The Medieval-Modern Man with a Gamer Mindset

30. Dancia, the Path of Ruin

We headed to Illeniput with a very solemn and desperate determination.

It might have been more serious than when we were struggling to survive in the monastery. We marched hard with a harsh schedule, sleeping less and taking turns guarding like swords. Even so, the party’s spirits were clear.

They even had a fierce glint in their eyes at night, so much so that even ferocious beasts would cautiously approach and run away in fear. The enemies who were lurking somewhere, waiting for an opportunity, didn’t touch us this time.

There must have been many reasons, but… it must have been partially due to the murderous vigilance we showed. Thanks to that, our journey to Illeniput was smooth and uninterrupted.

Yllenfoot was a planned town in more ways than one, its neat brickwork and rigidly aligned structures giving it an air of orderliness. The only real point of interest was the multitude of bell towers crammed behind low, man-high walls.

The bellringer in the tower nearest the gate had a crossbow, indicating that it doubled as a watchtower. Our reverie ended there as our group was met by the grim-faced guards.

The guards in chainmail gripped their halberds a bit tighter at the sight of armed riders appearing out of nowhere.

“Halt, this is the Papal fiefdom of Yllenfoot. State your business or you shall not pass.”

That was my cue. We had worked out a strict division of roles as we traveled, and I was to be the silver-tongued diplomat, making up for Terbaire’s lack of eloquence.

“We are but humble pilgrims, returning the reliquary we saved from a monastery sacked by heathen raiders. We seek shelter and protection.”

“…wait here.”

One of the guards hurried inside the slightly open gate. A long moment later, a priest in black robes emerged, flanked by more guards. A thick book, thicker than my fist, was strapped to his side.

The aged priest stepped before us and opened the book at his side.

“Let me see… the white background on the crest indicates an old converted family. The raven is a traditional symbol of good fortune in these parts, indicating a family of some standing. The blue cross potent in the upper left indicates a grant of arms from Saint Ideal herself.”

He continued muttering to himself as he carefully flipped through the pages. He closed the book and looked up at us from his horse.

“Stregos Glerio, Povis. What business brings you to our humble town, son of Povis?”

The priest had recognized us, it seemed. I glanced at Terbaire, who was staring wide-eyed in surprise, his disguise useless now.

It seemed Terbaire was not going to take the lead on this. Instead, I stepped forward and addressed the priest myself.

“You have guessed correctly.”

“Family crests have more to say about a man than most realize. Especially when one looks at the surcoat of the knight beside you.”

The priest had a small, mirthful smile on his face.

“A blue cross potent cannot be used without the lord’s permission. Soldiers, retainers, and knights of the family usually bear a white cross potent. Where the cross potent is placed also indicates which branch of the family one belongs to… but that is enough of a primer on heraldry for now.”

It was, indeed. While mildly interesting, we had more pressing concerns. I gave a small nod, and my faithful retainer, who had been stoically silent up until now, bobbed his head.

“Father, this is the reliquary we saved.”

John-by-the-stream bowed to the knight who had given him a ride, before carefully retrieving the reliquary from where he had been cradling it. The priest’s benign, grandfatherly expression sharpened at the sight of it.

“Oh? Well, let Tebano, humble servant of Lux Stella, take a look.”

We knew from the look in his eyes that this was the moment we had been waiting for. The moment of truth.

Relics were precious things.

It was no wonder that meeting and talking to the bishop of Yllenfoot was a secondary concern to us. Not out of disrespect or avarice, but simple fact.

As we entered the bishop’s keep, a young, fresh-faced priest gestured and announced, “T-the bishop wishes to verify the relic’s safety first.”

The relic would be inspected first, then we would wait. We ignored the offer to unpack and rest, waiting for the moment of the relic’s appraisal. Tebano, the priest who had recognized us at the gate, chuckled.

“You must be very curious, to have already opened it.”

“Well…”

“I jest, I jest. As you have protected the relic, you deserve to see it, and learn of its nature.”

***

The priest Tebano led us to a small chapel in the keep, hidden away from the walls.

It was a crypt, cool and musty. It was also almost completely dark save for a few flickering candles. The atmosphere was creepy enough for John to rub his arms.

“Gosh, milord. This place gives me the creeps.”

His attempt at a joke was betrayed by the forced lilt in his voice. Terbaire, ever the pragmatist, touched the hilt of his sword as he replied, “It should. This is the communal tomb for the unidentified and unclaimed dead.”

“Wha- what?”

“Most unidentified dead are likely heathens who worshiped the demons of the Other Side, or sacrifices to them… it’s enough to make a ghost.”

Gulp. John clapped a hand over his mouth, his face pale. He subtly moved away from the wall of the corridor and closer to me. I grimaced.

“John, step aside. Don’t get in my way.”

“Father, you’re a Stigmatist, but you don’t need to be so mean.”

“Do you want to see a ghost scarier than you?”

I clicked my tongue and swung my arm. John, who was pushed away, stuck to the knights with a sullen expression. But all ghosts are scary. The knights were no less frightened than John, and they were all trembling.

In the end, Tebano, who was leading the way, burst into laughter without thinking.

“I see that even our valiant knights have something to fear.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“But don’t worry. The ones enshrined here are honorable warriors who have lived their lives in the temple bearing the name of Lux Stella. They may be nameless, but they are not the remnants of this world or pagans who would harm the faithful .”

Only then did everyone relax a little. Some of the knights even made the sign of the cross towards the wall with reverence instead of fear. After a long walk, a large room appeared.

From bookcases full of books and scrolls to cabinets full of various objects, it was a room that gave off the feeling of a workshop in many ways.

