East Road Quest

Chapter 16 Bishop David

Saint Vesta Cathedral was one of the largest buildings in Rome, featuring a large central dome surrounded by four smaller semi-circular domes. The central nave, capable of accommodating several hundred people simultaneously, displayed the second-largest cross in the world, after the star cross in Setina Cathedral of Rotikan.

It was in this cathedral that Jade first met Father Daniel. From a very young age, Jade had run various errands, and it was during one of these tasks that he discovered Daniel sleeping in the nave.

A young Jade had been bewildered and woke him up.

“How can a priest sleep in the nave?”

Young Jade pushed Daniel aside and angrily cleaned the spot where Daniel had been sleeping with a linen cloth.

Daniel had only yawned leisurely.

“What’s the big deal? There’s no better place to sleep than the nave.”

“Is that something a priest should say?”

“Students sleep best at school, and a king sleeps best on his throne. Do you know why the king of Parens suffers from insomnia? Because he dozes off during council meetings. People sleep best where they are most familiar. Where do you think a priest is most familiar?”

Jade, taken aback, exclaimed.

“This is the sacred place where Saint Vesta slept. Sleeping here so irreverently… God is watching!”

“I work for that very God. If someone working for Him is this tired, would He punish me for not even giving me a blanket? At most, He might give me a flick on the forehead.”

To Jade, who had only seen priests treat everything in Saint Vesta Cathedral as sacred, Daniel’s actions and words were shocking.

That was Jade’s strange first impression of Father Daniel. Over time, Daniel became a good person, then a mentor, and now, a father figure.

Sitting on the chair where he first met Daniel, Jade recalled those times and thought of Saph simultaneously.

‘Should I have gone? Saying goodbye would have been fine.’

If Jade was like a son to Daniel, Saph was like a daughter. Saph, like Jade, was an orphan, alone, and special. To Jade, Saph was like a younger sister, precious and too precious to approach after the incident in Pompeii three years ago.

‘No, it was the right decision. If people knew she was associated with someone like me, other nuns and priests might think poorly of her.’

Jade lay down on a long bench that could seat four people and closed his eyes for a moment.

‘I used to think sleeping in a place like this would bring divine punishment, but now I almost wish it would. I don’t even pray anymore. I deserve punishment. No, I shouldn’t have prayed in the first place.’

No matter how much he prayed, God never granted Jade’s wishes. Instead, he was given more pain and disappointment.

Jade’s father, Lapis, was a revered physician. People often called him “Teacher Lapis from Lima,” as he was originally from Lima in the kingdom of Glisten. People sought him even for the smallest pimples.

Jade’s mother, Naturi, also learned medicine from Lapis and assisted her husband.

Jade wanted to become a doctor like his father, healing people’s bodies, and a priest like Daniel, healing people’s hearts. Thus, he helped the priests at the cathedral during the day and assisted his father at night.

Then, an epidemic spread in the outskirts of Rome. The emperor declared martial law to prevent people from the affected area from entering Rome, and the nobles fled the city.

Rotikan issued a similar proclamation. Priests were not to go to the epidemic areas, and if they did, they were not to enter Rotikan!

The nobles instructed Lapis, the famous doctor, to stay in Rome to prevent the epidemic from entering the city. However, he went to the affected area to treat the patients instead.

Jade’s mother also followed him after entrusting Jade to Saint Vesta Cathedral.

Jade prayed day and night for their safe return. In the morning, he prayed to the angel who prevents epidemics, at noon to the angel who protects doctors and barbers, in the evening to the angel who guards women and mothers, and before bed to the angel who protects fathers and the elderly.

Jade asked the priests if there were any more angels to pray to and searched documents for better prayers. He almost memorized the scriptures.

Lapis and Naturi did not send letters to Jade, fearing that the letters might carry traces of the plague. Jade only received news that the two were alive.

Half a year later, news arrived that the plague was subsiding. Jade felt relieved and prayed to the angel who guards travelers for their safe return. But suddenly, a letter arrived informing him of their deaths.

Jade couldn’t believe it. With no more deaths due to the plague, why?

The military officer in charge of the area explained the incident to Father Daniel. Lapis and Naturi had not died from the plague.

It happened as the plague was nearing its end.

Countless patients, moved by Lapis and Naturi’s dedicated medical efforts, visited to express their gratitude and give gifts. Among these gifts were a golden star cross and gold coins minted by the Roman Empire, known as Goldhas.

