MPBAGS Chapter 39

Raphaela quietly observed Evangeline Rohanson as she conversed with Daisy. With his mouth, he was exchanging meaningless words with Uriel, so to anyone else watching, it would appear that Raphaela was engaging in his usual pointless banter. Of course, even Uriel, who was currently conversing with him, was rather oblivious and didn't really know Raphaela's true nature.

Raphaela was the one who knew the most truth within the knight order, excluding Gabriel. If Raphaela had been as innocent as he appeared, Gabriel wouldn't have kept him by his side in the first place.

Raphaela had seen Donau's corpse and knew about the mysterious text that had emerged from it. He also knew about the sorcery circles and was currently investigating past sorcery after visiting the Rohanson estate.

It was also Raphaela who had listened to Daisy's testimony, compiled it, and submitted a report to Gabriel.

Daisy's testimony seemed normal at first glance.

She had seen Priest Berga summoning something. It was like a demon, and those killed by that demon had their heads cut off and then reattached. And they acted perfectly normal as if they hadn't died at all, indistinguishable from ordinary humans except for the red line drawn across their necks.

That's why she had been so terrified when she saw Kanna, Evangeline Rohanson's maid.

Honestly, since she was a maid employed by Evangeline Rohanson, it seemed believable that she might be a dead person. After all, Evangeline herself had supposedly died and come back to life.

'Evangeline Rohanson's neck...'

Of course, Evangeline's neck was completely clean.

The evil deeds that Daisy described Priest Berga committing were horrific enough to make one frown. The reason he had been safe until now was probably due to the monastery's characteristic isolation in the outskirts and the backing of Priest Berga's family. Really, is this how a clergyman who received Rahel's grace should behave?

Other crimes that Daisy didn't know about would be revealed once they captured and investigated Priest Berga.

However, there were also suspicious parts in Daisy's statement.

Among several things, what Raphaela found most puzzling was how Daisy, who had witnessed the summoning of a demon, managed to safely escape after seeing it.

It didn't seem like Priest Berga would easily let go of Daisy, who knew so many of his secrets. How had she escaped?

"Uriel, can you escape from a difficult place where you're being watched?"

"A prison, you mean? Then you shouldn't escape."

"...Not a prison, somewhere else. For example, a place like a monastery."

Uriel didn't understand why one would be imprisoned in a monastery, watched, and need to escape, but he thought seriously to answer Raphaela's question.

"By jumping through a window? If I used a tree, I think I could manage up to the third floor safely."

"...Right, thanks."

Raphaela held his head at the completely unhelpful answer. Daisy wouldn't be able to jump through a window to escape like Uriel.

Raphaela turned his attention back to the conversation between the two women.

"—."

"You, you don't know my name?"

"—."

"...It's Daisy."

It was a strange sensation. The two were clearly having a conversation, but he couldn't hear what Evangeline Rohanson was saying at all. Moreover, Evangeline wasn't even moving her lips. Yet the fact that Evangeline was speaking was crystal clear.

Daisy seemed to hear her properly as she continued exchanging questions and answers as if she had heard something.

Raphaela had no choice but to guess at the conversation based only on Daisy's words.

Following their conversation, it seemed that Evangeline Rohanson didn't remember Daisy. When Daisy gave her testimony, she had acted as if she had witnessed trauma.

"Lady Evangeline came back to life? I don't know how you heard about it, but yes, it's true. Everyone who attended the funeral saw it too. ...The scene of the dead young lady coming back to life."

"The priest who officiated the funeral committed suicide? That's not surprising."

"I've seen the summoning circle that the young lady drew. She said she was summoning an angel? An angel? If you saw it yourself, you wouldn't say such things."

And what she witnessed at the Rohanson estate.

Daisy said she had seen Evangeline summoning something. Based on Priest Berga's case, it must have been a demon as well.

"There are many watching eyes at the Rohanson estate. That's why I went to the monastery."

After that, she fled to the monastery because there were watching eyes at the estate. What bad luck to be caught up in incidents wherever she went.

What exactly were the 'eyes' that Daisy mentioned? Did it mean there were many people watching? Were all the servants at the Rohanson estate as loyal as the sisters Henna and Kanna?

Originally, the captain was supposed to ask about that, but things got complicated when Daisy shut her mouth after seeing the maids at the Rohanson estate.

The captain assigned Raphaela to escort her to gather more information, but Daisy maintained silence throughout the walk, yielding no harvest.

Meeting Evangeline Rohanson was unexpected luck. Daisy had been excessively agitated from the moment Evangeline Rohanson entered her line of sight.

