East Road Quest

Chapter 25: The Light of Sapph

“How could I be so unlucky?”

Sapph despaired over her misfortune as she found herself surrounded by beggars, in a predicament akin to being mauled to death by dogs.

Her streak of bad luck had begun around noon that day.

She had been trying to enter the Saint Vesta Cathedral to meet Bishop David when one of the copyists blocked her way.

“This madwoman, where does she think she’s going!”

Sapph recoiled at his harsh voice, stricken with fear.

“Hello, my name is Sapph. I’ve come to see the bishop at the request of Father Daniel. I am currently taking nun lessons at the Athena Convent, and Mother Superior Julia can vouch for my identity. My current disheveled state has a reason behind it.”

She couldn’t possibly lay out her words calmly.

Sapph had barely spoken to adult men over the age of eighteen. In her entire life, she hadn’t interacted with more than ten.

Even when facing women, she stuttered when meeting someone for the first time. Moreover, she was now without the protective shield of the convent. Additionally, her mind was blank with worry that Father Daniel might have died.

She had also lost the luggage she brought from the convent. She couldn’t remember exactly where she had lost it. It seemed she had dropped it amidst the chaos when Daniel’s house collapsed. She only realized this upon arriving at the cathedral, and the thought of going back to search was daunting.

Sapph sat helplessly in front of the cathedral, unable to decide what to do.

“They say fortune follows if you follow your heart, but I can’t do anything. What should I do?”

Sapph waited endlessly, her face buried in her knees, only thinking that she should do something but not knowing what.

Then, an old man in shabby clothes came out of the back door of the cathedral and climbed onto a small cart. Although he was disguised, Sapph immediately recognized him as Bishop David.

She quickly approached him.

“If it’s the bishop, even in this state, he would help me. Maybe he knows where Father Jade is. I must also tell him about the fire at Father Daniel’s house.”

But once she stood before him, she couldn’t open her mouth. It was his attire that stopped her.

“Why is he dressed like that? He must be in disguise. Is there some trouble?”

Sapph hesitated, as if the air around her whispered that she shouldn’t speak to David.

Just then, David turned his eyes towards Sapph.

She flinched, surprised. She had been waiting for him to recognize her first. However, David had rarely met Sapph and his eyesight wasn’t the best. Moreover, it was difficult to recognize her in her current state.

Mistaking her for a beggar, David tossed her a coin and left.

Sapph considered calling out to him loudly but restrained herself.

“I mustn’t call out. The bishop is concealing his identity. If there’s an ongoing quest related to the Holy Grail, everything must be kept secret. I shouldn’t acknowledge him. It’s probably better that he didn’t recognize me.”

Despite her rationalization, it didn’t provide much comfort.

“Now what?”

With Bishop David gone, there was no reason for her to stay at the cathedral. She had nowhere to stay and no money.

Sapph turned away.

“Let’s return to the convent. There’s nothing left for me to do here. There’s no such thing as luck.”

At that moment, a group of beggars encircled her.

“Did you see that? Where does this wench get off begging? Doesn’t she know this is our turf in front of the cathedral?”

A man grabbed Sapph’s forearm. Merely hearing the rough voice of a man made her cower, and being physically grabbed left her legs weak, unable to resist.

“What? What are you talking about?”

Sapph looked around bewildered, not understanding the situation. As dirty and grim faces closed in, she froze completely.

“Look at this one, pretending not to know!” the beggars said angrily, each adding their piece.

“I saw everything! Come with us.”

“We’ll teach you a lesson.”

“You’re dead now!”

They dragged Sapph into an alleyway.

Unlike the Setina Cathedral near Rotican, just one block from the Saint Vesta Cathedral led to a secluded area. Rome was known to foreign tourists as a developed and beautiful city, but it was also a place where unsuspecting visitors could be robbed.

Recently, there were rumors of a human butcher roaming the streets, killing people and leaving their bodies on display.

Sapph had lived near Rome for nearly twenty years but had hardly ever gone out, making her no different from a foreigner.

She only went out once or twice a year with other nuns for a brief time. She had only heard that Rome had such foul and dangerous places. She had never thought to venture into such areas alone.

In old tales, nuns would beautify such dangerous places. They reformed criminals and helped the poor.

Sapph had once aspired to be such a nun. But now that she had stepped into such a place, she was simply terrified.

Even the dogs in the vicinity barked in unison, heightening her fear.

“Ah, quiet down! Someone shut those dogs up. Who brought them here anyway?”

