Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 530 Calming the Raging Spirit (Part Twelve)
Upon hearing Kaman's words, Winters also became alert.

Earlier at the banquet, when the old man Hed bowed to the surroundings, many of the Wendor tribe members also stood up to return the bow. At that time, Winters had already keenly sensed that something was amiss.

"Damn it!" Winters thought to himself. "That old man said they make a living by providing 'necessities' to other tribes. Could the 'necessities' he's talking about be sacraments?"

But when facing Father Kaman, he adopted a dismissive attitude.

"Don't say it came a thousand years ago, so what if it came ten thousand years ago?" Winters asked casually. "What does it have to do with the current Herd tribes? What impact could it have on the present?"

Sure enough, Kaman took the bait. Seeing Winters's unmoved attitude, Kaman was furious.

“You…you…you are too arrogant! You faithless one!” Father Kaman, who had just been trying to appear profound, had his emotional defenses crumble once again:

"Can't you use your insensitive brain to think for a moment? What does it mean for the Catholic Church that a heretical sect that is recognized as extinct is found to be thriving in a land belonging to barbarians and pagans?"

Kaman's face turned bright red as he finished speaking a long string of words in one breath.

Winters once again demonstrated the qualities of an excellent tactical commander, accurately seizing the opportunity when Kaman took a breath and interjecting at the opportune moment.

He meticulously corrected Kaman: "Father, if I were you, I wouldn't use 'living well' to describe that old man's Ayinle."

"That's not the point at all!" The felt tent wasn't soundproof, so Kaman tried his best not to shout, and his voice became a little hoarse:
"The key point is that we all believe that the Arians have been extinct, that they, who adhered to heretical beliefs, were rejected by the Lord and eventually vanished into thin air."

"But the existence of that old man not only proves that the Arians are still alive, but also that they took root in this land earlier than you, earlier than me, earlier than the Catholic Church, earlier than the new settlers, and possibly even earlier than the Platonic people who began to live a settled life!"
Kaman grew increasingly angry as he spoke: "I don't understand how much of our doctrine has been mixed into the Hed people's faith, nor do I understand how much of our teachings are left in that old man's faith. You... you've served me a hodgepodge, yet you know nothing about it yourself..."

"What's wrong with a mixed stew?" Winters roared. "A mixed stew is the best!"

"Don't try to ramble on!" Kaman's back teeth were practically grinding to powder.

"Take back your insult to the mixed stew first!"

Kaman abruptly ripped off his left sleeve and, without a word, wrapped it around his fist.

"Alright, alright, alright..." Winters understood that Priest Kaman had wrapped his fist in cloth to prevent himself from being beaten to death, and he was so moved that tears streamed down his face—of course, it was his swollen eye. He quickly surrendered: "Look at you, so impatient!"

Kaman didn't speak, nor did he untie the sleeves wrapped around his fists.

“However, don’t overreact.” Winters continued cautiously, “They’re all just pretending to be supernatural… well, they’re all just crafts that satisfy some kind of human need. They influence each other, isn’t that normal? If you pour wine into water, then the wine and water will naturally mix together and become inseparable.”

Winters paused for a moment, then quipped, "That's quite in line with the doctrines of the Arians."

Kaman looked at Winters's intact eye.

“However,” Winters immediately returned to the main point, “according to you, the Arians have been spreading among the Hed tribes for who knows how many years, which means this matter is not a big deal. You don’t need to worry about it too much.”

“No. It’s not a big deal, it’s just that nobody knew.” Kaman’s tone was serious. “Now that I know, it’s different.”

"What do you mean?" Winters feigned surprise. "Are you implying that I should silence you?"

“Yes.” Kaman stretched his shoulders. “Come on.”

“What are you thinking? How could I possibly do that?” Winters said sternly, solemnly warning Kaman, “Remember, don’t make jokes like that again.”

Kaman gave a cold laugh.

“But then again, I still don’t understand. Even if you knew, what difference would it make?” Winters, though the one with the more swollen facial tissue in this conversation, was also the one controlling the pace of the conversation. He steered the topic back on track and asked nonchalantly, “So what if the Arians spread here a thousand years ago?”

