East Road Quest

Chapter 27: Brother Franco

In a hasty move, Jade turned the horse’s head too sharply and fell off. The horse stumbled on the sandy ground, regaining its balance, but Jade could not hold on.

Brother Franco, in pursuit, quickly steered his horse to block the way. Jade spat out the sand that had gotten into his mouth, finding it difficult as his saliva had dried up.

Surveying the surroundings, all that met the eye were high sand dunes, large rocks sculpted by the sandy winds, and some flatlands with dry grass.

The village had long vanished from sight, and aside from the two of them, no other soul was in sight.

Franco dismounted and drew a knife from his cloak.

Jade’s horse approached Franco’s, and they nuzzled each other, seemingly recognizing one another as both raised by Rendel.

“I’ve heard everything, you heretic.”

Jade had imagined countless things Franco might say or do, but never expected such words to be the first to spring forth.

“What…?”

Unable to comprehend, Jade found himself at a loss for words.

“There is a form and rule to prayer. Prayers for salvation, for forgiveness of sins, to glorify God and to hear His will… All prayers must be sincere and follow the format and phrases set by the Vatican, but you’ve got it all wrong. Completely!”

Franco’s reprimand continued.

“Your prayers are like a child throwing a tantrum for sweets from a parent, like a sinner making unreasonable pleas to a judge claiming innocence. But the greatest sin is teaching others to do the same. Spreading false beliefs is a sin greater than believing in other gods or disbelief.”

Franco’s voice was hoarse, his lips white, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. Jade had suffered on his journey here, but Franco looked thrice as weary.

“Where did you learn such prayers and beliefs, Jade? At seminary? From Father Daniel? Or perhaps from the Boai in Pompeii? Or did you learn the devil’s prayers from the eastern heretics? It would make sense. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have killed a young girl.”

When Jade remained silent, Franco pressed him.

“Why are you silent?”

“If you heard that prayer, it means you’ve been to the stables, and that horse you bought from Rendel… Why follow me into the desert?”

Franco explained in a tired voice.

“It’s easier to handle things without witnesses.”

“I could only guard one of the three villages that serve as gateways to the Red Desert. I might have missed you. But you came straight to this village. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“From the start, everything fit too perfectly to be mere coincidence, and now this too. What does it mean? It’s God’s will. It indirectly says that what I’m doing is right, and what you’re doing is wrong.”

Jade couldn’t make heads or tails of Franco’s words, so he asked bluntly.

“What do you want, Franco?”

“The Fourth Crusade.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“Shut up and hand over the Bible you have.”

Jade took out a book from his cloak.

“Throw it here.”

Jade did as instructed, and the book landed at Franco’s feet. Franco, still on guard and holding the reins, slowly picked up the book.

Jade pondered briefly. Could he escape if he just ran?

There was no need for lengthy consideration. Both horses were near Franco, and even if there were a horse for him, Franco was the better rider. Besides, Franco held a knife and seemed skilled with it.

“You haven’t answered yet.”

Franco said, dusting the sand off the book.

“What?”

“Where did you learn that prayer?”

He flipped through the Bible.

With each page turn, sand dust scattered in the wind like smoke.

“Didn’t you say you only attended seminary for eight months? Why’s that?”

“I was expelled.”

“For what reason?”

“Refusal to pray.”

Franco burst out laughing.

“I’m more and more convinced I’m right. Expelled for not praying, becoming a priest, excommunicated for murder! And then, under the emperor’s orders, you embark on a quest for the Holy Grail? No need to ask what Father Daniel did. Everything around you is tainted with corruption.”

Franco closed the Bible and extended the tip of his knife forward.

“So? Where did you learn that prayer you sold for five has?”

“I didn’t learn it.”

“Did you create it?”

Jade nodded.

“You should consider a new profession. Something like a prayer creator. Five has per prayer, teach just ten people a day, and you’d make a fortune.”

Franco laughed heartily, then suddenly turned serious and asked.

“How can I see this book?”

“If you’re holding it, just look at it.”

