Academy’s PTSD Chaplain

11 – 11. Finger (5)

According to Daniel, there are numerous urban legends in the Royal Chaldea Academy. The finger covered in blood is one of them and is considered quite credible among occult enthusiasts.

“It happened back when the Royal Chaldea Academy was just built.”

“Daniel, your tone has changed.”

“Vivian, I’m telling a scary story right now.”

“Oh, right.”

Vivian nodded her head. Daniel took a brief sigh and lowered his voice again.

“Cough. This is a story from when the Royal Chaldea Academy was just built…”

* * * * *

Giovanni Di Greco was the inaugural head priest of the Royal Chaldea Academy.

“He always welcomed students visiting the academy with a warm heart, and even the early students of the academy admired and followed him.

Given the colossal scale of the Royal Academy of Chaldea, which was as large as its reputation, it was inevitable that there would be students diverging in various directions. Head Priest Giovanni warmly embraced these students as well.

For students so impoverished that they couldn’t afford tuition, he went so far as to use his resourcefulness to secure their fees, and he taught them skills to earn money on their own.

He listened to the stories of ostracized students, empathized with them, and even made efforts to directly resolve their issues.

If there were students facing discrimination due to their commoner status, he took the lead in fighting for the rights of commoner students, despite being a noble himself.

He was practically a saint at the academy. Numerous students who were deeply moved by Head Priest Giovanni’s character readily followed him, and even some professors admired him for his selfless dedication to the students.

One day, the stories about the saint of the Royal Academy of Chaldea, Head Priest Giovanni, spread beyond the academy.

Several priests dispatched from the Holy Empire visited the academy. When asked why the students or professors were being visited, they simply repeated that it was the command of the Holy Pope.

Thus, a week passed since the priests dispatched from the Holy Empire had been staying at the academy.

It was a Sunday. Students heading to the academy chapel for the usual Sunday service were taken aback as they saw Head Priest Giovanni, covered in blood, standing with a sword stabbed into his chest.

In shock, the students and some professors witnessed Head Priest Giovanni, covered in blood and standing with a sword in his chest, immediately disappear.

The only trace he left behind was the bloodstains on the floor and the severed fingers covered in blood.

The priests who had been dispatched claimed to return to the Holy Empire starting from that day, as if they had finished their business.

Despite the attempts to track down the whereabouts of Head Priest Giovanni by mobilizing all available resources, he was nowhere to be found.

As if he had vanished into thin air.

After that day, no one saw Head Priest Giovanni again.

And soon after, rumors began circulating within the Royal Academy of Chaldea.

At dawn, the blood-soaked Head Priest Giovanni would appear, wandering around the academy in search of his lost fingers. Absurd as it may sound, the rumor persisted for several months before gradually fading away.

Eyewitness accounts of seeing the blood-soaked Head Priest Giovanni continue to this day. Therefore, students thought:

This is the spirit of Head Priest Giovanni. Unjustly killed, his noble character was so high that he only roamed the academy to recover his fingers.

The Occult Research Department at the Royal Academy of Chaldea, known for its rich tradition of the occult, set its ultimate goal at this time.

To find the blood-stained fingers of the inaugural Head Priest Giovanni said to exist somewhere in the academy. That became their mission.

* * * * *

“The story concludes….”

Daniel lowered his head with a stern expression. Vivian, who had been listening to the story, applauded.

Clap, clap—”

“Um, how was it? Vivian. Has your skills improved?”

“Yeah. It was a scary story, and my storytelling has improved. It gave me goosebumps too.”

“Wait a minute.”

I held my hand to my forehead. I wasn’t sure where to start criticizing. Everyone’s gaze was sparkling as they looked at me.

“Professor Lucio, is it really true? The soul of the former head priest…”

“Well, isn’t that just a ghost?”

“G-ghost…!”

“Head Priest! I…I’m starting to get a little nervous!”

Sophia the sub-executor clenched her fists tightly, exhaling through her nostrils. I sighed and spoke.

“…Giovanni Di Greco. It certainly looks like a name from the Holy Empire.”

“Then…!”

“But, I’ve never heard that name before. Nor have I heard any stories about the former head priest.”

