MPBAGS Chapter 116

The silence of the dark dawn was shattered by torches and footsteps.

"Find the traitor who murdered His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince!"

"By order of His Imperial Majesty! □□□ is no longer royalty, so kill her if you find her!"

Jeremia was fleeing outside the castle walls with the help of Azrael, Tenebrae's guard knight. Jeremia was frightened by the mad, resounding shouts and looked back.

'They've all lost their minds.'

To Jeremia, they all looked like people possessed by demons.

"Find and kill □□□ Reverdi!"

Jeremia's ears couldn't hear the name Tenebrae that the knights were shouting at the top of their lungs. She could hear other parts clearly, but strangely, only that part was muffled like silence, as if someone had tampered with it, making it impossible to understand who they were calling for. So naturally, she thought they were looking for her.

Because she kept looking back anxiously while running, Jeremia stumbled and her body swayed greatly before falling. Azrael, who had been clearing the path ahead, hurriedly returned.

"Are you alright?"

"My... my ankle seems to be sprained."

Jeremia's eyes welled up with tears as her ankle throbbed. It was already unfair that things were going this way, and now she had injured her leg and couldn't even escape properly. Would she be caught and die unjustly like this?

"I'll support you."

"No. I'm fine."

Then Jeremia looked at Azrael, who was offering to support her. If she got caught, she had to at least let Sir Azrael go. Although it was a misunderstanding, Jeremia was currently being treated as a criminal, and the crime of helping Jeremia escape was by no means light. If caught, he would pay a heavy price.

"Sir Azrael, thank you for helping me. I can manage on my own now, so you should go back before you're discovered."

"Princess Tenebrae entrusted me with guarding Princess Jeremia."

However, Azrael continued to insist on helping Jeremia. Jeremia was moved to tears by the kindness of her twin sister and Sir Azrael.

With her ankle aching and unable to run far, she had no choice but to hide in the nearby forest. The forest behind the imperial palace was where the Emperor enjoyed hunting, and it was vast with dense trees, making it suitable for people to hide.

"This place should be good for a brief rest."

"Thank you."

After confirming there were no knights around, Azrael helped Jeremia lean against a tree trunk. Just as she caught her breath momentarily, the sound of stepping on branches was heard. Unable to find any trace of Jeremia outside, they had expanded their search range.

"There's a possibility she fled into the forest, so search thoroughly!"

Now it seemed they would check the forest too, as torches flickered beyond the bushes. Jeremia covered her mouth and suppressed any sound.

"Sir Azrael, we need to get out of here."

Although the densely grown trees helped with concealment, they couldn't stay here forever. As Jeremia urged him, a subtle look came from Azrael.

"Ah, Azrael... Sir?"

"There's no need for that."

"What?"

Jeremia was confused by the suddenly changed demeanor. She couldn't understand why the devoted knight who had just been helping her escape, even offering to carry her, was now looking at Jeremia like she was a delicious meal. Azrael drew his sword as if he was going to prepare the ingredients before dining.

"Ugh...!"

She couldn't properly grasp the situation. Jeremia looked down, trembling. The sharp blade was embedded in her stomach and couldn't be seen, only the protruding handle was visible. It was Azrael who had stabbed the sword.

"Ah, was this not the right place?"

Azrael spoke casually and pulled the sword back out. She felt something lukewarm burst out around her waist. Without hesitation, Azrael changed the direction of the withdrawn blade and stabbed it in again. Jeremia couldn't offer any resistance until Azrael stabbed the sword into her stomach due to his utterly calm and natural actions.

"They said there was a tattoo somewhere. As expected, it's hard to tell just from hearing about it."

A tattoo? Hearing those words, what came to mind was the tattoo of a dragon eating its own tail carved on Jeremia's stomach.

"What are you doing..."

The pain beyond imagination made her dizzy. When she clutched her stomach, her hands became wet. All Jeremia could do was lean against the tree and exhale. Every time she inhaled, her stomach felt torn and endlessly painful.

As Azrael approached again, Jeremia fought through the agony that made her want to scream and forced herself to step backward. Driven by the desire to live, she ran while clutching her stabbed stomach. Every step made her ankle ache, and her body felt like it was pierced by a skewer.

However, Jeremia was blinded by the terror that appeared right in front of her and momentarily forgot that Azrael wasn't the only one she needed to be wary of. While fleeing from Azrael, she encountered a group wearing familiar clothes.

The heat of the blazing torch reached her face. The search party relied on the light to examine Jeremia's face carefully, then smiled chillingly and let out cheers.

"We found Tenebrae Reverdi!"

Jeremia doubted her ears. What did she just hear? They found Tenebrae?

"We found Princess Tenebrae who fled into the forest!"

However, the same words were heard again. Perhaps because she had lost too much blood, she was confused and couldn't grasp how the situation was unfolding. But Jeremia recalled Azrael stabbing her stomach and couldn't help but have ominous thoughts. Why would Tenebrae's guard stab Jeremia? Wasn't it because Tenebrae ordered it? No. That can't be.

"I... I'm not Tenebrae."

Jeremia tried to correct the form of address without really knowing what was wrong. However, the other party ridiculed her mockingly and reproached Jeremia.

"Ha, so you're saying you're Princess Jeremia then?"

"Yes! I am Jeremia...!"

"Where does a cursed princess who should have died long ago dare to impersonate Princess Jeremia?"

It was the first time Jeremia had seen the usually polite knights speak so harshly.

"And if you're going to lie, you should at least hide your necklace properly before speaking."

The knight pointed at Jeremia's neck. Jeremia tremblingly checked her necklace. Instead of the usual green, a dull, dirty, and hideous black gem with no light hung around Jeremia's neck.

'Why... why is this around my neck...'

Before Jeremia fell asleep, she was definitely wearing an emerald necklace. The necklace had been switched while she was sleeping.

'By whom?'

The owner of the black necklace...

At that moment, Tenebrae's image came to mind. Her appearance urging escape without proper explanation, her more excited and affectionate attitude than usual. Her sudden request to switch necklaces at father's birthday banquet. The image of father's blood dripping onto Tenebrae's face as he hung from the chandelier. Wait, was Tenebrae really in shock then? Wasn't she smiling?

Her heart sank.

"Tenebrae?"

All of it had been a scheme to send Jeremia to ruin. The black gem around Jeremia's neck seemed to mock her. But why? Why? Countless questions only clouded her mind.

While Jeremia's feet were bound, Azrael, who had been following at a leisurely pace, finally revealed himself through the bushes. Seeing a stranger holding a sword dripping with blood, the knights showed wariness, and Azrael bowed his head lightly in greeting.

"You are..."

"I am Sir Azrael Astaroth."

"Ah. You're the knight who travels with Bishop Marik."

The one who had betrayed Jeremia's trust and stabbed her wasn't even Tenebrae's guard. Unlike the despairing Jeremia, the search party relaxed their guard upon learning the other's identity.

"Yes, Sir Azrael. Did you capture the criminal?"

"Yes. I was pursuing Tenebrae Reverdi who was fleeing."

"Lies! You're Tenebrae's guard! Let go, I'm Jeremia!"

Everything from beginning to end was a lie. Jeremia screamed in denial, but no one listened to her words. That was because her appearance of screaming spitefully and throwing a tantrum was the complete opposite of Jeremia's usually innocent and kind demeanor.

"Mental breakdown? She seems to be under the delusion that she's Princess Jeremia. Well, one couldn't murder their own father with a sound mind."

The knight looked at Jeremia with utter disgust. No, it wasn't Jeremia who should receive such looks.

"Wow, the wound is serious."

"She was resisting, so I had no choice."

The hole in her stomach was as humiliating as it was painful. Jeremia had never been treated like this since birth. Everyone had cherished and cared for Jeremia. Even if she just got a paper cut while reading, people would worry about her. Had the world always been this heartless and frightening?

"Sir Azrael, His Majesty will surely give you a great reward for this achievement. I'm truly envious."

The knights asked Azrael's permission before binding Jeremia's body. With her legs tied, she collapsed to the ground.  Tears clouded her sight until everything was hazy—everything except a lone bug that moved with perfect clarity across the blades of grass.

The knights chatted amicably with Azrael. Then there was a rustling sound followed by a 'meow' of a cat.

"A cat?"

"Ah. Since this is a forest, cats do wander around."

Azrael looked around with a deep frown and then covered his nose as if there was a terrible smell.

"It might not be a cat but something suspicious, so I should take a look."

Then, looking fierce, he quickly disappeared into the bushes, leaving Jeremia and the knights behind.

"Didn't it definitely go 'meow'? What's he talking about, saying it's a cat..."

"Is he telling us to handle the cleanup? That's why you can't communicate with those high and mighty temple people."

After Azrael disappeared, the knights grumbled and complained, then tried to move Jeremia. The knight who was about to lift Jeremia suddenly tapped his colleague's shoulder as if something occurred to him.

"Hey... how about we steal the credit while that knight is gone?"

"What? He'll say he caught her."

"No. Think about it. That person isn't here right now, right? If we take the princess, it becomes our achievement. After that, even if he claims otherwise, it's just words. Can you believe that?"

"That's true."

The knights' gazes flew to and fixed on Jeremia. If they planned to steal the credit, they didn't necessarily need to keep Jeremia alive to take her.

"Just in case she blabbers nonsense about us scheming behind the scenes in front of His Majesty..."

"Princess Tenebrae. We're sorry about this."

"No! I won't say anything! Please don't kill me!"

One knight drew his sword from its sheath. The sharp steel rang chillingly. If she were captured alive, she could at least make her case to grandfather, but they were trying to kill Jeremia here.

Betrayed by the sisters she trusted, framed for killing her beloved father, and sentenced to death by grandfather, she would die. She lamented her own foolishness for not noticing Tenebrae's betrayal. She was bitter. Frustrated, angry, and resentful.

The one who should be in this place wasn't Jeremia but Tenebrae. The one who should have died was Tenebrae!

Most terrible of all was Tenebrae herself. Tenebrae who killed father, deceived Jeremia, and even stole her name. Tenebrae who must be in Jeremia's room by now.

It was the first time she had ever felt such terrible hatred for someone.

The blade was thrust right under her neck. She had lost too much blood from the wound Azrael inflicted, making her vision blurry. In fact, even without another confirmation kill, she would die like this anyway.

When the cold blade slightly touched her neck, she squeezed her eyes shut. However, instead of flash-like pain, a heavy feeling settled over Jeremia.

"Gasp, sob... wheeze."

Jeremia exhaled the breath she had been holding and breathed heavily. Unable to understand what was happening, she opened her eyes again to see a knight who had collapsed unconscious beside her. Not only that, but the other knights had also fallen to the ground, unconscious at some point.

Only one person was standing upright. Black hair and blue eyes...

"Father?"

The familiar appearance belonged to the Crown Prince. I see. Father had come to save Jeremia. As Jeremia hovered between life and death, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality, she thought this without feeling anything strange.

"...Please save me. I don't want to die."

If it was father, he would surely save Jeremia. Jeremia spoke with all her strength. It seemed like she had shouted loud enough to shake the forest, but the sound that actually came out was very weak, like babbling.

However, the voice that followed wasn't the Crown Prince's.

"Princess Tenebrae?"

Jeremia's eyes widened. It wasn't Father. Only after hearing Gabriel's voice did Jeremia realize she had been pleading to her father who was no longer in this world.

"I'm not Tenebrae... I'm Jeremia..."

As Jeremia sobbed, Gabriel rummaged through his clothes. When he brought something out and Jeremia became frightened, Gabriel showed her what was in his hand as if to calm her.

"Holy water?"

"Yes. I'm trying to heal you, Princess."

"Why are you healing me?"

With her ankle swollen, flesh cut by branches, coughing up blood from her abdomen, and covered in tears, Jeremia acted as if asking why he would heal her.

"Because you're badly injured."

Gabriel opened the bottle cap. He poured the holy water over Jeremia's wounds, but contrary to expectations, nothing happened. Could he have brought fake holy water in his haste? The authenticity of holy water could be verified by inflicting wounds on oneself, but unfortunately, Gabriel wasn't of a constitution that holy water worked on.

"...Are you naturally of a constitution that holy water doesn't work on?"

"What...? That can't be..."

Even while gasping for breath, Jeremia answered as if confused. It was the royal family who would treat even a paper cut from reading with holy water. Jeremia had also received this privilege, so saying holy water didn't work was nonsensical.

"Then why..."

"How did you get this wound?"

An unexpected intruder joined the conversation.

"A knight named Azrael stabbed me."

Without even noticing that the questioner had changed, Jeremia recalled the pain of Azrael stabbing her moments ago and chewed on her anger.

"Jelly?"

Jelly waved his hand casually at Gabriel who recognized him.

"If it was Azrael Astaroth who stabbed this woman, it's natural that it won't heal."

Gabriel knew that name well too. It was a famous name as Bishop Marik's knight.

"Natural?"

The Sun God loved humans. Therefore, the Sun God's blessing reaches all humans. However, the blessing doesn't reach apostates who blaspheme and turn their backs on God. That sin is so deep, carved into the soul, that they can only return to Rahel's embrace after washing away the sin several times.

"Wounds we inflict cannot be healed with holy water."

There was another exception. The Sun God despised those born from her traitorous sister 'Lea' - things that weren't human. So when holy water touched them, their flesh would melt away, and wounds they inflicted wouldn't heal with holy water either.

"Then what should we do..."

Gabriel looked down at Jeremia with a devastated heart.

The sound of her pleading to be saved pierced his heart. To be unable to do anything while facing a dying person felt like returning to his powerless childhood.

Back when Gabriel was very young and hadn't yet properly understood what it meant that holy water didn't work on him, he had almost been hit by a rushing carriage.

"You don't heal well from wounds, so you mustn't get hurt."

However, a child two years older who usually took good care of Gabriel pushed him aside and was hit by the carriage instead. Gabriel carried the child on his back and pleaded with adults for help to save him, but no one readily offered assistance. Only Bishop Jabanya, who had been doing volunteer work in the back alleys at the time, belatedly held the child's funeral.

Jeremia's appearance, quietly crying out in a hoarse voice to be saved, resembled Gabriel's past self. Perhaps it was for this reason that Gabriel wanted to hold Jeremia's hand, even though there was nothing he could do.

And perhaps... Jeremia might be able to live.

"Do you want to survive?"

"Yes...!"

Jeremia forcibly nodded her immobile head at Gabriel's question and desperately shouted in a hoarse voice. She desperately wanted to survive. She felt wronged and resentful at being betrayed by the family she trusted, by God, and couldn't close her eyes like this.

"...Even if it means taking a demon's hand?"

"A demon...? That would be rather welcome...."

A demon's assistance would be most welcome. Having been injured by Bishop Marik and her knight—those who served Rahel and called themselves the Sun God's representatives—Jeremia saw no reason to maintain faith in their deity. Whether it was punishment for betraying God, Jeremia's eyes gradually closed.

Gabriel heard Jeremia's will and called out to Jelly, who was yawning without emotion even while facing a dying person.

"Jelly. The fact that you're here means... Lady Rohanson is also with you, right?"

"Of course. Why would I have come if not for my master?"

Gabriel had seen Ryder at the Marquis Totten's house. Though Lady Totten was reluctant to speak and tried to hide it, seeing that Ryder had become healthy enough to ride horses despite being of a constitution that holy water didn't work on, it was clear that she had recovered through Lady Rohanson's grace. After all, wasn't Evangeline Rohanson herself living by healing a body that holy water didn't work on?

If so, Evangeline might know a way to save Jeremia.

"...Lady Rohanson."

Gabriel called the name of the pure white demon who had extended a hand to his young self in dreams.

"Yes, Sir. Did you call me?"

Then, as if by magic, Evangeline answered. Her voice was so soft and ethereal he could almost believe she was speaking from within a dream.

How long had she been by his side? At the quick response, as if she had been waiting for Gabriel to call her, Gabriel couldn't believe it and had to call that name again.

"Evangeline."

"Yes. Sir Gabriel."

Evangeline responded to his call again as if it wasn't bothersome. Somehow his heart swelled. He pushed aside for a moment the question of how someone who should be in prison had appeared before Gabriel's eyes, evading surveillance and watchful gazes. Evangeline had surely come to extend a hand to him.

"Are you surprised even though you called me first?"

Evangeline laughed as if seeing something cute. Her benevolently smiling appearance seemed as if she would fulfill everything Gabriel desired. Evangeline, who once made him feel disconnected just by looking at her and clearly showed her contempt for humans, now imitated kindness quite well.

"Please... save Her Imperial Highness."

In the settled darkness, Evangeline Rohanson alone sparkled. Pure white dress, white hair fluttering in the wind. He recalled words that Evangeline's maid Kanna had once said to tease him. She had asked if he thought of Evangeline as an angel. As if.

"If that's what you desire, Sir."

Gabriel's demon smiled benevolently.