MPBAGS Chapter 46

Uriel went to the infirmary and laid Michel on the bed. Now he could just leave, right? Since holy water had already been poured over him, there shouldn't be any need for separate treatment... Just as Uriel was thinking this and about to leave the infirmary, Seraph entered.

Earlier when he came, there had been sounds of swords clashing, so he must have been sparring. There was a shallow cut near his neck. Seraph looked at the thoroughly soaked Michel and was shocked with horror.

"Sir Michel! Wh-what happened? Why are you so wet? Are you in pain? It's not cold sweat, is it? Don't die, Sir Michellll...!"

"Sir Seraph, please calm down. It's just holy water."

"What? Were you hurt that badly? Oh, or did you jump into a fountain?"

Seraph was particularly timid and prone to worry. Uriel explained what had happened so that Seraph wouldn't misunderstand.

Every time he said something, Seraph would interject with his own speculation, distorting the incident, which made the story progress slowly.

Their conversation continued until Gabriel and the knights finished seeing off Evangeline and stopped by the infirmary.

"That's how it happened."

"I see... I understand perfectly."

Raphaela, watching the two converse, almost closed the door again. Flustered Seraph and simple, ignorant Uriel—what a terrible combination.

Fortunately, besides the two of them, there was also a knight named Jeremy in the infirmary. Jeremy had come looking for Seraph, who had gone to the infirmary for brief treatment during sparring but hadn't returned for a while, only to get caught up in this. Jeremy, making eye contact with Raphaela, flailed his hands pleading to be rescued.

"Sir Raphaela! Captain!"

"Captain. What about Lady Rohanson?"

"She has returned."

"Ah..."

Raphaela was confused by Uriel's sorrowful tone, wondering if his "returned" meant she had returned to heaven.

"What about Michel?"

"He's still asleep—oh, you're awake?"

Seraph awkwardly exchanged glances with Michel, who was staring with both eyes wide open. Raphaela held his forehead.

"Ah... I'm sorry. You two were having such an enjoyable conversation that it was a bit difficult for me to interrupt."

Michel, scratching his cheek, sat up. Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem with moving his body.

"Michel, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. I apologize for causing you concern."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes. I remember some things, and I just heard from Sir Uriel, so I roughly understand the situation."

Gabriel and Raphaela examined Michel and were greatly relieved to see that he had no injuries and appeared fine. This was thanks to the holy water Evangeline had poured. Looking at him now, his mental state seemed to have returned to normal as well. Still, they needed to ask questions just in case.

"Michel, are you feeling better now? Not your body, but your head."

"Pardon?"

"Do you still think what was drawn in that painting was an angel?"

"Ah... I'm sorry. I don't know why I thought that at the time. Now that I think about it, it was a very ominous and grotesque painting."

"You seem to have returned to your right mind."

Raphaela sat down on the bed opposite where Michel was lying, greatly relieved. 'That Michel, making people worry like that.'

"Michel, you really should be grateful to us. We locked you in a room telling you to come to your senses, but somehow you escaped and were fearlessly embracing something on fire? If it weren't for Lady Rohanson, you would have been seriously hurt."

Raphaela scolded Michel as if releasing all the pent-up frustration. Michel listened to Raphaela's words looking embarrassed, but his eyes lit up when Evangeline was mentioned.

"Um, what is Lady Rohanson's name?"

"Lady Rohanson? It's Evangeline Rohanson."

"Evangeline Rohanson..."

Why is he asking that? Raphaela suddenly had an ominous feeling. This was... if he had to compare it, it was similar to when Gabriel had kissed Evangeline's hand earlier.

"Captain, Sir Raphaela. The moment I faced that person, I realized my destiny."

Please no, right? It's not like he fell in love at first sight or something, right? Raphaela prayed desperately that it wouldn't be that.

"Lady Evangeline is an angel, isn't she?"

This is even worse. Raphaela corrected himself. He would rather have Michel say he fell in love. That damned painting made him go crazy, saying an angel was waiting and trying to jump into the painting, and now he's saying Evangeline Rohanson is an angel?

The problem was that this time, there was actually a possibility it could be true. Even after hearing Daisy's testimony, Gabriel and Raphaela couldn't determine Evangeline's true identity.

"It doesn't matter if she's not. When Lady Evangeline baptized me, I realized bone-deep who I should truly serve."

Was he talking about that moment just before he fainted, when his eyes went wild? What Raphaela saw wasn't a hallucination. Raphaela had witnessed the moment Michel became enchanted by Evangeline.

Logically, if my body is on fire and some woman appears and pours water to put out the fire, I'd be grateful. Raphaela, who had been trying to understand Michel, finally gave up on empathy as anger rose within him.

"You crazy bastard!"

I'd just think gratefully. I might think she's like an angel. But serve her? Baptism? That bastard's brain had definitely gone bad.

"Sir Raphaela, Sir Michel just woke up. Please calm down."

Jeremy covered Raphaela's mouth and calmed him down from shouting. Michel, as if Raphaela's anger didn't even register, continued speaking.

"I can no longer remain as God Rahel's knight. I will go where that person is. I will ask Lady Rohanson to accept me as her escort knight. Will she refuse because it's so sudden? Then I wouldn't mind being a stable hand. I want to breathe in the place where she exists."

Raphaela, watching Michel worship heretically right next to the Great Temple, apologized to God Rahel in his stead. Divine Rahel, that bastard is just temporarily insane.

"Captain, it looks like Sir Raphaela is about to collapse..."

At Jeremy's words, Gabriel called Michel.

"Michel."

"Yes, Captain."

Even in his madness, the fact that he still recognized people well was at least better than before.

"You know how great a sin you've committed against God right now, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then continue to stay here. Think of it as punishment given by God Rahel."

"I see. So it's punishment for me, who has come to serve another, to still work for God Rahel here. God Rahel is indeed merciful. But Captain, are you alright? Being with a heretic worshipper like me?"

"I always respect you."

"Captain! I respect you as much as I do God Rahel!"

Raphaela wanted to reform that rotten mind that just called himself a heretic worshiper but then described liking the captain as much as God Rahel. When he was enchanted by the painting, at least they couldn't communicate, which was somewhat better; now that they could communicate, it was even more unbearable.

"Did Sir Michel just say he's a heretic worshipper?"

"Did he?"

Hearing Uriel and Seraph making comedy-like remarks behind him, Raphaela thought it would be better for him to go to the Rohanson estate instead.