father Puyol.”

“There’s no one else listening.”

“The way we address people is a habit that comes naturally. It’s fine to mistakenly call me ‘Puyol’ when it should be ‘Yol,’ but not the other way around. So, please call me Father Puyol at all times.”

“Now is not the time for such trivial talk.”

“Trivial? I think it’s quite an important matter.”

Director Manoli shook his head and scolded loudly.

“Enough. Haven’t I told you not to bring outside matters into the monastery?”

Yol leisurely sat down on a chair, enjoying Director Manoli’s scolding. After hearing Cardinal Lorenzo’s blunt scolding, this honest anger was quite refreshing.

Yol asked casually.

“Have you spoken with Jade, or rather ‘Jaden’?”

Director Manoli relaxed his frown and sat back down.

“Well, the world calls him a genius, but he turned out to be nothing special. More importantly, is the ‘higher-up’s’ order to ‘kill’ confirmed?”

Yol nodded and then asked.

“Where is he now?”

“He must have gone to his room.”

Yol nodded seriously once more, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Director Manoli watched his sudden laughter with a baffled expression and then asked.

“Why are you laughing?”

Yol tried to explain but laughed again.

Director Manoli waited for his explanation with a look of displeasure on his face.

“Forgive me. You will understand why I laughed once you hear my story. As you know, about a month ago, I left for Zerba Monastery following the ‘higher-up’s’ command.”

Director Manoli did not know that the ‘higher-up’ Yol referred to was Cardinal Lorenzo. He seemed to vaguely guess it might be so but did not exhibit the rashness to ask, “The ‘higher-up’ you’re referring to is Cardinal Lorenzo, right?”

In his youth, Director Manoli had assaulted about twenty country girls before being caught. He was pardoned with a hundred gold coins in Rotikan and then began his life in the monastery. Over the decades, he diligently erased his past and built connections with various bishops and abbots, and now he was a respectable director of the monastery.

As such, the old man had at least some discernment.

“However, due to a mix-up, I missed Jade. I was lying in wait at the entrance to Rome when our paths crossed again, and I missed him. So, I snuck into Father Daniel’s house, and yet again, our paths did not align. It ended up with Father Daniel being killed for no reason.”

“That’s unfortunate. Of all the priests I know, he seemed like he would live the longest, and to die by your hand!”

Director Manoli gave a bitter smile. Not because he mourned Daniel’s death, but because of the bet he had placed on how long he would live.

“The first time was simply bad luck, the second I thought was a misjudgment on my part, but after the third time, I started to think someone was interfering. So, I had to use every method at my disposal.”

Yol did not mention his use of the Karp bandits and desert demons.

“I hoped to catch even a glimpse of this elusive being… praying that his luck would fall within my capabilities to handle. I was staying in this monastery for a while, preparing my next plan. Wondering which route Jade might take to escape… But then!”

Yol raised his hands as if holding a tray and left the rest unsaid.

Director Manoli spoke in a dry tone.

“So, the very target you’ve been searching for has fallen into your lap?”

“That’s one way to put it. I didn’t intend to bring outside matters here. I have no desire to cause any trouble for the monastery.”

“You’ve already caused damage. Brother Autis hasn’t returned.”

“I know. He’s probably dead. But is that my fault?”

“Didn’t you give the order?”

“To be precise, it was more of what Brother Autis wanted than what I ordered. He always wanted to go to Rome. He was never suited for monastic life.”

“Weren’t you considering him as a successor?”

“I have many ‘prospective martyrs who do not fear killing for God.’ There’s no need to talk about successors.”

“Let’s end that topic.”

Director Manoli waved his hand in annoyance and then said.

“So, what about those three? Surely you’re not planning to eliminate them here? This is your personal mission, not something for the benefit of the Raphal Priesthood or the prosperity of the monastery, right?”

Yol let out a short laugh.

‘This timid old man doesn’t want murder to occur in this monastery. He doesn’t even know who’s been keeping it safe from demons and thieves.’

Yol cleared his throat and then said.

“If Jade had come alone, I would have dealt with him quietly without even informing you, Director. Without causing any harm to the monastery.”

“But?”

“There are two companions with him, so that opportunity is gone.”

“So, why not kill them too?”

“Let me tell you an interesting story,” Poe began.

“Just get to the point,” Manoli urged, visibly anxious.

“Listen, there was once a lady I had to kill. Not only did she secretly meet another man behind her husband’s back, but she was also a wicked woman who believed in the gods of a heretical faith.”

Poe dragged out the tale, eager to see Manoli squirm.

“She would always leave for the heretics’ gathering place around nine o’clock, returning through the back door. A servant hired in secret by her husband would leave the door unlocked for her. She’d slip through, lock it behind her, and to anyone else, it would appear she never left her bedroom.”

Manoli listened intently despite his growing unease.

“I waited for the moment she entered through the back door. The servant’s role was merely to leave the door open, not to greet her. Naturally, she tried not to be seen. That moment, when she entered alone, was of her own making—a perfect moment of solitude. That’s when I struck. But that day, strangely, an unfamiliar woman accompanied her. She looked like an ordinary maid. What was there to hesitate about? Killing one or two—it’s all the same to me!”

Poe recounted the event with a gleeful excitement.

“After killing them both, I staged the scene to look like a robbery. But then, soldiers burst in unexpectedly. It was unforeseen. At this time? In this place? I could have taken on the soldiers, but I didn’t want a commotion, so I fled. Because I couldn’t properly set up the evidence, a massive manhunt ensued, and I faced some trouble for a while.”

“Why did that happen?” Manoli inquired.

