Chapter 49 Chapter Forty-Four

Ninth Prayer The dean refused to listen to William's analysis, but instead told about the knowledge of jewelry, and expressed that he did not want William to further investigate the recent unpleasant incidents The dean's residence is above the synagogue, and he received us in the luxurious and spacious main room. It was a clear but windy day, and through the windows of the main room one could see the roof of the chapel and the cathedral beyond. The abbot stood by the window, contemplating the cathedral, pointing to us with dignity. "A magnificent fortress," he said, "its proportions conform to the golden rule of building an ark. Divided into three floors, because three is the number of the Holy Trinity, the three angels who visited Abraham, and Jonah in the belly of the great fish." Three days passed, Jesus and Lazarus walked in the tomb for three days, Jesus asked the Holy Father three times to let the Holy Grail pass from his hands, three times he hid himself and the apostles to pray, Peter denied him three times, Christ was resurrected Afterwards, three times appeared to the disciples. There are three theological virtues. Three are the divine language, the part of the soul, the class of intellectual beings, angels, men, and demons. There are three voices—voice, breath, wave—human history There are also three epochs. Before legislation, during legislation and after legislation."

"A subtle and strange harmony," agreed William. "But the square is also rich in spiritual lessons." The dean added, "The four cardinal points of orientation are seasons, elements, cold, heat, dry, and wet; birth, growth, maturity, and aging; types of animals, heaven, and earth. , in the air, in the water; the colors that make up the rainbow; and the number of leap years." "Oh yes," said William, "and three and four make seven, a most mysterious number, but three times four makes twelve, like the twelve apostles, and twelve times twelve makes one hundred and forty-four, yes. The number chosen by God's will." William told all the mysterious knowledge of the ideal number, so that the dean could not add any more, so he could raise the key points.

"We have to talk about recent events and I've thought about it a lot," he said. The dean turned around, turned his back to the window, and looked directly at William with a stern expression: "Thought too carefully. Maybe, I must admit, Brother William, I expected too much from you. You are almost here For six days, besides Adelmo, four more monks have died, and two others have been arrested by the Inquisition—that's justice, yes, but we would have This humiliation could have been avoided—at last I presided over a conference that, because of these wicked acts, had a pathetic outcome...”

William said nothing, embarrassed.What the dean said is absolutely correct. "You are right," he admitted. "I have failed you, but I will explain to you why, Abbot. These crimes did not arise from a single quarrel, or animosity between monks. In fact, this must go back to the ancient history of the monastery..." The dean looked at him uneasily: "What do you mean by that? I know that the point is not the administrator's indulgence, although that involves another sad thing. But there is one more thing, one that may be known but not Discussed... I hope that's cleared up and you can talk to me about..."

"What the Abbot had in mind was the conduct he was informed of in his confession..." The dean looked away. ※Bandhammer Academy's E-Book※ William went on: "If the Dean wants to know if I know that there is an ulterior relationship between Berengar and Adelmo, and between Berengar and Malachi—well, yes Well, everyone in this monastery knows about it..." The Abbot blushed. "I don't think it would do any good to talk about such things in front of this novice. Now that the meeting is over, I don't believe you need him for the record anymore. You go, boy." He said to me authoritarianly.I leave humbly.However, driven by curiosity, I squatted in the corridor outside the door, and deliberately did not close the door tightly, leaving a small gap so as to eavesdrop on their conversation.

William was the first to speak: "Thus, these unspeakable relationships, if they ever happened, have no effect on this sad chain of events. The key lies elsewhere, as I am sure you have thought. Everything turns to The theft and possession of a book, which was hidden in the 'End of Africa', is now back in its place thanks to Malachi's intervention. Although, as you see, the crime has not been stopped .” After a long silence, the dean spoke again, with a hoarse and hesitant voice, as if shocked by the sudden revelation: "This is impossible...you...how do you know about 'End of Africa'! You once violated my ban, trespassing in the library?"

William should have told the truth, but the Dean would have been furious.However, my mentor obviously didn't want to lie, he chose to answer this question with a rhetorical question: "Didn't you say, Dean, that a person like me who has never met Brunelles can Will he who has described it in such detail have no trouble imagining places he has never been?" "Even so," said the dean, "but why do you think so?" "How I came to this conclusion is not clear in a few words. But this series of crimes, the cause is to prevent the dead from discovering what they are supposed to have not. Now everyone who knows the secret of the library-whether Should have known, or by ingenuity—they're all dead. There's only one left, and that's you."

The dean said: "Are you trying to imply... Do you want to imply..." "Don't get me wrong." Although William said this, he might really want to hint in his heart, "I only said that there is someone he knows, and he doesn't want others to know. And you are the last person to know, so you may Be the next victim. Unless you tell me about the forbidden book, and who in the monastery knows as much about the library as you do, if not more." "It's cold in here," said the dean. "Let's go out." I hurried away and waited for them at the top of the stairs.The dean saw me and smiled at me.

