My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 147
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Unlike his confused inner thoughts, the voice that flowed out of his mouth to explain to the Duke was remarkably calm. The Duke initially denied it and seemed confused. It must have been hard to believe that his trusted butler was a host.
But when I calmly repeated the explanation of the situation, he seemed to gradually understand. I was a bit displeased, wondering if he would have believed my words if Hazel hadn’t witnessed it.
When I crucially added that the ‘rats’ had the ability to mimic others, the Duke nodded as if he understood why the arsonist had been identified as me. The conflicting testimonies were probably because the ‘rat’s’ insufficient ability made it appear as Rico to some people.
“Seeing that the temple sent people to the Duke’s mansion, it seems Rico escaped well.”
It was truly regrettable. I don’t understand why Bishop Marik is obsessed with me when there’s a real demon. Is it because of the fateful rivalry the novel ordained?
I put aside the fact that I was falsely accused for a moment. I was already someone who had been falsely accused of attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince. What mattered was whether anyone was hurt.
“Were there any casualties?”
The Duke’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected me to ask such a question. Then he shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to have no idea about whether there were injured people in the first place.
Kanna was on the verge of fainting because she hadn’t heard that Hena was safe. Just before Kanna collapsed, she seemed to find a lifeline and clung tightly to me, so I had no choice but to remain composed.
“Miss, my sister isn’t hurt, is she…?”
Instead of offering meaningless comfort that everything would be fine, I called for Pudding. What Kanna wanted wasn’t meaningless consolation.
“Pudding, could you relay the situation?”
It was good that I brought him in human form rather than as a cat. Pudding, who had been concentrating with his eyes closed, shook his head and answered.
“My vision is blocked.”
“Blocked…?”
Kanna’s tears streamed down.
“Azazel’s power is blocking my sight, so I can’t assess the situation at the manor.”
Azazel? Jeremiah is interfering? But I killed the real Azazel, so why…? I was bewildered, unable to understand. I really needed to go see for myself.
“It would be better not to go.”
The Duke personally advised me not to go. Right now, Rohanson Estate was surrounded by Holy Knights, so if I went, I would obviously be caught and dragged away. This was clearly a trap to anyone’s eyes. And for reference, I absolutely hated walking into obvious traps.
But Kanna was crying. I wanted to comfort Kanna, and I was worried about the others too. I asked Pudding if teleportation was possible. Pudding nodded.
“Hena will be safe.”
I wiped Kanna’s tears.
I told the Duke to pour holy water on Rico and capture him when he returned, then tried to go to the manor. I would have done so even if the Duke hadn’t mentioned Hena’s name.
“Hena? Are you talking about Hena Greenwood?”
The Duke reacted to the name Hena that came from my mouth and called out Hena’s full name. Kanna, who had stopped crying in surprise, was noticeably anxious. She instinctively sensed that the Duke knowing the name wasn’t for a good reason.
The Duke looked at Kanna with displeasure yet also with sympathetic pity.
“…It was Hena Greenwood who witnessed Evangeline Rohanson’s crimes and reported them to the temple.”
“What? My sister…?”
“Despite being Evangeline Rohanson’s close aide, Hena Greenwood is under the temple’s protection for confessing everything. Seeing that Bishop Marik is personally protecting her, it’s highly likely that Hena was the one who gave the key testimony.”
The Duke added as if explaining to Kanna. ‘Do you understand what this means?’ Kanna clenched her mouth shut. It seemed as if blood would flow from Kanna’s bitten lips.
Like Kanna, my head was also spinning. I felt as if I’d been hit in the back of the head. The person I had extended a helping hand to was repaying me with betrayal?
Not Rohanson Viscount, but Hena? Hena betrayed me? I couldn’t believe it and asked repeatedly. The spy Gabriel mentioned wasn’t the Viscount but Hena…
I had made bold promises to Gabriel, but I was stabbed by the salvation narrative.
There’s a sensation that comes more vividly than someone’s death. Disappointment in what you believed in. I realized in an unwanted way that I had feelings for Hena beyond just a character. It was truly an unwanted realization.
***
Hena was timing her moment.