“The lady’s companion was the maid of the man she was having an affair with. He had sent his maid with the lady under the pretense of escorting her, and when the maid didn’t return promptly, he dispatched the soldiers.”

Poe concluded the story.

Manoli shook his head and asked, “What does that have to do with our current situation?”

“That girl, Sof, seems to be a priestess in training at the Artina Convent, affiliated with the Rome Priesthood. The interesting part is that I’ve seen her before—twice, in fact.”

Poe held up two fingers, then absentmindedly folded them.

“Maybe even three times. It’s strange; I’ve never experienced this before. I can even remember how many pigeons flew up at the moment the incident occurred.”

Poe chuckled at his own thoughts, finding them amusing.

Manoli, finding Poe’s laughter distasteful, said, “Are you suggesting that if Sof disappears or dies, it could cause problems? Like with that maid?”

“Eliminating her could bring an investigation team from the Rome Priesthood,” Poe said seriously.

In truth, Poe wasn’t worried about an investigation team. It didn’t matter if it happened; the monastery could fall apart for all he cared. There were plenty of other places to go.

Manoli shook his head.

“Couldn’t we interrogate and find out if anyone knows that woman is coming here?”

“Indeed. But we must also remember the boy with the long hair.”

“The mute kid? His hair was long?”

“Yes, he just covers it with a hood. I don’t know his identity either. All these peculiar things surrounding Jade have me concerned. If we interrogate and investigate everything, we might miss something small, and that small thing could turn into a massive storm.”

Poe spoke with feigned seriousness while inwardly laughing.

‘I’m quite the storyteller, aren’t I? After talking with Cardinal Lorenzo, it always ends up like this.’

Manoli fell for it completely.

“Now that you mention it, Jade is a priest often spoken of by Bishop David and even Cardinal Pietro. If he were to die in this monastery…”

“That’s why I’ve thought of a simple solution,” Poe interjected.

“What is it?” Manoli asked eagerly.

“I noticed a devil’s wound on Jade’s shoulder earlier.”

“A devil? He did look unwell…”

“I don’t know where he got that wound, but it’s beyond any cure I know. No physician, no medicine can heal it.”

“Really? Even with your skills?”

“I’ve seen countless people suffer and die from the same wound. Not once have I seen it cured. No doctor, no remedy can treat it.”

“So, he was doomed to die anyway? There’s no need for us to intervene.”

“Exactly. That leaves the other two: Priest Sof and Ruby.”

“And them…?”

Poe waited as if expecting the question.

“Firstly, it wasn’t Priest Jade who came here, but ‘Priest Jaiden.’ We don’t know where he’s from or where he’s going.”

Manoli listened and nodded in agreement.

“But he died tonight, infected by the devil’s poison. I was so afraid the poison might spread that I burned the body. The other two who came with him were also infected and died, so I had no choice but to burn them too… Oh, it was ‘Priest Jade,’ not ‘Priest Jaiden’? I didn’t know that. But what can you do? The infection from the devil’s poison is real.”

Poe smiled broadly as if an investigation team from the Rome Priesthood had appeared before him.

“What’s the difference between that and just killing them?” Manoli asked.

“The difference? You get to see a person burn!”

Poe coughed again before continuing his explanation.

“We’re aligning the front and back. It’s difficult to lie to all the monks here, so let’s deceive them as well. You were planning to build a new annex anyway, weren’t you? Let’s burn down the old one now.”

Manoli groaned in frustration.

“He died from a demon’s wound, and for fear of contagion, the body was cremated… Fearing that the demon’s poison would desecrate the sanctity of the monastery, the annex where he stayed was burned along with it, and those who accompanied him died from the contagion, so they were burned together… Is that the story?”

“Have you made your decision?”

Manoli couldn’t make an immediate decision and groaned again.

‘This indecisive old man, does he think I’m waiting for his permission? If necessary, I could kill him first, so he better decide quickly.’

Poe noticed Manoli fiddling with a small book he had been pondering over and asked.

“What have you been touching all this time?”

“It’s the Bible that Jade had. I checked to see if it was the rumored fourth holy scripture, but it turned out to be an ordinary Bible.”

“May I take a look at it?”

When Poe took it to check, it indeed was a real Bible. However, the feel of the paper was unusual.

“This might actually be the real fourth holy scripture.”

“Huh? Why? It’s just a Bible.”

“It seems to be disguised to look that way.”

Manoli asked excitedly.

“What kind of mechanism?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to examine it closely. If the fourth holy scripture had revealed itself so easily, why wouldn’t it have been discovered for hundreds of years?”

Poe rambled on to persuade him.

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“If this really is the fourth holy scripture and Bishop David or Cardinal Pietro knew that Jade had it, then we must burn the annex even more. That way, if an investigation team comes later and asks, ‘Where is the Bible Father Jade had?’ we can say, ‘Oh dear, a mistake. We burned it fearing contamination from the poison.’”

Poe returned the Bible as he spoke.

Manoli examined the book once more.

“What kind of mechanism is it?”

“I’m not sure if it’s a demon’s magic or a witch’s curse. If you’re worried, I can take it to ‘someone I know.’ They are well-versed in such knowledge and will be able to tell us…”

Manoli put the Bible in the desk drawer and closed it loudly.

Poe swallowed his words and smiled broadly.

‘Such an easy old man to read. That’s how it should be. It’s Lorenzo who’s strange. And Daniel too. Yes, Daniel is strange. It’s odd that I care about the dead.’

Manoli finally made a decision.

“Make sure not to leave any odd traces behind.”

Poe rose from his chair and replied.

“I dealt with Father Daniel in the middle of Rome, but no one knows he was murdered. Now, Jade will meet the same fate.”