kingdom of nations

Chapter 301 Whose Responsibility Lies? (Part 1)
Bishop Andrei truly wanted to take over this heavy responsibility for Cesar.

Although the Church's accountability was inevitable, he was at least a high priest of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and the Bishop of Bethlehem. Even if he faced the worst possible outcome and could not exonerate himself from the blame, he could have relinquished all his posts and retreated to a monastery to seek God's forgiveness.

He was old and no longer interested in power; being able to spend the rest of his life peacefully was perhaps a reward rather than a punishment for him.

But things often don't go as planned.

Bethlehem was a small city with a population of about 8,000, but after the miracle of St. Jerome, countless pilgrims came from all directions and crowded into the city, causing the population to multiply day by day, even exceeding the original number of the small city—a rough estimate puts Bethlehem at about 20,000 people today.

Of the 20,000 people, the priests found that about a thousand had contracted malaria—some of whom may have had fever or other illnesses mixed in, but a third of them were seriously ill and could not move on their own like the other patients and had to be carried in.

The priests' quarters attached to the Church of the Nativity were certainly not large enough to accommodate so many patients, so after some consideration, Bishop Andrei decided to send them to the Masaba Monastery.

The Massaba Monastery is perched on a cliff overlooking the verdant Jirun Valley, just three miles from the city center. It was not built by Christians, but by Byzantine Orthodox priests in 483 AD.

It has a famous brass roof, where the remains of Saint Sabba—the immortal ascetic—are kept, along with about 120 other martyred monks.

From the outside, the monastery is unremarkable, even somewhat dilapidated, but it is spacious with many rooms and numerous courtyards and terraces—where patients can rest when necessary.

However, it has one rather strict rule: women are prohibited from entering.

But malaria doesn't discriminate based on age, gender, or age; many patients are women.

However, Bishop Andrei, who already knew about this outdated custom, did not hesitate at all. He waved his hand, and the knights of the Holy Sepulchre swarmed forward, bound these rigid monks, and then carried them out of the Massaba Monastery in a grand procession.

The monks were noisy, of course, but they gradually quieted down as the knights carried them down the steep steps.

Because they saw patients suffering terribly from malaria, some of whom even had to be tied to shields or wooden boards to prevent them from struggling and hurting themselves and others.

“We’ve never encountered anything like this before. Is this really just malaria? Or is it some other terrible plague?” a monk murmured. His companion remained silent for a moment before beginning to pray for the poor people.

Well, originally it was Massaba who had this rule because the monks in the monastery needed to abstain from women, and not allowing women to enter was to prevent them from being tempted. But now they have all been "moved out" of the monastery, so it doesn't matter if there are some ladies living in the monastery.

Bishop Andrei breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the monks of Massaba Monastery had finally calmed down, stopped shouting, and were even willing to do their part for Bethlehem.

Although the Byzantine Empire and the orthodox church under its rule were still allies with the Crusaders, churches and monasteries were always on the most sensitive nerve of religious people.

Another problem that followed was the increasing number of patients.

They had initially identified over a thousand patients, which had already caused some priests to lament.

As the sun rose and the moon set, those patients and their families who had initially been afraid of being deceived by the priests or having ulterior motives were forced to come out. Their symptoms worsened—high fever, convulsions, diarrhea, and vomiting—and could no longer be concealed. Once discovered, they were driven out of their houses and left to collapse in the streets, where they could not endure the alternating torment of the scorching sun and the chill of the night for long.

The number of patients quickly increased from one thousand to two thousand, then from two thousand to three thousand, and continues to rise.

Moreover, the Bethlehem residents who had fled were also driven back.

"It's the Duke of Antioch's army," they said in alarm. "They've blocked all the roads around here."

Those heading towards Damascus encountered the army of the Count of Tripoli, as well as lords from Galilee and other places, who, as if they had anticipated this, blocked every path the Bethlehemites took.

Although the fleeing people repeatedly argued that the outbreak in the city was malaria, not smallpox or the Black Death, if that were the case, why did they flee?
Refusing to stand before the knights' cold spears and the towering city walls, and after their cries, pleas, and threats proved ineffective, they could only return to Bethlehem, where they trembled and locked themselves in their houses, hoping to escape the plague.

