East Road Quest

Chapter 8 Mitchel’s Death

Three years ago, on the first day Jade arrived at Zuphea Cathedral in Pompeii, he met Mitchel, the daughter of Lord Browne. She was a pretty girl, thirteen years old, with blond hair and fair skin.

Originally a healthy and mischievous girl, she had contracted an unknown illness and spent much of her time bedridden.

Lord Browne, who had only one daughter late in life, couldn’t help but be especially affectionate and did everything he could to find a cure. However, doctors couldn’t diagnose the illness, and priests found no trace of demonic influence. Nevertheless, the devout Lord Browne visited Zuphea Cathedral every Sunday to receive blessings from Bishop Ducar.

Bishop Ducar introduced Jade to Lord Browne, and naturally, the lord asked Jade to pray for his daughter. Jade declined, saying his faith wasn’t deep enough to pray, but Lord Browne begged him to at least lay a hand on her.

Instead of praying, Jade prepared words of sincere comfort and placed his hand on the girl’s head. The moment he touched her, Jade quickly withdrew his hand, and Mitchel, startled, fell backward.

The priests nearby, Lord Browne and his wife, and the servants rushed over. Fortunately, Mitchel was not injured. Everyone dismissed the incident as a minor accident and paid it little mind.

Afterward, Mitchel roamed the cathedral freely and knelt under the cross to pray before leaving.

‘Why did I feel a demonic power from that child?’

Jade was bewildered and didn’t know what to do. The only person he could discuss such matters with, Father Daniel, was far away.

The next day, Jade secretly visited Lord Browne’s house. The lord, grateful that a promising young priest had come to his mansion, led Jade to Mitchel’s bedroom.

“She spends more than two-thirds of the day in bed because of her poor health.”

The lord’s wife explained.

“Still, she is a devout child and goes to church every Sunday. Because of her fatigue, she spends the entire day in bed on Mondays after the church service.”

Mitchel’s room was filled with a fragrant scent, unlike a typical sickroom, and large windows allowed plenty of sunlight. Despite being only thirteen, her long, braided blond hair hung down to her shoulders as she sat on the bed, making her appearance quite attractive. Her pale face and sleepy eyes showed a smile that revealed both innocence and beauty.

Jade hoped the previous day’s experience had been a coincidence or a mistake, but it wasn’t. Mitchel, or rather ‘it,’ was a demon. Unexpectedly, Mitchel spoke to Jade first.

“You recognize me, don’t you?”

Despite Lord Browne and his wife watching, Mitchel was bold. She knew exactly that Jade had realized the truth but couldn’t speak of it.

“Since when has she been like this?”

Lord Browne was pleased that Jade showed interest and explained.

“My daughter has had a weak heart since she was young. But about six months ago, she suddenly collapsed and couldn’t get up for about three days. Then she woke up as if by a miracle. Even though a quack doctor diagnosed that her heart had stopped during treatment! It can only be explained as God’s blessing, don’t you think? But she has been weak ever since.”

Jade looked down at Mitchel for a moment before making a request.

“May I be alone with Mitchel for a while? I’d like to pray for her.”

Lord Browne exchanged glances with his wife before they both left the room.

Jade spoke to Mitchel in a voice low enough not to be heard outside the door.

“Leave Mitchel’s body. If you don’t, I will destroy you.”

Mitchel responded with a cute smile.

“Are you threatening me? It’s useless.” Jade held a book in one hand and extended the other.

“Do you think I’m a priest who relies on faith?”

“I didn’t think you were a priest. Let’s see, even though I’m a low-level demon, you recognized my true nature at a glance, so you must be a demon hunter? Then kill me. After all, I’m a weak girl without the strength to escape. But know this.”

Mitchel’s black pupils spread to cover the whites of her eyes, turning them completely black. However, the girl’s mouth, showing neat white teeth, still emitted a cute voice.

“If you kill me, Father, you’ll become a cruel and ruthless murderer. On the outside, I’m just an innocent, weak girl without any sins.”

