Pastor Paul, who was sitting with the believers listening to the sermon, stood up after hearing this and took over from the old priest to continue telling the believers about the subsequent guidance of the Ten Commandments on the pulpit.
The old priest came up to the confessor and asked,
"Father Polycarp, what's going on?"
Father Polyga, who was responsible for confessing to Eisen, looked embarrassed and invited the old priest into the inner hall.
"Father Mark, I suspect that the gentleman who came to confession today is being targeted by the devil."
After hearing this, the old priest Mark lowered his head, sighed and said,
"You know, we can't perform exorcisms privately. Any exorcism needs to obtain the official approval of the Vatican before it can be carried out. Besides, you are just suspicious now."
Father Polyga fell silent after hearing this. He really couldn't produce any evidence to prove that Eisen was possessed by a demon, but this strange dream and the personal pain that Eisen described did not seem like a joke; the paradox was that if Eisen was possessed by a demon, he should have a strong aversion to the church and objects related to holy light.
Father Polyga was hesitant, as he was not sure he could complete the sacrament of confession this time.
"Father Mark, I don't think I can handle this by myself, I hope you can help me. I know that according to the rules, we shouldn't do this, but I think this is a special case. We shouldn't be restricted by too many rules and regulations in our care for believers."
The old priest Mark shook his head. He was not very satisfied with the successor he had accepted. He said slowly,
"As a priest, as a clergyman, you should abide by the rules. You are still too young, Polyga."
Father Polyga is actually over 30 years old, but this is the first time he has encountered such a situation, so he can't help but feel a little nervous.
"Then Father Mark, how should I deal with this matter now?" he asked the old priest Mark.
"Don't forget your duties. You are a confessor now, not an exorcist." The old priest Mark said slowly.
"I understand." Father Polyga bowed to the old priest and took two deep breaths outside the confessional. After calming himself down, he opened the door of the confessional.
"Sir, sorry to have kept you waiting." Father Polyga said as he closed the door.
"Oh, that's all right."
Eisen in the opposite cubicle was already getting a little impatient. He hadn't had any water all day and was already thirsty from waiting.
Father Polyga said to Eisen, "Then let's continue. Since you have admitted your sins, please read your confession and pick up the penance book next to your right hand on your table and recite it."
Aisen put his hands together in front of his chest and said solemnly,
"I repent for the mistakes I have made. I confess to the Almighty Lord and all the Lambs of the Lord that I have made mistakes in my thoughts, words and deeds. My sins, my sins, my grave sins, for which I beg the Lord of the Trinity to have mercy. I hope that God will forgive my sins. I will repent of my sins with all my heart and will never dare to offend the Lord of Holy Light again. May the Almighty Holy Light forgive my mistakes and give me eternal life. Amen."①
After Eisen finished his confession, Father Polyga read a passage from the Bible.
"The Lord of heaven, who reconciled the world to his Son through his death and resurrection and who gives the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, now forgives your sins in the name of the Holy Trinity."
"Amen," Eisen replied.
Although the confession process has been completed, Father Polyga still feels that the matter has not been resolved. Such a confession process can only provide some psychological comfort for Eisen, allowing Eisen to fall asleep tonight.
Father Polyga was a little worried about Eisen's situation, so he spoke before Eisen left.
"Sir, please wait a moment while I fetch something."
After that, he went to the back hall and got a copy of the Holy Light Sutra, a wooden cross and a bottle of holy water. He placed these three items outside the door of Eisen's compartment and wrapped them with a black cloth.
Father Polyga returned to his compartment and said to Eisen, "Sir, I got you some small gifts outside the compartment. I hope you can take them. You can leave now."
After saying this, Father Polyga fell silent and waited quietly for Eisen to leave.
After Eisen opened the door, he saw the package on the ground, picked it up, thanked Father Polyga outside the door, and left.
The carriage outside the door had already left. This confession took longer than Eisen expected, but he did gain some results by accident.
"I hope I can get a good sleep tonight." Eisen thought with a wry smile, then walked back home alone to change clothes and prepare to go back to work in the slaughterhouse.
Eisen returned home, changed into his daily clothes, and casually opened the package given to him by Father Polyga.
The first thing that caught his eye was a simple wooden cross with a chain on it; Eisen put the chain around his neck without saying a word.
"Maybe it's just a psychological effect, but I should give it a try," Eisen comforted himself.
Then Eisen picked up a clay bottle filled with holy water, with the word "Drink" written on the side.
Aisen had heard many stories about holy water. It was rumored that the holy water springs left behind by the Mother of the Son of God after her appearance in the world had the effect of curing diseases, and the most famous among them were the Luther Holy Water and the Jordan Holy Water.
The bottle in Eisen's hand was blessed by the priests of Ulm Minster Church. Although its effect may not be comparable to Luther's holy water or Jordan's holy water, it can dispel some impurities to a certain extent.
Since there was a stupid word written on the bottle: "Drink", Eisen pulled out the cork from the jar.
Looking into the clay jar in the sunlight, there seemed to be nothing unusual. After gently shaking the jar, there was no sediment in the water and the water was clear.
Eisen had no doubts about the bottle of holy water, but he was a little afraid of water in his heart. However, Eisen, who had not drunk water for a day, was really thirsty, so he raised his head and drank some of the holy water in the bottle.
The holy water moistened Eisen's cracked lips and mouth, bringing a cool feeling.
After drinking this small bottle of holy water, Eisen felt that his fear of water had disappeared. It seemed that there was an inexplicable power in the holy water that purified something in his body. Even his mental state after a sleepless night was improved, and he became refreshed from being depressed.
Eisen suddenly remembered that he had not had breakfast since he got up, so he happily cut some fresh vegetables and minced meat in the kitchen, mixed them evenly, sprinkled salt on them as seasoning, and put them in the oven to bake.
Eisen took the dish of stew out of the oven and wolfed it down. With a full stomach, he was ready to face today's busy work. There were still a lot of things to deal with in the slaughterhouse.
It looks like it’s going to be a very busy day for Eisen.