Evangeline Rohanson had not returned to the manor. For Hena, who was prepared to become a dagger and stab Evangeline at any time, this was very disappointing. Though she didn’t know where it leaked from, Gabriel was the first to notice that there was a traitor among Evangeline’s close aides.
Hena cursed Gabriel. She had disliked him intensely from the moment they first met. He seemed kind at first glance, but his respect was merely habit. He was as bad as Evangeline, who openly despised people. Moreover, hadn’t Gabriel looked at Kanna with displeasure? That brief moment was etched in her memory, making Hena resent Gabriel.
But even Gabriel probably couldn’t accurately identify the traitor.
Speaking of Evangeline’s close aides, excluding Hena and Kanna, there were only two demons, a cross-dressing girl who had betrayed Evangeline and returned pathetically, and a drug addict. Evangeline collected and raised the abandoned like the Sun God rescuing the forsaken. It was truly a vile hobby.
But her sister, who was captivated by Evangeline, would probably worship the ‘Miss’s’ mercy instead.
Evangeline was tolerant. She was contemplative. A star floating in the sky doesn’t distinguish between bugs crawling on the ground. To the lofty star, ants and maggots were no different. Even the fact that they could be casually crushed underfoot was the same. Of course, Kanna would be a particularly beautiful flower.
What would Hena be? A butterfly attracted to flowers? No, a tick would be more appropriate.
Hena endured the long wait by building friendship with Azazel at the manor and occasionally meeting with Bishop Marik while avoiding Jelly’s eyes.
As if knowing of Kanna’s waiting, Evangeline finally returned. And alone at that.
‘Where is Kanna?’
Kanna, who had said she was going to meet the Miss, and the deceptive cat that was always attached to her were nowhere to be seen. Hena greeted Evangeline, pretending to be a loyal maid.
“Evangeline? Do I look like Evangeline to you?”
Then she was hit by a backlash. Its mouth split wide with joy. At that moment, Hena realized that what was before her wasn’t Evangeline. The appearance was remarkably similar, but it was frivolous.
What Hena had mistaken for Evangeline wasn’t a complete whole but a scarecrow made of countless lumps tangled together. The roughly formed lumps moved independently, unlike facial muscles. Her carefully crafted loyalty transformed into fear.
Red eyes curved round. Evangeline’s eyes were like hearts. But the eyeballs of the thing before her were chunks of flesh with skin peeled off. If you looked closely, you could see the fine hairs and scabs attached to the surface.
It deceived human eyes to appear like Evangeline, but if you looked closely, you would notice very significant differences. If Evangeline was like a precious work of art, the fake was merely an imitation. By Hena’s standards, neither of these was actually the ‘real’ Evangeline, yet there was a clear difference.
“No, no. You’re not Rohanson Evangeline.”
At Hena’s denial, the excited atmosphere suddenly deflated.
“How did you know?”
Hena thought the imposter’s way of speaking was exactly like a man in his thirties.
“I’m Rohanson Evangeline’s maid.”
Instead of pointing out that the imposter’s appearance wasn’t perfect, Hena offered a different excuse. The unwelcome title came easily from her mouth.
“A maid! Yes. That’s why you recognized me.”
The following words sounded exactly like a young boy. Even its behavior was like that. The thing that looked somewhat like Evangeline acted like an immature adolescent boy. The imposter clapped its hands as if it had made a great discovery.
“What about Rohanson Evangeline? Did you kill her?”
If the real Evangeline were alive, a ‘fake’ wouldn’t dare to run rampant. The imposter somehow interpreted Hena’s words and showed a wide grin.
“I wish I had. Oh dear. Not yet, not yet.”
This time it was an old man. Hena thought the imposter before her was exactly like rags.
“But I’ll kill her soon.”
The imposter’s eyes gleamed.
“Good luck.”
Whether fake or real, what did it matter? Hena cheered on the imposter. Though she had just disparaged it as a ‘fake’ inferior to the real thing, if it would just fulfill Hena’s purpose, it didn’t matter. Whether Hena unconsciously smiled slightly, the fake that had been staring at her became excited.
“I like you! You can help me.”
The fake, not knowing what Hena was thinking, laughed. The fake told Hena that it had been burned to death countless times by Evangeline, and decided to repay her by burning Evangeline’s things. It said that Rico’s body it was wearing knew a lot about Evangeline, so it had come directly to the Viscount’s house.
