Saint's Prison - Chapter 61

The Incarnation of the Devil

Today, after a long time, the job of maintaining the Pilgrimage Building has come around. Usually, it was often attended by me and Francesco, but this time he had another job.

The Pilgrimage Building is unexpectedly large, so it seems quite a task. Well, there’s nothing to be done about it, so let’s leave it at that.

“Good morning, Brother.”

“Ah, Miss Sophia. Good morning.”

A little while after I started cleaning, Sophia came down from the second floor. Her hair, the color of wheat, almost golden brown, was loosely braided and flowed down her back. Her drooping eyes exude a kind motherliness, and her red lips create an indescribably glossy atmosphere.

“Um, I’ve been meaning to say this, but I’m not a priest. I’m more like a lodger.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Uh, sorry if I misled you.”

“No, not at all. Even if you are not a priest, are you not helping me like this? I am supremely grateful for that mercy.”

When I say this sincerely, Sophia looks at me straight and smiles softly. I feel embarrassed and scratch my head to hide it.

“Haha, that’s a bit much. But, you’re welcome.”

“Hehe, yes… By the way, I’ve been so helpful to you, but I haven’t properly asked your name yet.”

“Speaking of which, you’re right. I’m Andrew. Nice to meet you, Sophia.”

I extend my hand. Sophia seemed surprised for a moment, but she gently clasped my hand. A polite handshake, shaking gently up and down. Just like Sophia.

“Andrew, is it? That’s a very nice name.”

“Is it? I’m a foreigner, as you can see. By the way, what does it mean here?”

“Andrew is a name derived from Saint Andrew, one of the twelve apostles. The original meaning is… brave, I suppose.”

I see, it was the name of a saint. If I were to translate it into Japanese, it would be Isao? It suddenly feels cheap and doesn’t quite fit.

“… I’m totally outclassed by the name.”

“That’s not true at all. Being brave doesn’t mean simply having military strength. It means being able to stand by your beliefs, not just being brave. That’s what I think.”

“Sophia, you’re so kind.”

When I say this sentimentally, Sophia blushes endearingly.

***

Once the cleaning was done, I sat in a chair and took a break. As I drank the honey liquor placed on the long table, I asked Sophia, who was sitting across from me.

“So, Sophia, is your final destination Jerusalem after all?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then you have a long journey ahead of you.”

“Yes. But it’s for my faith, so it’s not a hardship.”

Sophia, who firmly declares this, looks very reliable. Despite her slender body, her heart is as strong and flexible as steel.

“Besides, I want to visit various places and broaden my knowledge. For example, I heard that Stonehurst has a legend of dragon slaying. There are many stories that can only be heard in that place.”

“… Dragon slaying?”

“Yes, are you interested?”

“Eh? Ah, I’ve been living here and I didn’t know such a story.”

“Really? It’s a story I heard very credibly, so it may not be very reliable.”

As I listened to Sophia’s story, my mind was drawn to the legend of dragon slaying. I feel a strange hook.

… Dragon, Dragon.

The concept is completely different in the West and the East.

In the East, it is a messenger of God, a sacred thing. However, in the West, it is the embodiment of evil. As evidence, the snake or dragon that tempted Eve and drove her out of the Garden of Eden is also considered a dragon in the Old Testament. This is vague knowledge, but I have heard that the vampire Dracula means the son of a dragon. In Christianity, the dragon is nothing but a devil.

There is a legend of dragon slaying in Stonehurst. Then when was this legend born? After this Stonehurst monastery was built?

… Or was it before that, when the village that was destroyed existed?