My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 144

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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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“Are you alright?”

Kanna helped Hazel to her feet. Her hair was disheveled and her face was streaked with tears, as if she had been rolling around somewhere. Huh? Moreover, there seemed to be blood on her apron and red handprints remained on her wrists.

Was she injured? No, I had given her holy water as something like severance pay, so why didn’t she use that for treatment? Where did she put the holy water?

“Hello, Hazel.”

“Evangeline… Yes, I’m Hazel.”

The child seemed to be in complete disarray. She hadn’t been drinking somewhere, had she? I sniffed to check, and fortunately there was no smell of alcohol.

First, I needed to comfort the crying child. I gently patted Hazel and asked.

“What happened?”

Hazel’s face was soaked with tears. Am I the type who attracts crying people? Some kind of savior constitution? But isn’t that too grand a role for a villainess? Besides, I’ve already saved Kanna, Daisy, and Jeremiah. I think I could stop now.

“Rico, Butler Rico…!”

Hazel stamped her feet anxiously. I didn’t know what she was trying to tell me, but it was certain something had happened to Rico.

“What happened to Rico?”

Hazel bit her lips as if chewing them, then gripped her clothes tightly and spoke.

“Butler Rico… Rico was a demon.”

What?

No, what kind of Mabuka wailing is that supposed to be.

“Come in first.”

It didn’t seem like a story that could end with a door between us. It seemed like I needed to hear the details, so I just brought Hazel inside. Since talk of demons and holy water had come up, it wasn’t a light matter.

First, Kanna served tea, telling Hazel to calm down and speak slowly. Of course, everything from the tableware to the tea leaves had been procured from Rohanson Estate, so not even a rat hair was on it.

“While you drink, could you tell me slowly and in detail?”

“Yes, yes…”

Hazel slurped her tea. The tea seemed to have an effect as Hazel quickly regained her composure. Huh? Is that tea? The water is clear without any tea leaves steeping? With a strange feeling, I looked back to see Kanna smiling brightly.

I had an odd certainty. It wasn’t just ordinary tea, but holy water. It seemed she had tested it with holy water in case a demon was wearing Hazel’s shell to frame Rico.

No wonder the calming effect was so good. Looking closely, all the marks on Hazel’s arms had completely disappeared. What am I to do with our child being so thorough.

“Um… where should I start?”

“Could you tell me from the beginning?”

“Yes. So… Butler Rico seemed to be in poor condition today, so I went to the dining room thinking I might be able to help.”

“The dining room?”

“Yes. Um… Rohanson Viscount and Agera had dinner together. Rico was there with them…”

Hazel kept glancing at me nervously as she spoke. Did I look like I would be jealous that I hadn’t joined them for the meal?

“It’s fine. Continue.”

“During the meal, Rico made the mistake of breaking a glass. He seemed to blame himself and said he would stay in the dining room to clean up personally. When I went to the dining room to see if I could help, Rico was covered in blood on his hands, apparently injured while cleaning.”

Hazel said she tried to treat Rico by removing glass shards from his hand and finishing with holy water. But when the holy water touched Rico, he seemed to suffer and changed like a different person, trying to grab Hazel.

“It was like his body was being controlled.”

As soon as I heard those words, ‘rats’ came to mind.

Could Rico have been a host too?

But all the people in the estate had drunk holy water. Everyone who was part of the ducal family had been made to drink holy water. Rico… Wait, did Rico drink holy water too? Since I had been excluded from distributing holy water, I looked back at Kanna, who would know the truth.

“Kanna, did Rico drink holy water?”

“As far as I remember, no…”

Kanna, meeting my eyes, looked down. No, but even if he didn’t drink it, he would have had contact with it several times, right? He was in charge of distributing holy water with us.

“Butler Rico only helped me carry things from the side and never directly touched the holy water. The butler was in charge of organizing the list. As you know, miss, I’m not skilled at writing…”

Kanna explained while shaking her head apologetically. It seemed Rico had taken over the paperwork instead of Kanna, who was weak with letters. This wasn’t Kanna’s fault. It was because I had been too complacent.

Curses came out naturally. Damn. Rico was a host. Thanks to his role in identifying hosts, he was the only one who survived by not drinking holy water.

Without realizing it, I had excluded Rico from suspicion. Well, Rico was on our side, working together to plan and execute things. Rico hated the ‘rats’ tremendously because of Mabuka being targeted, and even with Rico present, there was no problem in catching the hosts, so there was no reason to suspect him.

Why Rico of all people. Of all people! The back of my head felt numb.

“Rico was being controlled by a demon, right? Even while being controlled, he barely managed to give me hints with his mouth movements, so I splashed holy water on Rico and ran away.”

