Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

Chapter 48

48 – Ceremony for Guma Yeshik (4)

Since the existence of light, darkness has always followed.

If there is heaven, there is hell.

Where there are righteous people, there are sinners, and where there is war, there is peace.

And in the world, there are common knowledge that can be known, and secrets that should not be known.

The records of the Guma Yeshik ceremony belong to the latter. All the conversations that took place during the Guma were recorded, but they were never to be revealed to the public.

It was to protect those who suffered from the torment of being possessed by demons. When possessed, there were often cases where people confessed their private secrets or shameful sins committed under the influence of the demon.

And naturally, it would be a deeply shameful thing if this information was to be made known to others.

The reason why the ceremony for Guma Yeshik performed on Camilla and Pedro, who were possessed by demons, was kept secret was because of this. Within the academy, the only people who were aware of the truth of this incident were me, Sophia Bujae, and Principal Damian.

However, it was inevitable to place Pedro and Camilla, who had weakened physically, in the academy’s hospital in the Earth District.

At this moment, it may be fine, but the stories of the two priests lying in hospital beds would eventually spread throughout the entire academy. Rumors were difficult to stop by human power, like trying to block a broken dam with one’s hand.

In the end, no matter how hard I tried to stop it, rumors would eventually spread. Whether it was a baseless rumor or a true story.

I had made up my mind not to care about any of it. Professor Esther quietly asked what had happened, but I had only one word to answer.

That day, there was nothing.

“See you later!”

“Yeah!”

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice interrupted my thoughts. I stopped watching the procession of ants crawling in a line and raised my head.

In front of me, two students who appeared to be first-year students were seen shaking hands and parting ways. I watched them while smoking a cigarette.

Whew.

The strong smell of tobacco filled the air. For a moment, as I watched the students, I absentmindedly looked up at the smoke rising in wisps.

Today was a day without classes. There was no urgent work to attend to, so I was calmly smoking a cigarette on the bench, as usual.

Sophia Bujae, who had been walking with me for a while, suddenly remembered a task she had to handle and went back to the professor’s office. I looked at the small cloud floating alone in the sky.

“… The weather is nice.”

I turned my gaze and admired the daisies blooming on the bench. A cool breeze brushed my hair. The feeling was refreshing.

“Excuse me.”

As I continued to gaze at the daisies, someone sat down next to me. Without looking in their direction, I focused on smoking my cigarette.

The burning end of the cigarette is faint. When I shifted my focus from the tip of the cigarette, I saw the daisies blossoming resplendently.

“Did you come from the Bishop’s Cathedral?”

I asked, still staring at the daisies falling gracefully. The person sitting next to me remained silent, as if choosing their words carefully.

As the silence grew longer, my cigarette turned into a short stub.

“I came from the Vatican.”

“……”

I finally lowered my gaze. An unknown elderly priest was looking at me, gently smiling.

“… Who are you?”

Even at my question, the elderly priest just smiled kindly and continued looking at me. I sensed an unusual current in his gaze.

After staring at me for a while, the elderly priest took something out from his pocket and handed it to me. I took it in surprise.

It was an envelope with a somewhat elegant appearance. The feeling it gave off was out of the ordinary, so I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

“What is this?”

“Brother Benedict.”

“……”

I silently looked at the elderly priest who called me by my confirmation name and added the title of ‘brother’ at the end. Normally, it would be appropriate to first address someone by their surname and then add the corresponding title according to their rank.

And then, I finally noticed the small brooch pinned on the elderly priest’s chest.

It emitted a radiant light in all directions, with a crucifix placed on top. And carved in the center was the finger of Saint Andreas.

“Are you a member of the Order of the Small Brothers?”

The elderly priest nodded quietly, still not losing his smile.

The Order of the Small Brothers specialized in tracking down demons and their worshippers and was directly under the Vatican. Even among clergy members, they never casually addressed others by their names. They only spoke the confirmation names bestowed upon them under the Lord’s grace and did not acknowledge the hierarchical relationships among clergy members.

That’s why, priests belonging to the Order of the Small Brothers practically had no rank. Although there was a rank bestowed by the Vatican for appearance’s sake, they never mentioned it to others.

Their ability to combat demons was truly top-notch, and especially the Knights belonging to the Order of the Small Brothers, who had directly faced demon worshippers and defectors for a long time, were stricter than anyone else when it came to eliminating demon worshippers.

I had heard of the reputation of the Order of the Small Brothers, so I instinctively dropped the cigarette butt in my hand onto the floor like flowing water.