So Raphaela deliberately brought Daisy in front of Evangeline Rohanson, thinking he could extract more information. But since he couldn't hear Evangeline's voice, there was no significant gain.

"...Sir Gabriel knows."

Moreover, Daisy seemed to have gotten scared and confessed in reverse that she had given testimony. From the fact that the captain's name came up, it seemed she had revealed that she had made a statement.

He had only created trouble for nothing. That was the case until a man appeared afterward.

A man with black hair and golden eyes who looked extremely wild. His leisurely movements were like those of a large predator moving at ease. The man naturally stood behind Evangeline.

"Who is he?"

"He's Mr. Jelly, Lady Rohanson's companion."

Raphaela looked at Uriel with bewilderment. His head throbbed because of his naive colleague who thought such a joke-like thing was a real name and even added honorifics.

"He was quiet and composed."

"That person called Jelly?"

"He didn't say a word while the young lady was praying."

He was even alone with that suspicious person? Of course, strictly speaking, Evangeline Rohanson was closer to being a dangerous element. He felt slightly resentful toward the captain who had assigned the oblivious and naive Uriel to her.

Composed? He looked like a thug at first glance, how was he composed? Jelly swaggered over and stopped behind Evangeline. Then he spotted Daisy, who was conversing with Evangeline, and widened his eyes.

"Oh? You are?"

Daisy's face turned even paler, as if she recognized Jelly as well.

"I, I should be going now."

Daisy backed away anxiously and eventually started running away. Raphaela was bewildered by her sudden flight and called out to Daisy.

"Sister! You should come with us!"

"It's okay! The carriage stop is right ahead!"

The place where carriages lined up waiting was right in front of them. Since it didn't seem like he would gain important information by accompanying her this short distance, Raphaela didn't stop Daisy.

"She's gone."

Then he told Evangeline Rohanson that he would guide her way and created distance to make it easier for the two to converse. All his attention was focused behind him.

"Who? Oh, that girl from before? Um... we had a bit of a mutually helpful relationship?"

"No. Rather, I helped her. I took her out and we escaped together."

"The cleanup was done neatly too."

Again, he couldn't hear Evangeline's words. Though it was a half-fragmented conversation, Raphaela solved the puzzle thanks to hearing that exchange.

The answer to the question he had just asked Uriel came back from the man.

That man had helped Daisy escape from the monastery. And the man was disguised as Evangeline's escort.

Evangeline didn't know of Daisy's existence. On the other hand, Daisy already knew about Evangeline as well as the sorcery circles. That's why she could recognize that Priest Berga was performing sorcery. But the one who helped Daisy escape was the person claiming to be Evangeline Rohanson's escort, who didn't know Daisy.

Was helping her that man's unilateral kindness? But why was that person at the monastery? At that exact time? How did an outsider...?

Raphaela's mind began spinning rapidly to think, deduce, and derive the most logical answer.

As Raphaela's head grew increasingly complex, a great commotion was heard from behind. Raphaela, who was straining his ears to focus on Evangeline's conversation, was the first to notice the murmuring.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

"Sir Knight! Someone please come here!"

"No!"

These were screams unfit for the serene and sacred cathedral. Uriel rushed out first without hesitation. Raphaela tried to follow but stopped, looking at Evangeline and Jelly. What should he do with these two? He couldn't leave them behind.

"Let's go see."

As if sensing Raphaela's dilemma, Evangeline spoke. Raphaela nodded and then ran past the two. Fire? Fire? He had a strange sense of déjà vu.

Raphaela ran frantically following the sound. That's how he arrived at a place that he belatedly realized was very familiar.

People were screaming in agony. No one was injured, but sharp screams like sword cuts burst out from time to time. Those screaming were staring at only one place. Raphaela joined their gaze.

It was a fire demon. What was burning was the masterpiece by Jim Nofedi depicting Donau Blue. The painting that depicted the scene after the fire had been extinguished was reigniting with flames again.

Along with the relief that no one was hurt, the sight of people assimilated into the painting and screaming was chillingly unsettling. It seemed the same for Uriel, who had run ahead first. Uriel was looking at them with a vacant expression.

But those who had been writhing in agony spotted Raphaela. They approached crawling on their knees, walking on the floor, staggering on two feet.

"Sir Knight, please put out the fire."

"Sir Knight, the painting is on fire, on fire."

Each uttered their own prayers, but Raphaela could understand all the sounds. Put out the fire in the painting. That was the only thing they wanted.

'Why bother?'

Did he really need to put out the fire? If the painting burned completely away, wouldn't those people return to normal?

That hypothesis held Raphaela back. Uriel wasn't much different either. While the two hesitated, there was a presence behind them.