My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Jeremiah was shocked by Gabriel’s words and stood there dazed before finally managing to speak.

“Tenebrae….”

Jeremiah fell into deep thought for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had made a decision.

“You two are trying to stop Bishop Marik and Tenebrae, aren’t you?”

It’s not that we’re trying to stop them, but Bishop Marik picked a fight with us first. Jeremiah, who had been muttering the twins’ names, fell silent for a moment before making a big decision and speaking up.

“I’ll help with anything I can.”

“Thank you, Jeremiah.”

Gabriel answered readily as if he had been waiting for this.

Even though Jeremiah’s body now belonged to Azazel, he looked remarkably similar to Gabriel. I suppose it can’t be helped since they share the same bloodline?

Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head.

Come to think of it, Gabriel is actually royalty, isn’t he? And not just any royalty, but the first in line of succession, having surpassed even Oratorio, that handsome blonde imperial grandson. And we’re going to fight Bishop Marik and Tenebrae from now on. Doesn’t that mean we’re unintentionally fighting over the imperial throne?

I could roughly guess how the story would progress from here. It seems like this novel will end with Gabriel becoming emperor.

***

After finishing organizing the situation with Gabriel and Jeremiah and deciding what to do next, I returned to the prison.

Fortunately, Count Ante was still lying on the bed wearing my dress with his face covered, apparently not having been relieved yet.

Pudding had returned to cat form and was nestled in my arms, probably from overusing wide-range magic while fighting Azazel. When he saw Count Ante occupying the bed, he frowned and tried to scratch him, so I desperately stopped him.

“Pudding. Be good, okay?”

Come on, our Pudding, let’s give him a break just this once. Count Ante even dressed up in a dress to create an alibi for us. Just this once. When I gently petted him, Pudding was satisfied and retracted his claws.

“Count Ante.”

“Lady Rohanson! You’ve returned!”

Count Ante’s face turned bright red as he raised his head. He seemed embarrassed about lying on the bed wearing another woman’s dress. I pointed at the dress and asked.

“Did anyone come while I was gone?”

“Yes. Several guards came by… Oh, I’m sorry for wearing your dress without permission. The thing is, I heard footsteps coming down to the basement, so I hurriedly put it on.”

I was going to compliment him on how well it suited him, but I held back and changed the subject since it would probably make him even more embarrassed.

“You weren’t discovered, were you?”

“No, no. Other knights briefly stopped by to check, but they seemed to think you were just sleeping and left right away.”

Phew. That’s a relief. Count Ante and I don’t differ much in build, so they didn’t notice he was a substitute.

“Was that guy okay?”

There was that violent thug knight who had been tormenting Count Ante standing outside the prison, so I was worried he might have retaliated while I was gone. When I asked, Count Ante nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! He was completely like a human being!”

He was a thug who had thrown away his humanity, but now he seems to have become fully human. Since he’s become human anyway, should I try a campaign to eradicate male violence? It would probably be a complete success.

“So, Lady Rohanson. How did things go…, did you find Lady Tenebrae?”

“Yes. I found her.”

Ah. Count Ante and the others don’t know that Tenebrae and Jeremiah have switched places. I pondered how to explain this, but since I wasn’t sure if I could fully trust Count Ante yet, I just nodded. If I told him and this fact somehow leaked to Bishop Marik that we knew about it, it could become dangerous.

“…How did you injure your hand?”

Count Ante looked at my hand wrapped in bandages like he was seeing a ghost. Since I went out and came back injured, he must be worried about what happened. I was so moved I almost told him everything. I need to keep my mouth shut.

“I made a mistake while handling a sword.”

I omitted the story about blocking Azazel’s attack on Pudding and delivered a condensed version. The key point is that I got cut by a sword, so it’s not a lie.

“Oh, and you’ll soon hear news that Lady Tenebrae has passed away.”

When I gave him a heads up so he’d know in advance, Count Ante’s face turned pale.

“So that’s why you used a sword…. But, but didn’t you clearly say you wouldn’t participate in assassinating Lady Tenebrae…?”

Does he think I went and eliminated Tenebrae?

Give me back my gratitude. Do I look like that kind of person? Count Ante must have heard various rumors about me circulating around.

According to Gabriel, while I was imprisoned, the rumors became much more severe. The actual mastermind is Bishop Marik, but if you just listen to the rumors, it sounds like I’m controlling the princess, spreading sorcery books, causing heretics to run rampant, and controlling demons.

Not a single thing is correct. It seemed like Bishop Marik was deliberately spreading words to make me into the axis of evil.

“Of course I didn’t do it.”

I smiled innocently while explaining. There’s still a lack of trust between Count Ante and me. The others who are closely tied to me usually received my help, but my relationship with Count Ante is purely give and take.

Oh, I just remembered I forgot to tell Gabriel about Count Ante. But since this seems like a time when Bishop Marik is watching with burning eyes, it wouldn’t be bad to tell him after things are wrapped up.

I feel uncomfortable like I’ve only been using Count Ante. Next time I must tell Gabriel there’s talent here. Let’s get Count Ante a special promotion to holy knight through connections! In this damn class society, we might as well enjoy riding the right lines.

