Cold porridge ran down my hair and clothes, dripping down my clothes and onto the white tiles.
"How dare you?"
I look up to see a woman in robes—similar to what Bishop Rothchester wore—walking briskly towards us. The man who had poured his dinner on me practically leapt up and bowed deeply towards her.
"Is this how a devotee of Goddess Eurilia conducts themselves when I am not around?" The woman spoke eloquently, likely a woman of high status.
"Archbishop!" The man said, his head might as well be on the floor with how deeply he was bowing.
I find myself staring at the woman in awe. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back elegantly, and her eyes were a like rubies.
Vincent's memories of her filled my mind.
I stood up and bowed, "Archbishop Elmira."
Elmira was a tall woman, taller than even Vincent, who was at least 175 cm tall. That being said, Elmira practically towered over Vincent. I raise my head slightly and our gazes meet. She smiles fondly. I remember Vincent didn't have much of a relationship with Elmira, but she has come to his rescue such as this before.
"Still getting into trouble I see, Montreux."
"Not on purpose, Archbishop."
Elmira let out a breathy laugh, everyone in the room now staring at us. I shoot a glare at the man who had poured porridge over my head. The last thing I wanted was to attract attention!
"Well? What are you all looking at? Return to your meals." And with a single command from Elmira, everyone was staring at their bowls. "And you," Elmira looked towards the one who had caused this mess, "I will be reporting this to Rothchester."
With one final glance back towards me, she headed for the doors.
As soon as she was out of sight, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted over the entire cafeteria.
Although our encounter was brief, it was enough to make me never want to return here again.
I rest my hand on Julien's shoulder, careful not to get any porridge on him. He was trembling, shocked by the scene that had just unfolded before him. "I'll just go to my room for the night, Julien." I say, already walking off.
"A-ah! Yes!" I left him in the cafeteria stuttering and flailing his limbs around whilst trying to process what had just happened.
It was a long walk back to my room, but luckily I was able to memorize the way back during our journey to the cafeteria earlier. I thought about stopping by the library, but was doubtful if it was open considering how much time had been wasted all day trying to discover more about Vincent.
The more I tried to recover his memories on my own, the more my head began to hurt.
At long last, I let out a heavy sigh and tried to ignore my burning questions flying around my head.
There was more I had to think about, that being, how do I get home?
Am I dead on earth?
Is this a reincarnation scenario, or did I simply transfer to another body while my real one is suffering in some hospital or on the street?
Thankfully, I didn't have family to worry about since they were all gone, but I did have friends who would be concerned for me.
How could such a thing happen in the first place? Was it an external force that brought me here? Does this place have janitors to clean up my trail of porridge?
...Is God real?
It felt silly to ponder such a question while walking in the middle of a church, but I had never been any sort of believer. My fundamental truth was that we live, die, and rot. A pessimistic view, yes, but I also happened to be a pessimistic person.
Perhaps my next course of action should be to find out what kind of religion Vincent is involved in? Based on his memories, he didn't really talk or interact with the members of the clergy other than when he was required to.
What an anti-social guy.
In any case, this puts me at both an advantage and disadvantage.
On one hand, I don't have to worry about lying to anyone who might've been close to Vincent, and on the other, I'm going to have a hard time interacting with others. I'll have to attempt to improve his image among his peers while also keeping a low profile.
However, due to the spectacle in the cafeteria, keeping a low profile alone was going to be hard enough.
I slip my hands into the pockets of my robes-an unusual feature since I wasn't even aware these types of clothes had pockets-and continue to walk until I feel something cold brush against my fingers.
Surprised, I yanked my hands out of my pockets and stare down at my hand, checking to see if maybe it was some porridge residue, but there was nothing.
I pat the pocket lightly, feeling the outline of a solid object.
This whole time, there was a clue right in my pocket?
AND I DIDN'T THINK TO EVEN CHECK?
I could only sigh heavily and lament at my carelessness as I cautiously pull out the mystery object, which ended up being a large bronze key. The bow was much more intricate and patterned than Vincent's room key, and had a small tag attached to it.
"Room 222." I said aloud.
Perhaps it belonged to something in Vincent's room?
I changed my pace from slow to brisk, hoping to make it back to Vincent's room as soon as possible.
However, this body's stamina was still horrendous, and my brisk pace quickly came to a crawl as I took deep breaths.
This body is impossible to use!
I just barely managed to reach the dorm, now embarrassed after having passed several other members of the clergy, who all of which stared at me as I struggled to breathe while dripping porridge onto the marble floor and blue carpet.
Damn you, Vincent.
You, your stamina, and your damn reputation.
The room was the same as I had left it, except the smell had since then vanished and was replaced with the cool evening wind.
Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating the room in a way that seemed almost ethereal. Then again, the church itself was already unworldly by itself, I suppose Vincent's room was no exception.
I shiver a bit, and shut the window carefully.
Then again, did I ever find the source of that horrid smell?
I shrug to myself. Well, it was gone now, so why should I bother?
I drag out Vincent's trunk and begin to sift through his belongings until I found a nice pair of white pajamas with blue stripes hiding in a large pocket. They smelled a bit funky, so I decided I was best to just sleep in Vincent's spare robes and figure out how to do laundry in the morning.
I quickly slink out of my dirty clothes and toss them aside before slipping into the spares. I had to figure out how to shower and bathe as well. I remembered Tobias mentioning a washroom, if only I could remember where it was..
I look down and see the bronze key lying on the floor next to my porridge-covered robes. I lean down and grab it, inspecting the abnormal design on the bow before moving my gaze around the room.
Clutching the bronze key in hand, I carefully searched the room from top to bottom, but my investigation was fruitless.
I sat on the bed, kicking up a bit of dust. I coughed before opting to sit in the desk chair, which was cleaner by far.
Everything about Vincent was a complete mystery. There were barely any clues to his identity, and no one to ask for help.
I lean back, staring at the ceiling.
I was making no progress, and eventually people are going to notice. I can't play the amnesia card forever...
No!
I give myself a light slap across the cheek.
It's day one! There's no need to make progress so soon! I have plenty of days. It will take at least a week before someone starts getting even the tiniest bit suspicious.
Until then, I have to lay low and investigate on my own.
I go through a list of names in my head in an attempt to identify anyone who might help me.
Cyril...no, I don't have nearly enough memories of them interacting.
Tobias...well I've already tried and failed with him.
Julien...no, today was our first meeting, there's nothing he would know about Vincent other than baseless rumors.
Rothchester...no. Never.
Perhaps...Archbishop Elmira? No no no...she's in too high of a position. I need someone who opens their mouth easily.
There were several other people Vincent knew, but none well enough that I could start a conversation without there being tension.
I close my eyes, my body rocking the chair back and forth gently. My chest felt heavy, and the only things racing through my mind were questions.
What am I supposed to do?