The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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# Episode 7.
The Puppet, the woman, said nothing at all.
“Say something, please.”
I was terrified. Terrified, but—
“That’s the only way I can help you.”
“…….”
“Why were you clinging to Liam?”
Liam. The name I’d spoken in hesitation drew her first response.
“Li…… am.”
“You loved him, didn’t you?”
“…….”
“I can see it in your eyes. You did love him, didn’t you?”
There was resentment in that gaze, but I saw something else hidden beneath it—affection, unmistakable.
“He’s not the kind of man who would commit murder.”
In the original story, too, he had acted according to his convictions.
The Puppet nodded slowly.
As if to say that her killer was not Liam.
At that same moment, a status window tucked in the corner expanded.
[A Quest has been generated.]
Guide the murdered ghost’s spirit to Ascension.
Condition 1. Capture the culprit
Condition 2. Convey the ghost’s heart to Liam
Reward: Good Deed Gauge +5
Failure will increase your death probability.
[Would you like to end the Hide-and-Seek Breathing Game?]
“……Yes.”
I opened my parched lips and barely managed the word.
[You have completed the ‘Delightfully Spooky Hide-and-Seek Breathing Game’ activity!]
[Your Good Deed Gauge has increased by 2.]
[Current count: 2 / 1000]
[As a reward, you will receive a special item at random!]
A roulette wheel appeared and began spinning with a soft whirr.
[Congratulations! You have obtained .]
Effect: Makes even the most terrifying ghosts appear cute.
Charges with Fear Points.
‘Oh.’
Fear Points? It was the perfect item for someone as timid as me.
* * *
Word of a Saint sleepwalking and discovering a corpse reached the Pope’s ears swiftly.
“A corpse?”
“Yes, Your Holiness. The Saint was so startled that she is resting to recover.”
“Burying a body right near the Temple—quite bold of them.”
The Pope let out a low chuckle, his eyes sharp and deadly. The culprit seemed to be someone of considerable cunning.
He’d been thoughtful enough to bury the body nearby to avoid an unseemly search of the Temple grounds by the Imperial Palace knights.
“Fortunately, the remains are not yet decomposed, so we were able to identify the victim.”
Cardinal Michael spoke in a hushed tone.
“She is the young Lady of Baron Triel, who went missing four days ago. Twenty-two years old, betrothed but not yet married, we understand.”
“Hmm.”
“Shall we investigate further?”
“Conduct a thorough autopsy and determine the cause of death. The family must be informed.”
“Understood.”
Michael hesitated for a moment before speaking to the Pope.
“And, Your Holiness.”
“I shall go to Diane myself.”
“……Yes! She is in her quarters.”
The Pope, who had been turning to leave, twisted back to regard Michael.
“What do children typically enjoy?”
“Pardon?”
“……Never mind.”
The Pope descended to the kitchen and obtained a few pieces of sweet candy.
The Holy Knight Order’s leader, Liam, had given her a lemon candy that Diane had apparently enjoyed eating before, so it passed muster.
The Pope knocked softly at the Saint’s door.
“Yes?”
At the nasal sound of her voice, he opened the door and caught sight of Diane.
Whether she’d caught a chill from wandering out in her nightclothes on such a cold day, her face was flushed crimson and her nose was running.
The Pope studied her, recalling yesterday’s intense first meeting.
Certainly, she’d surprised him with that manner so unlike a child’s.
“Achoo!”
Wiping her nose with a tissue and nodding drowsily, she was unmistakably a five-year-old.
“Oh dear. Diane, are you all right?”
Before he could stop himself, the Pope had spoken her name, and his lips tightened.
Now that he thought about it, calling her Saint all the time would feel odd.
Fortunately, Diane showed no great displeasure at being called by name. And indeed, despite having taken on the enormous title of Saint, she showed little sign of anxiety.
She simply seemed indifferent to all things in the world.
The Pope did not like that.
‘A child ought simply to smile brightly,’ he thought.
He wanted to lift the shadow that hung over Diane.
But the Pope understood that would require time.
For now, he spoke in a gentler tone so the child wouldn’t be frightened.
“It seems you have a fever.”