Winters joked, "Are you trying to tell me that just because you know about this, the Heds of the Great Wilderness have suddenly become believers of your Lord? And heretics of the Catholic Church?" Unexpectedly, Kaman replied with a serious expression, "I didn't say they were all."

Winters carefully examined Kaman's expression to make sure the latter wasn't joking.

“Are you really considering… including the Heds in your flock?” Winters found it utterly absurd.

“Of course not.” Kaman shook his head.

Winters had just breathed a sigh of relief when Kaman spoke again.

“This matter can only be decided by His Holiness the Pope,” Kaman said solemnly. “Which Hed people are believers? Which Hed people are heretics? Which of the believers are heretics? Which are pure sheep? These are questions of great importance and are not for me to comment on. I must report to the Archbishop and submit this matter to the College of Cardinals and His Holiness the Pope for holy judgment.”

Winters knew from the look in Kaman's eyes that Kaman's attitude was serious and unwavering.

“Friend,” Winters sighed, rubbing his swollen eyes with distress, “you’re going to get me into big trouble.”

“I’m sorry.” Kaman lowered his head, his shoulders slumped, and he said apologetically, “It’s my duty and responsibility.”

“Alright.” Winters understood that Kaman had made up her mind, so he didn’t dwell on it and smiled, spreading his hands: “Then that’s the only way.”

“You…” Kaman looked up, somewhat incredulously, and asked, “Aren’t you going to try to convince me?”

Will I be able to convince you?

"……Won't."

"That settles it then?" Winters sighed heavily again. "What can I do when I can neither convince you nor bear to silence you?"

Kaman nearly choked to death on his own saliva.

“However,” Winters said seriously, “I also have a suggestion, and I hope you will listen to it.”

“I knew it…” This time it was Kaman’s turn to sigh.

"It's just a suggestion, nothing more."

"explain."

Winters hesitated for a moment, then said with restraint and caution, “Before you report to your bishop, I hope you will inform the Reformed Order that you will report this to the College of Cardinals.”

Kaman's voice was weak: "I've said it many times, the Reformed Order no longer exists..."

“Reformist Order, conservative Order… call it whatever you want, wear whatever skin you want, no need for word games, you know what I’m talking about.” Winters waved his hand, interrupting Kaman: “I’m just suggesting that you consult your ‘friends’ before giving your formal report.”

Kaman was silent for a moment, then asked with a furrowed brow, "Why? I've already told you, the mission of the Reformed Order does not include missionary work, and that old man's church has no connection with the Reformed Order."

"How can you be so sure there's no connection?" Winters' gaze sharpened as he pressed on. "You just said, 'I don't know.' If you and I can find traces of the Arians, wouldn't the Reformed Order monks find them too? How can you be so sure that the Reformed Order monks won't have any dealings with these Arian followers?"

Kaman fell silent again, and after a moment, he looked up: "I can't guarantee you anything."

“It’s alright.” Winters smiled and spread his hands. “Just do what you think is right. That’s enough.”

[While it's often said that heretics are more despicable than infidels, this isn't always the case.]
[Generally speaking, the Roman Catholic Church is very strict about heresy within its ranks. If a believer is found to hold heretical views and does not repent, they will be executed.]
[However, the prerequisite is being identified as holding heretical beliefs and not repenting. In times of more lenient external environment, the Roman Catholic Church was very cautious and tolerant in identifying heresy, and would give another chance as long as the heretic was willing to repent; they would not easily kill someone.]
Conversely, when the church faces severe external challenges, its attitude towards heresy becomes less lenient, and its methods become extremely harsh.
The book "Cheese and Maggots" tells the story of a 16th-century believer who was labeled a heretic, how he was forgiven, and how he was once again sent to the stake during a harsh era.
[Regarding offshore heresies, the Roman Catholic Church typically displays tolerance and a highly pragmatic approach. For example, when the Portuguese colonists first arrived in India, they mistook Hindus for some kind of heretical Christian, so they very magnanimously indicated that as long as they returned to the right path and expelled the Muslims, that would be sufficient. There was no call for violence; they were very rational and very tolerant.] [(Quoted because quotation marks can cause garbled text.)]