“Why do you ask such a thing?” Brother Franco approached Jade, kicking the sand irritably.

“Tell me if there’s any code or magic on it. It seemed like an ordinary bible when I saw it in the underground tomb. It still does. But I saw this book shine brightly when it killed Autis. How did you do it?”

“So, you weren’t unconscious then.”

“Just answer the question. What kind of method did you use to exert such power? Is there a code? A special way to hold the book or a particular spot to press on the pages? Or does it reveal letters when sprinkled with an alchemical potion?”

Franco continued with his rather impressive deductions.

“And what power does that light wield? What force did you use to incinerate Autis, who possessed such tremendous power? Tell me everything.”

“If we go by your logic, I, a heretic believer who sold unapproved prayers in Rome, would be using the power of the devil, and the book would be an object of the devil. Why would you want to know and possess it? You should kill me right here and burn the book.”

Jade spoke calmly, but Franco was not to be outdone.

“The very first line of the manual for religious trials states this: ‘Do not engage in doctrinal disputes with pagans, unbelievers, witches, or demons!’”

‘How convenient,’ Jade thought with an inward sneer, though he dared not show such cynicism in the face of the blade.

“I will be the judge. Jade, you just need to answer the questions.” Finally, Franco reached Jade and put the tip of his knife to his chin, slightly piercing the skin.

Jade was not accustomed to such threats. He tried to act unaffected, but his body wouldn’t cooperate, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.

“There’s no method. If you open the book and it appears to be a bible, then you are not the person meant to read it.”

Jade spoke the truth. Franco did not believe him.

“An interesting theory. Then I have no choice but to experiment from now on what kind of pain will make you tell the truth.”

Franco removed the knife from Jade’s neck, only to strike his head with the handle.

In an instant, a white light flashed, and Jade fell backward. The sandy ground meant he wasn’t seriously hurt from the fall, but the shock kept him from getting up immediately.

‘Did my prayer displease you? You didn’t heed my earnest request, but you make sure to take care of things like this.’

Jade tried to crawl away, but his body wouldn’t move as he wanted, and he floundered, face down in the red sand.

Franco grabbed the back of his head and lifted it, then placed the blade at his throat.

“First, I’ll cut off an ear. Then I’ll pull out your teeth one by one, and if necessary, I might even gouge out your eyes. Truth be told, I’m good at pulling teeth, but I don’t know how to remove eyes. It’ll hurt more. A mistake might even kill you. Then both of us would be in trouble, losing the secret of how this bible works.”

Franco threatened skillfully.

“Speak!”

Jade, with his hands pressed against the hot sand, said,

“There’s no such thing as a method. The book can only be read by the eyes of someone who could read it from the beginning. The overlaid text might indeed be the kind of evil spell you’re thinking of. It could have been a cookbook, or a diary, but it became a bible because I became a priest. It’s better than carrying around a book filled with blank pages.”

“What nonsense is that?”

Franco threw the book in front of Jade and shouted.

“Then break the spell, you heretic! Right here, in front of me!”

Jade held the book and shook his head.

“There’s nothing to break or undo! It’s always been that kind of book. I don’t know the principle. I’m only saying what I’ve heard.”

“Explain it so I can understand!”

“It means that the person who can read it has been determined from the beginning. Maybe one in ten thousand…”

“Shut up! What are you saying? That you’re the chosen one?”

“It’s just probability. One in ten thousand might be a great saint. But it could also be an illiterate farmer. If such a person held the book, it wouldn’t matter whether it was a bible, a book of magic, or a cookbook. Because that farmer wouldn’t be able to read it anyway.”

Jade raised his voice, hoping Franco would understand.

“Let’s talk about you, Franco. Even if you were one of the ten thousand who could read this book, it would be useless to you. Because you’ve never learned the script written in it.”

“I can speak five languages and read and write seven scripts.”

“It doesn’t matter if you could write fifty scripts. This is not a script of man.”

“Which country’s script is it?”

“It’s not a country’s.”

“Then what?”

“It’s the script of angels.”

Franco laughed once more.

