Damn Reincarnation Chapter 186

Published at 28th of February 2023 05:53:33 AM

Chapter 186: The Cathedral (2)

“I’m afraid I will also need to leave in the morning,” Sergio informed Eugene.

Tressia Cathedral was a historic building that boasted a legacy of hundreds of years. However, let alone the central chapel, which could be said to be the heart of this cathedral, even the surrounding annexes and the corridors they were currently walking through showed no signs of deterioration.

“Are you really leaving for somewhere else when you’re the one who called me here?” Eugene asked as he stared at Sergio’s back.

Sergio laughed in a low voice at these words, “My apologies. It’s because I truly wanted to meet with you at least once, Sir Eugene….”

“I would have met you at the Vatican in five days anyway,” Eugene pointed out.

“Yes, that’s true. However, it wouldn’t just be the two of us alone, Sir Eugene. Isn’t that right?” Sergio said, still laughing.

His laughter, along with the words that he had just uttered, made his intentions quite blatant.

Eugene silently raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk, “It seems that you just wanted to test me, Cardinal Rogeris.”

“I won’t deny that,” the Cardinal readily admitted, without even a moment’s silence.

Eugene looked at Sergio’s shoulders, which showed no signs of shaking, and the red cloth that hung from his left shoulder and flowed down his chest.

There was a specific meaning behind Sergio’s priestly garments. The black robe worn within, yet still visible, represented darkness. The white cross around his neck represented that light still existed in the darkness. The white mantle worn over his robes showed that the light would always overcome the darkness. The red cloth hanging from his left shoulder symbolized his determination to willingly shed his own blood and become a martyr for his faith, the God of Light, the Church of Light, the Pope, and all of the believers of the faith.

“How were you planning on testing me?” Eugene asked.

“I have already confirmed that you, Sir Eugene, are unmistakably the Hero,” Sergio assured him as he recalled the sight of Eugene drawing the Holy Sword.

The pillars of light, which usually lit up the cathedral without ever showing any movement, had been drawn to Eugene of their own volition. The Holy Sword had resonated with that light and illuminated the entire cathedral.

That brilliant storm of light was unmistakably a miracle, and Eugene, who had held the Holy Sword aloft in the center of that storm, had proved himself to be the Hero of Light.

Sergio hesitated. “Well….”

For Eugene Lionheart, as the Hero, there was no need to test him any further. Let alone the Cardinals, even if Pope Aeuryus had seen that storm of light from earlier, he would have had no choice but to recognize Eugene as the Hero.

Sergio continued, “...the Hero is the Incarnation of Light. So how could I, who is only a servant of the Light, continue to test the Hero?”

“Haha,” Eugene laughed and nodded his head. “Cardinal Rogeris, it seems that you didn’t just want to test whether I’m Hero, but you also wanted to know what kind of person I am.”

“Please don’t be too offended by this,” Sergio requested.

Eugene just said, “I’m also aware that you were once an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum.”

“It has already been thirty years since that was the case.”

“But time doesn’t change a person’s true character. Isn’t the reason why a large number of Inquisitors were mobilized for this ritual that your words still hold weight in the Maleficarum?”

“I can’t deny that,” Sergio conceded. “However, I am not using such influence for personal reasons. It’s just because the ritual this time is far more important than ever before—”

Eugene interrupted him. “Doesn’t the fact that you’re currently using them to monitor me count as a personal reason?”

Sergio’s steps halted. While calming his surprise, he turned to look back at Eugene. With an innocent smile that seemed appropriate for his age, Eugene was staring at Sergio.

“There were two Inquisitors responsible for guiding me here. Atarax the Punisher and Hemoria the Guillotine. But now… it’s quite amazing. The number of Inquisitors currently watching me seems to be far more than just two, right?” Eugene asked innocently.

Calling it amazing wasn’t just an exaggeration. Even if you rounded up all of the Inquisitors who had left with Kristina, far more were still currently watching Eugene. If he roughly tried to count the number of Inquisitors hiding around them, there were at least a hundred.

“...Haha,” Sergio let out a low laugh and raised his hand.

At this gesture, the hidden presences secretly surveilling them left one by one.

