Chapter 18 Chapter Thirteen

evening after vespers Old Alinardo tells about the labyrinth and the way to enter it I slept until just before the bell rang for supper and didn't wake up.I feel sluggish and sleepy because napping is like a sin of the flesh, the more you sleep the more sleepy you are, and yet you are not very happy, satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time.William was not in his room, obviously up early.After looking around for a while, I saw him coming out of the cathedral.He told me he had gone to the scriptorium, flipping through the catalogue, watching the monks at work, while continuing to search for Venantius' desk.But for some unknown reason, every monk seemed to want to stop him from rummaging through the pile of papers.First Malachi came and showed him some precious decorative paintings; then Benno found some silly excuses to bother him.Later, when he bent down again to continue the examination, Belengar began to hover around again, offering to help him.

Finally, seeing that my mentor was determined to search for Venantius' relics, Malachi told him bluntly that it would be best to consult the abbot before searching for the deceased's papers.He himself was a librarian, and out of respect and discipline he would not have done so, and besides, as William had requested, no one had ever approached that desk, so no one should approach there.William knew that it was impossible to reason with a man like Malachi, although the uproar and fear aroused by Venantius's manuscript made him want to take a closer look.But he'd made up his mind to sneak back there that night anyway—though he didn't know how to get in yet—so he figured it's best not to cause any trouble just yet.Yet he harbored thoughts of vengeance which would have been stubborn and reprehensible had they not been inspired by a thirst for truth.

Before entering the dining room, we wandered the corridor for a few minutes, letting the icy evening breeze blow away any remaining drowsiness.Some monks also wander there in meditation.The end of the cloister leads to the garden, and we saw Alinardo of Lota Ferre, an old monk with a frail body, wandering among the trees most of the time when he was not praying in the chapel.He sat in the corridor outside, and he didn't seem to feel the cold. William greeted him.The old man seemed glad that someone would talk to him. "A quiet day," said William. "God bless," replied the old man.

"The sky is peaceful, but the earth is full of mist. Are you familiar with Venantius?" "Who is Venantius?" said the old man, with a gleam in his eyes. "Ah, the dead child. The beast is prowling the monastery..." "What beast?" "A great beast from the bottom of the sea...had seven heads and ten horns, ten crowns on the horns, and three profane names on its heads. The beast was shaped like a leopard, with bear's feet, and a lion's mouth... ...I've seen it." "Where did you see it? In the library?" "The library? Why is it there? I haven't been in the office in years, never seen the library. Nobody goes to the library. I know people who have been there..."

"Who? Malachi? Berengar?" "Oh, no..." the old man chuckled, "Earlier. The librarian before Malachi, many years ago..." "Who is that?" ※Bandhammer Academyの重学E Book※ "I don't remember, Malachi died when he was young. And the one before Malachi's mentor, who was just a young assistant administrator, and I was young... But I've never been to the library. The maze..." "The library is a maze?" The old man said: "The library is a big labyrinth, a representative of the labyrinths of the whole world. Once you get in, you don't know how to get out. You must never cross the pillar of Hercules..."

"Then you don't know how you can enter the library after the doors of the cathedral are closed?" "Oh, I know." The old man laughed again. "Many people know it. You have to pass through the ossuary to enter the cathedral, but no one dares to go there. The dead monks are guarding there." "The dead monks—did they walk up and down the library at night with lamps?" "Hold the lamp?" The old man seemed surprised, "I've never heard of such a saying. The dead monks are all in the ossuary, and the bones are gradually drying up in the cemetery, and then they are brought here to guard the passage. You Haven't you seen the altar of the chapel leading to the ossuary?"

"That's in the outer wing of the chapel, third from the left, isn't it?" "The third one? Probably right. That altar has a thousand skeletons engraved on it. Count the fourth skull on the right, press the eyes... you're in the ossuary. But don't go there. I've never been. The dean won't be happy." "And the beast? Where did you see it?" "Beast? Ah, the false Christ...he is coming, the millennium has passed, we are waiting for him..." "But the Millennium Blessing was three hundred years ago, and he didn't appear at that time..."

"False Christs will not come just after a thousand years. After a thousand years, the rule of justice will begin. At this time, false Christs will come and destroy justice, and then there will be the final decisive battle..." "But justice will reign for a thousand years," William said, "or it will be from the death of Christ until the end of the first thousand years, so the false Christ will not come until then. Perhaps justice has not yet begun to reign, and the antichrist Still far away." "The Millennium Bliss does not start from the death of Christ, but from the donation of Constantine, which is three centuries later. It is exactly a thousand years now..."

"So the reign of justice is coming to an end?" "I don't know . . . I don't know anything. I'm tired and can't tell the age. It was calculated by Bitus of Libernard; ask George, he's still young and remembers better... …but the time has come. Haven't you heard of the seven trumpets?" "Why seven horns?" "Don't you know that the other boy—the book decorator—died? The first angel blows his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood are thrown to the earth. The second angel blows, the sea A third turned into blood... Didn't the second boy die in the sea of ​​blood? Beware of the third trumpet! The third angel blows the trumpet, and a third of the living things in the sea will die. God punish us. The world around the monastery is full of heresies, and they tell me that on the throne of Rome sits a queer pope who practices spiritism with the Eucharist and feeds the wafers to his moray eels... Between us, Someone violated the prohibition and broke the seal of the labyrinth..."

"Who told you that?" "I heard it. Everyone's whispering that evil has entered the monastery. Have you any peas?" He was addressing me, and the question surprised me. "No, I don't have Egyptian beans." I said confused. "Next time, bring me some peas. I'll pop them in my mouth - have you seen my poor, toothless mouth? Until they soften. Beans stimulate saliva. Tomorrow Will you bring me some egyptian beans?" "I'll bring you some Egyptian beans tomorrow," I told him.But he has dozed off.We left him and went into the restaurant.