PMEVBO 104
It was a face that reminded him of someone buried twenty-three years ago.
Atsula stared down at the man in front of him.
His pale face contrasted with trimmed black hair, and glowed in the moonlight. Well-defined eyebrows, a prominent nose, and big eyes even without double eyelids. Red lips with slightly raised corners. The man before him looked far too much like the person in his memories.
‘……Even the number and position of the moles near his left eye are identical.’
One below the corner of the eye. Another one below the eyebrow above it.
His gaze met haughty sanpaku eyes that seemed to look down on everything at every moment. Atsula froze with one foot still placed near the man’s collarbone.
At that moment, the man gritted his teeth and grabbed Atsula’s ankle with enough strength to break it. Forgetting that his ankle was even being held, Atsula simply stared at his face.
The man sighed and calmly spoke.
“I’d like to offer my greetings, so could you please move your foot?”
Contrary to his cold impression, his low voice was soft. It was a different voice from the person in his memory.
Atsula flinched. He stumbled backward after his foot was forcibly lifted by the man’s strong grip.
The man took the chance to stand up, dust off his clerical robes, and greet him with perfect posture.
“May the blessing of the Creator God, Debiamas be with you.”
Normally, it was polite to return the blessing. Atsula, however, had no history of blessing anyone.
This time was no different, but the reason wasn’t the same. This time, it wasn’t for the purpose of mocking the other person. It was just that…he had a lump in his throat.
However, the man continued speaking without the slightest sign of being flustered.
“I climbed onto the arch for certain reasons and slipped by mistake. I apologize for involving you in this commotion.”
“…….”
“……Are you hurt anywhere?”
Atsula covered his mouth and stared at the man in front of him without saying a word.
“Archbishop Abet?”
Only then did the absentminded Atsula reply.
“……No, I’m not.”
The man looked at him and slightly frowned. He moved his blood-red lips to say something, but then quickly closed them.
“That’s a relief. Then, may I take my leave?”
“Yes…go ahead.”
The answer came out without passing through his brain. He didn’t even know what he had just said. He didn’t know what state of mind possessed him to call out to the man as he began to walk away.
“…Wait a moment.”
The man stopped in his tracks and looked back.
“…Why? Are you in pain after all?”
It was a disrespectful and irritating tone. The usual Atsula would not have let it slide. However, instead of screaming and lunging at him, he took in the man’s face and asked.
“……What is your name?”
The man’s eyes wandered as if he had heard a question that was difficult to answer. Then, he looked at Atsula and replied.
“……Je-in.”
“…….”
“My name is Je-in.”
……Je-in.
While he slowly repeated that name in his mind, Je-in left without looking back. Atsula was frozen in place like a statue as he stared at his departing back.
“…I have to check.”
His relationship with that person…
Atsula moved his feet in the direction Je-in had gone once the other person left his sight.
***
During the banquet, the entire Holy City, Sarachephon, was boisterous with the sounds of eating and drinking. Clerics and citizens laughed and chatted while toasting to themselves for having worked hard throughout the year.
However, there were also people working to receive special duty pay. In particular, Chepony Castle was the place where such people were most concentrated. Someone had to serve to ensure the wine and food never ran out during the banquet.
When Aquila arrived at the main castle kitchen with two wine jars hoisted on his shoulders, the head chef approached him with a delighted look. Lavan, the head chef, was a stubborn man who had never once missed out on special duty pay.
“I was in a predicament because the wine was running out faster than expected…… Thank you for bringing it yourself, Priest Karmal.”
“This isn’t free. Trade it for that.”
Priest Karmal, Aquila, smiled while gesturing with his chin toward the plate of canapés Lavan was holding. Lavan burst into a hearty laugh.
“Goodness, you used so much strength; do you think this will be enough to fill you up? Just wait a second.”
He then began to pack various food items into a nearby basket. Aquila waved his hands.
“No, no……. Really, a plate of canapés is enough. I can’t eat that much!”
“Share it with a friend.”
Despite the refusal, Lavan insisted on placing the heavily laden basket into Aquila’s hands. This man still thought of him as the seven-year-old who used to whine about being hungry.
‘I’m thirty-two now, so why……?’
Besides, it was a banquet, so food was everywhere. However, he didn’t dislike the affectionate gesture. He stepped out of the kitchen cradling the precious basket in his arms.
‘Friend…….’
Aquila was originally the type of person who became friends with anyone quickly. However, throughout his life, there were only two friends he had truly held close to his heart.
Lavan and Lucariel.
Regrettably, the two of them didn’t seem to think of him as a friend. Lavan viewed him more as a nephew. Given their age difference of over twenty years, it was understandable.
And Lucariel, who was nine years younger than Aquila…….
Suddenly, he remembered the first time he met Lucariel.
‘Our first meeting was as an apprentice priest and a mentor priest.’
When he first announced that he had become Lucariel’s mentor, his older brother went wild like a mad bull. That day, his hair was pulled until his scalp felt numb. This was despite that he couldn’t choose whom he would be in charge of.
Nevertheless, Aquila was happy to be Lucariel’s mentor.
‘Because I was curious.’
He wondered what kind of kid the rumored thirteen-year-old, whom His Holiness had raised with such care, was.
However, the Lucariel he encountered was different from what he had imagined.
First of all, he didn’t look like a child.
His lovely face still had a youthful feel, but at the time, Lucariel’s height had already grown to the mid-170s. If that combination had been awkward, he would have looked like nothing more than a precocious child. Far from being awkward, it felt rather mysterious, so he did not look young.
Above all…… he wasn’t as devious or arrogant as the rumors suggested.
That didn’t mean he was easy to deal with. Lucariel was the first person in Aquila’s life whom he had to put so much effort into befriending.
‘……Maybe he’ll be the first and the last.’
When the mentoring session began, Lucariel would appear from somewhere, not even dressed in his apprentice priest robes. And he would just sit still like a still-life object until the session ended. No matter what was asked, he would only nod his head and never open his mouth.
It was only a month after their first meeting that Aquila finally heard Lucariel’s voice. That was the day Pope Jin visited the mentoring room. The boy’s voice, as he responded curtly to Jin’s words, was the clearest and most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his life.
Therefore, the words that came out of his mouth after Jin left were the absolute truth.
‘Your voice is really pretty, Lucariel.’
At that moment, Lucariel’s expression distorted like crumpled paper.
‘……Who are you mocking?’
‘I just meant it as a compliment…… I’m sorry if it offended you.’
The boy stared at him with a frown for a moment, then quickly turned his head away, and said,
‘……It’s annoying, so don’t talk about my voice.’
Only then did he realize that the boy was ashamed of his voice, which hadn’t grown as much as his body.
‘That’s why you only answered with nods when I spoke to you.’
Once they started speaking, the boy no longer stuck strictly to nodding. If asked ten times, he would speak at least once. One of the stories Aquila persistently dug up was about why he didn’t wear his apprentice priest robes.
‘……It’s because they got too small. I put in an order after getting measured again, so they’ll be finished soon.’
He said he suddenly grew taller, and indeed, he was suffering from growing pains. Aquila often saw him frown and hesitate when sitting down and standing up, or when going down the stairs.
After going through this process, Lucariel just looked like a child whose body had grown. Only then did he feel like he knew how to treat the boy.
…That was what he thought. Until that day came.
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