Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

24 – Martyr’s Blood (1)

Father Peter examined the man before him.

Sharp eyes, eyes like a dead fish. Extremely pale white skin. Slightly unkempt black hair. Glasses carelessly perched on his nose.

A tall man, whose height was accentuated by his slimness, stood in priestly attire without any visible muscles. The black priestly robe, which should have been neat and solemn, seemed strangely disheveled.

Standing beside him, a young acolyte with flowing golden short hair, consistently exuding a bright and lively demeanor, made the contrast between the two even more pronounced.

In short, this man was too gloomy. Father Peter couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

“Is this… the head priest of the Academy?”

Considering the circumstances, it seemed likely. When we had exchanged messages with the Academy, we had received a reply saying that the head priest of the Academy would personally come to greet us.

Father Peter slowly walked towards him.

Camilla, who was also displaying a negative reaction, approached the man in the same manner and whispered to Father Peter.

“Father Peter, is he the head priest of the Academy?”

“…seems like it.”

“Oh my… Is this the end of the Caldea Imperial Academy?”

“Please do not judge people based on appearances, Priest Camilla.”

“No, but this is just too much. At least they should have some dignity.”

Camilla’s words were correct. Considering that they were receiving a visiting priest delegation from the Empire, their demeanor was rather unimpressive. At the very least, they should have tidied up their messy hair.

While contemplating such thoughts, their distance had almost closed. Father Peter, who had approached a distance suitable for conversation, spoke first.

“May the grace of the Lord be with you. I am Peter, an intermediate priest belonging to the Blue Rose Society of the Empire. This is Camilla, an intermediate priest.”

“I am Lucio Antonelli, a senior priest. I am not only the head priest of the Academy but also a professor of theology. This is Sophia, an acolyte.”

“May, may the grace of the Lord be with you…”

As Sofia subdeacon glimpsed Father Pedro, she shrank back, lowering her head. Her reaction resembled that of someone observing a disturbance in the animal kingdom.

In response to Sofia’s reaction, Father Pedro smirked, tilting his head. “Have we met before?”

Her face seemed vaguely familiar. It was a memory of passing by on the street a few times, but Father Pedro quickly dismissed it as insignificant.

“You were a student at the Priest Academy, weren’t you?”

Considering he had been in charge of the dormitory there, it made sense if she remembered him from that context. Father Pedro offered a kind smile.

“Excuse me, but did you graduate from the Priest Academy in the Holy Empire?”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

Father Pedro expressed curiosity as Sofia, suddenly sniffled. Father Antonelli, taking a step forward, spoke.

“Sofia subdeacon tends to be a bit reserved.”

“I wasn’t aware. I apologize.”

“It’s… it’s okay.”

Sofia subdeacon hid behind Father Antonelli, only peeking her head out. Father Pedro appeared puzzled.

“This is quite an awkward situation.”

During his time as the dormitory supervisor, Father Pedro was known for being strict. But that was in the past. He didn’t want to create unnecessary friction.

Maintaining his smile, Father Pedro said to Father Antonelli, “Haha… As urgent as the matter at hand is, I would like to visit the academy headquarters right away.”

“Of course. Please come this way.”

Father Pedro followed Father Antonelli as he started walking.

“This time, definitely…”

He reminded himself of the purpose of coming here.

* * * * *

The academy headquarters were quiet. There were no students or theology professors present, only a few caretakers responsible for managing the place.

Entering the head priest’s office was indeed a rare occurrence. Considering recent busyness with assignments and related tasks, it made sense.

The head priest’s office was equipped with a plush sofa and a tea table, specifically for the occasions when guests visited. I took a seat on the sofa positioned at the head, given my higher rank.

Priest Camilla and Father Pedro took seats on opposite sides of another sofa. Their lack of communication during the journey here indicated that their relationship wasn’t particularly amicable.

At that moment, Sofia subdeacon approached cautiously.

“Um, Head Priest, would you like me to prepare some tea?”

“Please give me the usual black tea. And what about the two of you… is black tea alright?”

In response to my question, Priest Pedro gave a warm smile.

“I’m fine with anything… but I would be grateful if you could serve it.”

“I’m good with that too.”

Priest Sofia busily moved to make the black tea.

“Hmm…”

I glanced at Priest Camila. She was looking around the main priest’s office with sharp eyes.

Unlike Priest Pedro, who seemed to be in his middle age, Priest Camila didn’t appear to be in her mid-twenties at first glance. She had climbed through the ranks very quickly.

Of course, even I, who was just turning thirty, felt that it was still too early to be promoted to a higher rank. My achievements in the Great War played a significant role in my promotion.

However, I wondered what reasons Camila had for being promoted to an intermediate priest position in such a short time.

I couldn’t contain my curiosity, but there are certain stages that must be followed in conversations between people. Leaning back on the sofa, I looked back at Priest Pedro.

