Chapter 26: Equal Opportunity for All
Unfortunately, personality and ability do not always go hand in hand. Our Priest Sertell was a prime example.
Sertell was someone who salivated over wealth and pricked up his ears to wherever secular power was headed… but he was strong. The sword-wielding priest parried each strike from the raid leader’s blade.
If struck from below, he deflected downwards. If struck from above, he swept sideways to deflect the blow. He did not easily leave openings with reckless attacks. Sertell simply focused on enduring and buying time. It was an astute judgment.
“Huff, haah.”
The raid leader visibly tired at an alarming pace. The urgency to complete the mission within a short time was disrupting his patience and breathing. It got to the point where it seemed he was being swung around by his sword rather than swinging it.
Sertell did not miss this opportunity.
Like a beast thrashing its head while clamping down on exposed prey, he suddenly charged in when the opponent was wearied and thrust out his sword. Slick. The sound of the blade scraping chains rang clearly.
And the outcome was decided. Blood spurted from below the severed chain links. Even the raid leader, who had shown astounding loyalty, could not overcome his wounded flesh.
Slowly crumpling, the raid leader still forced his head up with gritted teeth. Then he glared this way with eyes blazing fiercely.
“Your… victory will… bring defeat. The end for… Inse…”
I furrowed my brow deeply at the raid leader’s dying words. More accurately, at Sertell who had given the raid leader time for those words.
Sertell, this bastard is far more depraved than I thought. To drive a person into the torment and terror of death, then step back and calmly watch them gasp out their last words. Was the raid leader’s labored, agonized muttering not pitiful at all?
Unable to hold back, I had to say something to Sertell.
“What are you doing with that sword?”
“Young Master, it seems this one’s words may contain an important clue.”
“Would you so readily spill your guts to someone who just tried to kill you? He’s just babbling nonsense at the end. Don’t entertain such idle thoughts, finish him off swiftly.”
My logical and rational argument immediately swayed Sertell. Rather, it was the dying raid leader who objected to my humanitarian gesture to quickly end his suffering.
As Sertell gripped his sword again, the raid leader frantically raised his arm, forcing air out from his lungs.
“The cause of… Yubas! Do you truly intend to remain ignorant?”
“Shh. Put your arm down. Ah, I said put it down.”
“Young Master. What shall we do?”
The raid leader’s wounds were certainly no trifling matter. Any makeshift treatment would only prolong his eventual death by suffering. We had no intention of sparing his life anyway, so a quick release would be a mercy.
Yet he insisted on making things difficult. Clicking my tongue at the deputy Sertell asking for my decision, I answered.
“He seems to have lost his wits from excessive blood loss. You’ll have to finish him off.”
“Argh!”
Whump, thump.
The sound of the blade cleaving the air became a gentle breeze tousling my hair. I had worried about being spattered with blood at such close range, but it was for naught. He must have drained the blood beforehand.
Praying for the departed soul’s repose, I slowly turned my head. Although the raid leader was an abhorrent wretch, he had served his master with sincere devotion. That was likely how he could lead his subordinates as one.
But that was all in the past now.
Descending the altar steps, I prodded the raid leader’s body with my foot and called out. It was a very mild retaliation against the scoundrel who had tried to take my life.
“Attention! Your leader is dead. What does this mean?”
My shout instantly silenced the chaotic cathedral hall. The stubborn raiding forces maintaining formation all looked this way, enabling them to see their fallen leader at my feet.
“The leader!”
“…How?”
The raid leader’s death was the definitive end to this tumult. The previously steadfast raider formation began to waver. With this completely unexpected development, the raiders had all lost heart and stood dumbfounded.
Extending my palm, I called out.
“If you close your eyes and kneel obediently, it’ll hurt less.”
“?”
The puzzled raiders.
Behind them, knights were already swinging chained flails through the air, eyes glinting menacingly beyond their face-guards.
“Your attention was drawn elsewhere, just now!”
The momentary distraction had been effective. Without organized resistance, the knights charged headlong into the enemy ranks and began laying into them.
Victory was now obvious. The raiders’ individual skills were hardly impressive. If facing our priests one-on-one, they likely would have been subdued. So how could such rabble withstand our peerless knights?
“Ugh!”
“Wha- When did-!”
“Wait, I serve Lux Stella!”
There were occasional fools who thought sharing the faith granted them a pardon, but.
“Their sealed lips mark them as heretics or heretic-like scum, cut them down!”
Our valiant knights provided a clear answer.
Not that the answer truly mattered. Six knights were sweeping aside the raiding force that had given our priests so much trouble. Some surviving priests belatedly joined in, but their contributions paled in contrast.
In the end, the knights who charged in midway were solely responsible for resolving the chaos.
