Temple Sword

Chapter 31 The Abbey Days
Levant's death came as a shock to everyone, but no one was as deeply affected as Antares.For many days the boy didn't say a word, just doing what he should do in silence. He lived every day numbly, training his body, mind and horse.

Zortmund had become invisible, and Antal didn't miss him, and he didn't return the boy's equipment himself, but left it in Antar's room sometime during the day.

As Zoutermont had promised, he gave Antal no more quests after that, and the boy could no longer travel to Buda or anywhere outside the monastery as he had done before.

During this period, a high-ranking messenger brought news to the abbey: Pope Boniface VIII decided to support Charles Robert of Anjou, and in another letter instructed the Knights Templar to fully support their new king.All the Orders did so, but all but the nobles of the southern provinces refused to support the Anjou on the Hungarian throne.

The Chucks, Kans, Corsergis, Ratots, Abbas and their followers refuse to obey the Pope's wishes, they don't need a real king but a puppet with no real power, that's why They invited the youngest son of the king of Bohemia to compete with the Anjou family for the throne.

With Buda in the hands of the Przemysls, the Pope's decision, and especially his letter to the Knights Templar, caused considerable tension on Margaret Island.Many at the Abbey are starting to fear for their own safety, especially after the recent increase in violence and banditry by the mob, anything can happen.

It was also whispered that Wenceslas supporters might at any moment make up their minds to cross the Danube and lay siege to the monastery.People in their right minds scoffed at the notion, but even they couldn't deny how uncomfortable they felt after Buda became a Czech lair.

Antal hardly noticed it all, he knew he was in danger like everyone else around him, but his mind was elsewhere.Strange unresolved questions clouded his mind, and during training he often didn't even notice that the handle of the weapon scraped his skin.

He thought of Laszlo, the friend he had hurt twice, how was he doing, what was he doing now?Maybe he just sits silently doing daily work like himself, maybe he doesn't want to talk to himself anymore.

He thought of Peter who was expelled from the monastery for stealing wine for them. The sins committed by the Templars in white cloaks symbolizing chastity were a thousand times worse than this every day, and most of them never had to pay for it. These are responsible.

Antal gradually began to feel that he was a complete stranger in this monastery. Recently, rumors have circulated among the apprentices that the three of them said that Antal had incited his friend to commit crimes. These people had seen them in the monastery. They did bad things together in the stables, so the stories became more and more ridiculous and disgusting.So Antal didn't try to make new friends, just avoided everyone as much as he could, and spent most of his time wandering the monastery alone, with only his horse say.

Ambrosius often passed by the boy, but he always kept a straight face and said nothing, as if he could shoot murderous lightning.Both of them remember their last conversation at the inn, Antar had completely pissed off his abbot, and while he promised him that he would reveal his secrets to him soon, he hadn't figured it out yet How to confess to Ambrosius.

Antal lied to Zoutemon, he had neither evidence nor witnesses.And to a man who got into the Knights Templar with money, what was his word worth?The boy was terrified that when he told the truth, Zortmund had convinced everyone directly and easily, portraying the fact that he had broken his oath as the slander of a little boy.

Ambrosius never forgot Antal's promise at the inn. In order to force the boy to confess as soon as possible, he came up with a despicable plan: he ordered the servants to empty the toilet every three days, which used to be once a week .

Antal's room was right above the dung pile, and the summer heat had turned his sleeping place into a stuffy, airless cave, and the stench of excrement could only go in and out, and now the boy smelled like a A domestic pig that is left unattended.Every piece of clothing, every hair, every inch of skin on his body smelled like shit.His companions shunned him, but he remained obstinately silent, and every damn day he pressed himself in the Danube to wash away the foul stench.

The monastery on the island, not so long ago his dream place, a paradise of possibilities, had turned into a veritable nightmare.Those associated with him are either far away, driven away, or dead.

There were soon only two sanctuaries left in Antares: prayers and those nights of the fifth day of the week, during which months his conclave activities had not been noticed by anyone.

(End of this chapter)