Chapter 32
“People who see them are divided into two types. Either clergy like me, or those born with the sight.”
“Is this common?”
“It’s not common. But it’s become common on this island.”
“…Perhaps everyone here is used to ghosts?”
I asked seriously, becoming quite grave, but the priest’s expression changed as he looked at me.
“…Does this seem normal to you? If it were, we wouldn’t be struggling like this.”
I thought it seemed natural because of how casually you spoke. I scratched the back of my head, embarrassed.
“Recently, those things have started appearing more frequently. Even ordinary people are getting caught up in ghost stories easily.”
Right. It was a bit more realistic to say that ordinary people couldn’t see ghosts.
“Do you know why Senior Noah was at the cemetery, Father?”
“He was probably investigating the Chesswind Village ghost story. There have been so many people claiming to see ghosts around that cemetery lately.”
Ah, right. It was definitely called the ‘Forgotten Ones’ Cemetery’ ghost story.
“While investigating that ghost story, he heard rumors that there was a Chesswind Village ghost story on the mainland too. That’s how he found out about you.”
The priest continued to question me.
“Where are you from? You’re not originally from Chesswind Village, are you?”
“I don’t have a hometown. I’ve always wandered from place to place. I thought I’d finally settled in Chesswind Village, but…”
My mother was the same in my childhood. She always moved around as if being chased by someone.
I never thought it was strange. Because I did the same after my mother passed away. Isn’t that what everyone does when looking for a place to live and eat?
And then it happened.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door of the prayer room.
Father Cesario’s movement stopped. He seemed a bit flustered.
His red eyes looked at the closed treatment room door in disbelief.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t believe it. We have a visitor.”
I tilted my head and stood up.
“I’ll open it.”
“No. Don’t. It’s an unwelcome guest.”
Father Cesario blocked me.
He explained as he pulled out the cross necklace from inside his clothes.
“There are no humans in this chapel right now except for us.”
If there were no humans besides us, it was obvious who was standing outside the door.
A ghost.
“Do you have holy water?”
“No.”
The priest took out a glass bottle from his pocket and continued questioning me.
“Hastings, have you been baptized?”
“Yes. With my younger sibling when I was young.”
“That’s fortunate.”
The priest checked the glass bottle and then handed it to me.
“You did this with Noah earlier, right? Hold this in your mouth. It’s enough for minor spirits and ghosts.”
I listened to the priest and uncorked the glass bottle, holding the holy water in my mouth.
“Don’t spit it out until I signal. It seems the spirits have followed you.”
“…..!”
“Of course, seeing as they’ve followed you into the chapel, they’re probably not ordinary spirits.”
The priest also held holy water in his mouth and took out a bell that was on the table.
With the bell in his left hand and the cross in his right, he nodded at me.
It seemed like a gesture asking me to open the door.
I roughly wiped the sweat gathering on my palms on my collar. Then I approached and stood in front of the door.
Knock knock.
The knocking sound echoed again from outside the quiet treatment room.
Something is still out there.
I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, extremely tense.
Click. The door opens.
A woman was standing outside the door. Her jet-black hair was so long it dragged on the floor.
Her face was hardly visible because of the hair falling in front of it.
The woman asked.
“I’ve come to find my pretty one.”
I hope that ‘pretty one’ doesn’t mean me?
According to what Father Cesario said earlier, it could be a ghost that’s been following me from the cemetery.
The priest shook the bell without answering.
Ding—
As if responding to that sound, the woman frantically scanned the inside of the treatment room.
Then her eyes met mine.
Bright red eyes gleamed through her hair.
The woman opened her mouth.
“Pretty one. Why are you pretending not to know me?”
Father Cesario grabbed my shoulder.
The tension finally left my stiff shoulders.
The priest shook the bell in his hand.
The heavy bell sound slowly resonated through the prayer room.
Ding.
Ding.
The priest slowly moved forward.
The woman covered her ears and started writhing as if in pain.
The priest left the prayer room, following the woman as she stepped back.
I debated whether to follow or not, but decided to stay and guard the prayer room.
Fortunately, that seemed to be the right choice as the priest walked down the corridor, driving the woman away without saying anything.
“Grrrraaahhhh-!”
A while later, a scream that sounded like it came from a beast echoed.
“The descendants of Abaddon, you shall not receive salvation from Kritovan, for even the god of Klutha will not help.”
I could hear Father Cesario reciting a prayer from afar.
