Chapter 23
Serious? Just looking at him, he swaggers around like some thug—where exactly does he look serious? Jelli walked with a casual swaying gait and stopped behind Evangeline. Then he spotted Daisy, who had been conversing with Evangeline, and his eyes went round with surprise.
"Huh? You are?"
Likewise, Daisy seemed to recognize Jelli, and her face grew even paler.
"I, I should get going now."
Daisy, anxious, started walking backward and eventually began to run away. Rafaela, bewildered by the sudden flight, called out to Daisy.
"Sister! We should go together!"
"It's fine! The carriage boarding area is right in front!"
The place where carriages were lined up waiting was right before their eyes. Rafaela didn't stop Daisy, thinking that walking this street together wouldn't yield any important information anyway.
"She's gone."
Then, claiming to guide Evangeline Rohanson, she created some distance to make conversation easier between the two. All her attention was focused behind her.
"Who was that? Ah. That person from earlier? Hmm... someone you exchanged help with?"
"No. I'm telling you I helped her. I got her out and escaped together."
"The cleanup was neat too."
Once again, Evangeline's words went unheard. Though the conversation was half-fragmented, Rafaela managed to unravel a clue thanks to overhearing it.
The answer she had just asked Uriel about had come from this man.
This man had facilitated Daisy's escape from the monastery. And the man had been disguised as Evangeline's escort.
Evangeline didn't know of Daisy's existence. On the other hand, Daisy not only knew about Evangeline but also already knew about the curse array. That's how she was able to notice Priest Verg casting the curse. Yet the one who helped with Daisy's escape was someone claiming to be Evangeline Rohanson's escort, who didn't even know about Daisy.
Was the help this person's unilateral kindness? But why was that person at the monastery? Of all times? How did an outsider get in?
Rafaela's mind began spinning rapidly, thinking and reasoning to derive the most ideal answer.
Just as Rafaela's thoughts were growing increasingly complicated, a loud commotion erupted from behind. Rafaela, who had been straining to listen to Evangeline's conversation, was the first to notice the uproar.
"Fire! There's a fire!"
"Sir Knight! Someone please come here!"
"No!"
Screams that didn't suit the tranquil and sacred Grand Temple. Uriel hesitated not at all and rushed out first. Rafaela tried to follow but stopped upon seeing Evangeline and Jelli. What should she do with these two? She couldn't just leave them behind.
"Let's go see."
Evangeline spoke as if noticing Rafaela's dilemma. Rafaela nodded and then ran past them. Fire? Fire? A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her.
Rafaela ran frantically, following the sounds. Only after arriving did she belatedly realize this place was terribly familiar.
People were suffering and wailing. No one was injured, yet screams as sharp as blade cuts erupted from time to time. Those wailing were gazing at only one place. Rafaela joined their gaze as well.
It was an inferno. What was burning was Donau Blue's masterpiece, painted by Jim Nopeddy. Fire rekindled on the painting that depicted the scene after flames had been extinguished.
Along with relief that no one was hurt, the sight of people wailing, assimilated with the painting, sent chills down her spine. It seemed Uriel, who had run ahead first, was no different. Uriel stood watching them with a hollow look.
But those who had been writhing in agony spotted Rafaela. They came crawling on their knees, walking on the ground, approaching on unsteady legs.
"Sir Knight, please put out the fire."
"Sir Knight, the painting, the fire, the fire."
Each uttered their own prayers, but Rafaela could hear every word. Put out the fire in the painting. That was the only thing they wished for.
'Must I?'
Must the fire really be extinguished? If the painting burns away completely, wouldn't those people return to normal?
That hypothesis seized Rafaela. Uriel wasn't much different either. While the two hesitated, a presence made itself known from behind.
Had Evangeline Rohanson arrived? So Rafaela thought for a moment, but then her vision filled with long golden hair.
"Michelle?"
"Crazy, why is she here? I locked her in her room!"
Flustered, Rafaela tried to grab Michelle, but people clinging to her legs and begging her to please put out the fire hindered her.
They looked at the knight order uniform Michelle was wearing and pleaded the same way.
"Sir Knight, please save the painting!"
Rafaela intuitively realized that Michelle would grant that request. Michelle pulled the burning painting with bare hands. She tried to smother the blazing flames with her hands, but far from extinguishing them, she was only burning her hands. Crazy bastard, doesn't it hurt?
Rafaela kicked away the people clinging to her. She shook off arms and kicked with her feet. She didn't want to hit people, but she couldn't stand by and watch Michelle's insane behavior any longer.
"Michelle! Get a hold of yourself! Let go of that!"
