7. Bishop Barkius (2)
Bishop Barkius is a character with a tremendous sense of responsibility towards his work. He didn’t even visit when his adopted daughter gave birth to her first child, stating that he couldn’t leave his remaining work.
To put it nicely, one could say he is responsible and tenacious. To put it harshly… he’s a selfish person who only thinks about himself.
[Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?]
I shrugged my shoulders at the demon who pointed out the flaw in my logic. After all, I wasn’t entirely serious, and about half of it was a joke.
“Isn’t incitement and fabrication the specialty of a demon?”
[Well, you’re not wrong.]
I strolled leisurely down the long, empty corridor, conversing with the demon reflected in the window. The demon, walking at the same pace as me, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
[By the way, I thought you sent that human child, Kaul, to the mountains to kill him, but it’s surprising that you let him live.]
“I never intended to kill him from the start. If I really wanted to kill him, I would have sent him alone in the first place.”
To make him hard to find, to make his traces hard to find. But it would be a waste to just throw him away like that.
Things are meant to be used.
That’s what I was taught.
[So you deliberately let him be saved?]
“Correct. I was worried about what would happen if Romeo ran to the mountains alone, but… fortunately, both of them moved as I expected.”
[I’m really curious about your plan.]
At that, I looked at the demon and grinned.
“Shall I tell you?”
I’ll tell you if you want.
As I said that and chuckled, the demon shrugged its shoulders.
[Waiting for the main course while whetting one’s appetite is also part of the meal.]
“So you’re saying you’ll wait. Alright, it won’t take long anyway.”
[You say it won’t take long to corrupt that Bishop Barkius, that’s quite the confidence.]
“It’s entirely possible.”
I said, looking forward again.
It’s entirely possible.
At my demeanor, the demon seemed satisfied and smiled. As the demon approached the window with a twisted smile, a crack appeared in the window with a snap.
[That’s arrogance.]
“I know. I’ve already heard that story from the nun.”
I moved on with a smirk. The corridor was already behind me.
Silence descended on the empty corridor.
*
*
*
After Barkius saved Kaul’s life, I slowly planned the next step. The next plan was nothing special. It was all about creating a small ‘problem’ that were moderately dangerous and solvable, timed to coincide with Barkius’s inspection every two weeks.
For example, catching a pickpocket in the village.
“Oh my! Thank you, sir!! If it weren’t for you, I would have lost all the money I earned from selling herbs for weeks!!”
“Hehe, it’s just that God has blessed a diligent worker. But next time, don’t move such a large sum of money alone. It would be better to come with a guard or move a little at a time. Such things should have not happen.”
“I’ll keep that in mind! I will remember it next time!”
Or saving someone from a robbery.
“Thank you…! I owe you my life…!”
“This too must be God’s providence. Do not tread such dangerous paths in the future.”
“Yes! I’ll certainly do that!”
Returning a lost child to their home, and so on… He diligently helped people.
“Thank you, Bishop Uncle!”
“Hey! Uncle, you say! What a way to address the man who saved your life! You should call him Bishop! Oh, I’m sorry! My son is still young…!”
“It’s alright. Take good care of the treasure bestowed upon you by God.”
“I will! I will definitely remember that! Thank you! Thank you…!”
Each time everyone expressed their gratitude, Barkius attributed all the glory to God. However, those who received help from Barkius expressed their gratitude not to God, but to Barkius.
―Thank you! ―Thank you, Bishop! ―Thank you! You saved my life! ―Thank you. ―I’m always grateful… ―I’m really grateful! I’ll succeed and repay you! ―I’ll never forget this favor! ―Hehe, thank you. ―Thanks to the Bishop, I can live in peace! ―Hehe, thank you! ―I’m really grateful…
Over and over, and over again…
And over and over, and over again.
It piled up and piled up.
As time passed, Barkius began to increase the frequency of his inspections.
Even after that, Barkius helped people.
For example, he safely escorted a father who couldn’t return from the mountain path to his home.
“Thank you! Thank you!! If it wasn’t for the Bishop, I don’t know what would have happened to my father…!”
“It’s alright. It was just a coincidence that I was passing by and was able to lend a hand. Be careful next time.”
He did things like finding medicine for a child suffering from a cold.
“I’m really…! Really grateful…! How can I ever repay this favor…!!”
“No need for repayment. If something similar happens again, come find me. I’ll solve it.”
