Vatican Miracle Examiner (バチカン奇跡調査官)

The police report stated the criminal was arrested

for attempted trafficking of bacteriological weapons to third-world countries,

as well as the leaking of government secrets.

He boasted that it was all to fund his research, completely unremorseful.

His IQ was too high to measure.

On top of being an all-around genius,

he lacked any sense of morality, or any shred of religious belief.

According to the request from the Vatican, he was a demonic man with no hope for rehabilitation,

even if he underwent religious counseling.

That was what the police reports said, but...

Nice to meet you. I'm Joseph Ko Hiraga.

Lauren.

Lauren Di Luca.

That was you, Lauren.

That was the first moment we met.

There are those who would examine claims of holy miracles from around the world,

and verify a miracle has indeed occurred.

Please show them the way, O Lord, the Vatican Miracle Examiners!

Ikeru mono tsumibukaki kakugo de The living reach out their hands

Ataerareta fukashigi ni te wo nobasu yo With sinful resolve to the mysteries they've been given

Itami ga yobu negai wo tokiakashite The pain calls for resolution of their wish

Hikari yo ashiki tamashii sukuitamae to For the light to save their sinful souls

Koe dake ja tarinainda My voice isn't enough

Kiseki no nai jinsei iranai I don't need a life without miracles

Abunai jounetsu ga miseta akenai yoru no naka de A dangerous passion showed me a vision in an endless night

Dare no yume ga hiraku darou Whose dream will be opened?

Yami to boku wa niteru kai Do I resemble the darkness?

Abunai jounetsu o kaketa kore ga key ad mysterium I took the risk with that dangerous passion for this key ad mysterium

Ima wa semete shinjitetai I want to at least believe now

Dakedo nanimo wakaranai But I don't know anything

So the Miracle Examiners' mission ended with another swing and a miss.

Yes, but I still believe.

One day, we will see a real miracle.

That reminds me, the first time we met, you talked about miracles.

You remember that?

Ever since then, I've stopped caring about this.

I don't see the point in fearing death,

but threatening my power is another thing entirely.

Lauren...

Why me?

I've only just joined the intelligence division, and I am still lacking as a servant of our Lord.

It's been decided that I will speak with a priest once a week.

I merely chose the person who would make those talks the least painful.

And that person is me?

I looked into your data.

Your IQ score was a vital factor.

At the very least, you're someone who can have a conversation at my level.

Well, I'm honored.

But save all the religious trite.

I'm fed up with it.

Quite the amazing toy, isn't it?

If I travel three hundred meters from this spot,

it automatically injects me with poison, killing me.

This is reality.

As you can see, I'm a very important person to the government.

The patents I own contribute money to my vast wealth on daily basis.

The Vatican's only keeping me as its pet because they value me so highly.

So don't give me that "God loves you" bull.

You don't believe in God?

There's no proof for me to believe in Him.

Is there any proof showing it wouldn't be worth believing in God?

Doesn't matter whether God exists or not.

Are you happy that way?

"Happy"?

Happiness is just an illusion created by the release of hormones in the brain.

Human emotions are all just chemical reactions.

If believing in something will make me happy,

then it doesn't matter what I believe in, be it the Devil, money, power, whatever.

Then why don't you give believing in God a try?

Oh?

Alright, Lauren, why don't we play a game?

A game?

If I win, you start believing in God.

If you win, you can do however you like.

Huh? I've never heard a priest say something like that before.

It's called the Game of Angels and Demons. It's something I came up with.

This game will take a long while to play to finish.

Let's talk about something in the meanwhile.

Nothing about God.

Then let's talk about miracles.

Miracles?

Yes, in particular, the story of one man's strange case that is still unsolved.

What is this all about?

I met this man... let's call him John Brickett, back in high school,

after I won a chemical invention contest Mr. Brickett sponsored and was invited to his estate.

Hiraga, right?

A boy of incredible talent.

Thank you very much, Sir.

I've brought you some tea.

This is my wife Marlene.

Nice to meet you.

You're welcome to stay as long as you like.

Oh, thank you...

So, do you believe in the existence of God?

Of course I do.

Then are you confident that you will not betray God in anything you do?

I think so.

Why are you asking me these things, Sir?

I want you to hear my confession.

Then I want you to answer my question.

A kid like me, Sir?

Yes, this is a question that can only be answered by a pure-hearted youth like yourself.

You said you believe in God.

Well, then, do you believe in the Devil?

Huh?

The Devil? That was sudden.

Though I suppose believing in him is easier than believing in God.

That was when Mr. Brickett confessed something shocking to me.

It happened the day before my thirteenth birthday.

John, it's time for dinner!

Okay!

Okay, see you later!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Welcome home, Papa!

I'm back.

I have something important to discuss with you before dinner.

What is it?

It's about a present for John.

A present?!

Well, you can discuss that after dinner-

No.

It has to be now,

because I'm leaving the human world today.

Huh?

Thirteen years ago, I won a game against the angel Samyaza, earning the right to test humanity.

Test humanity?

Yes. My duty was to determine if humanity deserves to exist.

John, I've prepared a special present for you.

It's a blessing from a father to his son.

You will be able to grant one thousand wishes from here on.

The ones you speak aloud, of course, but also the wishes you hold strongly in your heart.

However...

There is one wish you cannot grant.

That wish is to rid yourself of this blessing.

My name is Azazel, an Earl of Hell.

My beloved son, grant one thousand wishes, and sing the praises of life.

Prove to your father that human life deserves to exist!

Oh, God...

God, was what he said all true?

Is my father really...

No!

Stay away!

Get away from me!

They say he killed everyone in that house with an axe.

How horrible!

They caught the man who did it; apparently he was wearing a Santa Claus costume!

John, go back inside right now.

See you later!

Merry Christmas!

No...

Is it because I told it to get away from me?

It's my fault...

I've heard of that incident before.

They called it the "Bloody Christmas."

Yes.

Mr. Brickett's first wish caused this horrific tragedy.

Still, a thousand wishes? That's pretty generous on the Devil's part.

He gave him not ten, not a hundred, but a thousand wishes, to truly test the human soul.

Why?

To plunge John Brickett into incredible misfortune,

and also because of his incredible faith in God.

Promise me, John!

Promise me you won't make any more wishes!

We have no way of knowing what your wishes will bring about!

I swear, Mama, I won't make any wishes!

I promise...

After that, Mr. Brickett shut away all his wishes and worked hard

to keep the promise he'd made to his mother.

But every time his efforts bore success, his mother would ask,

"Did you really not make any wishes?"

She never praised him for his hard work.

The blessing of the Devil's one thousand wishes trapped Mr. Brickett in their prison.

Finally... his heart, stretched so thin, met its breaking point.

Great news, Mom!

I got the letter that says I got into college!

John, did you really not make any wishes?

Huh? I wouldn't do that.

You wished for this, didn't you?

I didn't!

You did, didn't you?!

That's enough.