Chapter 18: 18:Restauration

I am sitting on the living room sofa and surrounded by: Sachiel, Assan, Cassiel, Seth, and five more exorcists subordinate to Sachiel.

Last night, I collapsed from exhaustion due to the nonstop training ordered to me by Miss Cassiel. Today i woke up with the news that she and Mr. Seth nearly died in the fight.

We were attacked by a horde of one hundred Yokais while I was sleeping, Gashadokuro was among them and almost killed both of them all the golems were destroyed and they had to be saved by Sachiel and Assan.

Sachiel also ordered the two to rest until tomorrow to fully recover, so we will lose a day of hunting the enemy, meaning we can only attack him on the day of the ritual.

“More importantly, isn’t there a risk of us being attacked again? Wouldn’t it be better to hunt him now?” I ask directly to Sachiel, who is eating some french fries.

“The same way we get tired from using prayers, summoners take damage when their summons are destroyed. The destruction of that horde will ensure safety until tomorrow,” Seth replies.

“And with luck, maybe he'll have to delay the ritual by a few years because of the damage, but that would be counting too much on chances,” Sachiel says, taking another potato to her mouth.

“So, are we safe?”

“Yes, kid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the Basilica. Sachiel will keep an eye on you for security and treatment,” Assan opens one of the windows and simply flies out of the house.

“So... how come I didn’t wake up during all that battle?”

“The sleep ritual must have also affected you because of the exhaustion from training. Did Cassiel push too hard?”

“I just ordered him to keep shooting from his staff until he collapsed.”

“I see, the basics, right?”

Sachiel and Cassiel stare at each other and a small smile forms on both of their faces—some inside joke?

“Saulo, may I ask you something?”

I settle into the sofa while looking at Sachiel and i nod in confirmation.

“Why don’t you call me Miss like Cassiel, but you call Assan 'sir'?” I look at her while atching my cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Sorry, you don’t convey a sense of seniority; you seem more like someone I would study with,” Sachiel’s french fry falls to the ground because her mouth open in surprise, Cassiel puts her hand over her mouth while holding back a laugh.

“Saulo, we’re all your seniors here; you should treat her the same way,” despite her words, Seth also covers his mouth with his hand.

“Sorry, Mr. Seth...” Sachiel cleans her mouth and picks up the fry from the floor.

“No problem, I was just surprised by your opinion,” I look at Sachiel, this time I’m the one surprised.

“As the leader of the cleaning team, I usually get treated with more respect than I’d like.”

“If you don’t mind answering, what’s the difference between your group and the rest?”

“Right, the difference between the cleaning or, rather, purification team, and the rest, right? In general, we don’t obey the same superiors.”

“What do you mean?” I look to the side and Cassiel is erasing the symbols on the board. Fear fills my chest when she grabs a piece of chalk.

What followed was a long lesson about the ranks within the church.

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[Assan POV]

After flying over the skies of Venice i land in front of a large monastery on a separate island, my feet touching the seawater.

I walk toward firm land, letting the waters wash over my feet until I finally step onto the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Upon entering the island i pass by the monastery connected to the cathedral. Monks walk out of the grand cathedral and return to their quarters after the morning prayer. Since today is Saturday, there won’t be a mass.

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The basilica was completed in 1610. Its façade resembles an ancient Roman temple, with four columns supporting a entablature at the top, in the Renaissance style.

Entering the basilica, the style remains the same; light enters through the stained glass windows and the building maintains its Renaissance aesthetic, being completely white.

The nave where visitors and worshippers stay is quite spacious between the pews with a large open area around it, allowing a great number of people to gather in case of emergencies, as was typical in ancient times.

The white, curved marble ceilings have a symmetrical distance, and in the center, there is a large white spherical stained glass window through which the light illuminates the nave's center.

At the end of the path to the altar, a man wearing a cassock was sitting on the bench of the large organ while reading a copy of the Bible.

I walk over to the man while removing the silver cross necklace from my neck. As I approach, I glance at the paintings around.

To the left, we have the painting of The Last Supper by Jacopo Tintoretto, and to the right, The Gathering of Manna, by the same artist.

When I regain focus, the priest has already lowered his book and is looking at me.

"Did you come to give the report for today, Assan?" The priest's name is Abraham, a man about one meter eighty tall, seventy-five years old, with short hair and beard, both white.

"The report and a request, Mr. Abraham," the man stands up. As he's tall, he also has many muscles; his shoulders could block the light from someone if he stood too close. As a church priest, it's natural that he has some access to the Shekinah. He is a baptizer, the same position as Cassiel.

