My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 23
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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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Serious? He looks like a total delinquent at first glance, so where exactly does he seem serious? Jelly swaggered over and stopped behind Evangeline. Then he spotted Daisy, who had been talking with Evangeline, and his eyes widened.
“Huh? You are?”
As if she recognized Jelly as well, Daisy’s face turned even paler.
“I-I should get going now.”
Daisy anxiously stepped backward and eventually started running away. Rafaela was bewildered by her sudden flight and called out to Daisy.
“Sister! You should come with us!”
“It’s fine! The carriage stop is right ahead!”
The place where carriages were lined up waiting was right in front of them. Since going together for such a short distance wouldn’t likely yield any important information, Rafaela didn’t try to stop Daisy.
“She’s gone.”
Then she distanced herself from Evangeline Rohanson under the pretense of giving directions, making it easier for the two to talk. All her attention was focused behind her.
“Who? Ah, that girl from earlier? Um… we helped each other out a bit?”
“No. I actually helped her. I got her out of there and we escaped together.”
“I handled the cleanup neatly too.”
Once again, Evangeline’s words couldn’t be heard. Though it was a fragmented conversation, Rafaela was able to piece together the clues thanks to hearing that exchange.
The answer to what she had just asked Uriel was coming from the man.
That man had helped Daisy escape from the monastery. And the man was disguised as Evangeline’s escort.
Evangeline didn’t know about Daisy’s existence. On the other hand, Daisy already knew about both Evangeline and the Sorcery Faction. That’s why she could recognize that the Berga priest was using sorcery. But the one who helped Daisy escape was supposedly the escort of Evangeline Rohanson, who didn’t know Daisy.
Was helping her just that person’s unilateral kindness? But why was that person at the monastery? At that exact time? How could an outsider get in?
Rafaela’s mind began spinning rapidly, thinking and reasoning to derive the most logical answer.
Just as Rafaela’s thoughts were becoming increasingly complex, a great commotion erupted from behind. Rafaela, who had been straining her ears to focus on Evangeline’s conversation, was the first to notice the murmuring.
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
“Knight! Someone come here!”
“No!”
These screams didn’t suit the serene and sacred Grand Temple. Uriel was the first to rush out without hesitation. Rafaela tried to follow him but stopped, looking at Evangeline and Jelly. What should she do about these two? She couldn’t just leave them behind.
“Let’s go see.”
As if sensing Rafaela’s dilemma, Evangeline spoke. Rafaela nodded and then ran past the two. Fire? A fire? She felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Rafaela ran frantically following the sound. That’s why she only belatedly realized that the place she had arrived at was very familiar.
People were screaming in agony. No one was injured, but sharp screams like those of someone cut by a blade kept bursting out constantly. Those screaming were staring fixedly at only one place. Rafaela also joined their gaze.
It was a conflagration. What was burning was Jim Nofedi’s masterpiece featuring Donau Blue. The painting that depicted the scene after a fire had been extinguished was now ablaze again.
Along with relief that no one was hurt, the sight of people screaming in sympathy with the painting was chillingly disturbing. It seemed Uriel, who had run ahead first, felt the same way. Uriel was looking at them with a sense of futility.
But those who had been writhing in agony spotted Rafaela. They approached crawling on their knees, walking on the floor, staggering on unsteady feet.
“Knight, please put out the fire.”
“Knight, the painting is on fire, on fire.”
Each voiced their own plea, but Rafaela could understand every sound. Put out the fire in the painting. That was the only thing they wanted.
‘Why bother?’
Did she really need to put out the fire? If the painting burned up completely, wouldn’t those people return to normal?
That hypothesis held Rafaela back. Uriel felt much the same. While the two hesitated, there was a presence behind them.
Had Evangeline Rohanson come? Just as she thought that, long blonde hair filled Rafaela’s vision.
“Michel?”
“Damn, why is he here? I locked him in his room!”
She tried to grab Michel in panic, but the people clinging to her feet and hanging on her, begging her to put out the fire, hindered Rafaela.
They made the same request to Michel upon seeing the Knight Order uniform he wore.
“Knight, please save the painting!”
Rafaela instinctively knew that Michel would grant that request. Michel tore the burning painting down with his bare hands. He tried to extinguish the blazing flames with his hands, but far from going out, the fire was burning his hands. Crazy bastard, doesn’t it hurt?
Rafaela shook off the people clinging to her. She shook off arms and kicked with her feet. She didn’t want to hit people, but she couldn’t stand watching Michel’s insane behavior any longer.
“Michel! Get a grip! Put that down!”
