The Monster Lady and the Holy Knight - Chapter 56

“Is this really the imperial library? It’s smaller than I expected…”

“The main library is in the main palace. However, due to the risk of losing historical records, copies are kept in every palace. This place is more of a storage area than a reading space.”

The room smelled of old paper, as though people rarely came here. The bookshelves reached the ceiling, and the space was small—barely large enough for thirty people. Veronica thanked the attendant without any further comment.

“Thank you.”

The maid, who had been glancing around, nodded and left. Her eyes clearly conveyed disdain. Veronica had spent all day dancing for Princess Johanna, until the princess grew tired of it. Her feet were bloodied, and her entire body was soaked in sweat. She might have to do it all over again tomorrow.

That was why, despite the late hour, Veronica had come to the library. She had to use the opportunity before she collapsed.

She limped over to inspect the bookshelves by year. It was currently the year of Holy Power 1521. The statue in the wilderness had lost its head precisely twenty years ago, in the summer.

The library contained centuries of recorded history, condensed in ink. Veronica quickly found the records from 1501, the relatively recent past. The names of the scribe and the emperor were written on the cover.

However, contrary to her expectations, there was nothing new regarding the statue’s prophecy—just what Veronica already knew. When the wilderness was opened, crowds entered and found the headless statue. That was it.

Finding nothing interesting, Veronica flipped forward to the earlier parts of the records, examining each entry from the beginning of the year. Trade with foreign nations, legal judgments, all sorts of things.

Then, in an entry dated a month before the wilderness was opened, she found an intriguing passage.

Holy Power 1501, July 4th.

The midday sun turned black, and the world darkened. The phenomenon lasted for a very short time—just enough for a candle to melt about 5 rachads (approximately 1.5 centimeters) before the sky returned to its original color. People became uneasy, calling it an omen of the world’s end, and Emperor Wilhelm I ordered the arrest of all false prophets.

Murmuring the words under her breath, Veronica soon came across a troubling sentence.

Leaders of the heretics fled to the wilderness. The Holy Knights refused to enter the wilderness, so the imperial knights led by Dmitri von Preussen pursued and eliminated the criminals. They reported an unusual phenomenon—the blood did not soak into the ground.

The blood did not soak into the wilderness. Veronica felt as if she had heard something similar before. She fell deep into thought, like reaching for a white thread that was just out of reach. Blood, it did not soak in. Blood.

“The rest and peace of the Holy City shall be eternal. Not a single drop of innocent blood shall ever be spilled on that land.”

Veronica held her breath.

“No way…”

She hurriedly started flipping through the book again, without even knowing what she was looking for, her fingers skimming the pages for any mention of the wilderness. Now that she had begun searching in earnest, references to strange occurrences appeared multiple times.

The Holy City of Kart is the paradise promised by God. It is a safe land, immune to invasion.

Come to think of it, the prophecy only spoke of safety and peace being in the “Holy City”—it never specifically said “Kart.”

The Holy City is where God resides, not where the Pope resides.

Then, could the true Holy City be…?

Veronica lifted her head, glancing at her own reflection faintly mirrored in the window. Her pupils were dilated, her heart pounding as if it had uncovered an unexpected truth.

Thump. Thump.

***

Leon had not yet sworn loyalty to the princess. In other words, he was still a free man. But that didn’t mean he was part of the Holy See either—more like a duckling lost on the winter river.

“So, you want me to help you access the records?”

Heinz wiped his bald head with a handkerchief as he asked. He had recently become a senior member of the Holy Knights, second only to Deputy Commander Philip, after all of Mecklenburg’s subordinates had died. Heinz, who preferred to keep his position in the background, found his newfound responsibility rather bothersome.

“Ah, and one more thing. I’d appreciate it if you could include Oscar Berg in the extermination force.”

“Who is that?”

“The Pope’s bastard.”

Leon swirled the ice in his glass and spoke curtly. Heinz, his old acquaintance, stared at him with his mouth agape before letting out a loud sigh.

“Listen. Don’t drag me into anything too extreme. You haven’t forgotten that I helped guard the inn, have you?”

“It’s not such a difficult favor,” Leon responded briefly, stretching his legs and leaning back.

There were no other guests who behaved as informally as he did in Baron Kraus’s drawing room. Heinz shook his head, visibly bewildered, then took a deep gulp of his drink.

In truth, neither accessing the records nor including Oscar in the extermination force was a particularly difficult request. However, Heinz couldn’t understand the purpose.

