East Road Quest

Chapter 45: Saint Santirimo Monastery

The sandstorm showed no signs of abating.

At the moment of Beishufer’s disappearance, it seemed as if the wind might die down a bit, but now it was impossible to walk forward. The sandstorm thus far was merely a prelude to the full-fledged storm that was beginning.

“If we stay here, both of you will die,” Ruby warned Sapph and Jade.

“When the wind starts blowing at this time, it usually continues until dawn the next day. The wind won’t stop until the morning sun rises and the atmospheric pressure changes.”

“Atmospheric pressure?”

Jade, already with a complicated mind, furrowed his brow even more.

“Don’t you know what atmospheric pressure is? Ah, never mind. Come to think of it, the Roxandria Library is filled with books containing tremendous knowledge, open to everyone, but no one seems to know that.”

“Now’s not the time to brag about your knowledge.”

Jade approached Sapph, who was beside him.

“Are you okay, Sapph?”

Jade reached out to support her, only to belatedly discover that her top was nearly torn to shreds. He took off his coat and handed it to Sapph before turning away.

“I’m fine.”

Sapph hurriedly put on Jade’s clothes.

‘I can’t even ask what terrible things she’s been through. A child who has hardly ever met people, kidnapped by demons, seen ancient demons, and now trapped in a sandstorm, how terrified must she be?’

Jade thought of words of comfort.

“It’s all done.”

Turning around, Sapph stood upright, dressed in Jade’s clothes.

“You’ve grown taller since I last saw you. You used to be this tall.”

Jade placed his palm at the height of Sapph’s eyes.

“You’ve lost weight since I last saw you, Father. You must have had a hard time at Zerba Monastery?”

Sapph spoke in a calm and blunt tone.

“I’ve always been like this.”

“No, you haven’t. Your skin has gotten worse too…”

Sapph gently touched Jade’s cheek.

“Hey, we need to hurry!”

Ruby shouted.

Jade replied with a slightly annoyed tone.

“I get it. But where are we going?”

“To the road back to Redhill Village…”

In the middle of Ruby’s answer, Sapph interjected.

“We should head that way.”

“Huh? Where?”

Sapph pointed in a direction obscured by the sandstorm.

“Where is that? Redhill Village?” Jade had already forgotten the direction they had come from.

“It’s not that. But I have a feeling it would be good to go that way,” Sapph said.

Ruby asked with a scoff.

“There’s nothing that way. The sandstorm is so severe I can barely see ahead, how do you know it’s good to go there?”

“Just… I have a feeling…”

Sapph spoke uncertainly.

“A feeling? In the middle of the desert, you want to go on a feeling! Who is this kid?”

Ruby crossed her arms and asked.

Jade said,

“She’s like a sister to me. It’s a long story.”

“Can she be trusted?”

“Of course.”

“You often get betrayed and scammed by people you know, right? Guys with your kind of face always end up like that.”

Jade sighed and replied.

“In the current situation, Ruby, you might leave me, but Sapph won’t leave me, and I won’t leave Sapph. Is that enough to call trust?”

“That’s not a fair comparison. Because I’m not entirely without the thought of leaving you behind.”

Ruby said.

“This little bee!”

Jade shouted.

“Ha! Was that supposed to be an insult? Come back when you’ve practiced more.”

Ruby paused, placing a hand on her waist, and looked to the left.

“That direction leads to Redhill Village. It won’t take more than thirty minutes. If we use that passage from earlier, we can almost avoid the wind. But there’s nothing in that village but corpses. No water either.”

Then Ruby looked in the direction Sapph had indicated.

“I don’t know what’s in that direction.

So, which way will you go?”

Jade pointed in the direction Sapph had indicated.

“This way.”

Ruby flung a chain at the two of them.

“Grab it. You can’t see anything even three steps away. I don’t know what that little dark one is basing his directions on, but let’s just go as he wants. Just try not to.”

Jade held the chain and then extended the other end to Sapph.

“Sapph, you lead the way. I’ll follow behind.”

Sapph whispered a question.

“Who is that red-haired boy?”

“It’s a long story if we get into it. Simply put, he’s an angel from the Byphel Temple.”

