Chapter 9: Baptism
Before the Morning Star had risen and before any light appeared, George climbed out from the shed where he lived.
With the help of Priest Corleon, he had built a small shed outside the church as his dwelling.
The church was not large; besides the main hall, there was only the back room where Corleon resided.
Although there was a side room for storage, it was too narrow to be habitable.
Moreover, George believed that the main hall of the church was meant for praying to the Lord, not for human habitation; to live there would be disrespectful to the Lord.
Today was the day he would receive baptism.
After the baptism, he would receive from Priest Corleon the trial bestowed by the Lord, as well as the Commandments, and he would become a monk who practiced in accordance with the Commandments.
Since crawling out from the pile of corpses, George believed that his life had been preserved by the Lord’s protection.
Looking at his injuries, despite being mortally wounded, he had, in a state of near unconsciousness, instinctively clutched the Emblem of the Lord of Hosts and returned to the Flower Church from the Lundex territory within a day and night.
How could this not be considered a miracle?
George felt that this was a miracle granted by the Lord, and for this, he would dedicate the remainder of his life to serving the Lord.
‘The Lord said, one must wash away the filth of the body with clean water, and more importantly, cleanse the stains of the soul with repentance, for your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and must not harbor the worms of lust; it must be kept holy until the end.’
This was a verse recited by Priest Corleon during prayers.
According to Priest Corleon, this was the Lord’s admonition he received in a dream, summarized from his dialogue with the Lord, and it was something that priests serving the Lord should study and remember.
George remembered this, so before preparing for his baptism, he wanted to cleanse his body; he did not want to receive baptism in such filth.
He did not use the church’s well water for cleansing, as it was sacred and should not be defiled by his own filth.
He went to a stream two miles away.
He heard a sound like a beast’s low growl.
Was it a wolf? Or a bear?
Then came a ‘clack clack’ sound, like hard objects colliding.
His body trembled instinctively with fear.
In the eyes of wild beasts, humans were also on their menu.
Muttering the prayer he had memorized from Priest Corleon, he limped away from the area as quickly as possible.
He only relaxed once he felt safe.
He took off his clothes and stepped naked into the water, his body still bearing scars from where arrows had been removed.
The icy stream water made George shiver all over.
His teeth chattered as he scooped up the stream water, reciting the Lord’s teachings and scrubbing the dirt from his body.
……
As the Morning Star rose, Corleon, having eaten a piece of black bread, pushed open the church doors and glanced at George’s shed, but did not see George’s figure.
However, Corleon was not concerned; he could sense George’s piety.
He fully opened the church doors to let the wind carry away the stuffy dampness inside.
Corleon laid out the saffron he had collected over the past few days from beneath the Lord’s Throne all the way outside the church, forming a Flower Path.
He placed a wooden cross strung with grass rope under the Lord’s Throne, set up a wooden basin filled with Holy Water on a wooden stand beside the Lord’s Throne, and waited outside the church.
He did not have to wait long before George came limping toward the church.
“Priest Corleon,” George greeted, slightly out of breath, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.
Looking him over, his body was already clean, his brown hair combed, revealing an ordinary face—sallow, thin, with sparse beard—but his eyes were bright and full of hope.
“It seems you are ready,” Corleon said with a smile.
“Yes, I am ready to receive baptism and face the Lord’s trial,” George replied.
“Very well, then please walk along this Flower Path and kneel before the Lord’s Throne,” Corleon said.
“Yes, Priest Corleon.”
Corleon stepped aside, allowing George to step onto the Flower Path first.
George would never forget the moment he stepped onto the Flower Path.
It felt as if he were walking on clouds, with a gentle force lifting him until he reached the Lord’s Throne.
“Lord, your follower George kneels devoutly before you,” George knelt down.
Corleon quietly approached the side of the Lord’s Throne, dipped his fingers into the Holy Water, and sprinkled it onto George.
“May the Lord’s grace cover you; this water shall wash away the bloodstains you bear and cleanse your eyes that have witnessed bloodshed and hands that have wielded weapons.”
“From now on, you are no longer a warrior of the battlefield but a subject under the Lord’s gaze. May peace be with you until the journey of this life ends.”
As Corleon recited the prayer, George’s body trembled, and tears fell from his eyes.
“Lord, your follower George will devoutly listen to your teachings and uphold them as his creed,” he murmured.
“Alright, rise, George,” Corleon said, helping George to his feet. Under George’s tearful gaze, he picked up the cross from beneath the Lord’s Throne.
“This is the sacred cross, linking heaven and earth, past and future, others and self. Now I bestow this cross upon you and declare the trial the Lord has given you.”
“Henceforth, you shall maintain your purity; when encountering the weak, you must help them; when facing evil, you must purify it. You must not lose courage; you must not break your oath.”
“Those who uphold the Commandments, the Lord will fill your body with strength. The holy oak shall be your sturdy shield and sharp blade; the evil you face shall crawl before you.”
“Those who forsake the Commandments will lose the Lord’s Blessing; the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom will close to you and will not open thereafter.”
“This shall be your Commandment, which Monk George must bear and uphold throughout his life.”
“So, George, are you willing to accept the trial the Lord has given you?”
Corleon looked at George.
Originally, he had intended to give George some Commandments requiring ascetic practice, such as fasting, but the suspected presence of werewolves made him change his mind.
He needed enough strength to protect himself and the church, and someone who claimed to be the Lord’s priest but lacked genuine faith could not practice powerful Commandments.
The Commandments were potent; Corleon had taken on the Commandment · Toward Life and could feel his physical strength increasing over the past few days.
Perhaps now he would not lose in a contest of strength with a Knight’s Squire.
But the negative effects of the Commandments were also strong; once violated, one would become weaker than a child in a short time.
Therefore, he could only place his hopes on George.
During this time, the thread of faith connecting George to the light orb had become more solid, now faintly golden; just by looking at it, Corleon could feel its resilience.
So, he took a gamble and gave George an extremely stringent Commandment.
Even without entering the world of light where the light orb resided, he could feel the light orb surging, as if something was being nurtured.
“I am willing to accept the Lord’s trial and uphold it with my life,” George responded without hesitation.