PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

The staff dormitory was quiet.

No one was wandering the halls, and perhaps because of that, an eerie atmosphere seemed to hang in the air.

It was indeed correct that no one should be here at this time, but…

“I’m a little uneasy…”

“Indeed.”

It might be because we had found out about the two priests being possessed. We hurried towards the seventh floor where the two priests were staying.

“Head Priest, if Priest Peter is possessed, isn’t it dangerous for us to enter?”

“The likelihood that a demon, which hasn’t fully taken control of its host, will harm others is exceedingly low.”

Right. Unless it hadn’t fully taken over the body.

I had just finished consulting with Priest Camilla earlier this morning. It seemed unlikely that the demon would have taken control of Priest Peter’s body in such a short time.

Moreover, for a demon that had possessed someone, moving to another body was a very burdensome task.

“As it is written in the Bible, the Lord has already triumphed over the world.”

“That’s a relief… We just need to quickly get the sacred relics necessary for the exorcism.”

“Yes. However, what worries me is…”

– Caw. Caw. Caw.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway on the seventh floor, I heard the croaking of a crow from somewhere three times. I turned instinctively towards the source of the sound.

– Caw. Caw. Caw.

At the far end of the hallway, a jet-black crow stood stiffly, staring blankly. I watched it closely.

A crow, standing blankly and looking this way. It was no ordinary crow.

It had three legs, and its blood-red eyes concealed a sinister intent. The longer it stared at me, the more I felt my soul peeling away from me layer by layer.

After staring at us for a moment, the crow spread its dark wings and flew out the window in the hallway.

Black feathers drifted down onto the floor.

As expected, they were creatures that always felt unsettling to encounter. They were certainly deserving of being called a beast of all evils.

“Struggling.”

“Excuse me?”

Sofia the sub-priest, who was watching the crow just like me, asked. She had somehow hidden herself behind me.

I delivered the bad news to her.

“They refuse to bend their arrogant pride. To put it simply, they are warning us.”

“What… warning?”

“Leave us be.”

Just leave. If you don’t want to get hurt, ignore us. If you see us, close your eyes; if you hear us, plug your ears; if you must speak, bite your tongue.

It was a tactic commonly used by demons whose identities had been exposed. They were desperately trying to find the cracks that divided our hearts.

The most effective way for a demon, already revealed to be a possessor, to hinder the exorcist priests is to make them give up and retreat on their own.

And the fact that they were trying to weakly obstruct us meant that…

“They have noticed our presence.”

They have, noticed our existence.

In other words, they have realized that we intend to exorcise them.

* * * * *

We stood in front of the entrance door of the dorm room where Priest Peter was staying.

“…Holy mouth, holy words.”

Quietly reciting, I slowly pressed my ear against the entrance door.

“……”

“How does it sound?”

“It seems like no one is there.”

Despite straining my ears to listen, I could hear no sound from inside the room. Rather than feeling relieved by that fact, I felt even more anxious.

If Priest Peter’s whereabouts were uncertain, that, in itself, would be a problem. I pulled my head away from the door.

“Sofia the sub-priest. The key…”

“Oh, right. Here you go.”

After explaining the situation to the dormitory manager, I easily received the key. I slowly inserted the key into the keyhole.

– Click.

The lock mechanism, engaged with the key, granted us access with a cheerful sound. Just before I opened the door, I glanced down at Sofia the sub-priest who was closely adhering to my side.

Sofia’s face was filled with tension. I slowly turned my body to face her directly.

“Sofia the sub-priest.”

“…Yes.”

She looked up at me with a tense expression. I placed the end of my stole on her head and gently covered it with my hand before solemnly speaking.

“Sofia the sub-priest.”

Only then did she seem to understand my intent, hurriedly checking her appearance. She tucked away a few loose strands of hair and tidied up her disheveled clothes.

“I, humble servant of the Lord, Sofia, am here.”

With her eyes closed, Sofia the sub-priest lowered her head. I slowly traced the sign of the cross over her head.

“We may confront evil itself. Will that be all right?”

“I am already aware of that.”

“In that case, do not fear anything even if you face them. You are a person of blessing.”

“I only believe in the Lord. Come, Lord.”

Sofia the sub-priest opened her eyes smoothly. Her gaze no longer wavered; her firm resolve became solidified with faith.

Confirming that, I slowly nodded and grasped the entrance door again.

“Then, let us enter.”

Creeeak…

In stark contrast to the softly turning doorknob, the entrance door slowly opened with a loud creak.

“Cough! Cough! Ugh, what is this….”

As soon as the door opened, we were met with a smell that was far more sour than vinegar. The stench pierced my nose; it was one I had often encountered on the battlefield.

“The smell of a decomposing corpse.”

“Could this also be the influence of the possession? Cough! Cough!”

“There is a smell of rotting flesh from the possessed. This is called Malodor.”