"This young monk has heard a lot of annoying things in the past few days! Don't let yourself be too troubled, my child. I think there are actually not as many conspiracies as you think... " He raised one hand, letting the sun illuminate a power ring on his fourth finger. Rings encrusted with precious stones sparkled brightly. "You recognize it, don't you?" he said to me. "It symbolizes my authority, but it is also my burden. It is not an ornament, but a guardian of the Word." He ran his fingers over the delicately arranged amethyst, said he, "is the mirror of humility, and reminds us of the sincerity of St. Matthew; Symbol; here is jasper, showing the faith of St. Peter; onyx, the mark of the martyr, reminiscent of St. Bartholomew; here is sapphire, stone of hope and contemplation, St. Andrew and St. Paul; beryl, doctrine, Knowledge, the voice of perseverance, is also the moral symbol of St. Thomas... The language of gemstones is so rich!" He was intoxicated in mystical fantasy, and went on to say, "That is the traditional jeweler's argument from Aaron and Interpreted from the description of the holy city of Jerusalem in the Book of Acts. The walls of Mount Zion are adorned with the same gemstones as on the pectoral of the brother of Moses, only rubies, white agates and diamonds. Mentioned in the Apocalypse, superseded in the Book of Revelations by topaz, red agate, chrysoprase, and hyacinth pith."

He moved the ring, blinding me with its flickering light, as if he wanted to terrify me: "Magical language, is it not? To other priests, gemstones have other symbols. To Pope Innocent III, rubies Represents calmness and patience; garnet is love. For San Bruno, green jade aggregates theological knowledge with the purest light. Turquoise symbolizes joy; red striped agate represents seraphs; topaz, innocent angels; Jasper, kingship; peridot, dominion; sapphire, virtue; beryl, principle; ruby, archangel; bluff, angel. The language of the gems is changeable; each gem expresses many truths, according to the interpretation The perception of the reader, according to the content of their appearance.

