Hyde Confronts The Artists of Durgien (1)

Clergymen.A profession seemingly far removed from wealth.And indeed, that's how it should be.However, Archbishop Archibald's house was so grand and spacious that even Baron Voltaire's mansion, which I had visited earlier, paled in comparison.Numerous soldiers dispatched from the Holy Knights were standing guard, and the garden was adorned with all sorts of decorations, rivaling the splendor of a royal palace."I wonder if it's right for a priest to accumulate wealth."As for me, I could barely afford my studies and was always busy working part-time whenever I had free time.In the end, I even resorted to writing erotic novels due to lack of money, only to be struck by lightning indoors and fall into this hellish world."The offering. I brought it. 300 gold coins."Thud-Knight Old Man placed the chest filled with gold coins in the lobby of the Archibald mansion.Archbishop Archibald opened his narrow eyes as he looked at the heavy chest of gold coins settling with a dull thud."300? I believe the promised amount was 200 gold coins.""The more offerings, the better, isn't it?""Excellent. Hyde, to be honest, I was skeptical when I heard you were the man Doban took as his son-in-law. You've exceeded my expectations.""Then keep your promise.""Yes, as promised, I will see what I can do about the entrance fee for the Grand Cathedral. To the extent of my authority.""That's only natural."It seemed Archbishop Archibald was a man who kept his promises. I would have been a bit angry if he had made excuses and tried to avoid the topic, but thankfully that didn't happen."It's dinner time. It will be a humble meal, but please feel free to join us."Soon, Archibald headed to the dining hall, and I, as an invited guest, sat at the long table and had dinner.Contrary to his words about a humble meal, the aroma of various spices from roasted venison, pheasant, and other dishes filled my nostrils.I hadn't even seen such dishes at the Agarphe mansion."It seems Archbishop Archibald's financial situation is quite good. There are many people starving in the kingdom, is it okay to have such a luxurious meal? It will cause gossip. People will talk.""Hyde, you are that kind of man, I see. Alright. Then you shall starve. I will give the food prepared for you to the poor on the streets."Slide-Archbishop Archibald raised his hand."Fred, distribute the guest's food to the vagrants on the streets. And from now on, only give Hyde dry bread and water. Take his clothes as well and give them to the people on the streets."Indeed-.Archbishop Archibald was a difficult man to refute in an argument.His level was completely different from those of Selim or Manaan, who were all talk and no substance. This was because there was nothing biblically wrong with Archbishop Archibald's words.He truly deserved to be hailed as the kingdom's greatest theologian."Your Eminence, do we really have to do that?"The monocle-wearing butler named Fred seemed rather flustered. Seeing his embarrassment, Archbishop Archibald burst into laughter and added,"I was just kidding. Hyde, it seems you have a rather strict and conservative theological view. For you, a 'wealthy clergyman' should not exist, right?""That's right. There is an argument that accumulating wealth and enjoying prosperity through one's work is a calling and blessing from the Lord-. But at least priests should not be wealthy.""I see. Your view on priesthood seems even stricter than mine. Then let me ask you this. What is the standard for 'wealth' that you speak of? Is it mentioned in the Bible?"The standard for a priest's wealth.Of course, it wasn't written in the Bible.What constitutes being rich, and what constitutes being poor?I had pondered this question for a long time.What was the standard for a rich pastor?Someone who is debt-free?Someone who owns their own home?Someone who drives their own car?I had considered various possibilities, but it was a difficult question to answer definitively. However, according to a conservative interpretation of the Bible, someone who can eat three meals a day without worry-.Such a person was considered rich.As I was thinking this, Archbishop Archibald said,"Hyde, we are all rich. Compared to someone who is missing an arm or a leg, how much wealth do you enjoy? Even someone with missing limbs is living a long life compared to those who have died and gone to hell.""Are you saying everything is relative?""Well. Then let me ask you this. How do humans appear in the eyes of the Lord? Does the Creator see humans as wealthy? When you see an ant carrying a piece of sugar, do you think that ant is wealthy?""Humans are like ants. How can we dare to fathom the will of God?""Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say. Those whom you judge to be rich may not actually be rich. It is arrogant of you to make such judgments arbitrarily."He was right.It was arrogant to judge and condemn others arbitrarily.Judgment was not in the realm of humans, but of God.Soon, Archbishop Archibald poured wine into my glass and added,"Theology is the same. Theology is not always right; it is merely a tool for explaining what is 'best'. So, where should we base our standards?""That's why we must base our standards on the Bible. Isn't the Bible an unchanging and eternal medium?"This was the reason why religion was reformed amidst the chaos of uncertainty. It was a call to return to biblical principles.Archibald continued,"But isn't it up to humans to interpret the Bible? In the end, the standard is human. And the one who sets the standard for humans is the one called 'King'. This King is appointed by God, like David or Solomon-."The one called 'King'.King's dick.For some reason, it sounded very blasphemous.Suddenly, I couldn't concentrate.