The painting continued to burn away. Not even half remained. Michelle's skin turned red with burns, and sparks transferred to her clothes. At this rate, Michelle would burn to death along with it. Rafaela dragged her feet, still carrying the people clinging to her.
"What is this situation?"
Then, an exceptionally cool, clear voice sounded from behind. A corpse whispered in her ear. The heat faded and chills set in. Something enormous behind her seemed to gaze intently at Rafaela.
Evangeline Rohanson leisurely crossed through the hellish scene. The people who had been clinging to Rafaela stared blankly at Evangeline Rohanson. Their groans, their screams of agony, all stopped as if by magic.
With everyone ceasing their actions and looking at Evangeline as if their entire souls had been captivated, Evangeline Rohanson was able to reach right before Michelle without any interference.
Michelle, still embracing the painting, looked up at Evangeline. And in that moment, Rafaela witnessed the birth of yet another fanatic.
A pale person, the only existing color being red eyes burning like the fire on the painting. The moment Michelle met Evangeline's eyes, what had she seen in those eyes? Longing, shock, reverence, emotion—no amount of adjectives could fully capture Michelle's feelings.
Evangeline waggled a finger, and Jelli, who had read that signal precisely, presented holy water. Evangeline Rohanson uncorked the holy water bottle and poured it over Michelle.
One bottle, two bottles, continuing until the flames died out.
The flames that had seemed ready to swallow Michelle died out that easily. In the silence, only the sound of water dripping fully existed. Michelle looked like a drowned rat. Water droplets formed at the ends of her sodden hair and fell to the ground.
Michelle, soaked to the bone in holy water and only blinking her eyes, soon lost all strength and collapsed.
"Sir Michelle!"
Uriel hurried over and caught the fallen Michelle. For someone who had fainted, her closed eyes looked remarkably peaceful.
Evangeline snatched the fragment of the painting Michelle had been clutching tightly. Nearly completely burned away, all that remained was that curse array.
Evangeline Rohanson tossed the soggy, soaked paper scrap to Jelli.
"Ugh."
And watching Jelli skillfully catch it, the whole situation felt surreal.
The others remained dazed. If they had cried or raged like before, if they had shown any reaction at all, it wouldn't have felt this surreal.
"I poured holy water, so there's no need for separate treatment."
Evangeline, standing alone and composed, spoke as if nothing had happened.
***
Wow... Is this for real, the morality and ethics of these romance fantasy people? It's so hard I feel like all my energy is drained.
Suddenly Uriel ran out, and Rafaela was sending intense looks saying she wanted to follow Uriel, so I told her to go ahead, and she ran at full speed.
Uriel and Rafaela ran so fast I couldn't even catch up, so I walked in the direction Jelli taught me. As expected of a werewolf being in the canine family, he really has a good sense of smell.
Walking diligently with my nonexistent stamina, an absurd situation unfolded before me.
No, there's a person on fire, and instead of taking any action, why is everyone just standing around staring? I thought I was seeing spectators filming with their phones to post on SNS instead of reporting when something happens. No, you people don't even have phones!
Last time when the Donau house burned, everyone gathered to watch the fire, and now they're just watching even when a person is burning? People with no sense of ethics!
"What is this situation?"
Seriously, what situation is this? What kind of case is this really! There's a fire! And it spread to a person! This is a disaster. Where's the fire extinguisher! Ah, I guess there aren't fire extinguishers here?
Then water, where's the water? I only remember there was a fountain in the temple's outer garden. Is there no water anywhere? Looking around, I spotted Jelli holding water bottles. I felt like shouting Eureka.
I hurriedly gestured and snatched the holy water bottle from Jelli. I uncorked it and poured. I wish it gushed out, but maybe because the opening was narrow, it just trickled. What is this, a stream! Getting annoyed, I gestured, and Jelli cleverly handed me another holy water bottle with the cap removed.
After pouring about six bottles of holy water, the flames died out. Fortunately, since this wasn't ordinary water, the extinguishing effect was excellent too.
Wow... That was close. All the tension released. The person who had been engulfed in flames until just now looked at me, moist and wet. No... is this damp? She looks completely like a drowned rat. Maybe because she's wet, she somehow looked pitiful. S... sorry! But isn't getting wet better than burning to death?
"Sir Michelle!"
I guess not. Uriel barely caught her as she fainted and fell. Rafaela looked at me as if looking at some ruffian. No, I put out the fire, so why is she glaring at me like that! Even Jelli looked at me as if hurt, so I quietly avoided their gaze.
Really unfair. Being treated like a criminal when I did nothing wrong, I decided to act even more brazenly out of sheer injustice. Do you think I just poured water? This is holy water!
"I poured holy water, so there's no need for separate treatment."