3 The Republic of Aska 3

Inside the Aska Cathedral, Massimo suddenly came to a halt as he passed the vestry of the apse, his gaze unable to tear itself away from above.

The weather outside was fine today; the sun was brilliant, and the rose window of stained glass set into the top of the vaulted ceiling was fully illuminated. The perfectly circular window was divided into nine sections by horizontal and vertical frames. In the center sat the Virgin Mary in blue, her hands clasped in prayer. The surrounding eight sections depicted well-known stories of the Virgin and various saints from the scriptures.

Massimo stared blankly at the blue-clad Virgin, whose expression was obscured by the intense light. As if drawn by an invisible force, he walked into the vestry, knelt on both knees, and clasped his hands to pray. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass, casting a colorful radiance upon him like an angel’s mantle; in the otherwise bustling cathedral, the scene appeared exceptionally sacred.

An elderly monk in black passed by and was drawn to the figure. Recognizing an acquaintance, he waved off the younger monk following him and stood quietly to the side to wait. Massimo, with his back turned, remained unaware of this. It was only after a long while that he opened his eyes to look at the Virgin above, made the sign of the cross, and slowly stood up, steadying himself on his knees.

"May the Virgin bless you, Master Massimo."

As the familiar voice sounded from behind, Massimo soon met a pair of compassionate eyes. After a moment of surprise, he stepped forward and bowed slightly in return.

"May the Virgin bless you, Abbot Camillo..." He hesitated for a moment, then apologized with a touch of shame, "I am truly sorry. I intended to come to the monastery to thank you sooner, but lately, I have been..."

"I understand your difficulties, Master Massimo. You already have enough to trouble you; please, do not let such a small matter weigh on your heart." The elderly abbot raised a hand to stop him, his voice as gentle as ever. "Moreover, I am deeply concerned about Feliciana's injuries. Has she not awakened yet? Would you like Brother Marco to take another look?"

A polite "that won't be necessary" was on the tip of his tongue, but the image of his granddaughter's pale little face flashed through his mind. He stifled the words and bowed his head even lower. "If it would not be too much trouble..."

"Of course not. We are all children of the Lord; helping one another is our duty..." The old abbot chuckled, asking with concern if he had any other hardships as they walked outside together.

No sooner had they stepped out of the cathedral than they encountered a funeral procession carrying a coffin. Respecting the dead was a fundamental courtesy, especially since the leader of the procession was the head of the most prominent family in Aska. Consequently, passersby wherever the massive procession passed stopped, removing their hats or bowing their heads to pray, paying their respects to the departed.

Massimo and Abbot Camillo were no exception. They stood respectfully to the side, waiting for the coffin to pass before looking back toward the interior of the cathedral.

"...Although Professor Pilleouso had some rather radical views, the Lord knows he possessed a noble soul, deserving of such a grand funeral." The old monk murmured a few more prayers in the direction of the coffin before turning back to the man beside him. "This may not be a good year, Master Massimo. The earthquake last winter might have been a portent; the Lord is displeased with us... I have heard from pilgrims that many have died on Sicla Island since last year, rumored to be an epidemic. I truly hope those are merely groundless gossip..."

Seeing the man still gazing at the funeral procession in a daze, the old abbot sighed and quietly pulled him to a less crowded spot.

"The Lord is my witness, Master Massimo, I speak with no selfish motives... but regarding Feliciana, have you truly not considered the suggestion of Brother Salvatore?" the old man in black lowered his voice to urge him. "I heard from Brother Marco about her condition. If this continues, your work will suffer... She has only you as kin, and she is still years away from adulthood. If your work is affected, neither of your lives will be easy..."

Seeing the expression beneath the man’s beard soften, he added, "I know this is painful for you, but life in the convent is not as bad as you imagine. At the very least, she will not be disturbed by the outside world there. And after spending a few years in the place closest to the radiance of the Virgin, she might become more steady. When the time comes, you could bring her out to be married..."