“Is there really a need to review the records? I imagine you already know the Church’s documents inside and out.”

Leon had undergone the harshest monastery life of anyone. It was likely that he remembered almost everything in the Holy See’s records. This was merely a verification process.

“Hmm, let’s see. Judging by your reaction, you’ve already come to a conclusion in your heart. So, tell me—does it match what the assimilated one said? Do you think God could have inhabited a mere human body?”

Leon, who had been gazing at the ceiling, did not respond. His Adam’s apple bobbed silently as he remained wordless. Just when Heinz was about to lose his patience, Leon finally opened his mouth.

“It’s possible. ‘He sees the world through the eyes of trees, animals, and insects.’ ‘The midday eye of God is the sign of Him seeking His dwelling place.'”

Leon quoted a part of the Apocalypse, and Heinz tilted his head.

“The midday eye of God?”

“It probably refers to a solar eclipse. When the sun is covered, the sky appears like God’s eye.”

At the mention of a solar eclipse, Heinz instinctively thought back to the summer twenty years ago—the morning the statue in the wilderness lost its head, there had been a solar eclipse.

“Well, the pieces do fit together, eerily so.”

“Still, do you really think it’s possible? The idea of God dwelling in a human body?”

“Is it hard to believe? Or do you simply not want to believe it?”

Leon fell silent again.

Heinz set down his glass and spoke, “I’ll look into it, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m more curious about how those monsters distinguish humans who have been to the wilderness.”

“When you’re out there, try catching one and asking.”

“Why would I do that? With an assimilated one in the extermination force, we could just experiment on her…”

Heinz trailed off, shocked by what he saw. Leon’s sharp gaze, which had been directed at the ceiling, was now piercing him, filled with murderous intent.

“Hey, you don’t actually have feelings for her, do you?”

“Feelings?”

“Ah, even I think that makes no sense. Sorry about that. I mean, a faithful knight like you, of all people.”

“Calling it ‘feelings’ seems far too impure.”

“I must have misheard.” Heinz frowned deeply.

Leon chuckled lightly at his disbelief. “You heard correctly.”

“Are you serious?”

Heinz couldn’t bring himself to laugh. Despite all the rumors of Leon’s supposed corruption, Heinz had never once thought of him that way. To Heinz, Leon was the hero of Tiran and the hope of the end times. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.

“…I can’t believe it. During the expedition, don’t even think about getting near the assimilated one.”

“That’s why I asked for Oscar Berg to be included.”

“Damn it, I didn’t realize that was what you meant.”

Heinz swore and emptied the rest of his drink in one gulp. He should have known something was off when Leon decided to stay at the same inn. As someone who understood human desire, Heinz didn’t find it incomprehensible, but given the current situation, Leon’s behavior was ill-timed and reckless.

“Were you thinking about her when you looked so out of it earlier?”

Realizing he had pushed too hard, Heinz tried to turn it into a joke. Leon stretched his lips into a long smile and laughed. It was the first time Heinz had seen such a smile since they were children.

He paused, setting his glass down. Sweat beaded again on his bald head. He wiped it with a handkerchief before speaking softly, “Well, since it’s just the two of us, let’s pretend we’re back in confession like when we were apprentices.”

He was suggesting that Leon spit out whatever was troubling him and let it go. Leon ran his fingers along his glass, remaining silent. Heinz didn’t expect him to say anything, so when Leon’s voice broke the quiet, Heinz was startled.

“It’s nothing. I just imagined her alive after all of this ends.”

“……”

“If it weren’t for these times, she might have lived an ordinary life, gotten married, had a family, and enjoyed simple meals together, talking about trivial things on sunny days by the window.”

Heinz found himself briefly imagining the happy scene. Under a blue sky, there was a green field and a house. Laundry fluttered in front of the house, and by a window filled with potted plants, two people sat at a table. Of course, Leon hadn’t described it this way, but men’s romantic notions were always similar.

“Hah, that’s the most impure thing I’ve ever heard from you. I thought it was just a fling, but you’re talking about a whole life together?”

Heinz clicked his tongue, shaking his head, and Leon laughed again. It was louder than before, but it didn’t sound joyful. Tragedy begins when humans desire what they cannot have.

Tonight, please turn a blind eye to the sins committed by Your servant. He is Your most loyal follower, offering even his despair to You.

Heinz prayed for forgiveness. Since it was a confession, the matter would remain buried until the day he joined God. The cozy scene, the happy smiles—none of it would ever be revealed.