Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 21 Believers
"You just said, um... they eloped?" Claire still remembered Serena's introduction, and the word "eloped" was the one that concerned her the most.

This is probably where the problem lies.

Serenade was depressed and smiled bitterly, "Yes, they loved each other, but due to external pressure, they had no choice but to elope. I haven't heard from them since then. Although I don't know where they went, I wish them happiness."

As Serenade said this, she also vaguely thought from the current evil events that her two predecessors might be in great danger.

After listening to these explanations, Claire asked without much expectation, "Can you immediately find the common items those two people left behind?"

After being missing for over a year, Claire didn't think she could find any remaining belongings in the academy. She was afraid that she would need to spend more time to visit the homes of the two girls.

Unexpectedly, Serena nodded affirmatively and said, "Of course I can, but what are the requirements?"

Claire was surprised by how smoothly the situation went. She was the first to state her request: "The closer it is to my body, the better. The longer I can carry it, the better."

Then he asked doubtfully, "Does your college still have the habit of collecting and storing students' belongings?"

"That's not the case..." Serenader smiled awkwardly. "It's just that our student council members are very popular in the academy. We're elected by student votes, so even if a member graduates, their popularity will continue for two years. During this time, you can usually find some of their belongings among the current students."

Claire remained silent after hearing this, wisely not asking the female students what they were going to do with these items.

"Then please."

Leaving the errands to Serenad, Claire pulled out a book titled "One Hundred and Eight Methods of Exorcism Rituals" from her bosom and began to read it without caring much about her image as she sat on an abandoned stone bench.

After sitting down, he added, "By the way, bring the things back after nightfall. Let me read for a while."

After hearing this, Serenade smiled awkwardly. She looked at the title on the book cover and cast a suspicious look at Claire for the first time.
"Ms. Meazza, are you going to...learn on the spot?"

Claire looked up and explained:
"Oh... you misunderstood. The ceremony needs to be performed at night. Before that, I plan to read a book first. Is that a problem?"

In fact, Claire made such an arrangement because she only had enough spirituality at night to try a simple spiritual ritual.

As for the exorcism rituals described in the book in her hand, they were advanced rites that she had not yet been able to perform. She was simply taking them out now to learn about them in advance and, incidentally, to alleviate the whispers in her ears.

Serenade left doubtfully.

Before it got dark, Serenad fetched the items needed for spiritual communication and also brought some food and water to Claire.

Claire didn't use the food and water, but carefully used her clairvoyance to observe the pen and a pair of earrings that Serenade had brought.

"The pen is Lisa's and the earrings are Paris's."

Serenader's voice dropped a little due to shyness. "As far as I know, someone did get some of Lisa's more intimate clothing. But when I asked, no one admitted to it, and I couldn't get any information. All I found was this pen."

Claire shrugged, "That's enough."

She took out the materials needed for the ritual from the suitcase she had brought with her and made some arrangements. After nightfall, with her heightened spirituality, Claire used the power of the ritual, using the pen and earrings as a medium, to connect and communicate with the resentful entity in the pocket watch.

The illusory wails and cries mixed into the whispers in her ears. Claire, trying to stabilize her spirituality, tried hard to examine everything she saw.

"Lisa, you said the goddess also blesses us, right?"

A gentle voice sounded, but the vision was blurry, as if being in a light milky white dream space, with two female figures, one squatting and one standing, faintly in front of him.

"But why did your father force my family to transfer me to another school, forced me to drop out of Saint Selina Academy, and forced me to leave you?"

The sound rang out again, but it became shrill. The surroundings suddenly darkened, and the milky white space seemed to be splashed with ink, with black and white interlaced, and it was broken like the cracks on torn paper.

"You went to Backlund during spring break and met the blind date your father asked you to meet..." At the intersection of black and white, which looked like a scar, a petite figure gradually became clear. She squatted there, her bangs hanging down, and her long black hair covering half of her body. She spoke in a choked tone.

That is……

Claire endured the stabbing pain in her head and carefully identified the person who was Paris in the photo on the pocket watch.

"I will always be Paris's, and Lisa will always be Paris's."

A taller figure hugged the delicate figure squatting there.

Like the warm evening, it dispelled all the strange milky white and darkness, and everything around became clear.

The old swing swaying in the wind, the abandoned church building bathed in the afterglow, the low houses not far away, and the black magic book spread out on the ground, everything seemed immersed in warmth.

"Is this in an abandoned school building?" Claire muttered, rubbing her forehead.

Claire could clearly see the two people hugging each other in front of her.

Before her eyes were the phantom memories of the two people when they were alive.

"Hey, Paris, let's pray to God, praying that we can be together forever."

With deep facial features and flowing blond hair that reaches her shoulders, Lisa soothed Paris with a gentle tone.

"Really? Lisa, my Lisa. Are you willing to be with me forever?!" Paris, with tears on her face, looked up in surprise, holding Lisa's face with her delicate hands.

Looking at the entangled Claire, he sighed.

She watched their passion, and after the passion faded, she watched them chant incantations that came from nowhere and pray to the "God" they mentioned.

Pray that they will be together forever.

Claire saw a disembodied black-robed figure appear in the scene. He responded to the girls' prayers.

He feasted on the flesh and blood of the girls who sacrificed themselves!
He kneaded the girls’ spirits into a ball!
After doing this, the black-robed figure looked up at Claire.

Under the hood was revealed a crooked face with vertical eyes and no other facial features!
The whispers in her ears suddenly became louder. Claire covered her stinging eyes and was forced to retreat from the illusion.

"Ms. Meazza?" Serena hurried over to help Claire.

Claire waved her hands, and after a long while she finally felt the whispering in her ears quieten down a little.

"I'm all right."

"What happened?" Serenade asked after seeing that Claire seemed to be fine.

Claire let out a long breath. The last black-robed man she saw had the strong aura of a hidden sage.

But that was not the Hidden Sage. Otherwise, in her current state, if she looked directly at the Hidden Sage, the pollution in her body would have erupted long ago, and even the holy object in her chest could not save her.

So they are cultists who believe in the Hidden Sage?
Claire, who had a basic understanding of what was going on, explained to Serenade what she had seen.

"...I saw Lisa and Paris praying to a monster. Their spirits were fused together by the monster and now reside in this pocket watch."

(End of this chapter)