"Then follow me," as a standard protocol, reports and missions outside the Vatican are delivered via sealed letters, but in personal interactions, this happens in the confessional.

I sit on the speaking bench, while Abraham sits on the listening bench.

"Seth and Cassiel almost died fighting the March of the Hundred Yokais summoned by the enemy; Sachiel and I arrived in time."

"The enemy's lair is at the San Michele cemetery. We found it last night."

"Uhum, before we proceed, tell me your request."

"I ask that the reach of my area of operation be extended to the island of Murano. I want to assist in invading the lair, but my range only allows me to the central island and Lido," The problem with being a Gargoyle is that our area of operation is limited; if we leave it without permission, our bodies dissolve.

Abraham remains silent for a few moments before responding, "Wait five minutes," he leaves the confessional.

Five minutes later, he returns, passing a piece of paper through a crack in the floor and I take it.

It was a reward poster in Mandarin, featuring a photo of a young man. His hair is short and black, skin fair, eyes yellow, nose relatively large, cheeks hollow, and a cut scar on his forehead.

“I don't know how to read Mandarin,” if it had been in Mongolian, I would know.

“The name of this mage is Wéilái, a seer from the Sacred Palace of Beijing. He recently disappeared, and the Palace has offered a reward of four million six hundred thousand Yuan for anyone who brings him to them, alive or dead,” I look at the window that separates Abraham and me.

“Do you believe it's him?”

“Based on the information given, it's said he can summon and control Yoguais, Yokais, and other spirits. So yes.”

“We have a rough idea of what he's planning; he's aiming to summon the Bull tomorrow.”

“Then eliminate him tomorrow. It's not like you're in any condition today anyway.”

“If you give me permission, I can take care of it today with Sachiel, sir.”

“You know it takes time to update that. Return to your altar at the top of the cathedral and I will start the preparations. You should be ready tonight,” he says.

“Understood, sir,” I leave the room and exit the cathedral. My wings spread, and I soar upward, landing on an altar on the rooftop. My body begins to harden and change form, transforming into a beast with wings, claws, and a sharp jaw.

[Saulo POV]

I am sprawled on the sofa, my head spinning and my eyes seeing stars. Besides the lesson about church ranks, Cassiel and Sachiel also made me spend the rest of the day memorizing prayers.

A golem approaches me holding a tray with a glass of water for me. I take it to drink.

When did Seth build a new golem? I sit on the sofa and look toward the kitchen, seeing four golems working there while Seth is nowhere to be seen.

“Seth got shy and went to build golems in the office,” I look at Miss Cassiel.

“He could have made Saulo test the prayer of his armor, maybe Saulo has talent for Kabbalah,” Sachiel sways the empty potato bag.

“He almost failed Kabbalah, and almost everything else.”

“Hey, I'm here!”

“Just hearing that doesn’t make it untrue,” Cassiel opens a book he went to fetch from the office. I read the cover.

Of Crimes and Punishments? I’ve never heard of it.

Tired of the endless lessons, I get up from the sofa and walk to the kitchen to finally eat something. On the way, I glance at the clock.

It's already eleven-thirty. Was it really that long? I close my eyes and massage my temples, the exhaustion headache starting to lessen.

I grab a piece of bread and return to the sofa to eat. When I arrive, I notice both Cassiel and Sachiel reading a letter with a gold emblem.

“When did…?” Both stare at me.

“They used a passage from Archangel Gabriel; it’s very useful. Cassiel should teach you soon,” I say.

“Only when he gets promoted. The body can't take it,” she throws the letter onto the small table in front of the sofa.

“On the bright side, we’ll have the rest of the day to teach this boy,” both Sachiel and Cassiel stare at me again, and I feel like my life is in danger.

“Why?”

“Assan asked for his area of action to be enlarged, and it takes a day to process and finalize. So we were ordered to wait,” Cassiel picks one potato chip up, throws it in the air and Sachiel catches it with her mouth.

“Isn't that reckless? What if someone else dies?” Cassiel them explain to explain the costs of summoning and the damage received when they are destroyed.

“So, is everything okay?” I sit on the sofa, slightly in shock from the information.

“Yes, now we’ll resume your lessons. Sachiel will divide the potatoes if we get hungry,” we both look at Sachiel, who was hissing like a cat in our direction while hugging the potato bag.

It's going to be a long day...