Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

44 – 44. Beast (9)

A day had passed.

I tried to calm my anxious heart and carefully examined the relic I had brought yesterday.

“The relics brought directly from the Holy Empire by Priest Peter, the censer of Saint Jerome and the bell of Saint Theresa. Every single one of them was a precious relic without exception.

I have seen them in the Bible, or heard of them in rumors, but it was my first time seeing the actual objects.

It was a significant gain for us and at the same time, it was like a piece of good news that gave us hope. If it weren’t for these items not being available in the Holy Empire, we would have had to request relics and it would have taken at least a week for them to arrive here.

And so, it was when I carefully placed the relics into the wooden box.

Crash! Bang!

Suddenly, with a tremendous noise, Sophia Buse burst into the office. I stared at her, breathing heavily.

“Sophia Buse. What’s the matter?”

“Chief Priest! It, it’s here!”

What Sophia Buse handed to me, as she gasped for breath, was none other than a letter.

Finally, it has arrived.

I calmly accepted the letter handed to me by Sophia Buse. When I opened the envelope, I saw an official document stamped with the seal of the Diocesan Cathedral.

“A papal dispensation….”

It was a papal dispensation sent from the Episcopal Seat of the Diocese. Contrary to my expectations that it would arrive within two days at the earliest, the handling of matters at the Episcopal Seat was much faster than I thought.

Well, given that the situation had become so uncontrollable, it must have been quite a challenging situation for the Diocesan Vicar in charge of the Diocese.

If we couldn’t resolve this matter quickly, it would be no different for the Diocesan Vicar considering the next candidate for Pope to cross the line.

“Where are the items I requested?”

“Right here.”

Sophia Buse handed me a box with a handle. I slowly opened the box.

“Hmm….”

Inside the box were items that would be useful for the papal ceremony, three holy water bottles labeled ‘Samadan River’, two pieces of charcoal made from aged olive wood, consecrated candles, a holy water basin and ladle, a hand mirror, a crucifix the size of an arm, a large iron clamp, and consecrated incense and extra incense.

The iron clamp must have been sent to prepare for the moment the heretic jolts, and the incense could be used to bind the heretic’s arms and legs. I nodded as I closed the box.

It was satisfying to see that the preparations were much more thorough than I had thought. It seemed that the Diocesan Vicar of the Diocese preferred meticulous handling of tasks.

And I was no different. This time, I would definitely uproot the problem.

“Very well. Have you prepared the salt?”

“Yes. Heh… here it is!”

Sophia Buse presented a hefty pouch of salt. It didn’t seem like such a large amount would be necessary, but Sophia Buse explained that she brought it generously because the future was unpredictable.

“…Excellent.”

“Ehehe….”

Sophia Buse chuckled, scratching her head as if something had come to mind.

“Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I should mention.”

I shifted my gaze away from the box containing the tools of the trade and looked at Sofia Buje. Sofia Buje spoke with a stern expression.

“I found the whereabouts of Father Pedro and Sister Camila. They were discovered in Sister Camila’s dorm room, both of them in a state of unconsciousness.”

“Where have they been moved to?”

“Professor Esther and student Chloe, along with Laura, happened to be passing by the faculty dorms. With their help, we moved Father Pedro to his room.”

“Well done.”

Considering the likely stench of rotting flesh from Malodoro, it was quite remarkable that they managed to move Father Pedro despite that. I stood up, thinking that I should express my gratitude separately to the three who helped Sofia Buje.

After putting the permit in my pocket, I lifted the wooden box containing relics and the adjacent box. With the rosary around my neck, I was fully prepared.

“Let’s go. To defeat the devil.”

“Uh… yes!”

We left the professor’s office.

And the destination’s end was, of course, the faculty dormitory.

* * * * *

It was damp. Silent. Dry.

And eerie.

All these thoughts revolved around the 7th-floor corridor of the faculty dormitory at the Chaldea Imperial Academy. I took a slow step forward.

“I-It’s starting to get dark…”

Sofia Buje mumbled as she looked out the window. Perhaps due to the approaching summer, the sun stubbornly left its traces. The late spring evening was still a time when the sunlight had an impact.

But soon, it would be night. If the day with the sun rising is a time of burgeoning life, night is the time when darkness, a byproduct of shadows, approaches.

So, it’s the most suitable time for them to reveal themselves.

I stopped walking and peered out the corridor window. As I stopped, Sofia Buje, who was walking beside me, also stopped.

“Why are you doing that?”

“…Crows.”

“Yes?”

– Caw! Caw! Caw!

Dozens of crows simultaneously spread their wings and flew into the sky. The sheer number of them was overwhelming, covering the faint light that illuminated the sky.

Among them, I felt as if my eyes met with the crow at the forefront, leading the flock.

It was a crimson-glowing eye. Truly, an eye that could be called the evil eye.

“What, what’s going on? Why are there suddenly so many crows…”

“They’re watching us. Through the eyes of beasts.”

I stared at the spot where the crow flock had passed for a long time. They had vanished from sight. The vast sky still couldn’t erase the traces left by the sun.

“They use shallow salt.”