“Don’t worry since we weren’t caught.”

I remembered how Count Ante had trembled with worry that the knights might discover us when I said I was briefly going out of prison, so I added a word.

“That’s quite fortunate, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. It is.”

Count Ante seemed relieved too.

“Count Ante. Please take this.”

“…Holy water?”

Although Evangeline’s cursed body can’t be helped by holy water, I thought it would be good to have some for emergencies, so I brought a few bottles when I went to Rohanson Manor. For when Gabriel gets hurt or our people get injured. While I was at it, I remembered Count Ante limping from being beaten by that thug knight and thought I should get some for him.

“It’s not good to leave your leg in that condition for too long.”

“Thank you, thank you. Thank you, Lady Rohanson.”

Count Ante showed overwhelming gratitude as he received the holy water bottle. He looks so apologetic, but you know this is all give and take, right Count Ante? I’m not giving this as charity, but as payment for being imprisoned in my place.

Count Ante immediately drank the holy water. The effect was amazing. Just from drinking that small bottle, Count Ante’s damaged leg quickly became fine.

“It would be better to keep limping in front of others for a while.”

He was already getting criticized for colluding with me, so if his injured wound suddenly healed, it would be like driving in the final nail. Count Ante seemed to understand and nodded.

Soon it was time for the shift change, and other knights came down to the basement. Count Ante took off the dress and went outside to stand there pretending not to know anything, then gave me a nod as he left.

After Count Ante left, I told Pudding to return to the manor since he shouldn’t be seen in front of others. Seeing Pudding act cute saying he didn’t want to go almost made my heart soften, but I barely maintained a stern attitude and told him to go again. Pudding sulkily bit my hand gently so it wouldn’t hurt, then disappeared with a whoosh. Now I’m alone. I collapsed onto the bed from exhaustion.

I spent today too busily – searching for Jeremiah, fighting Azazel, discovering the truth about the sorcery circle, and making future plans with Gabriel.

I was so tired my eyelids kept drooping. When I wake up, news that Tenebrae has been killed will have spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital….

***

Evangeline returned to the prison first. The reason was that there wasn’t much time left before the shift change for the knights guarding the prison.

That meant the knight currently guarding the prison was already under Evangeline’s control. Evangeline said that if they needed to communicate while she was in prison, they should find a knight named Antenor Nine and relay the message through him.

While Gabriel was engraving that name in his mind, Jeremiah was looking at his own corpse, preparing to say farewell.

Jeremiah’s body was already agreed to be handed over to the Emperor. According to Bishop Marik’s plan, Jeremiah wasn’t supposed to be revived in Azazel’s body, but should have been killed by Azazel. Gabriel and Jeremiah decided to follow that plan so Bishop Marik wouldn’t notice anything strange.

“Jeremiah. Thank you for following my opinion.”

Gabriel bowed politely to Jeremiah. Even though his soul had moved to another body, it would be strange not to have attachment to the body he’d lived in his entire life. Jeremiah had made a big decision.

“You saved me, so I’m just repaying the favor.”

If he couldn’t return to that body anyway, it was better to be of even a little help to Evangeline and Gabriel. Even as Jeremiah thought this, he couldn’t take his eyes away. What a truly strange moment, to see one’s own corpse.

Looking at it from another’s body, it really was difficult to distinguish from Tenebrae. Even the necklace was black, so people would believe it if told this was Tenebrae. Ah, come to think of it, Jeremiah’s corpse would be known as Tenebrae.

Regret was dripping from Jeremiah’s eyes as he looked at his own corpse. Pudding, who had been watching this scene, interjected.

“Astaroth doesn’t make such sentimental faces.”

Jelly also giggled and added.

“Right. That bastard should have basic nastiness underlying everything.”

“Astaroth is a hedonist and has very little patience too.”

“It’s also funny how he’s sensitive to smells when he himself reeks of fishy odors.”

Pudding and Jelly took turns spitting out insults disguised as explanations about Azazel. Jeremiah wondered whether he should enjoy the trash talk about Azazel, whom he also disliked, or whether he should be offended by this trash talk since he’d have to live borrowing that detestable Azazel’s body from now on.

“Tart. Let’s do this properly.”

When Jelly called him by a strange nickname, Jeremiah asked in bewilderment.

“Where did that nickname ‘Tart’ come from?”

It came from Azazel Astaroth’s name.

“It’s Evangeline’s naming method? Why, don’t you like it?”

Jelly asked shamelessly while pouting her lips. No wonder the names Pudding and Jelly seemed strange. Lady Rohanson has quite a unique way of naming things. Jeremiah hastily changed his words.

“No. I like it very much.”

“That guy is Meringue. Tart is better than Meringue, right?”

Both were terrible. Unable to complain since it was said to be Evangeline’s naming, Jeremiah bit his lips tightly in frustration. But what showed on the outside was Azazel biting his lips tightly, so Jelly and Pudding squeezed their eyes shut as if they couldn’t bear to look at Azazel’s expression.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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