Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 336: The Devil and the Witch Practicing Evil Magic... or Heresy

According to what Zoe said, her home is indeed not far from Garys and his family.

Even though her leg was broken, with the care of several Paladins, she was able to see the general outline of her village before the sun cooled down in the afternoon.

In fact, it hasn't snowed in the past two days. What's now covering the mountains and fields is the snow left over from the previous few days.

Due to the higher temperature in the village, a lot of snow has melted.

Therefore, if you look from afar, you can see a patch of grayish yellow exposed in the midst of the silver.

When Alexandros and his party arrived near the village, the villagers had already discovered them.

The clothing of Alexandros and his group is actually very unique.

Because of Garys, the overall dressing style of Paladin is actually quite inconsistent with this era, especially in winter clothing.

In this era as a whole, the simplest way to emphasize the differences between people is actually to reflect it in the complexity and decorativeness of clothing.

The poor could only wear clothes of the original color of the monotonous fabric, while those with a little more money would consider dyeing them. Even wealthier merchants and nobles would spend money on all kinds of useless decorations, dressing themselves up like peacocks.

The Paladins' winter clothes, on the other hand, were made of extremely thick fabrics, with large amounts of cotton stuffed inside. The coat wrapped the person from head to toe with as little seam as possible exposed.

This kind of clothes, which clearly showed that the man was wealthy but was also extremely simple, was something the villagers had never seen before.

In addition, these Paladins were all of large stature, so they were not sure of their intentions.

Many people prepared pitchforks or kept their doors closed.

Several strong men put down their work and came forward.

When they noticed Zoe being put down by Alessandro, they all looked shocked.

“Zoe?” someone whispered, and there was silence for a moment.

"Shouldn't you be in the convent?"

"hey-hey."

Zoe laughed awkwardly twice, her expression obviously quite embarrassed.

Alexandros, listening to the low conversations coming from the crowd of onlookers, which gradually turned into whispers.

Most of them frowned, and some even cursed under their breath.

"Anyway, I'm back! You didn't expect that."

"I came back to see my mother. It has nothing to do with you."

"After I finish reading, I'll leave."

Zoe's words were full of self-righteousness, and she didn't care at all about the hostility expressed by the villagers.

But the meaning of the words made Alexandros frown.

Where else could Zoe go if not in the village?
As for the villagers, when Zoe mentioned her mother, they looked at each other and the atmosphere became even more silent, even a little depressing.

Then this moment of silence was broken by another cold voice.

"Your mother is dead."

Zoe's original indifference was shattered by these words. She suddenly raised her head and looked at the person who spoke.

"Uncle Manuel, what are you talking about?"

"Just a few days ago, your mother died and I buried her."

The man who spoke was about 35 years old, with a weather-beaten face, but a strong body. He looked calm and composed just standing there. As Manuel spoke, the people around him began to whisper again.

Alexandros heard many of the words.

The devil, witch, sorcery... or heresy.

……

In the Christian system, whether it is Catholicism or Orthodoxy, there is actually one institution that cannot be avoided: the monastery.

The history of monasteries dates back much longer than the split between the Eastern and Western Churches.

At the beginning, that is, in the third century, Christians in the Roman Empire gradually moved from underground churches to open beliefs, but the problem of "secularization" emerged within Christianity.

Many believers believed that the urban Christian churches had become too compromised and could not truly practice the teachings of Christ, so they retreated into the desert to pursue a life of abstinence and spirituality.

Generally speaking, their lives are guided by the Bible, they seek to be isolated from the world, and they completely give up worldly pleasures.

This pious attitude of "sacrificing" pleasure brought these "hermits" special fame.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, the more pious one is, the closer one is to God, and a person who is close to God will naturally have a higher social status.

By the 5th century AD, the bishops might have their beliefs questioned for various reasons, but the "monks" group could obviously make up for them.

A large number of hermits came to the city from the desert and established monasteries in various places with the support of prominent bishops.

Some of these monks deliberately lived in poverty, while others risked their lives to care for the sick and bury the dead.

These behaviors, which are almost like "self-mutilation", are not only a proof of their piety, but also a way to fill their hearts, making them more fanatical.

After all, those are "sunk costs". The more they pay, the more devout they become.

By the 5th century AD, there were already some practices such as penance on pillars and penance on trees.

According to legend, "Simon on the Pillar" can live alone on a 16-meter-high pillar for several months.

Faced with such a "pious" person, how could believers not be impressed and even admire him?
In addition, there is the concept of intercession in the Christian system.

Intercessory prayer refers to believers or saints praying to God on behalf of others, asking God for grace, forgiveness or help.

In the Old Testament Abraham prayed for Sodom and Moses prayed for the Israelites.

The former hoped that Jehovah would not destroy the city of Sodom, but would forgive the entire city as long as there were righteous people in the city.

The latter is when the Israelites made a golden calf and Jehovah wanted to destroy them, but Moses interceded for them and God changed his mind and did not bring disaster.

In other words, it seems natural that "pious" people have more face before God and can say something to help people get things through the back door.

As a result, many wealthy people gradually began to donate money and provide meals to the monks, hoping that these "pious" people would speak more good words for them to God.

Many things, at first, are just coincidences, but as time goes by, after being practiced persistently by people, they become "unchangeable" traditions.

It seemed to have become a matter of course. If you wanted to move a chair, someone would probably die.

Under the leadership of Arsalan, it didn't take long for Gairis and others on horseback to see the Orthodox monastery he had mentioned earlier.

Looking into the distance.

The monastery is located on a hill. Thick stone walls surround the entire complex, which looks calm and gloomy. Only the gilded cross on the dome of the main church glimmers in the light.

Compared with this somewhat gloomy earth, it seems to have an inexplicable sacredness.

(End of this chapter)