‘That sounds familiar. But did the Celestial Church have such a prayer?’
I tilted my head in confusion.
I wasn’t sure what Father Cesario had done, but it was clear that the beast-like scream was from that woman earlier.
I watched the dark corridor tensely, desperately hoping for Father Cesario to return.
Thud thud.
Just then, I heard someone walking in the corridor. It seemed Father Cesario had returned.
I held the doorknob, waiting for the priest to appear.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The footsteps kept getting closer, but no one was visible.
Thud.
Thud thud.
Thud thud thud thud.
And strangely, the approaching footsteps were increasing in number.
‘What’s going on? Why are there so many people…?’
I got goosebumps.
Pitter-patter-patter-!
Pitter-patter pitter-patter-patter!
Finally, hearing the sound of something running towards me, I slammed the door shut in surprise.
Outside became quiet again.
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t calm down. I sat down on the spot and sighed.
‘What on earth is all this….’
As I sat on the floor catching my breath, suddenly a shadow fell over me.
Someone had approached me.
I thought it might be Senior Noah, but soon I was certain it wasn’t him.
I couldn’t bring myself to look up and just stared at the floor. Because there wasn’t just one or two shadows in front of me.
Dozens of legs were blocking my way.
“Salvation Kritoban you Abaddon descendants Klutha’s help believers not all can receive.”
Then, incomprehensible words poured out like vomit.
‘No. They’re not incomprehensible words.’
They were clearly muttering the prayer that Father Cesario had been shouting earlier, but jumbled up randomly.
Going further back, it was a phrase I had heard in Chesswind too.
It was exactly what Madam Ranart’s spirit had muttered eerily on the day she brought the cherry pie.
I listened to those bizarre words for a long time, sweating coldly. My body wouldn’t move at all.
I was overwhelmed by their aura. That would be the most accurate description.
While I was in this battle of wills with the ghosts, suddenly the pressure disappeared and my body felt at ease.
Surprised, I raised my head to find that the horrible air surrounding me had vanished somewhere.
There was no one inside the prayer room. Except for Senior Noah who seemed to have just woken up on the bed.
I don’t know what it was, but is it over? I wiped my cold sweat and sighed.
Senior Noah, who looked like he had just woken up, raised his head while rubbing his face.
“Melody, did you hear what those guys were saying?”
He asked in a slightly hoarse, murky voice. But I couldn’t answer. Because I was holding holy water in my mouth.
He stroked his chin with a tired face and asked me again.
“They kept muttering ‘You’re going to die’ to you.”
To me, it just sounded like they were reciting prayers randomly.
Senior Noah said he couldn’t see them. Instead, he said he could feel their presence more strongly than others. It seems voice is in a similar realm.
“If their presence is strong, I can sometimes hear their voices. As I said before, I can’t see evil spirits or ghosts with my naked eyes like you or Father Cesario.”
He said this at the cemetery too. That’s why he can only see them through a cat’s eyes.
That was also the reason why he possessed the cat’s body.
“In cases of powerful ghost stories or special circumstances, even ordinary people can see ghosts. You know that now.”
Right. The elevator ghost story incident was like that too. Erica and Sally were ordinary people, but didn’t they experience the ghost story together?
Above all, how many ghost stories are there in this world?
Not all the people who experienced such strange phenomena would have eyes that can see ghosts.
As I was quietly listening to him, it happened.
‘Huh?’
Those things that I thought had disappeared earlier suddenly appeared again.
At least ten of them were hanging upside down on the ceiling like bats.
They seemed invisible to Senior Noah’s eyes, but he must have sensed their presence as he fell silent.
‘As expected, it doesn’t end unless they’re sealed or destroyed.’
I don’t know where these things came from or why they’re suddenly acting up en masse-
‘I need to find the medium.’
I quickly scanned the surroundings. To find an object that could be their medium.
Melody.
Then I heard Senior Noah’s whisper. When I turned to him, I saw him pointing at the ceiling.
Among the creatures hanging like bats on the ceiling, something was shining.
Ah. I could see wind leaking from where a piece of stained glass was missing.
‘That’s it!’
Finding the passage connecting the medium and the other world was like playing a spot-the-difference game.
Elements that cause disharmony elements that don’t blend in with the surroundings were likely to be mediums and passages.
I quickly scanned the room.
Sure enough, a piece of stained glass on the floor was emitting an artificial light.
🐈⬛
Thank you for reading! ♡