The last plague patient treated by them noticed the gifts being brought into their lodgings. He waited until Naturi was alone, then threatened her with a knife, demanding the gold cross and coins.

Naturi explained that all the gifts had been donated to Saint Vesta Cathedral, which was true. However, the patient couldn’t believe that Lapis had treated patients in such a dangerous area without any compensation. He couldn’t accept that the gold had been “thrown away” to the cathedral.

He took Naturi hostage and threatened Lapis when he returned to the lodging. Lapis could only give the same answer. Accusing them of lying, the patient stabbed them both and fled.

Their bodies were found the next morning. The couple lay fallen, holding each other’s hands. Lapis’s other hand was not on his own throat where he had been stabbed but pressing against the wound on his wife’s belly. He had tried to stop her bleeding until his last moment.

Father Daniel did not hide this fact from young Jade. He told him everything and wept together.

The murderer of Jade’s parents surrendered. However, he surrendered not to the local patrol or military but to Rotikan.

He claimed that Lapis and Naturi had embezzled the gold cross donated under Rotikan’s name to Saint Vesta Cathedral and that they had only donated a part, planning to keep the rest for themselves. He insisted that he had tried to stop them as an act of faith and that the stabbing was an accident.

Dionys, the Holy King of Rotikan, bestowed his merciful grace, pardoning the murderer with a promise to live according to God’s word. Additionally, Dionys visited the plague-ridden area, sprinkling holy water and declaring that the land would be free from the plague.

According to Rotikan’s historical records, at that moment, a light descended from the sky, illuminating Dionys, and the plague’s aura vanished cleanly, witnessed by tens of thousands of people.

People shouted the Holy King’s name, prayed, and shed tears. No one remembered the names of Lapis and Naturi.

From that moment, Jade stopped praying. He never uttered the name of an angel again. The reason he was able to become a priest was because Daniel had overseen all the qualification exams and rites.

Bishop David did not know that Jade had passed the exams without ever praying.

‘I wasn’t even excommunicated. I wasn’t a priest to begin with.’

From afar, footsteps echoed, sounding hurried and short.

Jade, lightly asleep, woke up immediately upon hearing the sound. Though he thought he had only dozed off for a moment, it was already quite bright around him.

An old man, briefly glancing around, spotted Jade sitting in front of the nave and hurried over. Jade squinted to confirm it was Bishop David and then slowly got up.

Bishop David was a man in his sixties, standing only up to Jade’s shoulder and having narrow shoulders. Apart from some white hair by his ears, he was bald, with a round face that gave a good impression, and when he frowned, wrinkles formed, making him look as if he were crying.

He had just that expression now.

Jade greeted him in a clear voice, pretending not to have been sleeping.

“It’s been a while, Bishop.”

As soon as Bishop David stood before Jade, he grabbed his shoulders and spoke.

“Father Jade, where is Father Daniel? Why are you alone?”

Jade was momentarily at a loss, unable to remember.

‘Was it okay to tell Bishop David everything honestly?’

Daniel had told him many things about the Holy Grail expedition on their way here. But the details were fragmented, leaving the context unclear.

Jade finally recalled that Daniel had discussed the Holy Grail expedition with Bishop David after being instructed by the emperor.

“Father is at the Athina Convent. He went with Acolyte Brion.”

“Why did he go there?”

“To say goodbye to Mother Julia, as we’re leaving tomorrow…”

Jade deliberately did not mention Saph’s name.

David clutched his forehead.

“Why did Father Daniel go to the Imperial Palace first? He should have come here first.”

“Is that a problem? We didn’t even get to see His Majesty.”

Jade, sensing something odd, asked, “How did you know we went to the Imperial Palace first?”

“I gave advance notice to the steward there. I told him that if Father Daniel came, he should prevent him from meeting the Emperor and direct him here immediately.”

“The steward? We didn’t even meet him.”

“He’s probably in no position to move. He could only send me a note via a messenger.”

“Excuse me, Bishop, but I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Cardinal Lorenzo has figured it all out. His Majesty won’t even be able to move due to the Holy Grail issue.”

“How is that possible? I heard Father Daniel only told you about coming to fetch me for the Holy Grail expedition. How could Cardinal Lorenzo know?”

“Oh, Jade, you’re so naive. There are people around the Emperor who keep track of how many times he defecates in a day. Do you think they wouldn’t notice Father Daniel’s visit?”

