MPBAGS Chapter 68

The dense lights gradually decreased in number following Gabriel's steps, and when he descended underground, it reached the point where the front would be difficult to discern without a lantern.

The underground, where sunlight could not reach, was a very suitable place for committing vile deeds while avoiding God's eyes. That's why the Empire had an unusually large number of basements. The same was true even for the Grand Temple. The place Gabriel found was mainly a detention room for confining or interrogating criminals.

"Bishop Jabanya?"

"We meet again, my friend."

There were prior visitors underground. Two priests, Bishop Jabanya, and a middle-aged woman wearing a white veil kindly welcomed Gabriel.

"Knight Commander, it's been a long time."

A smile could be seen curving softly beyond the veil. However, Gabriel couldn't bring himself to smile back. This was because in front of the veiled woman lay a corpse with holes melted through its entire body.

"It was sinful for a criminal to wear monastic robes, so I had them removed."

The face was barely recognizable, so Gabriel only realized later it was Berga, a monastery priest, after seeing the priest's robes neatly folded beside the body.

"The heart wasn't beating. Do you see how the head is deeply dented? He probably died then."

When the corpse, wounded badly enough to deserve death, writhed, Bishop Marik grabbed it by the hair and lifted it up as if to show off.

"And despite being in this state, it still moves."

Several bottles of holy water had been wasted, but all it did was melt the flesh. To kill it completely, they would have to drown it by submerging it in holy water. Since there was nothing more to learn, that was the only way to deal with it.

"To die and not be able to rest in Lady Rahel's embrace... This is the fate of one who betrayed God."

When Marik let go, the corpse fell face-down on the floor again.

Perhaps because the opponent was a heinous criminal, the treatment was harsher than usual. Since Bishop Marik was originally a nun, the deeds Berga had committed in the remote monastery would have been particularly displeasing to her.

There had been Daisy's tip-off, and they had brought in Berga and two monks under his command together.

Although they couldn't find the demon Daisy claimed to have seen, papers stained with blood found in Berga's room clearly revealed the use of sorcery circles. In addition, evidence and witnesses of bribery and sexual assault came forward. When it was revealed that he had even committed murder and destroyed evidence, the family that had been defending Berga quickly cut ties with him, fearing they would fall out of favor with the temple.

"This one must have performed sorcery by looking at the paintings hanging in the temple."

Marik had recognized the sorcery circle early on.

"Do you remember the heretic massacre from 20 years ago, Bishop?"

"Massacre? Knight Commander, watch your words. That was a purification operation. I remember it, of course. That's about when I left the monastery."

This faithful bishop did not hesitate to shed blood for Rahel's sake. Marik had been able to rise to her current position by being recognized for her contributions at that time.

"You were too young then, so you probably don't remember."

In contrast, Marik had vivid memories of that time. Perhaps because it was her youngest and most passionate period.

Marik shared her knowledge with the young successor while reminiscing about the past.

"Sorcerers' symbols are very easy to distinguish. They have stars drawn on them."

If the sun represented the only divinity under Rahel's rule, then the stars represented the opposite. They used to compare those petty, cunning things that threatened the sun. They even aspired to challenge the sun's supremacy, but they were too weak and insignificant to pose any real threat.

That's why the symbols drawn by sorcerers had many stars. The lowly ones who couldn't even look at Lady Rahel prayed to stars instead of God. But since the target was not omnipotent, there was always a price to pay. Because they were evil, they had to be bound by contracts.

"They claim that if you offer a sacrifice and make a wish, a contract is formed."

Gabriel recalled the woman he had met in broad daylight.

"You already knew this, so you recognized the danger of the painting."

"Yes. If I had known that the painting's corrupting influence would spread along the waterways that Donau Blue created,—spreading calamity from person to person—I would have disposed of that painting immediately. Even if other brothers and sisters opposed it, I should have taken a firm stance..."

'Spreading through waterways...'

Gabriel mulled over the words. Though her attitude seemed stern, wasn't she speaking as if she actually hoped it would happen that way?

Bishop Marik was someone with great influence even among fellow bishops. If Marik had really wanted to take down the painting, she could have removed it much more easily before it burned.

Deliberately displaying Donau's painting, hoping for it to spread, then capturing sorcerers again to gain merit. It was natural to suspect that Bishop Marik had chosen to repeat the past as a way to rise to the position of cardinal.

However, Marik smiled benevolently as if she had no ulterior motives whatsoever.

"It's truly fortunate that the fire broke out and the painting burned before things got worse."

Gabriel couldn't consider the burning of the painting fortunate.

While investigating the cause of the painting's ignition, he happened to hear about the recent situation of Jim Nofedi, who had painted it.

