East Road Quest

Chapter 46: Father Puyol

“Who are you?”

One of the monks who had come out asked. Initially, his expression was fierce, but as he shone the lantern towards the three visitors, his face softened considerably.

‘Hopefully, we don’t look like a band of thieves right now?’

Jade greeted them with utmost politeness.

“Good evening. I apologize for the sudden visit. My name is Jade…n, from Rome. And this is ‘Soph,’ a priest who has been living in the convent and has recently joined me due to certain circumstances.”

Soph, with her hood pulled tightly around her face, showed only a glimpse of her face as she greeted them.

It wasn’t strange for a woman who had lived in a convent to avoid showing her face to other men. Wearing a hood or a hat for religious, political, or even personal reasons was common, and one could concoct three hundred excuses on the spot if needed.

However, Jade found it challenging to explain Ruby’s presence.

“This is…”

Jade hesitated while pointing at Ruby, then continued.

“This is my disciple, Ruby.”

The monks seemed concerned, but their suspicions were unexpectedly directed elsewhere.

“What about that door?”

The monk who had first asked pointed to a fallen wooden door. Ruby then pointed to herself and then to the door.

‘Ah, she must have decided to keep the promise not to tell. That’s a relief.’

Jade, who knew the situation, immediately realized that Ruby was proudly indicating she had knocked down the door, but the monks seemed not to understand. Even if they did, they would probably dismiss it as a mistake.

“The door fell over when I knocked on it,” Jade explained.

An elderly, short-statured man emerged from among the larger men.

“Hmm, it seems the wind has weakened it. I’ve been meaning to fix it since it’s old, but I delayed it a bit…” The old man coughed dryly and continued.

“Please, all three of you, come inside away from the wind. We were just preparing dinner. Since you’ve come from Rome, join us for some dry bread and share the latest news. I am Manoli, the abbot of this monastery.”

Jade and Soph bowed politely in greeting.

They walked in a line towards the main building. It was only here that the faint outline of the black rocky mountain behind the main building became visible.

A monk held the door of the main building open, letting his colleagues enter first.

“Please come in. Welcome to Saint Santirimo Monastery.”

As Jade approached, the bald man holding the door greeted him with a smile that was overly artificial and somewhat off-putting.

“Thank you.”

“Because of the wind noise, I didn’t catch your name. Did you say it was Jaden?”

The man asked just as Jade was passing through the door.

His build wasn’t as large as the other monks, but his broad shoulders gave off an imposing presence. He almost looked like a soldier.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Jade stopped, and the man waved his hand.

“Oh, my tone was too aggressive. Just checking. I’m Puyol. Please come in. The wind is strong.”

Jade entered, followed by Ruby, but Soph had to stop at the door. Puyol was blocking it.

“I’m sorry, but you, sister, must go to the external dormitory. I trust you understand the situation.”

Soph nodded at Jade, signaling that it was okay.

Jade was momentarily at a loss for words. “But… I’m hungry, and so is Father Soph, and we both need water…”

Puyol, as if he already knew, said gently yet firmly.

“We’ll bring you food later. There’s a well in the dormitory. You may not know, but this monastery is beneath the black rocky mountain, so there’s plenty of groundwater. Enough for daily baths without shortage.”

Jade hesitated. He didn’t want to leave Soph, whom he hadn’t seen in years.

‘Would it seem strange if I asked to go to the annex too?’

Without showing any concern, Soph pointed to a separate building and asked.

“Is that the building over there?”

“Yes. It’s empty, so feel free to use any room.”

Puyol pointed but did not offer to show her inside.

Soph gave Jade a nod and walked towards the annex. Her expressionless face made Jade feel a pang of guilt. Knowing that she wasn’t the type to be upset over such things only added to his remorse.

Jade wanted to watch until Soph safely entered the dormitory, but Puyol closed the door. It was probably just to prevent the sandstorm from getting inside, but it felt as if he was intentionally preventing him from seeing.

“You’ve come from such a distance from Rome; there must be a deep story. Oh, I’m not prying. Sometimes, red desert bandits pretend to be travelers and hide in the monastery. We always fend them off with force.”

Jade walked down the dimly lit corridor and replied.

“As you can see, we’re just lost in the desert.”

