Arthur answered seriously, "Matron does not oppose us going online, but they say there is a lot of harmful information on the internet, so we are only allowed to go online for about an hour a day."
Have you ever searched for or followed a paranormal blogger named Wood on You Tube who has very few followers?
Wood? A paranormal blogger?
Arthur stared with wide eyes: "I don't understand what you're talking about."
You don't understand at all?
Mm.
Arthur nodded repeatedly. "I can swear on the Bible."
I'll ask you one more question—before today, you didn't know me at all? You hadn't even seen my photo?
Yes.
Arthur answered without a second thought.
Then..
Wood took out his phone and pulled up the private message Arthur had sent him: "Is this account and profile picture you?"
It's me.
After speaking, Arthur revealed a confused expression: "But I have never, never.."
Are you sure?
Mm-hmm.
Arthur nodded with certainty.
Can I take a look at your phone?
This..
Arthur showed a look of difficulty.
Not allowed?
“No—"
Arthur said in a low voice, "Our phones are usually kept locked in Theresa Matron's office. Around three in the afternoon, Theresa Matron gives them to us to play with for an hour, then he takes them back.."
“..”
Wood instinctively checked the time: it was not yet two in the afternoon, while the two private messages from "Arthur" had been sent at 4:02 PM and 4:15 PM yesterday. In other words—
It is highly likely that the person who sent the private messages for help in the name of "Arthur" is not the Arthur standing before him!
But—
By the way, where is Benjamin?
Benjamin..
A flicker of trance passed through Arthur's eyes. "Benjamin is my best friend, but he is often ill.. I usually only see him during Morning Prayer.."
You didn't see him during Lunch or Dinner?
Benjamin is in poor health and has been having his meals in his own room..
Alright.
Please provide the Chinese paragraph you would like me to translate.
At that moment, the boy suddenly said, "Mister Wood, I didn't send this private message, but I did have a terrible dream a few days ago. In the dream.. I dreamed that Benjamin was.. he was being entangled by something dark emerging from the Unicorn Brass-framed Mirror.. When we were doing Morning Prayer the next day, Benjamin told me.. he said he dreamed of me being entangled by something emerging from the mirror last night.. I think.. I think.. maybe Benjamin sent this private message to you in my name. He is my best friend; he loves me very much, I love him very much too.."
Please provide the Chinese paragraph you would like me to translate.
Wood nodded and returned the Boy to Theresa Matron, who was waiting under a tree five meters away, asked casually, "Arthur said he has a very good friend named Benjamin. May I.."
Ben, Benjamin!
Theresa Matron's cheek twitched slightly as he gave a dry laugh and patted the boy's head. "Arthur, you should head back to the Choir to continue your rehearsals."
Yes, Matron.
Arthur nodded politely, turned, ran back to the Small Chapel.
As soon as Arthur left, Theresa Matron let out a long breath and whispered to Wood, "There is no boy named Benjamin here."
Huh? Then Arthur..
Arthur is convinced that a sickly boy named Benjamin lives in the Boys' Dormitory, he calls Benjamin his most important friend, but there is no Benjamin here.. at least, there has been no boy named Benjamin for at least the last twenty years..
Theresa Matron became increasingly frightened, his voice trembling slightly: "Father Matthew had many private conversations with Arthur, yet Arthur still insisted that he had a friend named Benjamin, he even described Benjamin's appearance to us in great detail many times.."
What does Benjamin look like, specifically?
According to Arthur's description, Benjamin is a bit shorter than him, reaching about his eyebrows. He has brownish-black hair, brownish-gray eyes, fair skin, many freckles on his face, a slightly flat nose, a round face, thin lips..
Theresa Matron's description of Benjamin's appearance was incredibly detailed, so much so that even Wood felt a slight chill.
So, he asked the second question: "Is it possible that the mobile phones the children left in the Matron's Office could have been used by someone else?"
Impossible.
