How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

17

Capricorn (1)

The number of demons recorded in the Holy Nation totals ninety-nine.

Among them, twelve demons receive special treatment.

The fallen stars.

Originally meaning the twelve stars that shine in the night sky.

Once, they were beings as mighty as great stars and were even regarded as gods, but they fell due to the intense light of the Sun God.

Among the demons, their position could be seen as that of lords or archdemons.

【Heeheehee! Heeheeheek! Kikikik! Cough! Choke!】

Capricorn’s icy pupils turned towards the members.

The whole mansion shook as he let out a scream that was inhuman.

“We’re, dying. Everyone… everyone dies…”

Aaron and Jenny trembled, frozen in place.

A demon. And not just any demon, but an archdemon.

The heretics, magicians, and witches that the clergy of the sect confront are merely agents who borrow the power of demons.

If even those agents are such, then what kind of dangerous monster would the demon itself be?

The calamity that unfolded with the descent of the demon itself is etched in the history of the sect.

Aaron, having studied that history, knew how powerful the force of a demon could be.

Every time a demon descended, countless paladins and priests died.

Even his father, a cardinal, and his mother, a paladin, shuddered in recollection of the times when demons had descended.

‘If a demon were to descend… I would wish you were not there.’

Even his mother, a great paladin of the sect, simply wished that her child would never encounter a demon.

Such was the fear and might of that being.

“Ah, uh… Aah…”

Jenny couldn’t make a sound, gasping for breath.

Her cells seemed to freeze in warning as a crimson memory flashed by.

“Please, save me! Please, just spare my life!”

In that moment, the devil’s gaze turned towards Jenny.

Dark and sinister eyes gleamed wickedly, followed by a cruel smile.

“Jenny. You’ve ‘survived’ alone. Why?”

Jenny felt her entire body freeze. Fear and questions wrapped around her, suffocating her.

“How, how could…”

Only the director knew that fact.

The devil’s lips twisted vilely.

“You know. You know all too well. Your sibling was chewed up alive. But you… you wanted to survive alone, just you alone!”

“Stop, that’s enough…”

“Shut up, devil!”

Then, Aron stepped forward, cutting off Capricorn’s words.

But contrary to his boldness, Aron’s voice trembled, and his heart raced.

“Aron. Aron Graham. Have you forgotten your mother’s advice? Yet you still show such bravado. All for your worthless honor and glory.”

How.

Aron couldn’t hide his dismay upon realizing his memories were exposed.

Feeling utterly naked, as if every secret was being licked and laid bare, a chill ran through him.

Aron gripped his sword tightly, yet his hands still shook.

“Ca, Capricorn…”

“Yes! I am Capricorn. The fallen star! What can you do knowing my name? You can do nothing!”

The temperature in the room dropped sharply.

Windows rattled and walls made strange noises.

Jenny turned deathly pale, and Aron, too, gripped by fear, let his trembling hand drop the sword.

Their fear and terror seemed to fuel the chilling energy, growing denser.

Swoosh!

“……!!”

An unknown force moved the curtain, covering the window.

The wind howled, snuffing out the candle wax and in the thickening darkness, insects raised their heads.

“The light will not protect you.”

A voice murmurs from the shadows.

It scrapes the walls with sharp nails, a voice that stirs deep unease and fear.

The demon Capricorn saw right through them.

Their greatest fears, the things they wished to hide, the parts most vulnerable to hurt, he discerned it all.

“Why did you survive alone? Didn’t you love them?”

“You never wanted to be a cleric, did you? You wanted to be a noble, to take over the family name, didn’t you?”

A sly and cruel voice that dredges up fear.

An evil presence, undeniable, consuming those paralyzed with terror.

And when that consumption reached deep within, the demon whispered.

“Submit. In doing so, I will give you the power to avenge. That is your only remaining duty.”

“Take my hand. The glory and wealth you truly desire shall be yours.”

Just as that malevolent voice was about to spread like poison…

Crash!

The sharp sound of breaking glass.

The curtains fluttered in the gusting wind.

Darkness was driven out, and sunlight shone through.

“All that effort to air out the room…”

In that moment, the air in the room shifted.

A voice, unladen with any fear or terror, scattered Capricorn’s focus.

It was Ray. Ray Anderson.

