The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 77

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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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# Chapter 77
“If the Saint’s intuition is correct…”
Liam continued carefully.
“I can make a fair guess at who the next target might be.”
I felt my breath catch.
“You don’t mean… Hanna?”
“Yes. Hanna is the only one remaining in the Confessional Ward now. If this incident targets prisoners confined there, then the next target will surely be her.”
I couldn’t refute that reasoning. If anything, Liam’s logic fit so perfectly it made my skin crawl.
[Notification]
Clue discovered
—Estimated next target
In that moment, the casual notification felt almost cruel.
As if human lives were being reduced to mere clues in some game.
I irritably dismissed the Status Window and turned back to Liam.
“Then there’s only one thing we can do. We have to stop it. Before Hanna’s in danger.”
“How do you intend to proceed?”
I closed my eyes for a moment, running through options in my mind and discarding them one by one.
“What if we move Hanna somewhere else? Somewhere completely out of reach?”
“I’ve considered that. But moving a penitent without cause would create unrest among those under investigation. And if the perpetrator is someone familiar with the Temple’s inner workings, the transfer itself might accelerate their next plan.”
“Then what about doubling the guards at the Confessional Ward?”
“That’s equally dangerous. If they notice and withdraw entirely, we won’t know when they’ll strike again. The case becomes unsolved, and the threat remains inside the Temple.”
Every answer Liam gave was measured and logical.
That very composure made me more anxious.
Calling Seria in for direct questioning was something I’d already ruled out myself.
If my suspicion was wrong, that alone would cause her irreparable harm.
And if it was right, Seria would deny it, and the true reason or conspiracy behind it might remain hidden forever.
“We need to catch them in the act. There’s no other way to uncover the truth or protect Hanna.”
Even as I spoke, something inside twisted.
I felt strange and horrified at myself, planning to set a trap for Seria.
What would she think of me if she knew? Each time the thought came, my fingertips trembled.
‘But I have to. If I don’t, I can’t save anyone—not Hanna, not Seria.’
Liam nodded at my words.
“Then we’ll need to adjust the approach somewhat.”
Liam’s proposal was this:
If the perpetrator used the same method as before—poisoning the guards’ water—we would discover it beforehand but pretend not to, while secretly ensuring the actual guards didn’t drink it.
Outwardly the water containers would appear filled as usual, but the knights on duty would be supplied separate drinking water, and we’d actually reduce visible guard presence to make approach easier for the culprit.
“This way, they’ll believe their plan succeeded and make their move. That’s when we strike.”
“Won’t they suspect something if they see fewer guards?”
“With the investigation ongoing, the Temple’s personnel distribution is already irregular. A weaker guard presence at the Confessional Ward won’t seem odd—they’ll assume resources are concentrated elsewhere due to the investigation.”
“But if something really is put in the water, when do we check?”
“Every evening I’ll inspect it personally. If I find anything suspicious, I’ll report to the Saint immediately. Then we’ll post myself and several elite knights in ambush around the Confessional Ward starting that night.”
“What if nothing happens for days?”
“Then our suspicion was wrong, and we resume investigation from a different angle.”
Liam’s answer was flawless. Yet I was more afraid of that perfect plan actually working.
As I listened, I felt something twist inside me.
This meant waiting until Seria actually committed the crime.
‘Of course, someone else could come instead.’
And it meant confronting her directly at that moment.
‘Will I be able to face that?’
If Seria really appeared there. If it was confirmed as truth. I couldn’t even imagine how I’d endure it.
The moment I’d have to see that all her smiles, given to me, were lies.
But there was no other choice.
Hanna’s life hung in the balance, and more than that—I had to uncover whatever burden Seria might be carrying right now.
“Do it that way.”
That was all I could manage to say.
“Saint.”
Liam called me quietly.
“Even if Seria turns out to be the culprit, do you intend to hear her circumstances first?”
At that question, I fell silent for a moment. I understood why Liam was asking.
“Of course. I’m not doing this to punish her—I’m doing it to protect her.”
“……I understand. I will take your words to heart.”
From that day forward, Liam began his preparations in secret.
He gradually reduced the guard detail patrolling the Confessional Ward, doing so without drawing attention.
On the surface, it was merely a redeployment to bolster investigative personnel.
He made arrangements for the knights actually on duty to receive water separately, while the water barrels remained filled as always and were left undisturbed.
And when night fell, Liam and a handful of elite knights concealed themselves in inconspicuous places, watching over the Confessional Ward.
I too kept a quiet vigil each night, observing Seria’s movements.
During the day, I tried to treat Seria as I always had. I offered concerned inquiries after her wellbeing, shared tea with her, smiled warmly in her presence.
“How are you sleeping these days?”
“Yes, Holy Maiden. Thank you for your concern.”
Seria answered thus, offering a faint smile.
Every time I met that smile, I repeated the same plea over and over in my heart.
That this smile was not a lie.
But separate from that hope, a cold suspicion settled in one corner of my mind, and I grew weary of myself for harboring it.
‘……Am I using Seria? Pretending to worry, forcing myself to smile?’
Each night, such self-recrimination weighed upon me.
But as the days wore on, Seria’s complexion grew steadily worse.
Genuinely concerning to witness.
And as the investigation progressed, the attitudes Seria displayed transformed my unease into certainty, piece by piece.
Two days passed in this way.
That night, I sat in my quarters with the lamp still burning, just as I had so many times before.
Sleep had long since fled.
Beyond the window, moonlight shrouded in cloud seeped softly into the darkness.
As midnight drew near, a quiet message came from Liam.
Signs of movement had been detected near the Confessional Ward.
In that moment, my heart seemed to stop entirely.
‘……At last.’
My hands trembled as I dressed. Tears rose before anything else could. Even though nothing had been confirmed,
A sense of despair crashed over me as though everything already was.
[Notification]
Target approach detected.
I looked at those words and swallowed something that was neither laughter nor tears. The fact that such a thing appeared even at this moment filled me with resentment.
This was not a game.
The life of someone I cared for hung in the balance.
With trembling steps, I left my quarters. Along the path toward the Confessional Ward, Liam met me quietly in the darkness.
“……Your Holiness. Are you prepared?”
“……Have you confirmed who it is?”
“I have not yet been able to confirm their face. However, from their build…….”
Liam trailed off.
I understood the meaning without him needing to finish.
Instead of answering, I nodded. Then I quietly concealed myself in the darkness along the back path of the Confessional Ward.
From a distance, the sound of careful footsteps approached.
I already knew who those footsteps belonged to.
And yet, right up until the final moment, I was still praying in one corner of my heart.
Please, let those footsteps belong to anyone but Seria.
And moments later, Seria’s figure emerged from the darkness.

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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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