A New Friend and a Captured Demon
In the inn shrouded by rain, Jimmy stepped outside clutching his throbbing head. "Huuuah..." A hangover pounded behind his eyes as he let out a long, lazy yawn and stretched his arms wide. No guests seemed likely to arrive anytime soon, and the rain had already stopped without him noticing. And...
'Yesterday ended way too strangely.' Tsk. Jimmy smacked his lips with a disappointed expression. The awkward way the drinking party had wrapped up the night before still bothered him.
"Good morning, Brother Jimmy."
"Ah, Priest Jenkinson. Good mor—"
Jimmy froze mid-greeting the instant he returned to the inn. The sight of blood staining Jenkinson's hands and Yona tied up with a half-dazed look on her face left him utterly stunned.
"Um... Priest? What is all this?"
To Jimmy's trembling question, Jenkinson answered as if it were nothing special.
"I simply caught a demon. No need for alarm. I apprehended her last night in the act of trying to harm Brother Rick."
A demon? Yona? Jimmy couldn't believe his ears, but he lacked the courage to openly contradict an Inquisitor. Besides, a priest would never lie.
"Then Rick..."
When Jimmy asked with clear worry on his face, Jenkinson smiled.
"His body took a little damage, but he'll recover after a day of rest. In any case, this is where we part ways."
Jenkinson hadn't extracted the information he wanted from her yet, but he figured it was simply a matter of investing more time. After all, his destination was the Saint Juno Great Cathedral. That place naturally housed priests gifted at torturing demons for answers. She would be sent there.
After explaining as much, Jenkinson turned to Jimmy.
"It seems the Goddess's hand guided our meeting, Brother Jimmy."
Those words sent a strange chill down Jimmy's spine. Fear gripped him. Even someone as ordinary as Jimmy knew how dangerous demons were—monsters that forced even seasoned holy knights to risk their lives. Could anyone look calmly at a priest who subdued such a creature so effortlessly and dragged her around? It seemed impossible no matter how he thought about it.
That was why fear clouded Jimmy's face, and Jenkinson noticed immediately. He was used to it—people fearing him. So Jenkinson wasn't surprised at all.
Clink.
"Staying for free still didn't sit right with me. Even if the rain brought us together. I quite enjoyed your cooking, Brother."
Jenkinson set two gold coins on the table.
"Please consider this compensation for your cooperation."
With those words, Jenkinson vanished with Yona in tow. Jimmy stood there for a long time, staring blankly at the priest's retreating back.
"That's right! Rick!"
Only then did he remember the warning about Rick being in danger and rushed to his room. Seeing Rick lying pale on the bed finally made the priest's words hit home—Rick had nearly died. Was Yona truly a demon? Then those travelers who occasionally vanished... Urk!
Jimmy suddenly felt nauseous. Only now did he understand why the priest had warned them to beware of demons. And just how lucky they had been. Meeting him had been a true stroke of fortune. Without him, Jimmy would surely have lost his precious younger brother.
So Jimmy hurried outside. Fortunately, the priest was still waiting at the station for the distant approaching train.
"Priest!"
Jimmy called out urgently. But the man didn't turn around. In that instant, Jimmy recalled the expression Jenkinson had worn when called "Priest" instead of by name—a smile that somehow looked strangely disappointed. Even while knowing how rude this was, Jimmy shouted anyway.
"Jenkinson!!!"
At that, Jenkinson spun around immediately. Seeing it, Jimmy smiled brightly.
"Next time you visit, I'll make you even more delicious food! So you have to come back!"
"..."
Jenkinson widened his eyes in surprise, then soon offered a gentle smile.
"Yes. I will definitely do so, Brother Jimmy."
At that reply, Jimmy grinned. It felt like... "You have to come!" He had somehow gained a wonderful new friend.
"You look oddly cheerful, Jenkinson priest."
The superior listening to my report about the captured demon on the train regarded me with open curiosity. Look cheerful, she said...
"I made a friend."
I really was in a good mood. And it wasn't because I'd caught a demon or because I was finally returning to the Holy Kingdom after so long.
"What friend...? Did you eat something strange?"
I neatly ignored my tactless superior's remark and glanced at the still-trembling demon.
