Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 9 St. Selina's Church
The Church of St. Selina on Red Moon Street is the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of the Night in Tingen. Together with the Church of the Lord of Storms "River and Sea Church" and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery "Church of Holy Numbers" in the suburbs, they together support the religious circles of Tingen City and its affiliated towns and villages.

Many of the passengers who got off the public carriage on Red Moon Street just now came to the church to pray.

Attracted by the sound of the bell, Angel temporarily forgot the sense of urgency of the End of the World. She walked along the sidewalk along the street and walked through the square in the middle of the street, and came to the fan-shaped stairs of St. Selina Church.

The church is in Gothic style, very similar to Angel’s Church of Light in his previous life, but it is black all over. The buttresses on both sides support the main structure, and the glass windows on the front are stitched with red and blue, surrounding the main building in the middle, and above it is a tall bell tower.

The prominent position is the arched main entrance, and many believers are coming in and out at this time.

Among the three mainstream churches in Tingen, Angel is most interested in the Church of the Goddess of the Evernight. This is not because the bells of the Church of St. Selina can be heard every day, but because the believers of the Church of the Goddess salute by drawing a crimson moon on their chests.

This is exactly the same as the holy emblem of the sun that he drew on his chest when he was a Templar of the Church of Illuminati.

The Evernight Goddess Church worships the Evernight Goddess, and the color it reveres is black, which represents the crimson moon, which is completely opposite to the Goddess of Light of the Church of Light, who respects the sun and pure white.

This is too much of a coincidence.

But considering that this world not only has steam engines and revolvers, but also has 365 days in a year, this coincidence is not so prominent.

Angel went up the steps step by step to the high place, and came to the main entrance of St. Selina Church. Just looking at the solemn church, her agitated heart was able to calm down.

She took out a five pound note, approached the donation box by the main entrance, and dropped it in.

The young priest on duty seemed to have rarely seen such a generous believer. He hurried forward and drew a crimson moon clockwise on his chest: "Praise the goddess, thank you for your generosity, beautiful lady."

"Praising the goddess is nothing to this precious tranquility." Angel followed suit, drawing a crimson moon, and replied.

She originally wanted to take out a few coins, but for some reason, she reached into her pocket and took out a large bill.

But this is what she said in her heart. In front of the church, she did enjoy a moment of peace, thinking that there might be an endless escape after that, and the quiet time now is indeed very precious.

"Ma'am, you seem to be troubled by something. If you have free time, why not come to the confession room of the church. Maybe listening to the teachings of the goddess can answer your doubts."

Is my state so obvious?Angel touched his head in doubt, and found that his hood had been pulled down at some point, revealing his sad face to the careful pastor's eyes.

As for the confession he mentioned, Angel originally planned to leave after donating some money, but changed his mind under the persuasion of the pastor.

"Just think of it as earning back the five pounds." She found a reason for herself.

Angel thanked the pastor and walked into the church from the main entrance. Surrounded by high double-color glass windows on both sides, the porch looked narrow and dark. At this time, the sun outside the window had already set, and the crimson moonlight shone through the glass on the ground, coquettish and deep.

She walked through the cramped porch to the prayer hall.It’s been a while since the mass just ended, and most people have already left. There are seven or eight believers scattered in the prayer hall. Some of them bow their heads and close their eyes to pray, some stare blankly ahead, and some cover their faces and mutter to themselves.

Going around the neat benches, I came to the confession room on the side of the prayer hall. The door was just opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man walked out of it. His face was blank, his eyes were out of focus, and he almost bumped into Angel who was outside the door. It seemed that the previous confession did not solve his inner confusion.

Seeing him walking away slowly, Angel walked into the narrow confession room, closed the door behind his back, and sat on the wooden armchair.

There was a candle on the front transom. In the dim candlelight, a low male voice came from behind the partition: "Son, what do you want to say?"

Yeah, what do I want to say?Angel asked himself.

I come from another world, unfortunately possessed by a dead man who is full of evil and reaps the consequences?
Just solved the identity problem, ready to settle down in this world, but was frightened by a letter and ready to leave?

Thinking about the words, Angel said slowly:

"In the face of evil, I chose to retreat instead of sticking to my principles."

She spoke out her confusion vaguely.

Fortunately, the bishop presiding over the confession was used to seeing the Riddler, so he was silent for a moment before continuing to ask: "Is this matter beyond your ability?"

"Yes, maybe there's a little chance, but I don't think there's much hope."

"So, have you tried to seek help from other forces?"

Is he suggesting that I call the police?Angel froze for a moment before answering: "This is exactly my confusion. I am eager to overcome it, but I am afraid of exposing myself and attracting the attention of others. Does this violate the teachings of the goddess?"

"Fear is a human instinct. People who overcome their instincts are worthy of praise, but they will not be criticized for following their heart's choice, goddess..."

The bishop's voice seemed to be getting farther and farther away, and the last sentence was almost inaudible. Angel leaned forward and approached the partition: "What did you say?"

The candle in front of him was suddenly extinguished, and the confession room was plunged into darkness.

