BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 212's

"Her digestion and throat were cut," Rolan told. He rubbed his wet face with a white towel. There is no time to take a relaxing bath in this condition. He just flushed his face and body as soon as he finished taking care of Jose. His fingertips smelled of soap and antiseptic, but he felt he could still smell the faint smell of rotten meat fat. "Now his body temperature and blood pressure have stabilized again, but it's best to let him rest." He looked at Renata sternly and continued, "he just went to sleep. If anyone wakes him up and makes him wander around again, I'll be very, very hysterical."

"What made him hurt?" Renata had no time to be offended by being warned that loud. He was worried half dead.

"He didn't eat all day yesterday" Rolan said briefly. "So the stomach acid rises, injuring the throat. And I'll vomit blood if there's no breakfast immediately."

Renata glared, whispering, "Don't be reckless!" then continue in a softer tone, "so he's okay, right? Not chronic pain?"

"It's okay. Tiredness, yes. Just have the chef cook foods that can raise HB levels. I'm guessing George already knows what it takes, but I've made a list just in case." Rolan took out a piece of paper from his pants pocket, handing it to Renata. "I'm hungry now, too. Is the breakfast not ready?"

"I'll check it." Renata received the paper and read it while turning back to the first floor.

As soon as the woman's back was gone behind the turn of the corridor, Marco asked in a serious tone, "Why can he vomit blood?"

"His throat was cut," Rolan repeated flatly. He sighed, rubbing his wet brown hair with a towel. "His body is in a mess now. Like he was a balloon, then the burden he had borne for days made the balloon hollow. Do you know what happens when a big balloon burrows? Will not fly because of. That's Jose's condition now, something in his body is churning no cause, making him sick. He mentioned psychic buzz or voices, making me worry about his head. I can't be sure how severe the pain is, if there's a device to check in more detail."

"He's gonna heal, right?"

Rolan. "To be honest, I don't know yet. Need to see how it is progressing. If he stays stable after this, I don't think we need to worry." He looked at Marco. "How's your waist? Look here."

"Cure," said Marco. His face was astonished. "There's no trace of the stitches. Even your thread is gone."

"Well, it should be revoked." Rolan scratched his head. It does not look any marks where there should be torn wounds and long stitches. "Hmmm there is no sign of stitches or felt there is a thread behind the skin. Do you feel pain or itching? How about being touched like this?"

"As usual touch. There's no pain." Marco took his shirt down. "He really did it? How come?"

Rolan glanced around, staring at the corridor from end to end. Slender. There was only Gerald and Hans standing guard at Jose's doorstep. Lady Chantall took care of Hubbert and Maria and Nolan waiting on the first floor, not allowed to climb despite both being very panicked and noisier as soon as Jose staggered after coughing up blood.

"Gerald, come in" Marco ordered. "Observations Jose. He can't leave the room. Not even through windows, roofs, doors, or anything else. Don't let him lick his tongue with you and look for a crack to escape. Jose has to stay on top of bed rest."

Gerald nodded and agreed respectfully, then entered to stand guard in the room. Hans stays outside. Marco invites Rolan to continue the discussion in his study, not far from Jose's room. Rolan recounted everything from his departure to the Archive Center, that the paper sigil he had brought was useless, and told him what he knew from Sir William.

"So he's a Solomonari?" Marco frowned. "And he's not the devil, but followed by the devil?"

Rolan opened the window blinds wide, letting the morning sun spill into the study. After a long cold night, he loved the morning sun. The hotter the better. "You won't be able to imagine how it looks like" he said, shuddering. "That creature is terrible."

Rolan shrugged his shoulders. "I saw Robert commanding police patrol down the river. He didn't greet me, nor did he want to see me. I hope the bodies don't rise again if they're found and removed from the river."

Marco tapped his finger on the desk. "So Jose can do magic?"

"He wouldn't call it magic" said Rolan. "But yeah, it can. He said it was because he had seen the True Truth. God's Personification. The god whispered a lot to him."

Marco grunting.

"Hey, you better believe it," Rolan laughed. He walked to the coffee table and poured hot tea from a set of tea supplies available. "In fact, Jose did do a lot of miracles with his prayers. If you'd seen how he lit the river. It really shines like lightning!"

"If God does exist" Marco said in a heavy voice, "why would He let evil beings like Sir William roam about killing people? If man's unbelief makes Him weak, what is he called God for? How is he different from Robert, for example?"

"Hmmm... The difference is, even if you believe in Robert, not necessarily Robert can help you?"

"Isn't it true that I believe in Him, too, not that He would help me? It all depends on him, right?" Marco laughed coldly. "Then I better believe in myself. I can't possibly hang myself on a mythical creature whose powers aren't clear."

"You know it's because of your nature that you're the target of a pride sacrifice, right?" Rolan threw a file from Krip he had just read into a table bag, a file Lady Chantall had obtained. "What if you're being more humble? Maybe everything will change. Maybe Sir William will go and find someone else."

"Omong empty. You read it yourself in the file, look at the time scale, the chronology. Match up with all the data we've got." Marco walked over, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Tomorrow's eclipse is the only chance for Sir William to perform the ritual, or Arabella will not return. He only had one chance. This ritual must be performed sequentially in the solar period and inexplicably can only be performed this one time. He has done it six times for six sins. Stay this one. Staying on pride."

"Eh, about the solar period is not in the data Krip. How do you know?"

"Garnet." Marco sipped his hot tea slowly. "He remembers a lot of things. Memories that don't belong to her."

Rolan was silent for a long time, then wheezed. "Difficult to believe" he murmured. "All these deaths, all this blood and dead bodies, this commotion .. he just wants to turn on one woman. Why not find another girl?"

"You alone?" reply Marco. "Why not find another woman?"

Rolan.

***

¬solar: sun