Mitchel’s eyes returned to their original state.

Jade couldn’t hide his unease and asked, “When did Mitchel die, and you started imitating her?”

“I didn’t kill her. You heard it, didn’t you? Six months ago, Mitchel’s heart already stopped, and she died. That quack doctor was right. I don’t know the name of the illness. I just happened to find a perfectly suitable corpse at that moment.”

Mitchel’s shrugging, exaggerated denial would have appeared adorably charming to anyone who didn’t know the truth.

To Jade, it looked exactly the opposite.

“I’m not lying. I didn’t do anything to Mitchel. I’m just dwelling in her body. Of course, someone like you would consider that a sin.”

Mitchel turned her head and crossed her arms with a haughty look.

“I’m not a strong enough demon to take over the body of a living person. Can’t you tell? Didn’t you know? I confessed for no reason.”

The demon posing as Mitchel was overflowing with confidence.

“Oh, right! This isn’t a confession; it’s a sacrament of penance, right? So, you can’t tell anyone now, Father! And even if you kill me, the fact that you’ll become a murderer is secondary; the Browne couple will be heartbroken. Even in this state, they want their daughter to be alive.”

“You are not Mitchel. They can’t possibly want that.”

“Is that so?”

Mitchel narrowed her eyes and continued.

“Then why don’t you ask ‘Father’ if you can kill me?”

Jade stormed out of the room as if kicking the door. However, he couldn’t tell Lord Browne the truth. It wasn’t about the sacrament of penance; he couldn’t bring himself to consider the position of a parent with a daughter.

After much deliberation, Jade confided in Bishop Ducar about the matter.

Bishop Ducar glared at Jade with a frightening gaze before opening his mouth.

“It is extremely rare for a demon to openly inhabit a person’s body like that. In fact, many supposed instances have been proven false. This situation calls for utmost caution. Above all, don’t forget that the person involved is a lord of Pompeii. Considering that, tell me again. Is it true?”

Jade knew that getting excited about such matters would diminish his persuasiveness, but he couldn’t help it.

“It is true. A demon is living in the body of a dead girl.”

“Since when?”

“About six months ago.”

“Six months makes it even harder to believe. I’ve known Mitchel as if she were my own daughter, and I’ve given her prayers and blessings several times in those six months. She looked perfectly fine when she came to the cathedral. If she were a demon, she would have shown signs of distress before the holy star cross and the power of the scriptures, but there was no such indication.”

“As far as I know, only a very few demons fear the star cross and holy water. I’ve even seen demons carrying a scripture in their arms and wearing a symbol of the star around their necks. Bishop, the demon in Mitchel’s body does not fear Catholicism.”

The bishop’s eyes widened in shock, as if Jade had blasphemed against the name of God.

“You are still a young man who finds it difficult to distinguish between good and evil. Just because you have earned the title of priest, do not act recklessly.”

The bishop reiterated his point firmly.

“If you want to make a name for yourself by exorcising demons, there are many other ways than targeting the lord’s daughter.”

Jade slammed the table with both hands.

“Do I look like I’m trying to make a name for myself?”

The sound of Jade striking the table echoed throughout the chapel. That table was an antique that had been used in the cathedral even before it had accepted Catholicism five hundred years ago. Normally, it would be considered a remnant of paganism, but Zuphea Cathedral had preserved and cherished most of its original items.

Bishop Ducar seemed angrier about Jade hitting the table than about Mitchel’s issue. As he wiped the table with his sleeve, he said,

“This won’t do. You need to be confined for a while. I will handle this matter myself, so do nothing… and think nothing. Do you understand what I mean by ‘think nothing’?”

Jade stayed confined in the cathedral as ordered. However, it was impossible to think of nothing. For three days, Jade thought only about Mitchel.

Bishop Ducar didn’t leave the matter unaddressed. Two priests, who claimed to have experience in exorcising demons, visited the Browne family and examined Mitchel. However, they concluded that there was nothing wrong with her.

