The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 73

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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 73.
A day had passed since word of Basil’s death spread through the Temple, yet the upheaval showed no signs of settling—if anything, it had only grown worse.
News circulated that the High Priest himself had stepped in to order an investigation, and the Confessional Section remained cordoned off by guards throughout the day. Priests gathered in small clusters, speaking in hushed voices, and their conversations always ended with the same question.
“Who would do such a thing? And why?”
“Even if he was a criminal, how could someone be murdered inside the Temple? The security is that tight.”
“Then it must have been an inside job.”
Each time that suggestion was voiced, the faces of those nearby hardened.
The knowledge that a murderer walked within these walls was enough to shake the very foundations of what had seemed an outwardly peaceful place.
Every time Seria overheard those conversations, her heart felt as though it were being wrung in a fist.
Though she maintained a calm exterior, her entire body went rigid whenever her eyes met another’s.
‘Stay composed. You must stay composed. Above all, no one can discover your connection to your master.’
If anyone knew of her past with Basil, that slender thread of connection could become a path leading back to the Heretic Sect—and to herself.
The moment everything came to light, it would all be over. Even this barely-secured position at the Temple.
She repeated the refrain to herself over and over. But from nights spent barely sleeping, dark shadows had settled beneath her eyes.
* * *
Late in the morning, Seria was summoned to the Holy Maiden’s quarters. It was Diane who had called for her.
Upon entering, Seria found Diane seated by the window, lost in contemplation.
Noticing Seria’s arrival, Diane offered her a gentle smile and gestured for her to sit.
“Come, sit down, Seria. Have some tea. You don’t look well at all.”
“Thank you.”
Seria lowered herself carefully into the offered seat.
She accepted the cup, but had to fight to hide the slight tremor in her hands.
Diane observed her for a moment in silence, then opened her mouth with care.
“You must have been quite shocked?”
At those words, Seria’s fingers twitched.
The surface of the tea rippled faintly.
“Yes. I still can’t believe something like this could happen inside the Temple.”
Seria answered in as level a tone as she could manage.
She could not let slip even the slightest hint of her connection to Basil.
Diane nodded at her response, yet asked again with visible caution.
“Are you truly all right? Your face was so pale a moment ago—I thought you might collapse.”
That question pierced Seria’s heart sharply. She set down the cup and shook her head as naturally as possible.
“It’s just that a murder itself is unsettling, isn’t it?”
The lie flowed smoothly from her lips.
That very ease horrified her.
When had she become so adept at falsehood?
“I suppose so. I was quite shocked myself, to be honest.”
There was genuine concern in Diane’s voice.
To Seria, that concern now felt like the sharp edge of a blade.
“I’m all right, truly.”
“The High Priest has said he intends to verify the whereabouts of everyone in the Temple during the investigation. You’ll likely be questioned by an Investigator as well.”
Seria’s heart sank at those words.
“An Investigator?”
“Yes. He said it’s merely a formality—he’ll be questioning everyone who was in the Temple. Where were you at that time?”
Diane asked without suspicion.
It was merely a question born of concern, yet it weighed on Seria more heavily than any other.
“I was in my room, asleep.”
“That’s a relief. No one would suspect you.”
Those words from Diane tightened the vice around Seria’s chest further.
That assurance—that no one would suspect her—felt less like comfort than like punishment.
* * *
After Seria left my quarters, I sat for a long time gazing out the window.
What was that feeling just now?
Seria had smiled as usual and answered as usual.
On the surface, there was nothing amiss. Yet something felt subtly out of alignment, and it continued to nag at me.
When I mentioned Basil, Seria’s fingers had paused—just for an instant.
I had clearly seen the muscles in her hand stiffen as she gripped the teacup.
Perhaps I was simply being oversensitive.
The entire Temple had been unsettled these past few days; of course everyone seemed different from their usual selves.
Seria was no exception. It would actually be strange for her to seem unaffected when someone had died.
Yet something nagged at the back of her mind, refusing to settle.
Lately, Seria’s expression had grown darker more often than not.
She’d returned from evening walks with a pallid complexion several times, and I’d caught her staring into nothing without reason more than once.
Each time, I’d convinced myself she was simply tired, that the recent workload was wearing on her.
……But was that truly all?
It had taken a long time before Seria first opened her heart to me.
I could only guess at the depth of the wounds she carried; I would never know them fully.
And so I was all the more hesitant to pry. I feared that if I approached too hastily, that fragile door she’d only just opened might close again forever.
‘……Could there be something she can’t tell me?’
Whenever such thoughts arose, I forced myself to push them away. I didn’t want to corner Seria with baseless suspicion. She’d already endured more than enough hardship.
Still, I couldn’t shake the look in her eyes today.
A desperate attempt to hide something—that’s what I’d seen.
……I hoped it was just my imagination.
Thinking this, I deliberately turned my attention back to other matters.
But the unease that had taken root in my chest would not easily fade.
* * *
Once back in her room, Seria locked the door before finally exhaling the breath she’d been holding.
She withdrew the Obsidian Fragment from inside her robes and gripped it in her palm. Mercifully, it remained silent.
Yet that very silence filled her with dread.
‘……Hanna.’
Two days. That was all the time remaining.
If she could not dispose of Hanna within that span, the entity beyond the Fragment would devise other means.
Seria already understood, with bitter certainty, what that would entail.
But yesterday and today, the Temple had been under tighter watch than ever before.
If another person vanished, suspicion would immediately fall on everything.
‘I have to find a way. Somehow.’
Seria pushed the Fragment back into her robes and slumped onto the bed, burying her face in her hands.
Through the gaps between her fingers, a muffled sob escaped.
Basil’s final moments returned to her every time she closed her eyes.
His terror-stricken pleas, his thrashing limbs—all of it now invaded her nights, consuming them.
‘……Will I have to keep doing this? Forever?’
Whenever such thoughts surfaced, her breath caught.
She could not bring herself to believe that any way out of this cage actually existed.
* * *
That evening, Seria was summoned before the Investigator.
In the small reception room, a middle-aged priest with sharp, discerning eyes sat waiting.
He introduced himself as an Investigator attached to the Temple. From the moment Seria took her seat across from him, she felt every nerve in her body go rigid.
“Trainee Seria. I have a few questions. What exactly were you doing last night?”
“……I was resting in my room.”
“Do you have a witness to that?”
“No. I was alone.”
The Investigator regarded her in silence for a moment.
His gaze lingered longer than seemed necessary, and Seria felt the blood drain from her fingertips.
“Do you know the man called Basil, who is now dead?”
Seria had anticipated this question. She had already prepared her answer.
“……I don’t know him well. I didn’t even realize such a person was being held here.”
“According to the records, there is no documentation of your history before you came to the Temple.”
The Investigator flipped through his papers with detached efficiency.
Seria’s heart lurched.
‘He knew.’
But if she showed any sign of panic now, it would be over. She forced herself to answer as calmly as possible.
“As you know, there was a Great Fire. I believe all those records were destroyed in the flames.”
“……I see.”
The Investigator studied her for a long moment.
Meeting that gaze was suffocating for her.
But if she looked away now, it would only invite further suspicion. She forced herself to hold his eyes.
“Have you heard of or experienced anything unusual recently?”
“No.”
She had to concentrate with all her strength to keep her voice steady.
The Investigator noted her response in his Notebook and gave a silent nod.
“……I understand. If anything occurs to you, please let me know at any time.”
“Yes.”
With that reply, Seria finally managed to slip out of the reception room.
The moment she stepped into the corridor, her legs gave way beneath her, and she had to brace herself against the wall.

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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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