Chapter 51: The Boy, the Priest, and the Exorcism

Witches are truly terrifying...

Harboring such thoughts, Ron boarded the carriage with a heavy heart. Following the intelligence provided by the Police Department, he arrived outside a rather large villa located in the inner district.

The Stardust Society was not as renowned as its predecessor, the Mage Association. In this day and age, it existed merely in a semi-public form.

Its primary regulatory scope was not bound by the Kingdom or the Holy See, but strictly adhered to the covenant established with the First King back in the year 1369.

However, this often led to certain complications, just like right now...

The moment Father Bain stepped down from his carriage, his eyes locked with Ron, who had just arrived as well.

Upon seeing this old acquaintance, the amiable old face of the Reverend instantly darkened.

He still remembered this despicable Tier 3 investigator.

If it hadn't been for this contemptuous fellow concealing the "Brain-Shedding Scalpel" and tricking him with endless rambling, he probably would have already ascended to the middle or upper ranks of the Holy See.

Missing out on a promotion was the ultimate regret of the old priest's lifelong struggle.

Therefore, when facing Ron, he chose to look the other way.

"Father Bain..."

Before the blond youth could finish his greeting, he was met with such a cold rejection.

This left Ron feeling somewhat stifled inside.

He could not comprehend what wrong he had possibly done to warrant the Reverend treating him in such a manner.

Perhaps this was simply what the adult world was like...

Amidst his inward reflections, the blond youth followed close behind the Reverend, passing the guards, crossing the lawn, and entering the villa together.

Meanwhile, a chill ran through Father Bain's heart, making him feel as though he had been entangled by some filthy entity, causing his old face to involuntarily wrinkle into a tight knot.

"What are you doing here?" he finally blurted out, unable to hold back any longer, fixing a sharp gaze on Ron behind him.

"To investigate intelligence regarding the witch and resolve the abnormality on Eugene Arn."

The blond youth did not conceal his purpose.

In the present era, a thousand years later, similar competitions occurred from time to time.

However, Ron did not care about such things.

The only thing he cared about was doing good deeds and helping Eugene Arn relieve the torment brought by the witch's curse.

After all, remaining constantly rigid was hardly a good thing.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on the blond youth's face as he looked toward the Reverend.

"Father Bain, do you have a way to lift the curse afflicting Eugene Arn?"

"Though I suppose you should be quite capable of resisting a witch's curse yourself."

Father Bain froze, clearly not expecting Ron to utter such remarks.

Was this contemptuous fellow praising me, or is he laying another trap for me?

Just as he was desperately searching for an excuse to brush past this topic, he heard the blond youth suddenly continue:

"To think the witch would cause him to be tainted by such a thing—this isn't something that can be broken by ordinary methods. Only an elder like you could be completely immune to it!"

Tainted by what thing?

What on earth are you talking about?

The seventy-odd-year-old priest looked somewhat bewildered.

Yet before he could voice the questions churning in his heart, a heartbreaking scream suddenly echoed from within the villa.

"Eugene, Eugene, what's wrong with you? What's happened to you?!"

Ron and the Reverend exchanged glances, and immediately after, they saw the Count's butler striding hurriedly toward them.

"Are the two of you the helpers commissioned by the Count?"

"There's no time to lose; Young Master Eugene's curse has worsened again. Please hurry and come with me to take a look."

Beads of sweat rolled down the butler's forehead with anxiety as he hastily led the Reverend and Ron toward a bedroom on the upper floor of the villa.

"Let me go! Let me go, you humans!"

"Even if I die, I will never leave his body! Just wait, you'll all watch your son be tortured to death by me!"

The moment they stepped into the bedroom, Ron was greeted by a series of low, hoarse roars.

He saw a young man in his early twenties with his limbs firmly bound to the bed. His complexion was as pale as snow, while the skin around his eyes was as dark as ink.

At this moment, the youth was violently twisting his body, letting out bizarre laughs and guttural snarls from his mouth.

The growls hardly sounded human, immediately bringing a certain possibility to Ron's mind.

At the same time, Father Bain wore a grave expression as he pronounced in a deep voice:

"It's demonic possession."

Right now, the situation had completely exceeded his expectations.

He knew that this was no longer the time to vie for credit.

Demonic possession was extremely dangerous; the slightest misstep would result in the possessed person losing their life on the spot.

As an expert within the Holy See who had spent many years banishing demons, Father Bain felt he could not simply sit back and do nothing.

Demonic possession, of all things!

Astonishment stirred within Ron. As a legitimate mage, he was naturally well-versed in magical knowledge regarding this domain.

Yet what he could not fathom was why a curse cast by a witch would summon a demon?

Could it be that those incessant depraved escapades had drawn the prying eyes of a demon?

Before the blond youth could puzzle it out, he saw the Reverend stride forward, hastily driving away the butler, the servants, and the helpless Count Arn from the room.

"Lord Count, leave this to me. Please close the door and wait outside. No matter what sounds you hear, do not open the door."

"Because it is very likely to be a trick of the demon!"

The seventy-odd-year-old priest spoke with an air of absolute righteousness.

"A—Alright, Father Bain. You must save my son."

The situation was critical; even as a Count, he had no choice under these circumstances but to defer to the Reverend's arrangements.

This was what they called professionalism.

Seeing this, Ron nodded in approval, inwardly acknowledging the Reverend's righteousness and kindness.

With the room cleared, Father Bain wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

Exorcising demons was a perilous endeavor, and a single mistake could lead to disastrous consequences.

At a juncture like this, he certainly could not allow any bystanders to be accidentally harmed.

Drawing a long breath of relief, the Reverend was just about to initiate the clandestine exorcism ritual when he noticed that the blond youth was still standing by the door without leaving, fixing a pair of bright, intensely curious eyes straight upon him.

Father Bain's eyelids twitched and a shudder ran through his entire body, causing him to accidentally drop the bottle of lubricating oil he was holding to the floor.

Yet before he could question him in detail and invent an excuse to chase Ron away,

he heard the young man on the bed let out a hoarse, uncanny laugh, emitting a non-human, low growl:

"Want to banish me? It's not going to be that easy! If you've got the guts, let me taste your nuggets!"

Eugene Arn lay flat on the bed, looking with disdain at the stunned old man and youth, before the corners of his mouth curled upward and he once again uttered a deeply perverted, raspy snarl:

"Come on! Come on! If you want to banish me, let me see your nuggets!!!"

Are all demons this perverted nowadays?

The blond youth's face turned pale.

He found it impossible to accept such a perverted transaction condition from a demon.

Father Bain, however, remained expressionless, clearly possessing far more experience than Ron.

The seventy-odd-year-old man simply began loosening his belt without hesitation, his face a mask of absolute innocence and resolute determination.

Meeting the youth's shocked gaze, the Reverend calmly stated,

"Well, you heard it yourself. He's the one who asked for this. This has nothing to do with me."