Peter moves around uncomfortably in his chair for a while, then he opens his mouth.

‘For us, naturally it is true. But like most miracles, these cannot be proven with evidence either. We preserve them only in our memories, and in the codex of our Faith. But let me ask you this. Is it any different in other religions?’

The host nods understandingly, and looks at his notes.

‘Let’s talk about the Sunless Slaves a little.’

Peter . . .

. . . sighs deeply at the funeral. The priest stands up from the floor, his face soaked in sweat, his hands trembling, his face a map of pain. He screams at the crowd in a high-pitched voice.

‘Ans’ra’ktha nu!’

The mourners are kneeling in the church, their eyes fixed upon the corpse. This is the time, this is when the Jaw of Saturn opens up and either swallows his children or spits them out. Now is the moment when the miracle can happen, now the Great Lord can open his eyes.

‘But there is something else,’ says Leila in the tent years ago. ‘And this always happens. So they say.’

Richárd pulls out another cigarette from the pack and offers one to Leila as well. Leila doesn’t even notice the movement.

‘The Great Lord always walks among us in one shape or another, at every funeral. No one knows what his disguise is. No one can see him. But at the end of the funeral he reveals himself to one mourner only. The mourner can never talk about what the Great Lord says or shows him or her.’

Richárd lets out a deep sigh.

‘So there is no evidence of that either.’

Leila clenches her fist, her nails cutting into the skin.

Silence reigns in the church. The rustling of the wind is the only sound. Leila’s every muscle is tense, as if her body were preparing to make an escape. Csabi’s heart is pounding so hard that he fears the others will hear it, hear the traitor’s heart as it tries to explode from his body. Peter thinks about all the funerals, dozens and dozens of corpses that were not honored by the Great Lord’s miracle. But maybe this time, either out of love because Márti has made the faith widely accepted, or out of hate for making the rituals bloodless with that move. The Great Lord certainly cannot remain indifferent now.

His decision is this. If the Great Lord reveals himself, if the Jaw of Saturn closes, if the miracle happens, then Peter will not murder again. If the Great Lord allows the human eye to see his wonders, then old Peter will find comfort in the certainty that his faith is not in vain and deny himself the joy of spilling blood.