The painting continued burning without stopping. Less than half remained now. Michel’s skin was burned red and sparks had caught on his clothes. At this rate, Michel would burn to death with it. Rafaela dragged her feet while still accompanied by the people clinging to her.
“What kind of situation is this?”
Then an unusually clear voice came from behind. A corpse whispered in her ear. The heat subsided and chills set in. It felt like something very large was staring intently at Rafaela from behind.
Evangeline Rohanson leisurely crossed the Hell Painting. The people who had been clinging to Rafaela stared blankly at Evangeline Rohanson. Their moaning sounds and pain-filled screams all stopped as if by magic.
With everyone stopping their actions and staring only at Evangeline as if their very souls had been captivated, Evangeline Rohanson was able to reach right in front of Michel without any interference.
Michel looked up at Evangeline while clutching the painting. And at that moment, Rafaela witnessed the birth of another fanatic.
A pure white person, the only existing color being red eyes that burned like the fire attached to the painting. What was Michel seeing in those eyes the moment they met Evangeline’s? Longing, shock, awe, emotion—no amount of adjectives could encompass Michel’s feelings.
Evangeline flicked her finger, and Jelly, who read her intention precisely, brought holy water. Evangeline Rohanson opened the cap of the holy water bottle and poured water on Michel.
One bottle, two bottles, continuing until the flames died down.
The flames that seemed ready to consume Michel were extinguished so easily. In the silence, only the sound of dripping water existed purely. Michel looked like a wet mouse. Water droplets formed at the tips of his drooping hair and fell to the ground.
Michel, who had been soaked in holy water and only blinking, soon collapsed from exhaustion.
“Sir Michel!”
Uriel hurriedly ran over and caught the falling Michel. Despite being unconscious, his expression with closed eyes looked unusually peaceful.
Evangeline took the piece of painting that Michel had been clutching tightly until then. Almost everything had burned away, leaving only that Sorcery Faction symbol.
Evangeline Rohanson threw the soggy piece of paper to Jelly.
“Oops.”
Watching him skillfully catch it made this situation feel surreal.
The other people were still in a daze. If they had at least shown some reaction like crying or getting angry as before, it wouldn’t have felt so surreal.
“Since I poured holy water, there shouldn’t be any need for separate treatment.”
Evangeline, standing alone with composure, spoke gracefully.
***
Wow… are the Ro-pan people’s morals and ethics for real? I’m so exhausted I feel like all the energy has drained from my body.
Suddenly Uriel ran out and Rafaela was sending passionate looks wanting to follow Uriel, so when I suggested we go see, she ran at full speed.
Uriel and Rafaela ran so fast that I couldn’t even keep up, so I walked in the direction Jelly showed me. As expected, since werewolves are also canines, he has a really good sense of smell.
After walking hard with my nonexistent stamina, an absurd situation was unfolding.
No, with someone on fire, why is everyone just standing around staring blankly instead of taking any measures? It was like watching bystanders who film with their phones for SNS instead of calling for help when something happens. And you don’t even have phones!
Even when Donau’s house was on fire before, everyone gathered to watch the fire, and now with a person on fire, they’re just watching? People with no ethical consciousness!
“What kind of situation is this?”
Seriously, what situation? What is this really! There’s a fire! And it even spread to a person! This is terrible. Where’s the fire extinguisher! Oh, there probably aren’t fire extinguishers here?
Then water, where’s the water? I only remember there being a fountain in the Temple Outer Garden. Where’s some water? While looking around, I spotted Jelly holding a water bottle. I feel like shouting eureka.
I hurriedly gestured and took the holy water bottle from Jelly. I opened the cap and poured water. I wish it would gush out, but because the opening was narrow, it just trickled. What is this, a stream! Annoyed, I gestured and Jelly cleverly handed me an opened holy water bottle.
After pouring about six bottles of holy water, the flames died down. Fortunately, since this isn’t ordinary water, it seems to have excellent extinguishing effects too.
Wow… that was a close call. All the tension drained away. The person who had been engulfed in flames just moments ago looked at me all wet. No… is this soaked? He looks exactly like a drowned mouse. Maybe because he’s wet, he looked somehow pitiful. S-sorry! But isn’t getting doused with water better than burning to death?
“Sir Michel!”
Apparently not. He fainted and collapsed, and Uriel barely caught him. Rafaela looked at me like I was some kind of ruffian. Hey, I put out the fire, so why are you glaring at me like that! Even Jelly was looking at me like he was hurt, so I quietly averted my gaze.
This is really unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong, but I’m being treated like a criminal, so out of spite I decided to be more shameless and take credit. You think I just poured water? This is holy water!
“Since I poured holy water, there shouldn’t be any need for separate treatment.”
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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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