East Road Quest

Chapter 59: Father Deolon

“Lies?”

Jade pondered over her conversation with Father Deolon, unable to pinpoint any particular falsehoods.

Jade inquired, “You’re not simply mistaking kindness for suspicion, are you? What’s your basis?” Ruby stood at the altar at the end of the chapel and, picking up a book that lay there, said, “To be frank, I did doubt his kindness without cause. After all, kindness without a price is hard to come by.”

Ruby took a seat on the pulpit, her legs swinging in the air, shorter than the pulpit’s height.

He continued, placing the book on his lap, “But what really made me sense a lie was when Deolon finished his tale and retreated.”

“Did his hasty departure seem odd to you?”

“Not at all. It’s only natural. I’ve only met the man for ten minutes; I can’t discern lies from just a hurried demeanor. However, in that haste, I caught a glimpse of relief in his eyes, as if he thought, ‘Phew, I just managed to deceive them.'”

“So, you don’t know exactly what the lie was?”

“No, I only observed his psychological state.”

Scratching his head, Jade remarked, “Father Deolon seems like the real priest of this church, doesn’t he?”

Ruby nodded, gazing up at the ceiling, “I think so too. He’s cleaned too well for a fake. Even when he descended the ladder earlier, he seemed genuinely frightened, and he didn’t have the dangerous aura of an assassin. An assassin would at least be as threatening as Father Puyol of the monastery.”

At the mention of that name, Sapphire shuddered.

Ruby concluded the discussion, “That doesn’t mean Deolon is innocent. The goat’s milk and bread he offered were merely devices to conceal his lies.”

“So, the kindness he just showed was all a facade?”

Jade asked.

Ruby affirmed decisively, “Exactly.”

“Then why not follow him to verify?”

“Should I?”

“If he’s a dangerous man, we need to identify the threat.”

“Chasing after him to test my hypothesis, leaving you two here alone, would be riskier. If that priest secretly brings an army to kill you, I can stop them. But if I’m away, you two wouldn’t be able to fend off even an ‘Assassin 1’ disguised as ‘Passerby 1’ wielding a fork.”

Throughout the conversation, Ruby examined the book on his thigh and asked, “This is the Bible, right? It has Deolon’s name on the cover.”

“Let me see.”

Sapphire sat beside Ruby, their legs swinging in the air just the same due to their similar heights and leg lengths.

Sapphire recognized it after reading just the first line of the randomly opened page, “Yes, this is the Bible.”

“Then we should start reading it,” Ruby decided, opening the first page. Jade, taken aback, asked, “Shouldn’t we leave this church?

“Why?”

“You said the man was dangerous.”

“Did you hear flowers instead of my words? I said he lied, not that he was dangerous.”

“But you mentioned he might bring an army.”

“And I said I could handle it if he did.”

“It’s better to avoid trouble if it seems likely to happen.”

“Then, may I take this Bible with me?”

“That’s not allowed.”

“Right, right, ‘Father Jayden’ would say stealing is wrong. But borrowing a Bible to read in the church isn’t a sin. So, I’ll read this book right here!”

With that declaration, Ruby began reading the Bible.

Jade was at a loss for words.

‘I can’t very well say it’s okay to steal a Bible.’

Sapphire, sitting beside him, explained, “The first chapter of the Bible is Genesis. It contains the verses of creation as spoken by Magdalena Gatriel.”

“Don’t annotate at will. I’ll read and understand it myself.”

“Reading the Bible incorrectly is worse than not reading it at all. I need to provide additional explanations.”

“Then keep talking. I’ll continue reading.”

“Can you concentrate with someone talking beside you?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. This flower thinks it can mock me? I can memorize all three: your interpretation, Jade’s explanation of the new lamb recipe, and the book I’m reading. So, chatter away as much as you like.”

Ruby had already turned the first page as he spoke.

“Just remember, if your explanations are slower than my page-turning, you won’t get to say everything you want, so summarize accordingly.”

“Genesis is laden with various meanings. You can’t just grasp the literal sense of the sentences.”

Sapphire began to hurriedly explain, pointing at the verses.

Jade, giving up, took a seat in front of the pulpit.

Jade gazed at Sapphire and Ruby, seated side by side. A comforting warmth filled him just by looking at them.

“Ruby is strong, no doubt, and even Sapphire has more stamina and smarts than me,” he mused, a smile creeping onto his face. “Somehow, I’ve become their guardian without realizing it. Best keep that to myself.”

With a contented smile, Jade watched the rapid progress of Ruby and Sapphire’s scripture studies.

As Yol pursued Jade from Rome to the red desert, Cardinal Lorenzo of the Rapal Priesthood penned several letters.

These were directives for the Mediterranean port authorities.

“Ensure the man named Jade does not board a ship bound for the eastern continent.”

The letters detailed his appearance, noting he might be in disguise and accompanied by others.

Just as Yol failed to foresee his own demise at the hands of a mysterious red-haired boy, Lorenzo could not predict Yol’s failure. Nevertheless, precautions were necessary.

Lorenzo dispatched more letters, leveraging personal connections to locate Jade. Some went to the archbishop of Lithuania, others to the ports of Pisa and Saint Paul, and one to the Duchy of Luna.

The speed of communication was as fast as the horse carrying the messenger, or as slow as the ox pulling the cart, or the donkey laden with the mailbag. Sometimes, it was merely the pace of a walking man.

While most letters traveled at the speed of a carriage, one sped on horseback.

This letter swiftly left Rome, and within half a day, it was handed to the next courier.

Normally, letters would pause briefly, stored for a day. Couriers had working hours, and if a holiday fell during delivery, a day’s journey could stretch to a fortnight.

To ensure delivery regardless of holidays, extra payment was required. But this was usually the concern of the nobility.

Upon seeing Cardinal Lorenzo’s seal, couriers delivered his letters with urgency, surpassing even the military dispatch riders. When a letter reached the second village, it was immediately handed to the next courier without delay.

Only messages of enemy invasions or a king’s death traveled this swiftly. If a letter arrived at dawn, the courier had to leap from bed; if during a meal, they ran with bread in their mouth.

Couriers took great care not to damage the letters.

A broken seal meant death for all involved in the delivery. Thus, if a courier received a letter with a broken seal, they had to report it to Lorenzo immediately to avoid blame.

Despite the routine nature of a high official sending letters, Lorenzo maintained strict secrecy.

When Jade reached Saint Santirimo Monastery and a terrible event unfolded with Yol’s death and the monastery’s destruction, Lorenzo’s letters had already safely and swiftly reached Father Deolon in Fairbang Village, at Achillia Cathedral.

The letter, untouched by water or fingers, had its wax seal broken only in Deolon’s hands.

Encrypted within the envelope, the letter appeared at first glance to contain scripture. But arranged in a secret code known only to Deolon and Lorenzo, it transformed into covert orders.

“A priest named Jade, on a clandestine mission to find the Holy Grail, may head your way.

If the young priest’s actions risk our fragile alliance with the eastern kingdom, persuade him subtly to leave, lest he disrupts the peace.

He’s dangerous, so if you must confront him, be cautious of his potential for violence.

Seek help from those nearby if necessary.

If circumstances prevent you from stopping him,

then it’s an unfortunate inevitability.”

Hidden within this code was another layer of meaning.

In Lorenzo’s letters, “circumstances prevent” meant to interpret the opposite, and “unfortunate inevitability” was a directive to kill.

Thus, the letter didn’t mean “Stop Jade, and if that fails, it’s unfortunate but kill him.” It meant, “Kill Jade, and if that’s not possible, at least detain him.”

Lorenzo enjoyed maintaining layers of secrecy.

Even if Deolon exposed the letter, using it as evidence, Lorenzo had crafted an escape clause, claiming he never ordered a killing.

“Is it mere coincidence?”

A month before receiving Lorenzo’s letter, Deolon had already received a similar message.

It was from Duke Drake of the Duchy of Luna.

“If a party seeking the Holy Grail appears in Fairbang, contact me immediately.”

Had it not been for Duke Drake’s seal, Deolon would have dismissed it as a prank.

Who would pass through this village on a quest for the Holy Grail? Even a twelve-year-old fresh from geography lessons knew that one must travel through the port of Pisa to reach the eastern kingdoms.

Yet, a week prior, an envoy from Duke Drake had arrived.

“Are you Father Deolon?”

They were a group shrouded in black hoods and robes, as if thieves from the red desert had come this far.

The leader was a woman, her face hidden save for her blue eyes and long eyebrows. Amusingly, she carried a broomstick taller than herself on her back.