“Did you have any discomfort on your way here?”

“Yes. Riding the Imperial Transcontinental Train, which I only heard rumors about, confirmed that the Empire is indeed a huge and advanced nation. The journey was very comfortable.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Priest Camila remained silent. She simply sat there and listened to our conversation.

Seeing Priest Pedro take the lead in conversing with me, it seemed that he was a slightly higher-ranking priest. Even though they were both intermediate priests, priests do not judge each other solely based on rank.

“As I heard, the main hall of the Chaldea Imperial Academy is splendid. It doesn’t fall behind the cathedrals I’ve seen in the Holy Empire.”

“Thank you.”

Even after Sophia served the black tea, we continued our conversation leisurely while enjoying it.

How much time had passed since this formal conversation was exchanged?

“Um… Assistant Chief Antonelli.”

Priest Pedro lowered his voice. I strongly believed that something important was about to be revealed.

“Yes, Priest Pedro.”

“Isn’t it already known to you why we are here?”

“To dispose of the Finger, right? Is that why you came all the way here?”

When the topic of the Finger came up, Sophia, who was standing behind me, flinched. Priest Pedro, who noticed her reaction, nodded heavily.

“Yes, that’s right. His Holiness the Pope is still very cautious about the Finger that is still in the Chaldea Imperial Academy.”

“Hmm…”

“If it’s alright with Assistant Chief Antonelli, I would like to confirm the Finger as soon as possible…”

Priest Pedro seemed quite anxious. Well, even I had some concerns about personally keeping that ominous Finger.

“I understand.”

I nodded firmly. After rising from the sofa, I approached the work desk by the window.

Upon opening the drawer, a luxurious box I had prepared in advance revealed itself. I carefully lifted the box with both hands.

Returning to my seat, I placed the box on the table. Neither Father Pedro nor Sister Camila seemed to divert their gaze from the box.

“It’s in here.”

“I- inside this… that finger….”

Gulp.

Father Pedro, having swallowed dryly, slowly brought his hand towards the box. It was a visibly tense moment, and Sister Camila, observing this scene, was similarly captivated.

I silently watched their reactions.

‘The rumors seem to be true.’

If two priests from the Holy See reacted like this, I had no choice but to believe the rumors about Monsignor Giovanni.

In that case, the finger inside was indeed the finger of Monsignor Giovanni. A shiver ran down my spine.

Thud.

Under Father Pedro’s hand, the lid covering the box shifted aside. Inside lay an elongated object wrapped in a cloth.

“Wrapped in cloth… is that the relic?”

“Yes. Just to be cautious.”

“I see… indeed.”

Father Pedro’s hand carefully unwrapped the relic. As he did, a withered, contorted finger was revealed.

“Is there, perhaps, a dormant spirit inside?”

I asked, and Father Pedro shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“Well… we’re not sure yet. But, it doesn’t seem appropriate for such an item to remain in the academy where students come and go.”

“I agree.”

He was a thoughtful person. In my mind, the evaluation of Father Pedro increased slightly.

After briefly playing with the finger, Father Pedro soon placed it back into the box. The lid closed gently.

“Hehe… We will handle this finger securely. Please don’t worry too much.”

“I trust you.”

“Hmm… But…”

Holding the box close, Father Pedro, stroking his beard, looked at me intently. Without understanding the intention behind his actions, I asked,

“Why are you doing this?”

“I apologize for the intrusive question, but have you ever participated in the Great War?”

“…Why are you asking that?”

Without realizing it, an aggressive tone escaped from me. Father Pedro looked a bit flustered.

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“Well, it may be inappropriate to say this, but it seems that you are quite young for your rank. I thought you might have achieved a high position due to your specialization.”

“…I won’t answer that question.”

Their eyes widened a bit. I continued speaking without paying much attention.

“It’s a matter related to my personal circumstances, so I hope there’s no misunderstanding. I apologize.”

“Oh, no. It seems I asked a too personal question.”

I looked at Father Pedro with a slightly cold gaze as he made a bewildered expression.

I had no desire to disclose my participation in the war to the people of the Empire. From my experience, I hadn’t received a favorable impression from them, and they hadn’t instilled trust in me.

Not telling Sophia Pope about it was for the same reason. It was something I really didn’t want to tell someone from the Empire about my involvement in the war.

“Well then, let’s talk about where you two will be staying for the next few days.”

That was my attempt to forcibly change the topic of conversation.

“Um, Father Antonelli?”

Camilla, who had been silent all this time, spoke up, addressing me.

Hearing her husky voice, I turned my head. Her sharp eyes were fixed on me.

Camilla opened her mouth again.

“Do you happen to know a priest named Helena?”

With that single sentence she uttered…

“…”

My world, which I had been struggling to hold onto, collapsed simply and brutally.

Too miserably.