Chapter 23: A Saint’s Embrace

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“Good day.”

As afternoon arrived, Yanis, true to form, appeared at the cathedral. With a cheerful voice, he greeted a volunteer sweeping the courtyard. Their conversation drifted through the open window.

Emil, engrossed in a book within his room, felt his grip tighten. He heard the volunteer inquire about Yanis’s well-being.

The cordial atmosphere made him feel parched. Though he forced himself to read the words, their meaning utterly failed to penetrate his mind.

“No!”

His head felt as if it would explode. Emil clutched his head, tormented for a long moment.

The frozen traces from dawn still remained. Emil rubbed at it with his hand and blew warm breaths, but it refused to melt even slightly. It seemed to possess a different quality than naturally frozen water.

“Yanis, last night I woke up—and when I awoke, everything was frozen… No, that’s not it…”

Emil practiced the words he had prepared, staring at the wall. Though the story he needed to tell was clear, his tongue kept twisting, and he rambled incoherently. It felt as though he were broken, as if his ability to speak properly had vanished.

“…I’ll be going now, Father.”

“Yes, thank you for today. Are you leaving right away?”

“No. I’ll stop by upstairs for a moment first.”

“Ah, I see. You’re going to Emil.”

After Yanis had entered the priest’s room, and a considerable time had passed, the two could be heard exchanging farewells. Upon hearing Yanis’s voice, Emil took a deep breath and clapped a hand over his mouth.

Soon after, regular footsteps echoed. The crisp sound of neat shoes grew steadily closer. Then, a calm and precise knock followed.

“…Emil.”

Even in this dreadful situation, Emil felt like the worst person for his heart to pound at the thought of seeing Yanis.

“…I heard you were inside, so I came.”

Yanis’s calm voice drifted in. With his mouth still covered, Emil acutely focused on Yanis’s voice.

Thump, thump, thump, thump… The sound echoing in his ears was his own heartbeat.

“Why are you avoiding me… No, Emil. I apologize. I made a mistake with my words. It’s not that you’re avoiding me…”

At the man’s disjointed apology, Emil didn’t wait any longer; he stepped forward and opened the door.

With a jolt, the door, which had been firmly shut for so long, swung open with surprising ease. And there, standing directly before him, was the person Emil had long envisioned.

The man, who had been apologizing before the closed door, paused in surprise at the sight of Emil’s face, then his eyes crinkled as he offered a radiant smile. It was as if Emil’s repeated, unexplained absences had never occurred.

Far from anger, Yanis’s readiness to welcome him so easily was reminiscent of a saint.

“Emil, finally…”

“Yanis.”

Evading Yanis, who reached out to him with emotion, Emil stepped back. Unlike Yanis, this was not a situation where he could feel at ease or rejoice. Emil, avoiding Yanis’s gaze, murmured softly.

“I… I have something I need to tell you.”

“Yes, anything.”

“…If you don’t mind, please come inside for a moment.”

After politely entering, Yanis slowly surveyed Emil’s room. It was his first time seeing a priest’s living quarters.

The room was devoid of any notable furniture. There was an old desk, a bed even older, and bedding long out of fashion.

A small wardrobe stood in the corner, yet it wasn’t even full. The Bible Emil constantly read, along with which Yanis had given him, lay by the bedside. Only a small crucifix on the desk drew some attention.

This was quite different from the lives of clergymen Yanis had heard about. He had been told they all adorned themselves in gold and indulged in corruption unseen.

Yet both the village priest and Emil, who was soon to be ordained, were far too austere to be described as luxurious. No, even the word ‘austere’ felt like a luxury.

“You live in a place like this? Is it not uncomfortable?”

“Not at all. Rather, it is more than I deserve.”

Emil, who had solemnly invited Yanis into his room, answered without a moment’s hesitation. What kind of life accepts such poverty as natural?

Just as Yanis was about to fall into thought, Emil’s voice sounded again.

“More than that, Yanis, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“Yes. Anything.”

“I—”

The man, who had been surveying the room with curious eyes, quickly turned his gaze to Emil. Emil read goodwill in his eyes. He was a good man.

He was kind to his fiancée’s son, with whom he shared no blood, and approached even those in the clergy who ostracized him without hesitation. Emil found himself melting into that tenderness. He had come to rely on him. He believed Yanis would help him.

‘Humanity is sinful. Furthermore, he was a new breed of humanity, one that could never receive salvation.’