One of the beggars shouted.

Another grabbed Sapph’s chin and lifted it.

“Look at this one’s face. She’s not even scared of us.”

“Yeah, right. Let’s see how long she can keep that defiant face.”

“Start by tearing her clothes! That’ll make her compliant.”

A female beggar stepped forward and grabbed Sapph’s collar.

Just then, a dog barked threateningly at Sapph.

The female beggar, seemingly annoyed, yelled out.

“Hey, isn’t that Mahony’s dog? Keep it quiet. Don’t bring the patrol here for no reason.”

A man known as Mahoni gently stroked the neck of his dog. Despite the affection, the dog continued to bark incessantly.

“Why are you so noisy? You’re usually quiet,” Mahoni chided, but the dog paid him no heed, and its barking spurred the other dogs to join in.

Sapph, gripped by fear, clasped her hands together, trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Mahoni’s dog lunged forward, baring its teeth. Sapph thought she was the target, but instead, the dog bit the arm of a beggar woman who had tried to tear Sapph’s clothes. The woman screamed and collapsed.

Seizing the moment, the other dogs charged in. About six dogs, big and small, surrounded Sapph without discrimination. Overwhelmed, Sapph covered her face and slumped to the ground.

After a while, she realized the dogs had formed a protective circle around her.

The beggars exchanged confused glances, just as puzzled as Sapph herself.

“Sister Sapph?” A beggar boy recognized her and rushed over.

As the boy approached, the dogs growled in unison, freezing him in his tracks.

Sapph staggered to her feet and walked towards the boy, the dogs parting to clear a path for her. She took the boy’s hand.

“Marty!”

“Sister, what’s happening here? Why are you dressed like a beggar?” Marty asked.

“I… I’m here…” Sapph found herself at a loss for words.

She glanced at the bitten woman, who was crying and bleeding from her arm. The dog that had bitten her was still growling, ready to attack again. Even Mahoni, the dog’s owner, couldn’t get close.

Looking around, Sapph noticed that about twenty beggars had gathered. She had heard of a place in Rome where the homeless congregated, but she hadn’t realized it was so close to the Saint Vesta Cathedral.

“A nun?” The man who had first dragged Sapph here asked skeptically.

“Yes! This is Sister Sapph from the Athena Convent!” Marty proclaimed proudly.

“Nonsense. Why would a nun be wandering around in such a state? I saw her begging earlier.”

“Begging?” Marty looked to Sapph for an explanation.

“There are reasons. But I can’t speak of them,” Sapph replied, then turned her attention back to the weeping, bleeding woman.

“See! She’s lying! Marty, you think we’ll let it slide because you’re cute? Now you’re lying too?”

“It’s not a lie! It’s true, you bastard!”

“Who are you calling a bastard?”

“You started it, you dog!”

While the man and Marty argued, Sapph approached the injured woman.

The woman, thinking Sapph meant to harm her, scooted backward.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Sapph showed her palms and said, “If a dog bites you, you could die from the poison.”

“Poison? Bullshit! Dogs aren’t snakes!”

The woman wiped her nose with her sleeve, dismissing Sapph’s warning.

Mahoni interjected cautiously, “It’s true. A friend of mine was bitten by a rabid dog once…”

“Shut up! Take your damn dog and leave.”

The woman snarled at him.

Sapph reached out towards the woman’s arm.

“I can heal you.”

“What? Are you a doctor?”

“No, I’m not.”

As Sapph extended her hands, they glowed with a white light. The arguing men, Marty, and even Mahoni, the dog owner, stopped and stepped back in surprise. Others nearby also retreated, eyes wide with shock.

The injured woman, startled by Sapph’s touch, recoiled.

“It will hurt a little.”

The spot where Sapph’s hand touched glowed brightly. The woman screamed.

“Aaaah!”

The crowd hastily backed away as if the light was dangerous.

After a moment, the woman’s screams ceased. When Sapph removed her hand, the light vanished, and so did the wound from the dog bite.

Sapph stepped back.

“You should be fine now.”

She also spoke to the dogs behind her.

“Thank you, my friends.”

The growling dogs instantly became docile, sticking out their tongues and wagging their tails.

As everyone watched in stunned silence, the woman who had been bitten knelt down.

“Saint… Saintly lady.”

Starting with Mahoni, the other beggars began to kneel one by one.

“It’s the Saintess.”

“It is her, the Saintess.”

Even the man who had been arguing with Marti knelt belatedly, clasping his hands as if in prayer.

