"Hmm..."

Hearing this, Father Henn’s brow furrowed, and he turned his gaze toward Seia.

"Could I trouble this sister to help bring my luggage back to my room?" Seia requested with a gentle smile.

So, the girl standing before her was a newly arrived sister?

The sister who had come to deliver the message looked at Seia with a hint of curiosity. She could tell that the girl wasn’t actually a nun yet, but that was normal. Generally speaking, women had to reach adulthood before taking their vows; after all, Jesus wouldn’t want an underage bride.

That was exactly why novice sisters existed.

"This is Seia Yurizono, an elite exorcist who has come all the way from Dublin," the priest said, offering a brief introduction. "Her visit to New York this time is specifically for Mr. Blaze’s case."

"Good heavens... she’s so young..."

The sister’s face instantly filled with astonishment upon hearing this.

"Please don’t worry, Sister. I am actually an adult," Seia said with a soft laugh, completely unbothered by the comment.

The sister quickly realized her words had been a bit offensive. Even though the proof was right in front of her eyes and her reaction had come from a place of genuine concern, speaking that way ultimately underestimated the girl’s capabilities, which was undoubtedly rude.

"I am so sorry... Seia, I didn’t mean to look down on your abilities..." the sister apologized in a rush.

"It’s quite all right. My appearance does tend to provoke that sort of reaction." Seia’s expression and tone didn’t waver in the slightest, remaining as warm and composed as ever, which only made the sister feel all the more ashamed.

"In that case, I’ll trouble you to take this to Seia’s room. It’s at the very end of the second floor in the dormitory building," Father Henn said with a smile, handing the suitcase over to the sister.

"Right away."

Accepting the luggage without a single complaint, the sister bowed to the two of them. "May the Lord protect you."

After returning the gesture, the two altered their course from the dormitories and headed instead toward the ritual hall.

The walls of this ritual hall, including its massive doors, were entirely coated in a layer of gold—a material capable of sealing away the strange and the supernatural.

The interior of the hall felt rather hollow. Aside from various cursed objects possessed by evil spirits lined up against the walls, the floor was almost completely bare, save for a single chair and the demon-binding array drawn beneath it by the bishop.

Currently sitting in that chair was a man wearing a jacket.

He was bent almost completely double, his head tightly clamped between his hands as if he were desperately trying to suppress something within himself.

Father Henn walked into the room with Seia. Before he could even open his mouth, he watched as Seia drew a chalice from her sleeves, which were so wide her hands were completely hidden. The chalice possessed a silver body and a golden rim.

As a golden light spilled from the rim of the cup, the movements of the man in the chair suddenly stiffened.

Slowly, his hands relaxed, his spine straightened out, and he bathed in the unbelievable sensation of newfound tranquility.

"This is...?" Father Henn had never seen a holy relic shaped like this cup before. It looked almost exactly like the legendary Holy Grail... Could this be a secret weapon of the Church?

"I... I feel much better. This is the first time..."

Before Seia could answer, Johnny murmured in a bit of a daze. But a moment later, his expression twisted into a mix of fury and lingering fear, and he couldn’t help but curse out loud: "The absolute first damn time since that miserable, ancient bastard showed up!"

"I’ve had enough of riding a motorcycle that burns my ass all over the streets every single night!"

He vented his emotions with everything he had. Only after calming down a fraction did he finally think to look toward the doorway.

Catching sight of Seia, he froze visibly. "Who’s the girl...?"

Johnny noticed the plump bird perched atop Seia’s head, which was carrying itself with an almost human-like air of curiosity.

However, what truly caught his attention was the glowing cup resting in the girl’s hands.

"She is an exorcist reassigned here from the Dublin Cathedral, and she has come specifically to handle your situation."

"A... little girl?" Johnny felt entirely bewildered.

"She is actually an adult. Furthermore... you can place your absolute trust in Exorcist Seia’s strength. She has carried out more than one classified operation, and she recently resolved a difficult case that would have impacted the entire world."

Seeing that Seia had managed to soothe the problem that had plagued them for so long the moment she arrived, Father Henn spoke with a great deal more confidence, his heart finally grasping the true weight of her abilities.

She’s really that good?

Though Johnny still found it a bit hard to believe, the sensations in his own body didn’t lie. Ever since this little girl had walked in, he truly did feel significantly better.

"Sorry... uh, I mean, is there anything you need me to do to cooperate with you?"

"Could you tell me who you signed the contract with, Mr. Blaze?" Seia walked slowly toward the man in the chair. Up close, her youthful face and petite stature became even more pronounced.

Is she really an adult?

Desperately swallowing the urge to comment on it, Johnny gave a well-practiced summary, having already answered this question once before: "I don’t remember. The contract was signed many years ago, and back then, that demon never even gave his name."

He racked his brain, trying to recall the details of the contract from all those years ago, but too much time had passed. Besides, he hadn’t exactly read it very closely at the time.

A bitter taste filled his mouth at the thought. As these events unfolded, he had taken it upon himself to learn a bit about the mechanics of exorcism.

When it came to fighting off demons, one mostly relied on the exorcist’s own power and skills. But when it came to banishing a demon back to Hell, one had to borrow the power of God.

And God required the demon’s name in order to cast His gaze upon you and grant you His strength.

Generally speaking, when a contract was forged, the demon’s name would be visible on the document.

That was the crucial secret to how so many people managed to turn the tables and trick the demons they dealt with—they knew the name. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

But... Johnny was completely clueless when it came to this most vital step.

Without a name, let alone banishing the entity, even locating it would be an uphill battle.

"Looks like you just got here, and I’m sorry to disappoint you," Johnny said, a note of self-abandonment creeping into his voice. "Though, thank you for keeping me from turning into that thing again."

"This cannot be maintained indefinitely." Seia lifted the manifested Holy Grail slightly with the hand hidden inside her sleeve, explaining, "Sustaining it requires a great deal of concentration."

This caused Johnny’s face to darken. He had assumed he would at least be able to get through the night smoothly, meaning he could just come here every evening to remain a normal human being.

But from what this girl was saying, it sounded like this object wouldn’t even last a few hours.

"Why did that demon seek you out again?" she pressed on.

"He said he needs me to help him deal with his child," Johnny said, thoroughly exasperated. "But I don’t even know where his kid is. Besides, I have absolutely no interest in getting tangled up in their twisted family dynamic."

"This might just be our breakthrough."

Father Henn’s eyes lit up with a sudden realization.

"Indeed." Seia nodded, then turned her gaze back to Johnny. "A demon does not suddenly demand that you fulfill a contract without reason. Since he has sought you out, it means he believes now is the opportune moment. His child should be appearing very soon."

"And through this ’child,’ we can attempt to pry out the name of his father," Father Henn concluded with a smile.

--+--

T/N: If you want advance Chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL