MPBAGS Chapter 20

"When Lady Rohanson finishes her prayers, have her escorted to the knights' reception room. Uriel is with her."

On his way, he also instructed a knight to bring Lady Evangeline to the knights' reception room.

The Pharalos Knights belonged to the temple, so their building stood separately near the Grand Temple. Henna had expected something as grand as the temple itself, but the structure turned out surprisingly modest.

"Ah. There it is."

As they approached the knights' office, Henna imagined the worst possible scenario ahead.

Gabriel must have been pleased to have a lead on the case, but Henna felt the opposite—deeply anxious. She and Kanna had witnessed Donau's death, yet now another witness had appeared? A witness related to the painting, perhaps someone connected to the painter? Did they even need a witness?

And someone from the convent, no less. Henna couldn't understand what Gabriel's witness could have possibly seen, and the uncertainty gnawed at her.

'Surely they didn't see the Lady kill Donau. The door was wide open then, so if they heard the commotion...'

The office door opened like a death sentence.

Inside sat three knights, including Raphaela whom she'd just seen, and someone in nun's robes—presumably the informant. The person was too familiar. Henna blurted out the name before she could stop herself.

"Daisy?"

Daisy, rumored to have gone blind and been discarded to the convent, looked back at Henna with a gaunt face.

"Henna. Why are you here?"

"That's my line. They said you went blind..."

Rumors had spread that Daisy lost her sight and was sent to a convent. When Henna first took over Daisy's position, she'd been terrified. She'd half-suspected that Daisy was already dead and the Lady had spread those rumors to cover it up.

But looking at her now, Daisy wasn't blind at all. She didn't even appear seriously injured.

So Daisy was the witness? Henna's head throbbed at this unexpected situation. If it were someone else, she could at least claim they were mistaken. But Daisy had been the Lady's close personal maid until recently.

The people of Rohanson estate kept their mouths shut thanks to the butler's money and Lady Evangeline's ever-present influence. But if it was Daisy, who'd already quit? She'd reveal everything from the dead Lady's resurrection onward.

That couldn't happen. If the temple learned the whole truth and tried to execute the Lady—it wasn't harm to the Lady Henna worried about. The role of Evangeline Rohanson was what kept the current Lady restrained. What came after that restraint became meaningless was what terrified her.

What should she do? She had to silence Daisy somehow.

"Did you quit working at the estate?"

When Henna shook her head, Daisy's face went white.

"Quit as soon as you can. Wait, wait. That thing on her neck... Henna, who is that?"

Daisy pointed at Kanna.

"My sister."

Her neck? Daisy was staring at Kanna's neck. A red line marked Kanna's throat—left by Donau in the past. Kanna had refused treatment with holy water, so it remained.

Daisy covered her mouth as if about to vomit.

"Your sister?"

Henna nodded at Daisy's echo.

"Your sister... does she work at the estate with you?"

"Yes."

With each answer, Daisy's face turned paler. Her hand covering her mouth trembled, her eyes shaking endlessly.

That line on the neck was definitely a mark from the demon Daisy had summoned. The demon had the grotesque hobby of killing people by cutting their throats, then reattaching them. Without that thin line on the neck, you couldn't tell if the person had died.

The demon had asked to be guided to Rohanson estate, and Daisy had obeyed. The demon had successfully entered the estate and harmed its people.

She'd suspected as much, but seeing a victim standing before her was shocking. The fact that the victim was the blood relative of a former colleague made the guilt even worse.

"What have I done..."

When the shocked Daisy staggered, a nearby knight rushed to support her, but Daisy sharply swatted his hand away. Then she stared at the knight she'd pushed with a look of terror and stumbled backward.

It seemed like those knights might suddenly turn and strike Daisy's neck. After summoning a demon and killing Father Berga, Daisy wasn't exactly innocent either.

"I should be going now."

"What? What do you—"

Daisy had come to the temple to verify the painting Father Berga had seen. She'd confirmed the ominous summoning circle in the painting and decided to testify, intending to have it disposed of.

Of course, she hadn't planned to confess everything she'd done, so her testimony was a plausible mixture of lies.

"What I just told you is everything. Isn't that testimony enough?"

When Gabriel turned to check, a knight nodded. Gabriel received the paper with Daisy's testimony neatly summarized and skimmed the contents.

It stated that Father Berga of the convent had summoned a demon through that summoning circle. It also listed several atrocities Father Berga had committed while possessed by the demon. The testimony included claims that evidence would be found if they searched the priest's room.

The next page contained information about Evangeline Rohanson. Judging by their conversation, she'd apparently worked at Rohanson estate before—this seemed to be an eyewitness account from that time.

Gabriel glanced at Henna and Kanna, then quietly flipped the paper face down. That explained Daisy's anxiety. Meeting people from the Rohanson estate again—of course she was frightened.

"This is quite helpful. I'll investigate the rest myself."

When Gabriel gave permission to leave, Daisy looked relieved. Father Berga was already dead, so she felt no guilt pinning crimes on him. The atrocities she'd described were things Father Berga had actually done, and he really had drawn that summoning circle.

Daisy's only goal was to remove the ominous painting hanging in the temple—this was sufficient for that purpose.

"Raphaela, escort her outside the temple."

Daisy realized refusing even this would look truly suspicious, so she nodded quietly.

As Daisy passed Henna, she whispered very quietly. So quietly even Kanna beside Henna couldn't hear.

"Henna. That's not your sister."

She couldn't explain everything. Knights stood right there, and she feared hearing Henna's resentment—my sister died because of you. So those words were Daisy's best effort.

Daisy looked at Henna's dead sister and the sphere floating beside her. She hadn't expected to see that again outside the estate. The only mercy was that it didn't frighten her as much as before.

Perhaps being inside the Grand Temple prevented it from exerting full power. Fortunately, based on Daisy's experience, that eye couldn't hear sound. It wouldn't have heard what Daisy just told Henna.

Daisy hurried out of the reception room, afraid to meet the eye's gaze.

Watching Daisy's escorted departure, Henna quietly gripped her sister's hand tight.

"Sister. What did that person just say?"

"Nothing."

Whatever Daisy said, Kanna was Henna's one and only sister. When she'd felt elation seeing dead Donau, when she'd called that monstrous painting beautiful—no matter how broken Kanna was or what she thought, to Henna she was just a beloved sister. Right. Right?

"Did your prayers go well?"

Yes. I had an absolutely killer nap. But I couldn't exactly tell a holy knight I'd slept through prayer time, so I just nodded awkwardly.

The prayer room Uriel had shown me was a private room nobles frequently used. The main clientele being wealthy types, the interior was incredibly lavish. I'd imagined something like a cell, but it was nothing like that. Very cozy and nice.

Sunlight poured through large windows, and organ music drifted from somewhere. I'd pretended to pray with my eyes closed, then drowsiness hit and I'd fallen asleep.

I didn't see any god in my dreams either. Some transmigrator privilege—talking with gods. The language patch came late, the possession timing was way delayed—no way I'd get special treatment like that. I'd been running my happiness circuit too hard.

"Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not at all. Some believers pray for hours."

I'd worried I'd overslept, but fortunately not much time had passed. It would be nice if the temple had clocks. The prayer room had none, of course. No cell phones meant this kind of inconvenience. I should carry a pocket watch or something.

"Ah, the Commander is waiting at the knights' building. Your companions are there too. I'll escort you there."

Henna and Kanna must have finished viewing the painting already. They hadn't gone back to the estate first—they'd waited for me? Is this friendship? My heart warmed. I slapped the drowsing Jelly awake. Thwack. Technically he'd also waited, so why was he so irritating?

While at the temple, I'd also shopped for holy water with the gold coins I'd brought. Might as well stock up. Fortunately, I'd grabbed gold coins haphazardly, so I had money left even after buying ten bottles of holy water.

"Impressive, My Lady. I couldn't buy that much even if I spent several years of my salary."

Uriel clapped like a store clerk, delivering the scripted praise. Was he actually a holy water salesman instead of a knight?

When I had Jelly carry the holy water, he grimaced in disgust.

"You want me to carry this...?"