“God’s blessing was with you. In this sandstorm, you can’t even see ten steps ahead.”

“Let alone ten steps, we could hardly see five steps in front of us. We were indeed fortunate.”

“It’s beyond luck. About three months ago, we had an incident. A young monk went out of the monastery during a sandstorm, not even half as strong as this one. He went to retrieve a pickaxe he had forgotten outside during the day. The next morning, we found his body not even twenty steps from the door. He must have wandered around there all night, unable to find the door.”

“That’s terrible…”

Jade shuddered belatedly at the thought that, without Sapphire and Ruby, she would have ended up the same. And somehow, she felt that Father Puyol was deliberately telling her this story to frighten her.

“But arriving safely at our monastery must mean that you are blessed by the divine will,” Father Puyol said politely, which only made Jade more suspicious.

‘This man isn’t naturally courteous. He’s just putting on an act of politeness.’

Jade made a request to buy some time.

“May I wash up first? I can’t possibly sit at the table in this state.” Father Puyol cheerfully refused.

“It’s fine. Being covered in sand is common here; the Lord won’t mind if you bring some to the table. It’s better than missing mealtime. You can wash your hands with the water prepared in your room. We’ll arrange for your bath after dinner.”

“And the meal for Priest Sapphire…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll prepare something special. As a priestess, you’ll need to prepare your own bath, though. Here, use this room.”

Father Puyol opened a door at the end of the hallway. Inside, two straw-filled beds were placed side by side.

“I’ll wait outside. Dinner is almost ready, so please hurry if you can.”

After a polite farewell, Father Puyol left, and the door he closed gently creaked open slightly.

‘The hinges must be old, but it seems like he left it open on purpose.’

Jade poured water from a jug beside the door into a basin and washed her hands. Ruby, mimicking her awkwardly like a child imitating a parent, washed his hands and then covered his mouth with them, still wet.

Jade shook her head and pointed outside the corridor. Expecting Ruby to make a fuss, she was surprised when he simply nodded in agreement.

“I think the wound has worsened. The pain is more intense than before. Could you look at it?”

Jade showed Ruby the bite on her neck she received from a little demon in the temple.

Ruby shook his head. He remained silent, but his expression seemed to say, ‘You’re in big trouble now.’ Jade felt a surge of fear.

Outside, Father Puyol coughed.

“Brother Jade, are you still there? Everyone is waiting.”

“I’m sorry, but I was injured in the desert, and I’d like to treat it first.”

At Jade’s words, Father Puyol entered silently.

“Let’s see.”

He examined the wound and shrugged as if it was nothing serious.

“A beast from the desert bit you?”

“It was a strange creature.”

“Indeed, the desert is teeming with beasts so bizarre they might as well be demons. It’s a frightening world. We live in fear that these monsters might attack our monastery at any moment.”

He clasped his hands neatly in front of him and continued.

“We have herbs that heal such wounds quickly. I’ll prepare a remedy right away. It will take about half an hour, so why not eat in the meantime? A good meal and treatment, followed by rest, should have you healed within a week.”

Father Puyol nearly dragged Jade to dinner, short of grabbing his sleeve.

“Let’s do that.”

Jade had no choice but to follow him into the corridor.

Ruby strolled leisurely by Jade’s side.

‘It’ll be fine. Even if ten monsters jumped out here, I have an angel to protect me. What could go wrong?’

Jade’s worries were focused on Sapphire.

‘I need to check on him soon…’

♦

In the dining hall, nearly twenty monks sat waiting for their evening meal. Though smaller than Zerba Monastery, the quality of the food on the table was no less impressive.

‘Where in this desert do they find such provisions?’

Jade wondered but soon shook off the thought as her head grew heavy.

Manoli, the head of the monastery, seated at the end of the table, spoke.

“Please, take a seat there, Brother Jade. We’ve been waiting for you.”

It was hard to recognize him in the sandstorm and darkness earlier, but Manoli was an elderly man with a kindly face, a shining bald head, and white eyebrows.

As soon as Jade sat down, Manoli offered a prayer. Ruby sat looking bewildered, and Jade could only pretend to pray, caught off guard.

After a brief prayer, Manoli introduced the monks one by one, but Jade was too distracted to remember any of their names.

Outside, the strong wind shook the wooden windows, and the heat inside the dining hall was even more intense than outside. With a fever already brewing in her head and the humid, hot air, Jade felt as dizzy as if she had the flu.

The candles placed at equal intervals on the table flickered, worsening her dizziness.

‘Father Puyol is nowhere to be seen. Has he gone to prepare the medicine? He insisted on punctuality at mealtime, yet he’s not here himself.’

Jade had no appetite, but she tore off a piece of bread in front of her.

“I heard that using silverware has become fashionable in Rome. Is that true?”

Manoli, the head of the monastery, asked.

“It’s more than a trend; the nobility have already made it a part of their lifestyle,” Jade replied with a forced smile.

“It’s a serious matter. We have hands and fingers given by God, and yet people use such vile tools as dishes and forks,” Manoli said with a tone as if a sacrilege had been committed.

“Is there not a passage in the Second Scripture?” the Angel Chief mused. “The angel said, ‘Take and eat the bread I have given thee with thine own hands, and thou shalt hear the word of God.’ Surely the priests of Rome are not ignorant of its meaning?”

For Jade, the sight of bread and dry cheese laid bare upon a wooden table was familiar. However, in Rome or Pompeii, the clergy competed in luxury, no longer dining with their bare hands.

“It’s a matter of debate, I believe,” Jade remarked. “The prevailing interpretation is that the passage does not literally mean everyone should eat with their hands.”

At Jade’s words, some monks openly scoffed, and Father Manoli shook his head.

“What is your opinion, Brother Jade?”

“I’m not opposed to the liberal practices,” Jade replied, “but personally, I prefer to eat with my hands.”

It was a noncommittal answer. In the past, he might have argued, ‘How would one eat meat drenched in sauce, served piping hot? Is it not because such food is absent that one can insist on eating with hands?’ But now, he wished to let everything pass quietly.

Fortunately, Poe sat obediently, shoving bread into his mouth with glee.

“The disciple beside you is silent,” a monk Jade couldn’t recall the name of inquired. “Is he perhaps observing a vow of silence?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not a strict observance, but he tends to talk too much, so I suggested he try it.”

Poe paused from his bread to give Jade a challenging look.

Jade feared he might blurt out, ‘A vow of silence? What flowery nonsense!’ but soon returned his focus to the cheese and bread, lightly tapping the wooden table with his fist after each bite.

At first, it seemed a serious gesture, but it was repeated with every bite. Unable to voice his pleasure, he expressed it through his hands instead.

‘After all, his first meal in five hundred years was a mere piece of bread from travelers, and now, even plain cheese tasted divine.’

Meanwhile, Jade barely tasted his food, sipping wine and nibbling on bread before merely pretending to dine. The wine wasn’t particularly enjoyable either, but whether it was the wine or his lack of appetite, he couldn’t tell. Poe’s voracious eating meant Jade’s lack of appetite went unnoticed.

“Forgive my tardiness in asking, but what brings you to our remote monastery?” Father Manoli inquired.

“It’s a bit complicated. I stumbled upon this place, unaware of its existence. I’ll share the details… after we’ve dined.”

Jade deflected again, buying time.

Father Manoli chuckled. “I was too hasty. Living in seclusion has made me forget the courtesies of the city. Forgive me.”

“Not at all. It’s just that I’m not used to conversing while dining, having lived in a monastery until recently.”

Jade smiled in return.

Thankfully, Zerba Monastery wasn’t one for warm conversations during meals. Everyone focused on eating quietly, paying little attention to their neighbors.

‘I disliked Zerba Monastery for its rigid atmosphere, but this place is stone-cold. I wouldn’t have lasted three months here, let alone three years.’

Jade planned to visit Sapphire as soon as the meal ended, but Father Manoli called him before even clearing his plate.

“Brother Jade, may we speak for a moment?”

Jade looked around for Father Puyol, who was nowhere to be seen.

Touching the tender area around his wound, Jade replied, “Of course. Poe, will you go to our room first?”

Poe nodded, his attention seemingly elsewhere.

Once Jade confirmed Poe’s departure from the dining hall, he followed Father Manoli out through another door.