Chapter 10: Exorcism Ritual

“Wow, Renly is really Renly.”

As soon as I disembarked from the ship and set foot on Renly’s soil, a gasp of admiration escaped me.

Befitting the capital of the world’s most powerful nation, the city’s scenery was incredibly splendid.

It felt like I had come to the New York of this world, so to speak.

The imperial palace visible in the distance even exuded a sense of grandeur.

Wellington, the capital of the Amelia Kingdom, was a large city in its own right, but Renly was so overwhelmingly superior that any comparison felt embarrassing.

The thought of coming here to live if I succeeded in escaping Amelia naturally came to mind.

“Anyway… what should I do first?”

The Director did tell me to stay as long as I needed, but I have some sense and a conscience; I can’t actually do that.

And I need to finish my investments leisurely and return before the clouds of war fully gather in the eastern part of the continent.

‘That way, my intentions won’t be obvious.’

In short, I don’t have that much time.

Therefore, I have to enjoy Renly as efficiently as possible.

‘I can visit tourist spots later when I have plenty of time… Should I watch a play first?’

Renly is also the center of the theater industry.

People from all over the world who are somewhat good at acting and have outstanding looks all flock to Renly.

Only those who pass through fierce competition among them become actors, and Renly is where such actors gather to perform plays, so Renly’s theater is of the highest quality in the world.

There’s even a saying that once you’ve seen a play in Renly, you can’t watch plays in other regions.

To come all the way to Renly and return without seeing a single play?

I’d probably be called a madman even by a three-year-old child, no, even by a passing dog.

‘Or should I finish my work first?’

It also seemed better to first go to the mana stone exchange, short the mana stones, finish all my tasks, and then travel Renly with a light heart.

Just then, my stomach rumbled.

‘Come to think of it, it’s already lunchtime.’

Just in time, all sorts of greasy and sweet smells wafting from the street restaurants assailed my nose.

‘Let’s eat first.’

Having decided to enjoy the city of gastronomy first, I was drawn into the restaurant emitting the most delicious-smelling aroma.

***

After completely finishing a plate of steak and diligently eating a walnut pie for dessert, I strolled through the streets to sightsee and aid digestion.

Then, I reached a certain square.

On one side of the square, people were gathered in a circle.

Curious, I went over and saw a man playing an instrument and singing.

‘Oh. Is this busking in this world?’

I was glad to see it.

I also used to busk often in my past life.

I loved singing so much that I was active in a busking club and even played in a working-adult band.

The man sang quite well, and it reminded me of my past life, so I decided to watch the busking for a while before leaving.

After putting the coins I received as change from my meal into the hat the man had placed in front of him, I began to seriously appreciate his song and performance.

Suddenly, someone brushed past me from behind, running.

At that presence, I unknowingly turned my body.

‘A nun…?’

What my gaze fell upon was a woman in a black nun’s habit.

She was running hurriedly somewhere, her veil off, her long, straight black hair fluttering.

For a moment.

She briefly glanced back.

Because of that, I saw her face.

‘I’ve seen that face somewhere before…?’

It was a fleeting moment, but I was sure.

It was definitely a face I had seen sometime before.

‘Where did I see it…?’

Was it because I was curious why her face looked familiar?

Before I knew it, I was following her.

As if drawn by an uncontrollable force.

My pace gradually quickened, afraid of losing sight of her as she ran.

Suddenly, something fell from her to the ground.

Seeing her continue to run without stopping, it seemed she hadn’t noticed.

I picked it up; it was a rosary.

And not just any rosary, but a five-decade rosary that only clergy or monastics could carry.

Clergy and monastics in this world usually wear rosaries around their necks.

And there’s no way they wouldn’t notice a rosary worn around the neck breaking and falling off.

Moreover, rosaries are usually made of wood, but this one was made of silver.

This meant there was a high probability it belonged not to an ordinary nun, but to a high-ranking clergy member.

‘Is it someone else’s rosary…?’

Sometimes, after a close person passed away, people would carry the rosary that person used in life out of longing for the deceased.

I wondered if this was such a case.