“As the Hero, Sir Eugene, you are just as important as the ritual for the Saint Candidate,” Sergio said as an excuse.

“Is that so? But by having some of the Inquisitors leave with Kristina to attract my attention and hiding the rest of the Inquisitors throughout the cathedral, were you hoping I wouldn’t notice?” Eugene didn’t wait for Sergio’s reply. The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk as he uttered a cutting accusation, “In this situation, I can’t help but hope that’s all a misunderstanding. If I hadn’t been able to prove that I was the Hero, or even if I did but failed to meet your standards… what did you intend to do to me, Cardinal?”

“...” 

Sergio remained silent.

Eugene continued, “I’m aware that the Inquisitors of the Maleficarum are skilled in all sorts of dirty deeds. So, were you planning for everyone to jump out and try to knife me? If you manage to kill me, were you planning on chopping off one of my arms and taking away the Holy Sword?”

“Not at all,” Sergio shook his head. “Although I have considered whether or not doing so might work, I would never go so far. However, Sir Eugene… as someone in my position, I have no choice but to worry that you aren’t a devout believer and that your belief in the God of Light is weak.”

“So what? What are you planning to do now?” Eugene demanded.

“I believe it’s possible for people to change for the better. Sir Eugene, even if you currently aren’t a follower of the Light, I believe that one day, thanks to God’s grace, you will become a believer,” Sergio stated confidently as his hand reached into a pocket. “If you hadn’t shown me such a brilliant light, I would have done all I could to try to convert you to our faith.”

But by what methods? Eugene didn’t feel the need to even ask. The Inquisitors’ treatment of nonbelievers, apostates, and pagans had been famous even three hundred years back. Even now, their interrogations were synonymous with torture, and there were several rumors about how they would force people to convert so they could be used as tools for religious propaganda.

“But I did see it all happen with my own eyes. There is no way that you, who shone so brilliantly, don’t have faith in your heart. But, Sir Eugene, were you aware of what it means? For the Hero to be the Embodiment of Light. It seems that you already have a vague sense of your true identity, but in my eyes, Sir Eugene, you are the Light itself,” Sergio continued as he pulled a thick scripture book out of his pocket. Holding the scripture book in both hands, he politely handed it to Eugene and said, “In order to muster the Light that rises from your heart, you need to have faith. So please, take this scripture book and consider converting to our religion.”

After gazing blankly at the scripture book, Eugene reached his hand out. Truthfully, in his heart, Eugene wanted to smash this scripture book on top of Sergio’s head, but it was clear that doing so would end up being extremely annoying.

“Is that it?” Eugene asked after tossing the scripture book into his cloak.

Sergio looked at Eugene with a thin smile before turning back and walking forward while replying, “There are several things I would like to speak with you concerning the Saint Candidate.”

Eugene recalled how Kristina had a suspicious look on her face throughout the train ride. She had seemed wary of Eugene meeting Cardinal Rogeris, her adoptive father. She had even gone so far as to prepare a set of excuses of her own volition to get Eugene to leave the train.

“After meeting with you, Sir Eugene, while following the divine revelation and traveling together with you through the Samar Rainforest for several months… it seems that our Saint Candidate has changed a little,” Sergio said probingly.

“It seems that you’re not too happy with these changes?” Eugene challenged.

Sergio readily admitted to this, “Yes, isn’t it only natural? I have been responsible for teaching the Saint Candidate ever since she was young. And before she became the Saint Candidate, as her adoptive father, I educated her so that she could grow into a proper follower of the Light. After she became the Saint Candidate, she continued to receive guidance so that she would not be found lacking when the time came for her to be reborn as the true Saint.”

“Hm…,” Eugene paused in thought. “I’m afraid I don’t have the faintest idea what you are trying to say, Cardinal. Do you feel like there is something unsatisfactory about the changes that Kristina has gone through?”

Sergio got to the point, “I’m talking about the letters sent to you via Rohanna Celles.”

As expected, that was what he was after.

Unfazed by this, Eugene just laughed and said, “Even though it seems like you haven’t seen their contents?”

“I just didn’t want to commit such an invasion of your privacy. However, if the contents written within weren’t anything to be ashamed of, there wouldn’t be any need to use a cipher spell and send it through an outsider,” Sergio accused.

