Chapter 019 — Haagenti (4)
“…Please forgive all the sins committed by Your children, hear our sincere prayers, and grant them the Lord’s mercy they always longed for. Amen.”
Sia prayed after laying the bodies from the refining room in a neat row.
“I hope you all go somewhere peaceful.”
Sia closed each corpse’s eyes one by one, then finished the requiem Mass by making the sign of the cross.
Valefor, still in the form of a rat, watched her while pacing restlessly in front of the door.
“I’m dying from anxiety over here, while someone else sure has plenty of time to spare. Squeak!”
“Sorry. And thanks for waiting.”
Sia’s voice was hoarse.
She had cried after witnessing the deaths of fellow priests.
Wiping away the tears still lingering around her eyes, she walked toward Valefor.
“Tch. They know the barrier has been lifted, so the enemies will be swarming in here soon. Squeak.”
It wouldn't have been strange if the enemy barged in at any moment.
Valefor repeatedly pressed his ear against the door, pulled it away, then listened again, waiting for the right moment to leave.
“Yeah. Did you find a way out?”
“Who do you think I am? Squeak!”
Valefor stood upright on his hind legs and puffed out his chest as he pointed toward one part of the entrance.
Just like when they had first entered, there was a small protruding section there.
“It’s the same as when we came in. Squeak.”
“Found it. Give me the signal and I’ll press it right away.”
“Got it. Squeak.”
Valefor placed his round rat ear against the door and listened carefully to what was happening outside.
—The barrier has been lifted! The refining room! Head to the refining room!
—Surround this entire area!
It seemed their location had already been discovered.
As the footsteps drew closer, Valefor’s expression grew increasingly tense.
“Did something happen?”
Sia noticed his stiff expression and asked worriedly.
Valefor didn't answer.
Then—
RUMBLE—!
A massive tremor suddenly shook the area.
Valefor managed to keep his balance, and then new voices reached his ears.
—H-Huh? Wait!
—This energy!
—Ah… Aah! Our Father has descended!
Their voices were filled with awe.
Valefor’s round ears immediately perked up.
Father?
At that moment, information about the one those people might call “Father” flashed through Valefor’s mind.
Haagenti.
—…Do not act so rashly. You look terribly undignified.
A deep and imposing voice followed.
Valefor immediately realized this was their chance and shouted at Sia.
“Now! Open it! Squeak!”
“Got it!”
Push.
When Sia pressed down, the protruding part sank inward and became flush with the wall.
Then—
Rrrrkk.
The entrance slid open like a sliding door.
I never expected that ritual to be a summoning ceremony.
If that’s the case, we should be safe for the moment. Squeak.
If Valefor’s guess was correct, then those fanatics had something far more important to worry about than intruders right now.
As the entrance slowly opened, the light from lamps lying on the floor seeped inside.
That alone was enough for Valefor to become certain.
Lamps were things people carried.
They weren't supposed to be left lying on the ground.
“W-What is this?”
“What else? An elegant hobby for a pervert. Squeak.”
Before them, the believers were lined up in rows, lying flat on the ground and worshipping toward the windows.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOOOM!
A deafening noise came from the direction the believers were facing.
Sia and Valefor slowly walked between them.
A few believers twitched slightly.
However, like programmed machines waiting for their next command, none of them moved.
“The first thing he does after descending is dominate his followers? Squeak.”
Haagenti’s habit of dominating his followers was rather famous even in Hell.
He did it every single time he descended.
It suited someone from the faction of Pride.
But to Valefor, who belonged to the faction of Greed, it was an incomprehensible act that offered no real benefit.
Still, it works out well for us. Squeak.
Thanks to that strange hobby, they had managed to avoid immediate danger.
Only after leaving the rows of believers behind could the two finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oh! Over there! Isn’t that Rude Bastard?”
Sia pointed outside the window after spotting Mikael.
Valefor jumped up as well and landed on the flat windowsill.
“What the hell is he doing out there? Squeak.”
Beyond Mikael’s back, where he seemed to be confronting someone, stood a man in a pure white suit at the center of the prostrating believers.
“…The monastery leader? He looks a little different.”
The extravagant clothing resembled what Taedeung had worn in the chapel.
