Chapter 287
A provincial city in the Principality of Saint-Ouane, in the outskirts of Saint-Thion.
Adriana was adjusting back to monastic life. Calm and serene, life like a wheel. Adriana’s daily life was quiet, as if every day had been noisy at the temple.
“Sister, the director is calling.”
“Ah yes. All right.”
Adriana left the prayer room at the call of another nun and walked slowly down the silent hallway.
Where there is no reason to hurry.
Where everything is quiet and secluded.
It couldn’t be called a pleasant place, but Adriana was reaccustomed to this landscape and was satisfied.
There were faces that came to mind from time to time, but he himself had left them.
So, you will have to forget about it now.
-smart
“This is Adriana. He said he called… … .”
– Come in.
The abbot, Melia, is practically her own mother, having taken care of her since she was very young.
Of course, when Adriana was very young, someone else was in charge of the abbot, but after the former abbot passed away, Melia took over the position.
She was lamenting Adriana’s return from the Temple. She sent her talent to the temple in the hope that she would give it to more people.
But in the end, Adriana chose to return, and although the abbot was saddened by it, he did not blame her.
Artuan Abbey Melia was sitting in an unadorned library full of books, looking at herself with a gentle smile.
“sit down please.”
“yes.”
Adriana sat down on a wooden chair, and she sat across from her.
It was a place of frugality without any splendor.
If there is anything valuable here, it is only a book. Artuan Monastery is difficult for thieves to enter, but if they do, it is a place where you can drop your belongings and go.
The owner of such a frugal house of believers.
Abbot Melia looks at Adriana with a soft smile.
“How is the monastic life, Adriana?”
“Okay, Director.”
“Isn’t it difficult to adapt?”
“Yes, everyone treats me well like before… … .”
Everyone cared and took care of Adriana after she returned from the Temple, so there was no problem with people. As she does now, her director has periodically called and talked with Adriana to help her adapt well.
“Don’t you regret quitting the Temple? If you change your mind even now, I can talk to you.”
“It’s okay, Director.”
Although not coercive, Melia occasionally asked if she wanted to return to the Temple. Of course, Adriana’s answer was fixed.
I didn’t want any more confusion. Adriana thought that the best thing for her would be to spend the rest of her life in this calm and peaceful place.
“is that so… … . I am still firm on this part.”
“yes.”
Adriana had no desire to return to the Temple.
It would be a lie if I said there was none, but for now, I was satisfied. Melia stood up as she touched the table.
“Shall we go for a walk together after a long time?”
“Yes, Director.”
Talking about this and that with the director was also a good thing for Adriana, so Adriana followed suit without hesitation.
Melia went outside the monastery, not inside.
The outskirts of Saintion, the provincial stronghold of the Principality of Saint-Ouane.
Except for the Artuan Monastery, there was no place for people to be, so the area near the monastery was a field.
In the winter field, dry grass was blowing in the wind.
“It’s windy.”
“Oh, thank you. Director.”
When Melia put her hand on Adriana’s shoulder, a soft white light wrapped around Adriana’s body, conveying warmth.
The two of them walked through the winter field together, wrapped in warmth from divine power rather than a cloak.
“Adriana.”
“Yes, Director.”
“It’s been a year since the demon king fell.”
“… … Yes, that’s right.”
Now, after what mankind has longed for has been accomplished, it is a story after a huge narrative has ended.
The Demon Realm, which had threatened mankind for a long time, collapsed, and the Demon King was defeated by a hero.
Humanity has achieved the long-desired victory. Adriana did not quite understand why the abbot suddenly said such a thing. However, since she always started with these stories and she was Melia who told stories that were helpful to her, she and Adriana silently walked by her side.
“Since the demon king has fallen and all the demons who worship demons have disappeared, mankind’s aspirations have been fulfilled, and the aspirations of our believers have also come true, right?”
“yes.”
Demons who serve demons.
If the enemies of mankind were demons, the enemies of those who believed in the Five Great Gods were demons.
Since the demons who believe in the demonic religion have fallen, those who follow the demons among humans will also perish. So, Adriana had no objection to the fact that this was also the victory of the Five Great Masters.
“But I see it as a victory and a crisis at the same time.”
“It’s a crisis… … ?”
Adriana tilted her head.
Melia stares at the winter field with deep snow.
“The Empire is beginning to fear the power of the main religion.”
“ah… … .”
“The Knights Templar, who have gathered for their sacred duty to fulfill the will of the Lords, are seeing the beginning of a civil war. How unfaithful this is.”
It was the first time Adriana had ever heard Melia talk like this.
“The Empire needed the power of the Five Great Religions to win the Great War of the Demon World, and now that the hunt is over, they are trying to persecute us like boiling hounds.”
“Persecution… … What?”
“yes. The Empire is trying to step into increasingly impenetrable territory. I already took it.”
Melia turns to look at Adriana. Those eyes were not those of her mother, Melia, who Adriana remembered, always gentle and kind.
Anger and hatred seemed to breathe within him.
“At the point where I changed the commander of the Knights Templar to my liking, wouldn’t the empire’s ambitions already be revealed? Adriana.”
“… … !”
At those words, Adriana felt her breath stop. Adriana says cautiously, her lips quivering.
“That, that… … . The former commander of the Knights Templar… … . Because of what you’ve done… … .”
“Adriana, that would be imperial propaganda.”
