My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 45

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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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Through the veil, he could see the corners of her mouth curve into a gentle smile. However, Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to smile back. In front of the veiled woman lay a corpse with holes melted through its entire body.

“The sinner was wearing monk’s robes, which felt sinful, so I had them removed.”

Gabriel couldn’t even properly make out the face, so it was only after seeing the priest’s robes neatly folded beside the body that he realized this was Priest Berga from the monastery.

“The heart isn’t beating. Can you see how the head is caved in? He probably died then.”

As the corpse, wounded badly enough that it deserved to die, writhed its body, Bishop Marik grabbed it by the hair and lifted it up for all to see.

“And despite being in this state, it still moves.”

They had wasted several bottles of holy water, but all it did was melt the flesh. To kill it completely, they would have to drown it by submerging it in holy water. Since there was nothing more to learn, that was the only way to handle it.

“To die and not be embraced by Lady Rahel… This is the fate of one who betrayed God.”

When Marik let go, the corpse fell face-down on the floor again.

Perhaps because the opponent was such a heinous criminal, his methods were harsher than usual. Since Bishop Marik had originally been a nun, the things Berga had done at the remote monastery must have been particularly disgusting to her.

There had been Daisy’s tip-off, and they had arrested Berga along with two subordinates under his command.

Although they couldn’t find the demon that Daisy claimed to have seen, the blood-stained papers found in Berga’s room clearly revealed his use of sorcery. Besides that, evidence and witnesses of bribery and sexual assault also emerged. When it was even revealed that he had committed murder and destroyed evidence, the family that had been defending Berga quickly cut ties with him, fearing they would fall out of the temple’s favor.

“This man must have performed sorcery by looking at the painting hanging in the temple.”

Marik had recognized the sorcery formation early on.

“Captain, do you remember the heretic massacre from 20 years ago?”

“Massacre? Watch your words, Captain. That was a purification operation. Of course I remember. That’s around when I left the monastery.”

This devout bishop didn’t hesitate to shed blood for Rahel. Marik had been able to rise to her current position by having her contributions from that time recognized.

“You were too young then, so you probably don’t remember.”

In contrast, Marik had vivid memories of that time. Perhaps because it was when she was youngest and most passionate.

Marik shared her knowledge with the young successor while reminiscing about the past.

“Sorcerers’ symbols are very easy to distinguish. They have stars drawn on them.”

If the sun under Rahel’s dominion represented the sole divinity, then the stars represented the opposite. They would compare to stars those pathetic and cunning things that threatened the sun but could never even pose a danger.

That’s why sorcerers’ symbols often featured many stars. Those lowly beings who couldn’t even look upon Lady Rahel would pray to stars instead of God. But since their target wasn’t omnipotent, there was always a price to pay. Because they were evil, they had to be bound by contracts.

“They claim that contracts are made by offering sacrifices and making wishes.”

Gabriel recalled the woman he had met at midday.

“You already knew this, so you recognized the danger of the painting.”

“Yes. If I had known that calamity would spread along the waterways that Donau Blue had spread, I would have disposed of that painting quickly. Even if the other brothers and sisters opposed it, I should have taken a firm stance…”

‘Spreading through waterways…’

Gabriel mulled over her words. Her attitude seemed firm, but wasn’t she speaking as if she had wanted it to happen that way?

Bishop Marik was someone with great influence even among fellow bishops. If Marik had really wanted to take down the painting, she could have removed it much more easily before it burned.

Deliberately displaying Donau’s painting, hoping for it to spread, then capturing sorcerers again to build achievements. It was natural to suspect that Bishop Marik had chosen to repeat the past as a way to rise to the position of cardinal.

However, Marik smiled benevolently as if she had no ulterior motives whatsoever.

“It’s truly fortunate that a fire broke out and the painting burned before things got worse.”

Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to consider the painting’s burning as fortunate.

While investigating the cause of the painting’s ignition, he had coincidentally learned about the recent circumstances of Jim Nopedy, who had painted it.

Jim had apparently traveled all over the country seeking inspiration to paint a masterpiece that would surpass his previous work. Since he had been inspired by Donau’s death, the places he visited were of that nature as well. But there couldn’t be many bereaved families who would tolerate desecrating corpses.

Then Jim discovered a corpse that greatly appealed to him. He reportedly asked an old woman who had lost her young grandchild if he could praise the grandchild’s corpse and paint it. The old woman cursed at him and drove him away, and Jim, thinking he was cornered, went so far as to steal the corpse.