Massimo's beard twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent, listening to the end before closing his eyes.

"I... will consider it," he said with difficulty. "I need time, Abbot. You know, she is my only granddaughter, and my apprentice—they had only this one child... She is the only family I have left in this world... I... I need time to think."

"I know, I understand. For you, this is indeed a difficult decision." The old monk patted his shoulder comfortingly. "No need to rush. Brother Salvatore will not leave Asia until next month at the earliest. You can speak with him when he arrives..."

Watching the old monk walk away, Massimo fell silent once more. But work had to continue, and he was forced to walk along the outer wall to the other side of the cathedral.

To challenge the neighboring city-state of Velis, the Nine-Member Council of Aska had formally approved the expansion of the Aska Cathedral nine years ago. The wealthy nine families had hired the renowned sculptor and architect, Master Giovanna, to draw the expansion plans and supervise the project, hiring many craftsmen from the surrounding areas, determined to make the Aska Cathedral the largest cathedral of the Virgin in the world.

As a local master mason born and raised in Aska, Massimo was among the first to answer the call and served as one of the deputies to the chief overseer, Master Giovanna. For nine years, he had watched the great structure on the blueprints take shape under his own hands. As a mason who had worked with stone since the age of eight, being lucky enough to participate in such a monumental project was something he could boast of for a lifetime.

However, the Lord always seemed to demonstrate His fairness just when one felt most triumphant. The earthquake at the end of last year was not large, but it caused a stone to fall from the top of the construction site, striking the head of his beloved apprentice and son-in-law. His only daughter, upon hearing the tragic news, collapsed on the spot and passed away along with his unborn grandchild... The pain of a white-haired man burying his juniors made Massimo feel as though he had aged ten years in just a few months.

But he could not collapse yet. He still had a granddaughter to raise; she was so young and relied solely on him. And a craftsman's wages were always based on labor performed. Even though, as a master mason, he had some savings from recent years, he could not let his household remain in a state of long-term deficit.

Moreover, his granddaughter's current situation was special; especially after this incident, she likely could not leave the house normally. In that case, sending her to a convent might truly be better. If she were to be sent there, he would have to donate a sum of money to ensure she lived well...

Calculating various matters in his mind, Massimo did not neglect his work. He quickly made a round of the site to check the progress, scolded a few loafers trying to slack off, and before long, it was time for lunch.

When the sun reached its zenith and the cathedral bells rang again, the chief overseer, Master Giovanni, arrived at the site for his routine inspection. As the most famous architect and sculptor on the Inno Peninsula, Master Giovanni’s attire was noticeably finer than that of the others on site. The man was in his prime; his brown hair and beard were meticulously groomed. He was tall, and his high cheekbones were always flushed with a healthy pink, highlighting his rugged facial features. When his sharp, spirited eyes swept over them from beneath thick brows, the apprentices who had been whispering would instinctively fall silent.

"Massimo! My old friend, you've finally returned!"

Seeing his deputy and friend again, Master Giovanni’s mood became as bright as the weather. He embraced his friend, patted his shoulder heavily, and asked in his usual booming voice, "How is Feliciana's condition? Can she get out of bed yet?"

Looking at his friend, who was roughly his age yet possessed a vitality far beyond his own, Massimo could only manage a bitter smile. "Not yet... but she wakes up a few times a day, and she can swallow the food I feed her. I still need to ask Brother Marco to take a look later..."

As he spoke, Master Giovanni’s expression grew increasingly grim, and he finished by swearing unceremoniously.

"You really shouldn't have let those wretched brats get away with it!" He spat on the ground, indignant. "Even if they are young, you should have demanded an explanation from their parents! If that failed, take it to court! What kind of people are they!"

"...I just want her to wake up safely now. If she can wake up, I would trade my own life for hers..."

"Don't say that!" Giovanni interrupted, looking his friend up and down, noting his poor complexion. His gaze settled on an inconspicuous pustule beneath his beard, and he frowned, advising, "Even for the sake of your poor granddaughter, Massimo, you must take better care of your own health... What is that on your neck?"