“What is your confirmation name?”

If he belonged to the Order of the Small Brothers over there, it was only right for me to adhere to their tradition. With a proud smile, the elderly priest answered.

“Matteo. Brother Benedict.”

“Father Matteo. What brings you all the way here? Well, I can guess the reason….”

“You have truly done a remarkable job, Brother Benedict.”

Are they having a conversation with each other?

The elderly priest didn’t answer my question and simply spoke his own words. It was unusual that his speech was brief and even cut off very shortly.

“A remarkable job, you say?”

“That demon. The demon from the academy.”

“… It was only natural.”

“Excessive humility is not a virtue. The Benedicto brothers have excellently vanquished the devil we’ve been pursuing in our small brotherhood for a long time.”

It was a slightly fancy compliment. I nodded subtly, turning my gaze away.

“Well, um… Sophia’s help was significant.”

“So, I’d like to make a proposal.”

I looked at Father Matteo. His warmly wrapped eyes opened gently.

“Brother Benedicto, would you consider joining our small brotherhood?”

“….”

It was a quite unexpected proposal. I cautiously looked into his eyes.

His clear, immaculate pupils were focused on me. Within those pearl-white irises, deep wisdom accumulated over the years was embedded.

“It seems like a rather bewildering proposal.”

“I apologize. I spoke too hastily.”

Father Matteo, who had a wry smile, spoke again.

“Whether you’re aware or not, this matter has been directly commanded by the Holy Father.”

“Is that so?”

“Would you like to check the documents?”

Following Father Matteo’s words, I opened an elegant envelope.

The first thing that caught my eye was the name of the document boldly written as ‘The Holy See.’ The document was adorned at the end with the seal of the Pope.

It was an official letter from the Holy See. I read it slowly.

“This is.”

Excluding the cumbersome religious phrases, in summary, it was a letter stating that the incidents involving Father Pedro and Sister Camilla should be completely ignored, and the facts of the case should be strictly handled.

I placed the official letter on my knee and looked at Father Matteo. He still smiled at me.

“So, what does this have to do with me joining the brotherhood?”

“Brother Benedicto, look at the last line.”

The last line of the document. I shifted my gaze there.

– Silence is golden, and holy lips are the blessing of the Lord.

“Isn’t it just a phrase wishing for a successful resolution?”

“Brother Benedicto, the meaning of that phrase is to treat everything mentioned in the document as if it never happened.”

“….”

“And that means there will be no reward for Brother Benedicto for what has happened.”

As if displeased with this decision, Father Matteo’s expression stiffened slightly, even though it wasn’t his affair.

“The rise in social status, the financial rewards. The Holy See will not acknowledge any of them, and officially, they will remember nothing.”

“…Just the mercy of the Lord.”

“Only by the mercy of the Lord.”

Generally, priests who successfully exorcise demons that have taken root in a Bumaja’s body still remain publicly unknown, but internally, the direction of rewards has changed somewhat.

For example, psychological counseling, financial rewards, clear communication with the Holy See, or assistance in raising one’s social status in the form of bonus points.

What Father Matteo said excluded all of these possibilities.

I understood. Two priests directly dispatched by the Holy See, instead becoming victims of possession.

This decision was not simply made with the criticism that would pour in from the secular world in mind. The Holy See had ultimately decided to protect the two priests.

“That’s why I’m making a proposal, Brother Benedicto. If you join our humble order, you may receive rewards other than the rise in social status.”

I gazed into the void for a while. Father Matteo silently waited for my response.

And the decision did not take long.

“Father Matteo, I will continue to stay at the academy.”

“…Brother Benedicto, no one will remember.”

“I know.”

“No one will acknowledge this incident. While the Holy See may officially recognize the exorcism, they will not acknowledge Brother Benedicto’s achievements. Is that enough for you?”

“I am aware of that too. However, Father Matteo.”

I looked at Father Matteo. He had erased the smile from his face.

“…”

Father Matteo opened his eyes wide. After staring at me with a surprised expression for a while, he soon returned to his initial warm smile.

“…Indeed, you are even more intriguing. Do you really have no intention of joining our order? I will write a recommendation for you.”

“I apologize.”

Father Matteo also knew that I would refuse, and his smile remained unchanged.

“Hehe… That temperament is truly a grace from the Lord.”

“You flatter me.”

“Brother Benedicto, even if no one else remembers, I will.”

“Thank you. Please refrain from recording it in diaries or essays.”

As I made a jest, Father Matteo laughed and leaned back on the bench. The atmosphere loosened.