But it won't be this easy. I can't just describe someone entirely different from me because there will be discrepancies with the soldiers' information, and it could be traced back to me. Hmmm… How am I going to do this? Rafael decided to think while walking toward the nearest church.
It was past midday, and the sun was high in the sky, raising the temperature considerably. Rafael noticed that the frequency of patrols had doubled.
What if I inform a small group of clerics first and ask them to go inform the others in the other churches? It's not a bad idea. I'll quickly give vague information and tell them to spread it fast. This way, they'll spread some wrong information…
But what if I pick a random commoner instead? I'll ask for his help in the name of God, give him the information, and then he'll run to the nearest church and inform the clerics there. Those clerics will then rush to the other churches and spread the wrong information. That way, if they try to trace who gave the wrong information, it simply won't be possible. I think that's the best option.
As Rafael approached the church from afar, he saw many clerics and people gathered around and inside it. But there's a flaw. Julius will find it strange. Only I have the correct information, so it would be really odd if it were passed down incorrectly. Also, if he asks the clerics if they saw or spoke to me, he'll find out that I didn't speak with them. Shit, what should I do?
After ten minutes of contemplation, Rafael made a decision. "Hey, good sir. Please, I need your help in the name of our eternal Lord." Rafael pretended to be tired, as if he had been running.
A young man carrying two baskets was stopped by the frantic cleric. "Amen, sir. Of course, I'll help you. Please, tell me."
"I need you to go to the church and inform all the clerics that they need to find a criminal who's on the run. He has dark brown hair, almost black, and wears strange clothes that could be seen as high quality, with colors that mix white and black. Pass this information to them and tell them to send someone to the other churches to spread it. Can you do it?"
"Ahhh…" The young man hesitated as Rafael had spoken quickly, making it hard for him to process everything.
"Please, sir, the Lord and Creator of everything is bestowing this mission upon you. I have to go now to inform the others, so please hurry." Rafael quickly turned and ran away.
The man, despite being confused and a bit afraid, felt something he had never felt before. He couldn't describe it. Ohh thank you, Father! I'll execute your mission right away! He then ran toward the church.
From behind a simple house, Rafael peeked at the man he had just spoken to. A smile spread across his face when he saw him running towards the church. OK, phase one complete. He then headed to the farthest church from where he had met the commoner. There, he gave the correct information and told the clerics that he had come from the nearest church.
"Also, it's extremely important that some of you go to the others and inform them about what you've heard here. But try not to leak it to the commoners and peasants; we don't want to cause panic. When you arrive, ask the clerics if they already know about who we are looking for. If they say yes, come back to your church and begin the search."
Afterward, Rafael walked back to the inner circle of the city.
If everything goes right, only one church will have the correct information. They'll receive clerics coming to inform them but will dismiss it because everyone already knows. If Julius tries to track me, he'll find that I really tried to spread the information, but it got distorted along the way. Also, that young man is probably going to spread it to the people, creating unrest, maybe panic, rumors, and other things.
It was around 3 p.m. when Rafael arrived at the small church inside the inner circle.
There wasn't anyone inside praying. He walked to the wooden door beside the altar and opened it, finding no one in the room. Where is Julius? Forget him. Now what am I going to do? Hmm, what if I try to frame someone? No, too hard to do that. I hope I bought some time until next month when the priests reunite and select me. Relax, Rafael… He took some deep breaths. I really need to take a bath, but how am I going to do that?
After some thought, he decided to use a bucket of water and a cloth to rub down his body. To avoid any risks, he closed the window and locked the door. After about 10 minutes, Rafael opened the window and unlocked the door.
Holy shit, I was dirty as fuck! And the smell too! Now it's better. He noticed that nearly everyone he had interacted with since he time-traveled was dirty, smelled bad, and had horrible breath. In fact, only the High Priest and Frederic didn't smell bad. The Baron's staff and servants were somewhere in between.
To pass the time and relax, Rafael picked up the same book he had been trying to read and began to decipher the words he didn't yet know. After a few hours, he understood almost everything he was reading. It was a compilation of poems from a western kingdom. When Julius comes back, I'm going to discuss how we could produce more cement in an industrial way. Wait, do they even know what that means?
As the afternoon passed into night, the High Priest finally returned, looking tired again. "It's getting harder to do everything," he said as he sat down on a chair.