“If you’re saying all this in hopes of living a little longer, you’ve succeeded. I’ve lost the desire to kill you. Fine. I’ll take you with me. And if you say the same thing after two days and nights of interrogation, I’ll believe you.”

Franco moved the knife from Jade’s neck to his ear.

“But I’ll have to cut off one ear. If you try to escape, I’ll have to leave you bleeding out in the desert. It’s better if you don’t move, even if it hurts. Otherwise, I might end up cutting your cheek as well.”

Jade resigned himself to stay still.

‘One ear is better than a life. I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.’

As he braced himself on the ground, the sand beneath his hand began to wriggle and move. The blade teased his ear, but he looked only at the ground and said,

“Franco? Here…”

“Be quiet! It’s been a while since I’ve done this, the blade might slip… Wait, what’s that?”

From the sandy ground, something serpentine burst forth. Upon closer inspection, it was not a snake but a thick, rigid object resembling a rope.

One of the ropes lashed out like a whip, striking Brother Franco’s face. He dropped his sword and staggered backward.

“Ugh, what is this…”

More ropes sprang from the sand, coiling around Jade’s waist and tightening around her neck. It wasn’t just one or two; a third and fourth rope burst through the sandy floor, binding Franco.

Where the horses had been, the sand exploded, and a monster emerged from beneath the ground. This time, it wasn’t ropes but a pillar with four sharp, plow-like golden prongs.

Jade’s horse bolted in fright. But Franco’s horse, unfortunately, missed its chance to escape and was captured.

As the red sand covering the creature flowed downward, the monster’s full form slowly revealed itself. It stood on two legs like a human, with a long, singular horn on its head.

The head seemed to be a horn, or perhaps the horn was the head itself. The horn was the color of the red desert sand, making it nearly invisible while covered.

The creature was three times the height of a man, with disproportionately large hands. What Jade initially thought were plow-like objects were actually its thick-nailed hands.

Franco’s horse, gripped in the monster’s large hand, struggled pitifully but could not escape its grasp.

Another monster rose from the ground near Jade. As it did, both Jade and Franco, bound by rope-like fingers, were lifted into the air.

The second monster was nearly three times the height of an adult. The monster holding the horse was even taller, by the height of its five-span-long horn.

“Fresh ones, I see. But I heard there was only one. Why have two been caught?” the horned monster spoke.

The pressure of the ropes around her waist was so intense that Jade couldn’t breathe or speak.

Franco also struggled in agony, trying to break free from the ropes, but to no avail.

The horse resisted fiercely, causing the monster’s body to shake with each attempt. Despite its size, the creature seemed to struggle against the horse’s resistance.

“Ah, stay still,” the monster said.

It lifted the horse slightly and then slammed it to the ground. A sound of breaking bones echoed, and the horse collapsed.

“Uh? It’s dead?” the monster said, sounding slightly surprised.

Franco, holding a star-shaped cross around his neck, shouted, “Begone, demon. In the name of God, I command you, release me and return to the ground below!”

“The lad makes amusing noises. I was going to go underground anyway. Of course, I can’t let you go,” the monster holding the horse sneered.

The monster holding Jade and Franco in each hand asked the other with a metallic voice that was unpleasant to hear, “Which one was supposed to be caught?”

“I wasn’t told their faces, so I don’t know either,” the monster with the deep voice replied.

“Maybe both are the right ones.”

“What do you suggest we do then? Let them go?”

“Obviously, there’s no need to let them go. If both are the right ones, that’s good. We can eat both.”

“If one of them is the right one to keep, then I’ll eat the other. Either way, it’s the same. Stop the nonsense and come inside.”

The monster holding the horse burrowed into the sand. It submerged into the sand as naturally as if diving into water.

“I hope both are the right ones!” muttered the monster holding Jade and Franco as it too dug into the sand.

Franco screamed as the sand covered his face, sounding as if he was being sucked into hell.

Jade, equally terrified, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The hot sand covered her face.

All she held tightly was the book in her embrace.

The two people and two monsters left no trace on the sand and disappeared.