Chapter 482 — The Newspaper Comes First
Blade of Dawn · Page 4 of 4
The more Benny watched, the more frightened he became. He thought this solitary old man had probably truly lost his mind, and so he quietly edged backward, preparing to slip away without a fuss. But before he could shift his feet, the eccentric old cobbler called out to him: "Boy! Tell me—this stuff in the paper is all nonsense, isn't it?!"
Benny shrank back again. He summoned his courage and raised his head, ready to give a casual reply and be on his way—but in the instant he looked up, the half-grown boy froze in astonishment.
He saw that the eccentric, reclusive old widower's eyes were glaring wide, his eye sockets frighteningly red, and that cold, ever-stern face was wholly twisted with pain.
"It's all nonsense! It must be nonsense!" Old Tom clutched the paper, which was nearly crumpled into a ball in his hands, yet his voice began to tremble. "They told me... told me... the moment the gold coins jingle, my name goes up into the Kingdom of God, and Martha will be waiting for me there..."
Benny blinked. He did not know what this old cobbler was talking about, but his gaze swept across the newspaper in his own hands. There, the words written by the "theological commentator" signing himself "the White Knight" were plain and clear:
"...They are skilled at using all manner of unverifiable empty promises to swindle believers out of their money. The most common claims are of several kinds... the moment the gold coins jingle, one can reserve a place for oneself in the Kingdom of God, or send the soul of a recently deceased loved one into the Kingdom of God. But in truth this has no connection whatsoever with the teachings of the Holy Light...
"In the original scriptures of the Holy Light, there is in fact a clear statement regarding the redemption of souls. Yet the clergy never let ordinary people see this portion, or never interpret it in detail..."
Old Tom's emotions seemed to finally calm a little. His eyes were still red, but he no longer cursed. Instead he lifted the newspaper and swiftly read through its contents once more.
"Bah."
He spat to one side, then seemed to hesitate over whether to throw the newspaper away; in the end, however, he stuffed it inside his clothes, hunched over, and shuffled slowly off.
Benny watched this scene in bewilderment, then noticed that more people around him were holding newspapers too.
People had gathered in twos and threes, discussing what was in the papers; some looked anxious, some wore angry faces, and some simply looked confused.
No one seemed to react as violently as old Tom, yet they were all unquestionably absorbed in the newspaper's contents, and many who had no paper in hand appeared to be asking those beside them what was going on.
Benny thought it over, and suddenly he knew what he ought to do.
He held the newspaper in his hand high aloft, strained his throat, and began shouting at the top of his voice: "Papers! Papers! The new Cecil Weekly! Come and have a look! The inside story of how the Church runs! First-hand news!"