MPBGS 19

Chapter : 19

Kanna kept listening to Gabriel as he explained how things were unfolding, all because of what the young lady had commanded.

Hena, while concentrating on the conversation, couldn’t help but thoroughly look around the main temple. She felt that she might never get a chance to visit a place like this again.

The exterior of the building was already magnificent, but the interior was even more luxurious. Stained glass in brilliant multicolors depicted passages reflecting the character of each figure, and statues of Rahel, the sun god, were placed throughout.

Most visitors who came to pray were nobles, and the attire of the priests guiding them was equally extravagant. Priests who sometimes did charity work in the slums wore plain, modest clothing, so perhaps these priests dressed lavishly to match the nobles they were serving?

Or were they deliberately dressing modestly in the slums to avoid envy, while here they dressed to impress? No, that sounded too negative.

“Madam, we are always grateful for your visit. May the sunlight always shine upon you.”

The greeting itself hadn’t changed. “May the sunlight shine upon you.” Hena silently repeated their words in her mind.

Following the carpet inside, they came upon a small yet very extravagant fountain in the main hall.

‘A fountain is usually outdoors, isn’t it?’

The indoor fountain seemed odd, and as she kept glancing at it, Hena noticed a noblewoman, accompanied by a priest, approaching it. The noblewoman cupped the water in her hands and drank from it.

Hena had never seen a noble do that. Weren’t nobles the type who complained that even washing water was dirty?

Putting hygiene aside, could one drink from a temple fountain? Hena had no way of knowing, so she turned to Gabriel for guidance.

“Is it safe to drink water from that fountain?”

“Yes. It’s holy water.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s holy water. That.”

Holy water? Hena was suddenly reminded that this was the main temple. Of course, the temple would have holy water. But why a fountain of all forms?

Watching the endlessly flowing holy water made a strange shadow cross her heart, and Hena, without realizing it, gripped Kanna’s hand tightly. Seeing someone drink in front of her made her feel thirsty herself. Kanna felt her grip but seemed to understand Hena’s feelings and quietly allowed it.

“It’s not open to all visitors. As you can see, there are knights guarding it. This is a benefit given to those who donate generously.”

Gabriel explained that most people who entered the main temple were nobles.

“It’s a performance to showcase the temple’s wealth.”

Gabriel seemed unusually cold as he explained. Hena considered his words carefully. Did it mean that the temple forced nobles, whom they treated as clients, to do things they would normally never do, just to assert superiority?

But it was a little hard to trust words from a temple knight. Referring to worshippers as clients… Hena realized she had never heard Gabriel give a prayer greeting. Of course, he might have avoided it out of courtesy, but still.

Hena fell silent, unable to find an answer, and followed behind Gabriel.

Passing the central fountain, they came upon a crowd gathered around a painting.

“Let me first tell you: people’s reactions to this painting are completely divided. Some find it extraordinarily beautiful, while others feel disgusted.”

Hena could tell without explanation that Gabriel belonged to the latter group.

Finally, Hena reached the front of the painting.

‘Was it burned?’

At first glance, the canvas appeared dull, covered in ash-colored tones. It didn’t fit the bright, multicolored temple at all. It looked like a single drop of ink had fallen into clear water.

When she looked closely, Hena felt a surge of revulsion. A divine blessing? Holy? This? This painting? She doubted the taste of those praising this pile of filth. Were their eyes functioning properly?

Even the final moments of the most pitiful person would appear more beautiful. Perhaps even the scene of Donau’s suicide before had been better.

Against the backdrop of the collapsed wooden floor of what looked like a recently extinguished fire, a split lump of coal, limbs missing, screamed in agony. Above it blinked a single bloodied eye, and countless tiny hands sprang from the fires of hell behind it, trying to seize the dead. They seemed like wings because the intertwined little fingers resembled feathers from afar.

Did the worshippers know Donau had committed suicide? According to the doctrine of the sun god they blindly followed, suicides could never be embraced by Rahel. This, then, was a scene from hell awaiting Donau.