‘Well, I’ll find out if I ask her directly…’

It looked very precious even at a glance, so I had to catch up to her, if only to return this.

While I paused to pick up the rosary, the distance between us had widened further.

So, I also started running after her.

She was quite fast for a woman, but still being a woman, I managed to quickly close the distance between us.

Before I knew it, I was close enough that if I called out to her, she would hear and turn around, so I was about to call her.

She slipped into a house.

It was a private home located in a secluded suburb, so remote that a forest spread out behind it.

She was crying as she passed by a man and woman standing in the yard and quickly entered the house.

Following her closer, I heard two voices from inside the house, despite all the windows being firmly shut.

One was spewing all sorts of profanities in an extremely unpleasant voice.

The other was repeatedly muttering incomprehensible words in a firm and solemn voice.

I had no idea what was going on or what kind of place this was.

I considered just turning back.

But even though I had only seen it for a fleeting moment, her face still lingered in my mind, and I also had to return the rosary I’d picked up, so I followed her into the house.

The man and woman standing in the yard looked at me with curiosity and asked.

“Wh-who are you…?”

“Ah, I, well…”

“Are you perhaps a priest?”

“Huh? Ah.”

It seemed they misunderstood because of the rosary in my hand.

I wasn’t wearing priestly attire, but clergy don’t always wear vestments; they sometimes wear plain clothes.

And above all, they thought I was a priest because of the rosary I was holding.

“Ah, I just followed the nun who went in…”

‘…I was just following her and happened to pick up her rosary,’ if I honestly said that, I would obviously look like a strange person.

Even though it was the truth.

So I paused for a moment, racking my brain for how to explain.

The woman clapped her hands together and said.

“Ah! You’re here to help with the ritual!”

“Huh?”

“Aah, no wonder you were holding a silver rosary….”

Ritual? What ritual?

What on earth are they talking about?

Just then.

From inside, the unpleasant voice shrieked so loudly and sharply it felt like my ears would tear.

Then….

Crash—!

“Kyaa!”

“Honey!”

Suddenly, a window shattered.

Unlike the man and woman who fearfully ran far from the window.

I, on the other hand, curious about what on earth was happening, approached the broken window and looked inside.

A boy, his limbs all tightly bound, lying on a blood-soaked bed.

In contrast to him, who was letting out a wicked laugh that didn’t suit his youthful face at all.

A priest, who had collapsed as if his legs had given out, muttering something with a dazed expression.

And the nun I had followed, shouting, “Father, get a hold of yourself! You can’t give up like this!” encouraging him.

The moment I saw that scene.

A movie I had seen in my past life flashed through my mind.

‘Exorcist priests…?’

This scene right now.

The movie I saw in my past life.

The word ‘ritual’ that came up in the conversation with the couple a moment ago.

Those three things overlapped to lead to one conclusion.

‘An exorcism ritual….’

This was the scene of an exorcism ritual, driving out a demon possessing that boy’s body.

“Ah, you mustn’t look in!”

The nun spotted me standing by the window and hurriedly shouted.

At her words, the boy, no, the demon possessing the boy, whipped its head towards me.

The moment my eyes met his, which were dark red like the blood staining the bed.

Suddenly, its whole body froze as if petrified.

Not me, but the demon.

‘……?’

Its laughter also stopped abruptly in an instant, and the characteristic wickedness that had filled its face completely vanished.

Its appearance was, how should I put it.

Like a self-proclaimed rage-aholic who, after throwing a wild tantrum, suddenly sees someone like Ma Dong-seok, gets intimidated, and instantly calms down.

The demon, after briefly turning its head towards the priest and nun, looked back at me and then.

“Ah, f*ck.”

It spat out that short, coarse word.

“Ah, the demon has been exorcised?”

It disappeared as if fleeing.

“That powerful and wicked being, so obediently? So suddenly?? …Why???”

“I-I wonder…?”

The priest and nun, who had been staring blankly at each other with puzzled expressions, soon looked at me, almost simultaneously.

Then, they asked at the same time.

“Who… are you…?”