“You…”

Without meeting Capricorn’s gaze, Ray quietly covered the eyes of the two with his hands.

Their pupils hidden, the direct gaze with the demon was cut off.

Only then did the two, who had been breathing heavily, begin to calm down.

“Ray, Ray?”

“Take a deep breath, stay calm. Don’t look him in the eyes.”

“What are you doing…”

“The eyes are the window to the soul. The demon delves into your innermost thoughts by meeting your gaze.”

Be at ease.

I’ll teach you how to resist.

“Just glance sideways. Don’t lock eyes. Simple, right?”

Then he lets go of their hands.

Following Ray’s advice, the two managed to avert Capricorn’s gaze and returned to a much more stable stance than before.

‘Now, what to do?’

It’s a setback.

To think that a mighty archdemon wouldn’t care about being named.

During exorcisms, one occasionally encounters high-ranking evil spirits or demons.

Pastor Kim was a veteran exorcist, and this wasn’t his first encounter with a demon.

‘Demons can’t exert their power if they can’t descend into reality. It’s the same for this world.’

Why would a demon bother to possess a human body?

It’s because a demon is a spirit without a physical body of its own.

If bodiless spirits could freely interfere in the world, it would be a chaotic hell full of all sorts of riffraff.

‘That it hasn’t been able to consume Young-ae’s body for half a year is a good sign.’

Young-ae was said to be a knight of the Sword Experts.

A being with a strong and healthy body has an equally strong soul.

Thanks to that, she could resist the demon’s encroachment.

“Don’t be scared. Its name has been revealed, and it’s been struggling for over half a year to take over a body. It must be exhausted.”

He reassures the assistant exorcists who are about to perform the exorcism.

Most exorcism failures are due to inexperienced priests who panic and flee.

They must be instilled with the confidence that they can win.

It’s a theory that applies to any fight.

【Nothing will change, son of the sun. What can you do? No matter how much you weaklings struggle, nothing will change.】

“Quite the tongue you have.”

【······?】

“Acting tough, huh? An archdemon like you wasting half a year trying to take over a woman’s body. Grow a pair.”

Ah. Have you already lost them?

Capricorn’s goat eyes narrowed sleepily. The demon tried to lock eyes with Ray again, but Ray defiantly averted his gaze.

“Aron, the barrier is weakening. Replenish the holy water and salt to reinforce it.”

“Jenny, while checking on the priest, take out all the useful items. There must be things prepared for this situation.”

“Both of you. Never make eye contact with the devil.”

At Ray’s calm and precise instructions, the two followed, albeit bewildered.

They also felt a sense of eeriness.

How could Ray Anderson remain so composed?

Facing the archdemon, whose mere presence suffocates and instills fear, Ray did not falter at all.

‘Phew… It’s dangerous.’

Of course, that was their misconception.

Ray, without showing it, was indeed afraid of the situation.

The mere awareness of a demon’s existence was chilling and terrifying.

Even if one could deal with gods or spirits, the prospect of a demon targeting one’s soul always brought a chilling crisis.

In that eternal moment of standoff,

Jenny, regaining her composure, approached Ray.

“Ra-Ray! I’ve brought the priest’s belongings!”

Jenny had taken everything useful from the unconscious Father Moro.

A brass star necklace, two warhammers about 60cm in length. Additionally, two bottles of holy water and one spare brass star necklace.

Ray took one of the brass star necklaces and placed it on Miss Ophelia’s chest.

Then, the immobilized Capricorn.

The demon could not infiltrate Ophelia’s body, and this was proof that it couldn’t resist the power of the ‘relic.’

‘As expected, Father Moro had exhausted his strength by meddling.’

That part was a relief.

Ray closed his eyes and covered Miss Ophelia’s eyes with his hands, reciting a prayer.

“Lord Soltera, our Almighty Father. In your name, drive out the evil spirit of ‘Capricorn’ from this flesh.”

At Ray’s prayer, Capricorn writhed.

As Ray continued the exorcism without making eye contact, Capricorn decided to borrow another power.

Screeeeech!

A sharp, eerie sound echoed from beyond. Aaron, witnessing it from the window, let out a dismayed voice.

“It’s, it’s a monster!”

The monsters swarming from outside the mansion were indigenous monsters called Eye Bats.

