The wine cellar was damp, with beads of water seeping from the stone walls.
More than a dozen monks were squeezed into this lightless place. A single tallow lamp sat on a wooden barrel, barely lighting their worried faces.
"This is the situation." Matteo slammed his fist on the barrel, and the flame jumped three times. "That letter is almost certainly forged!"
The monks stayed silent. Wooden cups were clutched in their hands, filled with cellar wine.
"Think about it. What kind of man is the bishop? Why would he send some greenhorn to be abbot of this poor backwater?"
A young monk named Antonio spoke quietly. "But… but he has the bishop's appointment letter. And the seal."
"The seal!" Matteo sneered. "Seals can be forged too! You've seen too little of the world, so you don't know how bold city swindlers are! They even dare to forge noble crests!"
"He is too young." Another elderly monk spoke. His name was Philip. He copied scriptures for a living and had seen more than most. "I have lived sixty years and never seen an abbot this young. He looks barely older than my youngest grandson."
That line stirred agreement.
"Exactly. Not even fully grown."
"All day long he stays with village widows and young wives, calling it 'hearing confessions.'"
"Since he arrived, evening prayer time has been shortened. What kind of order is that."
Matteo watched them with satisfaction. This was the effect he wanted.
"So we can't wait any longer. If we do, St. Lucia Monastery will be ruined by this fraud! We are saving the Lord's property!"
He pulled out a rolled piece of parchment.
"I drafted a joint letter to the Bishop of Florence. It lays out our doubts and asks him to investigate Giovanni's identity."
All eyes fixed on the parchment.
Going to Florence to accuse someone was no small matter.
What if…
What if that Giovanni was real?
Then they would be openly defying authority and questioning the bishop's decision. The consequences would be severe.
At best, exile. At worst, labeled heretics and sent to the stake.
"Who will deliver the letter?" Antonio asked again.
That question was worse than the letter itself.
The road from St. Lucia village to Florence was dangerous. There were deserters. There were bandits.
More importantly, the messenger would be risking his life.
Matteo scanned the room and saw only retreating faces. He cursed them as cowards in his heart but showed nothing on his face.
"The one who delivers it will be the hero of St. Lucia Monastery. We will all remember his deed."
A hero?
No one wanted to be that hero.
If the abbot turned out to be genuine, all blame would fall on the messenger.
Matteo was about to push further when the cellar door suddenly opened.
Two people stood at the entrance.
One was the new abbot, Giovanni da Fiesole.
He held a glass lantern ten times brighter than their tallow lamp. The light bathed his handsome face like that of an angel. A gentle and compassionate smile rested on him, as if he had just finished a pleasant sermon.
The other was Luca, the young monk Giovanni had personally promoted as his assistant.
His head was lowered. He dared not look at anyone inside.
The cellar fell into deathlike silence.
The monks were like rats trapped in a granary, panicked and with nowhere to run.
Matteo reacted first. He pointed at Luca and shouted, "Traitor! You shameless traitor! You brought him here?"
Luca shuddered and shrank closer to the abbot.
Giovanni handed the lantern to him, then stepped forward into the dim circle of light.
"Matteo, you misunderstand Luca. He did not betray you. I forced him to bring me."
Everyone froze.
Giovanni gently stroked Luca's head.
"Luca is a good child. He saw you gathering here and felt something was wrong. He feared you might be tempted by Satan and commit an unforgivable sin. So he came to me, not to sell you out, but to save your souls. How can that be called 'betrayal.' This is called 'loyalty.' Loyalty to the Lord, to the Church, and to his brothers."
These words made Luca lift his head. Tears shimmered in his eyes.
The other monks looked at one another.
They had thought Luca was a petty informer. Now, after the abbot's words, his actions seemed almost noble.
Matteo, however, trembled with rage.
Turning black into white. This Giovanni really was a devil who played with people's hearts.
"You…"
He pointed at him. "Stop your sweet talk! You know exactly why we are here!"
"Yes. I know."
Giovanni pulled over an empty barrel from the side and sat down.
"You are discussing how to remove me."
The moment the words fell, panic spread through the monks. Their hearts sank, their legs went weak, and they all thought a storm was coming.
That he would punish them as abbot and crush these so-called rebels.
But it did not happen.
Giovanni just smiled.
There was no mockery and no anger, only the tolerance of an elder toward children who had made mistakes.
"My brothers," he said softly. "I understand how you feel. I arrived suddenly, and the bishop's appointment did not inform you in advance. It is natural for you to doubt me and my background."
He looked at Matteo with sincere eyes.
"Matteo, I know your loyalty to this monastery. You fear I am a fraud who will destroy this place. That concern is not a sin. On the contrary, it proves your devotion to the Lord."
Matteo had prepared to curse Giovanni and fight to the end.
Instead, it felt like punching cotton. He was stuck and frustrated.
The other monks were stunned as well.
They had imagined countless outcomes. None of them were like this.
The new abbot did not scold them.
He even… praised them.
"The Lord teaches us to test all things."
"Doubt is not frightening. What is frightening is letting doubt blind you and missing the grace the Lord offers."
Giovanni stood and walked up to Matteo.
He was a head taller.
He looked down at the furious old man, his eyes filled with pity, like one looking at a lost lamb.
"You wish to remove me and send someone to Florence to verify my identity. This is good."
"It shows you are not numb. You still care about the future of this monastery."
"So I do not blame you. Not a single one of you."
He spread his arms, as if to embrace everyone present.
"The Lord loved the world so much that He gave His only son, so that all who believe in Him shall not perish, but gain eternal life."
"As His servant, how could I not love you."
"You are all my brothers. No matter what you have done or said, as long as your hearts still turn toward the Lord, you will always be my brothers."
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