My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 209

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

When I gave a commanding order to the hesitating man, he hurriedly took the bottle. Fortunately, new flesh had grown over all the wounds visible through his torn rags. The effectiveness was amazing as always. No wonder people fervently believe in the Sun God.

When I handed him the remaining bottle, the man clutched it as if he had received a precious jewel. No, looking closer, he seemed afraid it might break, so there was no strength in his grip at all.

Seeing that reaction, I didn’t think I needed to painfully explain what was in the bottle. Having experienced its effects on his own body, he would know well that it was holy water. The second bottle of holy water I gave him was for his ailing wife.

“Um… who are you, my lady, to help me…?”

The man asked hesitantly.

“And… why, how is it that no one can see you?”

The man was bewildered seeing people paying no attention to me. Besides, for someone who had caused such a commotion, it would be strange that no one was looking at him. The people around us were acting as if they couldn’t see me and the man.

“Well. Maybe I’m a demon?”

I pondered what to answer and replied with a smile. Surprisingly, the man didn’t look frightened even after hearing my answer. Well, if he had any sense of what he could see, he wouldn’t have tried to dive at a door guarded by sword-wielding holy knights.

“In exchange for the holy water, I have a favor to ask. Will you grant it?”

“What do you… want from me…?”

Though his voice trembled, his eyes looking at me were filled with determination.

“…If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything.”

He seemed ready to give everything except his life. Perhaps because of the sword fight that had just occurred, I looked at the people whose spirits had dampened compared to before.

“Just shout to open the door like you did before. Then when the door opens, go in with those people.”

“The door… will open?”

“Yes.”

More precisely, I’ll make it open.

“I’d like the sacrifice ritual to be spectacularly ruined.”

So that Bishop Marik can never harm my people again.

I roughly explained to the man what he needed to do. Incite people like him who had grievances against the temple, time it well, and raise his voice just as the sacrifice ritual was about to begin. Then enter through the wide-open door and cause as much chaos as he wanted.

I asked this because the work I was about to do required many watching eyes. Moreover, it would be even better to have many mouths to spread rumors.

Originally, I had planned for Rico to split his body and steal people’s voices to incite them, but looking now, there seemed to be quite a few people like this man who felt dissatisfied with the temple.

The man nodded and kept repeating ‘when the sacrifice ritual begins’ as if to not forget. Wasn’t he afraid he might be cut by another blind blade?

As I finished my promise with the man, I saw familiar rats running out. Several people twisted their bodies in disgust at the sensation of something brushing between their feet. Only I saw the rats with my naked eye because they were so quick.

“Rico?”

“My lady!”

Rico also didn’t recognize me at first, but when I called his name, he was startled and ran toward me.

Rico said he had safely switched places with Gabriel, split into several parts with half scattered to search for Jelly, running across ceilings and crawling on floors throughout the temple.

The rest had come outside to fulfill my request. I explained to Rico that the man had agreed to help us.

“The rat, the rat is, talking…”

The man stammered with wide eyes. He didn’t seem surprised when I introduced myself as a demon, but found it fascinating that a rat could talk?

I placed a rat in the man’s hand and entered the temple. Several rats entered back inside with me. As soon as I entered, the door closed immediately.

“Pudding, how is it? Can you find him?”

While I was arguing outside, Pudding had been concentrating on searching for Jelly. But he shook his head, apparently without success.

He said traces of the divine were scattered everywhere, making it difficult for him to function properly. Rico, who had been imprisoned as Gabriel’s substitute, looked much better than Pudding, which said it all.

If Pudding’s abilities couldn’t find him, we’d have to search on foot.

Bishop Marik had no intention of making me a sacrifice, and there was still time before the sacrifice ritual began, so it was fine. We could find Jelly.

First, the most suspicious place would be underground? Most of the prisons were underground because they couldn’t show such terrible sights to the Sun God. Rico perked up his ears as if communicating with other rats, then offered to guide the way.

“This way!”

I followed Rico into the underground prison. This was the temple’s basement? Unlike the splendid and pure white ground level, the passage leading underground was very dark and damp.

There was no ventilation, and the fishy smell of iron and unknown foul odors stung my nose. When I held up a torch to illuminate the inside, I felt nauseous at the dried, indelible red stains scattered everywhere.

There were many empty rooms, but also many who were detained. I checked just in case, but Jelly wasn’t there.

Even after spending time going through all the underground prisons, there were no results. I only felt sick to my stomach. Not in the underground prison? Then where is Jelly?