Jade agonized alone, his suffering and solitude deepening. He could no longer make rational judgments, and his thoughts became one-sided. When he came to his senses, he found himself in front of Lord Browne’s mansion. The mansion guards opened the gate without suspicion when they saw him.

Jade found Mitchel in the garden.

She was alone at the time.

“Oh, Father. Long time no see. How have you been? I heard you were under confinement, but it seems you’re already free?”

Mitchel, dressed in a bright skirt, was sitting beside a red rose, showing a gentle smile. When Jade stopped about ten steps in front of her and stood silently, Mitchel stood up and asked,

“What brings you here?”

“I came to kill you.”

Jade ran his hand down his face. His face was so hot that it warmed his hand.

“As you said, you didn’t kill Mitchel. You didn’t use her shell to harm people. You could continue to live as the ideal daughter, bringing happiness to the Browne couple.”

Jade staggered forward, taking one step at a time.

“But that can’t happen. When parents die, children bury them in the ground, but when children die, parents bury them in their hearts. The living must remember the dead, and the dead live on in the hearts of the living. If the Browne couple love you instead of Mitchel, in whose heart does the dead Mitchel live?” Jade extended his hand as he spoke.

“You must not live.”

Mitchel showed no sign of fear.

“You’re wrong. The dead go to God, not to live in the hearts of the living. You’re not even qualified to be a priest.”

“Do you think I came here without any resolve? Today, I give up my title as a priest. Tell me your name, demon. Or rather, as you confessed, you’re a low-level demon without a name?”

Mitchel fled before Jade could finish speaking.

Although she was a demon, the body she borrowed was that of a sick girl, so she wasn’t very fast. However, she wasn’t so slow that Jade, who hadn’t slept properly for days, could easily catch up.

“Help! The priest is trying to kill me!”

Mitchel screamed desperately as she ran. If she had fled in the opposite direction, the guards at the main gate would have easily subdued Jade. However, with Jade blocking that path, Mitchel had no choice but to head for the back gate.

As Mitchel fled the garden, her dress became covered in dirt and torn by rose thorns, making her look a mess. She fell once, scratching her cheek and injuring her knee, causing blood to flow. People gathered to witness the strange chase in the middle of Pompeii.

Mitchel stopped in the crowded square and turned to face Jade.

“Father, can’t you just let me live?”

Jade hesitated for a moment. It was then that he realized how he must appear to the onlookers.

This was the demon’s final resistance and attack. The girl showed tears and, with blood-stained hands, approached Jade with a trembling voice.

“Even if I’ve sinned, shouldn’t you, as a priest, forgive and save me? Why do you want to kill me?”

Seeing a thirteen-year-old girl crying and pleading in pain was hard to endure. Jade had never faced a stronger demonic attack before or since.

Mitchel knelt in front of Jade and spoke.

“In God’s name, show mercy. Let me live. I won’t do anything wrong.”

Jade’s mind was in turmoil.

All the knowledge he had learned from Father Daniel was of no use. Like a well-trained gladiator unconsciously thrusting a sword at the enemy before him, Jade extended his hand and recited a passage from his book in his mind.

It was neither in the language of Rom nor the language of Farens, but an ancient tongue, rarely pronounced by human lips and nearly impossible to articulate. It was a passage from the book Jade held. As he finished reading it silently, a light of annihilation that burns demons was created.

Jade extended his glowing hand. Although many people were watching, they did not enter his field of vision. He only focused on Mitchel’s eyes as he placed his hand on the girl’s small forehead.

“No. I can’t let you live.”

Light burst from Jade’s palm, and the demon parasitizing the girl’s body vanished. At the same time, the girl’s body decayed on the spot, as if it had been left unattended for years. The gray ash from her burning flesh blew away in the wind that happened to pass by.

Screams erupted from everywhere. Unfortunately, Lord Browne, who had followed, witnessed the scene. Perhaps the demon had stopped there, seeing Browne approaching.

Jade could not say anything to the girl’s father. He did not know what to explain to him or even what to say to himself.