Eugene argued back, “But she isn’t really an outsider, now is she?”

“You’re right. Rohanna Celles has been given the role of soothing the weary heart of our Saint Candidate,” Sergio said without any attempt at hiding this. “It’s not just Rohanna Celles either. All the clergy serving within this cathedral, including myself, the believers who voluntarily handle the various affairs of the cathedral, as well as those who merely live in the parish along with the Archbishop and the other clergy of the Alcarte Diocese where the Saint Candidate served as an Assistant Bishop… so many members of the clergy and our believers have been serving in different roles in relation to our Saint Candidate.”

How extreme.

No, not just extreme. Abnormal. Eugene couldn’t help but think that way. According to this statement, most people around Kristina were actors and spies assigned to her due to her unique qualities as the Saint Candidate.

“For over ten years, I have been teaching the Saint Candidate and hoping that she would grow up in a proper manner to be reborn as the Saint. Most gratifyingly, our Saint Candidate will soon become the Saint, and she will shine her light on the world by assisting the Hero who has reappeared after three hundred years,” Sergio paused for a moment. “Please don’t be offended, Sir Eugene Lionheart. While you are unmistakably the Hero, you are markedly lacking in the faith that a Hero requires. I hoped that our Saint Candidate would be able to guide the Hero and lead him into becoming a devout believer. However… our Saint Candidate seems to have instead been influenced by you, Sir Eugene.”

“Why don’t you just let yourself go and speak frankly? The way that you keep talking in circles seems like it would be annoying to do. Even listening to it, it’s really quite….” Eugene laughed suggestively, then continued speaking, “It feels shitty? Or at least, that’s what I think. Ah, my apologies. Isn’t it unbecoming for the Hero to curse like this? I don’t want to resort to curses either, but I really think that word is best suited to express how I feel right now….”

“It’s alright,” Sergio forgave him.

Eugene had purposely thrown out such a word to ruffle his emotions, but Sergio hadn’t shown even the slightest shiver. Nevertheless, the thought ran through Eugene’s mind, ‘As expected of a priest who has calmed himself through prayer for decades.’

Sergio confessed, “Our Saint Candidate was unable to convert you, Sir Eugene, and was instead influenced by you because my teachings were insufficient.”

“I guess you want to see me arriving at a church service while holding hands with Kristina?” Eugene asked sarcastically.

“If that had been the case, it would have been quite the happy and fortunate affair. However, since it seems that you, Sir Eugene, aren’t willing to do such a thing… I will ask the Saint Candidate to continue to guide you so that you will at least be willing to pray together,” Sergio stated calmly.

“I can’t help but think that your behavior is far too excessive in many ways. Shouldn’t faith come from the heart, without any compulsion? And it’s not like Kristina is still a ten-year-old brat. She’s currently graduating from a Candidate into full Sainthood. No matter what you have done as Kristina’s adoptive father, I still think that it would be presumptuous of you to interfere in her duties like that, Cardinal,” Eugene criticized.

“As long as our Saint Candidate has an unwavering and perfect faith, there won’t be any need for me to interfere,” Sergio insisted.

The end of this long hallway was getting closer.

“Sir Eugene. Please do not test our Saint Candidate’s faith. You are already a Hero capable of emitting a great Light all on your own, but the Saint Candidate is an apostle who is bestowed the Light by God. If you keep testing our Saint Candidate’s faith, causing it to shake… then the Saint Candidate may end up completely doubting her beliefs,” Sergio warned as he came to a halt in front of a closed door. “Once that happens, our Lord may confiscate the Light he has bestowed upon our Saint Candidate. If that were to occur, our Saint Candidate would become an ordinary human being and would be unable to stand by the side of the Hero.”

“The one who decides whether or not someone stands by my side is myself, not God,” Eugene declared as he stepped past Sergio and reached for the doorknob. “She doesn’t need to be a Saint to stand by my side. If Kristina were to lose the power of the Saint, and if it was my fault? Then I would just think your God is quite petty, and I will continue to take Kristina with me.”

“Haha…,” Sergio burst into laughter.

A side glance showed that a smile had appeared on Sergio’s face. Eugene saw an eerie light flowing from the corners of Sergio’s eyes that had been squeezed into curves by his laughter.

