Chapter 09 ….
In any case, I didn’t want the priest to die. There were practical reasons—since I was the last person to be with him, I was in the perfect position to be investigated by the police—as well as more general, emotional ones, like remembering how he had whispered that he would pray for me.
Rationally, logically, and emotionally, it would be troublesome in every way if the priest were to die right now.
However, the sword had already been driven in, and Botius had begun to burn. It was far too late to stop things now. That meant I had to think of some way to deal with the situation. It was a real predicament.
As I stared at them in helpless confusion, Raphael suddenly drew his sword in one swift motion and neatly sheathed it at his waist.
When the crimson light that had lit up the dark cathedral vanished, the interior was once again washed in blue. Only then did his gaze flick briefly toward me.
“Do not be afraid, girl.”
It was a voice so devoid of emotion that it was difficult to sense even a fragment of feeling. His impassive, dry expression wasn’t much different from what I remembered, but unlike before, it felt chillingly cold. That unfamiliar expression created a clear sense of distance.
No—had that angel always worn such an indifferent face? As I overlaid faint memories of the past onto his figure, he whispered calmly.
“The sword of judgment never burns that which is innocent. It was never a sword meant to burn human flesh.”
“……”
Considering how mercilessly he had driven the sword in, it wasn’t a statement that inspired much trust. Still, it was the most welcome thing I’d heard all night. At the very least, it meant I could set aside my realistic worries and focus solely on the truly surreal events unfolding before me.
“I see.”
When I slowly nodded, the man seemed to think his role was done and immediately turned away. He began walking toward the altar and the sacred objects of the cathedral.
“Um, Ang—”
My lips parted, but as I stared at the fluttering white cloak and the long tails of his coat, I pushed myself upright by gripping a toppled wooden chair. My vision was still spinning.
“Angel.”
The word slipped out unconsciously, the same title I had used as a child. Whatever he heard in it, Raphael halted and tilted his head to look at me. But the moment our eyes met—before I could even say what I had intended—my breath caught in my throat.
Only when he stood at the center of the apse, bathed fully in moonlight, did he clearly reveal what kind of being he truly was. Like molten lava, like the sunset pouring down onto fields of blue-gold, like the evening glow staining the sea red.
Raphael’s hair swayed as if alive, a living flame that blended brilliant hues of light, and beneath it, elegant, beautiful golden eyes looked down at me with clarity.
Only then did his translucent wings take in the moonlight and reveal their majestic form. They were enormous, large enough to fill the entire apse. Silvery-blue feathers lay piled thickly at his feet.
It felt as though I had swallowed a lump of snow. The moment was utterly unreal.
When I was a child, I used to hear strange melodies drifting down from the distant sky. On Christmas Eve or Buddha’s Birthday, I would hear the voices of young angels and spirits carrying multicolored light from one end of the heavens to the other.
Nearly ten years had passed since then, and now it was Valentine’s Day. In a cathedral where I had no particular ties, I had suddenly faced a demon—and met an angel. The presence of the angel swept over my entire body like a solemn piece of music. It felt as though I had returned to the porch of my childhood home.
Like Handel’s oratorios that Solomon often asked me to play, something noble and magnificent poured down over my shoulders and cheeks. It carried a scent that was refreshing yet sweet, and at the same time cool.
Everything earthly lost its light before the angel. It felt as though only the angel stood at the center of the world.
I had always thought that, among my childhood memories, only the image of the angel had remained unusually vivid and brilliant. But now I realized that wasn’t quite it. Everything else had grown dull and pale with time, yet the angel alone had always possessed such a distinct presence.
Only then did I come to my senses. Solomon had told me that the angel who had come down to my side was one burdened with many duties. Raphael was certainly famous enough that even I knew his name. Of course he must have been busy. It seemed he had left and returned after dealing with matters he absolutely had to attend to.
Toward the angel who had patiently waited while I sat there in silence after calling him, I finally asked, belatedly,
“Have you… come back?”
“No.”
He answered in a dry voice. It almost sounded gentle, yet was unmistakably cold. As I stared at him blankly, I found it easy to accept his response.
“I see.”
“I have never once left your side, nor returned.”
Yet the answer he gave went in a completely different direction from what I had accepted. Raphael lowered his gaze and whispered softly, as though confessing.
“I committed a sin against you. It was seven years ago. I must take responsibility for it. That is why I ignored even Gabriel’s summons. I stayed by your side alone, protecting you. So there was no leaving you, and no returning.”
“A sin? I’ve never once seen you, Angel. You didn’t come again after that day.”
“That is precisely because it was my sin.”
Only then did the angel finish his words in the same gentle manner as before.
“Being by your side.”
It was an incomprehensible statement. As I staggered to my feet to try to speak further, Raphael showed no sign of wanting to continue the conversation. He merely glanced at me and murmured something under his breath.
Then something strange happened. The moment red flames surged up from beneath my feet, my broken arm snapped back into place, and the torn wounds healed on their own.
As I hurriedly checked my body in shock, he tilted his face and lifted his chin. His flame-like hair dyed Raphael’s pale cheek in color.
After watching him silently for a while, I finally began to approach him slowly. But the instant I stepped into the dense curtain cast by his wings, the grandeur that had been pouring down on me multiplied several times over and covered my body like light itself.