“Yes, that’s me. But I haven’t advertised for a cleaner,” Deolon joked, trying to mask his fear.

She replied in a stern voice, “I come on behalf of Duke Drake.” She presented a letter bearing the duke’s seal.

Deolon opened the letter.

“Regarding all matters involving Alisa in foreign lands…

Duke Drake had pledged to take responsibility, delegating all his authority.

Despite knowing the letter and seal were authentic, Deolon couldn’t bring himself to believe it. The seal could have been forged, or perhaps the original owner of the letter was dead, and someone else was impersonating him.

Without showing his suspicion, Deolon inquired, “To think the Duke would send not one but two letters to such a humble villager, it’s an honor indeed. What can I assist you with, Alisa?”

Alisa’s voice was youthful, yet her tone was as calm as that of an elder. “There will be a group passing through in search of the Holy Grail.”

“I’ve received the Duke’s letter and have been waiting, but no such group has appeared. Now that you mention it, why would they pass through this village on their quest for the Grail?” Deolon asked, tilting his head curiously.

“That’s none of your concern,” Alisa replied with a cold gaze.

“We plan to patrol the villages of Fairbang, Manong, and Beary for a month. Should you encounter any party in search of the Grail or heading towards the Dark Forest, come find us. We’re not asking this of you for free.”

The cloth bag she handed him contained enough money to cover the church’s repair costs for a lifetime.

“This is an advance. If you accurately report the person we’re looking for and help us complete our mission, we’ll double that amount.”

“Agreed,” Deolon said, accepting the bag nonchalantly, though inside, he was terrified.

‘Large sums spell disaster. If this woman changes her mind, it could very well become the price of my life. If there’s no progress and she asks for the advance back, I’ll have to return it swiftly.’

Deolon wrote a letter to Cardinal Lorenzo, reporting everything. Of course, unlike the swift delivery of Lorenzo’s letter, this one would travel at the pace of a mule and was at risk of being lost.

Not long after sending the letter, he received an encrypted reply from Lorenzo, which surprised Deolon. He thought his letter had been answered so quickly, but it turned out the letters had merely crossed paths.

‘First Duke Drake, and now Cardinal Lorenzo?’

Lorenzo even mentioned the name ‘Jade.’

Coincidentally, Deolon knew Jade’s face. He had seen her once in Rome, standing beside Father Daniel from a distance, and her image was etched in his memory due to a notorious murder case in Pompeii.

‘Could she really be coming here?’ Deolon pondered, and just as he did, Jade appeared in his cathedral.

‘Good heavens, what in the world is happening?’

Jade didn’t speak of the Grail but introduced herself as ‘Jayden,’ saying she intended to travel to the Kuman Plains.

‘Why head to the Kuman Plains? She must be planning to cross them to reach the Dark Forest!’

The timing was too perfect, and it frightened Deolon.

As he served a meal to Jade’s party, Deolon wrestled with his thoughts.

‘Should I follow Cardinal Lorenzo’s orders or fulfill Duke Drake’s request?’

Deolon’s method of assassination was mostly poisoning.

With his frail appearance and kind voice, he would lure his targets with a hospitable meal, which even the most suspicious would fall for. The poison he used was odorless and tasteless. Crucially, he had built up immunity over several years by consuming tiny amounts of poison daily, allowing him to eat the same food as his targets without issue.

If someone died in the church, he could conduct the funeral mass himself and either bury or cremate the body to eliminate evidence.

For travelers from the desert, it was easy to claim they died from scorpion or snake venom. It wasn’t uncommon for someone poisoned to live untroubled for days before suddenly deteriorating and dying abruptly.

Had Jade been alone, Deolon would have followed Lorenzo’s directive. However, she had two companions. It wouldn’t be easy to conceal the deaths of three people from the same poison.

Moreover, one of them was a stunning beauty. Not by the standards of a rural village, but even by the standards of his entire life, she could be considered the most beautiful.

‘Such a waste to kill her!’

Deolon engaged in idle chatter with Jade, assessing the situation.

‘No money and an uncertain path ahead. I could keep them in the church for a day or so.’

Pretending to be kind, Deolon told Jade to wait and quickly left the church, riding out of the village.

He had decided to follow Duke Drake’s request.

‘After handing over Jade to them, if I’m careful, I might find an opportunity to slip away with ‘Soph.’’