Hena decided to agree with the fake’s spirited declaration. God shows the righteous path. Therefore, wasn’t using the imposter that appeared before her also God’s guidance? Though it was somewhat unsettling, now was when the sun that watched over Hena was absent.
For just a brief moment in the night, wouldn’t using something wicked not be a wrong action? Hena went even further and taught it how the imposter could deceive the real one’s eyes.
Rohanson Estate was always under the cat’s surveillance. However, because Evangeline was currently staying at the Duke’s house, the number of eyes at the manor had decreased exponentially.
And very fortunately, there was a way to block even the few remaining eyes. Hena was pleased that Azazel, whom she would graciously offer to Bishop Marik, had found another use. It was good that she had built a friendship all this time.
Hena instructed the imposter to command Azazel to block Pudding’s eyes.
Azazel couldn’t tell that the imposter wasn’t Evangeline. The imposter slowly opened its mouth as Hena desired. However, the imposter couldn’t even imitate Evangeline’s voice.
So Hena stood the imposter beside her and asked Azazel instead. Under the pretext of training Pudding and improving Azazel’s abilities, she said they should interfere with vision all night.
While speaking, Evangeline’s muscles twitched randomly, creating a grotesque face. Unlike what she had heard from Bishop Marik, Azazel seemed to act innocent and agreed without much suspicion. Since Hena was regarded as Evangeline’s closest aide, Azazel didn’t suspect and blocked the eyes.
No one at the manor suspected Hena. It was a moment that proved Hena was someone who had Evangeline’s trust. While Hena felt that things had become easier thanks to this, she also felt unbearable nausea. Thus Pudding’s eyes were blocked.
What remained was Jelly. Jelly stayed at the manor like a guard dog, idling around. This arrogant bastard didn’t even think that humans could be a threat. So Hena decided to use the holy water she had received from Bishop Marik. She knew well that cats and dogs disliked touching holy water.
Hena handed young Mary a bottle filled with holy water. She gave her the grave responsibility of treating a puppy that was hurt, saying she was too scared to approach it herself so Mary should treat it instead. After escaping from the basement of Ainoa Orphanage, Mary had seen injured brothers and sisters completely healed by holy water. The child didn’t suspect the adult who was kind to her.
While Mary sprinkled holy water on Jelly with prayers for quick recovery and the wolf’s body melted in confusion, the imposter and Hena set fire to Rohanson Estate.
“Yes. I said I would repay her. I’ll set as many fires as the times I burned to death.”
The Rohanson Manor was ablaze. Several people witnessed the imposter setting the fire. Hena locked the door and watched the manor burn from beside the cherry blossom tree. Above her head hung the corpse of Miss Evangeline. Donau’s house had burned this well too. Watching the fire made one sentimental, bringing back memories of the past.
There were people knocking on the locked door. Then another violent explosive sound was heard. The door shook violently as if kicked, and the lock couldn’t hold and broke. It was Jelly who opened the door, carrying Mary on his shoulder.
It was truly the first time in a long while seeing him in human form. That made the wounds from the holy water stand out even more. It was visible to the naked eye how Mary had done her best to destroy Jelly. Good intentions don’t always lead to right results.
Hena realized this when she fed holy water to her younger sibling. Mary realized it earlier than Hena, so living in this world would be much easier for her.
Jelly placed Mary next to Hena and went back into the burning manor.
Mary glanced at Hena, then wandered around near the manor where flames soared, as if wanting to be with Jelly. This was because she knew that the water Hena had given her had instead wounded Jelly. When Mary clung to him tearfully, Jelly answered indifferently.
“Wait quietly. I have to save the things our master treasures, don’t I?”
Jelly spat out clots of blood that kept rising up because his insides had melted. It was wrong to have eaten a vegetarian diet. He was using all his strength to repair his body, leaving no energy left for movement.
The monster, pickled in holy water and melting away, threw his body into the flames. Even though the sacred fire could take his life, he didn’t hesitate. All for the things Evangeline Rohanson treasured even a little. For the shackles that would keep Evangeline in this world.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————