Even though it wasn’t in the middle of a necropolis.

Tebano placed the reliquary on the table in the center and took out a monocle from his pocket. He polished the monocle with a neat handkerchief before opening the lid of the reliquary.

Click.

“Hmm… a bronze necklace.”

Clatter. Someone swallowed their saliva. Tebano stared intently into the reliquary and hummed. How much time passed? Tebano, who had been stroking his chin, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Hmm?”

“Father, do you see something?”

“Were there any bones in here?”

“Bones… what?”

I blinked and looked at the others. But everyone had the same reaction. I didn’t expect anything from John, and I didn’t expect much from Terbear either. I thought I might know someone among the knights.

“Master, we are knights.”

“No… I didn’t really say anything.”

“Knights don’t learn to read. We don’t know what’s in the reliquary.”

“Did you see any bones?”

“Hmm….”

The knights were a race that had paid too much for their strong bodies. Knights had taken a very different evolutionary path from modern humans, who had given up some abilities to gain intelligence.

In the end, after a brief exchange of glances and some silly talk, they came to one conclusion.

“There were no bones when we looked.”

“Why would anyone put bones, which are blasphemously eaten, in a reliquary in the first place?”

“Don’t wives usually take chicken bones to make needles? Or just give them to the dogs.”

I turned my head again, wondering if John and Terbear had seen it.

“No, Master.”

“I didn’t see any bones either?”

The result was the same.

“That’s right, Father Tebano.”

As soon as Tebano heard our answer, he closed the reliquary as if he didn’t need to look any further.

“That monastery must not have had a single person who manifested the Stigmata?”

“How did you know?”

Everyone was surprised that he had even noticed that there were no Stigmata bearers. He must have figured out something we didn’t see when we opened the reliquary.

Everyone showed their inflated expectations for the priest’s miraculous appearance with sparkling eyes. Now all that remained was to see how much value that necklace held…

“This pendant is not a relic, strictly speaking.”

…or so he says.

“But it was in the reliquary????”

A so absurd that it was hard to accept at once. Fortunately, John, who hadn’t noticed, spoke up on my behalf. But Tebano shook his head animatedly, curtly dismissing John’s protest.

“Strictly speaking, this reliquary made of gold is probably more valuable. If we were to rank relics and divide them into nine tiers, this pendant would be…”

“This pendant would be…?”

“Tier twelve.”

“F, Father. Then wouldn’t a higher number be better?”

“There’s no one here who would say that tier twelve is better than tier one.”

A brief silence. And before long, confusion set in. A flurry of questions swept through our group.

It had been in a reliquary but wasn’t a relic? I thought the pendant was incredibly valuable, but it was less valuable than the box itself? Then why the hell had those monastery bastards shoved it in a reliquary?

Someone pointed out a more fundamental issue. Hadn’t it been a reliquary in the first place if it hadn’t been used to hold relics? My anger was beginning to boil over toward those monks who were already as good as dead.

Tebano, who had been silently holding his tongue, quietly opened his mouth.

“I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“No!!!! How can I not be disappointed!!! I open a golden box and it’s a dud!!!”

John’s timeless protest, which ignored the difference in status, received the tacit support of the knights. Of course, I also offered my small support. If things went wrong, John would lose his head, but it was all of us who would have our curiosity satisfied.

Fortunately, Tebano seemed to have seen this kind of thing often. The old priest calmly took off his glasses and told us the truth about reliquaries.

“The truth is, most reliquaries are like this.”

It was like a parent telling a child who had only been waiting for Santa Claus that there was no Santa and that there would be no presents.

***

Tebano led us back to the ground, explaining in a quiet voice.

“When people think of relics, they usually think of pendants, idols, or even swords. Any item that is believed to be imbued with miracles is considered a relic. Of course, that’s true. However, what the Church refers to as relics is a bit different.”

“…What is that?”

Tervere spoke up on behalf of the knights, who were crestfallen with disappointment. Judging by the fact that he had asked before I could, he must have been quite curious. Tebano nodded as if he understood and continued.

“The existence in which the miracles of Lux Stella are most clearly enshrined. The legacy of the most faithful and greatest who chose to confront the demons of the Other World. That is a true relic.”

“That’s vague.”

“hahahaha, aren’t all legends like that?”

“Hmm.”

Tervere turned his head away, looking far from satisfied, but I felt differently. That was because I had a memory that had almost slipped past me as I was trying to move on.

‘Were there no bones?’

‘The existence in which the miracles of Lux Stella are most clearly enshrined, the legacy of the most faithful and greatest who chose to confront the old gods of the Other World.’

Before I knew it, I was staring at Tebano.

Tebano also seemed to notice my gaze, and he turned his head. Then, he said with a meaningful smile.

“There is only one young Powys… Narva. You said you were interested in the priesthood.”

“….Yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that you have such a high level of understanding. I think you’ll be getting some good news from the Holy See soon.”

“Do I really need a relic?”

“Of course. Just the presence of a relic has the power to drive away the demons of the Other World. hahahaha, you’re so quick-witted that I’m sure you’ll understand that soon enough.”

I couldn’t help but find it strange to see him nodding as if he understood when he saw my displeasure. Of course, the rest of us, who didn’t know the truth, couldn’t hide our disappointment.

“I thought we were finally going to see a relic.”

“It seems they were not in possession of the relic.”

Perhaps it was fortunate that they did not know the significance of the sacred object. Tebano looked at me with a strange look in his eyes as he spoke again.

“We have confirmed the relic. I shall guide you to the bishop.”

Right. Let’s forget about that.

It was time to achieve our original goal after a brief detour.