Chapter 41: The Weight of Rumors and the Path to Ordination

Emil frowned at the man’s words.

“Monsters?”

“That’s right.”

Emil, too, had heard much about monsters. These were tales that drifted through the village like rumors. As a child, he had believed they were stories fabricated by adults to prevent children from getting lost in the deep mountains. Yet, with time, these rumors had grown increasingly specific.

Lauren’s house, situated far from the village, was arguably the most vulnerable. Despite this, Lauren had never suffered harm from a monster. Villagers living further from the mountains were, needless to say, completely safe.

But now, suddenly, they were going to hunt monsters? Since returning from the seminary, Emil hadn’t noticed any inkling of such an event, making the men’s words perplexing.

“What happened? I had no idea.”

“Haha, Emil. You’re still slow to hear the news, it seems. That terrible thing occasionally appears and frightens people, you know.”

“…Are they coming down to the village?”

Emil asked, his face grave, at the man’s words.

“Not that far. But people who’ve climbed the mountain have occasionally sighted monsters. They say they’re incredibly massive, grotesque, and appear to be incredibly tough. And they emanate a rather eerie aura.”

Ever since his Esper abilities manifested, Emil had paid no mind to the village rumors. Recently, however, the village had been in an uproar over monster sightings. More people claimed to have seen monsters than before, and there were even testimonies of them descending closer to the village, having been encountered by those gathering fruit on the lower slopes.

Those who had previously dismissed the monsters’ existence were now slowly gripped by fear. Suggestions to seek help from the lord were not uncommon, but he had recently been preoccupied with other matters, showing little interest in the people living on his own land.

“Are you sure they’re monsters? Could it just be a mistake, confusing them with wild beasts—”

“What? Wahahahaha!”

The men guffawed at Emil’s words, laughing loudly enough for him to hear. Emil clamped his mouth shut.

“Listen, Emil. Do you know how long we’ve been preparing? We’ve been researching and getting ready for quite some time now. Do you really think we’d make such a ridiculous mistake? Huh?”

“Perhaps it’s because you’ve never seen the beasts I’ve caught before.”

The men added, each remark a jab at Emil. It was undeniable that they were experienced hunters.

However, confronting a monster was distinctly different from hunting animals. Even an army would be no match for a truly powerful monster; they would simply face a mass demise. Naturally, village hunters, untrained in professional combat, stood no chance against such creatures. Emil, though he had never seen or fought a monster himself, understood this well.

“…If they haven’t directly attacked people, there’s no need to provoke them. You’d only be inviting trouble.”

If they were determined to kill the monster, Emil couldn’t stop them. But he did not wish for their peaceful village to be needlessly ravaged. Lauren’s wedding was fast approaching, and more importantly, his ordination ceremony.

Many people were excited and looking forward to that day, a rare event for a small village. It was no longer just the day Emil would become a priest; it had become almost a festival. If tragedy were to strike before such a day, everyone would be devastated.

“Provoke them? Are you making fun of me? Huh?”

The man, who had been listening to Emil’s dissuasion in silence, suddenly flared up in anger, thrusting his chest at Emil. It was a face Emil knew well. A few years ago, this was the man who had pestered Lauren and received a harsh lesson from young Emil and Jack.

“We can’t just take on monsters. Even a skilled Esper would barely stand a chance.”

“Then your mother should come.”

Emil’s face went white at the man’s words. His mother was the village’s only Esper. Though she struggled to control her powers without a partner, and the villagers, mostly ordinary people, had ostracized Lauren, no one would dare disrespect an Esper.

Emil could say no more, bowing his head. He didn’t know what the man might do if he grew angrier. Furthermore, Emil had only recently awakened as an Esper. While he had learned to control his power with Yanis’s help, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t repeat past mistakes.

As Emil lowered his head, the man scrutinized him from head to toe, a sneer on his face.

“You won’t step up yourself, yet you look down on others.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep your mother’s wedding venue safe and sound.”

With those final words, the men strode past Emil. They laughed loudly, seemingly enjoying themselves. Emil’s fists trembled with humiliation. He was still too human to simply smile kindly at those who mocked and sneered at him.

Emil stood rooted to the spot, watching the men until they completely vanished from his sight. The boisterous chatter faded at some point. Though resentment still lingered, he couldn’t follow them to seek revenge.