At least it was fortunate that Rico hadn’t completely turned. Seeing that he had sent Hazel away telling her to run, it didn’t seem like he was completely consumed.

That’s somewhat fortunate. This seems like a positive foreshadowing? Isn’t this hinting at an ending where he doesn’t ultimately lose to the demon and endures with a strong heart, eventually recovering his humanity and achieving victory? Let’s believe Rico will come back.

“So you ran away to me.”

I was nodding when Hazel shook her head. What more is there?

“I did run away, but I watched Rico from nearby.”

I was speechless. You realized Rico was consumed by a demon and almost got caught, but instead of running away immediately, you kept watching?

“Rats started coming down the walls. The rats ate Rico, Rico ate rats, and rats ate rats.”

Hazel trembled all over. She seemed to find it horrifying even thinking about it again. Hazel is really amazing too. She watched all that while holding her breath. Thanks to that, I could understand what had happened. It also aligned with what Pudding had said about energies combining.

Rico was the host who survived alone, and the ‘rats’ seemed to have merged with such a Rico. Now it was safe to consider Rico as the main body. Thinking about it again, it’s amazing that Rico’s consciousness remains in that body.

“Then I ran away…”

After that, Hazel said she ran away but got caught once more. That time too, Rico persuaded the ‘rats’ and she survived. Instead, there was now another being disguised as Hazel wandering around.

“They’re definitely trying to use a fake me.”

I thought so too. Since Hazel had witnessed Rico being a host, wouldn’t they try to frame Hazel as the demon instead? The fake Hazel was indeed summoned by the demon.

“I, I’m the real one.”

“Yes. I believe you.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Hazel seemed deeply moved by my trust.

Of course I believe you. Kanna put holy water in your cup.

After Hazel confessed everything she had experienced to me, she seemed relieved and fell asleep from exhaustion. Kanna laid Hazel down on the sofa.

If there’s another Hazel, it would be best for us to protect the real Hazel and not let her go outside. And I need to bring Mabuka immediately.

“Pudding. Bring Mabuka.”

Sorry, but I asked Pudding to help me once more. Though going through a stormy adolescence, Pudding who can’t refuse my requests brought Mabuka in the blink of an eye.

“Oh! Angel, no, Evangeline!”

Mabuka called out to me with a bright smile.

Her innocent face made my conscience sting painfully. I had no face to show Mabuka. I’m going crazy. What have I been doing all this time? Why didn’t I know Rico was infected? After making some grand resolution about protecting Mabuka with a heroic attitude, I just made the kids do the work while I lazed around and lost Rico. This is all because the female lead’s ride was too comfortable. No. Actually, I know it’s my fault too!

“You weren’t asleep yet?”

“Mother didn’t come, so I was waiting.”

I don’t know if I should call this fortunate. Based on Hazel’s words, Rico’s consciousness was definitely remaining within the demon, so it seemed Rico had made efforts to prevent going back to Mabuka’s room. Given the history of ‘rats’ searching for Mabuka. Otherwise, in a situation where they even created a fake Hazel, there’s no way they wouldn’t have found Mabuka’s room.

“Really? Then, Mabuka. How about staying with me and the cat for a while?”

“What? What about Mother?”

“Rico says she’s a bit busy. I got permission from Rico, so how about it?”

Mabuka thought for a moment, then hugged Pudding tightly and nodded.

“Then I’ll play with Mabuka.”

…I can’t tell Mabuka the truth. That your mother became a demon’s host because I was negligent in management and supervision? I stayed at the duke’s mansion because of Mabuka, but I ended up doing something terrible to the child.

Mabuka tried hard to keep her drooping eyes open, waiting in case Rico might come looking for her. However, perhaps because the little child had passed her bedtime by far, she fell asleep before long.

I laid Hazel on the sofa, but I couldn’t treat a little child the same way. I laid the peacefully sleeping Mabuka on the bed and carefully covered her with blankets so she wouldn’t catch cold. It was consideration born from guilt.

“I’m jealous…”

Kanna and Pudding envied Mabuka sleeping soundly. It was understandable since they were working night shifts while Mabuka had departed for dreamland. But I couldn’t let Kanna and Pudding sleep. We had to search for Rico and devise countermeasures for the fake Hazel and Rico who had become a host.

It was a mistake not to realize early that Rico was a host. Kanna also said she didn’t suspect it was strange that Rico didn’t touch holy water. Kanna was very regretful about not noticing Rico’s identity.

“If it had imitated you, miss, I would have noticed immediately.”

Kanna stared at me intently as if engraving me in her eyes, then sighed regretfully.

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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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