A feeling of uneasiness was beginning to dawn on him. As of late, the abbey had become a cold and cheerless place, ever since he had… Could it be that someone had reported his misdeeds during the Pope's visit?
Faron shook his head. No, had this been true, Holy Knights would have been dispatched to punish him. It made no sense for the Pope himself to be involved in such a mundane task.
While Faron was lost in thought, the Pope spoke. "I've called you here to investigate the state of the abbey."
"The abbey?"
'Ah ha! That's right. Could it be that he was concerned about the old Hero? It makes sense. They were companions for a long time and they're likely still close friends!'
"It's good," he said with a smile. "Thanks to Your Holiness, we are doing quite well!" Faron nodded his head several times.
Salem took another drink of tea while watching the flustered monk. His smile remained fixed as he narrowed his eyes.
"Doing well? Hah! I see. So, being so far behind on your taxes is what you consider 'doing well'…?"
Faron paused, staring at the Pope in open-mouthed shock.
"Not only that, but upon further investigation, it seems that someone has been stealing donations."
His eyes shook as he wiped the cold sweat forming on his brow with the back of his hand.
"Ah, Your Holiness." Faron gulped. "That is…"
"There are also rumors that this is a common occurrence."
Faron tried to calm his pounding heart. A stuttering response was all he was capable of.
"T-that is not such a common occurrence, and that… is… my…"
"Do you happen to know who the culprit is?"
Faron's eyes widened at the question, it felt like the world around him was spinning.
"I asked if you knew who the culprit was."
"Ah, no." His mind raced to say something, anything. "T-that is my…"
Faron quickly glanced toward the door, seeing a Holy Knight locking the room's single exit.
"You see, the abbey is…"
Faron looked back toward Salem in fear. The Pope's smile had vanished in the brief moment he'd glanced away. In its place was a stiff expression and a piercing gaze. Salem's dark blue eyes were almost hypnotizing. Faron couldn't turn away, though he wanted to.
"A holy place of God," Salem continued. "Someone dares to steal donations meant for God from such a place? Such a heinous deed deserves divine punishment!"
"T-That is…" Faron tried to interject, but he was simply ignored.
"I started investigating a while back. The number of abbeys in the Kingdom and the number of orphans staying at each one. It was truly tragic to see how many there were. There were many times when these poor souls starved, some of them to death." Leaning back in his seat, Salem began to lament. "Back then, it was common for donations to go unpaid, which lead to the monks and nuns who ran the abbeys also starving. Unable to feed themselves nor the children they cared for, many simply abandoned their posts. I shouldn't have to explain to you what happened to those orphans they left behind…" he said grimly. "Do you know why?"
Salem glared at Faron. A single look into those eyes causes Faron to freeze, unable to say anything. Salem continued, pressuring Faron with his voice.
"Those that didn't pay their donations in order to fatten themselves, those that didn't pay their donation because they were poor, those that didn't work because of their poor health, and those that stole the donations meant for God…"
"T-that…"
"They are the fallen! They are parasites that devour others for their own benefit! They must be weeded out and punished. But, how do we? The answer is simple. To purify the hearts of the evil…" Salem let go of the teacup in his hand. The cup fell to the ground and shattered, sending shards of the cup and its content across the floor. "The Court of Heresy is ideal. They quickly realize the error of their ways, screaming things like 'I'm sorry' and 'I repent!' over and over. Haha, isn't it foolish of them? How could they truly be sorry when they were only apologizing through pain?"
Faron was all too aware of what the Court of Heresy was, especially in his nightmares after having stolen the donations once before. Thoma had overlooked the incident and forgiven him, but… it would be dangerous to say too much to the Pope. Not only for him, but for Thoma and perhaps even the other monks and nuns of the abbey!
"I am curious."
Faron gulped hard, worried of what he would ask next. Salem smiled and narrowed his eyes once again.
"Who stole the donations? I must punish them, so please let me know."
Faron trembled.
'Should I lie? Should I tell the truth? Just what should I do? Should I plead ignorance? Or, should I confess to my crimes? But, if I do that, I'll be punished…! No, I could seriously be tortured or even killed… it might even bring harm to everyone else from the abbey…?!'
Countless thoughts flashed through Faron's mind. Seeing that he was unable to come to a decision, Salem decided to push him in the right direction.
"Could it be… that the former Hero Thoma committed the act?"
Faron stopped trembling and looked at Salem in surprise.
"As I thought, Brother Thoma is the true culprit of the crime, right? That is the case, is it not? Brother Faron, speak to me. You just have to say those words."
'… What is His Holiness saying? Is he really suspecting his old compatriot, the former Hero, of theft? No, that couldn't be…! I must have heard wrong!'
However, Salem continued to look at Faron expectantly. That was not a simple prank. Those were eyes filled with greed—a yearning for something. Seeing those eyes, Faron resolved himself to set things straight.
"No, that's not it." He put on the bravest face he could muster. "I stole them. The donations, that is."
Salem became silent for a moment.
"You're not, perhaps, trying to cover for Brother Thoma, are you?" Salem asked, his expression growing sour.
"Why are you trying to frame Brother Thoma for my crimes?" Faron asked accusingly.
Salem went silent once more.
"… This is a bit too much for a joke. I am not sure what it is that Your Holiness wants, but…" Faron, seeing the Pope's true objective, spoke through gritted teeth. "I can tell you're trying to cause trouble for Brother Thoma.. Just what are you thinking? Aren't you a friend and former companion of Brother Thoma? Why would you try to frame him! How could someone of your stature…! Could it be that you've fallen as the rumors say?"
"Fallen?" Salem asked coldly.
"That's right! It's a rampant rumor among the priests! That Your Holiness has become crazed with selfish desires, that you have turned your back on the people, and that you're abusing your position for personal gain. They say that you have forgotten the teachings of God, thinking of yourself as one instead!"
"… Your words are too harsh, brother Faron." Salem leaned back and smiled. "You dare utter such words to the ruler of this world?"
"… Ruler of the world?" Faron was dumbstruck. "What are you…? This is nonsense. You might rule over the Holy Kingdom, but you're far from ruling the world. All I can say to you is that Brother Thoma is not the criminal you wish he was, he's a good-hearted man. He's far kinder than you know! Don't try and sully his name any further!" Faron stood from his seat. "I will be leaving, then." Faron approached the door, but he was blocked by the Holy Knight standing guard. "Move aside!"
The Holy Knight stared at him silently for a moment, before turning his attention to Salem. The Pope needed only grin for the Holy Knight to nod in understanding. He immediately struck Faron's head with his sheathed blade. Salem approached the monk, who had collapsed onto the floor.
"Ah, this… mutt that I've been raising is barking at me. I can't bear to listen to it any longer. When they become this disobedient… they require discipline."
"U-ugh…" Faron could only glare at Salem in a daze as he groaned in pain.
Salem smiled at him mockingly. "Brother Faron. The good that you speak of, I am interested to see how those sentiments will protect you."
Faron screamed as the Holy Knight grabbed him by the hair and lifted him up.
— Ω —