MPBAGS Chapter 23

And before Daisy could say anything, the monk grabbed her arm with a strong grip and dragged her away.

Daisy tried to shake off his arm, but the monk's strength was unexpectedly overwhelming. Though there had been many rumors about Father Berga, she hadn't heard stories of him being this forceful.

No matter how great Father Berga's position in the monastery, there were still public eyes to consider. Did he think it didn't matter because Daisy had no backing?

They were already in front of Father Berga's room. A monk who had been standing guard like a lookout in front of the priest's room grinned when he saw Daisy.

"You really brought her."

"Where's the Father?"

"He's still out of his mind. He keeps muttering to himself - seems like he's gone crazy."

"Don't speak so blasphemously."

"You're more blasphemous, bastard. All that lust. Do you think the Father will return to normal just by seeing her?"

"It's possible."

From their conversation, Daisy realized that Father Berga had never actually called for her.

The monk opened the door and pushed Daisy inside. When Daisy hurriedly tried to turn the doorknob, it wouldn't open as if someone was holding it from outside.

"We'll let you out when the Father's condition improves."

She could hear the monk's voice from beyond the door. Daisy let go of the doorknob. A sense of helplessness filled her entire body. She felt like tears would overflow, but she bit her lip.

If Father Berga hadn't called for her, she might be lucky enough to just go back.

By the way, what was Father Berga doing? How could someone who asserted such authority be in a state that would let the monks act on their own?

Daisy stepped further inside. Father Berga's room seemed twice as large as the rooms other monks used. She could hear groaning from inside. Or was it panting?

And the moment Daisy saw Father Berga, she unconsciously stepped backward.

This was a completely unexpected situation.

Father Berga was on the floor with his head down, drawing. Several sheets of paper were crumpled, and overturned ink had stained the floor black.

He hadn't even dipped the ink properly, so the drawing on the paper sometimes looked like mere pressure marks.

Though the form wasn't clear, Daisy recognized what was drawn on the paper at a glance. How could she not know? It was the same symbol that thing wearing Miss Evangeline's skin had been drawing.

"I need to complete the hidden part. Is this it? This seems right..."

Despite all the commotion, Father Berga didn't seem to notice that Daisy had entered.

Father Berga's hands moved busily. Daisy stood behind him, staring down at him. Her breathing quickened. It felt like she was back to secretly peering into the fourth-floor storage room at the Rohanson mansion. It seemed like something indescribable would emerge from the summoning circle on the floor at any moment, just like that time.

If I leave this alone, he'll really summon those eyes again.

No. I can't let him complete that. How did I manage to escape? I can't see those eyes again. I have to stop him... I have to stop him.

Daisy looked for a way and picked up the statue of Rahel beside her. The stone carved with the god was very heavy. Daisy raised both hands high and brought them down.

A dull vibration resonated through her fingertips.

The priest collapsed forward. When Daisy let go, the sculpture of the Sun God Rahel fell to the floor and broke in half. The white robes of the broken Rahel were stained with red liquid.

Blood flowing from the priest's head began to soak the drawing. Before Daisy could even realize it, following the tracks pressed by the pen like waterways, it colored the picture.

"What have I, what have I done..."

Daisy gasped as she became aware of the carnage she had created. I, I was just trying to stop him.

What if this is discovered? Killing a priest was a much deeper sin than killing anyone else. Because it was daring to kill someone loved by God. If caught, she would be executed.

"I have to run..."

But this was the fourth floor, so she couldn't jump down. Two monks were guarding outside the door. There was no way to escape anywhere. Unless someone helped her.

"Shall I help you?"

Suddenly, a whispering voice was heard by her ear.

When Daisy trembled and glanced around, a man who shouldn't exist was right beside her, his eyes gleaming. A red tongue flicked between sharp teeth. Hair black as a swamp filled Daisy's vision.

"Shh. You need to be quiet."

The man covered Daisy's mouth with his hand. Daisy even stopped breathing.

"Hey. There was some noise - what happened?"

"Why are you asking that? Just pretend you don't know and leave it alone."

"Ah..."

Whether they understood each other about the loud noise that had just occurred, the door didn't open. When the man's hand fell away, Daisy exhaled the breath she had been holding. As oxygen filled her lungs, her distant consciousness returned. The man looked down at Daisy thoughtfully and tilted his head.

"I came because I smelled that guy's scent, but why are you alone?"

"That guy... you mean?"

"Don't you know? That guy with many eyes. He's called Flauros."

At the mention of eyes, Daisy's body trembled. Was the man talking about 'that thing' she had seen at the Rohanson mansion?

"Seems like you don't know? I have business with that guy. You'll have to take me to him."

Daisy shook her head. Go back there again? Absolutely not.

"You have no choice. You already made a wish, didn't you? I came out cheap, so you should at least do that much to make it worth it."

A wish? When Daisy looked puzzled, the man flicked his finger. At the same time, the dead priest began to rise.

The scene reminded her of when Evangeline had been revived. The nightmare from that day was repeating itself, becoming even more terrible.

"Ugh. By the way, you offered something like that as a sacrifice? Anyone but a hungry guy like me wouldn't even look at it."

The man retched at the sight of the priest's corpse. Perhaps because of his cheerful attitude, the scene of making the corpse move seemed almost comical.

"Now. I've made that thing move, so it's your turn to escape."

Before Daisy could resist, the man snapped his fingers.

When she came to her senses, Daisy was standing in the forest outside the monastery. In the place where Daisy and the man had disappeared, in the room messy with blood and ink, the priest sat blankly in his spot. Surely if you looked inside him, it would be completely empty.

"Oops. I forgot the after-service."

And like someone who had forgotten something when going out, the man returned, passed by the priest, and opened the door. Before the two monks guarding outside could panic at the strange figure, lines appeared on their necks and their heads simply fell off.

The strange thing was that instead of collapsing, the headless ones picked up their severed heads rolling on the floor and placed them back on each other's necks.

"Perfect. Yes, very good."

The man disappeared with satisfaction. The fact that the two severed heads had been attached incorrectly wasn't particularly important.