Chapter 12
The phantom of Evangelin Rohanson hanging by her neck wasn't even amusing.
Perhaps it was because of the strange words heard before coming here. While gathering information about Evangelin Rohanson, I had heard a priest's account of witnessing the dead Evangelin being resurrected.
I examined the temple records but found no record of Evangelin's funeral. When I went to find the priest who was said to have belatedly conducted the funeral service, he had already hanged himself at his home.
They said there was no suicide note either. The house he had been staying in had already been cleared out, so no information could be obtained. I only heard from people nearby that the deceased priest used to secretly give sermons to the bereaved families of suicide victims and pocket money without the temple's knowledge.
Gabriel boarded the carriage with Raphaella. The carriage began to roll toward the Grand Temple.
"What about Michelle?"
"She still hasn't come to her senses and is just standing in front of the painting. I'm telling you, I'm worried she might walk right into the painting at this rate."
People's reactions to Jim Nofedi's painting were divided into two extremes. Some, like Gabriel and Raphaella, found it ominous, while the rest called it an angel and revered it as sacred.
The knight who had previously confirmed Donau Blue's body with Gabriel belonged to the latter. Standing blankly before Jim Nofedi's painting donated to the temple, he believed without a shred of doubt that Donau Blue was an angel.
There was no way the black canvas hanging in the pure white temple wouldn't catch the eye. Guests who came to pray at the temple also acted as if they had lost their minds upon seeing the painting. Several people, led by Gabriel, suggested removing the painting, but they were dismissed.
To Gabriel, they looked no different from those possessed by demons.
"Did you find anything?"
"Find anything..."
Still, a small hint had been extracted from the conversation with Evangelin Rohanson. Evangelin had taken only the paper with the pattern copied on it, not Donau's corpse. What was important was not Donau Blue, but that pattern.
"Lady Rohanson said that pattern was a summoning circle."
"How did she know that?"
"She said it was originally hers. That Donau Blue stole it."
"Is that so? Then what does it summon?"
Gabriel recalled the conversation from moments ago.
"She said an angel."
"An angel? Then the paper we found is the right one?"
Raphaella shrank her body and rubbed her arms as if goosebumps were rising.
The remains of Donau in the temple's annex are now stored in an urn. There was no need for separate cremation as the entire body had already burned to the point of crumbling at a touch. During the process of collecting the remains, a peculiarly white piece of paper was discovered.
How did a mere scrap of paper not burn when the heat was enough to incinerate bones? It was strikingly similar to Evangelin, who was said to have escaped from the fire without even any soot.
When the small torn pieces were fitted together like a puzzle and restored, that pattern said to be a summoning circle and letters with holes in them emerged. Since pieces were missing in the middle, the exact original text could not be determined, but one sentence. There was one perfectly restored sentence.
Revere and worship. Welcome the angel of light who will turn from the earth and descend upon the ground.
"It seems to be summoning an angel."
If so, what was born from that ominous pattern would resemble Evangelin Rohanson. It would be ominous rather than sacred. It would be cruel rather than merciful.
"Then is what people say true? That Donau Blue was blessed."
"That couldn't be. First, let's say that Donau Blue was judged for trying to offer a sacrifice to summon a demon, and let's keep the matter of that paper to ourselves."
Raphaella nodded at those words. If the problem lay not with Donau Blue but with the pattern, then the situation would progress just by dealing with that painting.
A summoning circle... I had heard of something similar before.
If it was a summoning circle that called forth something to grant wishes, such sorcery had been prevalent more than ten years ago. When exactly was it? Gabriel was young at the time so it wasn't certain. Was it twenty years ago? I heard that sorcerers were rounded up and a large-scale purge was carried out.
I would have to go to the library and check the records from that time when I returned.
"Raphaella. About sorcery..."
Just as I was about to ask, thinking Raphaella might know, the carriage suddenly swerved.
Screech.
The carriage, swaying as if about to overturn, barely regained its balance and stopped. Outside, the sound of the coachman calming the excited horse could be heard.
"What, what was that? Commander, are you alright?"
"Are you okay yourself?"
Fortunately, since the carriage regained its balance immediately, neither of them was injured.
"Hey! I thought you said you knew how to handle horses?"
"I'm sorry, truly sorry. A cat suddenly jumped out in front."
When Raphaella jumped out of the carriage to protest, the coachman bent his body in distress.
The coachman's face turned pale when he saw that the passengers were wearing swords. He was worried they might do him harm since they had almost been badly injured. It wasn't even a person, just a cat, so he would obviously be scolded and told to just run it over.
