Hero’s Downfall Report

93 – Report on the Fall of Kindness (3)

Brother Henry, who was embarrassed, came to his senses. He stood as if blocking the path of the villagers and Cain and his group and declared firmly.

“These people are not village guests. They are my guests, from a diocese in a large city. “I won’t be here for long, and the villagers won’t have to go through any trouble.”

But the woodcutter is steadfast.

“What kind of disappointing words. The monk’s guests are the guests of our village, and the monk is also part of the family! It’s already so hot these days that everyone takes a break, but with so many outside guests, it feels like the town is lively. And, wouldn’t you have to stay in this village today anyway?”

“Because there is an empty room in my cabin.”

The woodcutter seemed to take a step back due to the investigation’s stubbornness.

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“What? Great. But let’s eat dinner with the villagers! “Isn’t there a rural atmosphere that you don’t find in big cities?”

Brother Henry was about to say something again, but Cain stepped forward, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you for the invitation. But we came here in a hurry, so we don’t have anything to offer.”

“Oh, what are you saying? If you pay for a stay, you come as a customer, not as a ‘guest.’ Don’t hesitate and come. Down there, come to the largest and longest log building in town. Because it’s so long, you won’t be able to see it. Then I will know and prepare like that!”

“No, I…” I.”

The woodcutter turned back as if he hadn’t even heard what the monk said. Brother Henry let the three into the cabin. Like a shepherd herding his flock into a fence to keep the wolves away.

* * * * *

Nosusa’s log cabin was extremely neat. The floor shines as if it had been waxed and wiped with a mop, and there isn’t a speck of dust on the windowsill.

The furniture was really equipped with only the necessities of life, and there wasn’t even a guest chair, so Maria and Lily had to sit on the bed and Cain had to stand against the wall.

Master Noh put dried herb leaves into a kettle of boiling water. Judging by the scent, it seemed to be of the rosemary and lingonberry variety. My mouth filled with saliva at the sour and refreshing taste and aroma.

“This is a good car to calm your mind. “You were very embarrassed, weren’t you?”

Brother Henry belatedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Maria responded after taking a sip.

“It would be a lie to say no. So, let me introduce you again. She is Sister Maria from the Diocese of Magdeburg. “Those two people are my companions.”

“Are they also parishioners?”

“No, we’re just a farming couple. Our travel paths just happened to overlap. They are on their way to visit relatives in the central region of the empire, and I am planning to climb through the Black Forest.

That woman may be tall, but she is quicker than a fox, and that man may look like that, but he is a good person, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“That’s right. “My honey is the nicest person in the world.”

Mr. Noh smiled brightly at Lily, who was happy. Cain turned his gaze away from her window. Luckily for her, there was no sign of anyone coming. Maria continued her words again.

“Anyway, the Diocese of Magdeburg is collecting news about monks who were famous in the diocese in the past. It seems like the older monks are quite curious about the news of their past colleagues. So, I have an important mission… “

Maria told some plausible nonsense.

Cain silently looked at the poor old monk who had been deceived by Mary’s fraud. In fact, Cain and Lily had already heard of a man named Brother Henry. This is thanks to what Maria told me in advance before coming here.

Henry was a renowned monk in Magdeburg and was said to be renowned for his outstanding humanity. In particular, I heard that he had a close relationship with that picky judge, Malachia.

But Brother Henry left the city about 20 years ago. Because his own reputation and virtue outstripped his actions. When he got to the point where he was praised for just sitting still and breathing, the friar decided that something was going wrong, and he left Magdeburg without any hesitation.

Of course, the diocese was not willing to let the monk go easily, so Brother Henry came up with a good excuse.

‘I am going to the Black Forest to study the Church of the Tree of Life.’

The Black Forest was the birthplace of the Tree of Life Church and a sacred place, so it was a declaration that I would go there and study it myself.

Even now, the people of the Empire do not view the Black Forest favorably, but at the time Brother Henry set foot in it, it was a dangerous place to the point where he swung his tongue and said that it was not a place for people. There were many people who believed that Brother Henry would hang himself in the street the next day.

However, the kind-hearted monk who was born and raised in the city surprisingly got along well with the mountain thieves. He said that the beasts in the cave and the angels in the sky have something in common.

Brother Henry wandered here and there in the Black Forest.

The last place he settled down was right here, in the village of Berta in the County of Wördem. It was said to be a request from his kind hero, Roberta, who admired Brother Henry’s high virtue.

『I want to change the Black Forest into a place where people can live comfortably. I can scold people to keep them from going down a bad path, but I can’t point them to the right path, so I hope you can guide us with your high virtue.』

Until a few years ago, it was reported that the cleanup work in the Black Forest was going fairly well. Therefore, Cain, Lily, and Maria did not have much worry about Bertha Village.

If I were to worry, it was at the level of how well the hero of kindness would answer their questions. I had never heard of such a suspicious situation.

While Cain was recalling what he had heard about Brother Henry, Maria was pushing Brother Henry here and there.

In the end, what she said was, ‘So, please tell me what on earth is going on here. Then, the diocese will provide whatever support it can.’

“I am satisfied with my life here. So there is nothing for you to do.”