“Rahel…”

“Please grant us salvation as well.”

Hena wanted to cover her ears. Were these really followers of the sun god? Even Hena, who had a grudge against Donau, felt pity for the figure in the painting. How could anyone praise it?

“Indeed. It’s beautiful.”

“Kanna?”

And unfortunately, Kanna seemed to find the painting beautiful too.

“It seems it looks different to you, Kanna. To me, it’s deeply disturbing. I assume you feel the same, Hena?”

Hena nodded. Disturbing was too mild; it made her want to vomit.

Kanna found beauty in it. Around them, people stared at the painting as if in a trance, like they were drugged.

What kind of magic had the artist used to create such an ambivalent painting?

Hena finally understood why the painting remained in the temple. The polarized reactions made it seem mysterious. No matter how much one tried to explain the truth to those who found it beautiful, it would only diminish the painting in their eyes.

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, they say it’s a difference in devotion.”

That couldn’t be true. Kanna, who usually felt uneasy in temples, had found the painting beautiful.

“Commander!”

“Raphaela?”

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“One moment. Could you two wait here briefly? It seems urgent, so I need to check with my subordinates for a moment.”

“Yes, we’ll wait here.”

From a distance, a knight in white rushed to find Gabriel. Hena nodded at Gabriel’s request for patience. She wanted to leave quickly, but Kanna was still staring blankly at the painting, so she couldn’t leave alone anyway.

Even after Gabriel left, Kanna continued to smile as she observed the painting. Suddenly, she broke the silence and spoke.

“Does it look different to you, sister? That pattern looks just like an eye to me.”

Kanna turned from the painting to look at Hena. The angle was perfect, and behind Kanna, her wings seemed to spread.

Hena held her breath. Goosebumps ran down her arms, her abdomen tensed, her knees weakened. She felt ringing in her ears and the world spin.

No, no way.

An eye? What Kanna saw wasn’t different from what Hena saw. Then Kanna…

‘Kanna called what I saw beautiful?’

“Kanna, you…”

Hena wanted to scold her sister, but what could she say? That you’re not normal? She couldn’t say something that would wound a child who had suffered her whole life and was only now able to smile.

While carefully choosing her words, she saw Gabriel returning and whispered urgently.

“Don’t tell Lord Gabriel you can see eyes. Just say the painting feels sacred to you, understood?”

The temple followers would find the painting holy, so that was fine. But for Kanna, it was different. Unlike others, Kanna perceived those holy flames as “eyes” and still called them beautiful.

Ordinary people wouldn’t call human eyes torn from their body beautiful.

Kanna nodded obediently at Hena’s insistence. Hena finally decided to accept a truth she had long suspected but could never believe.

Kanna had been broken in some way.

Whether it was after being kidnapped by Donau, after meeting the young lady, or hidden since childhood due to her frailty, she didn’t know.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“No, I lost track of time watching the painting.”

“That’s fortunate, then.”

The fortunate thing was that, at least on the surface, Kanna showed no obvious signs of abnormality. Moreover, she had the favor of the young lady. Perhaps it was better to leave her as she was if she wanted to remain near the young lady.

Hena reached that conclusion while wondering if it was just an excuse to avoid facing her sister.

Of course, the doubt was brief. Just as in the past, when she had joined hands with a monster acting like a cat, Hena’s choice was always to protect her sister.

“By the way, why did you call me just now? Does it have to do with the painting?”

While Hena steadied herself, the two continued their conversation. Kanna asked, and Gabriel nodded.

“My subordinate just protected a witness.”

“A witness?”

“Yes, someone from the monastery…”

“If it’s about the painting, shouldn’t I hear it too?”

Gabriel hesitated, then seemed to decide to involve the two connected to Donau’s incident.

“I asked that you be brought to the reception room first, so let’s hear the details there.”

Having seen the painting, there was no reason to linger in the temple. Hena also wanted to get away from the ominous painting as quickly as possible, so she hurried.