Chapter 40

After having a conversation with Priest Peter, a few days passed.

During that time, my mind was completely filled with thoughts about Giovanni, the Head Priest’s finger, and I was desperate to break free from this irritating situation.

“Sofia Sub-priest.”

“Yes?”

Sofia Sub-priest, who was diligently working in her Professor’s Office, turned to look at me. I stared directly into her eyes.

There are demons in the Academy. Three of them, in fact.

Should I say this? I hesitated, looking at Sofia Sub-priest.

‘…Let’s not say anything.’

And the conclusion was to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to stir the pot by unnecessarily talking about this matter.

Sofia Sub-priest had just graduated from the Seminary, and honestly, she was still an inexperienced candidate for priesthood.

Since one of the conditions for being possessed by a demon starts with recognizing the existence of those demons, I had no intention of making her aware of such a dangerous existence.

Although someone was needed to play the role of Sub-priest during an exorcism, even if a possessed person appeared within the Academy, I had no intention of dragging Sofia Sub-priest into it. I’d rather perform the exorcism with Priest Peter.

“Why did you call me?”

In the midst of my thoughts, I realized Sofia Sub-priest had stopped her work and was gazing at me intently.

I feigned nonchalance as I spoke.

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry.”

“Head Priest, do you believe in a woman’s intuition?”

“…I don’t believe it.”

“I do.”

Sofia Sub-priest stood up energetically and slowly approached my desk. Her confident stride was rather intimidating.

“So, what is it this time?”

“…….”

“Aha. It’s something difficult for you to share, huh?”

Is there really such a thing as a woman’s intuition? I felt a bit confused.

“I really have nothing to say.”

“Hmm….”

The way she was staring at me with such intensity was overwhelming. I subtly turned my head to check the clock hanging on the wall.

“Oh, has the time gone by so quickly….”

Having been pinned down by Sofia Sub-priest, the time I had promised to meet Priest Camilla was approaching. I hurriedly stood up from my chair.

“Oh? You’re sneaking away, are you?”

“…That’s not it.”

“Alright, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”

I left the Professor’s Office, leaving behind a giggling Sofia Sub-priest who closed her eyes tightly, blocking her ears.

* * * * *

The Chapel of the Seminary Main Chapel was still quiet. The only ones present were a few Professors of Theology and students who were praying, who acknowledged me with nods.

As I accepted their greetings, I made my way towards the Head Priest’s Office.

The steps climbing the stairs felt heavy. It reminded me of my first meeting with Priest Camilla as I walked towards the Head Priest’s Office.

This meeting would be my second with Priest Camilla.

It had been almost a month since our first encounter. I let out a deep sigh and quickened my pace.

As I walked, I spotted two figures standing in front of the Head Priest’s Office. It was Priest Peter and Priest Camilla.

As I approached them, Priest Peter’s gaze turned towards me when he sensed my presence.

“Oh, Head Priest, you’ve arrived?”

“Hello….”

Priest Peter, along with Priest Camilla, gave a sheepish bow. Quietly, I pulled the keys from my pocket and opened the door to the Head Priest’s Office.

“Please, come in.”

“I’ll excuse myself.”

“Ex-excuse me….”

The Head Priest’s Office hadn’t changed much. This was because Sofia Sub-priest and I had occasionally come here to clean.

I naturally began to prepare black tea. I prepared my share using cheap black tea bags, while for Priest Camilla and Priest Peter, I brewed the high-quality black tea that Professor Esther had forcefully handed over before.

The aroma of the black tea gently enveloped the Head Priest’s Office. After serving them both, I took my share and settled into the couch.

“The black tea tastes really good.”

“It’s nothing special.”

Priest Peter was enjoying the black tea with a pleasant expression. I took a sip of the bitter tea, then turned my head towards Priest Camilla.

As our gazes met, Priest Camilla awkwardly shifted her eyes. I stared intently at her gaze.

“Priest Camilla.”

Upon my opening remark, her body flinched slightly.

Seeing her reaction made me furrow my brow a little. I wondered why she was so sensitive, as if I were going to devour her.

“…Yes.”

Priest Camilla hesitated before responding. I calmly initiated a conversation with her.

“You said you wanted to meet me?”

Priest Camilla silently nodded. I subtly observed her complexion.

The area around her eyes looked hollow, and there were dark shadows beneath. From the slightly bloodshot eyes, it seemed that she had not gotten enough rest over the past few days.

“I gathered from Priest Peter that you’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

“Yes, that’s right….”

Priest Camilla clutched her sleeves tightly. She seemed unstable, as if fearing someone was chasing her.

“Is that why you want to consult?”

“Yes, it’s somewhat similar.”

“First, can you describe what you’ve been experiencing?”

Priest Camilla took a sip of the black tea. The warm tea seemed to calm her a little.

“I…I fought in the Great War.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Ah, that…! What I said just now was meant in a simple manner! I didn’t intend to insult you, Head Priest!”

I made a slightly ambiguous expression. The attitude that had been so audacious and even seemingly rude had remarkably changed.

In truth, I didn’t have no ill feelings toward her at all. Putting everything else aside, I couldn’t deny that she had uttered insulting words to me without any caution.

However, that didn’t make me want to scorn someone in such a nervous state. I was neither a petty adult nor a childish one, nor was I someone who bore grudges.

That little timid look she was giving me was very unfamiliar. I gently spoke to her, reassuringly.

“I’m fine. Please continue.”