“So, Father Daniel’s old stories were true.”

“Yes. Many things turned out to be true. I want to get to a safe place and talk to you about such things. I also want to hear how you got here.”

“There were many terrible things. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Ruby began to walk ahead.

Sapph gripped the chain and followed, with Jade trailing behind her. Walking was already difficult due to the wind, and it became even harder as sand began to accumulate on the ground.

“Is this the right direction?”

Ruby shouted.

“Yes.”

Sapph shouted back.

Ruby asked a couple more times if they were going the right way as they walked. Each time, Sapph simply replied, “Yes.”

‘Ruby’s sense of direction is remarkable. Even if Sapph is just directing by feeling, answering ‘yes’ every time means she hasn’t deviated from the direction she set initially.’

After a while, Ruby said,

“Oh, so your feeling was real? There’s a house.”

Jade still couldn’t see anything.

“A house?”

“Not a house, what do you call it? A cathedral? A monastery? Yes. A monastery!”

Jade belatedly remembered.

“Right. If you go a little northeast from Redhill Village, there’s Black Rock Mountain, and beneath it lies Saint Santirimo Monastery. Sapph, is that what you remembered?”

Sapph turned around and answered.

“I knew there was a monastery, but I had forgotten until just now. The direction was really just a feeling.”

Jade recalled what Father Daniel had said.

‘Sapph is a child of fortune. To someone like you who thinks negatively of every message, she will bring dreams and hope.’

Ruby lightly flicked the chain to hurry them along.

“Come quickly. It’s not good to be exposed to the sandstorm for too long. Especially this red sand here contains hematite, which is bad for the eyes and lungs. I know a bit about anatomy, and people who grind marble can’t breathe well after they turn thirty. But the sand in this desert is even worse for the human body. Well, it doesn’t concern me at all!”

The two were almost dragged along by Ruby. Or rather, it was just Jade. Surprisingly, Sapph walked well.

‘I was worried about falling behind, so I stayed back, but now it seems I might need Sapph to look after me.’

Ruby stopped walking.

“We’re here.”

Jade, who had been walking with her head down, lifted her head at those words. She squinted and looked in the direction Ruby was pointing, but all she could see was the sandstorm.

“Where…?”

Upon closer inspection, a tall wall was blocking the view just ten steps ahead. The wall was dyed red and it was dark, so they hadn’t recognized the building right in front of them. If not for the faint light emanating from Ruby’s chain, they wouldn’t have seen anything at all.

As they walked along the wall, a large wooden gate appeared. It looked more like a small fortress than a monastery. According to the map, Black Rock Mountain should have been right behind the monastery, but it was nowhere to be seen. In fact, they could barely make out the buildings beyond the wall.

“Saint Santirimo Monastery.”

Ruby tapped the wooden sign on the door with his fist and asked,

“Aren’t monasteries places where clergy pray? Then why build in such a desert, instead of somewhere with easy access to water and food?”

“Monasteries were originally created in opposition to the wealth of the Catholic Church. When the sovereign wore a golden crown and held a scepter adorned with gold during mass, some priests opposed it, saying, ‘The saints who first wrote the scriptures had no wealth, lived in the plains and deserts following the word of God, and led a life of poverty. We should do the same.’ That’s how these monasteries started.”

Jade explained, but Ruby scoffed.

“A life of poverty? Even before I was imprisoned, I saw many monasteries, and they were all wealthy. Charging a silver coin for each prayer and collecting taxes from the nearby farmers… Is that poverty?”

Sapph retorted,

“Not all monasteries are like that.”

“That’s why I’m asking. Every monastery is in a place good for collecting taxes, so why is this one in the desert?”

Ruby continued,

“Well, this monastery must really be frugal and lead a life of restraint!”

“Then that’s not good news for us. If it’s a poor place, they might not share their food.”

Ruby chuckled, and Sapph glared at him expressionlessly.

“Father Jade, could this child not be an angel?”

Ruby crossed his arms and leaned his face close to Sapph’s.

“Ho, look at this? Are you picking a fight? If you have no expression, I’ll—”

“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize you? Are you angry now? You dislike me, don’t you, this little flower bud?”

“Yes, I dislike you.”

