Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

46 – The Solemn Kuma Ceremony (2)

The fundamental quality a priest preparing for the Kuma Ceremony should possess is not being swayed by the devil’s words.

Demons are cunning and excel at delving into the human mind. They are skilled at subtly twisting and shaking one’s psyche.

Hence, demons often boast tremendous confidence when facing Kuma priests.

To have evaded Kuma for a long time, moving from place to place, signifies not only their ability to escape the pursuit of Kuma priests but also the skill to divert the priests from their intent to exorcise them.

So, yes. They are masters at teasing cunning chess players.

A Kuma priest must not be swayed by this. Falling for the devil’s tricks is dangerous.

From Noble mtl dot com

I was quite confident in this. Even after participating in several Kuma ceremonies with Priest Helena on the battlefield, I had never given up Kuma under the influence of the devil’s words.

However, looking back now…

The me from before might have simply had no openings for them to exploit.

Unlike now, where my body, mind, and even my soul are shattered into pieces.

* * * * *

“Ugh…! Cough…!”

When I came to my senses, I realized I was vigorously squeezing Priest Pedro’s throat with all my strength.

I stared blankly at the changing color of Priest Pedro’s face as my fingers moved. Describing the emotion I was feeling now was difficult.

This indescribable emotion wasn’t annoyance, anger, or bewilderment. I soon realized what this emotion was.

I was feeling boredom. A sense of mundane emptiness filled my mind, as if experiencing an extremely ordinary occurrence. Squeezing Priest Pedro’s throat and witnessing his painful struggle was intensely nauseating.

Why am I feeling this way?

In the past, I vowed to hate all humans involved in Helena’s death.

Hence, I continue to curse them, eagerly anticipating the sulfur flames of hell boiling for those I haven’t met or heard of, and likely will not treat them as humans in the future.

So, that was it.

‘Because it’s only natural.’

Squeezing the throat of the one who killed Helena was an utterly natural thing for me. Therefore, I felt absolutely no emotions at all.

As if urinating in an anthill, an overwhelming sense of languor emanated from the pitiful figure, so easily embracing imminent death.

The words claiming responsibility for Helena’s death. The moment those words were uttered, my emotions and demeanor that I should adopt were set in stone.

“High, High Priest!”

Suddenly, Sophia, my subordinate, grabbed my arm. Unlike the firm grip I had on the neck of Priest Peter, my body easily followed Sophia’s guidance.

“High Priest! Snap out of it! High Priest!”

“Sophia, why did you stop me?”

“W-what, what are you talking about?”

Sophia looked at me with an expression of disbelief. My gaze remained fixed on the reddening face of Priest Peter, seemingly ready to burst.

The face of Priest Peter, burning crimson as if about to explode. To my eyes, it appeared all too natural.

“Why did you stop me? Does that make sense now…!”

“Does anything make sense now?”

“… What?”

“You said he killed Helena. Did you not hear that?”

Sophia thrust her face forward. After glancing at Priest Peter, who had become eerily quiet as if dead, Sophia took my hand and briskly walked out of the entrance.

I quietly followed her touch. After loudly closing the front door, Sophia leaned against the wall, sighed, and asked, “High Priest, what are you going to do now?”

“I must finish what I started…”

“High Priest.”

Sophia firmly spoke up. I stared blankly into her eyes.

“Do not be deceived by the devil’s words. Saying that Priest Helena was murdered, it’s obviously a lie.”

“How can you be sure? They truly possess formidable power.”

“High Priest. Do not succumb to the devil’s trickery. If you admit that Priest Helena was truly taken by the devil…”

Sophia paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I silently waited for her words.

“If you admit that, you’re needlessly invalidating Priest Helena’s death.”

“…”

“Do not dwell on Priest Helena. Do not fall for the lies of Satan filled with malice.”

They are the false fathers, the denial of the beginning.

I erased my expression and silently observed Sophia. Sophia closed her lips tightly and looked straight at me.

A feeling of something welling up and surging overcame me. I suppressed it firmly.

Then, contrary to the suffocating feeling in my chest, my mind felt a bit clearer. It was as if refreshing air was ventilating my head.

Sofia Buse opened her mouth with a worried expression, as she caused this magical change.

“Senior Priestess, are you feeling better?”

I nodded slowly and stood up from my seat. I could feel the weight of suppressed emotions in my heart, but I endured it.

It felt like I could vomit at any moment, but somehow I managed to suppress it.

Yes, those eyes. Those eyes….

To me, they were both a great strength and…

– Please don’t think of me as just a substitute for Helena. It could be a deep wound.

At the same time, it made my heart heavy.

* * * * *

We entered the dormitory again. The foul smell of Maldor’s rotting flesh seemed slightly weaker than before.

“Senior Priestess, don’t be swayed by the devil’s words.”

“I’m fine now. I apologize for showing you an ugly side.”

“…No, even if it were me, I wouldn’t know how I would have reacted.”

I slowly approached the bed. Over a third of the candle had melted, and the flickering flame illuminated the area unsteadily.

When Sofia Buse sprinkled salt again, I was already positioned on the left side of the bed where Father Pedro lay.

I drew a cross slowly and whispered quietly.

“Lord, grant us rest.”