I forced my already uncooperative mind to work. Underground was ruled out. Underground was…

They definitely said they used underground to avoid God’s eyes. But Jelly… Jelly wasn’t human, so there was no need to hide him underground to avoid God’s eyes.

Then the opposite? Not underground but the highest place? The place closest to the Sun God, if he wanted to show the sight of punishing evil things there?

Bishop Marik would rather proudly show off his achievements to God. But he’d have to avoid others’ eyes, so it couldn’t be a completely exposed place. Then there was one place I could guess.

The highest place in the temple, closest to the sun, was the bell tower.

As I hurried toward the bell tower, Pudding in my arms began groaning in pain. Had he consumed too much mental energy? He had been continuously expanding his vision to watch people, search for Jelly, and cast spells to keep people from recognizing me.

“Pudding, it’s okay. Rest for a moment.”

I stroked his back and suggested Pudding rest. There was work to do ahead, so he couldn’t overexert himself now. Pudding nodded weakly at my words and briefly closed his eyes.

“Let’s go, Rico.”

Rico partially took over Pudding’s role. Rico used his multiple rat bodies to survey the surroundings and guide me through paths with no people. However, as we approached the bell tower, the number of people guarding it increased.

“My lady, I think Jelly is definitely here. The surveillance is more thorough than where I was imprisoned.”

Rico’s words gave me a little hope. I hoped my guess wasn’t wrong.

The problem was how to break through that surveillance network. Now Pudding couldn’t use his power to hide my appearance… Since the goal was to rescue Jelly, should I just subdue them all? I was pondering when.

“If you’re planning to deal with all of them, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

A voice came from behind. My spine went cold as I turned around. How could I not sense any presence? Even Rico seemed puzzled, tilting his small head.

The owner of the voice was a familiar face. It was the priest I had seen outside earlier. His name was…

“You’re Lady Evangeline, aren’t you? Nice to meet you. I’m called Harut.”

Right, Harut. He was particularly memorable as the only one who had worried about the fallen man and been rebuked by the knight.

But he definitely had connections with Bishop Marik too. Had Bishop Marik sent him? When I became wary of him, Harut spread both his hands wide.

“You don’t need to be on guard. The same goes for you, Sir… Rat.”

“Aren’t you one of Bishop Marik’s people, Father?”

Moreover, it was suspicious how he had approached without me or Rico noticing. When I didn’t lower my guard, Harut took out holy water from his robes.

“If you’re being cautious because you couldn’t sense my presence, I don’t have any special abilities. It’s just because of this.”

“Holy water?”

Harut nodded.

“Yes. Your pets are, if I may say so, evil creatures, aren’t they? Holy water not only purifies evil things but also has the effect of deceiving their attention.”

Harut said this was a little-known fact, so it was natural that I didn’t know about it. Harut knowing such things was probably because he was under Bishop Marik.

“I may not look it, but I’m quite trusted, so I carry quite a lot of holy water on me. That’s probably why you haven’t found what you’re looking for and are wandering around.”

So… Jelly was imprisoned in a place full of holy water, which is why Pudding and Rico couldn’t find him? And that’s why Pudding got more tired the more he searched for Jelly? I gritted my teeth.

“Is there a storage room for holy water in the bell tower?”

“Not originally, but… recently the amount of holy water has increased significantly, so we store it in the bell tower. You’re trying to climb the bell tower, right? I’ll help you.”

“What if I don’t need help?”

I asked warily at Harut’s words. How could I fully trust a priest connected to Bishop Marik? Then Harut pointed to the knights lined up densely.

“There are those guarding the bell tower, aren’t there? Of course, you could certainly deal with them, but it’s almost noon.”

Harut added playfully.

“The bell must ring when the sacrifice ritual begins. If you don’t want to ring the bell twelve times yourself, you’d better accept my help.”

Harut shrugged as he said this. I hadn’t noticed when he was caring for the fallen man at the temple entrance, but Harut’s tone was quite high-handed. His way of speaking seemed somewhat similar to Bishop Marik’s.

As I couldn’t let go of my wariness, Harut held something out to me.

What was this? It was some kind of silk-like cloth. As I wondered, Harut explained.

“It’s a veil.”

A veil? The moment I heard those words, I stared at Harut in shock. In my memory, there was only one person who wore a veil… Then was this really Bishop Marik’s veil?

“…Is this Bishop Marik’s?”

Surely not?

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