My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 158
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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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“What, what are you talking about?”
Daisy asked me back in confusion.
“Some rat bastard who wants to frame me stole my appearance. So what they saw wasn’t me, but that rat bastard’s form.”
Daisy had never heard about what happened at the Hosaquin Viscount’s Mansion, so she looked puzzled but nodded. Since she never believed I was an arsonist in the first place, she seemed to accept it easily.
“How can we believe that…?”
Instead, there was resistance from the manor people whose trust was rock bottom. The original Evangeline before my possession was already in the villainess position, committing all sorts of tyranny, and after possession, she was marked by Bishop Marik with strange rumors circulating, so they seemed unable to trust me.
“I have no reason to kill you all.”
“…Weren’t you trying to kill us and use us as sacrifices, just like Bishop Marik said?”
Somehow my eyes felt moist. Are they really more wary of me than Bishop Marik? I thought I had been good to the manor people while trying to shed my villainess image, but it felt like my efforts had become toilet paper.
Then I need to find other persuasive excuses. Just then, I saw the collapsed knights. Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to continue with the reign of terror concept.
“Use you as sacrifices? Look at those fallen knights over there. I can easily kill you without having to throw you into fire. I’d rather ask why you think I would commit such a troublesome act.”
“You really didn’t set the fire, Lady Evangeline?”
“That’s right.”
This time the persuasion seemed to work a little. It was somewhat sad that loyalty didn’t work but fear did.
“And… how could I burn down my own house?”
Perhaps because I felt gloomy, my voice came out a bit wistful too.
“…House.”
Someone seemed to repeat my words. That’s right? Think about it. Where in the world would there be someone who sets fire to their own house? I thought it was a completely reasonable answer, but the servants seemed to look at me suspiciously. Yes, I asked where such a person would be, but here’s one right here? My eyes became moist once again. In our house servants’ eyes, I must look like a crazy person who would set fire to her own house. I was contemplating whether to give up on everything when I heard coughing sounds nearby.
“Butler?”
The Butler got up from his spot with the support of Ranon, Daisy’s younger brother. The Butler had also suffered quite a bit and wasn’t in good shape.
“This Plox, I’m sorry for not being able to properly greet the master who has returned after so long.”
“And I apologize for not properly protecting the manor while you were away.”
The Butler bowed his head to me while coughing.
“Welcome back to Rohanson Estate.”
This was the first time I’d received such polite treatment from the Butler since my possession. The Butler bent his body to express deep respect, then slowly raised his head to look at me.
“What are you all doing? The master has arrived, so hurry up and greet her!”
The Butler shouted loudly at the servants. At those words, the servants who had been hesitating and reading the mood began to stand up one by one. Even the injured people received help from nearby colleagues. Mary, who had been clinging to my legs, also read the atmosphere and ran over to stand properly next to Daisy. Then before long, everyone was standing at attention.
People read the mood and counted one, two to keep time, then bowed their heads and shouted.
“Welcome back, Young Lady.”
“Welcome home.”
“Young Lady, welcome back from your trip.”
It was exactly like a greeting welcoming me back from an outing. The greetings weren’t even properly unified, and everyone’s timing was different, making it a mess. It was a messy greeting received in a gloomy situation with a burned manor, injured and disheveled people, and even casualties. Yet quite pathetically, my heart swelled with emotion.
Suddenly my stomach churned. It was unfamiliar but not unpleasant. It really felt like coming home. While it had indeed been a very long time since I returned to the Rohanson Viscount’s estate, it felt like I had been away for much longer than that… Yes, it really felt like returning to ‘my’ home.
The Butler walked toward me with Ranon’s support.
“I didn’t expect you to take my side.”
I thought the Butler was the Rohanson Viscount’s lackey and would stab me in the back. With even Hena gone, I never dreamed the Butler would take my side. I really can’t see even an inch ahead when it comes to the future.
“I merely considered who could protect the manor.”
The Butler glanced once toward where Daisy and the children were, then continued.
“The bird shows no sign of returning, and we’re about to die under the blind lion’s claws, so we have no choice but to hide in the demon’s belly.”
He meant that the Rohanson Viscount had fled, and they were about to die under Bishop Marik’s tyranny disguised as heretic purging, so they sided with me.
“From what I’ve experienced, you don’t abandon what you’ve taken in.”
So he’s asking me not to abandon the manor people since they’re also my dependents, right? Sigh, when did they guard against me and prevent me from even approaching the Viscount? By the way, the form of address seems to have changed a bit.
“Young miss?”