Jim had been traveling from place to place to gain inspiration for a masterpiece that would surpass his previous work. Since he had been inspired by Donau's death, the places he visited were of that nature. However, there wouldn't be many bereaved families willing to tolerate acts that desecrated corpses.

Then Jim discovered a corpse that greatly pleased him. He asked an old woman who had lost her young grandchild if he could praise the grandchild's corpse and paint it. The old woman cursed at him and drove him away, and Jim, thinking he was cornered, went so far as to steal the corpse.

The old woman was furious, and together with sympathetic villagers, they found Jim and beat him to death. The painting burned at the same time Jim died, by coincidence.

"Lady Rohanson, was it? The young lady who put out the fire then."

"Yes, that's correct."

When Evangeline Rohanson's story came up, Gabriel observed Marik's expression.

"Haha. Are you worried I might harm her? There's no way... I just want to praise someone who acted justly."

In the previous meeting, Gabriel had ultimately chosen silence. He had revealed as little information as possible about Evangeline Rohanson and erased traces of her activities.

"You're being too protective of someone you're infatuated with."

And in the process of diminishing Evangeline's presence, he had filled the gaps in plausibility with rather ridiculous excuses.

At the moment of first discovering Donau's corpse, Evangeline Rohanson had become a pitiful woman worried about employees caught in the flames.

Gabriel's subsequent visit to the Rohanson mansion became a visit to comfort the young lady he was infatuated with. The documents he had occasionally sent to report on the situation's progress became love letters, and Evangeline's visit to the temple became a kind of date.

He omitted most of the testimony about Daisy and Ainoa Orphanage. He testified that Daisy was merely the informant in the priest Berga case, with no connection to the orphanage.

Instead, he coordinated with Troy to make it seem that Evangeline had originally been doing volunteer work at the orphanage and thus could notice the orphanage's abnormalities. He naturally kept silent about the symbols discovered at the orphanage.

He had wanted to go with not mentioning Evangeline's name at all, but Raphaela had raised an objection. The reason was that Gabriel and Evangeline were connected too frequently.

"Commander. Do you know what people usually think when a commander meets with a noble lady so often, visits her, and even sends letters?"

"I wonder."

"They think, 'Sir Gabriel is chasing after a suspicious criminal. He's going to chase them to the very ends of hell to uncover the truth.' That's what they think."

Raphaela emphasized again that there was only one way to escape such perception.

"Commander, you're in love. Even the great commander of the Pharalos Knights has fallen in love, so he's reduced to just chasing after a woman's skirts."

Moreover, since they would need Evangeline's cooperation going forward, this was perfect for avoiding public suspicion.

And ridiculously, this worked quite well. Throughout the meeting, Evangeline's name, which occasionally came up, was roughly lumped together and passed over under the name of romantic affection.

"You're acting like someone your age should, so it's quite endearing."

One priest who usually viewed Gabriel unfavorably even patted his shoulder and encouraged him as he was leaving after the meeting ended.

Raphaela, watching this, was amazed and asked Gabriel if he had a talent for acting. Of course, this didn't work on everyone. For example, the faithful believer before him who wouldn't hesitate to kill a lover for Rahel's sake.

"Come to think of it, one more room has been filled. Since it's related to Lady Rohanson, did the Knight Commander come to see that?"

"Yes, that's correct."

When Gabriel seemed unwilling to talk about Evangeline, Marik changed the subject. Even though Marik hadn't participated in the meeting, the fact that she knew about Director Merai suggested she had heard about it from Jabanya.

"Since the Knight Commander also seems to have something to discuss with the criminal, we'll step aside."

"Good work."

Marik finally stepped on Berga as if trampling him before taking her leave.

"May the sins committed hiding in the shadows today not be revealed to the sun."

Marik climbed the stairs, leaving behind words opposite to her usual greeting. Marik had said this thinking Gabriel would torture Merai.

When Marik came up to the surface and took off her soiled outer garment, the priest beside her respectfully received the filth-covered clothing.

"Jabanya."

"Yes, Bishop Marik."

Jabanya answered briskly. Even though they were both bishops, the clear hierarchical relationship was because the old fox was riding on Marik's coattails.

"The Knight Commander seems to be going through puberty. He's even keeping secrets from you, who he used to treat like a parent."

"He's a young man in his prime, so wouldn't he be embarrassed to openly discuss romantic affairs?"

Jabanya had once exaggerated his relationship with Gabriel to impress Marik. He had said that Gabriel thought of him like a parent, and that he was truly an admirable boy who would loyally do anything if asked.

But now that his head had grown, when he should be bowing and scraping to Marik alongside Jabanya, he just stood there blankly. It was as if Jabanya had become a braggart.

Marik mercifully overlooked Jabanya's mistake and gave him a chance to make up for it.

"I'm curious about Lady Rohanson. You said you saw her directly once, didn't you? How was she?"