"Our objective is a village within Galați County. In the mountains just outside that village lies a place known as the Cârța Monastery."

After their light conversation, Father Burke turned his attention back to the mission at hand. "Four days ago, a nun was found there, hanging from the monastery’s main gate."

"As a Catholic, it is impossible for that sister to have taken her own life. Sister Irene and I have been tasked with investigating the true cause of her death."

Upon hearing this, Irene’s face clouded with sorrow, and she couldn’t help but slip back into prayer.

But Father Burke’s next words made her head snap up in shock.

"However... looking at things now, this might not be a simple investigation." The priest’s expression became unreadable as he turned toward Seia. Even after hearing the grim details, her composure hadn’t wavered in the slightest. "Regarding this mission... perhaps you know something?"

In these parts, a horse-drawn carriage was a far more practical means of travel than a car. The jolting of the cabin didn’t seem to cause the young girl any discomfort at all.

Seia knew that Father Burke needed information—something to give him a sense of footing.

After all, even though she had told him not to worry, Burke knew nothing about her. Even for a makeshift team, there had to be some level of mutual understanding.

"You may consider me an observer and an assistant," Seia said with a gentle smile.

"An assistant?"

Father Burke was surprised by her answer. If she were merely an assistant, it made little sense for the Church to send a girl of her age.

"If the two of you weren’t here, I had intended to settle this matter on my own," Seia explained, sensing his doubt.

"I have come here simply to help someone who was never meant to shoulder such a tragic fate. I intend to resolve this incident in this era, so that it may never harm those in the future."

In truth, her initial thought had been to deal with Valak directly. But on second thought, rather than solving the problem like a deus ex machina, it was better to let Father Burke and Sister Irene handle it themselves.

After all, they were Catholics, not Protestants.

Catholicism holds that salvation is found through the union of faith and works, whereas Protestantism emphasizes that faith alone is sufficient.

In other words, the path to deepening a believer’s piety differs. A divine intervention from out of nowhere might suit a Protestant just fine, but a Catholic prefers to wrestle with the problem themselves.

It wasn’t that manifesting a miracle before them would be bad, per se; it was simply that allowing them to face the trial with their own hands would grant them greater validation and confidence in their own doctrine and path.

The fulfillment born from that struggle would be far superior to having the problem vanished for them. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In a world where "God is dead," Seia didn’t mind going to the trouble of ensuring their faith remained fervent and devout—lest the trumpets of the apocalypse actually start sounding.

Hearing the girl’s words, coupled with her surname, Yurizono, Father Burke’s eyes widened.

"You are... an Exorcist with the gift of prophecy?" He had almost called her a sister, but Seia’s attire was nothing like a nun’s. If she wasn’t a nun, she had to be an Exorcist.

Furthermore, looking at the girl, it was clear her prophetic abilities were no simple feat; she had even referred to the present day as a specific "era."

Irene caught the implication as well. As a novice, she was still quite young. Though living in the convent had granted her a sense of maturity and holiness beyond her years, she still possessed the vibrant curiosity of any ordinary girl.

Facing this girl who could see the future—and who seemed to naturally attract small birds—Irene found herself wanting to befriend her, momentarily pushing aside the looming danger of their mission.

"I am. Though, prophecy is not the only thing I am capable of."

Seia remained composed, without a hint of pride. Her stillness earned Father Burke’s respect, mixed with a touch of regret.

Such a wonderful child. A pity she belongs to the Protestants.

Still, having a teammate with prophetic sight provided Burke with a profound sense of security.

Even though he knew the future could be fickle, the fact that she had seen him and Sister Irene successfully pass this trial gave him much-needed confidence.

He asked no further questions.

While he was curious about the person "not meant to shoulder a tragic fate," knowing too much of the future was rarely a blessing. Since this was to be a trial, their adversary wouldn’t be a mere restless spirit; it was almost certainly a demon, perhaps even a devil.

And demons have a high chance of peering into the human heart, no matter how devout the believer.

At that thought, a flicker of tension rose in Burke’s chest. He was not a believer with a perfectly clear conscience. He had abandoned his duties as an Exorcist precisely because he carried a lingering trauma—a knot in his heart that a demon could easily exploit.

Since things were likely to take a turn for the worse, he would have to make his confession before everything began.

Fortunately, while their destination wasn’t a church, it was at least a monastery.

Burke felt a small measure of peace.

By the time the trio arrived at the village, it was already four in the afternoon. It was springtime, and since the sun set late, the sky remained a brilliant azure... at least to the eyes of ordinary people.

To the three of them, however, that blue sky seemed strangely, unnervingly dim.

With the help of a village elder, they quickly located a man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He didn’t look like a Romanian local.

His name was Maurice, and he was the one who had witnessed the nun hanging from the gate.

In this village, the monastery was a place unspoken of; everyone avoided it like the plague. Only Maurice delivered supplies there, making him the only one capable of guiding them.

Seeing the trio’s attire, Maurice knew exactly why they were there. Initially reluctant to help, he was eventually swayed by Irene’s persuasion.

"You can call me Frenchie. Mr. Priest, Sister, and... little miss?"

The man looked at the mismatched group with a hint of confusion.

"A pleasure to meet you, Maurice." Father Burke took the lead on the social front, stepping forward to shake his hand. "I am Burke, and this is Sister Irene."

He introduced himself and his companion, leaving Seia out.

This drew Maurice’s curious gaze toward her.

"A wandering gold-seeker, lured by evil to remain here, destined to become the vessel through which that evil breaks its chains and wanders the world."

Seia did not introduce herself as he expected.

Instead, she fixed her singular, haunting gaze upon him, uttering words that made his skin crawl.

Before Maurice could ask anything, a golden shimmer suddenly flickered in Seia’s hand, drifting from her palm into his body.

In the next heartbeat, Maurice felt as though a heat source had ignited within him, flushing out the chill of the spring breeze from his very bones.

Then, his previously calm heart was instantly gripped by panic.

I... I was being seduced by a devil without even knowing it?

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

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