Angel's back felt cold, and he subconsciously stretched out his hand to shake off the cloak, grabbed the gun holster tied to his leg, and dodged back, trying to get further away from the partition.

"The Goddess said that in the face of fear, those who move forward bravely will be rewarded." The voice of the bishop presiding over the confession was completely different, and another high-pitched voice of a man and a woman who was difficult to distinguish came from around the narrow confession room, making Angel confused.

"Who is it?" Angel yelled, her hand had already touched the handle of the gun, but she didn't dare to pull it out at all. The person's whereabouts were strange and powerful, making it impossible for anyone to even think of resisting.

There was no answer from the darkness.

In a blink of an eye, the light returned to the confession room. Angel found himself still sitting quietly on the chair, with his hands folded on his lap. The bishop's deep voice was as sweet as heaven: "...will forgive her honest believers."

Except for the cold sweat on his back, the eerie darkness just now seemed to be an illusion.

Seeing her frozen in place, the bishop summed up the confession: "Follow your heart and don't feel guilty or uneasy."

I came to confess because my heart was wavering... Angel replied in his heart.

She remembered the day when she was baptized in St. Charles Cathedral in her last life and became a Templar. She swore that she would fight against all evil in the world;

In less than two days since I came to this world, I almost forgot the decades of perseverance in my previous life.

Is it the confusion after becoming a woman?In a hurry to get legal status?Or is it the sense of powerlessness in the face of a high-ranking Extraordinary?
Or because I subconsciously believe that it is no longer the original Templar Angel Gray, but the Extraordinary "Assassin" Angel Granger, so I don't need to abide by the beliefs I insisted on before?
"No, I'm not escaping. It's just the best choice after weighing. The police will soon discover the report letter in the anonymous mailbox, which records Cole Granger's various crimes in detail. According to these clues and evidence, Cole's actions will eventually lead the police to Mrs. Sharon behind the scenes, and because of the participation of extraordinary power, the police will notify the extraordinary power of the church to deal with it. If there is no accident, Mrs. Sharon will be arrested within a week."

A voice in my heart argued like this.

"Do you really think so? Then why did you go to Backlund to remind Lily Granger, your nominal cousin, to accept the protection of the official Extraordinary?"

"You also think that Mrs. Sharon has a high probability of escaping legal sanctions, right? She has a dense network of contacts in Tingen City, and she has all kinds of little secrets about politicians and wealthy businessmen. As long as she is not caught, there are many ways to get rid of the crime. What can the police do with her?"

Another voice mocked.

"I've done what I can. The police will know that Mrs. Sharon is a Extraordinary, and the church's armed forces will intervene..."

The voice of defense is getting weaker and weaker.

"This is not an earth of monotheism. In Guangtingen, there are three churches holding each other back. Madam Sharon has a high probability of being vigilant and fleeing during their early investigation. She can take out the potion of Sequence 7 at will to recruit her subordinates. There may be an even bigger force behind her. Once you let her escape, you will be prepared to live in fear for the rest of your life!"

The mocking voice became more and more pressing.

"You know it yourself, the solution once and for all, right?"

Yes, I've always known it, but I just didn't want to face it... Angel suddenly remembered a sentence he heard in his previous life: "When you have a hard time making a choice, just toss a coin. Before the coin falls, you will know the answer you want."

In this way, when I asked back without hearing the last sentence of the bishop, I should have understood my inner choice... Angel suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence.

"Thank you, Bishop," she said sincerely.

"May the goddess bless you." The bishop behind the partition saluted, "Then, the confession is over."

"No, it's not over yet." After making up his mind, Angel looked at the partition with burning eyes, as if he could see the surprised expression of the bishop behind him.

"What?" The bishop was also taken aback.

"I'd like to ask you to tell them that Nighthawks are better than anything else, those Extraordinary." Angel ignored the bishop's surprise and said quickly, "The previous murders and disappearances in Tingen City were related to a man named Cole Granger, and a higher level of Extraordinary was involved behind them. The relevant evidence is in the anonymous mailbox of the Police Headquarters. Please deal with it as soon as possible."

The bishop behind the partition seemed to be silent because of shock, and Angel also said nothing, waiting patiently for a reply, and the confession room fell into silence.

Just when Angel was about to think that the other party was secretly calling the police, the bishop's deep voice finally said, "They will know."

"Thank you, you made me firm in my confusion." Angel stood up, tapped his chest four times with his right hand, drew a crimson moon, and then left the confession room.

This thank you is not for the bishop.

The believers who were still in the prayer hall outside the door had almost left. In the dim hall, two priests were arranging the utensils on the presiding platform. One of them was the young priest who had advised Angel to come to confess. Seeing her walk out of the confession room, he nodded his head.

Angel nodded and saluted, then turned and walked towards the main entrance where he came.

On both sides of the porch, the crimson moonlight shone through the glass, which made her feel a little dazzling. Along the wide corridor, she was bathed in crimson, and finally looked back at the interior of the church. The goddess of the night engraved on the wall of the prayer hall seemed to be overlooking the church and her.

A deep, quiet force permeated her side.

(End of this chapter)