“That makes sense.”

Thinking back, Jade realized that several people had recognized Father Daniel on their way here, from the palace guards to the patrol soldiers who guided them.

“Why didn’t we just blow a horn and announce our Holy Grail expedition?”

David, feeling frustrated, waved his hand.

“Sorry, I got too worked up. This isn’t the time to argue about right and wrong. We need to move to a safer place.”

“Where?”

“A safer place.”

“Where’s safer than here if we’re dealing with Cardinal Lorenzo?”

“Nowhere is safe anymore. Honestly, I’m starting to distrust even the acolytes here. We need to leave Rome.”

“But Father Daniel said he has to meet His Majesty tomorrow…”

“Forget it. We need to abandon the Holy Grail expedition for now. At least, we need to lay low.”

“Understood. We’ll leave as soon as Father Daniel returns.”

“No, we need to hurry. I’ll send Father Daniel separately later. It’s better than moving together. Come with me.”

The old man grabbed Jade’s hand and hurriedly led him away.

Jade felt completely disoriented.

Bishop David had known Jade well since his time at Saint Vesta Cathedral. Despite his frail body, David was diligent and stubborn, but only in his faith. He lived frugally like a monk and was a role model for many clergy members due to his disciplined life. His tender heart once led him to faint after praying for each of the hundreds of congregants who had come to see him.

It was David who had prevented Jade’s parents from facing a religious trial. Ironically, some priests in Rotikan had accused Lapis and Naturi of trying to embezzle the property donated to Rotikan and sought to put the deceased on trial. If they lost the trial, Rotikan would declare that they could not enter heaven.

After two years of persuasion, Bishop David managed to prove that the gifts from the patients treated by Lapis and Naturi had been donated to Saint Vesta Cathedral. Although they failed to have Lapis canonized as a saint due to the lack of witness testimony, David spared no effort in trying.

If Jade had to trust one person in Rome besides Father Daniel, he would gladly choose David. However, David was now acting suspiciously and frantically. Jade couldn’t believe the man had changed so much in just three years. Yet, the circumstances around them might have changed during those three years.

David led Jade to a storage room at the back of the cathedral and handed him a black robe with a hood.

“Take this.”

“Can you explain where we’re going first?”

Jade reluctantly took the robe and asked, “Have you prepared a hiding place for situations like this? Explain as we go.”

Just then, someone came running and called out.

“Bishop David!”

David almost reflexively pushed Jade into a corner and quickly went outside.

As the door closed, the storage room was suddenly engulfed in darkness. Outside, a voice younger than Brion’s could be heard.

“Bishop, there’s a problem.”

“A problem? Explain calmly.”

David’s tone was leisurely, as if his earlier agitation with Jade had been an act.

“Cardinal Lorenzo has arrived.”

“At this hour? Here?”

“Yes. He barged in and went straight to the nave. What should we do?”

“Since it’s been a while since he was here, he probably needs some time for prayer. Let him spend it quietly. I will greet him personally.”

“Yes. But what were you doing in the storage…? Ah, never mind.”

The footsteps of the acolyte faded away.

A moment later, the storage door opened again, and David came back in. The old man’s face, faintly illuminated by the dawn light, was pale.

“My goodness, Cardinal Lorenzo must have already suspected something. If I’m absent too long, it’ll arouse suspicion. Let’s hurry.”

David left the storage room again. Jade pulled on the robe and followed the bishop.

At the back door of the cathedral, two tall men were waiting. Both wore black robes with hoods, and in the pre-dawn darkness, their faces were barely visible.

“This is Brother Autis, and this is Brother Franco.”

David pointed to both men simultaneously, seemingly unable to distinguish between them. The two men pulled back their hoods to reveal their faces and introduced themselves.

“I’m Autis.”

“I’m Franco. It’s an honor to assist you.”

Just as quickly, they pulled their hoods back up, hiding their faces again.

“Thank you,” David said to them, then tightly gripped Jade’s hands.

“I will follow with Father Daniel to the hiding place. May God’s grace be with you.”

David hastily closed the door and left.

Barely able to distinguish between Autis and Franco, Jade heard one of them speak.

“Let’s go, Father.”

“Where are we going?” Jade asked.

“Underground.”

One of them answered, leading the way.

‘Underground? That means we’re going to the crypt.’

Jade had a rough idea of where they were headed.

He looked back, worried about Father Daniel. After feeling for the book in his chest, he followed the two men.