The Butler, who always called me Lady Rohanson or Young Lady while keeping his distance, called me young miss. He used to look at me with sharp eyes and keep me in check, so what’s this about? Since only Kanna called me young miss in the manor, it was a very unfamiliar form of address.
“I used to call Lady Evangeline young miss in the past.”
Ah. Evangeline wouldn’t have been a villainess from birth either, so during her more innocent days, she must have been close to the Butler and was called young miss. Then as she gradually became a villainess, he started keeping his distance and the form of address changed.
The reason the form of address changed again now is probably because he was moved by my repentance and care for the manor people.
Still, he seems to acknowledge me now. Though it’s late, no master would refuse loyalty.
Thanks to the Butler stepping forward and rallying the servants, it wasn’t an apology, but I did receive a proper greeting. Thanks to this, Pudding was extremely satisfied. Thinking this was the right time, I asked Pudding to bring some holy water from the duke’s mansion. Pudding, who held the belief that people who spoke ill of me deserved to die, seemed to be in a better mood and transported the holy water without complaint.
The people who still had some strength left were busy treating the injured with holy water. Kanna also busily ran around, saying she would take responsibility for what Hena had done.
I examined the wounds of Daisy and the children. Dolline was sleeping from exhaustion, but fortunately had no major injuries. Daisy was also fine, but Yulma’s condition was the most serious. Daisy tearfully embraced the child.
“I almost lost Yulma. But… Jelly saved Yulma.”
Jelly had admirably dragged his injured body around the manor to save people.
“That’s right. The doggy saved us, but people called the doggy a demon-like guy…!”
Mary nodded and agreed with Daisy’s words, then stamped her feet in anger.
“But, but I even hurt the doggy…”
Mary, unable to contain her anger, started tearing up again. She was even horrified at the sight of the holy water bottle, saying she didn’t deserve treatment.
She cried so hard she seemed about to suffocate, so I comforted her saying she did nothing wrong. With several adults surrounding her and repeatedly saying she wasn’t at fault, Mary soon accepted it and calmed down. Jelly must be happy that despite being injured, there are people who recognize his good deeds and take his side.
By the way, from what I hear, everyone says Jelly’s condition isn’t good… I wonder if he’s okay? I feel like I need to rescue Jelly as soon as possible, but I can’t find a good method. Should I just teleport to the temple and bring only Jelly out? There would definitely be people watching, but it wouldn’t be difficult using Pudding’s abilities. But the biggest problem was that if Jelly disappeared, I would immediately be suspected as the culprit.
“Lady Evangeline. We don’t die easily, so don’t worry.”
I was boiling with worry since the temple probably wouldn’t treat Jelly, when Pudding seemed to read my mind and gently comforted me. That’s right? At least a beastman would be tougher than humans.
“And what if he dies? Useless guy. It’s better to die than cause trouble for Lady Evangeline.”
Pudding spoke with a bright smile, but the content was quite harsh. Of course, since he’s close with Jelly, Pudding probably wasn’t being serious. It seemed more like comfort, telling me not to worry because Jelly would be fine. Don’t worry, Jelly. I’ll somehow save you.
Jelly was concerning, but there was one more person. The person who had been occupying the biggest portion of one corner of my heart all this time – I became very curious about his well-being.
My mouth went dry. After hesitating a bit, I voiced what had been on my mind.
“…Was Count Gabriel badly injured too?”
“Yes…”
Daisy answered with her head down. I felt troubled too. I felt a faint sense of guilt thinking that Gabriel kept getting hurt just because he was involved with me. Then Rafaela, who had been busy helping treat the injured, seemed to hear Gabriel’s name and approached me.
“Were you talking about the Captain?”
I nodded in response.
“I was worried because I heard he was injured.”
“…The Captain would be very happy to hear that Lady Evangeline was worried about him.”
Rafaela promised to definitely convey those words when Gabriel recovered.
“The Captain returned with our knights, not with Bishop Marik. Our subordinates will do their best to help with treatment, so Lady Evangeline, please focus on your own safety first. If something happens to you, the Captain’s wounds that should heal will surely fester.”
The fortunate thing is that Gabriel returned with the Plauros Knights, so unlike Jelly, there’s a high chance he’ll receive immediate treatment. If Gabriel had been the type who couldn’t be helped by holy water like me, it would have been terrible.
“But Sir Rafaela, why didn’t you return with them and stayed behind alone?”
I asked Rafaela the question I couldn’t ask earlier. Rafaela shrugged her shoulders.
“Bishop Marik said it wouldn’t be trustworthy if he left without his own knights. Then he designated me, saying to watch and monitor the situation.”
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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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