That must have been the final warning—a warning no different from their mischief, telling me not to step any further. I chuckled softly.

It was regrettable. I had no intention of leaving the demons hidden in the academy untouched. I lifted my foot again.

After walking for a while, the familiar entrance door I had seen before appeared. I stood in front of one of them.

It was Camilla’s dormitory. My plan was to tie up Camilla first to ensure she couldn’t escape, and then deal with Father Pedro.

Explaining my plan, Sophia, with a curious expression, asked me, “Is it not allowed to tie up Sister Camilla first?”

“Sophia, who among them is the most likely to be the leader demon, based on what the head priest said?”

“Well… according to the head priest, it would be Father Pedro.”

“That’s right.”

I slowly opened the entrance door of Camilla’s dormitory. The stench was less intense than what I had smelled in Father Pedro’s room before.

As I entered the room first, Sophia, covering her nose with her sleeve, followed behind me and asked, “Oh… so that’s how it is?”

“When you tie up the leader demon, the power of the other demons following the leader weakens. It will greatly help in dealing with them.”

As the items for the exorcism were limited in quantity and the act of exorcism itself caused immense fatigue for the exorcist, I needed to move very efficiently.

After hearing my explanation, Sophia nodded her head, then quickly turned away, gagging.

“Ah… rather, the smell is too… nauseating…!”

“It will be over soon.”

I carefully opened the box containing the items needed for exorcism and took out four charms. As they were personally blessed by the chaplain, they would prevent demons from escaping easily.

“Sophia. Please take care of the right side.”

“Yes, yes…”

Sophia, who had rolled tissues and stuck them in her nose, nodded with a muffled sound. While she was tying Camilla’s right leg and arm to the bedpost, I took care of the left side.

Even as I restrained her limbs, Camilla remained quiet, without any movement. The only evidence that she was alive was the steady sound of her breathing.

“Phew… now, use salt to draw a circle about two steps away from the bed as a reference point.”

“Yes…”

Sophia started sprinkling salt on the floor, muttering. I took out charcoal from the box and began drawing a line slightly inside the circle made of salt.

When the rough olive wood charcoal scratched and passed over the floor, black traces from the charcoal remained in its wake.

“Sophia.”

“Mm… yes!”

After all the work was done, we quickly left Camilla’s room. We had used enough salt and charcoal, and with Sophia having securely tied up Camilla, she probably wouldn’t be able to escape easily.

Father Pedro’s room was right next door. Because of that, we were in a situation where we had to endure even more putrid smell than the foul remnants of Camila’s vile words emitted by Camilla herself.

As I attempted to open the front door of the dormitory where Father Pedro lay, Sofia subbed. I took something out of my pocket and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“It’s perfume. Put a little bit under your nose. It will lessen the smell.”

Sofia hesitated for a moment but then took the perfume from me, enticed by my promise of the smell lessening. Perhaps it was unbearable for her too.

She removed the tissue from her nose and applied the perfume under it, immediately appearing more at ease. I nodded at her.

“Then, I will open it now.”

“Yes…!”

I slowly opened the door. Even when just opening the door, the putrid smell seemed to vibrate, and when I fully opened it, a stench strong enough to paralyze the nose greeted us.

“Ugh….”

Even for me, it was a bit challenging. I applied the perfume that I had given to Sofia under my nose.

Although it improved slightly after applying the perfume, the strong stench of decay was still unbearable, beyond what any perfume could ignore. Together with Sofia, who frowned, I cautiously stepped inside the room.

After closing the front door and entering the living room, the room was completely engulfed in darkness.

Through the faint light coming through tightly drawn curtains, I could barely discern that Father Pedro was lying on the bed.

I calmly turned on the living room light. On the bed placed on one side of the living room, Father Pedro was lying neatly as if he were dead.

“Just do the same thing we did in Camila’s room.”

“Ugh… Yes…”

We did the same thing we did in Camila’s room. First, we used the ropes to bind his limbs to the bedposts, and while Sofia poured salt, I drew a line with charcoal.

In the meantime, the putrid smell had become somewhat familiar, to the point where I could endure it to some extent. I carefully opened the box placed on the floor and meticulously placed the tools necessary for the ritual on the small table next to the bed.

The box containing the relic was still unopened. It was advantageous not to show the devil the full extent of our capabilities.

“Hoo…”

And so, all the preparations were complete.

Sofia and I stepped away from the bed surrounded by salt. As I drew the sign of the cross and held my hands together, Sofia, standing next to me, closed her eyes and bowed her head.

I softly recited the prayer.

“Archangel Saint Michael, please be our protector.”

Protect us in our battle.

If we stray from the path due to the evils and snares of Satan, please do not let our eyes go blind.

Oh Lord in heaven, I humbly beseech you.

Lead your servants.

Forgive us for the sins we will commit in this place today, and protect us from evil.

In the name of the eternal Shepherd of all living things, Lord, and the archangels who emit light from heaven, and all the saints, I pray.

“…Come, Lord.”

I quietly finished my prayer.

Indeed, it was the conclusion that would mark the beginning of a long battle.