Chapitre 43: New cleric
After receiving a nod of approval from the high priest, the cleric carefully lifted the stone and the piece of wood, revealing a white, squared sheet of paper. He gingerly picked it up from the table, as it was still slightly damp.
Both Julius and the cleric beamed with joy upon confirming that the sheet was indeed paper. Frederic's eyes widened in astonishment, and his jaw dropped. "Is... Julius Hera, is this paper that you've just made?"
sigh "Yes, it's paper," Julius confirmed, unable to alter the outcome now. Frederic eagerly took the paper into his hands, ignoring its slight dampness.
"Haha... Hahahah... AHAHAHAAHAH. Yes, yes, yes! This will change everything! This is a gift from God! He has answered my prayers!" The Baron's excitement was palpable, and he seemed on the verge of jumping with joy.
"How? When? Why didn't you tell me before?" Frederic demanded, his excitement barely contained.
"We just learned the method. This is our first attempt," Julius explained.
"Was it you who discovered how to make it? Julius, you've finally done something useful," Frederic said, a hint of admiration in his voice.
"Thank you," Julius replied with a trace of sarcasm. "You mentioned you've learned the method. Who taught you?"
"Who else knows about it?"
"Just us two," Julius answered, indicating his helper. Rafael remained silent, trying to avoid Frederic's attention, knowing that being recognized might lead to trouble. Unfortunately, Frederic's gaze turned towards him.
"And who are you?" he asked with visible displeasure, scrutinizing Rafael as though he were a peasant.
What in hell is happening? Why is there a dirty peasant here?
"I'm Robert," Rafael said, bowing to show respect.
"Are you a new servant?"
"N-no." Rafael hesitated, unsure of what to say. He feared that if he claimed to be a servant, the other girls might contradict him. "I'm sure you worked hard. Captain, please take him to a nice meal," Frederic ordered one of his soldiers, who stepped forward and told Rafael to follow him.
"It's okay, I'm not hungry, Your Honor," Rafael protested.
"Refusing a gift from the Baron?" the soldier asked, irritation in his voice. "No, no, okay, I accept. Thank you." Rafael relented as they made their way past the others. Frederic discreetly signaled to another guard, who began to follow Rafael and the captain.
Julius, noticing the situation, called out, "Wait! Mr. Robert is my new helper! Tell your men to stop!"
Frederic, realizing that if the guard harmed someone associated with the church, it could have serious repercussions, ordered, "Tsch. Captain, bring him back." He knew that if it were true and he harmed a church member, his own safety would be compromised.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? All these years you only had him as a helper?" Frederic demanded.
"He arrived just yesterday. I was going to inform you after the experiment," Julius explained as Rafael was brought back.
"Well, I don't care. The only thing that matters is that," Frederic said, pointing to the paper. "I'll send a group of people here to learn the papermaking method." With that, he and his entourage departed.
"What happened? Why did you say I'm your new helper?" Rafael asked once they were alone.
"Let's go inside; I'll explain," Julius replied. They went into the room behind the church while the cleric stayed outside to continue making more paper. The room was dimly lit by the light filtering through the cracks in the closed window. There were no books on the table this time.
"I believe that was the first time you saw Baron Frederic, right?" Julius asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs, and Rafael did the same.
"Yes, it was," Rafael confirmed, choosing to keep any negative opinions about Frederic to himself until he understood the high priest's view on the Baron.
"What do you think of him?" Julius asked, directly probing Rafael's opinion.
"Ah, he is a great man, no doubt. He... With just a glance, I knew he was a great lord," Rafael said, trying to stay diplomatic.
"It's okay, Robert, you can speak your mind. I think he's a piece of shit—hypocritical, egocentric, and only interested in power and money." Julius's harsh words surprised Rafael, considering the high priest was supposed to be a moral example.
"No, no, he's a great man," Rafael maintained, thinking, What if he's just testing me? What if he's waiting for me to say something bad about Frederic to condemn me?
The high priest sighed, recognizing Rafael's hesitation. "Robert, I just saved your life. Those soldiers were going to kill you, and it was Frederic who ordered them to do it." Rafael's belief grew stronger as he recalled the high priest's urgent shout. I heard him telling them to stop, so it must be true...
"Thank you for saving me. Thank you," Rafael said, his gratitude sincere.
"I couldn't let you be killed. You are a miracle! You received a blessing from an angel," Julius proclaimed, gesturing toward the sky.
"Yes, I'm truly grateful to fulfill the mission I received from the Lord. Now, I heard you say I'm your new helper. Why is that?" Rafael inquired.
"That was the only way to protect you. Frederic might even have those girls killed to keep the knowledge of papermaking to a minimum," Julius said, a sad expression on his face.
What the heck? Wasn't Frederic supposed to be the good guy fighting against the enemy? Why does it seem like he's the real villain, and not the people from the cities I passed by on my way here?
"So, I'm a monk now?" Rafael asked, trying to understand his new status.
"What? No! You're a cleric now. Well, not yet, because you'll need to be baptized first. If you want, you can choose a new name," Julius clarified.
Should I use my real name? No, it's too unique and could make me easy to track.
"I'll keep the name Robert," Rafael decided.
"Very well. I'll prepare everything, and this afternoon we will baptize you for your new life." The high priest was elated, feeling that having someone who had received a divine message was a blessing far beyond the value of the papermaking discovery.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone