Evangeline returned to the prison first. The reason was that there was little time left before the guard shift change at the prison.
That meant the knight currently guarding the prison was already in Evangeline's hands. Evangeline had conveyed that while in the prison, if there was a need to make contact, they should find a knight named Antenor Nine and deliver the message.
While Gabriel was committing that name to memory, Jeremiah was looking at her own corpse and preparing to say goodbye.
Jeremiah's body had already been promised to be transferred to the Emperor. According to Bishop Marik's plan, Jeremiah was not supposed to be resurrected in Azazel's body but rather should have been killed by Azazel. Gabriel and Jeremiah had decided to follow that plan so Bishop Marik wouldn't notice anything was amiss.
"Lord Jeremiah. Thank you for following my opinion."
Gabriel bowed politely toward Jeremiah. Even if her soul had already moved to another body, it would have been strange not to feel any lingering attachment to the body she had lived in her whole life. Jeremiah had made a big decision.
"You saved me, so I'm merely repaying the debt."
If she couldn't return to that body anyway, it was better to be of some help to Evangeline and Gabriel. Jeremiah thought this way but couldn't take her eyes off it. Seeing one's own corpse was truly a bizarre moment.
Seeing it from another's body, it was truly difficult to distinguish from Tenebrae. Even the necklace was black, so one might believe it was Tenebrae. Ah, come to think of it, Jeremiah's corpse would become known as Tenebrae.
Lingering attachment overflowed from Jeremiah's eyes as she gazed at her own corpse. Watching this, Pudding made a snide comment.
"Astaroth doesn't make that sentimental face."
Jelly also chimed in with a giggle.
"Right. That bastard basically has 'unpleasant' written all over him."
"Astaroth is a hedonist with a very short temper."
"It's funny how he's sensitive to smells when he himself reeks of fish."
Pudding and Jelly took turns spewing gossip disguised as explanations of Azazel. Jeremiah wondered whether she should join in enjoying the gossip about Azazel whom she also hated, or whether she should be upset by this gossip since she would now have to live borrowing the body of the Azazel she despised.
"Tart. Get it together."
When Jelly called her by a strange nickname, Jeremiah asked back in bewilderment.
"Where did that nickname Tart come from?"
It was derived from Azazel Astaroth's name.
"It's Lady Evangeline's naming sense. Why, don't you like it?"
Jelly asked brazenly, pursing her lips. Somehow, the names Pudding and Jelly had been strange to begin with. Lady Rohanson certainly has a unique way of naming things. Jeremiah hurriedly changed her words.
"No. I like it very much."
"That one's Meringue. Tart is better than Meringue, right?"
Both were not great. Jeremiah, unable to voice her complaints at the mention of Evangeline's naming, pursed her lips tight in frustration. But what showed on the outside was Azazel with his lips bitten tight, so Jelly and Pudding squeezed their eyes shut as if they couldn't bear to watch Azazel's expression.
Jeremiah rationalized it. Actually, thinking about it carefully, it did seem better than Meringue. Jeremiah relatively liked Tart as it seemed like a decent nickname.
In truth, Evangeline hadn't given Jeremiah the name Tart, so this was merely Pudding and Jelly teasing Jeremiah who wore Azazel's face.
'But with contents like that, there's no fun in teasing.'
Jelly realized as she watched Jeremiah's innocent demeanor that this was why she had been blindsided by the twins.
"Since it's no fun, I'll just call you Azazel."
"I hate that name!"
Seeing Azazel puffing his cheeks and stomping his feet, Pudding looked away in distaste once more. This was because before Evangeline returned to the prison, she had warned Jeremiah absolutely not to vent the resentment built up toward Azazel.
"Fine, Jeremiah."
Jelly answered perfunctorily as if annoyed.
Jeremiah felt satisfied that there was someone calling her by the name she had been deprived of, and softened. As a princess, Jeremiah didn't find it strange that Jelly spoke down to her.
She hadn't expected to be treated as a princess in Azazel's body in the first place. Actually, more than that, it was because she had acquired senses different from humans while wearing this new body. Her head naturally bowed toward Jelly and Pudding, but Evangeline Rohanson was beyond imagination.
Rather, the days when she thought of Evangeline as a demon were better. The Evangeline she saw after entering Azazel's body was strangely peerless.
"Say... Is Lady Rohanson even human?"
The answers to Jeremiah's question were divided. Jelly shrugged saying she couldn't guess either, but Pudding answered firmly.
"Lady Evangeline is faith."
If faith, then she was something conceptual that transcended human. Pudding said that was why he wanted to infinitely submit and obey Evangeline. Jelly drew a line from Pudding saying she wasn't that far, but she was similarly devoted, so to Jeremiah's eyes, there wasn't much difference.
Jeremiah also asked the maid who was wiping away bloodstains and erasing traces of outsiders in the room. Since Evangeline seemed to cherish the maid before her eyes, she thought she might know something.
"The young lady? That's a topic Lady Artemisia would be pleased to hear."
After Evangeline was taken away, Count Rohanson had locked the mansion's doors and driven out outsiders, so Artemisia, who had been making Evangeline's dress, had also returned. She was so disappointed that she couldn't see Evangeline...
Kanna answered, blushing at the question from the girl wearing a demon's shell.
"The young lady is... the loving savior."
And Kanna asked Jeremiah back.
"What does the Princess think of the young lady?"
At the unexpected counterattack, Jeremiah was momentarily flustered but soon found an answer. The sentiment had been the same since the moment she saw the galaxy while closing her eyes in the forest.
"A star..., a star."
In the end, even Jeremiah herself didn't consider Evangeline as human.
Jeremiah felt how devoted and obedient they were to Evangeline, and lastly asked Gabriel. But Gabriel's answer didn't come out immediately.
"I..."
"The sun is rising."
While Gabriel was hesitating, Jelly summed up the situation looking at the sunlight starting to come over the windowsill.
"Thank you for letting me know, Mister Jelly. We should leave before it gets bright."
Gabriel seemed pleased that Jelly had changed the subject. He lifted Jeremiah's body. Jeremiah's body was light and limp, so it wasn't much trouble for Gabriel to carry.
"I'll take this one and come back."
Jelly waved her hand and disappeared with Gabriel.
Though he avoided answering publicly, Gabriel seemed to have definitely reached a conclusion after deliberation. Jeremiah was curious about Gabriel's answer she couldn't hear.
Jelly moved to the forest where Jeremiah had collapsed. On the ground, knights were still lying unconscious, and the fact that they hadn't been discovered was because Jelly had cast a perception-lowering curse to prevent people from coming near.
"This one?"
Jelly, who had been hitting the back of each head, discovered a familiar sensation. It was someone she had knocked unconscious by striking the back of their head.
"I forgot to kill this one."
The others only knew that 'Gabriel had attacked,' so it would be fine to leave them, but the one who had woken up midway and witnessed Evangeline couldn't be left alone. Jelly stepped on his neck with her foot and broke his neckbone. Crack, perhaps because it was a quiet forest, the sound rang particularly loud.
"...Mister Jelly."
"Why? This one saw the master, so he would have reported it."
Jelly, who had eliminated the witness, actually scolded Gabriel for being immature in cleanup.
"Don't just live so innocently. If you've decided what's most important to you, you should follow that."
Her eyes curved round as she looked at Gabriel. Before Gabriel could say anything, Jelly had disappeared. She probably returned to the Rohanson mansion.
Looking at the fallen knights and the corpse, Gabriel realized the intent behind Jelly's words. If handled poorly, Evangeline's story could have leaked to Bishop Marik and caused future trouble.
Having chosen to avoid the Sun God's light, he shouldn't feel guilt anymore about hiding in the shadows.
With Jelly's warning etched in his mind, Gabriel left the forest and headed for the Imperial Palace.