“Sir Eugene, even if you think that way, our Saint Candidate won’t be able to feel the same way,” Sergio pointed out after calming down. “She has gone through a lot of hard work to become the Saint, and if she couldn't become the Saint…. She wouldn’t even be able to imagine herself not being the Saint, especially since… she knows how special this era is proving to be.”

“Special?” Eugene repeated questioningly.

“The Hero never appeared during these past three hundred years. All of the Saints who have been born since the Faithful Anise have served as symbols of Yuras and have become canonized Saints following their deaths. That was all that they could do. However, in this era, with the appearance of the Hero, the Saint can finally fulfill her duties as the Saint and accompany the Hero,” Sergio explained.

When the door was opened, a spacious room was revealed. Eugene’s attention was drawn to the cross hanging high on one wall and the religious sculptures decorating both walls and shelves.

“You said you were leaving in the morning, didn’t you? I might be a bit late in asking, but where are you going?” Eugene asked as he stepped into the room.

Sergio, who had drawn a few steps back, didn’t have the same eerie glow in his eyes as he had before.

“I’ll be heading to the Fount of Light,” Sergio revealed. “Since it is a sacred ritual, it must be conducted by a high-ranking priest.”

“A sacred ritual, you say!” Eugene exclaimed. “If I am able to observe it at the site, don’t you think that faith will be kindled in my heart?”

“My apologies, Sir Eugene. The rituals held at the Fount of Light are special, so even among our believers, only those who have been involved in the preparations for these rituals are allowed to observe,” Sergio informed Eugene as he began to close the door.

Until the very last moment that the door was closed, Sergio didn’t stop smiling at Eugene.

“So until the ritual is over and the Saint Candidate and I have returned, please feel free to embrace the presence of God within our cathedral,” Sergio said in farewell just before the door was completely shut.

Sergio clasped his hands together, raised them towards the closed door, and said a prayer before turning away. He crossed the hallway at a different speed from when he first came through, and once he stepped out of the Cathedral, the Inquisitors from the Maleficarum fell into order behind Sergio.

Without even looking at Atarax, who had approached his side, Sergio spoke up. “The Fount of Light?”

“The Blood Cross Knights are guarding the area around the spring. The water has already risen, and the Saint Candidate is currently preparing for the sacrament in the chapel,” Atarax reported.

“Performing the sacrament by herself will not be enough. The ritual that begins tomorrow must be unique and different from the ones before. That’s why I’ve summoned all of you,” Sergio said.

“Yes sir,” Atarax acquiesced.

“Since I’ll have to assist in ensuring that the Sacrament is done completely and without any defects, it seems that I’ll have to make haste. Since I’ve already made all my preparations, let’s head to the spring immediately,” Sergio announced.

Atarax asked, “What should we do about Sir Eugene?”

“He is unmistakably the Hero. While his lacking faith is a flaw, we can address that in the future. What’s important right now is the Saint Candidate’s ritual. I think we still have enough time, but just in case she needs to spend more time in the light, we should make sure that we have enough time to spare,” Sergio said thoughtfully.

“Yes, understood,” Atarax nodded. “However, shouldn’t we leave someone behind in the cathedral to keep an eye on Sir Eugene…?”

“Of course, we should. Originally, I was going to let one of you stay behind, but… it seems that Sir Eugene is much sharper than I first thought. If I chose one of you, it would be a great offense to Sir Eugene. So let’s just leave that due to one of my servants.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was difficult for the Inquisitors to keep pace with the Cardinal. Atarax couldn’t help but feel awed by Sergio, who was slowly pulling ahead.

It had been thirty years since Sergio had stepped down from active duty within the Interrogation Bureau. Atarax had heard that from then on, Sergio had not gone out into the field, instead going back and forth between various churches and the Vatican to hold services and devote himself to his studies on scripture… but there still wasn’t a single Inquisitor able to keep up with the Cardinal, who was already well over seventy years old.

‘It can’t be helped,’ Atarax thought. ‘Before becoming a Cardinal, Sir Sergio was called the Exterminator and was close to becoming the next Head of the Department. Since he even received the Stigmata and became a Cardinal… it could be said that he’s still as strong as he was in the heyday of his active service as an Inquisitor.’

