My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 196

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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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On the contrary, Gabriel had an unexpectedly naive side. Gabriel, who had laughed off my wordplay, looked at the uniform with curious eyes.

“Did you prepare the uniform for me, Miss?”

I shook my head slightly.

“No. It seems Misha heard my request and made special arrangements for it.”

I hadn’t even mentioned the uniform to Misha, thinking she wouldn’t have enough time. Gabriel’s uniform was truly a gift that Misha had prepared entirely on her own.

“A request?”

“Yes. I had asked her to inform the Pararos Knights about Count Gabriel’s whereabouts.”

Since the Pararos Knights would obviously worry about Gabriel, I told them that Gabriel was under my protection, so they shouldn’t worry and should evacuate with the people from the Rohanson Viscount’s estate.

“Of course, I didn’t mention that Count Gabriel would be coming along…”

I trailed off while looking at Gabriel. His gaze met mine directly without avoiding it, as straight and upright as his character.

Anyone who knew Gabriel could have guessed. Gabriel wasn’t the type to send me into enemy territory and wait alone at the Duke’s mansion. Misha must have been certain that Gabriel would accompany me to the sacrifice ceremony.

“Thanks to this, it’ll be easier to move around in the temple.”

I nodded as well.

Since Gabriel’s original clothes were a bloody mess, I had planned to use a bit of force to borrow a uniform after arriving at the temple. Thanks to Misha, there was no need to waste energy unnecessarily.

Tomorrow’s sacrifice ceremony would be held at the Grand Temple.

With all personnel focused on the event, attention would be relatively dispersed elsewhere. Therefore, when the ceremony was in full swing would be the perfect time to search for Jelly. While I participated in the sacrifice ceremony to draw attention, Gabriel would search the temple for Jelly.

Deep down, I wished Gabriel wouldn’t go.

Though Gabriel could move, he was still an injured person. As a patient, it would be better if he waited quietly at the Duke’s mansion, but as you know, Gabriel wasn’t the type to stay put. Moreover, even I, who had been stubborn, had been swayed by Gabriel’s persuasion.

As Gabriel said, among those who could help me, no one knew the temple’s layout as well as Gabriel did. Pudding had other tasks to do by my side. Being an entity that couldn’t act rashly in the temple, he wouldn’t have the capacity to help me while also searching for Jelly.

Of course, I could just find Jelly after achieving victory over Bishop Marik… But I couldn’t help but consider the possibility of complete defeat.

…Even if I suffered complete defeat to Bishop Marik and lost my head, I hoped I would be the only one to die. I wanted the people related to me, the people I cherished, to survive.

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew and the candlelight flickered and dimmed. The entire view became dark. I thought all the flames had gone out, but the wick began to burn again. The candlelight slowly grew larger again.

As the darkness receded, Gabriel’s form was outlined in light and became clearly visible. The darkness that had just visited seemed to have caused no disturbance to Gabriel at all. Gabriel appeared very calm.

“Aren’t you afraid, Count Gabriel?”

“Of what?”

Gabriel asked me back. What was scary? Well, obviously…

“The coming morning.”

I was afraid of tomorrow that would come after the clock hands moved several times. To be precise, I was scared of when I would fail. Knowing that this world wouldn’t simply end with the last page being my death made it even more frightening.

What if Bishop Marik had already informed them about Gabriel, and he got hurt while infiltrating the temple to find Jelly and Hena? What if Gabriel’s body collapsed again like before when something happened to Pudding and me?

I was afraid Gabriel might die like a puppet with severed strings somewhere I couldn’t see.

I was worried we might not be able to save Jelly. I was concerned we might lose Pudding too. I was scared I might die like this. I kept making the chilling speculation that I might die, and everyone connected to me might be purged by Bishop Marik’s hand.

Too many lives hung in the balance of my hands. It would have been better if they were still just like pieces of paper to me as before… Now their lives felt incredibly heavy.

But unlike me, Gabriel showed no disturbance at all. Because of his unfortunate entanglement with me, Gabriel might lose his honor, his status as a knight, and even his life.

“Perhaps tomorrow you might become a traitor following in Lea’s footsteps for the crime of helping me.”

Gabriel might die because of me. So Gabriel replied calmly.

“Then I would have a ceremony to symbolize me.”

Like tomorrow’s sacrifice ceremony?

After death, Lea remained as the sacrifice for the ceremony. Gabriel and I might someday become the tragedy of a bastard-born Holy Knight and a witch.

In that play, Kanna, Pudding, and Jelly would be the demon’s wicked minions, and Bishop Marik would appear as the savior who overcomes evil. My anxious heart let unrefined imaginings run wild through my mind.

“Miss.”

Then Gabriel called me, breaking through my thoughts. The wind blew once more, but again it failed to extinguish the candlelight. Rather, the heat seemed to cool in the cold air.

“May I ask you a question?”

Gabriel, who usually waited for my permission, continued asking without even hearing my answer.

“What would you do if a child hit by a carriage and dying begged you for help?”

What kind of random quiz was this? I wondered if he was trying to change the subject, but I was drawn in by Gabriel’s voice and simply focused on the question.

“I would help them.”

It wasn’t really an answer that required much thought, so I replied immediately without hesitation. If they asked for help, I would help them. Could this really be a quiz? It was embarrassingly easy for me. While I couldn’t figure out his intention behind the question.

