Chapter 88

A stone-built office.

As if to break the silence, a single letter was carried in. The moment I saw the sealing wax, my hand stopped.

The church’s crest, and not a standard one at that.

“…Directly, huh.”

I muttered softly. Upon opening it, the parchment, while simple, was clearly of a different class. There was no unnecessary decoration, but there was weight in every edge of the text.

The sender was not written, but I knew. The core of the church, and an extremely high-ranking figure at that.

The text was short.

—I have a request.

My mother has been bedridden with illness for a long time.

Pain runs through her entire body, and even praying is beyond her. I understand that she should be entrusted to God’s hands. But, if there is a way to at least remove that suffering.

I wish for this name to be kept hidden. I will not question the price.

Only, grant my mother peace.—

I quietly put the letter down.

“…So that is what it is.”

The symptoms tell me enough.

Pain throughout the entire body, long-term bedrest, and no signs of recovery—if so, the stage of curing her has passed.

It is an illness waiting for the end. In terms of my knowledge from before, it is close to a terminal stage. But there is no point in saying that in this era.

What is necessary is to remove the pain, that is all.

I called for someone.

“Prepare it. Do not let this out in the open.”

I announce shortly.

What we will use is poppy seeds. If the amount is mistaken, it is poison, but if used correctly, it becomes salvation.

A few days later.

The medical officer and I secretly visited that manor. A massive stone building. However, the further inside we advanced, the more the air pulled taut.

The man who came out to greet us maintained his dignity even in old age. White hair, deep wrinkles. But his eyes were sharp, belonging to one who knows both prayer and governance.

There was no giving of names.

For both of us, it was unnecessary.

“…I ask this of you.”

That was all.

I nodded.

The interior of the room was dark, and the woman lying on the bed was already emaciated, her breathing shallow. Occasionally, her body trembled, perhaps from pain.

I quietly instructed the medical officer to administer the treatment.

The medicine is strong. That is exactly why the amount must be careful, taking time, little by little.

Eventually, the woman’s expression relaxed, and her breathing settled. Her stiffened fingers slowly unraveled.

“…Ah.”

A small voice leaked out. It was not of suffering, but a voice of relief. The man watched that state without saying anything. Only, his back trembled slightly.

A few days from then.

The woman spent her time peacefully. She no longer distorted her face in pain. Eventually, she quietly drew her last breath.

As if falling asleep.

I was not present at the scene, but the report arrived immediately. I faced the man once again.

There were no words for a while, but he opens his mouth.

“…She was saved.”

It was a low voice.

“Not her life. But—that was salvation. It was something that prayer could not reach.”

I say nothing. No, I should not say anything.

Eventually, he raised his face. In his eyes, there was a different color than before.

“The church shall cooperate fully.”

He says quietly.

“Your university as well. People, knowledge, we shall provide them unsparingly.”

That was not a promise, it was a decision.

“…Understood?”

I gave a slight nod.

That was sufficient.

The content of the lectures at the university was beginning to change slightly.

Illnesses that had been spoken of as the work of God. No one denies that, but this began to be added:

—God also granted wisdom to humanity. If so, using that wisdom to understand illness and soften it is also not contrary to His divine will.

It was spoken from the mouths of the clergy standing at the pulpits.

If it were in the past, they would be words considered stepping too far.

Now it is different. No one reproaches it.

Within the lectures, the efficacy of medicinal herbs is spoken of concretely, and regarding the structure of the body, more in-depth explanations than before are given.

Prayer and knowledge were being spoken of side by side.

That is not a “denial.”

However, they are certainly taking a step forward.

There was one more change.

The inspections from the church. Those who used to visit regularly and keep a watchful eye on the contents of the lectures and the direction of research—stopped coming.

Outwardly, at least.

No one thinks their eyes have been completely taken off.

Even so, what that “absence” meant was massive.

The doctors do not say anything blatantly.

However, the volume of records increased, and the breadth of trials expanded.

The students, too, were the same.

After lectures, the time they remained to discuss became longer.

The hesitation toward voicing new ideas was fading.

One night.

Under the lamplight, several students were talking to each other in low voices.

“…This place is different, huh.”

“What is?”

“We are permitted. To think.”

A short silence.

Eventually, someone muttered.

“…This land is,”

He continues slowly, as if choosing his words.

“The pinnacle—of learning.”

No one laughed.

Nor did they deny it.

Just, each of them quietly nodded.

That rumor does not spread widely.

But, it certainly spreads.

While keeping their voices hushed.

—That this is, as far as we know, the highest seat of learning.