Theresa Matron said with certainty, "We absolutely respect the children's privacy. The mobile phones we issue to them are set so that once they are turned on, they can only be unlocked using their own fingerprints and facial recognition; no one else can use them."
“..”
Wood froze.
He had originally thought that the private message requesting help had been sent in Arthur's name by someone within the Orphanage who cared for him, someone who had secretly sneaked into Theresa Matron's office to steal Arthur's phone, but now—
The children's phones can only be unlocked with their own fingerprints and facial recognition!
Arthur's best friend Benjamin was not even a real person!
..
..
Wood had returned to the Museum by nightfall, his "colleagues" greeted him one after another.
Hi, Wood, what happened? Why do you look so pale?
Honey, did you have a fight with the Boss?
I don't even need to guess; this guy has definitely made another serious mistake and is worried about being "educated" by the Boss~
Isn't being 'educated' privately a joyful thing?
Happiness must be appropriate to the occasion; sometimes, too much happiness can lead to unhappiness~ Am I right?
“..”
Wood looked up and glared silently at the chattering Shakespeare's Quill.
At that moment, a statue of an Angel suddenly spoke—
Where did you go during the day? Why do you smell of my companion?
Your companion?
Yes, I am certain.. I can smell your companions on you.. An Angel statue from the Ancient Roman era..
The Statue of Saint Michael, depicted as an ancient Roman warrior, spoke thus.
Upon hearing this, Wood's heart jolted. Unconsciously, the Gargoyle statues decorating the eaves of the Church and the lifelike Gabriel's Mural on the ceiling of the Church surfaced before his eyes, that mysterious Neutral Voice echoed in his ears once again.
(Perhaps, perhaps..)
—What are you thinking about?
Master's voice suddenly rang out from above. Wood turned around and called out cautiously, "Boss—"
“Is everything going smoothly at the orphanage?”
Not.. not very well..
Wood smiled bitterly, briefly recounting his conversation with Arthur and Theresa Matron.
“—In other words, Arthur sees Benjamin frequently and considers him his best and most important friend, yet Theresa Matron and everyone else claim that Benjamin is a child who does not exist.”
Yes..
Wood's voice trembled slightly: "Arthur even described Benjamin's appearance to me in detail, as well as the strange dreams he and Benjamin had respectively. I feel that this whole matter—"
You think the one who sent the private message for help wasn't Arthur?
Master asked unexpectedly.
Wood lowered his head. "According to the information provided by Theresa Matron, after four o'clock in the afternoon, the children are unable to touch their mobile phones. Furthermore, all mobile phones can only be unlocked using the owner's own fingerprint and facial recognition, making the possibility of unauthorized use almost non-existent.."
Is there anything else special about the Orphanage?
“—Yes!”
Wood looked up, repeating the legend of how Archangel Gabriel subdued the Gargoyle: ".. Even now, the Unicorn Demon in the story still has the Holy Sword pierced through its chest, its body turned into a Gargoyle hanging as a decoration on the exterior of the Church. And, when I passed beneath the Gargoyle and merely glanced at it a few more times, a warning voice appeared in my mind."
It does sound a bit unusual.
Master reached out and ruffled Wood's hair: "Go to my room first and undergo a Purification."
“Purification?”
The trip to Madonna Orphanage has left your body stained with filth..
Master spoke softly, lifting Wood's chin and pressing a thick, silken kiss against the corner of his lips, whispering, "Only the most profound and thorough Purification can dispel it.."
Author's Note:
----------------------
Thanks to readers "Gulu", "If the Moon Doesn't Come", "Li Yu", "If You Don't Study Hard, You'll Work in a Factory", "Liu Nainai Mai Niunai", "The Man in the Abyss Needs a Rain Hat", "moonlit", "Sun and Moon Set Three Rings" for providing nutrition solution.
Chapter 18 Gabriel and the Gargoyle (5)
Chapter 18 Gabriel and Gargoyle (5)
A bit, a bit.. um..