(TL Note: This is a wordplay joke that's tricky to translate directly. The phrase "Wang-ira bullineun jaji" literally means "the one called the 'King'," but by dropping a few words, it becomes "Wang jaji," which means "King's Dick." This humorous misinterpretation highlights Hyde's inner struggle to suppress his lustful persona, even during a serious theological discussion.)After our concentration in the conversation was broken, we just exchanged formalities. How the weather was today, what the weather would be like tomorrow-.Meaningless conversations.As I was thinking that dinner was about to end, Archibald asked,"So, where is my daughter Milione? Fred, I told my daughter to attend dinner this evening.""Well-. The Lady went to her room to prepare for dinner and hasn't been seen since. I'll check again-.""I'm here."Someone appeared in a dress.It was Milione Archibald.She approached, supported by her maids, with her platinum blonde hair tied with a headband and wearing a dress dyed purple.Her skirt was so long and flowing that it seemed difficult to walk without assistance."I'm sorry I'm late."She apologized, but her eyes, expression, and voice showed no remorse. Rather, she seemed clearly annoyed.Seeing this, Archbishop Archibald said,"My daughter lost her mother at a young age and never even saw her face. I spoiled her too much, and she grew up like this. I apologize for my daughter's rudeness."Indeed-.He was at least aware that he had raised his daughter poorly.Soon, Milione sat down and asked,"Where's Alter?""Your brother Alter is in the holy city of Barakhan. Hyde, I wanted to introduce you to my eldest son and pride, Alter. It's a shame."Alter Archibald.I didn't need an introduction; I knew him well.One of the Knights of Six in the Holy Knights.The six knights who wore golden crosses.Alter Archibald was one of them, and our 'Blood Brotherhood', consisting of me and Wrath, had clashed with him several times. Of course, back then, I didn't know he was Wrath's brother.Suddenly, it felt strange.The father is an archbishop.The eldest son is a gold plaque holy knight, one of the Knights of Six.The second son is dead, but he was a silver plaque bishop-.And the youngest daughter is a ruthless murderer known as the Deadly Sin.What kind of messed up family was this?The issue wasn't even about whether the Archibald family was rich or not. There was nothing normal about this family!More importantly, did the Archbishop know?That his daughter was active under the name of the Deadly Sin, Wrath?I was curious.Should I test the waters-."Speaking of which, Your Eminence Archibald, there are rumors that the Deadly Sin, Wrath, has appeared in the Durgien region. It's also related to the death of Oscar Archibald. What are your thoughts on this individual?""I have heard of such a person. However, I was in the royal capital, Royalroad, at the time, so I haven't heard the details. A very dangerous individual, I hear."Archbishop Archibald's demeanor was perfectly composed as he spoke. He didn't flinch, nor did he show any signs of panic or tension.Was he acting?Or did he really not know that his daughter was Wrath?Then, Milione, who was sipping her wine, spoke."It's not Wrath you should be wary of, it's Lust, his partner. Did you hear that Lust appeared at Baron Voltaire's mansion, set it on fire, and raped the bride?""He raped the bride?"This was the first time I heard of this.When did I ever rape Cathy Voltaire?As I was bewildered, Milione added,"Yes! I heard he raped Cathy Voltaire and completely ruined the wedding? And he even released a new short story! 'The Non-Virgin'! It's apparently a masterpiece!"Ahem-Medici Archibald cleared his throat.Milione grumbled, "Yes, yes, I should just sit here quietly like a pretty doll," and turned her head away.Taking advantage of the silence at the table, the Archbishop spoke."I heard that Lust cursed Cathy Voltaire and caused her great distress. But Hyde, you said you lifted that curse, right?"Archbishop Archibald's question was directed at me.I wondered if he had figured out that I was 'Lust', but I tried to act nonchalant and said calmly,"It wasn't me, but the Lord who helped her. And that Lust, he's a coward who doesn't even have the courage to reveal his true identity behind a mask.""A coward with no courage. He writes quite bold stories for someone like that. Even I was impressed by the new unit of measurement, the metric system."The metric system was indeed good.Of course, it wasn't Lust's original creation, but plagiarism.However, Medici Archibald's expression became the most serious it had been all day."The system of measurement is a standard set by the King. And the King is appointed by God. To try and change that standard. I believe that man will become the biggest headache in this kingdom.""Is that so.""And I believe that you, Hyde, might be one of those who will stand against him. In any case, I found our conversation today very interesting. Please don't lose that mindset."Saying that, Archbishop Archibald rose from his seat.As he walked away and completely left the dining hall, Milione asked,"Hyde, you seem to have gotten on the good side of our old-fashioned father. By the way, 'old-fashioned' is a word from Lust's new work, 'The Non-Virgin', meaning a stubborn old man."I know.However, it was unexpected that Archbishop Archibald seemed to favor me.It felt like we had only been disagreeing with each other all day.Milione added,"Our old man doesn't even talk to people he doesn't like. Even today, look. He didn't even try to talk to me. His own daughter. Even though I was raped by Lust. He didn't even offer me a word of comfort."Come to think of it, we hadn't talked about Oscar Archibald, who had recently died, or Milione, whom I was supposed to marry.Well-, I was only going to stay here for about a month.Maybe it was because we had plenty of time….Soon, Milione clicked her tongue."Hyde, you're no match for our old man. He probably doesn't even see you as a worthy opponent.""Then who can stand against him?""Who else? Lust, of course!"It's all the same, isn't it-.Well, actually, Lust and Hyde were different.Time passed like that, and the next morning.I woke up in a guest room with a comfortable bed and heard surprising news from Archbishop Archibald."Hyde, I wanted to abolish the entrance fee for the Grand Cathedral last night as a reward for your hard work, but those who oppose it have sent me a petition this morning."Rustle-There was a pile of letters.Who would oppose abolishing the entrance fee for the church?Soon, Archbishop Archibald said,"It's the Artists Guild. They are a big headache for me."