Rumors are distorted and the truth is distorted.
“The former commander of the Knights Templar is the one who accomplished the feat of conquering the demon realm. The Empire, fearing that the Templars would start a civil war, was the target that must be kept in check.”
Upon hearing that, Adriana couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
The commander of the Knights Templar was discovered trying to torture his foster daughter, and he was dismissed for his crimes.
In order to keep in check the current Templar Knights and the Templar Knight Commander, who hold strong power, the Empire replaced the Templar Knight Commander with false rumors and fabricated evidence.
The latter was mixed with lies, but the Empire actually had such intentions.
People eat rumors that are good to eat, not reliable rumors.
The latter was a good rumor for believers that the imperial persecution of the five main religions had begun.
But Adriana knows the truth.
This is the truth that he and Reinhardt found out. What I actually found out was another classmate from the first year, but it was very close to the truth.
The abbot did not know that it was directly related to him, so he believed that the change of the Templars was an impostor from the Empire.
“Above all, as long as the successor commander of the Knights Templar is pro-empire, there is no need to explain anything else.”
This place is too far from the ecliptic.
The expulsion and replacement of the head of the Knights Templar was accepted as religious oppression by an unspecified number of religious people.
Lebarrier Ranche is a hero who won the Pandemonium War. Although what he did had no choice but to be released from the position of the head of the Knights Templar, in the end, it was inevitable to arouse opposition from the majority of religious people.
In fact, the dismissal of the commander of the Knights Templar was not something the Empire had decided to do, nor was it something that could happen.
Religious people believe that the decisions made at the Council of the Five Popes were pressured by the Empire.
“Adriana. It would be a virtue of a religious person not to get involved in politics. When politics starts persecuting religion, that’s something to be concerned about.”
That’s why Melia, the abbot of Artuan, has never talked about politics in her entire life, but now she is talking about politics because she believes that the Empire is suppressing religion.
Melia stares at Adriana with deep eyes.
“The Knights Templar is an integrated organization that exists for the fellowship of the members of the Five Great Main Churches now that the Demon Realm has disappeared. The unfaithful will misunderstand it, judge its intentions, judge the Templars as a threat to the Empire, and try to dismantle it.”
The Knights Templar, the combined power of the five main religions.
It was an unprecedented organization.
The Knights Templar was a group created to conquer the Pandemonium, but it was not a group that could be disbanded just because the Pandemonium disappeared.
The Knights Templar also played a role in gathering and communicating with members of each denomination of the five main religions.
If the Empire tries to dismantle the Templars arbitrarily, big things are bound to happen.
But despite the Empire saying nothing, religious people like Melia believe that the religious persecution has already begun.
The fight between demons and humans also started in this way.
Although they had no intention of attacking each other, they imagined that they would attack each other and prepared mighty armies.
That’s why the war that took place is the Demon World War.
What do people do when they start to believe in non-existent violence.
“We can’t stand still like this, Adriana.”
“Wow, Director… … .”
“We must unite the power of the five main religions and fight against the Empire.”
Naturally, prepare for violence.
However, Adriana’s fear and doubts preceded Melia’s words.
The Artuan Monastery is not an armed group. Adriana didn’t know everything about how to join forces, what the hell was going on, and why she was telling this to herself.
“Adriana, the ‘Order Without a Name’ needs you.”
A nameless monastery.
Adriana was the first name I had heard of.
Melia quietly holds Adriana’s hand and leads her somewhere.
“Adriana, I’m afraid to send you alone, but the person you’re going to see has promised to protect you as best you can, so you don’t have to worry. He said there would be no danger.”
“Who, who… … . You’re meeting someone… … ?”
in the winter wind.
As Adriana crossed the hill, she could see a wagon pulled up by the side of the road and several people standing beside it.
All of them are unfamiliar faces, but Adriana knew at least one face.
then
Adriana seemed to know why the abbot of Saintion on the outskirts of the imperial capital had said this to her. Melia was holding Adriana’s hand gently.
“Since you were swept away by the empire’s tricks and suffered an unfair thing, the only thing left to do is to restore your honor.”
Adriana seemed to know why Melia was relieved to send herself to someone.
If you don’t know the details, there’s no reason to be afraid of giving yourself over to that person.
“Are you Adriana?”
“… … .”
Adriana had no choice but to turn pale when she saw the cold-looking middle-aged man.
The previous commander of the Holy Knights, Leverrier Ranche.
He was staring at Adriana.
I could tell just by looking at his eyes.
Leberier Ranche was clearly aware that Adriana was involved in his dismissal.
know and found
But Abbot Melia didn’t know that.
“He is kind and well-behaved, but he is a hard-hearted child. Captain. Please take good care of Adriana.”
“Don’t worry. I know it’s a great piece of lumber.”
That’s why she handed over Adriana so easily to Leverrier Ranche. She believes that Le Barrier Ranche is innocent, so she hands Adriana over to Le Barrier Ranche.
Melia, whom she believed and followed like a mother, became a member of an unidentified secret society. Le Barrier Ranche placed her hand on Adriana’s shoulder, frozen in her.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. Adriana.”
Adriana was trembling, unable to speak. Leberier Ranche’s cold gaze stares at Adriana.
“If anyone sees it, they’ll know that I’ve made a big mistake.”
Why are you taking yourself?
What is Lebarrier Ranche up to?
Adriana didn’t know anything.
