Chapter 20 Gabriel and Gargoyle (7)
Be careful not to catch a cold.
The man tilted the umbrella, shielding Wood's head from the constantly falling raindrops.
Thank you.. Wait! Boss, why are you here? I, I..
Wood looked around and realized that, without even knowing it, he had returned to the Master Private Art Museum; the grass beneath him was the lawn right in front of the museum's main entrance.
You must have encountered something terrible just now.
The man spoke softly, reaching out to pull Wood.
Wood grasped Master's hand and stood up cautiously. After observing for a long time to ensure the person before him was the Boss himself and not an illusion, he let out a long sigh of relief. "Boss, I.. I just fell into the Other Dimension, I encountered many strange things in the Other Dimension.. passengers as stiff as wax figures, a strange Red-cloaked Girl, a guy who called himself Archangel Gabriel.."
Gabriel?
Master showed an interested smile: "What does he look like?"
Boss, you don't mean—
Wood showed a vigilant expression.
Are you afraid that I'll fall for Gabriel?
No, no.. I'm just, just.. Fine! Gabriel's looks are as beautiful and gentle as in the religious murals. If I liked women, I would definitely fall in love with him, but..
But you like men.
Yes.
Wood looked at Master cautiously: "Boss, what type do you like?"
The type I like is you.
Master smiled, gesturing for Wood to return to the Building with him.
Wood nodded and was about to take a step when he suddenly heard a rustling sound from the nearby bushes, a blurry, dark humanoid figure, slightly darker than the shadows, stepped out from the darkness.
W-what is that!
Wood was shocked and instinctively hid behind Master.
Master said nothing, his sea-blue eyes watching the boy, whose silhouette was gradually becoming clear as he slowly stepped out from the dark shadows.
The orange streetlights shone on the Boy's face, his features were actually—
.. Benjamin?
Wood blurted out.
Upon hearing this, the Boy nodded earnestly, opened his mouth, let out a tender voice: "Hello, I am Benjamin. I am Arthur's best and most important friend.."
But you, you.. the Matrons at Madonna Convent said there are no children named Benjamin over there.. Who are you! No! Are you even human! The one who sent me a private message for help using Arthur's phone and account.. it couldn't be you too, could it!
Wood's voice was trembling.
Yes, it's me.
Benjamin spoke softly, walking toward Master and Wood, who was hiding behind him.
Raindrops continued to fall, but the Boy's hair and clothes did not become damp because of it, nor did any water slide down his freckled face, as if he were a ghost without a physical form.
“W-what on earth are you! Tell me the truth before you.. don't.. don't come any closer!”
Wood shouted incoherently, the courage he had shown when facing the Red-cloaked Girl and "Gabriel" in the eerie carriage having vanished without a trace.
I am Arthur's friend, an imaginary friend.. but I have also truly existed in this world..
Benjamin looked at Wood pitifully, his voice carrying a hint of helpless pleading.
I never intended to hurt anyone, I just wanted to help Arthur, to help my most important friend..
—What happened?
Master asked coldly, "What kind of unspeakable secret is hidden within the Madonna Convent?"
The Convent indeed hides a massive secret.
What secret?
Wood pressed for answers.
The Boy lowered his head helplessly, appearing to be afraid of something.
Master raised his hand. "Let's go inside and talk."
Thank you.
Benjamin whispered and followed the two into the building.
..
Is your body physical or fictional? Do you also need to eat like human children in your daily life? What is your food.. Why did you appear at Madonna Convent? Why did you say..
As soon as he entered the room, Wood could not help but fire off a series of questions.
The Boy lowered his head and said in a small voice, "My body is currently between physical and fictional, so I hardly need to eat anything. Of course, if humans are willing to share some milk, candy, biscuits with me, I will eat a little bit.."
Understood.
Wood turned around and made the Boy a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Benjamin sat obediently on the sofa, took the cup with his translucent hands, took a deep breath: "It smells so fragrant and sweet.."
If you like it, I can—
I don't have much time left.
Benjamin looked up, his brown eyes pleading as he looked at Master and Wood, "Will you really help me?"
First, explain everything regarding the Madonna Convent.
Master's attitude was somewhat indifferent.
The Boy took a breath and said slowly, "It all began over three hundred years ago, when the miracle of the Manifestation where Archangel Gabriel killed the Demon reached Rome. The Roman Catholic Church ordered a Catholic Convent to be built here. The Gargoyle, transformed from the Demon struck by the Holy Sword, hangs outside the Small Chapel, the Archangel Mural was painted on the ceiling of the Church.."
—So your true identity is a Gargoyle?!
Wood blurted out.
The Boy shook his head, his expression somewhat dejected: ".. I am not a Gargoyle; I am the Boy sacrificed to the Gargoyle."
Huh?
Wood was stunned.