"It might have been bitten by some insect..."

Massimo rubbed his aching eyes, looked up, and forced a helpless smile. "Let's not talk about that. Let's discuss the current progress..."

"Master Massimo! You are here, Master Massimo!"

As the two were discussing the progress, a young voice suddenly cut in. They looked toward the sound; the newcomer was also a familiar face on the site, an apprentice carpenter from Aska.

"I ran into the wife of the Pari family when I went home for lunch. She asked me to tell you that your granddaughter woke up this morning and is already able to walk around!" the young apprentice reported the good news in a cheerful voice. "Would you like to go home and see?"

Hearing such good news, Massimo was overjoyed. But having already missed work, he worried it might look bad...

"What are you waiting for? Go and see!" Master Giovanni felt happy for him, and seeing his friend hesitate, he couldn't help but push his shoulder. "It is still lunch break! You have enough time to go home and come back!"

"Right, right, then I will go home for a moment..."

With his superior's permission, Massimo quickly packed his blueprints and hurried toward his home. Master Giovanni watched his departing back, shaking his head with a smile, and began to inspect the construction progress himself.

However, just as he reached the cloister currently under expansion on the side of the cathedral, a commotion erupted inside. Before long, someone came running out in a hurry.

"Go call a doctor!" the man shouted to those outside. "Someone has fainted!"

Seeing that the man was clearly not a member of the clergy, Master Giovanni immediately reminded him in a loud voice, "The nearest doctor, Dr. Paul, is away on a long journey, and the monastery is at the foot of the hill. If you are in a rush, you would be better off finding the deacon in charge at the cathedral; they usually have some medical knowledge!"

The man realized this upon being reminded, forgetting even to thank him as he scrambled back into the cathedral in a panic. His panicked appearance caused the craftsmen eating on the site to whisper among themselves, and Master Giovanni furrowed his brows.

Finding the man rather unreliable, he gave his apprentice brief instructions and stepped into the cathedral to investigate. The disturbance inside had already alerted those on duty. When Master Giovanni reached the center of the commotion, two deacons in black had already arrived and were directing those around them to move the person to a resting area.

"...Wait!"

Just as the person was being lifted, one of the deacons turned deathly pale and urgently told the others to put the body down. He pressed on a few points on the person lying on the floor, then stood up, leaning on his companion with a ghastly white face.

"He... he is dead..."

The black-clad deacon looked around in disbelief, especially at the laypeople who were dressed similarly to the corpse. "Who is he? How did he die? What were you doing before this?"

The others looked at each other in confusion, none of them able to grasp the sudden turn of events, their shock clearly outweighing their fear.

"We... we didn't do anything," one person whispered after a long pause. "We all came to mourn Professor Pilleouso. We heard he divided his inheritance equally among the city's poor; as such a kind man, of course, we had to come and mourn him..."

"That man must have been from the Pilleouso household; I saw him in the funeral procession. They had left a few people here to guard the coffin, but I suppose the others went to lunch at noon, leaving only him..."

Another person pointed at the deceased, still shaken. "The Lord is my witness, we truly did nothing! I was just talking to him a moment ago; he seemed quite normal, just a bit tired, and he had a nosebleed... But who dies from just a nosebleed!"

"Heaven preserve us, what is the use of saying all this now? Go and notify the Pilleouso family..."

Under the deacon's direction, the crowd finally ceased gathering around the corpse. Only Master Giovanni remained standing to the side, stunned. His gaze seemed glued to the scene, his body moving stiffly like a marionette as he moved toward the corpse and slowly knelt.

The deacon noticed his odd behavior and asked, "Master Giovanni, do you know this man?"

"..."

"No, I do not..."

Master Giovanni reached out in a trance, gently turned the man’s head to the side, and pulled back his collar. When the side of the corpse's neck was fully exposed, several distinct black spots and a massive pustule as large as a fig fell into everyone's sight.