Henry’s answer was disappointing. Cain noticed that his fingertips were shaking.

Maria wondered why the investigator was reacting this way, but like an experienced investigator, she changed the topic.

“True. Have you ever seen the members of the Holy Grail Knights? “I believe they settled down near here.”

Cain guessed what Mary was thinking. Since the monk rarely opened his mouth, he thought he would go to the Holy Grail Knights and ask for help.

Weren’t members of the Holy Grail Knights and the White Blood Knights assigned to protect the remaining heroes who have not yet been attacked?

However, there was no flag to be seen here, let alone the Knights of the Holy Grail tent. The White Blood Knights were probably stationed somewhere in camouflage, but I couldn’t even guess where they were hiding in this town where it was easy to tell outsiders apart.

But the investigation’s reaction was more dramatic. She leaned back like a startled cat.

“Who, who are you saying?”

“Members of the Holy Grail Knights.”

“How do you do that…” ” Henry caught his breath. “No, I will tell you first. The members of the Holy Grail Knights were here. We camped under a tree at the entrance to the village, but one night the tree was uprooted and fell down… “

“… Oh my god.”

“Half of them were crushed to death on the spot, and the other half were evacuated.”

Friar Henry trembled. Cain suddenly asked a question.

“Were there any more visitors? That’s what the villager said earlier. “It’s crowded with out-of-towners.”

“Well… About ten men and women with very scary looks came, but they disappeared within two or three days. “I have no idea where it went.”

If there were about ten rugged men and women, there was a possibility that they were members of the White Blood Knights. But it is certain that they are not in the village. Perhaps, they might be camping somewhere in that forest.

In that case, it would be better not to expect support from them.

“What about Roberta of Kindness?”

Henry glared at Cain for a moment. She looked as if Cain had spoken something taboo that she could not speak of, but then she let out a stormy sigh of her own.

“… He is well in the village. “Berta Village is also his work.”

“I heard you weren’t feeling very well.” This time Lily asked a question. “The guard said that I stopped by before coming here… “

“There are times when a person’s body is good and times when it is bad, and it’s not like that.”

The investigation was ignored.

But the moment he was about to say something, the sunlight disappeared. Even though he was only momentarily obscured by dark clouds, it quickly became dark outside the window.

“Shh!”

The monk stood up quickly and took out a flint from a drawer. He struck the lamp on the dresser with a crack, and the lamp caught fire. The monk hurriedly placed the lamp in the middle of the floor.

After the light spread throughout the room, the monk finally felt relieved.

“… I’m sorry. “I’m sensitive to darkness.”

“If you stay in the dark forest for a long time, that might happen.”

Maria, who was embarrassed, tried to accept it, but the monk’s eyes were filled with fear.

“No. That’s not it. There are hands, ears, and tongues in the darkness. Unwelcome guests may be hiding under the bed or may already be in the closet. Beware of the darkness, you never know what may come out of it. So please, get out of this dark forest and into the bright… “

Cain, who was watching outside her window, hid her body further. She waved her arms vigorously. It meant that someone was coming.

“Are you there?”

The clouds cleared like a lie. The monk quickly put out the lamp and placed it on the dresser. After sitting back on the chair as if nothing had happened

“It’s open, come in!”

He shouted.

Two plump, red-faced men were standing there. He was dressed in white cotton, as if it had been newly made, and it contrasted well with his rough skin from hard work outside. One was short and chubby, the other was tall and skinny.

The chubby man spoke first.

“Nice to meet you. She said she heard there was a guest today. It is none other than Roberta, the leader and pride of our village, who said she would like to meet the three of you.”

“The hero of the empire himself?”

“Yes!” The thin man answered.

“He is not called the hero of kindness for nothing. It is a habit to say, ‘Should a hero not live up to the name of a hero?’ So, please, don’t hesitate and accept our invitation.”

“It is a great honor. But people like us are giving him this example… “

The chubby man smiled kindly at Maria’s humble words.

“Oh no, no. Instead, I’d like you to tell me a little about what’s going on in the outside world.”

“In a place like this, I’m most curious about news from the outside world.”

The thin man chimed in. However, Cain did not miss the fact that while his face was turned toward Mary, his eyes were looking at Brother Henry.

“Then I will gladly accept it.”

“Welcome. “Let’s go quickly and share this happy occasion together.”

The two men rubbed their hands. Lily and Maria got up from the bed. The chubby man looked up at Lily with startled eyes.

“Wow. You are tall. “Is it like that for everyone outside?”

“I may be a bit unusual. Honey. Come with me.”

Lily reached out her hand to Cain. She saw a glimpse of disappointment on the chubby man’s face when she found out he was married. Lily’s sleeves rolled up as she hugged Cain’s arm.

“You have a bruise. Aren’t you sick? “How did it come about?”

The thin man pointed to Cain’s arm. Before she came to town, she got into a fist fight with a bully.

“Ah. I slipped. “I drank too much.”

“Aha… ” The thin man looked at Cain’s bruises with interest. “I’ll give you some ointment. “Shall we go first?”

Cain nodded her head politely. At the same time, she did not miss the sight of the thin man whispering with her mouth to the chubby man, ‘One is broken.’