“Saintess, forgive us. We truly did not mean to harm you. Well, we thought about hitting you a little, but nothing more than that. We are sorry.”

Only Marti remained standing. The boy crossed his arms and burst into an exaggerated laugh.

“See? I told you she was a nun.”

Sapph, unsure of how to deal with the people kneeling before her, simply approached Marti and asked,

“Marti, why are you here? When did you leave the orphanage?”

“I come and go. It’s boring there.”

“But you shouldn’t be out here like this.”

“It’s because I was out here that I could save you, Sister Sapph.”

“I appreciate that, but… Yes, thank you.”

Sapph patted Marti’s head.

Marti chuckled and said,

“Why are you in such a place, Sister? A delicate woman like you shouldn’t be in such dangerous places. It could lead to trouble. I’ll escort you back to the convent.”

At that moment, the kneeling beggars began to inch closer to Sapph.

“Saintess, please heal me too.”

“Bestow a miracle upon me as well.”

“My leg is rotting right now. Please heal my leg.”

As Sapph became flustered, Marti stepped forward to block them.

“Sister must not touch the body of a man! Don’t you know that? The men who touched the Sister today will all receive divine punishment! The day lightning strikes from the heavens will be your last!”

Marti recited some sort of incantation he seemed to have heard somewhere. The beggars, especially the men, were terrified and prostrated themselves again. One beggar pointed at the man who had first grabbed Sapph and said,

“Forgive us. We only did what that bastard told us to do.”

“Yes. That damned bastard told us to scold you. I don’t usually do such things.”

“I pray three times a day at the star cross. I don’t know the prayers, though.”

Their voices overlapped in a cacophony, making it impossible for Sapph to understand more than half of what they said.

‘Father Daniel was right. I shouldn’t have shown my light. But if I had left her alone, that woman would have fallen ill…’

Daniel had known about Sapph’s abilities for a long time. He believed she could use her powers to save many people, but he told her to keep them hidden.

‘At first, they will call you a saintess when they see your miracles. But as they grow accustomed, they will try to use you. In the end, they will brand you a witch and burn you at the stake. I’m not saying you should suspect and hate people. Just hide your abilities until you can protect yourself.’

Within the convent, only Julia knew of this power. She, too, told Sapph to keep it hidden. So, even when injured, they preferred to wait for natural healing rather than seek Sapph’s aid.

It was the same when a leg was broken. If it led to death, then it was God’s will, so she was told not to use her powers to save them.

“Please, line up one by one.”

As Sapph extended her hand and spoke, the surroundings fell silent as if by magic. She remembered Daniel’s warning but couldn’t bring herself to refuse their pleas.

“I cannot heal illnesses. Only wounds.”

“Can you cure a cough?”

One asked.

Sapph shook her head.

“Only visible wounds.”

Unsure of how to explain further, she stated the simplest principle and added,

“And this must remain a secret. If you tell others, you will be in danger.”

“What kind of danger?”

A woman who had been healed from a dog bite asked fearfully.

Sapph found herself forced to lie to protect herself.

“If you tell others, you might die.”

The woman gasped, sealing her lips as if vowing to become mute from that moment on.

In a broad sense, it wasn’t a lie. If word got out about such miracles, Sapph could be subjected to religious trials or branded a witch by any means. And that could include not only Sapph but also those she had healed.

Sapph healed them one by one, from those whose legs had begun to rot to those with festering fingers.

She did not fully understand how to wield this miraculous power. She could mend broken bones but not set them. She could stop thread from rotting but not restore already rotten flesh. She couldn’t cure colds or heal tuberculosis. However, she could save someone stabbed by a knife and mend cuts.

She was unaware of this distinction.

‘There will come a time when you can use that power and be protected. When that time comes, you’ll probably test the limits of how far your power can reach.’

Sapph recalled Daniel’s words as she healed everyone and stood up.

The beggars sat with infinite politeness and docility, as if they would remain seated even if she preached for the next two hours.

Marti, who had been waiting impatiently, stood up with her.

“Shall we go to the convent now?”

Sapph looked up at the darkening sky.

‘Yes, I should go to the convent. That’s what I intended to do. I need to inform Mother Julia about the fire. Setting out to find Father Jade in this state would be like a six-year-old child leaving home to find a missing mother.’

Sapph looked beyond the dilapidated house to the majestic Saint Vesta Cathedral standing tall.

“It might be best to return to the cathedral. First, I’ll ask these people to help me wash up so I can be recognized, then meet anyone from the cathedral. Once I’m mentally prepared, even if the person is a man, I can calmly explain the situation. If I’m lucky, Bishop David might recognize me.”

Gradually, Sapph steadied her heart.

“Anyway, moving alone is absolutely not an option. It’s nonsensical. A foolish act. I’ve never wandered alone for even an hour. My stamina won’t hold up. Even wandering like this is a first for me today. I’m fine for now, but soon I’ll be exhausted and collapse. The nuns said so. Walking is harder than one thinks and requires training, especially for women who live hidden away in a convent. So, no more moving alone.”

Sapph made her decision.

“I’ve only wandered alone as far as Father Daniel’s house. I shouldn’t have even come this far. Right. I’m a child of fortune. The fact that I’m still safe after all this means I’m lucky. So, I shouldn’t test my luck further. Let’s return to the convent. That’s where I’ll wait for news from Father Jade or Father Daniel.”

However, Sapph uttered words contrary to her inner decision.

“No. I won’t go to the convent. Of course, it would be right to go there. But I must follow my heart.”

Father Daniel’s words moved Sapph’s heart like a last will.

“I’ll go to the Red Desert.”

“Eh? Where is that?”

Martie asked, puzzled.

“It’s a place about a three-day ride east from here.”

“What’s there?”

“An angel is… there.”

Sapph knew how foolish her answer sounded to the other, trailing off her words. As expected, Martie squinted her eyes and asked aggressively.

“Sister, are you ill?”

“Perhaps. But I must go there.”

“Alright. The details are a secret, right? But do you know the way?”

“I only know it’s to the east…

“And you say it’s a three-day ride, do you have a horse?”

“No. I’ll have to walk.”

“That will take an incredibly long time, won’t it?”

“It will, but…

Sapph already wanted to retract her whimsical decision.

“Um, I know the way there, Holy Lady.”

Mahoney, the dog’s owner, stepped forward. He explained obsequiously.

“If you leave Rome through the eastern gate, there’s a small stable. There, porters carry goods from Rome to a village called Postrum. Postrum is right at the entrance to the Red Desert. If you can get on the porter’s wagon, you can get there in three days.”

Sapph responded with joy, though she couldn’t show it on her face.

“Really? Could you guide me there?”

“Of course.”

As Mahoney replied with a happy face, Martie interjected.

“No. I don’t trust Mahoney. He might sell you to some strange place.”

Mahoney waved his hands in shock.

“What kind of disrespectful thing to say?”

“Disrespectful? Wow, you know such difficult words?”

“I know that much!”

Twenty-year-old Mahoney argued with ten-year-old Martie. The woman who had been treated first also spoke up.

“I want to come along too. I must protect the Holy Lady. Rome at night is dangerous. The human butcher hasn’t been caught yet.”

The other beggars also offered to protect each other.

Then Mahoney, as if just remembering, said.

“Ah, but we’ll need about a silver coin.”

The woman scolded him.

“You, dare you ask the Holy Lady for a fee?”

“No, no! We know she’s the Holy Lady, but the porter won’t, right? If we don’t give him a fee, he won’t let us ride.”

The woman muttered dejectedly, convinced.

“I see. Hmm, I have no money…

She looked around at the other beggars.

“Does anyone have money?”

They all shook their heads. A few argued, “What did you do with the money you begged for yesterday, you spent it on booze, you crazy fool!”

Suddenly, Sapph remembered and pulled a silver coin from her pocket. It was the one she had received from Bishop David earlier.

“Will this do?”

“Of course. You should have taken it out sooner.” Mahoney said. Then Martie threatened Mahoney.

“That’s because you guys tried to steal the Sister’s money. If it weren’t for me, you all would have been punished. It’s written in the Bible. Those who steal another person’s money will be struck by lightning and die!”

Sapph didn’t know where to start correcting Martie’s mistake. The woman who had been bitten by the dog said.

“If you were thinking of sneaking out of Rome, it’s really fortunate you met us. There’s been a lot of trouble lately, and the city is full of patrolmen.”

Sapph hadn’t particularly planned to sneak out. But thinking of Bishop David in disguise, it seemed like a good idea.

“Then I’ll ask for your help.”

“Just trust me. I know all the secret paths of Rome. I’ll help you get out safely. But you have to forgive me for trying to tear your clothes earlier. Got it? You can’t tell God, okay?” She pleaded earnestly.

“I won’t.”

Sapph replied sincerely.