However, because of the imposing presence surrounding the man and the strange helmet he wore, Sia couldn't be certain they were the same person.
That’s Haagenti. Squeak.
Valefor, on the other hand, recognized the helmet made from a bull’s skull immediately.
Hmm. I think this would be a good time to get out of here. Squeak.
Even at a glance, Mikael seemed completely suppressed by Haagenti’s presence, unable to do anything.
Frankly, I’ve already done enough.
I don't particularly want to increase the number of my enemies either.
And judging from this situation, Mikael can’t beat Haagenti right now anyway. Squeak.
Valefor could roughly estimate the situation just by looking.
His mind began leaning toward abandoning Mikael.
Actually, it’d be even better if Haagenti just dragged him straight back to Hell.
Then he wouldn’t be around to annoy me anymore. Squeak.
Just imagining finally cutting off their long, miserable relationship made Valefor feel refreshed.
SHHK!
“Hup!”
Sia covered her mouth in shock when a spiral spear pierced straight through Mikael’s leg.
As Mikael dropped to one knee, Valefor made up his mind.
“Blowhard. Squeak.”
“Huh… Me?”
Sia tilted her head, not realizing that “blowhard” was referring to Mikael.
But this wasn't the time to discuss that.
With Haagenti’s attention focused entirely on Mikael, they needed to run as far away as possible.
“We need to go. Squeak.”
Valefor could have escaped by himself.
But he chose to take Sia with him.
The more shields I have, the better. Squeak.
Since Sia clearly disliked Mikael, Valefor assumed she would naturally choose to abandon him and escape with Valefor.
“This is our only chance while everyone’s attention is on Mikael. Squeak.”
Valefor waved his tiny hand, gesturing for her to move.
But Sia continued staring at Mikael.
“Sorry. You’re probably right, but I can’t just leave that man behind.”
“That demon isn’t something we can deal with just because we go help him. Squeak.”
If their opponent really was Haagenti, nobody except Mikael had any chance of facing him.
Sia had only just learned how to use Aura.
Valefor was currently only around the level of a mid-ranking demon.
Neither of them would even be able to scratch Haagenti.
“It would be better to get out and call for reinforcements! Contacting the Exorcism Association would be the smarter choice. Squeak.”
“Well… I don't have any way to contact them. Hehe.”
Sia gave an awkward smile and turned her empty pockets inside out.
Leaving her phone behind when entering the monastery had come back to bite her.
“Even so, we need to—”
“AAAAAARGH!”
Before Valefor could finish trying to persuade her, Mikael’s scream rang out from the plaza.
Sia bit her lip and turned back toward the way they had come.
“What are you trying to do?! Squeak!”
“Help him. No matter how rude he is, he’s still a guest of the Exorcism Association that I was assigned to receive. I can’t just let something happen to a guest, can I?”
Valefor’s head began to ache at Sia’s reckless decision.
Should he just run away by himself?
While he was still debating, Sia came back.
“I won’t ask you to come with me. And I won’t ask you to help either. Just tell me one thing. Who is that?”
Sia crouched down and gathered her courage before looking Valefor directly in the eyes.
Facing him head-on caused her instinctive fear of rats to scream at her to look away.
Even so, she tightly gripped the windowsill with trembling hands and forced herself to focus.
“P-Please.”
For some reason, an unusual number of people had been asking Valefor for favors today.
Valefor held his forehead and turned his back on Sia.
She can’t even properly look at one little rat, yet she’s trying to act tough… Squeak.
There was no real downside to answering her.
And if Sia left, escaping alone would actually become easier.
At least, that was what Valefor told himself.
I’m not acting very demon-like today. Squeak.
Eventually, Valefor gave up and sighed.
“…That’s Haagenti. Squeak.”
“Haagenti?”
The name sounded familiar.
Sia was sure she had heard it during a lesson at her Catholic school.
“Wait… One of the 72 Demons?”
It wasn't only at school.
During her time working with the Exorcism Association, the 72 Demons had come up quite frequently.
Mostly in old records and information about them.
But as far as she knew, almost no priest had ever actually encountered one, let alone successfully performed an exorcism against one.
They even said it would be impossible unless the priest possessed a very high-ranking holy relic.
Holy relics were usually ranked depending on the status of the saint who had originally owned them and the relic’s value.
