At those words, Brother Vishius defended Seyard to Brother Besano.
“It’s understandable they didn’t get along. Brother Makkio is a learned man with excellent character, but he’s… excessively strict, both with himself and others.”
Brother Besano nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Hillan was already disinclined to actually serve as a brother, and their personalities simply didn’t match. Makkio was responsible for his education since his adolescence, so it would be stranger if they had gotten along.”
But, he continued.
“Given how much they clashed, he probably knows Hillan better than any of us. Certainly he’d judge him more objectively than you, who has received so many favors from him.”
The young brother flared up.
“What do you mean by ‘favors’? That’s unfair!”
“You’ve enjoyed plenty of snacks paid for from Hillan’s pocket.”
“It was just sharing some treats, come on.”
“And didn’t the abbot instruct you to only say good things about Hillan?”
“He did no such thing! Stop making things up!”
“I’m sure the abbot, who was thrilled with the donation from the Hillan ducal family, did nothing of the sort.”
“Honestly, if you keep saying these strange things, I’ll report everything to the abbot.”
“Well, well, look who’s grown up now.”
Listening to the two monks’ argument with one ear while letting it go out the other, Kisa fell into deep thought.
Honestly, she was a bit surprised. She hadn’t imagined that Seyard, who had always appeared so mature in front of her, had such a past.
It seemed Seyard hadn’t been exaggerating when he referred to his past self as a rebel.
‘Seyard’s master.’
Based on what she’d just heard, he sounded like a frightening person, but she still wanted to meet him.
If, as Brother Besano said, he truly knew Seyard best within the monastery, then he was likely the person who knew him best in the world.
In fact, even Gilliam, who currently served Seyard more closely than anyone, had only begun working as his secretary a few months ago.
Of course, Gilliam had worked for the Hillan ducal family for many years, so he would have seen Seyard as a child, but they had spent far more years apart.
In other words, Brother Makkio was the perfect person to provide answers to Kisa, who harbored suspicions about Seyard.
‘Good. Let’s meet him.’
Having made up her mind, Kisa asked the two brothers if she could meet Brother Makkio.
But their reactions were somewhat peculiar.
“After speaking about him like that, it feels awkward to say this, but…”
Brother Besano scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression, and Brother Vishius explained in his place.
“The truth is, Brother Makkio is devoted entirely to his practice within the monastery and rarely leaves his cell. He hardly even speaks with us, let alone outsiders.”
Leaning casually against the wall beside him, Brother Besano muttered.
“He wasn’t that extreme when he was teaching Hillan, but he’s increasingly seeking a life of seclusion.”
“…I see.”
Perhaps because Kisa showed visible disappointment, Brother Besano patted Brother Vishius on the back.
“Still, try asking him. If you tell him that the woman who will marry his disciple has come, he might change his mind.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Just try asking.”
“Well, if it’s just asking…”
Almost pushed by Brother Besano, Brother Vishius finally led Kisa toward the private cell where Brother Makkio was staying.
“Farewell. If it’s alright, please give my regards to Brother Hillan as well.”
“Yes, of course. Take care, Brother.”
Kisa bid a friendly farewell to the middle-aged brother and followed the younger one.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Upon reaching a certain room, Brother Vishius asked for Kisa’s understanding and carefully knocked on the door.
After a few seconds, when an identical response came from inside, Brother Vishius quietly opened the door and went in.
And more than ten minutes passed.
Just as Kisa was beginning to hope that not being immediately rejected might be a good sign, Brother Vishius walked out of the room.
Then he apologized with an ashamed expression.
“I’m sorry. I asked, but he doesn’t want to meet you.”
“Is there no way?”
“It’s impossible. I’ve never seen Brother Makkio reverse a decision once he’s made it.”
It was quite disappointing, but there was nothing to be done if the other party refused.
If Kisa insisted on meeting him, it would only seem suspicious, and she herself questioned whether it was really necessary to go that far.
Objectively speaking, Kisa’s suspicions about Seyard had no concrete basis.
