The Sleeping Devil

"You're late, Sheriel. I came back, and all you did was chat with Grandpa."

Upon returning to my room from the priest's room, Didier was already there drinking tea.

"There was something I was curious about concerning the priest. So, I went to Grandpa to ask about it."

"Oh, that scrawny guy. He's quite messed up, isn't he? He must be bottling up a lot, so why doesn't he fall?"

Fall... I had heard that it was a harsh environment, but I was surprised to hear Didier speak of it so directly.

Actually, did Didier already know? As expected, he is perceptive when it comes to people's feelings. Though, even if he understands, he won't get involved.

"How did you know?"

"Anyone can see it. The way he hunches his back as if hiding his own existence, the slight twitching of his arms and legs, exaggerated reactions to loud noises or laughter, trembling when it becomes silent, the dilation of his pupils, sweating, reacting to a meal as if he's starving, and many other things. Grandpa probably knows everything, like when it started and what was done to him."

"How creepy. Did I have any reason to go and talk to him?"

"I-I see. I only realized it when the maid told me. So, how can we make sure the priest doesn't have to return to the temple?"

"What? Sheriel, do you intend to help that priest? He's just a stranger who happened to be dispatched here yesterday."

Is it that surprising? Since Hermes must have moved with the intention of helping, I thought this was the natural course of action.

I explained the priest's situation to Didier, but his reaction wasn't very positive.

"Now that you know, you want to do something about it, right? That's what you learned from human nature, right?"

"Sheriel, you're so rigid. Performing good deeds and acting human are two different things. Besides, most people out there may sympathize, but only a few will actually take action."

When he puts it that way, it's true. Is this goodwill? Sympathy? Or is it just a sense of obligation as a human being that I learned about in human studies?

Maybe it's just self-satisfaction? Sending him back like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

"If you don't perform enough good deeds, you might end up like me with some outlandish hair color in the next life."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Doing good deeds and accumulating virtue might lead to a better life in the next world. It's like the stories in the mythological scriptures, I suppose."

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Well, I don't know the details, though.

"Well then, Sheriel, didn't you accumulate quite a bit of virtue in your past life? After all, you were blessed, and having a brother like me must have made you happy, right?"

"Hehe, that might be true. Since I have no memories of accumulating virtue, it might be like borrowing from the past."

As we strayed away from the topic of the priest and giggled over trivial matters, Hermes took the trouble to come to my room. He had mentioned that the diagnosis would take some time, but it seemed to be finished quite quickly.

"Grandpa, how did it go?"

"Hmm, it went as expected for the most part. If we were to send him back to the temple as is, he'd break down in another month, even if he hadn't come here, he'd break down in half a year."

Was his condition really that severe? It's unsettling to think that if he hadn't come here, he would have continued that miserable life. By "break down," does it mean he would have gone mad and become a monster?

"So, he had accumulated impurities? Can something be done about it?"

"No, that's the thing. For some reason, he didn't have as many impurities as we expected. And from his story, he should have already fallen a long time ago."

Hmm? I still haven't fully grasped what "impurity" means. The mix of concepts gets complicated because of the memories of my past life.

"Does going insane lead to accumulating impurities, and accumulating impurities leads to going mad?"

"It's a little different. Impurity accelerates the sickness of the heart, but it's just a byproduct. Accumulating enough impurities to go mad only results in falling into impurity and transforming into a monster."

I understand, but at the same time, I don't quite get it...

"So, does that priest have some resistance similar to the Beriard's curse? And we don't accumulate impurity because of our shortcomings as humans?"

"We don't have an absolute immunity to impurity, but most of the time, it's related to family matters. For some reason, he's going mad without accumulating impurity, even though he has a normal human heart. It would be a waste to send him back to the temple like this, considering my research."

"I see, that does make sense."

Oh? Could it be that Grandpa just wanted that priest as a case study?

I've always thought of Hermes as the only one with a conscience, but now I realize he's a true Beriard.

"What kind of research are you conducting, Grandpa?"

"I'm researching the Beriard's curse. Being born into such an interesting lineage, I can't just accept the research of my predecessors blindly. There's still so much we don't understand."

I see, that does pique my curiosity as well.

