Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 217

“The Pope is mistaken due to prejudice. Even in the Cologne Sect, the Bible is treated as the Bible. The New Age Redeemer Legend, often referred to as the Cologne Sect’s Bible, is more like supplemental reading—a companion book to enjoy the Bible more deeply. No one among the Cologne Sect clergy misunderstands that,” the Cardinal of Cologne remarked with genuine bewilderment.

Surprising, I thought.

I raised my eyebrows slightly.

I had expected her to say something like, “Shut up, that’s the Bible in the Cologne Sect!” and stick to her position.

For a moment, I thought she was trying to escape the situation.

But it was only a moment.

Her eyes were serious.

The old woman, the Cardinal of Cologne, had a sparkle in her eyes that was almost dazzling.

Her gaze conveyed that no one would dare claim her explanation was unreasonable.

“Um, well… yes…”

The Pope furrowed her brow.

She, too, had probably expected the Cardinal to stubbornly declare, “Shut up, that’s the Bible in the Cologne Sect!”

After all, no one had ever heard of the Cologne Sect discussing the actual Bible during Sunday Mass.

It was always something like, “Wait, was that really in the Bible? No, it wasn’t. There weren’t any muskets in that era, right?”

And when you ask to buy a Bible, they casually hand you a book with New Age Redeemer Legend written on the cover, saying, “This is the latest edition.”

If they tell you the old version needs to be specially ordered, it’s quite the hassle.

I mean, during the Sunday Mass I attended…

If my memory serves me correctly…

At the Last Supper…

“There is a traitor among us! It’s you! I know everything you did!!”

Someone suddenly stood up mid-meal and clearly pointed out the traitor.

But that completely changes the story.

I would have preferred if they had handled it more subtly.

Like, while picking up a piece of bread, they could have gently moved it toward the traitor’s mouth, as if feeding a poor little bird.

The traitor might have said something about how they would have been better off not being born, but it wouldn’t have been so explicitly stated, giving off a more merciful vibe.

Oh, right. I remember now.

When I pointed this out, the Holy Mother of the Cologne Sect actually praised me, saying, “You have talent.”

But I wasn’t trying to be funny.

I kind of want to forget that moment of pride from my past.

I want to erase it from my memory.

And, you know, the reason that disciple decided to betray wasn’t even accurate.

There’s a theory that the disciple saw the Redeemer applying expensive oil—worth a poor man’s wage—to His feet as “greed,” which led to the betrayal.

But in one part of the Cologne Sect’s so-called “companion book”…

“Thirty pieces of silver! Not a penny less!!”

The disciple captured the high priest, the Empire’s religious leader who had ordered the assassination, and demanded ransom.

Isn’t that the price at which you sold Him?

The disciple in this version saw the Redeemer’s actions as “greedy” and thus decided to betray Him.

It’s similar, but completely different.

Personally, I think if that were the case, betrayal would have been inevitable.

Well, regardless of whether the “companion book” is interesting or not, it’s not just a sidebook.

That’s how I genuinely feel.

“What exactly makes that a supplementary book?”

The Pope asked with genuine curiosity.

I felt the same way.

Why do I have to share the same sentiment as the enemy, the Pope?

“It’s the perfect companion book to make the Bible more accessible, easier to understand, and more enjoyable. Though, I suppose you won’t understand,” said the Cardinal of Cologne.

Of course not, you fool.

I bit down on the words that were about to spill from my throat.

“As I said at the beginning, the Bible is the Bible, and the New Age Redeemer Legend is just a supplementary book… However, the fact that the Holy Mother often quotes from the latest edition of the companion book during Sunday Mass or sermons is only human nature. And yes, it’s true that the Pope has pointed out this isn’t a good thing. We should probably revise that a bit. Cologne has indeed been doing something that could cause misunderstandings.”

The Cardinal of Cologne admitted it.

She actually said they might need to revise it.

Wait, is this the end?

“Um, well, as long as you’re reflecting on it… Ah, why are you all so ridiculous?”

The Pope tilted her head in confusion, clearly overwhelmed.

Her face showed complete bewilderment.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I understand the feeling.

The Pope is the enemy, so we will kill her, though.

Anyway, it seems the conversation will continue.

“Now then, I’ve explained the general reasons, but the Pope likely wants a more detailed explanation. The root of all this started when the founder of the Cologne Sect attempted to hold a worship service in a pioneer settlement. Everyone was exhausted and in tatters. The founder realized that no one wanted to hear a stiff sermon during their precious rest time.”

“Hmm? So that means…”

The Pope, having finally grasped the essence, urged her to continue.