It was something that could have been resolved even without Barkius.
I turned it into a situation that would have been a big problem if Barkius hadn’t been there.
Looking around.
“It’s peaceful.”
Sitting on the roof of the cathedral, I smiled broadly as I watched Barkius going around the village for his inspection.
What was once an inspection every two weeks had recently changed to once every four days.
It was no longer an inspection to ensure that people were living peacefully.
It had become an inspection to monitor whether people were committing crimes.
A man who used to attribute everything to God’s providence and glory, now says it’s okay because I’m here, I’ll solve it.
A man who used to say that such things should not happen again, is now looking for something to do.
It took a full two months for this change to occur.
It took longer than I had anticipated, but in the end, we got here.
I had leveled the ground and sowed the seeds.
All that was left was to wait for the fruits to sprout.
“Ugh…! Just a little more and it’s over!”
I stretched out, laughing in good spirits.
Just a little more push and it’s downhill from here.
From then on, even if I don’t do anything, it will pick up speed on its own and fall.
As is often the case with corruption, once you start slipping, you can’t stop.
“Watching people change is quite fun, isn’t it?”
[Hehehe… Seeing a human who had steadfastly guarded himself for decades become like this. It’s truly a tragic sight.]
The demon reflected in the cathedral’s bell made a sobbing sound, pretending to wipe away tears.
The distorted figure of the demon reflected in the bell wire made me chuckle.
“If you’re going to say something like that, why not at least pretend with spit in your eye?”
[I apologize. My saliva contains a mild irritant, so it would be difficult. If you apply it to the eyes, the body would flinch every time I blink.]
“That’s interesting.”
[That’s why a demon’s kiss is sweet.]
I stood up from my seat at the sight of the chuckling demon.
It was almost lunchtime.
I didn’t particularly need to eat, and watching Barkius wandering around looking for his place filled me up so I didn’t think about food…
At least before I leave, I should taste it.
As I lightly jumped off the roof, I happened to lock eyes with Kaul passing by.
Oh right, there was that too.
As soon as our eyes met, Kaul, who flinched, came obediently towards me at my beckoning hand gesture.
Kaul, who looked quite upset, approached me faithfully despite his expression.
“Why, why are you calling me?”
I smiled at Kaul, who had come right up to me.
Thinking about it, wasn’t Kaul the one who helped me start the process of corrupting Barkius?
“I realized I haven’t given you a reward for helping me yet.”
“Re, reward?”
I nodded, smiling at the sight of Kaul asking in a trembling voice.
“Yeah. So, I’m going to tell you about your future.”
“…What?”
“Knowing your future in advance allows you to prepare your mind. That’s why I’m telling you.”
If I had known I would fall like this, would I have lived less diligently?
…No, I would have lived diligently until I met Nae.
Huh? So, isn’t it the same thing?
Well, it doesn’t matter.
“You won’t become a knight. Two years from now, on a summer day, you’ll slip on a mossy rock while playing in a valley and twist your arm. You won’t be able to keep up with the training, and by the time the other kids become knights, you’ll become a so-called delinquent, wandering around back alleys. But don’t worry! You’ve had some training, so you’ll become a notorious criminal in the alleys. And on the day you turn exactly twenty, you’ll be caught by the guards and executed. The end!”
I patted the shoulder of Kaul, who was looking at me with a stunned face, and gave him a thumbs up.
“You’ve got five years left! Live it up! Live without regrets as much as possible, so you can die without regrets.”
“What… what are you talking about! So, if I just don’t go to the valley…!”
“Then, trying to avoid a carriage, your wrist will be crushed under the wheel. You’ll become a petty thief, robbing small houses, despairing of a life where you can’t do anything. Then, you’ll accidentally mess with the wrong person, have both your wrists cut off at the age of eighteen, and starve to death.”
Isn’t the time more urgent than before?
“If I don’t even flinch at the carriage!?”
“Are you asking me for the answer?”
“Please! Please tell me! I’ll… I’ll beg you!! I’ll do anything, anything, so please!”
“Anything, you say?”
When I asked, tilting my head, Kaul nodded vigorously.
“Then live hard! It’ll work out somehow, right? Ah, I should go to the dining hall now. I can’t be later than Barkius.”
Leaving Kaul with a devastated expression behind, I walked lightly towards the dining hall.
Thanks.