The clouds crackled, the thunder erupted, and the rain showered, yet the world seed so silent at that mont.
"How far must a mind be pushed for it to beco so hopeless? That one can think of no other way of liberation but to kill oneself?" Sylvester wondered vocally and pushed back Augustus' body so it could rest.
"Augustus, I understand why the church has been getting weaker since its inception. It turns out, the church itself is its own biggest enemy."
"Maxy, why didn't you save him?" Miraj asked in a low, sad voice from underneath Sylvester's robes, near the chest.
Sylvester sighed and brushed Miraj's hair with his palms. "I know a broken man when I see one. He had made up his mind, and sotis, you should respect a man's choice no matter what. Even if I had saved him, he'd have been like an empty husk with no emotions."
Sylvester then picked Augustus' body in his arms and started walking towards the village of the tribe. "That Saint Seer sure likes to dig his own grave, it seems."
So, he sauntered into the darkness of the night. The pale face of Augustus would always attract Sylvester's attention from ti to ti and put him in deep thought. The sword was still planted in the chest, as Sylvester refused to touch it until he had shown it to those who needed to see it.
Eventually, he arrived at the tribal village and found soone waiting for him.
"Priest of Solis, I was ordered by the Priest to bring you to the temple. You will be staying the night there." The tribesman inford him with his head held low and a voice full of fear.
Sylvester passed by him. "Thank you. You can leave and rest now, my brother in faith."
He spent no ti climbing the short stairs and entered the building at the end of the village. Inside, a small fire was lit, and two mattresses were placed near the walls, while near the idol of Spirit Mirnor, a few candles were kept lit.
"So you knew only one of us would be returning alive?" Sylvester asked after seeing the two mattresses.
Only Sir Dolorem was there, sitting. "Was it a fight?"
"Worse. He took his own life, Sir Dolorem. But it wasn't because of or the secret he had learnt. It was because of what the church tried to do to my mother; they did it to him and succeeded. Augustus knew who did it and was only looking for a reason to kill himself. Today, I gave him one." Sylvester explained in the least words possible and placed Augustus' body near the idol of the spirit.
Sir Dolorem moved and sat beside the dead body. Then, he took out two silver coins from his pocket and put them on Augustus' closed eyes. "May the holy light enlighten your path in the life after, Archpriest. Forgive us if you can. We failed you."
Then, Sir Dolorem sat beside Sylvester and patted his shoulder. "Lord Inquisitor only hinted that it was the church that tried to harm Mother Xavia. Do you know who it was? D-Did the Holy Father sanction it?"
Sir Dolorem's voice cracked from ti to ti. Understandably so, as he was a man who gave his all to the faith, and now that he slowly noticed all the wrong things, he saw the Pope as the last beacon of purity. So, if even the Pope was evil, he didn't know what to do.
"It is Saint Seer, Sir Dolorem. He's been behind everything from the start to the end. He is the reason why the Shadow Knight is after . He tried to kill mum so that I wouldn't have any weakness. He did many more things in the na of the good of faith. But, sadly, he did all this without the Pope's permission." Sylvester revealed everything to Sir Dolorem as he was still unsure if he could trust the man with the secret that had just got exposed.
Thud!
Sir Dolorem punched the wall in anger. "How is that man still alive?"
"Because he's not easy to replace. That man is said to be the best spy we've had in a long ti. His devotion is unquestionable. Only his ans are problematic. So the Pope has to tolerate him, albeit with so strings attached now." Sylvester replied as he understood the matter.
Still, he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to kill that man. For that reason, he needed to work on his own spy network. For now, it only included Bright Mothers. But, even Bright Mothers were not always allowed to enter every place. So, he needed sothing else, a network that existed everywhere.
"Let's go to sleep, Sir Dolorem. I'm honestly tired tonight. We still have a whole ss to deal with. How will we explain Baroness and her entire army's death to the people? And the bigger question is, how do we save this tribe?" Sylvester didn't change his clothes or take off his armour. He simply rested down.
Sir Dolorem sighed and did the sa. "Good night, Lord Bard."
Sylvester didn't reply and fell asleep with Miraj tucked near his chest. But, in all honesty, Augustus' death was sothing that affected him deeply.
As he wondered if he'd have been in the sa condition if… Xavia wasn't so lucky.
…
That night, the storm raged as if the heavens wept. The heavens that blessed a boy with so much power and talent died because of the sa blessing.
But the world never stops. Ti waits for none.
Eventually, the storm passed, and the sun shined its warm rays of light on the forest again. The scared birds ca out of their nests, flew around, and tweeted again. The animals also went out to hunt or just to see their territory.