Cloé, who had been sparkling just a moment ago, seemed a bit downcast. How could such a curious person faint if she encountered a ghost? Cloé had a resemblance to Sophia the sub-executor in that way.

“But still, it seems like an area that needs to be looked into. It’s a possible story.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know about the story of Giovanni, the former head priest, but it’s a story about a blood-soaked ghost.”

Laura didn’t think she had seen something fake. Including Sophia the sub-executor, there were two witnesses in this situation.

Moreover, if this was the old academy, the annex would have been the main building. So, the story about Giovanni the blood-soaked head priest wandering around the academy matched.

But, there was one thing I was curious about.

“But Daniel, student. What were you planning to do with that finger you found?”

When I asked, Daniel shouted confidently.

“Well, obviously we need to study it! It’s the finger of the former head priest who passed away a long time ago! Is it decomposed? Or is it still intact, freshly cut?”

“Hmm….”

“Well, once we roughly satisfy our curiosity, we should definitely return it to Head Priest Giovanni. It’s sad to think that such a remarkable person is wandering around without his finger. It’s a little pitiful.”

I felt a bit skeptical. Ghosts, souls, things that didn’t belong in the academy were popping up left and right, causing confusion.

As I crossed my arms and lost myself in thought, Elin asked me with a puzzled expression.

“But Professor, do ghosts and things like that really exist? Aren’t they all just made up?”

“Elin! Ghosts do exist!”

“No, isn’t it common sense that there are no ghosts in the world? Once you die, you either go to heaven or hell directly.”

“Ghosts do exist.”

There was a moment of stillness. Elin, wide-eyed, looking at me without answering, and Chloe, mouth agape with a blank expression. Everyone’s gaze was directed towards me.

Sophia Boseman had the same expression as usual. She had already accepted the truth through doctrine.

The quiet classroom soon turned into chaos.

“G-ghosts actually exist?!”

“Could you explain a little more about it?”

“Professor! Would you consider becoming an advisor for our occult research club?! The position of the advisor is currently vacant!”

Daniel was almost suffering from hysteria. He sprinted towards me with gleaming eyes and saliva, but I reached out my arm to stop him.

“Calm down. However, the ghosts I am talking about are a slightly different existence. You may think of them as specters or demons.”

“Ah, demons….”

“But, well…. From what I’ve heard, it seems unlikely that they are demons.”

I, too, have seen multiple demons. During the Great War, the number of demons I personally sent to their demise exceeded five. Demons do exist.

However, it seemed a bit far-fetched to consider the blood-soaked ghost appearing at the Academy as a demon. It doesn’t possess people it encounters, but rather wanders around the Academy.

Demons that come up from Hell need to possess something in order to affect the reality of this human world. This is a concept agreed upon by the Creator and demons, and any demon or specter beyond this concept does not exist.

“Student Daniel. Does that presence harm the students?”

When I asked, Daniel hesitated in his response.

“Ah, no. It’s not… I don’t really know.”

“Hmm…”

If it doesn’t directly harm the students, it’s fortunate, but I still can’t let my guard down. It was a well-known fact that it was causing undesirable effects at the Academy.

Just the four students gathered here now had managed to sneak into the Academy, breaking curfew. It could potentially lead to more similar incidents in the future.

I had the intention of directly investigating the enigmatic existence, in other words, the soul of Giovanni, the deceased head priest, according to Daniel’s words.

“It was valuable information, student Daniel.”

“It’s nothing special, Professor.”

“However, it is not wise to remain at the Academy until this hour. I will personally accompany you back to the dormitory.”

“….”

“Did everyone understand?”

“…..”

Chloe suddenly let out a whimper. The classroom became eerily quiet, as if a mouse had died. There was a strange atmosphere present.

“P-Professor….”

At that moment, I felt a damp palm grasping my hand. Laura, who had been tightly attached to my side, held my hand tightly.

In the midst of everyone freezing, I slowly turned my body, tracing Laura’s fingers.

“What…?”

Outside the classroom, beyond the hallway.

Something wearing a blood-stained, white vestment that had turned into a blood-soaked shroud, dripping blood, and covered in blood, gazed into the classroom with its bright red eyes.