While what I'm curious about is whether I have a curse or not, the more detailed the Beriald's manual is, the better I'll feel.

I should support Hermes' research for the future.

"That priest is quite cunning, isn't he, spending all his time having fun with Sheriel and Grandpa? Maybe I should quit the academy."

"No, you can't do that, big brother. You have to make friends properly. Let Grandpa handle the priest's matter."

I can't help but feel like I just handed the priest over as a research subject, but with Hermes, it should be fine. It shouldn't end up worse than the temple.

"Sheriel, you're really a Grandpa's girl."

"Yes, I suppose so."

Today, there were some changes in my perception, but my admiration and interest for Hermes remain unchanged. He's such a cool grandpa.

"Didier, what does it mean to be a 'grandpa's girl'?"

"It's something people at the academy say. Like being a 'daddy's girl' or a 'big brother's girl.' It means being especially attached to someone in the family."

"What! What a wonderful word! I should write it down and display it in the mansion. Didier, just learning that word alone makes attending the academy worthwhile. You should continue going."

"Sigh... It's like he's an idiot, feeling a bit pleased by such social niceties."

Didier seems to be doing surprisingly well at the academy. I'm surprised to know he has someone to engage in such trivial conversations with.

"I think I'm a 'big brother's girl' too. Though sometimes he can be mean, I feel reassured when my big brother is around."

"Grandpa, should we make arrangements for the writing? We need to prepare high-quality paper and a frame."

"Yes, indeed..."

Ignoring their banter, I focus on discussing the priest's future.

"So, the priest has nowhere to go? Can't we take him in at our house?"

"Yes, that seems like a good idea. I want to keep an eye on him for a while. It might be helpful for Sheriel's diagnosis as well."

Me? The diagnosis must be about the curse, but Grandpa surely won't ask me to mistreat the priest or something... That's impossible, right, Grandpa?

"Just stay with him for a while. More importantly, what should we do about the temple?"

"I don't think the temple will let go of the priest so easily. Besides, they were probably using that thing to conceal their own impurities, weren't they?"

I'm not sure I fully understand what they are talking about. Once again, I find myself unable to keep up with their conversation. Worried, I look at the two of them, and Hermes seems to read my mind and explains.

"Temples are, in a way, closed organizations. People who couldn't attain significant status end up living solely by the temple's standards and comparing themselves to others. This can be said of any group; oppressing those below you and maintaining your self-importance is a common occurrence."

"Well then, a parentless orphan without a place to go, and even after all the torment, he still won't fall? They won't easily let go of such a precious toy, even if they're offered money."

The image of the temple becomes increasingly sinister. I wonder if everyone there is really like that.

I thought maybe we could solve this with the money we earned from our business, but it seems that plan will fail, and I feel a bit disappointed.

"What should we do then? I thought money could fix it."

"Protesting for sending him back? He's probably around fifteen years old as that's when one can become a priest. They could make him take responsibility for the ritual's failure."

"That's right. They will probably blame Didier for not entering the temple, citing a lack of manpower or something."

"That's just... Isn't it too childish?"

"That's how they are, nothing we can do."

I tried to interject, but it seems my older brother has a sudden idea.

"Should we kill the priest?"

"No, no...!"

Wait, hold on! What's gotten into you, big brother? Suddenly, what's with the nonchalant remark? Is this some kind of a joke?

Before I could respond, Hermes spoke up again.

"That's also an option. We'll make it seem like he fell into impurity due to the ritual's failure and dispose of him that way."

"Eh, Grandpa? You're joking, right?"

"No, we won't really kill him. We'll just make it appear that way. Don't worry."

"Is that even legal? What about his family register...? I mean, what happens to his identity as a priest from now on?"

"His family register? We'll just pretend he was found somewhere and give him a new identity. Like a noble without a title."

What? This isn't about animals like dogs or cats... But I suppose I'm also hiding my true origins, so it's somewhat similar. As long as we can arrange for him to live properly from now on, it should be fine.

"Tomorrow, I'll talk to the priest. We can't decide on making him appear dead without asking him how he feels about it."

"Sheriel, can I come along when you talk to him?"

Ah, those eyes... So familiar. It reminds me of when I first came here, and I become determined to protect the priest with all my might.