She didn’t want to disturb a devout monk’s spiritual practice just to satisfy her curiosity.
“Well then, let’s proceed to the next place.”
Afterward, Brother Vishius led the way with a deliberately cheerful attitude, perhaps to lift Kisa’s spirits.
Soon they arrived at an empty room in the same dormitory building.
In fact, this was the fundamental reason they had come to the dormitory.
It was Seyard’s former room.
Entering the room, Kisa slowly looked around the fairly spacious interior.
Considering Seyard’s circumstances in various ways, the monastery had allowed him to use this room alone since he was young.
Brother Vishius, standing at the doorway, said:
“After Brother Hillan became a duke, people from the ducal household came and took all his personal belongings, so the room feels rather empty.”
As he said, all that remained in the room were a few pieces of furniture that appeared to have originally belonged to the monastery.
A desk, a chair, and a bed. But those were enough.
Sitting gently on the bed, Kisa imagined Seyard living here.
A vision of his ordinary daily routine formed and vanished in her mind’s eye: waking early at dawn, washing, changing clothes, eating, praying, occasionally going out to Bonzmos, then returning here to sleep.
Kisa ran her hand over the bedding, which had likely been washed clean after his departure.
Seyard. What did you think about, lying here?
She couldn’t help but wonder.
Brother Vishius’s tour of the monastery ended with Seyard’s room.
However, as requested by the abbot when she first arrived, Kisa headed to the abbot’s office in the main building to meet with him.
“Did you enjoy your tour of the monastery?”
“Yes, it was an informative experience.”
“It would have been wonderful if the Duke of Hillan had come too.”
The abbot’s reason for summoning Kisa didn’t seem to be for any particular business.
He simply asked her to convey his gratitude to Seyard, along with his assurance that the ducal family’s donations were being used appropriately.
Afterward, they engaged in miscellaneous conversation for the sake of socialization.
His intention to establish a friendly relationship with the future Duchess of Hillan was evident.
This was exactly what she had hoped for.
Kisa responded sincerely to his words while guiding the flow of conversation in the direction she wanted.
“By the way, in your opinion, what kind of person was the Duke during his time here?”
This was precisely the question she had been waiting to ask.
“Hmm, let me think.”
The abbot, who was favorably disposed toward Kisa, fell into thought while stroking his chin, showing no particular suspicion.
“To be honest, I focused more on external affairs than internal monastery matters, so I left matters concerning the Duke to other brothers.”
He seemed to be referring to Brother Makkio.
“Because of that, I didn’t have the leisure to interact with the Duke personally. I’m afraid I can’t give Lady Vansfelt a satisfactory answer.”
Just as Kisa was about to be disappointed, the abbot continued.
“But I can tell you this much. I had anticipated that he would someday leave this place, one way or another. He wasn’t suited to serve God in a monastery for his entire life.”
Having said that, he gazed at the distant mountains outside the window, as if recalling the past.
“Because his eyes were always looking toward some far-off place, not here.”
****
“You’re welcome anytime, please visit again! Next time, I hope Brother Hillan can come with you. Please tell him I would like to see his face after such a long time.”
With Brother Vishius seeing her off, Kisa left St. Pavela Monastery and returned directly to her hotel.
After spending all day walking around the monastery, her body was tired.
While eating dinner delivered to her room again, Kisa quietly considered today’s achievements.
How should she put it? She had learned quite a lot of new information about Seyard, but strangely, she felt more confused than before.
With testimonies from various people mixed together, she felt like she understood even less about what kind of person he was.
At that moment, Lily, who was attending to Kisa’s meal, asked:
“Miss, what are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Well, perhaps I’ll take a look around Bonzmos.”
Though the possibility of gaining information about Seyard seemed slim, having come this far, it seemed a waste to return without trying.
However, the next morning, as Kisa was preparing to go out, a completely unexpected visitor came to see her at the hotel.
“I am Makkio.”
It was Brother Makkio.
