Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 285 The Obedient Nun (Second Update)

With his own power base already in place, Salomon hadn't yet decided whether to call the organization "Chaldea" or "NERV," and all his research findings hadn't yet been transformed into actual products. But with the organization established, the arcane mages could finally breathe a sigh of relief and had some confidence to face the future.

Salomon had previously reduced his study time due to other commitments, which displeased Jane Foster and Athena. Therefore, after finishing his work in the Immortal City, he immediately threw himself into studying, returning to class and tutoring before his foster mother and tutor could get angry. Getting a perfect score doesn't rely on intelligence, but on stubbornness. Salomon knew perfectly well that he hadn't done enough practice problems, and achieving a perfect score based solely on his intelligence would be difficult—Athena confidently stated that as long as Salomon gave it his all, any score would be acceptable.

Salomon didn't believe any of this nonsense. However, with his A* grades in all subjects, getting into Oxford shouldn't be a big problem—Maya Hansen, a Cambridge graduate, assured him with certainty that there was absolutely no element of flattery towards the boss involved, because a boss who wouldn't buy a coffee machine didn't need flattery.

The sorcerer had indeed shifted his focus to his science studies. Coincidentally, Joan of Arc and Bayonetta had recently accepted a commission from the London Sanctum of Kamar-Taj to hunt down the increasingly frequent higher-dimensional beings descending upon the boundary of the Aetherial Plane in Northern Europe. This allowed Salomon to concentrate wholeheartedly on his studies, even leaving tasks like feeding the cats to the homunculus.

He ignored everyone (in fact, he only ignored Nick Fury) and focused on his reading.

The Cheshire Cat grumbled a few times until Miss Homunculus tapped it on the head, at which point the fat cat calmed down and stopped lying on Salomon's book.

"You're really a student?" Anna Helstrom looked at Salomon with surprise at the ink stain on his right middle finger, his tired eyes from reading, and the various books he was holding. When she arranged to meet Salomon, she had never expected him to look like this. "You look like you could fall asleep at any moment," she said. "How about we reschedule? Anyway, my mother and that devil are just staying in the mental hospital; they're not going anywhere else."

"I want to resolve this as soon as possible." The sorcerer took a large gulp of strong tea, then widened his eyes, trying to clear his head. "You should have waited for me in San Francisco, not come to the East Coast. But it doesn't matter, the portal can reach any corner of the earth, as long as you have the coordinates."

“I want to go straight to my mother’s room, not that mental hospital in Portland. The attending physicians won’t let you see her; they… they know about my mother’s abnormality. My brother is a consultant at that mental hospital, and I don’t want to see him.” Anna Helstrom took a sip of her coffee. “I’m curious, why are you so sure I can help you? Even if I’m the devil’s offspring, my power…”

"I told you, you don't know how to use your power at all. Ask yourself, can you see the sins others have committed?"

"Sure. But if you say that's all I can do, then I can't help you." She nodded, waiting for the sorcerer's explanation.

“It’s the devil’s instinct,” Salomon began to explain to her the devil’s process of retrieving souls from the River Styx. The devil can see the sins each person has committed. “The souls of sinners are incredibly attractive to you,” he said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t hunt them. Those souls didn’t go to hell; you devoured them, albeit at a very low efficiency, but you are becoming stronger—which is perhaps why your father kidnapped you. Your talents are better than your brother’s. Or rather, you have more of the devil’s essence than your brother. Your father may have carved an inverted pentagram on your brother’s chest to sacrifice him and transfer his power to you.”

"You knew everything?" Satana narrowed her eyes. "Or did someone tell you something?"

“I have my own sources.” The sorcerer narrowed his eyes again. He didn’t intend to reveal too much to her, at least not now. “In any case, your father wants to use you, and I need to disrupt his plans,” Salomon said. “Your father is the most insane devil I’ve ever met. Although he’s not Satan, he dares to call himself Satan. He craves the Seventh Throne, which is why he wants me dead. As for your suggestion—to open a portal in your mother’s hospital room—I agree. However, I must inform you of the risks involved. If the possessed demon resists too fiercely, your mother may lose her life.”

"This isn't what we agreed on!"

"I never guaranteed that I wouldn't retaliate when the demon manipulates your mother to attack me," the sorcerer said slowly. "I can only do my best to ensure your mother's safety, and I will only resort to force as a last resort. But don't worry, the reason Marduk can only influence you through possession rather than by descending to the Material Plane is because he can't come to Earth—without blood sacrifice and rituals, it's very difficult for a demon to reach the Material Plane in its true form. Through possession, his power isn't yet overwhelming; I'm just informing him of the risks beforehand."

"If you think my plan is too risky, you can try it yourself." Salomon seemed completely unconcerned about whether Anna would agree to the exorcism, because all he needed was Satana's power to point the most powerful weapon Marduk had forged at Himself. If her mother's continued madness only made Satana hate Marduk more, the sorcerer didn't mind maintaining the status quo.

"Let me make it clear in advance," he said, "I don't have much dark magic related to hell here. The instinctive magic you gain after awakening your demon blood will be far more powerful than what I give you, and you won't have to pay a price."

"Let's visit them through the proper channels first." Anna didn't immediately agree with Salomon's approach. "I need to discuss this with my brother."

"Of course, this is your family matter, and I hope you can take a clear stance." Salomon nodded. "Also, I'm very interested in that nun with your brother... I found out about her through a Catholic acquaintance. Good heavens, she's practically Jesus's sweetheart, but without divine magic, her piety is completely useless. You'd better act quickly; that nun with your brother is an unstable factor. The more devout a person is, the less capable they are of independent thought. After her fall, she might do some terrible things."

Morru had witnessed firsthand the consequences of devout people losing their faith. After understanding the details, he specifically instructed Salomon to act quickly, completely disregarding the fact that the sorcerer was busy studying. If necessary, Father Morru would send Ghost Rider, but that was a last resort, and the Catholic Church wouldn't agree so easily—therefore, Salomon would need to secretly bring Johnny Blaze out, with Father Morru acting as an inside man.

To prevent the situation from worsening, the reason Salomon agreed to meet Anna while he was busy studying was because of Sister Gabby. The so-called "exorcism might be life-threatening" was just an excuse; Salomon's real purpose was to get in touch with the nun through Anna. Disguising the primary target as a secondary one is a common trick used by antique dealers, and Anna saw through Salomon's intentions immediately. Although she didn't know the sorcerer's purpose in contacting the nun, she didn't care; all she wanted was an exorcism.

"I understand," she said. "Take me there now."

The Hellstorm TV series is terrible; it's like a low-budget web series, even worse than DC's Batwoman… They need to add more drama.

(End of this chapter)