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"...and Simon Belmont fought valiantly through the castle, like his ancestors before.
But the lesson today is about the other dangers that lurk in the castle, the ones aside from just monsters and spirits, aside from Dracula himself, even. Something to always be aware of, even in your darkest hour...
Even victory against Dracula cannot guarantee a Belmont safety, or even that his fight has ended. Though, it was so long ago now, we can prepare young Belmonts for a scenario such as his..
Today I'm going to teach you about what can happen if you are...."
The priest's lecture dragged on as Richter fidgeted with the table in front of her, he continued to teach with his back turned, referring to some kind of book every once in a while.
Richter was picking the wood table apart and faintly smirked as a large piece splintered, and she was careful to pull it off in one piece. Time was passing as the child toyed with the piece of wood, pulling it apart more.
A loud slam startled Richter out of her trance. she looked up quickly as she tried not to fret over the splinter it gave her.
"Are you ignoring the lesson!?"
Young Richter stared hopelessly for a few moments, afraid.
"N-no, I just was distracted! I was- I was listening to it-, the-...."
Falling silent, Richter stared more at the angry priest, unsure of how to defend herself. She was listening.. At first.. The priest's eyes locked onto hers was very uncomfortable.
The priest sighed, looking at Richter with exasperation. The young child stared back as if waiting for a verdict. It was scary how these priests behaved.
"This is very important. You *must* pay strict attention to your heritage! What will happen if you're unprepared, Richter."
Richter didn't know how to answer. how was learning about long-dead family members going to be useful? But Richter would never say so to the priests..
"Well, what will happen?!"
Richter's eyes widened, afraid of not having an answer.
"You will die if you are not prepared. Your body will rot while you're living and you will end up in Hell, Richter."
The words were venomous and tears started to well in Richter's eyes staring back at the priest, who huffed at the reaction.
"Listen, I'm telling you this for your own good. We have to teach you how to be a Belmont! It's not your fault that Juste failed you."
It didn't make any sense to Richter, who sat silently thinking about how Juste never failed her. How they already are Belmonts. What does being a Belmont even mean? The tears flowed from her face as the confusion was frustrating and encompassing her.
"Such a weakling. Will you listen to me? These lessons are your only chance at making it out alive."
The priest was referring to Dracula, and Castlevania. but Richter was a child and had hardly any concept of Dracula, or monsters, or death, or rot.. How did Juste fail? Richter continued not to speak, simply unable.
"If you aren't prepared Richter, you will end up like Simon, but you won't make it back."
Richter hated when they spoke of things she didn't know, she looked at the priest confused but with no enthusiasm. The priest continued his lesson as if this was compliance.
"Simon Belmont had successfully defeated Dracula, but what could not be anticipated was the curse that was placed on him, by the dark lord himself.
The scars on poor Simon Belmont sunk deep into his body, and began to rot him from the inside. he was a walking corpse, the Dark Lord's poison taking a hold of him entirely."
Richter stared.
"One day you will be in the castle, Richter. and every day before then you must learn how to fight, and how to win. And if you are met with the same unfortunate fate as Simon Belmont, you must learn how to fix it.
It is not easy, you will need the church's help if you're going to fill the shoes of your ancestors."
It was beginning to settle into Richter's mind.. This was a terrible place, Richter wanted to go home.. But this 'Belmont legacy' thing.. It was the real deal.
"This is life and death. You and the rest of the Belmonts are completely necessary for the survival of everyone. I know Juste has denounced this truth, I'm sure it's very new, but Juste led you to be weak.
God will not allow you into heaven if you cannot learn how to be strong. We are trying to help you, Richter."
Richter was frozen like a statue after the overwhelming fear had previously wracked her body, and now anger, at the notion of Juste making her weak, and the church making her strong.
The priest took this body language as acceptance.
"It seems you understand. Richter, this is how God shows that he loves you. Through this pain and unfamiliarity, you will emerge righteously."
Richter understood that no matter what was true, or how she felt, that what the priest described would come for her too. This repression, was it really what God wanted for the Belmonts.
The priest went on with his lesson.