But this was clearly not in accordance with the wishes of César and Bishop Andrei—these people were perhaps already ill, and would become ill in the future. Bishop Andrei had previously governed this small town on behalf of Amalric I for over a decade, but he was no different from any other clergyman—people did not fear or hate him, but they also did not trust him much.

So when Bishop Andrei made some demands that the people here couldn't understand, they were unwilling to comply.

Moreover, there are many pilgrims from all over the world here who know nothing about Bishop Andrei.

But whether they were Arrasan or residents of the surrounding area, anyone who passed through those cities must have heard of the Little Saint's reputation, not to mention those who had passed through Cyprus—who had witnessed firsthand how much a benevolent and tolerant lord could bring to his territory.

They had never heard of Bishop Andrei, and were naturally wary of him. They were unwilling to follow his instructions completely, such as not urinating or defecating indiscriminately, not drinking untreated water, and not lying down in places with lush vegetation. Now, when Bishop Andrei was recruiting people, they questioned him. Although cleaning the streets was a way to deal with the plague, they always suspected that the bishop wanted to take the opportunity to drive them away.

Bishop Andrei was equally unable to explain to these people that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes. Although he was willing to believe César, it sounded truly absurd—besides, this was not knowledge that the Church possessed, and if he said that, he would be charged with another crime in the future.

But if he doesn't explain, even if he's willing to pay, no one will be willing to do these things.

A priest couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why not let the little saint do this? These people even kiss the ground he walks on. If he asks them to do something, they will definitely do it."

His words made Bishop Andrei feel that something was amiss, but by then Cesar had already been captured.

He was a Bethlehem merchant who made a living by trading wine. He was not very wealthy, nor did he have any distinguished status.

Several people were carried out of his mansion, including his wife, his mother, and his son. He was the only survivor in the family, clutching his clothes tightly as if to soothe his ravaged heart.

Upon seeing César, his eyes lit up with hope, and he rushed forward, grabbing César's robe tightly and kneeling at his feet.

“Little sage, little sage, please have pity on me,” he cried out earnestly. “Please tell me, you really intend to take them to rest and receive treatment, and not to throw them alive into the valley or into the fire!”

Cesar had to stop. He grabbed the man's arm to try and pull him up, but found him very stubborn—if he used any more force, he might even break the man's bones. He had to reassure him, "Yes, don't worry, this condition is treatable. The monks and priests are taking care of them."

Will they come back? Will they come back to me, healthy and well, just like before?

This is something even César finds difficult to determine.

Although the patient in this family has not yet deteriorated to a critical stage, it is very difficult to distinguish between malignant malaria and mild malaria. All the symptoms of mild malaria can also appear in malignant malaria. By the time the patient begins to have convulsions, collapse, and bleeding, there is almost no chance of recovery.

He did successfully extract a small vial of artemisinin, but he couldn't be sure whether it was a life-saving drug or a deadly poison.

Most patients still have to rely on their own physical condition and will to survive to survive.

He glanced at the man and found him to be a man in his prime, obese and with a healthy complexion. “If you are really worried,” he said, entirely out of kindness, “you can go with the priests to Massaba Monastery to take care of your relatives.”

The hands that were tightly holding his legs suddenly loosened, and the man, pale-faced, took two steps back. "I...I...I...I'll stay here and pray for them."

“Alright, it’s good that you stay here and pray,” Cesar replied kindly, though he could tell that the other’s plea was simply taking advantage of someone else’s money.

Along his journey, although some people who truly loved him insisted on following the priests to the Massaba Monastery, and others offered their meager savings or other valuables as donations to the priests or bribes to the servants, most people, like this man, preferred that others take on the responsibilities they should bear. However, most of them were willing but unable, unlike this man. Judging from his dwelling and clothing, he was not the kind of person who was destitute and penniless.

Cesar could only shake his head helplessly. He continued walking forward. There were still many places and many people he needed to persuade. Fortunately, as long as people saw the little saint, they were willing to believe his words. One patient after another was brought out and handed over to their loved ones amidst their cries.

Others also began to raise torches and light candles to search for places that reflected light. Even in Bethlehem, there were still many places with standing water in the alleys, courtyards, and houses, and these places often bred large numbers of mosquitoes.

(End of this chapter)