They overcame the barrier of the walls and flew through the sky, charging towards the Count’s castle.

Crack!

A snow bat, already half-smashed through the window by Ray, tumbles to the floor.

“Squeak!”

The snow bat, with shards of glass embedded in its legs, charges towards Ray.

“Screech!”

The snow bat lunges forward. In that moment, Aaron’s holy sword swings down, severing the snow bat’s neck.

Fluttering and convulsing, the snow bat spills its blood. Aaron declares,

“Keep going! I’ll hold them off!”

Aaron continuously slashes at the snow bats flying in through the window.

In this region, the powerful monsters are known as snow leopards or rock bears, the large types.

It was a stroke of luck that only small flying monsters existed.

“Is everyone alright?”

“What’s happening?”

Just then, soldiers from outside hurried in. Ray shouted with a defeated tone,

“Don’t come in!”

“What?!”

But it was too late. The moment the soldiers entered the room, they locked eyes with Capricorn and froze on the spot.

Even clerics with holy power feel fear under the gaze and voice of a demon. Let alone ordinary human soldiers who couldn’t resist the stare of a great demon.

“Uh, ah, ugh…”

“Save us, please save, save us…”

The soldiers, like broken machines, repeated the same plea. Capricorn had infiltrated their minds.

【If you want to live, kill the clerics.】

The soldiers, with a snap of their necks and bloodshot eyes, glared at the three people.

Their spears and swords in hand reflected a chilling light.

“Snap out of it, everyone!”

Despite Jenny’s attempts to stop them, the soldiers charged like malfunctioning machines. Just to survive, to carry out the demon’s command.

Clang!

Jenny’s halberd collides with the soldiers. She swung with the back edge, so the soldiers were merely knocked back, not killed.

“Ah, aaah!”

The risen soldiers charged again. Jenny struggled against the soldiers’ frenzy, trying to keep them out of the room.

“Ray! Somehow! I’ll try! Hurry!”

Ray trusted the two of them. He had no choice but to trust.

In this extreme situation, where he had to exorcise the archdemon alone, he continued to recite the prayer.

“Girded with the belt of truth, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, shod with the gospel of peace, and taking up the shield of faith.”

He dipped his fingers in holy water and sprinkled it on the demon. The demon’s resistance grew fiercer.

Boom!

At that moment, something unbelievable happened. The bed to which Lady Ophelia was tied began to shake and then violently thrash about.

‘The necklace is falling off!’

While continuing the prayer, Ray pressed down on the brass star resting on Ophelia’s chest with one hand.

At that instant, the demon’s eyes flashed, and a wild power surged.

Rumble!

The bed shook so violently it began to levitate. The force was such that Ray barely managed to hold onto the bed’s edge.

Thud! Thud!

The massive bed shook violently up and down, trying to throw off Ray and the necklace.

In that extreme situation, Ray climbed onto the bed and pinned down Lady Ophelia.

Ray, undeterred, poured an entire bottle of holy water over her while repeating the prayer.

“Capricorn, root of all evil. In the name of the Holy Father, I command thee, darkness is not tolerated in this world! Depart from this world and return to the abyss of shadows!”

Screech!

Lady Ophelia’s screams grew louder. Her body convulsed violently, and ominous energies poured out.

But that was all.

Ray knew that the demon could not directly interfere with him.

Without fear, he shook off the demon’s deception and repeatedly called its name.

The name of a spiritual being increases its dominion and control.

That’s why it’s important to know the name when making contracts with demons and spirits.

Capricorn had exposed a significant weakness the moment its name was revealed from the memories within the witch’s soul.

“Capricorn, be gone!”

“Cough…!”

Following Ray’s voice, Lady Ophelia spat out blood.

The dark black blood was tainted by the demon.

It was a good sign.

The devil’s power is weakening, a sign that the exorcism is proceeding successfully.

“Kyaa!”

The moment victory seemed within grasp, a short scream echoed from the door.

“Jenny?”

It was Jenny’s voice, who had been fending off the soldiers. Ray turned his gaze and gasped, holding his breath as he met a chilling stare.

“You… What on earth are you doing to my daughter!”

Covered in blood and clutching the carcass of a monster, the bloodshot eyes glared at Ray.

It was Ralph Violet, the Count of the Borderlands.