Only after methodically pulping each writhing raider’s head did the knights remove their helmets. All of the knights had builds far exceeding my own.
Had an unfamiliar face been among them, I may have meekly offered my own neck, mistaking them for assassins. Keen hawkish eyes beneath a chiseled face, an aura 1.5 times more commanding than the norm.
Upon seeing me, he curved his lips before letting out a hearty laugh that reverberated through the entire cathedral.
“Hahaha! Narva, you emerged unscathed!”
In that crisis moment, the one who had come to my rescue was my second eldest brother, Therver. Paying no heed to the remaining priests, Therver strode over and clapped my shoulder.
“I heard all about it from Father before coming. That you risked your life to crush the enemy… I was deeply moved, little brother!”
“Brother.”
“Of course, I still think it would be better for you to hone your swordsmanship and take to the battlefield instead.”
I started to retort, but at some point found myself naturally surveying the floor. Glancing around at the headless, slumped corpses all around instilled a sense of humility.
“Narva, it was certainly a clever response. Luring the enemy’s attention by anticipating our arrival.”
“Just a small ploy to make your path a little smoother.”
“You sly fox. Quick with words as always.”
Therver’s tone was tinged with pride, joy, and relief. But we were the only ones creating this warm atmosphere. The other knights were deliberately taking intimidating stances, scrutinizing their surroundings.
“Sir Therver, so what of these ones here?”
“Tch. Priests going around drenched in blood.”
Though the battle was over, not everything was settled. Therver’s expression hardened by the moment as he finally registered the priests’ presence.
“Narva. Can you tell me the full situation?”
“Hmm.”
I had awaited this moment to explain.
Rolling my eyes, I spied Sertell in my peripheral vision, drenched in cold sweat behind that gentle smile. As soon as he noticed my gaze, he silently mouthed something, the gist of which was.
‘Young Master, I believe in you.’
Only by clearly distinguishing right from wrong could one be deemed fair. I began pondering whether Sertell’s words were indeed justified.
‘Young Master? I aided you greatly.’
Hmm…
Was that so?
“Ah, Young Master.”
Sensing I was having second thoughts, Sertell hurriedly spoke up. But it was laughable to call it a change of heart. If that bastard Sertell had been upright from the start, we wouldn’t have suffered like this.
However, I could not entirely dismiss Sertell’s contributions either. So I chose a third option.
“Brother, before deciding their fate, there are those we must rescue first.”
“Those to be rescued…”
The glint in Therver’s eyes was no mere trick of the light.
***
From start to finish, I had only four attendants with me.
Among them, the most admirable and accomplished was undoubtedly our John of Riverside. As the terrified priests cowered like sickly chicks before the knights’ overwhelming martial prowess, I headed for the bell tower with Therver and Sertell.
“John! It’s all over! You can come down now!”
Rather than climb up, I simply craned my neck and called out. But then.
“Ah, Young Master. You weren’t taken hostage, were you?!”
“John…”
Just when I think our John is perceptive, he disappoints like this. This fool saw his comrades stubbornly charge to kill me, yet babbles about hostages. Still, after repeated reassurances, seeing John finally come down erased any anger or disappointment.
“Huah, ugh. I really thought I was done for this time.”
“There, there, you had it rough.”
I patted the teary, crumpled John as he came down. Therver looked on with clear disdain.
“What a pathetic coward. If your lord was taken hostage, you should attempt a rescue!”
“Please don’t judge him too harshly. Though he cries, this servant diligently carries out any task.”
“Narva… I see. As long as he’s faithful to his duty. Tsk, but breaking down after completing his role will hardly earn high marks.”
Fortunately, my defense spared John from any reprimand. With puffy, tear-stained eyes, John began following our group. The only one unable to appreciate this touching reunion was our dour Priest Sertell.
To be fair, with his fellows all disarmed and prostrate, his mood was understandable. To offer some warm reassurance for the visibly anxious Sertell, I decided to speak up.
“Rest assured. I regard you as the equal of any renowned knight from the farthest lands.”
“…Truly?”
“Yes.”
Being esteemed as highly as a eunuch raised by one’s father rather than mother is surely high praise.
“Enough fooling around, just lead the way obediently.”
He finally seemed a bit relieved, his previously slumped gait regaining a strange vigor. Sertell silently guided our group, and before long we arrived at the coolest, most gloomy place within the monastery.
It was then that the sniffing John let out a bright smile.
“Aha! The fragrant aroma of grape wine! This must be the fabled underground cellars of the monastery!!!”
“…”
“Young Master, you’ve come to toast our victory, haven’t you?! I’ve heard the monastery produces the most expensive and delicious wines!”