Rest for me as a servant of the Lord.

Peace for the suffering brothers and sisters here.

And judgment for the wicked demons.

“….”

Father Pedro still had his eyes closed. His complexion had become slightly darker, and it seemed like we couldn’t delay any longer.

The cross that was on Father Pedro’s chest had turned upside down, forming the shape of an inverted cross.

“You, who are no more than insignificant beings who blaspheme against the Lord.”

The symbol of Saint Peter is the inverted cross. Placing the symbol of Saint Peter during the Kumayesik, a ceremony that seeks the grace of the Lord, was a wicked trick to worship Saint Peter. I turned it back to its original position.

I raised the English Bible in my left hand and covered Father Pedro’s forehead with it. Father Pedro’s head felt hot, as if it were on fire.

I pressed down gently on the left hand holding the Bible and drew a cross in the air with my free right hand.

Suddenly, a trembling vibration traveled from Father Pedro’s arm through his body. I slowly opened my eyes, which I had closed.

Father Pedro’s body writhed. His arms and legs moved uncontrollably, as if his joints were dislocated, and his pale lips trembled relentlessly.

The holy water that was on his forehead had dried up long ago. I dipped my thumb in the holy water again and drew a cross on Father Pedro’s forehead.

The body of Priest Peter momentarily levitated. It was a feat he might have accomplished even if his limbs weren’t bound; such was the force with which he rose, almost reaching the ceiling.

I pressed my left hand firmly, unlike before, not exerting too much force.

However, Priest Peter’s convulsions subsided too easily. I whispered to the priest, who was slowly lying on the bed.

“May the glory of the Lord be holy.”

Priest Peter’s eyes opened slightly. They remained in the state of showing the white part.

Showing the white part was a common feature among possessed individuals from ancient times. In other words, the battle with them was not over yet.

Priest Peter rolled his eyes, looking at me with a vacant gaze. At the same time, a sinister smile curled on his lips.

“You’ve come again? You’ve come again, priest.”

“…”

“How much can you endure this time? Killing this body wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Ignoring his wicked laughter, I looked down at Priest Peter with an indifferent expression. I murmured quietly to the priest, who was possessed by malice towards me.

“May the Lord make your soul holy.”

“You foolish priest, still dreaming futile dreams. Well, let me treat you with that woman’s intestines this time.”

Priest Peter taunted me with a wagging tongue. Something deep within me writhed, but I suppressed it.

Unfortunately for them, I had already made up my mind.

“…May the Lord’s suffering give me strength.”

As I finished the prayer, Priest Peter’s face, which had been mocking me, contorted suddenly. Perhaps he realized that his provocations were no longer effective.

“Ugh…!”

“Deliver us from all the devil’s snares set by them. Prevent them from touching any of the Lord’s creations any longer.”

The hand pressing down on Priest Peter’s forehead trembled. I exerted a bit more force with my left hand.

“Archangel Michael, please protect us in the midst of our battle and become a fortress against the cunning snares of Satan and demons.”

“That… only…!”

“Most earnestly under the command of the heavenly leader, may the heavenly army chase Satan and evil spirits into hell.”

“Aaaah—!!”

Priest Peter screamed. The swarm of maggots crawling down from the ceiling swiftly moved their numerous legs and retreated back through the hole they had emerged from. I unfolded the Bible in front of him.

“If you seek salvation, you shall find it, and your faith has reached me.”

“Ugh…! Urrgh…”

“You, Peter. Now is the time for repentance.”

Father Pedro’s body trembled uncontrollably. The concern that the bed’s posts might be pulled out was that grave.

After placing the open Bible on Father Pedro’s abdomen, I retrieved the holy water sprinkler from the holy water basin.

Be it as a leader, a mentor, now, someone had to witness the end. Only then would their strength wane.

With the holy water sprinkler heavily laden with holy water, I traced the sign of the cross and directed it towards Father Pedro in the form of the crucifix.

“Be vanquished. The light of the Lord is upon you.”

As the consecrated water dispersed, black blood began to trickle from Father Pedro’s eyes, nose, and ears.

I watched silently. Sophia, reciting prayers, drew the sign of the cross.

Father Pedro, bleeding, slightly parted his lips, and from his mouth emerged a large leech drenched in blood and a serpent with three heads, stealthily slithering out.

The large leech shook its head and writhed before ceasing its movement, coiling up.

The small serpent with three heads, writhing in agony, bit its own tail, bit the midsection, and tore into another head, twisting and convulsing until it tangled itself, suffocating to death.

– Thud!

Abruptly, a loud sound of the entrance being forcefully struck resonated from outside. Sophia glanced at me for approval, and I nodded.

“Ah!”

As Sophia opened the front door, what she witnessed was a decaying dog, self-impaled on the door, dead.

“Father Superintendent! The dog, the body of a dog… It seems to have darted out from Priest Camilla’s room!”

Sophia pointed at the bloodstains in front of the entrance, shouting.

The demon entrenched within Priest Camilla seemed to have exerted its last bit of strength. I looked down at Father Pedro, whose complexion had noticeably relaxed, and murmured.

“…You, false descendant. There’s nothing left now to shield you.”

It was evidently the decisive move in this protracted battle.