Atarax felt deeply grateful to have been called to participate in this sacred and glorious ritual.

It wasn’t just Atarax, either. A hundred Inquisitors had all received Sergio’s summons. All of them had been influenced by Sergio in the past, and they considered it a great honor for Sergio to have invited them to take part in this ritual.

“What about the door?” Sergio asked.

Atarax replied, “It’s already open.”

The Fount of Light was quite far away from this Cathedral. It would take too much time to ride a carriage or run there directly. These Inquisitors who had escorted Kristina from the station to the distant Fount of Light had been able to return to the cathedral so quickly because there was a warp-gate in the basement of the cathedral that was kept hidden from the world and erased from all records.

“Sir Eugene has probably found out about the existence of the door already,” Sergio noted.

Eugene should have noticed that the Inquisitors who had left with Kristina had returned faster than it took him to arrive at the cathedral and had taken part in the ambush arranged within.

“Close the door as soon as we’ve gone through and left the cathedral,” Sergio ordered.

“Do we really need to go that far?” Atarax questioned.

“There’s nothing wrong with being careful. While I don’t think that Sir Eugene will find this door or even try to reach the Fount of Light on his own… it seems that Sir Eugnee is quite an unpredictable individual,” Sergio said as he walked towards the warp-gate. “If, by any chance, Sir Eugene happens to witness the ritual… I don’t think he will try to understand why we’re doing it. He will probably also oppose us. That’s why I can’t help but worry. Because the ritual this time is extremely, extremely important….”

Yet regardless of the ritual’s importance, Sergio’s eyes narrowed into a calm gaze. Once the Vatican had confirmed the Saint's authenticity, the new Saint's existence would be proclaimed in the Plaza of the Sun, right in time for the feast day of the Faithful Anise.

The Saint who had inherited the will of the Faithful Anise would then be formally announced to the world. This era’s Saint would not just be the symbol of Yuras but also a protagonist of the era alongside the Hero.

That was why this latest ritual at the Fount of Light was so important.

Sergio himself felt immensely honored to be able to preside over this ritual.

“I, Rensol, will be serving Sir Eugene during your stay here. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more convenient—”

“Is there anything like a holy relic in this cathedral?”

Eugene immediately interrupted Rensol, who had just knocked and entered the room, with a question. He had no intention of building any relationships or having any unnecessary conversations with this cleric when it was obvious that he was meant to be a guard.

“Did you just say… relics?” Rensol repeated in confusion.

“Isn't this Tressia Cathedral one of the oldest places in Yuras? Since it’s been around for so long, surely there should be one or two holy relics connected to the Saints of the past, right?” Eugene demanded.

Rensol hesitated, “Uh… um… that’s… it’s not like there isn’t any.”

“It can’t be that outsiders are forbidden from looking at these holy relics, right?” Eugene asked coercively.

“The holy relics aren’t tourist attractions,” Rensol said with a firm expression.

At this, Eugene immediately changed his attitude and continued speaking, “My words were poorly chosen. It’s just that I’ve recently realized what my destiny is, and I’m currently contemplating with a sincere heart whether or not to entrust myself to the Church of the Light. I was just thinking that if I come into contact with the holy relics belonging to the Saints of old, I might sense their devotion and find my own faith dwelling within me….”

“Ah…,” Rensol hummed in confusion.

“I have no intention of treating it as some light-hearted tour. It’s fine even if I’m just looking at them from a distance. I only want to see the holy relics in person,” Eugene pleaded.

Thanks to such persuasion, Eugene was led to the holy relics.

There were various different types of relics. The remains of a Saint, the personal belongings of a Saint, and objects that had touched the corpse of a Saint or the body of a Saint while they were still alive. Naturally, among all the various relics, the most valuable were the remains of the Saints. Then came the Saint’s personal belongings.

Beneath the altar of the chapel, the jawbone of a Saint from hundreds of years ago was enshrined as a holy relic. Apart from that, several holy relics such as the leg bones and ribs of an ancient Sint, a cross that was said to have been worn around her neck, a cassock, a shroud, and a ring were all stored in the heart of the cathedral.

