Chapter 09
“Diane is telling the truth.”
The Pope always wore a smile, but not at this moment.
Gordon looked around nervously, flustered that the Pope was defending a child who had suddenly appeared.
“An oracle came to Diane last night, and we gathered evidence based on it.”
“You’re lying! That’s impossible!”
“Didn’t one of the brooches you were wearing the day you met Lady Camilla go missing?”
“…!”
“Confess your crimes, Gordon Black.”
Bang!
Before he could finish speaking, the doors of the funeral hall burst open and a group of knights rushed inside.
They weren’t Holy Knights—they wore golden armor, the armor of the Imperial Knights.
“We are here to arrest the criminal, Gordon Black. Step forward and confess your crimes.”
“D-Do you really mean Gordon killed our daughter?”
Foaming at the mouth, the Baroness screamed and lunged at him.
“N-No, let go!”
“That marriage document was forged too. On the day she was murdered, Lady Camilla asked to break off the engagement.”
As I spoke, the Pope handed the torn letter to the captain of the knights.
[Quest Progress: 70%]
Reveal the full truth of the incident to everyone.
“He borrowed money from Lady Camilla to support his gambling.”
“How do you know that?!”
“The debt papers.”
I looked at him coldly.
“They’re in your drawer, aren’t they?”
“…!”
“You were in such a panic that you didn’t even notice your brooch was torn off during the struggle?”
Gordon staggered.
At that moment, the Pope stepped in front of me, shielding me from Gordon.
“That’s correct. During the examination of the body, we recovered a brooch bearing the Black family’s crest from Lady Camilla’s clenched fist.”
He took the bloodstained brooch from his robe.
Only then did everyone understand what had happened.
They rose to their feet, shouting curses at Gordon.
“No… No! That’s not true!”
“You bastard!”
“You murdered her and pretended to be the grieving fiancé?”
“…Thank you.”
Amid the commotion, I clearly heard the quiet voice.
Holding the doll tightly, I whispered,
“I’m sorry. This was all I could do.”
The doll slowly shook its head.
“Were you very scared because of me?”
“…Yes.”
After hesitating, I answered honestly.
It was true.
I had really been terrified.
Maybe the way she’d stretched out her neck was because she remembered being strangled to death.
Gordon struggled and screamed as the knights restrained him, but he couldn’t break free.
Then—
The Baron, who had stood silently beside his wife until now, strode forward.
Seeing him, Gordon’s face lit up with hope.
“I-I didn’t do it! You know me!”
“Yes. I know you very well…”
The Baron grabbed Gordon by the collar with trembling hands.
His rage made his entire body shake.
“I overlooked your affairs with other women time and time again.”
“…!”
“But you dared… to kill my daughter!”
“N-No, you’ve got it wro—”
Smash!
With a sickening crack, Gordon’s head snapped to the side.
The Pope covered my eyes and whispered,
“Baron Triele is a retired mercenary. He hits very hard.”
“…Oh.”
“To be honest, it’s satisfying to watch. But children shouldn’t see this.”
Smash. Smash.
Gordon couldn’t even scream anymore.
The repeated sound of punches echoed through the silent hall.
No one stopped the Baron.
Not even the Imperial Knights.
“…Honey.”
The Baroness finally called out to him.
But the Baron’s fists didn’t stop.
Instead, they became even faster and harder.
Unable to watch any longer, one of the knights stepped forward.
“How dare you… How dare you kill my daughter!”
“Honey!”
It was as if the Baron finally came back to his senses.
He stared blankly at the knight holding his arm before tears streamed down his face.
The Baroness shook her head as she sobbed.
“Please… stop…”
Gordon’s face was already so battered it was unrecognizable.
He coughed up blood, spat it onto the floor, and gave a weak laugh.
“Damn… That hurts.”
An enraged knight kicked him across the face.
Gordon collapsed unconscious.
“Our apologies for the disturbance. We’ll take him away for interrogation.”
“I’ll leave him in your hands.”
After saluting the Pope, the captain ordered his men to withdraw.
With his hands bound behind his back, Gordon was dragged away.
It was finally over.
[Quest Completed.]
