Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 194

What, indeed, is the soul of the Cologne Sect?
What, indeed, is the flame of life?
What, indeed, is the blaze of flesh?
I ask these questions to my sisters.
For what purpose does our sect burn its soul, its flame of life, and its blaze of flesh?
I ask these questions to my sisters.
What are we aiming for, and can my sisters answer that?
Do they truly understand and walk as part of the Cologne Sect?
Sisters, state your thoughts.

These questions were posed by a cardinal of the Cologne Sect.
The one who was questioned was a deaconess, and that was me.

In the impoverished land of Polydoro, home to a mere 300 subjects, where Lord Faust von Polydoro rules as the feudal lord, a deaconess of the Cologne Sect keeps the faith alive.
This is my current standing as I have an audience with His Eminence the Cardinal.

“Yes, I will answer, Your Eminence the Cardinal. I believe that ‘The Bread Beyond Material’ is our true mission. Although the priests of Anhalt have denied this, with my knowledge, I can derive no better answer.”

Man does not live by bread alone.
Thus spoke the Redeemer.
Without spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment, one cannot live.
Indeed, He is correct, but at the same time, if one does not eat bread, can they truly live?

One day, a Holy Mother murmured.
It was not to deny the words of the Redeemer; it was merely a common recognition, a confirmation of fact.
Man cannot live without bread and wine.
To sustain one’s soul and one’s flesh and blood, one must eat.

But it was a time of poverty.
In our time, people were impoverished.
Everyone was poor, and no matter how much they tilled the fields, few could fill their stomachs.
Those who could eat their fill of bread and wine were kings, nobles, and clergymen.
Those who fought were prioritized first, followed naturally by those who prayed, and lastly those who worked.
No matter how much they plowed the fields, few farmers could eat satisfactorily from the crops they cultivated.

Thus, somehow, everyone tried to find a way.
Kings with hearts, knights with convictions, and peasants who were merely hungry.
Everyone tried to increase the yield of their crops, tilled the fields, and sought to obtain food from them.
They obtained crops from the soil and used them to feed livestock, devising methods to procure food.

But what about the clergymen?

A Holy Mother questioned herself.
A king who could devote himself to politics for the storage and production of food was born, and bureaucrats were born.
Knights were born to conquer and defend territories.

But what about the clergymen?
Looking at their role as consolers of people,
Can they truly fulfill that role?

“There are but a handful of clergymen who can preach loudly that ‘man does not live by bread alone.'”

Look around.
Fraudulent adulterers who indulge in pleasures with male prostitutes in the city, simoniacs who sell authority for money, and clergymen who preach to impoverished, thin serfs while their bodies are fat.
This is the decadent reality of the fallen church.
What is orthodox, you make me laugh.
You have completely fallen.

If the Redeemer were here, He would surely say:
“Fatten pigs, if you have time to pray with your ugly, bloated bodies, create a field with a hoe. Pigs that can’t even do that should go to the slaughterhouse.”

One day, a Holy Mother loudly cursed thus.
She was not called a heretic, but she was expelled from the church.
It is said that the beginning of the Cologne Sect was initiated by this determined Holy Mother.
But whether that’s true, I do not know.

“I had heard that when I joined the church and left home to become a sister of the Cologne Sect.”

Recently, a sister scribe murmured that it had been updated again.
With the “discovery” of ancient documents and materials, depending on their quality, it was not uncommon for the history of the Cologne Sect and the Bible to be replaced.
If the content shakes people’s hearts to the core, the name of the discoverer and their episode will be engraved in the “New Century Redeemer Legends” forever.
Of course, we clergymen must read the trends of the world, not just blindly publish the latest edition, but also republish previous editions, which are strictly stored at the headquarters.

Sometimes, orders come from not just sisters but also royalty, nobility, and merchants who want to read editions featuring those old stories.
Once featured in the “New Century Redeemer Legends,” every single piece can be proudly declared a masterpiece by the clergy of the Cologne Sect.
We sisters not only look forward to the latest editions distributed with salt from the headquarters to various regions but also peruse the past editions that are properly stored, and we even send letters to the sisters who made the discoveries.
The letter reads:

“Hello, I am Alma, a deaconess serving in Polydoro, on the border of the Kingdom of Anhalt and Virendorf. I have read the discovery of sister in chapter ○ of edition ○. The episode of this chapter is indeed wonderful, and I can only tremble with admiration at the impact of sister’s discovery. Please forgive my presumption in becoming a fan of sister. Recently, it has been written in the postscript of the discoverer that ‘Inspiration is a privilege of the young sisters, and I have not been able to participate much in the “discoveries.”‘ But that is not true. Sister has an excellent record of “discoveries” and everyone expects her to continue to thrive. The Holy Mother of Polydoro also said, ‘This person had already filled half of the “New Century Redeemer Legends” with her discoveries when she was young. Every follower of the Cologne Sect was really into it.’ There are fans like me who look forward to sister’s “discoveries” in the future. It would be a pleasure if you keep this in mind. P.S. Polydoro is a frontier territory, so no reply is needed.”

Of course, the sister known for her renowned discoveries within the Cologne Sect holds a high status, and one must normally understand the proper etiquette in addressing her.
Such an informal letter would usually be considered disrespectful, but the Cologne Sect’s policy is to not emphasize the hierarchical differences between “discoverers” and “readers.”
All sisters of the Cologne Sect are required to act with moderation and without the vice of arrogance.

Ordinary sisters express their faith by “observing others’ discoveries and critiquing them as a form of appreciation,” scribes who participate in transcribing express their faith by “making new discoveries through inspiration,” and the headquarters of the Cologne Sect, which publishes the Bible, expresses its faith by “always enhancing and maintaining the quality of the New Century Redeemer Legends.”

Everyone is a sister.
Although organizational operations necessitate distinctions of higher and lower status,
The cardinals of generations have said we must not forget that faith, the true duty of the clergy, is of utmost importance.

“Sister, you are mistaken. ‘The Bread Beyond Material’ is not the true mission of the Cologne Sect.”
His Eminence the Cardinal quietly denied my words.
But I stopped myself as I was about to speak.
To argue would be arrogance.

Cologne Sect Imperial Cathedral.
Pointing quietly at the stained glass of the ceiling, the Cardinal spoke.
“‘The Bread Beyond Material’ is merely a waypoint on the path to something much, much further away—farther than the stars in the sky, as far as reaching the moon. The priests of Anhalt have said the same.”
His Eminence’s words were solemnly woven.
“Surely, you will come to know all of the true mission of the Cologne Sect here in the capital. It won’t be long. By then, I will probably have been summoned by the Pope for a heresy inquisition.”

“Your Eminence, you should just reject such demands.”
It would be best to refuse.
Lord Faust of my assigned territory is also furious.
He is already appealing to both the Electorates of Anhalt and Virendorf, arguing there is no need to acquiesce to such demands.

“Now, what shall we do? I have many things I wish to discuss with the Pope, many questions to ask. It would not be a bad way for this old body to reveal the secrets the Pope is hiding, and to understand his reasons for imposing the heresy inquisition on the Cologne Sect.”
So spoke the Cardinal.
And then he extended his hands towards me.

“Setting that aside. Since sister has finally reached the capital, let us fulfill the purpose of your journey first. Here, take this holy relic in your hands.”
“Yes.”
I nodded and lifted the holy relic with both hands.

It was “Saint Georgius’s Holy Club.”
Before the converted populace of the Cologne Sect, it is said Saint Georgius used this holy club to mercilessly beat a dragon to death—a sacred relic.
Holding it with both hands, I displayed it reverently and respectfully to His Eminence.

“Very well. I will receive it.”
His Eminence, though aged, was well-trained as a member of the Cologne Sect.
He took it and turned his wrist around.
It was not to wield the club.
“Now, let’s see.”
What His Eminence desired was to look right below the handle.

He gripped the handle with his right hand and made a motion with his left as if turning a lid.
No, it was not merely a motion; he was actually turning it.
The handle had grooves, and right below it was a lid that could be rotated, with a small cavity inside.

His Eminence lifted the club with his right hand and shook it slightly.
Then, with his left hand, he received the contents that had been inside the cavity.

“How is the progress of the priests of Anhalt’s research? Ah, unfortunately, I cannot teach these contents to a deaconess. The day will come when I can tell you. You’ve worked hard. A room has been prepared for you; have the sister waiting outside show you to it.”
“Yes.”

In His Eminence’s left hand was a rolled-up piece of sheepskin.
And also, something else—some kind of strangely shaped bullet.
What could that be?
I was curious about the contents of the sheepskin, but I was even more intrigued by the bullet.

It was definitely a bullet, but it was malformed.
It wasn’t round like a musket ball, but shaped like an acorn.
Just like the handle of the holy relic, the bottom of the bullet had grooves cut into it, with bumps and indentations.

“Has the metallurgical technology to cut grooves been perfected? With this, not only bullets, but grooves can also be cut inside the barrel. Mass production is also possible.”
I overheard His Eminence’s words as he quietly walked away.
It wasn’t intentional, but my ears are quite sharp.
I pick up words and ponder their meaning.
Though it’s something that outsiders could never mention.

“But what we desire is not being produced; only by-products keep emerging. Our true mission in the Cologne Sect is still far away.”
As I picked up His Eminence’s murmuring words with my ears,
Well, in any case, I had completed my journey’s duties.

Tomorrow, I shall visit Lord Faust and Lady Valiere.
And then, I shall act for His Eminence and for the Cologne Sect.
If I, Deaconess Alma, could assassinate the Pope, then I would not need my own life.
That is what I intend to appeal to Princess Anastasia and Queen Katarina.

So—hoping His Eminence would not rush into things, I turned back to say something.
But seeing the Cardinal, who seemed to foresee everything, look at me, I realized that whatever I said would not be understood, and quietly gave up on it.