I stumbled back a couple of steps, as if pushed away. Instinctively, I understood. This was not a realm I could dare to encroach upon. Raphael, who had been gazing at me quietly, also retreated a single step. Only then could I breathe again.
As I watched the golden halo that had been circling gracefully around the edge of his collar drift toward me and seep in, I recalled my childhood attitude with a sense of strange disbelief.
Once, he had been a part of my daily life. But how could such a being ever have been part of something so ordinary? How could this have felt like a normal, everyday scene? Even thinking about it myself, it was impossible to understand. He was not a being any human could ever consider ordinary.
And just as I reached that thought, Raphael suddenly spoke.
“My existence has emotionally separated you from this world.”
To be honest, I didn’t understand his words this time either, but the angel didn’t wait for my reaction and turned away.
“I must go to Gabriel and explain everything that has happened so far, and discuss what is to be done next. Sola, girl, you must find that vile demon’s true body and seal it in a bronze vessel. It will be difficult to do alone, so seek Solomon’s help—and though it may be unpleasant, using demons to control demons would not be a bad choice. Was Basago your first thought for assistance? That would be acceptable.”
“Angel.”
He looked as though he was about to leave again. Before I could stop myself, an impulsive question burst out.
“Then… have you always been by my side?”
The angel hesitated briefly, but slowly nodded.
“Yes. And as I said before, do not fear empty things. I will remain by your side, if only in a limited capacity, and protect you for as long as I am able.”
Then he cast his gaze toward me. His golden hair seemed to burn with flame, his elegant golden eyes flowing downward. His form stood out clearly like a living fire, wrapped in swirling colors.
And at some unexpected moment, his six radiant wings scattered sparks of light, then slowly enfolded Raphael’s entire body before vanishing in a whirling spiral.
In an instant, the cathedral grew dark. Only moonlight poured faintly through the stained glass. It was as though night had fallen without warning.
I, too, was abruptly dragged back into reality. After staring blankly for a while at the place where Raphael had disappeared, I finally straightened myself. The first thing I had to do wasn’t to linger in the afterglow—it was to deal with Botius.
The Duke of Filth, Botius, was originally a demon that could be summoned with a poison-coated sword and, once summoned, would inhabit material objects to control people. Raphael’s single strike was not enough to destroy him. He would have taken damage, but he would not be gone.
Botius would still be residing in the poison-coated sword—probably the antique bronze sword I had seen earlier—recovering his injured power. And I had the duty to seal him back into the deep abyss.
Now that I understood the true nature of the task, it felt deeply regrettable and extremely dangerous. But regardless, I was Solomon’s successor. However I had ended up here, it was something I had chosen myself. Though, to be honest, I couldn’t deny that I felt a bit tricked.
If I had chosen it myself, then I had to take responsibility.
I grabbed Botius by the shoulder, his breathing ragged and faltering. His face twisted grotesquely as it alternated between the priest and Botius’s scale-covered form. His dark crimson pupils rolled thickly toward me.
There was nothing I could do on my own anyway. In short, to deal with Botius, I needed to summon Basago, a demon skilled in attacking the mind and soul. And since I hadn’t yet learned the summoning incantation from Solomon, I also needed to meet Solomon.
To do that, I had to leave this cathedral and the surrounding consecrated grounds. Rather than rashly touching Botius’s true form, it was more important to draw him out. If he possessed someone else, it would cause even more trouble.
So I had to lure him to come straight to me, without stopping by anyone else. The method was simpler than I’d expected. Once I had found it, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Listen, Botius. My name is ‘Sola.’”
Solomon had said that one’s name and voice made one’s existence known to demons. Once a demon recognized the being known as “Moon Sola,” the conditions would be sufficient for it to track my aura and presence.
To Botius, I appeared to be nothing more than a powerless human girl who had survived only thanks to an angel’s help. In truth, that wasn’t wrong.
Botius seemed to lack magical abilities, so even if he knew my name, he couldn’t cast a curse. But even without curses, it was only natural that I would be helpless if Botius chased me down as an ordinary human. So he would surely underestimate me and pursue me immediately.
I slowly drew in a breath and repeated myself. I mimicked the subtly authoritative tone and manner Solomon often used when dealing with demons—because that was probably the voice a demon hated most to hear from a magician.
“My name is Moon Sola, daughter of Seo Mirae and Moon Kang-yoon. I am the successor of the Lemegeton, who has come to seal you back into darkness, and one who grew under Solomon’s guidance by heeding his counsel. If you cannot defeat me, there will be no future for you in the light—no restoration of glory or authority in the mortal world. I will seal you again.”
If Botius turned his gaze toward me upon hearing my name, he would target me first, without detouring anywhere else.
In short, it was a matter of responsibility.
“So, if you have any desire not to lose everything entirely—”
The snake-scaled face twisted grotesquely. Looking down at Botius, I spoke calmly.
“—then someone will have to risk their life.”
With those words, I rose from my seat. The moment Botius lost control of this body, he would immediately return to his true form and pursue me. Time was short.
If I trusted the angel’s words, the priest would be safe. And I needed to immediately meet the conditions to summon Basago—namely, darkness, humidity, and an environment rich with corpses, along with a magic circle and a name.
It was raining, and it was already deep night. Finding Solomon was uncertain, so at the very least, I needed to prepare the environment perfectly.
The city’s cemetery lay in the hills behind the school.
I started running straight toward it.