[Condition for Passing On 2: Convey the ghost’s feelings to Liam.]
Tell Liam Patrick the feelings of the deceased ghost.
“…”
I looked at Liam with mixed emotions.
He was staring at Gordon as he was dragged away.
I gently stroked the doll’s soft fur, hesitating for a long time.
Something weighed heavily on my heart.
Is telling him really the right thing to do?
Kind-hearted Liam would probably suffer because of it.
Adult romance is so complicated…
Liam was the perfect Holy Knight.
Honest, righteous, and someone who only believed what he could see.
And I was supposed to tell someone like that about a ghost’s one-sided love.
What if he thinks I’m crazy and doesn’t believe me?
Even I had struggled to accept the existence of ghosts after seeing them myself.
But then I shook my head.
Camilla had said Liam was the last person she thought of before she died.
Thinking about how she’d spent countless nights longing for one person—
I can handle a little embarrassment.
In the end, I hugged the doll and walked toward Liam.
“Liam.”
He turned around.
His expression was more serious than usual, and he looked tired, but the moment our eyes met, he smiled automatically.
“I have something to tell you.”
I spoke calmly.
He was the first person in this world who had been kind to me.
To be honest, I wanted him to think well of me.
“It may sound strange, but please hear me out.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
I swallowed nervously.
What if he thought I was insane and walked away?
What if I failed the quest and lost Liam too?
“For the past few days… there was a ghost… no, a spirit… following you.”
“…What?”
His face turned pale as I continued.
“She loved you. Before she died… and even after.”
He froze.
“Do you know Camilla Triele?”
“She…”
His eyes moved toward the coffin.
I nodded.
“That’s right.”
“…!”
“She wanted to break off her engagement and confess to you. She said even if you rejected her, she just wanted to tell you how she felt once…”
My voice trembled.
I slowly lowered the doll from my arms.
Maybe because we’d been together for so long, her emotions had begun affecting mine.
“S-Saintess…”
“Please let me finish.”
I continued quietly.
“The last person she thought of before she died… was you.”
“I…”
“You don’t have to know. Actually, she said it was fine if you never knew. She only wanted you to remember one thing—that she was happy whenever she looked at you. She hoped you’d know that, even if only for a moment.”
“…”
Liam lowered his head.
I quietly gave him time to grieve.
“…Thank you. Truly.”
At that moment—
As those soft words fell, a thread of golden light spread from the doll into the sky.
A gentle floral fragrance filled the air.
“I can rest now.”
The doll spoke its final farewell.
The space before us shimmered.
Then Camilla appeared.
Long, wavy brown hair.
A pale but gentle smile.
Large, warm eyes.
It was Camilla Triele, just as I’d seen her in the carriage.
She looked at Liam one last time…
…and smiled brightly.
Kiss.
She gently pressed her lips against his forehead.
“What… was that just now?”
Liam touched his forehead blankly.
“You felt it?”
“Y-Yes… It felt a little warm…”
How strange.
Camilla’s eyes widened in surprise too.
Then her body gradually became transparent before dissolving into light.
It happened in an instant.
But its lingering feeling remained.
I stared blankly before wiping my face.
Something wet touched my fingertips.
I was crying.
“…Why am I crying?”
I was confused.
She had only been a frightening ghost.
I’d wished she’d leave me alone as soon as possible.
Now my chest hurt enough to regret ever thinking that.
Liam didn’t say anything.
He simply stayed beside me.
“Camilla left with a happy smile.”
I sniffled.
“If she left happy… then that’s a relief. I’m sorry I never realized her feelings sooner.”
I nodded quietly.
Very quietly.
And for a while…
We simply stood there together in silence.
[You have completed the quest: ‘Help the Murdered Ghost Pass On!’]
[Good Deed Gauge increased by 5.]
[Current Value: 7 / 1000]
Maybe… this is more rewarding than I expected.
Passing on the words someone could never say while they were alive.
Bringing forgotten feelings back into the light.
It was the first time I realized that even something small could become a great salvation for someone else.
Holding the doll tightly, I felt something other than fear for the first time.
A small…
Warm feeling.
“…Goodbye, Camilla.”
The doll no longer moved at all.