Not a word from me, yet he runs his mouth. John cheerfully examined the casks, as if he’d never been gloomy. But the rest of us, myself included, could not maintain such a bright mood.
Therver’s response in particular, honed on the battlefield, was severe. As soon as he caught the hint, Therver donned his helmet and ground his teeth audibly. Only then did John finally sense something amiss.
“Um… Young Master?”
“John. You’re better off not looking.”
“Huh?”
Curiosity has its clear pros and cons – prompting new discoveries, or searing horrific memories into the mind. In the monastery’s underground cellars, in the darkest, most secluded corner, we found who we were looking for.
The Sir Topa who had guarded me, and the two surviving soldiers, were all lying side by side. Bound in chains, flayed and stained crimson.
At first, no one could bear to guess their identities. They had been so savagely battered that they barely looked human at a glance. The only intact parts were their hands and feet peeking from beneath the chains – though even those had been mutilated with blades.
I immediately knew what had to be done. Without hesitation, I removed my cloak and approached them.
“Uup, Young Master… Excuse me for a moment. Uuurp!”
As John belatedly realized the truth and rushed over retching, I covered the corpses with my cloak. Therver took care of the other two bodies. Wordlessly removing his cape and surcoat, he draped them over the fallen.
“I had a feeling they wouldn’t be in one piece when we saw them again after they were taken for ‘isolation’.”
I slowly rose and looked at Sertell.
Sertell had long since lost his usual smile and composure. He merely bit his lower lip tightly, trembling as he hung his head.
“But I never imagined it would come to this.”
I don’t particularly like the word “responsibility.” However, the deaths of Sir Topa and the two soldiers demanded accountability.
A warrior’s premonition must truly exist. The words of Sir Topa, who taught me horseback riding while seemingly foreseeing his own demise, proved correct. Having fulfilled his knightly duty, he was placed before the cathedral altar, wrapped in a bloodied cloak along with the other soldiers.
Understandably, the sight enraged the knights.
“Th-this is!”
“Serving the divine? Those who should serve! How could they, how could they do such a thing!!!”
“To think these are truly priests!”
Though not using blades, the knights began viciously kicking the priests with steel boots. The airborne priests crumpled with agonized groans. In truth, none would condemn them for being killed like that.
Yet even worms squirm when trodden on – some deranged priests resisted as the knights moved to slay them. Sertell, belatedly realizing the leash had slipped, ranted as if resigned to death.
“That ‘priest’ spiel. What’s so great about being a priest?”
“What?”
“Oh.”
The petty reasons a lowly priest claims priesthood is nothing special – quite an interesting view. Bloodshot eyes glaring at the knights, Sertell raved.
“A world ravaged by pillagers, with tax-collecting robber gangs taking over. No money, no connections, lowly status with no land! So when starving to death, either starve or-“
“…”
“-give up pride and beg on your knees to be admitted here. Not for any grand purpose.”
The devout knights seemed shaken by these words. The fierce flames of prior rage extinguished, leaving them dumbfounded, like boys whose fantasies of soldiering had crumbled.
I recalled a conversation with a soldier at the Demilitarized Zone’s Unification Observatory during an elementary school trip:
‘Why did you become a soldier, mister?’
‘The country brought me in.’
Now I saw – an honest youth who told not a single lie. Prompted by this poignant memory thanks to Sertell, I resolved to be more generous – a modern ethical sense that even the most vicious criminals deserve respect.
Speaking for the silent knights, I addressed Sertell:
“Sertell, I find it suspect that your group resorted to the torture of flaying. Not the sort who’d be skilled at skinning people, are they?”
“…”
“You must have been involved in this raid’s planning, and directly tied to Yubas’ heretical cult associated with Ise relics. Of course, if this comes to light, you’ll all be burned at the stake. But you did save my life.”
Saying this, I approached the neatly piled blades and tossed one to Sertell, gripping another myself.
“This is…?”
“Acknowledging your deeds, a chance to prove your innocence. I permit a trial by combat against me.”
These words left everyone remaining in the cathedral aghast. My second brother Therver was understandably most shocked, frantically looking around before dashing over.
“Na-Narva! What is the meaning of this?!”
But of course, I had my reasons. Giving Therver a reassuring smile, I revealed the trump card I held.
“A cross-shaped scar? Don’t tell me…”
“…The Holy Scar!”
“The Holy Scar? Young Master possesses it?”
Unlike the priests who already knew, the knights recoiled in shock upon seeing my scar. All as expected. Tapping the scar with my blade’s tip, I smiled confidently.
“Of course, if a single wound is inflicted on me, bearing the Holy Scar, during our trial by combat…”
In this medieval Ise world without soccer,
“…you’ll all be executed.”
It was the perfect opportunity for unrestrained sparring without fear for my life.
