Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Mitchell's Death
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Three years ago, on the day Jade first visited the Jupea Cathedral in Bompei, he met Mitchell, the daughter of Lord Braune. At thirteen years old, she was a pretty girl whose golden hair and pale skin suited her well.
The girl, who had originally been healthy and tomboyish, was spending most of her time bedridden due to an illness of unknown origin.
Lord Braune's affection for his only daughter, obtained late in life, was bound to be extraordinary, and he spared no means or methods to cure her sickness. But the doctors didn't even know the name of the disease, and the priests found no traces of demons. Still, the deeply faithful Lord Braune visited the Jupea Cathedral every Sunday to receive God's blessing directly from Bishop Ducar.
Bishop Ducar introduced Jade to Lord Braune, and as expected, the lord asked Jade to pray for his daughter. Jade refused, saying his own faith wasn't deep enough to pray, but Lord Braune begged him to at least lay a hand on her.
Instead of praying, Jade prepared sincere words of comfort and placed his hand on the girl's head. The moment he touched her, Jade hastily pulled his hand away, and Mitchell fell backward in surprise.
Priests nearby, the Braune couple, and servants rushed over at the sudden incident. Fortunately, Mitchell wasn't hurt. Everyone treated it as just a minor accident and brushed it off.
After that, Mitchell continued to roam freely inside the cathedral and returned home after kneeling and praying under the Star Cross.
'Why did I sense a demon's power in that child?'
Jade was at a loss, flustered. The only person he could consult about such a thing, Father Danel, was away in a distant place.
The next day, Jade secretly visited Lord Braune's house. The lord was grateful that a promising young priest had come to the mansion himself and guided him to Mitchell's bedroom.
"She's not well, so she spends more than two-thirds of the day in bed."
The lord's wife explained.
"Still, she's a faithful child, so she goes to the cathedral every Sunday without fail. Maybe because she's tired, she ends up lying in bed all day Monday after that."
Mitchell's bedroom was filled with a fragrant scent, not at all like a sickroom, and the large windows let in plenty of sunlight. Even at just thirteen, she looked alluring sitting on the bed with her golden hair braided in a single plait draped below her shoulders. Her bloodless face and sleepy eyes formed a smile that revealed both innocence and beauty at once.
Jade hoped the previous day's experience had been a coincidence or a mistake, but it wasn't. Mitchell—no, 'it'—was a demon, not human. Unexpectedly, Mitchell spoke to Jade first.
"You recognize me, don't you?"
Even in front of her openly watching parents, Mitchell was bold. She knew exactly that Jade had discovered the truth but couldn't speak it.
"How long has it been like this...?"
Lord Braune was delighted by Jade's interest and explained.
"My daughter has had a weak heart since she was young. Then, about half a year ago, she suddenly collapsed and didn't wake for three days, only to awaken as if by a miracle. This despite a quack doctor diagnosing that her heart had stopped during treatment! It can only be explained as God's blessing, right? But perhaps because of that shock, she still lacks strength like this."
Jade looked down at Mitchell for a moment, then made a request.
"Could you leave us alone for a bit? I want to pray for Mitchell."
Lord Braune exchanged glances with his wife and left the room together.
Jade spoke to Mitchell in a small voice that wouldn't leak outside the door.
"Leave Mitchell's body. Or I'll destroy you."
Mitchell replied with a cute smile.
"Are you threatening me? It won't work."
Jade held a book in one hand and extended the other.
"Do you think I'm a cleric who relies on faith?"
"I didn't think you were a real priest. Let me see... Even a low-rank demon like me can tell you've seen through my identity at a glance, so are you some kind of demon hunter? Then kill me. I'm just a frail girl with no strength to run anyway. But remember this."
Mitchell's black pupils spread to the whites, turning her entire eyes pitch black. But from the girl's mouth, showing neat white teeth, only a cute voice emerged.
"If you kill me, you'll become a cruel murderer. To everyone else, I'm just an innocent, frail girl with no guilt."
Mitchell's pupils returned to normal.
Jade couldn't hide his agitation and asked,
"When did you kill Mitchell and take over her body?"
"I didn't kill her. You just heard, right? Half a year ago, Mitchell's heart had already stopped—she was dead. That quack doctor was right. I don't know the disease either. I just happened to find a perfectly suitable corpse right there at that moment."
Shrugging her shoulders in active denial, Mitchell's gesture would have seemed endearingly cute to a stranger—enough to make them shiver.
To Jade, it looked exactly the opposite.
"It's not a lie. I didn't do anything to Mitchell. I'm just dwelling in her and living. Of course, someone like you would say even that's a sin."
Mitchell turned her head primly and crossed her arms.
"I'm not a strong enough demon to steal a living person's body. You can see that. Didn't you know? I confessed for nothing."
The demon in Mitchell's form brimmed with confidence.
"Oh, right! This isn't a confession—it's the sacrament of penance, isn't it? So now you can't tell anyone! And if you kill me, even aside from you becoming a murderer, the Braunes will suffer. They'll want their daughter to keep moving, even in this form."
"You're not Mitchell. So they won't wish for that."
"Will they not?"
Mitchell narrowed her eyes and continued.
"Then go ask 'Daddy' if it's okay to kill me."
Jade stormed out of the room as if kicking the door. But he couldn't tell Lord Braune the truth. It wasn't just the issue of the sacrament of penance; he couldn't fathom the position of parents with a daughter.
After much deliberation, Jade confessed everything to Bishop Ducar.
The bishop glared at Jade fiercely for a while before speaking.
"It's extremely rare for a demon to openly possess a human body like that. In fact, most cases claimed to be so have been proven fake. We must exercise the utmost caution in such matters. Above all, don't forget the person involved is Bompei's lord. Keeping that in mind, tell me again. Is it true?"
