12 Responsibility

Vevian found himself running the next moment. He stumbled on a rock, hit his knee on the ground, grimaced painfully, but still, he got up and ran forward, his eyes darting everywhere.

'Where is he?'

'Where is he?'

'Where is he?!'

God was toying with him. There was no way Rolan was gone! If he was gone, then that meant Vevian himself was dead!

"I'm still alive, so he's not gone yet!"

With hectic thoughts, he ran through the secret passage. He wasn't far from its end.

His footsteps abruptly stopped.

Before him lay an emancipated man, deathly still; and bloody trails on a freshly cemented wall. Coming closer, he noticed that Rolan's front skull was cracked. He could only conclude that Rolan somehow broke free from his chains and when he tried to run away, he found the exit cemented… which lead him to kill himself by smashing his head on the wall.

A stinging pain woke him up from his thought. Looking at his right hand, he found it clutched up so tightly that veins were popping up here and there. He slowly opened it and saw a bloody red coin. He had clutched the coin so tightly it had cut his palm.

Vevian thought no further. He wiped the blood off the coin with his handkerchief and held it in his left hand. He swirled it around his fingers a couple times and his head calmed slightly.

He fixed his appearance, crouched near the body, and checked if there was any sign of life. Confirming none, he walked out of the secret passage and headed towards Savine's school.

Vevian found her standing among a gathering of lowrungs. She was a small figure among the people, but due to her white hair, she stood out quite a bit.

The people were asking her this and that about their lives and she would give them either advice or words of admonishment.

It looked like one of her new regulars had come to her once again, seeking advice.

"Baron Yeltsin," she was speaking to the only person of higher society among the gatherers. "I've told you already. God doesn't care if you're obsessed with money and alcohol. God doesn't care for the means and ends of your actions, either. God understands that it's just how mortals like us are. We are God's creations, after all.

"God only cares for one fact. Can you wholeheartedly accept the things you've done and take responsibility for them?"

"But O Great Teacher, what does that mean?" the friendly-looking baron asked, looking genuinely worried.

"Alright," Savine sighed. "Tell me, have you done anything that you could describe as a great sin? You've been constantly mentioning a few guilty pleasures here and there. But it sounds like you're darting around one topic over and over."

Vevian was about to ask Savine if she could talk with him, but hearing the conversation, his curiosity was piqued. God's Chosen did not advocate purity and morality like most religions. She instead advocated something completely different. Responsibility.

"A sin, you say?"

"Mm. Something you feel guilty about, would be more accurate."

"Something I feel guilty about…?" the baron scratched his chin, looking around. "Must I say it out loud here?"

"That would certainly help me explain myself to you better."

The baron looked around himself once again, feeling the stares of the lowrung masses.

"Well… I suppose I should speak about this at least once…" he cleared his voice. "I've been sleeping with my wife's …sister…"

The people's stare on him intensified noticeably .

"Not once… or twice… We do it every other week," he murmured out. "But I still love my wife! There's nothing wrong with our marriage. She loves me as well… and our children, they're wonderful. It's just that… I happen to be sleeping with her sister."

Some of the people gathered started to look at him wrongly. Some were even whispering profanities under their breaths.

But one tiny hand among the listeners reached out to the baron's shoulders and patted on it gently.

"Good. Very good," she said.

"Thank you?"

"I meant the fact that you managed to speak it out."

"I… Uh."

Savine smiled at him.

"You've heard me talk about responsibility all the time, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, now you must accept the responsibility of what you've uttered here today."

"Sorry?"

Savine chuckled.

"Exactly what I mean. Your wife lives here in this city, right?"

"Yes?"

"A colorful woman, loved by all. Despite her noble background, she doesn't shy away from lowrung people and is generally well-liked by others."

"Yes…"

"With how many people are gathered here… Naturally, she will hear of your words today. Perhaps you hoped for it to become a secret shared by many, but the tongues of men are fickle. It's only a matter of time before the secret's out. Some might even use this dirt you've given them to make an attempt at your wife?"

The baron's face contorted into a grimace, and he glared at the surrounding men. Vevian chuckled, despite himself.

"What God wants is for you to accept this outcome without making excuses for yourself," Savine continued. "People will talk, your wife will know, there will be a great argument between you two, and perhaps you two will separate. Or perhaps you'll be able to convince her otherwise and reach an awkward, choking compromise of some sorts, who knows.

"But whatever happens, you must live with it. You must not run away from your actions. Since you've cheated on your wife, you must live with the guilt; since you've now spoken about it to the public, you must be ready for its consequences. Cry if you must, wallow in despair, lose yourself in alcohol. But you must never think that this happened because of someone else.

"Not these people who might to tattle to your wife, not me who put you in this situation, not your wife's sister, who either seduced you or said no to your advances. The responsibility lies only in you. Live with that."

Savine's speech ended at that.

The baron looked enlightened, but there was hesitation in his posture.

"Do you think I'll be able to do that?" he asked, eventually.

Vevian was surprised by the question. He expected the baron to be angry, maybe even lash out, but not to ask that question. Savine's answer surprised him even more.

"No," she smiled, completely and utterly seriously.

The baron chuckled awkwardly. "Not even a small chance, O Great Teacher?" he asked jokingly.

"If it was so easy, if everyone could take responsibility for their actions, then this world wouldn't be such a dog one, don't you agree?"

The baron's chuckle quickly died out to nothingness.

Savine then glanced at Vevian.

"Well, let's end the meeting for today," she said to everyone. "Something tells me it'll be a long time before I meet you all again, but hopefully, that doesn't happen."

The people looked confused, but they dispersed nonetheless.