“Ah…. Thank you. Also, I’m really sorry about what happened back then. I sincerely apologize….”

“…Priest Camilla, there’s no progress in this story. I’m truly fine, so don’t worry too much.”

I was surprised by how timid she had become beyond my imagination. It was hard to see this as a positive change. What on earth had happened to her that made her become so compliant?

“I’ve been haunted by auditory hallucinations every night since I arrived at the Academy.”

“Auditory hallucinations?”

Priest Camilla nodded. I gestured for her to continue.

“So, to be precise, they are the sounds I occasionally heard when I fought in the Great War…. For example, the screams of the wounded. Those sounds keep coming back, and I can’t sleep.”

“…Hmm. Did that not happen normally back then?”

“No. At that time, I saw many injuries that were difficult to bear, and the shock was quite severe, but still, it wasn’t to the extent that I would have lingering effects like this.”

I found myself feeling a bit envious of her. How nice would it have been if I had experienced that too? Unintentionally, my brow furrowed a little.

“Let’s move on from the topic of the Great War as quickly as possible.”

“Ah, yes. So…. ”

Summarizing her recount, it went like this.

Every night, she hears auditory hallucinations. The predominant sounds are the screams of wounded soldiers from the Great War.

If examined closely, it is a factor that could occur due to psychological trauma, however, seeing these symptoms emerge after several years is unprecedented.

“But those weren’t just simple auditory hallucinations.”

“They’re not just simple auditory hallucinations?”

“…This happened just last week.”

Priest Camilla began her tale with a serious expression. I withdrew my hand that had been resting on my chin and started to focus on her words.

As I continued the conversation with her, I began to sense something.

A certain smell was in the air. A very foul odor.

“That day, I was tossing and turning in bed due to the auditory hallucinations like any other night. Just like that, when I was unable to fall asleep, the auditory hallucinations started again. But that day, instead of the screams of the wounded, I heard different sounds for the first time.”

“What kind of sounds?”

“The sound of dishes clattering, the sound of something hard being chewed, the sound of crows cawing… I think those were the sounds I heard.”

“…Three types of sounds.”

“Yes.”

I glanced at Priest Peter, who had been silently listening. With a serious expression, he nodded.

The mysterious sounds that Priest Camilla heard were of three types.

Coincidentally, it was estimated that the number of demons lurking within the Caldera Imperial Academy was exactly three.

Priest Camilla continued her story.

“And at that time, when I turned around… there was something I couldn’t identify in my room. The moment I made eye contact with it, I woke up again.”

“So, all of that happened in a dream?”

“…I can’t be sure.”

“Where was it located?”

“Uh… um…”

“……?”

Priest Camilla’s reaction was a bit awkward. I asked her again.

“Where exactly in the dormitory room was it?”

“Where was it…?”

“…Was it in the living room?”

“No. Was it the bedroom…?”

“…….”

The staff dormitory rooms had the bed placed in one corner of a large living room. There was no separate bedroom.

“Is it not the living room, but the bedroom?”

“Ah, it was the living room. Right. The living room.”

“In the living room, where exactly was it located?”

“Uh….”

Priest Camilla fell back into contemplation again. I couldn’t understand what she was thinking so hard about.

She emitted a brief hum, then suddenly started to look around the Head Priest’s Office. Her finger pointed somewhere.

“What was that thing called?”

“The wall clock?”

“Ah, yes. The wall clock.”

“Were you underneath it?”

Priest Camilla nodded. I changed my question a bit.

“Um…. About that unidentified thing. Do you remember what it looked like?”

“Uh….”

Priest Camilla scratched her head for a moment before beginning to think. I calmly waited for her to continue.

“So… what did it look like…?”

“…Pardon?”

“Upon reconsideration, I think there wasn’t anything like that.”

“…….”

I quietly gazed into Priest Camilla’s eyes. Her gaze was also fixed firmly on mine.

It was a stark contrast to her previous timid attitude.

I stole a glance at Priest Peter. He was still nodding seriously.

I looked back at Priest Camilla. She was still staring deeply into my eyes.

I glanced at Priest Peter again. He was nodding with a serious expression.

…Without me giving any gestures, actions, or words.

He was simply nodding. Slowly. Not too fast, but not too slow, either.

“…Let’s conclude today’s consultation here.”

“Already?”

Priest Camilla looked disappointed, pouting her lips. I nodded and sent them on their way.

“It would be best to continue this consultation next time. I have something urgent that just came to mind.”

“Ah…. It can’t be helped.”

After Priest Peter expressed his disappointment and stood up, I saw them off with a look of normalcy.

As naturally as possible.

Priest Camilla still wore a very disappointed expression until the end.

“Then, we’ll be going now.”

“Please consult with me again next time.”

I silently nodded. It was only then that Priest Peter and Priest Camilla left for the dormitory.

“…….”

I headed back to the Head Priest’s Office again. My steps grew faster.

Bang! Click.

After returning to the Head Priest’s Office, I quickly locked the door. A serene stillness enveloped the room.

I slowly rolled up the sleeves of my priest’s robe. As I brushed my skin, a chill escaped as goosebumps formed.

I mumbled to myself.

“…Not three, but four.”

Though I truly did not want to, I found myself in need of Sofia Sub-priest’s help.

Because I realized that the time we had was not much at all.

Suddenly, I looked at the wall clock. The hands pointed to 2:59 PM.

It was just before three o’clock.