The ranking used Roman numerals in reverse order, meaning the lower the number, the higher the rank.
Good. She knows what the 72 Demons are. Squeak.
Valefor was relieved.
If Sia understood their reputation, then surely she wouldn't say anything ridiculous.
“That’s right. That’s why I’m telling you we should run. Squeak.”
Valefor knew the power of great demons better than almost anyone.
That was exactly why he could confidently say that trying to help Mikael was reckless.
But then—
“That actually works out great. When else would I ever get the chance to fight one of the 72 Demons after becoming a priest?”
What? Squeak.
Valefor doubted his own ears.
Sia swept her wavy hair back and tied it with the hairband she had been wearing around her wrist.
Now wearing her hair in a ponytail, Sia suddenly looked more confident.
“This should keep it from getting in the way while I’m running around, right?”
What the hell are you talking about right now? Squeak.
Sia had never personally seen a high-ranking holy relic before.
Because of that, she had no way of properly understanding just how powerful one of the 72 Demons really was.
“Alright. Should I go help that rude bastard?”
And that was precisely why she could say something like that so casually.
You reckless brat! Squeak.
Valefor couldn't accept Sia’s decision.
Even Mikael, who was absurdly powerful, was being completely overwhelmed by Haagenti.
What could a beginner like Sia possibly accomplish by going out there?
He wanted to ask exactly that.
But—
“Thanks for everything so far. I’ll draw their attention, so use that opening to escape… Though I guess since you’re a rat, you’d probably be fine anyway? Hehe.”
Sia forced herself to laugh as she tried to sound optimistic.
But there was nothing optimistic about her expression.
The awkward smile alone made that obvious.
And her trembling hands gave her away completely.
Wait.
Why do I not want to send this human to Haagenti? Squeak.
Valefor suddenly began questioning his own state of mind.
She was just some human.
Whether she lived or died should have meant nothing to him.
He could simply escape by himself.
Yet for some reason, he wanted to stop her.
Attachment?
No way. Squeak.
He had mercilessly disposed of subordinates who had followed him for years.
There was no way he had developed affection for a woman he had spent less than half a day with.
Besides, since when did I start avoiding someone just because they’re a Great Demon? Squeak.
Sure, he had been bluffing before.
But Valefor was still one of the 72 Demons himself.
There might have been a difference in raw combat power, but when it came to cunning and resourcefulness, he didn't lose to anyone.
Valefor scratched his head furiously with his front paw.
For some reason, it felt as if someone were pushing him from behind, telling him to help Sia.
“Argh! Whatever! I’ll help you, alright?! Squeak!”
Sia’s eyes widened at Valefor’s decision.
“Huh? Are you sure?”
She can’t even look a damn rat in the eyes, yet she’s asking if I’m sure. Squeak.
Valefor nodded before presenting another option.
“But we absolutely cannot confront him head-on. We wouldn’t be useful at all, and the moment we showed up, we’d end up skewered. Squeak.”
Just looking at the way Mikael was being beaten in the plaza, which had now transformed into ruins, made it obvious what would happen if they challenged Haagenti directly.
“Then do you have another idea?”
Tap. Tap.
Valefor tapped his hind foot against the floor as he thought for a moment.
The most they could realistically do was—
“We might not be able to help directly, but wouldn’t distracting him still be useful? Squeak.”
“Distract him… If that’s the goal!”
Valefor began adding color to Sia’s completely blank plan.
Sia, who had always felt empty beneath the shadow of her father’s reputation, suddenly felt her chest swell with excitement.
I can finally do something useful too!
Overcome with excitement, Sia instinctively moved to hug Valefor.
Then she saw his mouse-like appearance and recoiled in horror, stumbling backward.
“What? Squeak.”
Valefor stared blankly at her, having no idea what had just happened.
Sia gave him an awkward smile.
Then she suddenly realized something.
She didn't even know the name of the rat who had been helping her all this time.
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, we never even introduced ourselves. I’m Yusia. What about you?”
“Vale—”
Valefor stopped just before saying his true name.
If she knew Haagenti’s name, she had almost certainly heard of Valefor as well.
For some reason, he didn't want Sia to discover that he was a demon and become disappointed in him.
So he awkwardly changed his answer.
“…No. Valeta?”