“That answer is enough for me.”

Gabriel smiled without reservation, apparently pleased with some part of my answer.

Gabriel stood up and, before I could stop him, knelt on one knee. It was the courtesy a knight showed to the master they served.

Gabriel looked up at me from his lowered position. I met his blue eyes as if captivated. His calm gaze even quieted my agitation.

“If you’re worried that you might not be able to find Miss Jelly and Miss Hena, I will definitely find them both.”

Gabriel continued to recite.

“If the reason for your anxiety is because of me, I dare to promise. I will never die without your permission.”

That was a truly absurd promise. How could someone who couldn’t even hold holy water properly promise safety? But Gabriel acted as if he would really survive tenaciously if I just ordered him not to die.

As if there wasn’t a single lie in his words.

“If what troubles you is Bishop Marik, I will point my sword at him.”

The knight who knew the preciousness of life, who had once shone brightest under the sun, now promised me slaughter.

“So please rely on me.”

The knight who couldn’t even maintain his posture properly without Pudding’s help begged me to rely on him.

“I am your knight, and knights are meant to be used for their master’s sake.”

The only problem was that Gabriel’s original master was God. Then I had achieved the feat of stealing a knight from the Sun God himself.

Had Gabriel cast some magic? My heart calmed down as if by a lie.

Gabriel promised to bring me victory.

“That’s quite an impious thing for a Holy Knight bearing the temple’s emblem to say.”

“The pattern drawn on my uniform looks exactly like it’s turning its back on the sun.”

Laughter burst out. With such impure thoughts, I wondered if he could ever return to the knight order.

Gabriel might have been right. The temple’s emblem was a lion with the sun on its back, but thinking about it again, it could also look like it was turning its back on the sun.

Then the uniform Misha prepared would be the most fitting outfit for Gabriel to wear tomorrow.

“Thank you, Count Gabriel.”

I greeted him by lightly kissing his forehead.

“Then bring me victory.”

***

The curtain rose on the sacrifice ceremony.

The first rooster crowed particularly early, so it was going to be a longer day than usual. Thanks to the cool weather, the sky was exceptionally clear.

“The Sun God seems very excited about today.”

It could be called superstition, but in a world where gods actually existed, it wasn’t entirely without credibility.

Nothing existed to block the sun floating in the sky. It was a day without even a single small cloud drifting by.

The sky painted entirely in blue looked like a well-made stage prop that someone had carefully painted with pigments.

The maids who were combing my hair and applying makeup nodded like baby birds, agreeing. Their touches on me were careful. Even though I had gained favor by sprinkling holy water around the Duke’s mansion, it seemed their fear hadn’t evaporated.

I only needed Kanna, but the Duke assigned four more maids to prepare my appearance. Kanna had fallen asleep while putting Mabuka to bed and only returned after sunrise.

“Where’s Mabuka?”

“She went to bed late yesterday, so she’s still in dreamland.”

Kanna answered while puffing her cheeks as she looked at the maids attending to me in her place. How cute. I called the sulking Kanna. The most important preparation was still incomplete.

“Kanna. Will you help me put on the dress?”

“Yes! Of course!”

When I called her, Kanna ran over with a bright smile as if she had never been sulky.

Perhaps the special lesson from Misha’s employees yesterday was worthwhile, as Kanna attended to me with skilled hands that didn’t seem like a beginner’s.

After putting on the dress, the maids made ambiguous expressions. The maid who seemed most experienced cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Miss Evangeline… this may be presumptuous, but don’t most people wear black dresses to the sacrifice ceremony?”

That’s right. Misha had told me the same thing. Usually, people wore black clothing like mourning attire to the sacrifice ceremony. Even though they weren’t actually mourning Lea’s death. But I had requested a white dress even after hearing the explanation.

“Right. I’ll be the only one wearing a white dress.”

But I would also be the only one playing the role of sacrifice, so there was no problem. I was going to stand out and be talked about anyway, so there was nothing to worry about, and the white dress was an indispensable choice for the performance. The maids wisely didn’t question further.

Among them, only Kanna kept praising how well it suited me. The other maids glanced around, wondering if they should also offer compliments following Kanna’s enthusiasm. Eventually, after exchanging a few words, they concluded that my taste in choosing the white dress was excellent.

After the preparations were finished, Pudding quietly approached. I asked Pudding in a small voice.

“What about Count Gabriel?”

“I put him in the carriage, avoiding others’ eyes.”

“Good work.”

When I praised her, Pudding’s lips curled up slightly. Honestly… I almost couldn’t resist and nearly started ruffling her head wildly.

I headed toward the main gate where the carriage was waiting to go to the temple. Two carriages were parked at the main gate. I had decided to use a different carriage from the Duke. One would be for me to ride in, and the other belonged to the Duke. Taking me in was already dangerous enough, so there was no need to ride in the same carriage and provoke Bishop Marik’s anger.

Up ahead, Duke Hosaquin was there, and even Agera had come out, apparently to see off her husband.

Agera, wearing clothes with a simple, unadorned atmosphere instead of a frilly dress, looked exactly like a different person.

“Your Grace, Lady Evangeline has arrived.”

Upon hearing the attendant’s words, the Duke turned his head toward me, his eyes widening briefly before he greeted me, pretending not to be shaken.

“You’ve come.”

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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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