“A hundred years ago, at the age of twelve, I was offered to the Gargoyle by my biological parents.. My soul has resided within the statue for a long time, sleeping most of the time, only occasionally waking up due to the voices of children close to my age.. Sometimes I even saw Archangel Gabriel—he was divine and beautiful, though he never spoke to me.. until one day, I met Arthur.”
Speaking of Arthur, Benjamin's voice became exceptionally gentle.
“When Arthur was born, I saw him, he saw me. He is a very lovely and sincere child, yet he is the most unfortunate child I have ever seen.. He is not a true orphan; he has parents—I know who his parents are, I know why they didn't want him, I even know why he can see me.. Because, because..”
Because what?
Because his parents decided to sacrifice him to a Demon before he was even born—the Demon they chose for the deal was the Gargoyle.
Benjamin choked out, "They believed doing this would allow their family to continue enjoying prosperity and wealth for the next hundred years. In order to create a resonance between the sacrifice and the Gargoyle, to ensure they wouldn't feel any hesitation during the sacrifice ritual because Arthur was their child, they sent the newborn Arthur to the Convent under the guise of an orphan, planning to bring him home under the guise of adoption on his twelfth birthday, then—kill him!"
Such a thing—
Wood was speechless: "How could there be parents in this world who give birth to a child just to sacrifice them to the Demon God.."
In a daze, a tender and pained cry echoed in his ears.
(Dad.. Dad.. Dad.. I miss you so much..)
(It's so cold here.. so cold.. When will you pick me up and take me home.. Dad..)
(Father..)
.. Not all children are born out of love, similarly, not all parents love their own children. Even among twins born on the same day, one may be pampered while the other suffers neglect.. There was even a God-King who, in order to avoid breaking his own principle that blood relatives must not kill one another, deliberately produced an illegitimate child, only to send this child—only a day old and knowing nothing of the world—to kill his own half-brother..
Master's tone was calm, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
But..
I can't let them complete the sacrifice. I have to save Arthur.. But I, I.. My soul is trapped inside the Gargoyle's body. I can only meet him as a friend in Arthur's imagination, to remind him to escape this place as soon as possible.. to not get caught up in this misfortune that does not belong to him..
Benjamin's eyes shimmered with sadness. "As Arthur's twelfth birthday approaches, they will soon come to the Orphanage to take him away.."
Who are they?
"Who are they?" Wood asked excitedly.
Arthur's biological parents, Montbanes V and his wife.
“Montbanes V?”
Wood froze for a moment, because this name—
Doesn't sound English?
“The Montbanes Family is from France. Their ancestors once followed Marshal Gilles de Rais, the family preserves the manuscripts of this madman, who was notorious for murdering Boys.. A hundred years ago, Montbanes I and his wife, who had gone bankrupt due to the First World War, came to North America after hearing the legends of the Archangel and the Gargoyle at the Madonna Convent..”
Benjamin sighed, "They followed the method of making deals with demons recorded in Marshal Gilles's manuscripts, offering their eldest son—me—as a sacrifice to the Gargoyle.. My soul has been trapped within the Gargoyle's body for a hundred years.. During this century, the Montbanes Family has continuously amassed wealth under the protection of the Stone Demon.. Now, the hundred-year contract with the demon is nearing its end, they are preparing to make another sacrifice.."
For a hundred years, the Montbanes Family has continuously donated to the Church in their capacity as devout Catholics—as long as they submitted an adoption application to the Convent, it would always be approved quickly. Everyone believed Arthur would have a bright future, but only I know.. the Arthur who is brought into the Montbanes Family will die..
What about Gabriel? Does Gabriel know about these filthy truths?
Wood asked curiously.
Benjamin shook his head. "I have prayed to Gabriel countless times, but I have never received a response.. The hundred-year contract is about to expire. They will hold the ritual again, burning the old contract and signing a new one. My soul will completely dissipate along with the burning of the old contract.. I am already dead, but I hope Arthur can be saved.. I am desperately seeking help from the outside world, any help at all.. Help me! Please, you must help me!"
Author's Note:
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Note 1: The biased father mentioned by Boss is Odin.
In Norse mythology, the Light God Baldur and the Dark God Hodur are twins, but Odin and his wife favor the Light God and look down upon the Dark God. Loki, harboring a desire for revenge for the three children Odin took from him (Hela, Jormungand, Fenrir), discovers the Dark God's inner suffering and incites Hodur to kill Baldur with mistletoe.
After Baldur's death, the Old Couple went to the Underworld to find Hela, demanding that she return their son (?), but Hela refused. Odin hated Hodur, due to the principle that blood relatives cannot kill one another, he plotted to force Linda to give birth to a son, Vali (this child shares the same name as Loki's son, Vali), so that the newborn Vali, who knew nothing, would kill Hodur.
Note 2: Montbanes is a purely fictional surname, inspired by the Montbanes Castle and the Montbanas district in France.