Sapph spoke in a fearless, clear voice.

“Though my experience is brief, I see none of the angel’s grace in your speech, actions, or thoughts. Father Jade, we might be deceived.”

“This dandelion fluff is now getting in my face…”

Ruby growled as he brought his face closer to Sapph’s. Sapph didn’t back away, and they glared at each other, barely a hand’s breadth apart.

“Stop!”

Jade intervened between them.

“Now is not the time for us to quarrel. Ruby, a strong man like you shouldn’t threaten a fragile woman!”

“What kind of flowery nonsense is that? In front of me, everything in the world is fragile, and if I start worrying about such things, I wouldn’t be able to fight anyone.”

Ignoring him, Jade addressed Sapph.

“Sapph, as Ruby said, it’s not good to be exposed to this sandstorm for long. Let’s find shelter from the wind and talk.”

Sapph nodded obediently.

“But isn’t this a sanctuary for women? I heard even Mother Superior Julia has never been here.”

“Indeed, this monastery is so isolated from Rome, it rarely participates in gatherings with other monasteries.”

Jade recalled the rumors he had heard in Zerba.

“Still, should we ignore those in distress? Let’s ask for shelter. At least until the storm passes, they can’t refuse us a roof over our heads.”

As Jade headed towards the monastery’s gate, Sapph instinctively pulled his robe down to hide his white horns and blue hair. Jade, noticing this too late, saw Ruby’s long red hair and the shackles and chains on his wrists and ankles.

“Can you make those shackles invisible? The monks will ask questions if they see them. And it’s best to hide your hair too.”

Ruby covered his head with a hood attached to his garment, then immediately shortened the chain to a span’s length and made the shackles and himself invisible. As the last bit of light vanished, the surroundings became so dark that it was nearly impossible to distinguish the door.

“I can’t make the sound disappear, though.”

In the darkness, Ruby’s voice and the clinking sound of the chains were audible.

“Let’s hope the wind masks the noise.”

Jade fumbled for the doorknob and knocked hard. But the storm was so fierce that the sound didn’t carry well. There was no answer, even when he called out louder. He tried pushing the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“They’ll forgive a broken latch. Ruby, can you break it?”

Jade asked.

“It’s not even a challenge.”

Ruby clenched his fist.

“Just, try not to be too forceful—just break the latch gently…”

Jade’s words were too late; Ruby had already swung his fist. The large wooden door, unshaken by the sandstorm, was ripped off its hinges and fell inward with a crash.

Ruby unclenched his fist and asked.

“Huh, what did you say?”

“Never mind. Next time I ask you for something, I’ll choose my words more carefully.”

Ruby, pretending not to hear, strode into the monastery.

‘Pretending not to understand. He probably could control his strength but chose not to. That troublemaker. I hope he doesn’t cause any problems here.’

Jade remembered that, apart from himself, the only people Ruby had met after being released from 500 years of imprisonment were thieves and travelers captured by thieves.

‘I can’t predict what nonsense he might say to the monks. If he starts talking about flower meals again, it’ll lead to misunderstandings.’

Jade called out to Ruby.

“Ruby, I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

The high walls meant that the monastery’s courtyard was less windy. Originally, it would have been designed to block the wind almost entirely, but now, with Ruby having broken the door, the courtyard was exposed to the sandstorm.

From the gate to the main building was about fifty steps, and light appeared as the door opened.

Monks carrying lanterns were pouring out.

“Be careful with your words from now on.”

“You think I’ll say something absurd?”

“To be honest…”

Jade felt a pang of guilt towards Ruby.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure it’s okay? Those guys are coming out with clubs. I can push them to the point where they’ll drop their clubs and prepare us a fine dinner.”

“That’s exactly the kind of talk I’m asking you not to do.”

“Do you think I can control what to say and what not to say?”

“Then don’t speak at all.”

“This flower meal guy now wants to shut me up completely? What will you order next, boss? Stop breathing?”

“It’s not an order, it’s a request.”

“Hmph!”

Soon, the monks, armed with clubs, approached the three. They were dressed as monks, but the clubs they carried and their broad-shouldered figures looked ready to take on thieves.

Jade stood before them, hiding his tension.