After getting two bowls of soup from the kitchen, Rafael left the mansion and headed back to the church. Once in his room, he sat at the table and began to eat. Mmm, I'm going to eat this every day!... Where's Julius? Is he still at the mansion? Something must have happened—the number of guards on the streets suddenly increased.
After finishing his meal, Rafael picked a random book from the small shelf beside the High Priest's bed. Since he was still learning Latin, most of the text was indecipherable, but he continued to try and read, just to pass the time.
Ten minutes later, Julius walked in, looking a bit tired. "Oh, cough cough cleric Robert, it's good I found you. I need your help—Is that for me?" He pointed happily at the bowl of soup on the table after noticing it.
"Yes, I got it from the mansion's kitchen. Now, how can I help you, sir?"
"Thank you." Julius began to eat and, only after finishing, did he respond. "Ahh, I love that chef's food. Okay, I was informed a few hours ago that there may be an extremely *cough* dangerous criminal who arrived in Clistoga some days ago, and now we have to help the soldiers find him."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but there are more troops patrolling the city. The commander asked for our help in locating this man, and of course, I agreed. So, could you go to all the churches and inform the clerics there about this? Also, you'll need to describe the appearance of the sinner *cough*. He's a young man with black hair, wearing strange, high-quality clothes in black and white."
"Tell them it's imperative we find this man so he can be punished. Can you believe this sinner is a murderer, a traitor, and a heretic? Oh Lord, please forgive him; he doesn't know what he's doing, he's just lost." Julius then prayed, looking up to the sky.
Julius looked at his apprentice, waiting for a response, confirmation, or question—anything. But nothing came. "Robert? What's wrong? You don't need to be scared of that criminal, my boy. For all we know, he might have left the city long ago, and even if he hasn't, it will be easy to find him with a quarter of Clistoga looking for him." *Cough*
The High Priest, with his frail body but sharp eyes, noticed how restless his apprentice seemed and mistook it for inexperience and fear of the killer.
Hooolllyyy fuuucckk I'm so fuuuckkeedd! What should I do?! What if I confess and ask for pardon? He can't punish ME, right!? I received a divine message, like he said. I was baptized too. Rafael stared blankly at Julius, his mind racing to find a way out.
*Cough-cough*. The High Priest suddenly began to cough hard, leaning forward to cover his mouth. This snapped Rafael back to reality. "Sir, are you okay?" he asked, quickly moving to his side.
After a few more seconds, Julius stopped coughing and leaned back in his chair, looking more exhausted than before. He took a few deep breaths, "I'm fine, Robert. It's just that my health isn't what it used to be." Both of them noticed the blood on his hands.
"When did this start? And are there any other symptoms?" Rafael asked, concerned. He knew that coughing up blood was never a good sign.
"Don't worry, son. I've finally understood my mission, and I assure you, I won't rest until it's completed," Julius replied in a hoarse voice.
"…What is your mission, Julius?"
The High Priest smiled at his apprentice, "You are my mission. You were blessed by Him, and it is my mission to help you on your journey. Don't concern yourself with my condition; it's not enough to kill me just yet. Right! What about the liquid stone? Has it hardened already?" Julius tried to dismiss his apprentice's concerns.
This cough isn't good. Could it be lung cancer? If that's the case, there's no hope. Rafael thought, his expression growing more apprehensive.
"Let me see if it has hardened," Rafael said, going outside to retrieve the cement bricks and the cube. He brought them back to Julius and placed them in front of him.
"Sir, when I first mentioned liquid stone, you seemed stunned and impressed. Why was that?"
Julius picked up the small cement cube, inspecting it closely. "Yes, it's really it," he said, looking at Rafael.
"I was astonished when you told me about liquid stone. You see, this knowledge was thought to be lost since the fall of the Roman Empire, known only to a select few. In this entire kingdom, there are just three cities with constructions made of liquid stone. The nobility had to pay a hefty sum to hire architects from distant lands to build their castles." He continued examining the bricks, testing their characteristics by hitting them together.
"Wow. So now we are the only ones who know how to produce it?"
"Yes, thanks to you. Thank you, Robert."
"Oh no, you shouldn't thank me. It was the Lord Himself who bestowed this knowledge upon me. He is everything."
"You're right. I think I'll go pray in gratitude for this blessing." The High Priest walked to the door, but before exiting, he turned back. "Ah, and don't forget to warn all the churches about that criminal. This sinner must pay for his wrongdoings." Then he left the room and sat at one of the benches to pray.
Shit fuck! Okay, the current situation is: They know about my appearance, and they know I'm in this city... And that's it, I think. It seems the guards and soldiers already know all this, but on the church's side, only Julius knows. That's good! Now, I can spread some false information about myself to mislead them.