Metropolitan

The room in which Guzokh had been staying for the last month was not cramped, even though there was almost no space. It was more than modestly furnished: an oak bed, an oak table and chair, and only one chair. There were a few kerosene candlesticks and a large panel with a picture of the Black Stone on the entire wall.

Guzokh remembered the times he had spent in his cell when he was still a novice in the seminary. He had been studying the ancient rules of the Zhakh and the Silan-Zhakh code, which was still in its infancy and which was destined for a great future.

All the priests had great expectations of how their lives would change when Silan-Zhakh was introduced universally. It would mean the consolidation of the Church's role in all areas of plague life. Then the Holy Inquisition would be able to hold weeks of penance unannounced and more than once a year in the same place, and the guilty could be mercilessly destroyed. In addition, the priest-patriarch and priest-metropolitans will not be able to refuse to visit any place in the plague empire, and no service will be able to prevent an inquest made personally by any of them. Only 7 plagues will be able to wield such power, but still it is a sure step towards fixing the supremacy of the Church. And then we can breathe a sigh of relief that we have finally nipped heresy in the bud. Before it spreads to us all.

Guzokh remembered his prayers then, and piously believed that if he was ever honored to become a Metropolitan Priest, he would certainly not miss a single heretic, and would uphold with dignity the sacred foundations of the Zhakh faith, the belief in the omnipotence of the Black Stone.

Neuroch, now a priest-patriarch, had been a year older than he was, and was characterized by two complementary traits: a tendency to persuade with emotion, and an ability to hold the strings of leadership in his hands. In Guzokh's opinion, however, he did not fully understand the foundations of the faith, but he knew the Code of Silan-Jah, with its new administrative rules and regulations, by heart.

It did not seem strange at the time. Indeed, the Black Stone gave some people the ability to understand the faith and interpret it with reason, others to convince them of its correctness, and others to put it down on paper. The Black Stone gave some of them the ability to understand the faith and interpret it with reason, others to convince them of its correctness, and others to put it on paper.

In time, they even began to rise together in their careers, and Guzokh was even the first to become a metropolitan, and then he helped Nevrokh in this. It seemed very important to him that someone could persuade when real arguments didn't work, when someone simply didn't want to listen to you… Neurokh always had to listen. It always turned out that any conversation, even knowingly useless, turned into a passionate dispute, where Nevroh brought the situation to the boiling point several times and, thus exhausting the opponent, tilted everything in his favor. It was very useful and effective.

Neurochus was given the position of metropolitan priest in charge of the SFC and the higher administration. And at this point he argued and debated. On almost every occasion, trying to sway those around him to allegiance to the new code of Silan-Zhah. But his activities during the weeks of repentance among the SCK looked very strange. It seemed incomprehensible to Guzokh even then. How could you conduct such purges of heresy and not punish almost anyone among the layers of the plagues entrusted to you. It was the lower ranks or those who had already been accused of embezzlement who were at risk. All the powerful rhetoric about a holy campaign against heresy in the SCK for the good of the Black Stone turned out to be a blatant eyewash, at least that's how Guzokh saw it.

He personally knew some of the chums in the SCK apparatus who deserved at least close scrutiny and interrogation because of their open rejection of Silan-Jah in particular and the Jah faith in general. It was as if they didn't consider Jah to be anything important in their lives, much less guided by its principles in general. And Nevrokh had no questions for them. And even his predecessor in one of the cases punished the head of the SCK of the whole column.

And soon Nevrochus became priest-patriarch. The previous patriarch announced that due to his age, he could not fully fulfill his duties and appointed the one who, according to him, deserved it most of all, as he was watching over the sobriety of mind and sanity in our most important circles of the SCK and higher administration, that is Nevrokh… There was nothing to be done about it. Moreover, Guzokh could not oppose such a decision, and then not support Nevrokh in the approval of the patriarch, because once he himself had nominated him for the place of metropolitan. He could only hope that, having become patriarch, he would no longer flirt with someone else on the side.

Now, when Guzokh was in the Krito sector of the Donetsk-Makeyevka group and saw how he was ostentatiously received by the SSK and quietly surrounded on all sides by its agents, it began to seem to him that he had once very much underestimated Nevrokh. The Scekists would never have allowed him to become patriarch, being unsure if it was to their advantage. And when he showed that he would play by their rules and got his place, he started his already hidden war for power with the SCC. All the same hypocritical and despicable, but hardly anyone could think of anything more effective.

And as it happened, Guzokh himself was to be one of the bargaining chips in such a war. On the one hand, it didn't really hurt his feelings – after all, one should always be prepared for something hard when dealing with religion. But on the other hand – it wasn't for Neuroch to decide who to trade. In reality, he's not even worthy of being a priest, let alone a patriarch. He's too overbearing and has absolutely no faith in what he professes publicly. And now Guzoh was already afraid that in time the Church would simply become a new SCK just under a different banner.

The door to the room opened without knocking and Samokh entered. I didn't expect to see him here and now, but on the other hand, when in the whole group "Donetsk-Makeyevka" there were only SCKs left from the chums, it would be logical to assume the appearance of the metropolitan, who is responsible for them.

Samoh closed the door behind him and stared glumly at the décor: the furniture, the blacksmoked candlesticks and panels.

–There's no place to sit down. – Samoh grinned. – I see you're used to it, Brother Priest Guzokh… They couldn't spare me.

–You think too much about material things. – Guzokh saw these open taunts, and they did not offend him at all. – Have you come for a week of penance?

Samokh laughed. And in his laughter and especially in his eyes, it was obvious that he had known for a long time that the deadline for the new week of penance was not yet at hand, and that Guzokh obviously could not have known about it when he had come here. It's all planned out. He's definitely playing along with his patron. And it would be strange if Nevroh put someone in his former position who is not loyal to him. And now his own hands will clean up what he didn't clean up himself, now completely unafraid of the consequences. In case of what happens, he will simply appoint a new metropolitan and will exterminate heresy and everything dissenting in the SCK with renewed vigor.

–Who needs it, this week? No…" Samoh replied. – I'm not here for that. You can keep this private method to yourself… I'm just passing through. I came to see an old friend.

Guzokh was almost twenty-five years older than Samokh, and certainly never considered him a friend. He hadn't seen him in action yet, but the rumors were unequivocal. Samokh hit his opponents rarely, but he hit them hard. Only when he was sure of his complete superiority. A very suitable method against special services.