“Malodor… I see. Cough!”

“Right now, the stench is relatively mild. The longer they occupy a body, the more it decays, and the stronger the stench becomes.”

I slowly stepped toward the living room. Sofia the sub-priest followed behind me, pinching her nose.

I carefully surveyed the dormitory, but I could not see Priest Peter.

The crosses, Bibles, and several theological books scattered around the room caught my attention. All the crosses were turned upside down.

The symbol of Saint Peter is the inverted cross. However, just because they bear Priest Peter’s name does not mean they should be placed upside down.

“…Is this mocking the name of the Lord?”

Before we entered here, Priest Peter had already visited this place before us. We headed straight to the kitchen.

On the dining table in the kitchen were disordered theological books and Bibles, most of which were torn or opened carelessly. I subtly examined one of the open Bibles.

The open Bible had all its verses crossed out with a pen, except for one single verse that remained intact. I quietly recited that verse.

“For they are children of the betrayer. Come back. I am the angel of light; I will mend your betrayal, and I will correct your deceit.”

A verse about how Satan tempts humans. It presented itself as the angel of light, luring humanity into evil.

I slowly closed the Bible. The leather-bound Bible shut firmly.

“What does this mean?”

“They are trying to mock us.”

Sofia the sub-priest trembled. I took her and exited the kitchen, heading toward the bed placed in the living room.

Where would Priest Peter have placed the sacred relics?

It was safe to assume that Priest Peter, who was possessed, had not fled with the sacred relics. Therefore, it was unlikely that the being known for evil would approach the sacred.

Given that it was a world where madmen seldom stole sacred relics, it was likely they were kept in a not-so-secure place. I cautiously opened the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed.

Inside were a small cross, an extra rosary, a Bible, and a few letters. I caught sight of a seal stamped on the bottom of one of the letters and shuddered.

“The Papal States….”

A letter with the Pope’s seal. It seemed to be a letter exchanged with the Papal States.

By now, the Papal States must have heard about what happened to Priest Peter and Priest Camilla. Hoping that they would make a prompt response without lacking, I quietly pushed the drawer closed.

“Sofia the sub-priest. Is there nothing over there?”

“No… Cough! There’s nothing here either. By the way, the smell is so terrible…!”

“Hm….”

I could tolerate this level of stench, but seeing the tears welling in the corners of Sofia the sub-priest’s eyes, she seemed to be nearly at her limit.

For the sake of Sofia, who was suffering from the stench, we needed to quickly find the required items and escape from here.

“Check the wardrobe. I will search the kitchen once more.”

“Yes…! Cough!”

As Sofia the sub-priest strained herself to open the wardrobe door, I headed back to the kitchen.

I rummaged through the cupboard, lifted pots, and even looked inside the refrigerator, but I couldn’t find a single sacred relic that could aid in the exorcism.

“Sofia the sub-priest. There’s nothing in the kitchen.”

“It seems there isn’t anything here either…!”

“Hmm…”

We gathered back in the living room, deeply contemplating our next move.

Priest Peter had clearly mentioned that he was ordered to exorcise the demon remaining in the academy along with Priest Camilla.

Exorcising isn’t simply resolved with just a Bible, rosary, and stole. Various preparations are needed, and the more items you have, the more definite and quicker your exorcism will be.

In essence, if Priest Peter’s words were true, these two could not possibly have come to the academy empty-handed.

“Where on earth….”

As I bit my lip and looked around the living room, for some reason, I found it difficult to take my eyes off the bed.

The bedspread was sagging. It looked plush. A bed suitable for someone to lie down on….

Wait. The bedspread?

I quickly dropped flat on the floor. Seeing me, Sofia the sub-priest called out to me in confusion.

“Head Priest?”

“Sofia the sub-priest. Have you checked under the bed?”

“No…? I haven’t looked under the bed yet….”

I immediately pulled back the bedspread. The pitch-black darkness resided beneath it.

“Sofia the sub-priest. I need light.”

“Oh, yes! Just a moment….”

Let there be light.

With Sofia the sub-priest’s prayer, a warm sphere of light appeared above her hand. As she stretched out her arm while lying beside me, the darkness under the bed slowly began to recede.

“……!”

In an instant, something sparkled in the darkness caught my eye. I immediately reached out towards it.

Clatter.

As I felt around in the darkness, I grasped something with a hard, wooden texture. I quickly pulled it out.

“This is….”

It was a modestly decorated wooden box. What had shone in the light was the box’s hinges.

Slowly opening the lid, I saw two items wrapped in cloth neatly placed inside. I carefully pulled back the cloth.

Revealed were a bell made of brass and a censer with chains hanging from it. Sofia the sub-priest, watching from my side, gasped.

“…I found it.”

It was akin to two finely honed daggers meant to repel beasts.

– Caw. Caw. Caw.

The sound of crows echoed faintly.

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