"Anyway, a demon should prove quite useful. Good material for crafting anti-demon tools, and plenty of experiments to run."
The demon bound obediently before me flinched violently at the word "experiments." I answered indifferently.
"That has nothing to do with me, so let's move on. I'm an Inquisitor in the field of family matters, not an exorcist."
How demons were handled was honestly no longer my concern. I was an Inquisitor of the domestic sphere—a guardian of the home, not an exorcist who hunted devils.
"...Right, you're that domestic-field inquisitor who catches demons whenever the mood strikes."
There it was again, that teasing tone. This instance really had been pure coincidence. Besides, if you thought about it, this woman was a creature who freely bewitched men. Simply capturing her could be seen as preventing the adultery she might have caused, couldn't it?
"I have no idea what nonsense I'm listening to. In any case, Archbishop Herman Bullshake will be at this meeting too, so you'd better steel yourself. Unless you want to be reassigned as an exorcist."
"If I'm being reassigned anyway, I'd rather serve under Archbishop Hose."
"I don't want to drink any wine you made. So that's out of the question. Though I might consider the exorcist route."
"I already told you that."
Unless it was a transfer to become a winemaker, I was satisfied with my current position. In truth, if I wasn't going to be a winemaker priest, I preferred my role as a guardian of the home over life as an exorcist battling demons. I didn't mind facing demons now and then, but I had no desire to spend my life chasing only those creatures. At my core, I wanted to deal with humans. Spending too much time around gloomy monsters like demons would leave even me feeling gloomy.
In fact, I would have ignored this meeting if His Holiness hadn't personally summoned me. As I thought this, Bishop Silvestina grumbled.
"Herman's going to be noisy again. He's already desperate to see you."
I flinched the instant I heard that name. Honestly... I found the man rather uncomfortable. A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
Archbishop Herman Bullshake.
An Archbishop. Yes, a position on an entirely different level from my current direct superior. Archbishops were those tasked with overseeing one of the five major archdioceses designated by the Holy Kingdom. Only the Pope stood above them—a status so lofty that even bishops seemed small by comparison. The duties and gravity they carried were on another plane entirely.
And among the mere five archbishops on the continent, Archbishop Herman Bullshake was one. He oversaw the First Archdiocese, which encompassed the Holy Kingdom itself along with two other kingdoms, and served as the head of Hendbury Great Cathedral, which commanded all exorcists.
Above all, he was the church's greatest asset. The strongest exorcist alive.
His power was enough to make the Pope's personal holy knight order look trivial when he fought alone, and even the continent's three greatest mages had to yield before his name.
I had no idea why such a monster would pay any attention to someone like me, but...
"In any case, you'll meet His Holiness the Pope as soon as you reach the Holy Kingdom, so prepare yourself."
"Of course."
I gave that reply and closed my eyes for a moment. I hadn't slept properly last night because of this demon... I decided to take the opportunity to nap. And so the train continued smoothly toward the Holy Kingdom, carrying a clergyman weary from work and a terrified demon.
Corpses lay scattered everywhere—remains of familiars created by demons. A nun dressed in monastic robes, Lina remained utterly calm as she surveyed the pile of bodies.
Sizzle...!
At that moment, white smoke rose from the silver barrel of the man's pistol as it cooled among the corpses.
"The demons' movements have been strange lately. This is troubling... Miss Lina? Are you all right over there?"
"When Your Excellency has already slain them all, what danger could possibly reach me?"
Lina answered the man's playful question and examined the bodies. Every one had died instantly from a single shot. While that pistol sometimes fired real bullets, it was primarily a magic tool he used to channel his spells.
"More importantly, a crow arrived earlier... Was it from Tina?"
Only this man would dare call the esteemed Silvestina by that nickname... Lina thought as she nodded.
"Yes. It seems Priest Jenkinson will arrive soon."
"Oh! That's excellent news."
The man brightened visibly at the words and lightly shook the blood from his hand.
Swish.
Watching the demon familiars he had slain crumble into scattering ash, Lina felt a slight chill.
"Well then, shall we go meet him? That self-proclaimed guardian of the home."
He holstered the pistol at his waist as he spoke. The place where he stood was a small village not far from Jiren. For him as well... the Holy Kingdom was now within easy reach.