Emil looked directly into Yanis’s eyes. They were clear and blue.

Clarity, transparency, absence of deceit. All these were attributes of the one Messiah, destined to create the world and save humanity. All good things in the world invariably belonged to the eternal Master.

Yanis’s gaze was as clear as that. So clear and transparent… almost to the point of seeming innocent. Emil stammered, then finally uttered a single sentence.

“I… I’ve become an Esper.”

The countless things he had wished to tell him condensed into a single sentence. In Emil’s one statement resided his blind trust, affection, and hope.

The man, who had been smiling brightly, widened his eyes in apparent bewilderment at Emil’s words.

“…You?”

“Yes.”

“But you clearly have the cross on your back, don’t you? How could you be an Esper—”

“Yanis!”

Emil urgently called out Yanis’s name. As Emil raised a forefinger, signaling for silence, Yanis swallowed hard and nodded. Emil cleared his throat and calmly began to speak.

“Last night… I saw it. When I opened my eyes, this entire room was frozen.”

“……”

Yanis once again surveyed Emil’s room. Though old and shabby, it was an ordinary room. As if finding it difficult to imagine the entire room frozen, he examined it very meticulously.

“I don’t see anything at all. Can you do it again?”

“I don’t know how I did it either. There’s still some ice left over there…”

Yanis swiftly moved toward the spot Emil indicated. It was the first time he had acted by excluding Emil.

Yanis immediately located the area Emil pointed to. A section of the old wooden floorboards was frozen solid, showing no sign of melting. Rubbing it with his hand or blowing on it yielded no reaction. It remained unmoving, still emanating cold.

“Yanis?”

Tap, tap. Yanis bent his finger and tapped the ice with his knuckle. Such hardness, and enough power to freeze an entire room? It was difficult to gauge. Yanis’s previously clear eyes darkened.

“You froze this entire room?”

“Uh, actually.”

As Emil hesitated, Yanis’s eyes gleamed as he turned back to him. A different light, unlike his earlier innocence, swirled in his clouded gaze, but Emil remained entirely unaware of it.

“Actually, what happened?”

Yanis questioned Emil again, still pretending to be kind and good, yet speaking with an unfamiliar firmness. His tone was almost demanding, but Emil, lost in thought, did not notice at all.

“Emil?”

Yanis gently called Emil’s name again. His voice was tender, but his eyes had settled into a coldness unlike ever before.

“I can only help you if you tell me precisely.”

“……I opened the door, just in case, and the entire hallway—”

“The entire hallway was frozen?”

Yanis interrupted, asking before Emil could finish. His voice was somewhat choked with excitement. Yanis gazed intently at Emil’s troubled profile.

The light of madness and euphoria flickered in his eyes, which had turned pitch black. Soon after, the man smiled with more satisfaction than ever before. He had suspected it, but this was an unexpected boon. Such powerful abilities!

Yanis looked at Emil with loving eyes, as if encountering something incredibly precious, then swiftly changed his expression. Emil, who remained deep in thought, failed to notice any of these changes.

“How may I help you?”

“……”

Emil raised his head at the calm, composed voice. That tranquil, kind gaze. Yanis’s genuine manner in every conversation had led to this very situation.

“I want to become a priest.”

“……”

“I wish… these abilities would disappear.”

“……”

“It… it will be a problem.”

Tears fell from Emil’s eyes. He sobbed like a child, repeating over and over that he wanted to become a priest. Yanis, watching him wipe away tears with the back of his hand, embraced him. He gently wrapped his arms around Emil’s back, comforting the pitiful young man.

“I will help you.”

“Ugh, sniffle, hmph…”

At Yanis’s words, Emil wept openly. The suppressed anguish and anxiety burst forth all at once. As Emil trembled and cautiously hugged Yanis back, Yanis held him even tighter. He was truly fortunate to have met Yanis.

If not for him—if he hadn’t met him—the mere thought made his vision go dark.

“Th-thank you… Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord…”

In his daze, Emil praised the God who had sent Yanis to his side. He was like an embodiment of an angel. If he could overcome this final trial, he would surely draw one step closer to the Lord.

Yanis held Emil tightly in his arms, burying his lips in the gleaming blond hair. He savored the warmth and weight that fully enveloped him. He loved everything about it. Even the blind trust Emil showed him. The very fact that it obscured the truth only made it all the more endearing.