The old woman was furious, and together with sympathetic villagers, they found Jim and beat him to death. Coincidentally, the painting burned at the same time Jim died.

“Lady Rohanson, was it? The young lady who put out the fire then.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

When Evangeline Rohanson’s story came up, Gabriel watched Marik’s expression.

“Haha. Are you worried I might harm her? That’s unlikely… I just want to commend someone who stood up for justice.”

In the previous meeting, Gabriel had ultimately chosen silence. He had released as little information as possible about Evangeline Rohanson and erased traces of her actions.

“You’re being too protective of someone you’re infatuated with.”

And in the process of diminishing Evangeline’s presence, he had filled the gaps in plausibility with rather ridiculous excuses.

At the moment of first discovering Donau’s corpse, Evangeline Rohanson had become a pitiful woman worried about her employees caught in the flames.

Gabriel’s subsequent visit to the Rohanson Estate became a visit to comfort the young lady he was infatuated with. The written reports he had occasionally sent to update on the situation’s progress became love letters, and Evangeline’s visit to the temple became a sort of date.

He omitted most of the testimony about Daisy and Ainoa Orphanage. He testified that Daisy was an informant in the Priest Berga case, making her seem unrelated to the orphanage.

Instead, he coordinated with Troy and made it so that Evangeline had originally been doing volunteer work at the orphanage, which allowed her to notice the orphanage’s abnormalities. He naturally kept silent about the symbols discovered at the orphanage.

He had wanted to go in the direction of not mentioning Evangeline’s name at all, but Rafaela had raised an objection. Her reason was that Gabriel and Evangeline were connected too frequently.

“Captain. Do you know what people usually think when a captain meets with a noble lady so often, visits her, and even sends letters?”

“Well.”

“They think, ‘Gabriel is chasing after some criminal he finds suspicious. He’s probably going to chase them to the very ends of hell to uncover the truth.'”

Rafaela emphasized again that there was only one way to escape from such perception.

“Captain, you’ve fallen in love. Even that great Captain of the Pararos Knights has fallen in love, so now you’ve become someone who just chases after a woman’s coattails.”

Moreover, since they would need Evangeline’s cooperation going forward, this was perfect for avoiding public suspicion.

And ridiculously, this worked quite well. Throughout the meeting, Evangeline’s name, which occasionally came up, was roughly glossed over under the label of romantic feelings.

“You’re acting like someone your age should, so it’s understandable.”

One priest who usually viewed Gabriel unfavorably even patted his shoulder and encouraged him as the meeting ended.

Watching this, Rafaela marveled that Gabriel might have a talent for acting. Of course, this didn’t work on everyone. For example, the devout believer before him who wouldn’t hesitate to kill a loved one for Rahel.

“Come to think of it, one more room has been filled. Since it’s related to Lady Rohanson, did the Captain come to see that?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

When Gabriel seemed unwilling to talk about Evangeline, Marik changed the subject. Although Marik hadn’t participated in the meeting, seeing that she knew about Headmaster Merai, she seemed to have heard the details from Jabaniya.

“Since the Captain also has things to discuss with the sinner, we’ll step aside.”

“Take care.”

Marik finally stepped on Berga as if to crush him, then moved away.

“May the sins committed while hiding in shadows today not be revealed to the sun.”

With this greeting contrary to usual, Marik climbed the stairs. Marik had said this thinking Gabriel would torture Merai.

When Marik came up to ground level and took off her soiled outer garment, the priest beside her respectfully received the filth-covered clothing.

“Bishop Jabaniya.”

“Yes, Marik.”

Jabaniya answered briskly. Despite being fellow bishops, their hierarchical relationship was clear because the old fox was riding on Marik’s coattails.

“The Captain seems to be going through adolescence. He’s even keeping secrets from you, who he supposedly considers like a parent.”

“He’s a young man in his prime, so wouldn’t he be embarrassed to openly discuss romantic affairs?”

Jabaniya had once exaggerated his relationship with Gabriel to look good to Marik. He had said that Gabriel thought of him like a parent, that he was a truly admirable child who would loyally do anything if asked.

But now that his head had grown bigger, instead of helping Jabaniya bow and scrape to Marik when it wasn’t even enough, he just stood there blankly. It made Jabaniya feel like he had become a braggart.

Marik mercifully overlooked Jabaniya’s mistake and gave him a chance to make up for it.

“I’m curious about Lady Rohanson. You said you’ve seen her directly once, right? How was she?”

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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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