To be honest, it was difficult for Eugene to understand why the remains and the belongings of a deceased Saint were kept as holy relics. However, he made sure not to reveal such disbelief in his facial expressions and kept looking at the relics that Rensol was guiding him to with enthralled eyes.

“That is the last of the holy relics kept in Tressia Cathedral. It’s said to be the skull of Saint Theodore, who served as the Pope nine hundred years ago,” Rensol declared.

Eugene silently contemplated how to react as he looked at the white skull enshrined within a glass coffin.

The jawbone of the Saint buried beneath the altar and the ribs and legbones of another Saintess had already been extremely shocking… but now it was a whole skull.

“Aren’t there any relics belonging to the Faithful Anise?” Eugene finally asked.

“Huh?” Rensol blinked in surprise. “Did you say a holy relic belonging to the Faithful Anise? Since she disappeared on a far-off pilgrimage, not even a fragment of her remains was left behind.”

“But relics don’t need to be from her corpse, right? Things like Lady Anise’s cassock… or a necklace…,” Eugene trailed off.

“Ah… certainly that may be the case,” Rensol agreed. “However, I have never heard of any such relics belonging to Lady Anise. If there are, they wouldn’t be kept in this cathedra either. If Lady Anise’s holy relics do exist… then they would most probably be stored in the Vatican’s special reliquary.”

“Special reliquary?”

“Yes. The Faithful Lady Anise was a great Saint who was second only to the Founder of Yuras, the Incarnation of Light. If such relics of Lady Anise did exist, then they must be of exceptional quality, so the Vatican would keep them under direct management.”

After that, Eugene parted ways with Rensol and returned to his rooms. Rensol would surely report to Sergio that he had gone looking for holy relics, but that didn’t matter to Eugene.

‘The special reliquary….’

It was certainly possible that Anise’s holy relics were indeed kept there. In a few days, he would be heading to the Vatican with Kristina, so if Eugene were to make good use of his position as the Hero, he might be able to enter the special reliquary.

‘But that thing earlier… what was that?’

The pillars of light, the smell of blood, and that wounded back.

Although Sergio had said that everything that happened back there was a miracle, Eugene definitely couldn’t believe that was the case. Eugene pulled the Holy Sword out of his cloak and set it down beside his bed.

“You were the one showing that to me, right?” Eugene asked the sword.

Back in the Samar Rainforest, the Holy Sword had independently meddled with Eugene’s dreams and showed him a vision of the past.

“What were you trying to show me?” Eugene asked once more.

That girl with her back turned towards him… was it Anise? Or perhaps it was Kristina instead. Either way, he couldn’t just consider it to be a meaningless vision.

“Sir Eugene?” Mer, who had been hiding inside the cloak, poked her head out with a question.

As Eugene felt Mer begin to crawl out of the cloak, he unfurled it slightly.

Mer hesitated, “...Um, what should I say?”

“Just don’t say anything,” Eugene told her.

“However, I really don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

“There’s a reason for everything.”

Mer looked down at Eugene, who had closed his eyes and was trying to sleep while hugging the Holy Sword.

“If you intend to sleep like that, I won’t be able to sleep next to you,” Mer complained.

“You don’t sleep anyway, so what’s the matter with that?” Eugene scoffed. “That’s right, Mer, you can stay at my side… and keep watch so that I don’t let go of the Holy Sword in my sleep.”

“Sir Eugene, are you really asking me to watch you sleep all night and listen to what you say in your sleep?” Mer asked in disbelief.

“How long has it been since you started traveling with me? What are you so surprised about,” Eugene grumbled.

Mer smiled slightly and got off of the bed. Then she pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down next to Eugene.

“Well, fine then,” Mer acquiesced. “I’ll be sure to listen to whatever you foolishly mumble in your sleep.”

“Instead of my face, keep a careful eye on the Holy Sword,” Eugene ordered her.

Mer assured him, “Don’t worry about it. But just why are you trying to sleep like that? Is it refreshing if you hug the Holy Sword in your sleep?”

Eugene explained, “I’m doing this for the dreams.”

“The dreams?” Mer tilted her head in question.

Eugene didn’t reply any further and just fell asleep, still paying close attention to the Holy Sword in his arms.

Chapter end