Jade knew from experience that speaking excitedly about such things reduced persuasiveness, but he couldn't help it.
"It's true. A demon is parasitizing the dead girl's body and living in her place."
"Since when?"
"About six months ago."
"Six months makes it even harder to believe. I've known Mitchell like my own daughter, and in those six months, I've prayed and bestowed blessings on her several times. Even when she came to the cathedral, she showed no issue. If it were a demon, it would have suffered before the holy Star Cross and the Scriptures, but there was no sign of that."
"As far as I know, only a very few demons fear the Star Cross and holy water. I've even seen demons carrying Scriptures in their bosoms and wearing star symbols around their necks. Bishop, the demon possessing Mitchell does not fear the Caitlic Church."
The bishop's eyes widened as if he'd heard blasphemy against God's name, looking perplexed.
"You're still a young man who struggles to distinguish good from evil. Don't act rashly just because you've gained priestly qualifications."
The bishop emphasized once more.
"If you want to claim credit for exorcising a demon, there are plenty of targets that aren't a lord's daughter."
Jade slammed both hands on the table.
"Do I look like someone seeking credit right now?"
The sound of the table being struck echoed through the chapel. That table was an antique from before the cathedral had accepted the Caitlic faith five hundred years ago. It would originally be a remnant of paganism, but the Jupea Cathedral had inherited and cherished most items as they were.
Bishop Ducar seemed more angry about the table being struck than the Mitchell issue, as he brushed it with his sleeve and said,
"This won't do. You're confined to quarters for now. I'll take measures myself, so don't do anything... and don't think anything. 'Anything' at all! You know what I mean?"
Jade was confined to the cathedral as ordered. But doing nothing was impossible. For three days, Jade thought only of Mitchell.
Bishop Ducar had taken measures. Two priests experienced in demon exorcism visited the Braune family and examined Mitchell. But they only concluded there was nothing wrong.
Jade agonized alone, and his pain and isolation deepened. He lost the ability to judge normally, and his thoughts skewed to one side. When he came to his senses, he was in front of Lord Braune's mansion. The mansion guards opened the gate without suspicion when he appeared.
Jade found Mitchell in the garden.
She was alone, by chance.
"Oh, Father. Long time no see. Have you been well? I heard you were confined, but you're already free?"
Wearing a bright skirt, Mitchell sat by red roses, showing a soft smile. When Jade stopped about ten steps away and stood silently, Mitchell stood and asked,
"What brings you here?"
"To kill you."
Jade ran his hand over his face. The heat from his face was enough to warm his hand.
"As you said, you didn't kill Mitchell. You're not harming people while wearing her skin. You could go on living as the ideal daughter who continues to bring happiness to the Braunes."
Jade staggered forward step by step.
"But you can't. Children are buried in the earth by their parents, but parents bury their children in their hearts. The living must remember the dead and let them live in the hearts of the living. If the Braunes come to love you instead of Mitchell, then in whose heart is the dead Mitchell supposed to live?"
Jade extended his hand forward and continued.
"You must not live."
Mitchell showed no sign of fear.
"You're wrong. The dead don't live in the hearts of the living—they go before God. You don't even have priestly qualifications."
"Do you think I came without resolve? Today, I renounce my priestly status. Tell me your name, demon. No, as you confessed yourself, you're a nameless lesser demon?"
Before Jade could finish, Mitchell fled.
Even as a demon, borrowing a sick girl's body, she wasn't that fast. But she wasn't slow enough for the sleep-deprived Jade, who hadn't slept properly for days, to catch her easily.
"Help! The priest is trying to kill me!"
Mitchell screamed desperately as she ran. If she'd fled the other way, the guards at the front gate would have subdued Jade easily, but with Jade blocking ahead, she had no choice but to escape through the back gate.
As she fled the garden, dirt stained her and rose thorns tore her skirt, leaving Mitchell a mess. She tripped once midway, tearing her cheek and scraping her knee, blood flowing. People gathered to watch the bizarre chase unfolding in the heart of Bompei city.
Mitchell stopped in the crowded square. Then she turned to Jade.
"Father, can't you just let me live?"
Jade hesitated for a moment. Only then did he realize how he must look in the eyes of the surrounding people.
It was the demon's final resistance—and attack. The girl shed tears and extended her bloodied hand, approaching Jade instead with a trembling voice.
"Even if I sinned, as a priest, you should forgive and save me. Why try to kill me?"
It was hard to endure the sight of a thirteen-year-old girl tearfully pleading in pain. Jade had never faced a stronger demonic attack before or after.
Mitchell knelt before Jade and said,
"In God's name, show mercy. Let me live. I won't do anything."
Jade's mind became a chaotic mess.
All the knowledge he'd learned from Father Danel was useless. Like a well-trained gladiator unconsciously thrusting a sword at the enemy before him, Jade extended his hand and recited a passage from the book silently.
It was neither the language of Rom nor of Parens—it was an ancient tongue, rarely pronounced by human mouths and nearly impossible to pronounce. It was a passage from the book Jade held. As he finished reciting inwardly, a light of annihilation that burned demons formed.
Jade extended his glowing hand. Though many people watched, they didn't enter his vision. He stared only into Mitchell's pupils and placed his hand on the girl's small forehead.
"No. I can't let you live."
Light burst from Jade's palm, and the demon parasitizing the girl's body vanished. At the same moment, the girl's body rotted away on the spot as if left abandoned for years. The gray ash formed as the flesh covering her body burned was swept away by a timely wind.
Screams erupted from all around. Lord Braune, who had followed behind, witnessed the scene. Perhaps the demon had stopped there upon seeing Braune coming.
Jade couldn't say a word upon seeing the girl's father. He didn't know what excuse to make to him, nor even how to explain it to himself.