But very fortunately for the coachman, Gabriel was the kind of person who thought that if someone had to be hit by a carriage, it was better to be injured himself. Perhaps anyone who had seen a friend run over by a carriage before their eyes as a child would think as Gabriel did.
"Neither I nor my subordinate is harmed, so it's fine."
Only after Gabriel reassured him did the coachman breathe a sigh of relief. After raising his head which had been bowed as if digging into the ground, he seemed to realize that the two were holy knights. The coachman confirmed the emblem of the sun god Rahel on Gabriel's clothes and secretly praised them, saying the temple knights were indeed different.
After Raphaella heard the apology and got back on, the carriage began to move forward slowly again.
"Commander. My heart feels like it's dropped."
Raphaella was still making a fuss as if the shock hadn't worn off.
Gabriel pondered while listening to the whining. Was it a coincidence that the carriage nearly overturned right when the topic of sorcery was brought up?
***
Recently, a rumor circulated secretly that a strange sacred painting had been hung in the temple.
A devout young lady fainted upon seeing that sacred painting and received the sun god in her dream, the High Priest praised it highly and gave a thanksgiving offering to the painter, that sacred painting was a gatekeeper filtering out non-believers.
All kinds of rumors passed from mouth to mouth, swelling as they spread.
And that rumor stretched its body long and reached a monastery on the outskirts of the capital where people rarely visited.
"When will Priest Berga return?"
"Who knows? Why are you looking for the priest? That perverted bastard, I wish he'd never come back."
"Ah, well that's true. But he went to the Grand Temple, didn't he? Then he must have seen that sacred painting too, so I am curious if the rumor is true."
"You fool, how could that be true? You're so naive."
The women wearing monastic robes and sweeping with brooms reduced their talk and pretended to be dignified when they saw Daisy approaching from the opposite side.
"Good afternoon, sister."
"May the sun's light always shine upon the sister."
Though they spoke so politely, they didn't even nod their heads toward Daisy. Daisy pretended not to notice and bowed her head silently in greeting. As Daisy passed by, small whispers could be heard from behind again.
"How pitiful. When Priest Berga returns, she'll be the one most tormented, won't she?"
The nuns, thinking Daisy had gone far enough, started laughing and joking among themselves again.
I had to organize the study by today, but it had gotten too late. Daisy hurried her steps, trying not to listen to the noise from behind.
It had already been three weeks since fleeing the Rohanson mansion and coming to the monastery.
Escaping from the monster borrowing Miss Evangelin's body and those eyes looking at her, the world became very peaceful and calm.
Daisy's life at the monastery wasn't as bad as she had thought. Although she hadn't been here long and lacked courage, making it difficult to blend in with others and leaving her on the outside, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable.
The nuns who had just exchanged greetings with Daisy were mostly children of noble families. People like them would serve God but wouldn't bow their bodies to commoners. Since they couldn't blend in from the start, it was right not to pay them any attention.
"Hey, Daisy!"
Just as she was about to enter the study, someone suddenly called Daisy urgently from behind.
Turning around, a nun from the group she had just encountered was panting. The only conversations they had ever had were formal greetings, so why was she calling her?
When Daisy waited, the other person opened her mouth carefully as if standing before breakable glass.
"I just heard that Priest Berga is returning today. That... even if Priest Berga calls you tonight, absolutely don't go. Understand?"
She ran over just to say that. Daisy was briefly surprised by the sudden kindness and nodded.
"Thank you for telling me. I'll definitely refuse."
If there was one flaw in this monastery where everything was otherwise fine, it was that Priest Berga.
Priest Berga had many rumors due to his characteristic womanizing. Rumors circulated that he preyed on newcomers to the monastery, and from what Daisy had experienced, it was true.
Holding hands and pretending to offer encouragement while patting shoulders. He had looked at Daisy persistently. Yes. That was the problem. The eyes looking at Daisy. Daisy, who had become unusually sensitive, couldn't fail to notice the gaze directed at her.
If it was Priest Berga, he could send someone to her room, so it would be best to stay up all night in the study while organizing it today.
And the time came around. It was already 2 o'clock. Seeing the clock on the study wall, Daisy thought it was probably fine to go back now and stood up from her seat.
Then she caught her breath seeing the man waiting like a sentinel in front of the quarters. Was he still waiting?
It wasn't Priest Berga but one of the monks fawning and flattering right beside him.
"Sister. Did you enjoy your night outing?"
"I was organizing the study and didn't realize how time had passed. I'm tired, so I'll go in and rest now."
Daisy tried to open the door, but the monk pressed his hand against the door from behind and stopped her.
"Before that, Priest Berga says he has words to convey. Why don't you listen and then go?"