But Sylvester didn't sleep the entire night as the face of his friend and his last words echoed in his mind again and again. When morning ca, he still sat by the temple wall and watched the sword planted in Augustus' chest.
'I will make your death count, Augustus. I won't let this whole campaign go to waste.' He told himself and stood up to stretch his back.
"Priest of Solis, good morning!" The temple's Priest arrived, the sa man Sylvester had spoken to initially.
"Co, sit here with . We have a lot to talk about and plan for the survival of you and your tribe. I talked to Mirnor for a long ti yesterday, and she told much about your history." Sylvester invited the man to sit beside himself.
Sir Dolorem also got up and ca closer. Of course, the man had not slept the entire night either.
"What did Mirnor tell you, Priest of Solis?" The Priest asked excitedly.
"Tell your na first."
"I am the Priest of Mirnor, Maligard. I've been a priest all my life, and before , it was my father."
Sylvester saluted the man like he would in the church. "May the holy light enlighten us. So, I spoke with Mirnor, and she inford that Solis is a god that you can worship too. As Mirnor herself believes that she is the daughter of Solis."
"What! That's blasphemy! How dar–"
Bam!
A vine ca out of the ground. It knocked on the priest's bald head and forced him to sit down.
Sylvester nodded. "See that? She's talking to you, Priest. Do a favour and stay down, and then close your eyes. She will speak to you in your mind."
"She is sacred and never speaks to us lowl—"
Bam!
This ti, the vines knocked on his head so hard that he fell unconscious. After that, two vines touched his temples and made his body twitch.
"Wah!" The Priest jumped back to his feet within five seconds and started dancing.
"S-She talked to ? Holy mother Mirnor! She spoke to … And you…" He stared at Sylvester with fanatic eyes. "You are her chosen one! Favoured by the goddess Mirnor!"
"..."
Sylvester was speechless. 'That spirit, she played with . I didn't sign up to be Spirit's Favoured.'
"Indeed, Priest Maligard. Please sit down and listen to my words. My plan is the only way to ensure this forest and your people's safety." Sylvester still played along. "All you have to do is pray to Solis alongside Mirnor. From now on, in this temple, you must add the symbol of Solis too.
"You must morise the various hymns I have written and other religious prayers. This way, whenever soone from outside will co to visit you, be it a noble or clergyman, you ensure they see your faith in Solis."
Priest Maligard bobbed his head repeatedly with a big smile on his face. "Understood, favoured one. I will convey the word to every man, woman and child. From now on, we shall pray to Solis as much as to Mirnor—For she showed how without Solis, none of us would be alive."
The Priest crawled to the idol of Mirnor and prayed. "Who knew this misery would beco a blessing? Thank you for your grace, mother Mirnor."
Sylvester agreed. "Go and inform all the mbers of your village and gather them outside the temple. I shall speak with them before leaving."
"Understood, favoured one!" Maligard excitedly ran away, defying his old age.
After that, once again, the silence took over. Sylvester took a long breath and started wrapping Augustus' body in cotton sheets from the bedding.
"What are you thinking?" Sir Dolorem questioned.
Sylvester looked over in wonder. "Sir Dolorem, why are you not appalled by my bloodline? By all ans, I am a heathen in your eyes. You being an Inquisitor, I'm sure you'd have beheaded in normal circumstances."
"I would have killed you, Lord Bard." Sir Dolorem softly replied. "But, I'm not that man anymore. Ever since I started being your guardian and ntor, I've seen more miracles with my eyes in a few years than most n do in their entire lives.
"From day one, I knew you were different. I knew you were made for greatness. Then, slowly, I saw you grow up and beco the man you are today. While being cruel and harsh on enemies and heathens, you help people and show genuine warmth.
"I'm not ashad to say that I received that warmth, too, when you went beyond reason to save and avenge . Now, I don't see you as a stranger or a re clergyman. To , you are much more—A Family. Sadly, I couldn't stand by my wife and son when they needed , but I sure hope to take my last breath beside you.
"Because no matter what happens—I believe in you and your path."
Sylvester had stopped moving long ago and just watched the blind knight. He slled all the emotions, and they couldn't be more precise—Worship, hope, and a lot of familial love.
'I guess, even if I turn out to be a demon tomorrow, this man will still stand by my side. It seems, in a rush to find gold, I've found a diamond.'
"Thank you for your trust, Sir Dolorem."
"What is the plan now, Lord Bard?" Sir Dolorem changed the topic consciously, tensed that he spoke too much.
"We still have a Barony to make ours—For good."
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