"Who decides the level of interpretation and the proper content? You know, boy, because they have taught you: the authority, the most credible commentator, and the most authoritative and therefore dignified. Otherwise, How to decipher the multiple symbols that the world has set in the eyes of us sinners, and how to avoid the misunderstanding into which the devil lures us? I remind you: the devil hates the language of precious stones very much, as St. Hildegard testified The devil sees in the stones a message of different meaning, and he wants to destroy it, for he perceives in these radiant stones an answer to his pre-fall wonder, and he understands that this brilliance is reflected by fire, and that fire It was his ordeal." He held the ring forward for me to kiss and I fell to my knees. He touched my head: "So, boy, you must forget what you have heard these days. You have entered the noblest and greatest order. I am a member of this order." Master, you must submit to my rule. Take my orders, forget, and may your lips be sealed forever. Swear." I was so inspired that I would have sworn, that it would be impossible for you, my good reader, to now be looking at the record of my fidelity.But at that moment William intervened, perhaps not to stop me from swearing, but just a gut reaction of exasperation to thwart the Abbot from breaking the spell he had cast. "What does the child have to do with this? I ask you a question, I warn you of a danger, I beg you to name me... Now do you want me to kiss the ring too, swear Forget what I know or suspect?" ※Bangchui Academyの重学E书※ "Ah, you..." said the Abbot mournfully, "I do not expect a dervish to know the beauty of our traditions, or to respect the mysteries of silence, secrecy, benevolence... yes, benevolence, and honor, and The oath of silence, the foundation of our order's greatness... You told me a strange story, an unbelievable one. About a forbidden book causing a string of murders, about someone who should know only I Thing... Stories, pointless accusations. Tell me if you want, except no one will believe you, even if some elements of your fantasy story are true... "Well, now everything is under my control again, under my jurisdiction. I will investigate this matter, I have my own methods, I have authority. I made a mistake at first, asking an outsider to investigate I should alone Responsible business; no matter how shrewd and trustworthy he may be. But you understand, as you told me, at first I believed it involved a breach of the vow of chastity, and I wish it was another man to tell me I was in confession What I heard. Well, now you've told me. I'm grateful for what you did or wanted to do. The delegation meeting is over and your mission here is over, I can imagine There must be anxious waiting for you in the palace. A man like you will not deprive himself of his duties. I allow you to leave the monastery. It may be late today, and I don't want you to travel after sunset, because the road is not safe. Go early tomorrow morning. Oh, don't thank me, it's our pleasure to have you here, and it's an honor to host you. Now you can retire with your novices and pack your bags. I'll be there at dawn tomorrow Farewell to you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Of course, you don’t have to continue your investigation, don’t, harass the monks any more. You can go.” This is simply an order to evict customers.William said good-bye and we went down the stairs. I asked, "What's going on here?" I felt like I was in a fog. "Try to come up with a hypothesis. You should have learned by now." "In fact, I've learned that I have to come up with at least two competing hypotheses, both of which are improbable. Well, then..." I swallowed, and making hypotheses made me nervous, "The first hypothesis: The Chief already knows everything, and thinks you'll find out nothing; second assumption: The Chief never suspected anything (I don't know what, because I don't know what's in your heart). However, anyway, He thought it was all about...a quarrel between sodomy monks...and now you opened his eyes and he suddenly understood a terrible thing, thought of a name, and knew exactly what it was Who is to blame for these crimes. But at this juncture he wants to take matters into his own hands, get rid of you, and save the Abbey's reputation." "Yes. You are beginning to understand reasoning. But in both cases you feel that the abbot's concern is the reputation of the monastery. Whether he is the murderer or the next victim, he does not want to slander the holy place." The news of that came out of these mountains. His monks may be killed, but the reputation of the monastery must never be ruined. Ah, this..." William became annoyed, "the bastard son of the feudal lord, who because he would dig for Aquinas The peacock who earned his reputation on the grave, the one who only exists because he wears a ring as big as a glass bottom! Proud, conceited, you Brother Krumniak are all the same, worse than a monarch, more arrogant than a nobleman!" "Teacher..." Unwilling to be humiliated, I called out in a reprimanded tone. "You don't talk. You're not the same. You're not a lot of simple people, or the sons of simple people. If a countryman came, you might welcome him, but from what I saw yesterday, you Hand him over to worldly force without hesitation. But not your own, he will be sheltered. Abo recognizes the villain, stabs him in the treasure cellar, takes his liver out and puts him in the sanctuary In the ossuary, as long as it saves the monastery's reputation... Did a Franciscan friar, a poor believer in Menorit, ever find a rat's nest in this holy place? Ah, no, it's Abo at any cost It can't be allowed. Thank you, brother William, the emperor needs you, and you see what a beautiful ring I wear. Goodbye. But now this challenge is not just between me and Abo, but between us Between and the whole thing. I'm not leaving here until I find out. He wants me to go tomorrow morning, right? Well, it's his monastery after all. But I have to know before tomorrow morning. I must." "You must? Who's forcing you now?" "Nobody ever forced us to know, Adso. We have to, that's all, even if we don't fully understand." I am still confused and humiliated by William's disparaging remarks about my Order and Superior.I tried to defend Abe by proposing a third hypothesis, using a technique that made me feel astute: "You haven't considered the third possibility, sir." I said, "The past few days We noticed, and it was especially evident this morning after Nicholas' confession, and the rumors we heard in the chapel, that a group of Italian monks tolerated the succession of foreign librarians with great reluctance. They accused the abbot of disrespecting tradition, and as far as I understand, they all hid behind the old Alinardo and pushed him to the front as a kind of benchmark, asking the monastery to have a different rule. So, maybe the abbot is afraid of us The revelations of his adversary were just in the possession of a powerful weapon, and he only wished to settle the matter discreetly. . . . " "That's possible, too. But he's still a pompous fool, and he'll kill himself." We went to the corridor.The wind continued unabated and the light faded, although it was only past the ninth hour of prayer.It's almost sunset, and our time is limited. "It's getting late," said William, "and when a man has little time, he must be careful to keep his composure. We must still move as slowly as if there were endless time. I must solve a difficult problem, How to get to 'Africa's End'. Because the final answer must be there. Then we have to save someone, I haven't decided which one. Finally, there may be accidents at the stables, so you have to keep an eye on... you Look at that messy group..." The clearing between the cathedral and the cloister was unusually lively.After a while, a novice ran out from the abbot's residence and rushed to the cathedral.Now Nicholas came out of the kitchen and walked to the dormitory.In one corner, the group from that morning, Ficifeca, Emaro, and Peter, were all discussing enthusiastically with Alinardo, as if trying to convince him. Then they seemed to have a decision.Emaro supported Alinardo, who was still reluctant, and walked with him to the dean's residence.As they entered, Nicholas came out of the dormitory and directed George in the same direction.Seeing the two Italians go in first, he whispered something in George's ear, and the blind old man shook his head.However, they continued on their way to the synagogue. William murmured suspiciously: "The dean is starting to take over the whole situation..." More monks came out of the cathedral; they were all in the scriptorium, led by Benno, who came towards us very anxiously. "There was a lot of commotion in the office," he told us. "No one was working, everyone was talking... What happened?" "What -- that by this morning the most suspicious people were all dead. Before yesterday, everyone was defending the stupid, treacherous and lustful Berengar, then the dubious heretic Remigio, and finally It's the nasty Malachi... Now they don't know who to defend against, so they're all anxious to find an enemy, or a scapegoat. Everyone suspects everyone else. Some are scared, and You too; there are others who decide to scare others. You are all too nervous. Adso, don't forget to check the stables from time to time. I'm going to take a break." I should have been surprised that going back to my room didn't seem like such a wise decision after only a few hours.But now that I know my master well, the more his body relaxes, the more his mind boils.