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“Bishop, please get up.”
“Hmm.”
Bishop opened his eyes slightly and looked around. Realizing it was only Johan, Bishop got up.
“There are many eyes watching. Why did you come?”
“I came to deliver a message.”
Bishop was already fully recovered. Lying in bed was to shake the city’s public opinion even more.
“Ha. . . Ha ha ha.”
Bishop laughed lowly. At that time, he really thought he was going to die, but now he could only laugh about it.
God really loves me!
Who could have expected such a sudden change in the situation? It’s said that when one door closes, another opens, but. . .
Even just lying here, he could hear the citizens shouting his name outside. He knew without having to go out. There was no one in the city cursing him now.
“Brother!”
“Oh. Are you calling me brother again?”
“Speak freely. It’s not a bad offer for a brother full of ambition.”
Johan sneered, but Bishop didn’t mind. With newfound ease, his mind was working again. In this situation, Johan’s cooperation was even more crucial.
“I won’t deny that there was a dispute between us, brother. But wasn’t it trivial? We fought together against the demon that attacked the city.”
“To be exact, I fought alone.”
“. . .Look, brother. Wouldn’t it be good to have a friendly bishop in the order? Do you want to see this Biagione lose his bishopric? Surely not, with the friendship we have built?”
Biagione appealed to emotion, but Johan didn’t bat an eye. Johan spoke coolly.
“Get to the point, please.”
“With the city’s opinion like this, no council member can attack this Biagione anymore. Even those who were attacking me are now silent and anxious. Even unlucky ones like Giordano. . .”
“. . .? Giordano was killed by the gargoyle.”
“What? Is that true? Divine punishment indeed!”
Bishop, excited, suddenly coughed to cover his embarrassment. It was awkward to rejoice over a person being killed by a monster, even if they were sworn enemies.
“Anyway, with the city calmed down, the order is next. They won’t easily dismiss this Biagione now.”
“That’s exactly why I came. Someone from the order is coming. Perhaps an inspector or a judge.”
“!”
Bishop was startled. He had thought they would come, but so soon?
“Is that true?! There’s no time to waste. We must prepare immediately.”
“So what are you saying?”
“We need to align our stories, brother!”
Biagione’s plan was simple.
It was Johan who had captured the gargoyle. Bishop, who had been captured and dragged from the mansion, knew it well. From start to finish, it was as if Johan had captured it.
Bishop’s plan was almost a desperate struggle not to be outdone.
But saying that wouldn’t be very saintly.
“When the gargoyle tried to tear this Biagione apart, I blocked it with a cross. Why do you think it backed off?”
“Because of silver?”
“No! Say that at that moment, this Biagione performed a miracle. Brother, say that I performed a miracle and immobilized the gargoyle!”
“. . . . . .”
Johan looked at Bishop with an unchanged expression. Before that solid, granite-like face, Bishop suddenly felt anxious and deflated.
“. . .Brother. Give your answer.”
“Bishop pronounced the sacredness and bound the devil. . . let’s say.”
The corpse of the gargoyle was immediately burned. Fearing its resurrection, the people of the city poured oil and burned it, then scattered the ashes in the river.
Given the situation, it was possible to make such a claim as per the testimony of the person involved.
“If I concede that much, what do I gain?”
“The order will unconditionally cooperate with anything related to the brother.”
The things a bishop of the order could do were boundless.
He could send a priest to the fiefdom to the liking of the feudal lord, subtly secure the judicial authority of the temple for the lord, or even support in a fight from a justifiable perspective. . .
If one were more daring, it was even possible to blatantly scrape up gold. With the help of someone like Bishop Biagione, such lies could be told over a hundred times.
The problem was whether one could trust a greedy person like Bishop Biagione.
‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.’
Johan might be scary now, but would that still be the case once he’s far away?
Johan opened his mouth lightly without much thought.
“Would you swear in the name of God?”
“Hmm. If that satisfies you, then I swear upon the honor of this Biagione.”
“?”
Johan was puzzled. Something was off.
“No. Not on Biagione’s honor, but swear in the name of God.”
“Brother. One should not swear lightly in the name of God. . .”
Biagione tried to change the subject slyly. Of course, Johan wasn’t fooled.
It was astonishing.
That this more corrupt and greedy bishop had a firm belief and fear in God.
This was the power of faith.
Just as a ruthless mercenary who even kills children deep down fears the existence of God, people of this world could never escape the existence of God. It was the limit of thought and belief.
‘𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐’𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴.’
There is power in an oath, and breaking it brings a curse, but that’s because one cares about that oath.
If one truly doesn’t care about that oath, it has no effect whatsoever. Johan could do that.
“Swear in the name of God.”
“. . .Please spare me that, brother. There might be situations where I unintentionally fail to fulfill it.”
“Even in such situations, one must do their best, that’s why you take an oath. Do it. Unless you want me to go outside and tell everyone that the bishop cheated with a silver cross.”
Johan was adamant. The bishop, trying to persuade multiple times, was exhausted and collapsed. Eventually, he swore in the name of God.
“All right. Should I say that the bishop performed a miracle with the cross and killed the gargoyle?”
“Yes. . . No! No! What madness is that! Just say I bound it!”
The bishop, about to agree thoughtlessly, was startled. Such a lie was unnecessary. It would have only aroused suspicion.