Emil gritted his teeth, glaring in the direction the men had gone, then made the sign of the cross and prayed for them. He prayed they would return safely, that they might achieve what they desired. Though he doubted it was possible. That was the cruelest revenge Emil could exact.

****

Emil limped back down to the village. Gale’s father, passing by with his arms full of something, acknowledged Emil. Though it was their first meeting since Emil’s childhood, his striking resemblance to Gale made him instantly recognizable.

“Why are you limping all of a sudden?”

“Oh, I fell coming down the mountain.”

“Oh dear. It’s probably best not to go into the mountains these days.”

“Haha, I suppose so.”

Emil was too exhausted to explain he had been there for wedding preparations. Moreover, describing the recent confrontation felt troublesome. When he merely offered a vague smile, Gale’s father clicked his tongue, a look of pity in his eyes.

“Speaking of which, when is your ordination?”

“This coming Saturday.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll have to call you Father then.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man looked at Emil with genuinely warm eyes. Emil didn’t dislike such kindness. Gale and his father, though they had lived their lives without formal education, possessed a profound humanity. They weren’t aggressive, disliked conflict, and simply worked diligently. They were steadfast and sincere. Perhaps that’s why they produced such good wine.

The man, after a few more questions, said he had somewhere to be and departed.

“If I had more time, I’d set a splint for you, but I simply can’t.”

“It’s alright.”

The goodwill the man had already shown warmed Emil’s heart. Enough, even, to forgive the men he had just cursed in his own unique way.

Despite saying he was fine, it took a considerable amount of time to reach Yanis’s house. The injury was more severe than he had thought. His ankle had swollen considerably, making it difficult to wear his shoes. He walked for a while, stopped to rest, then walked again, repeating the cycle. During this time, Emil took in the village scenery.

Considering a group of men had gone up the mountain to deal with a monster, the village was remarkably peaceful. A few people approached Emil first to greet him. Fortunately, a young villager, who was moving dirt in a cart, offered him a ride, significantly shortening his journey. He had been sweating profusely, so encountering the young man was a godsend. The young man, a year or two younger than Emil, said he hadn’t heard the rumors about Lauren but recognized Emil from attending Mass every week.

“Jack! Jack!”

What caught Emil’s attention was a voice calling out a familiar name. From where the voice came, a woman was calling Jack. And in front of her stood Jack. Jack, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned around when he heard his name. The woman was Margaret, and she appeared angry with Jack.

“Why do you keep calling me?”

“You broke your promise. Who are you giving that jewel to, the one you asked me to get?”

“Did I ever say I’d tell you that?”

“You really! You said you would!”

“No, why do you even want to know!”

Jack was so engrossed in his conversation with Margaret that he didn’t notice Emil at all. Emil, for his part, had no desire to call out to Jack. The series of recent events left him with little inclination to speak with him. He knew that avoidance and inaction were two sides of guilt, but his emotions were complex in many ways.

Jack’s involvement in his mother’s infidelity was merely Emil’s conjecture. Of course, Emil had considerable certainty and had seen plausible evidence a few times. But what could he say, and how? Jack’s partner was Lauren, and Emil couldn’t find a wise solution that wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Why his mother, of all people? Was it because his mother was an Esper? Was Jack simply drawn to her because he was a Guide and she an Esper? Would he have formed a relationship with another Esper if there had been one? Emil found no answers. With the wedding so close, and having prepared for his mother’s wedding until just before, no clear solution came to him.

Perhaps it would have been better not to know anything. Then, he could have simply wished for his mother’s happiness.

The cart carrying Emil quietly moved away from Jack. All the while, Jack and Margaret’s bickering could still be heard. Emil sat in the cart, silently watching Jack.

“Uh, Raphael.”

The young man, who had been silently pulling the cart for a while, called Emil.

“Ah, yes.”

“I have to go somewhere else from here. I’m sorry.”

“No, thank you.”

The young man politely bowed. Hearing his baptismal name after a long time, Emil offered a serene smile and stepped out of the cart. Thanks to the ride, he had arrived near Yanis’s house much faster.

“I’m planning to go to your ordination too. It’s my first time seeing one, so I’m really looking forward to it. I never thought we’d see such a monumental sight in our village.”

Emil smiled silently at the young man’s hesitant words. Ordination, huh… Emil still had things to do before that day.