“As I mentioned earlier, the founder simply wanted to bring smiles to people’s faces. He thought hard about how to deliver an entertaining sermon to the settlers, and that’s how he provided solace to them. It all started with such a small thing.”

“So, he acted as a substitute for a traveling bard?”

“I’ve heard that even the Cardinal of Mainz dreamed of living as a poet during his younger years… It’s a similar story, really. The starting point is the same.”

Preaching and singing hymns were, of course, duties as a clergyman, so the basics were there.

All it took was a little creativity.

The Cardinal continued her tale.

“In the poor, isolated villages where not even traveling bards would come, we sought to offer the smallest bit of laughter. The stories of The New Age Redeemer Legend began as nothing more than small tales, like the youthful exaggerations of an old woman. We’ve been publishing these small booklets ever since our sect was a small faction…”

The Cardinal of Cologne spoke quietly.

It would have been helpful if she had spoken this clearly from the beginning.

It seemed that the Cologne Sect, from its early days, had been engaging in these activities without any malicious intent.

However—

The influence of the “printing press” protected within the Archbishopric of Mainz was too significant.

With the invention of movable type, the booklet that the Cologne Sect claimed as their supplementary reading spread rapidly, and soon, everyone knew of its existence.

Originally, the Cologne Sect was just a small faction, helping with frontier development and performing good deeds. It only became a problem after the development of gunpowder.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have become such a controversial issue.

In the end, the Cologne Sect, which neither spat in the face of orthodoxy nor acted in rebellion, didn’t warrant the hostility of being labeled “heretical” or the sense of crisis that came with it.

The Cologne Sect had never, not even once, oppressed orthodoxy under the banner of being the “true religion.”

That is, normally.

However—

“……”

The Pope remained silent.

Honestly, this situation could go either way.

It’s easy to call the actions of the Cologne Sect heretical, but there’s no need to go that far.

If they intended to change, the Pope could simply say, “I will show tolerance,” and that would end it.

But this entire inquisition felt like nothing but a farce.

“I haven’t heard everything yet. Enough with the evasions. I understand the origins of the New Age Redeemer Legend and the history behind it,” the Pope said, taking a deep breath.

“Now, let me ask. Who exactly was the founder of the Cologne Sect?”

She slowly exhaled, making her breath audible.

The Pope then said something unclear.

“For example, I understand that he was a remarkable person, undoubtedly. He was well-versed in various academic disciplines, theology included. But—what is it that you’re hiding? I must ask.”

“Hiding what?”

“For instance, you just mentioned something about leaving a place like Sodom and Gomorrah, stating you’d never turn into a pillar of salt,” the Pope said.

What on earth is she talking about?

Even Anastasia was puzzled, though, admittedly, the phrase about not turning into a pillar of salt was intriguing.

It referred to the wife of a mere mortal who, upon looking back, turned into a pillar of salt.

But what exactly is Sodom and Gomorrah?

It was likely the name of a town that was burned and destroyed.

However, “That’s not the name of a town in the orthodox Bible,” came to mind.

“I have neither seen nor heard of such a strange town in any Bible,” the Pope remarked, standing up as if preparing for interrogation.

“Is the New Age Redeemer Legend truly just a supplementary book? Or is it a decoy, covering up the truth? For instance, I’ve heard that the founder of the Cologne Sect wrote a book that he never parted with until his death. Could that actually be the real scripture of the Cologne Sect, entirely different from our Bible?”

The Pope’s demeanor was odd.

Though I didn’t fully understand what she was saying, one thing was clear: this farce was nearing its end.

“Something… I feel like I’m saying something strange, even to myself—”

Katarina, who had been yawning next to me, finally stopped.

She turned her gaze toward the door we had entered.

There stood Faust.

If I called for him, he would surely kick the door down with a single blow and rush in.

“Your founder must have written something far more peculiar. I believe it contains some kind of technological knowledge. That’s the only explanation that makes sense to me. Someone discovered something—something important to everyone. For instance—yes, let’s end this ridiculous charade, shall we?”

The Pope clearly felt the same.

However—

What exactly was she trying to ask of the Cologne Sect?

That was the only thing on my mind.

The Pope asked.

“What is this ‘Bread Beyond Substance’ that the Cologne Sect aims to create in their process?”

The Cardinal answered.

“In the end, it’s just fertilizer. It has no greater power than to save people from hunger.”

Though I didn’t fully grasp the details of their conversation, I saw one of the robed clergy flinch violently.

That person was—not Sabine, but one of the Pope’s people.

So, who was it?

Confused, I restrained myself from calling out Faust’s name just yet.

The bloodshed was about to begin.