“Your Holiness…….”
Diane murmured, her chubby cheeks quivering slightly.
‘I need to feed her more,’ he thought.
To his eyes, she was nothing but terribly thin and fragile.
Diane rubbed her sleepy eyes and spoke with careful precision.
“I’m fine.”
“……!”
“People who’ve lost their families must hurt much more than just a little fever.”
Diane’s gaze drifted briefly to the rabbit doll resting on the desk, then returned to him.
The Pope glanced at the doll and let out a long sigh.
“That’s something I must handle. What concerns me most right now,”
He patted her back. Startled by the sudden contact, the child’s eyes widened momentarily before she relaxed.
“is that you witnessed the body directly.”
“Yes.”
“Weren’t you frightened?”
“…….”
She must have been frightened.
Thinking he’d made her recall it needlessly, he grew serious.
“From now on, to prevent nights like today, you should drink warm milk before bed. And we’ll strengthen the guard.”
“N-no, it’s all right. I won’t do this anymore.”
“It’s not something you can control.”
“I can do well. You don’t need to worry.”
For some reason, his chest felt a little heavy.
He wished she would lean on him a bit more.
“I have a request.”
At that moment, hearing Diane’s words, the Pope smiled—the sort of smile that suggested he would grant her anything.
“Haven’t you told the family members yet?”
“They probably went out this morning. They’ll be arriving here soon.”
“……Can I go there too?”
To the funeral hall? The Pope’s brow furrowed.
“No. There’s nothing good for a young child to see.”
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
“…….”
“Please? Will you let me……? Please?”
With a small cough, the Pope nodded.
“Very well. Understood.”
* * *
And so I stood before the funeral hall, holding the rabbit doll possessed by a ghost—which was somewhat less frightening than before, though still frightening nonetheless.
Presently, carriages began to arrive slowly.
The Baroness, her eyes swollen from weeping as she rushed forward in tears, and the Baron supporting her, his face downcast.
All those who followed in their wake, from the attending servants onward, looked hollow with grief.
“Ah, ahhhh!”
Watching the woman wail without control over her own body, the Puppet’s frame trembled ever so slightly.
I stood quietly and held her close.
Without words, I wanted her to know—I understand what you feel.
Whether my thought reached her or not, the trembling eased a little.
Behind the carriages that had brought the Baron and his family and their household came one more carriage—so overdressed in its ornamentation that it crossed from splendid into garish.
Several knights conducted an identity check, and a tall man descended unsteadily.
A man with blue hair. His locks were disheveled as though he’d rushed here in panic, and his clothes were in disarray.
His eyes were swollen and red—he had been crying.
A handful of nobles approached him, offering hollow condolences.
Then it happened.
“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”
I looked down at the Puppet in shock.
A shriek poured forth—a cry laden with a fury and sorrow beyond all measure—sharp enough to shred the eardrums.
My ears ached so violently I reached up with one hand to cover them.
In the instant the man ascending the steps locked eyes with me,
a chill raced down my spine.
It was you.
You who killed this woman.
* * *
“Is it truly so?”
The man’s face was a wreck, tears streaming down as he insisted it couldn’t be real.
“Ma’am. Do not lie to me. Camila is truly… truly dead?”
The Baron’s wife sank down beside him as he knelt, her arms encircling his convulsing shoulders.
In the eyes of those watching them lay pity and sorrow.
All but mine.
“Your Holiness.”
“Hmm? Yes.”
“A moment, please.”
I called to him quietly, conscious of the eyes around us.
I caught a corner of his white robe and gently pulled—he came without resistance.
“There’s something I must tell you.”
The Pope’s deep green eyes flickered with alarm.
What does my face look like now?
I had no time to wonder.
“Last night, I received a Divine Oracle.”
“…What…”
“I know who killed Camila, the young lady of Baron Triel.”
The Pope bent at the waist to meet my gaze.
I whispered into his ear and pointed to the man known as Gordon.
“It is him.”
[Ascension Condition 1. Apprehend the culprit.]
[Quest Progress: 10%]
You have identified Gordon Black as the murderer. Now uncover the truth of his crime.

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