It was the first time I had ever heard about Basileon’s past. The ghost told me stories he had witnessed firsthand, detailed enough that I could picture them vividly.
* * *
Thud—. Thud thud—.
Bang—!
“Gyaaaah!”
Horrific sounds came from behind the tightly shut door.
“Young Master Basileon… at this rate, won’t something truly terrible happen to him?”
“But… how are we supposed to stop the lord?”
They said the previous lord had taken a dislike to Basileon, the heir. As a child, Basileon had been frail and frequently ill.
“I told you not to disgrace the family name.”
Bang!
The previous Lord only emerged from the room after subjecting Basileon to all manner of violence.
“Do not give that boy a single thing to eat all day.”
“Yes, my lord….”
“If I find anyone looking after him, report it to me immediately. You will be handsomely rewarded.”
The former lord set things up so that the servants would watch one another. As a result, even secretly caring for Basileon became nearly impossible.
* * *
“When even food and water were denied, what must Young Master Basileon have been feeling…? He was still so young. Twelve years old, perhaps.”
“They starved a growing child? Didn’t even give him food?”
“Yes. That is the kind of man the former lord was.”
o, domestic violence on top of child abuse. He was a piece of human trash with a heavy criminal record.
“And when we brought water and a meal the next day, as ordered by the former lord, this is what we saw.”
The ghost pointed at Basileon, sitting motionless.
“Just like that—eyes closed, not moving an inch. Even though he must have been parched and starving.”
“Why would he behave like that….”
“Because there was no longer any reason for him to drink the water.”
“Why?”
The ghost let out a deep sigh, as if even thinking about it was suffocating.
“The young master… gradually lost the will to live. At such a young age.”
I looked at Basileon with a heavy heart.
‘…Basileon, how did you survive?’
“So… are you saying Basileon wants to die right now?”
“I wouldn’t state it quite so definitively, but… I do believe his thoughts are leaning in a negative direction.”
Were Evan’s words really that shocking? Still, to say it was purely because of that….
“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”
“Not at all. I’d be glad if it was of some help.”
After hearing the ghosts’ story, I lingered around Basileon. The flamberge planted in the floor. And the soul-receptacle mirror lying there carelessly.
‘What should I do about that? Basileon’s carried it with him all this time so no one else could take it.’
At least now I knew that heirlooms must not be carried close together at the same time. And then, one thought flashed through my mind.
‘Ella… did she perhaps offer her soul to the Evil God?’
A chill ran over my body. Leaving the mirror behind felt deeply unsettling. So I stayed by Basileon’s side the entire time, standing guard—watching to see if anyone approached the mirror, or posed a threat to Basileon. Through it all, Basileon sat completely motionless. So much so that anyone might mistake him for a living corpse.
‘…Basileon.’
For a brief moment, I held Basileon’s hand. It might have meant nothing, but I remembered how, last time, I’d felt not just warmth but a burning heat from him.
‘Maybe… Basileon can feel it too.’
Was it just my imagination?
“….”
It felt as if Basileon had flinched ever so slightly. After that, there was no reaction at all.
* * *
“…Mm….”
When I opened my eyes, I felt oddly refreshed. It seemed I had fallen asleep at some point while guarding Basileon.
‘The mirror…?’
The mirror was still lying there, exactly where it had been. There were no signs that anyone had come by. Had an entire day really passed like this? I glanced to the side—Basileon was still in the same posture as yesterday. Probably hadn’t moved at all.
‘He’s not going to get bedsores, is he?’
As long as no one had died overnight, sleeping was fine—but the mirror kept bothering me.
“What should I do with this….”
I leaned in and examined the mirror closely.
“Hey. Ella.”
I called out to the mirror for no real reason.
“Are you dead, or alive?”
Of course, there was no reply.
“Ah. Right. You were a ghost to begin with.”
It was at that moment—
“…Why not smash the mirror?”
The voice that answered wasn’t Ella’s—it was a man’s voice.
‘I’ve heard that voice before.’
When I turned around, Krius Harper was standing there.
“You—!”
“Wait. Please stop for a moment.”
As I tensed on full alert, Krius raised both hands high.
“Ugh….”
Fearing another explosion of fire, I shut my eyes tightly.
“My lady, please open your eyes. I have nothing in my hands.”
I cracked one eye open to check. Krius had both arms raised, like a criminal moments before being arrested.
“What are you plotting?”
“…Phew.”
Krius let out a deep sigh and spun around in place.
“See? I am carrying no weapons at all!”
He shouted, sounding aggrieved.
Thud!
At that moment, a sword flew in from another direction and struck Krius with its hilt.
“Gah!”
Krius rubbed his back, looking as though the spot he’d been hit was stinging.
“Adolph! Stop hitting me already!”
“Well, I don’t plan to stop until that idiot comes to his senses.”
Adolf appeared from another direction.
“What is this? Are you two close or something?”
Adolf stomped forward, radiating anger with every step.
“Nonsense. Me, with a guy like that? My only goal is to rehabilitate him.”
“Rehabilitate? What are you talking about!”
Thud—!
Adolf attacked Krius again.
“Ugh….”
“Didn’t you say you had something to say to the evil spirit? Hm?”
That wasn’t a question—it was practically a threat. Weapons of the Crimson Ghost Knight Order surrounded Krius.
“I borrowed them from the commander again. When I said I’d make a man out of him, he lent them to me.”
“I’m already dead—how do you expect to make me a man?!”
“That’s not what I meant, you idiot!”
“Let’s clear those away first and then talk, shall we?”
Krius lowered himself, eyeing the weapons floating above him.
“Ahem….”
I gave an uncomfortable cough.
“I really don’t want to see your face.”
I said this without taking my eyes off Basileon.
“I am aware.”
Suddenly, Krius stepped in between Basileon and me.
“What are you—?”
Then he dropped to one knee.
“Lady Montrose. I committed a grave offense the other day.”
His demeanor was serious and solemn.
“…Why now, after staying quiet all this time?”
“I truly believed you were responsible.”
“So?”
“At the time, I thought you were narrow-minded. But… looking back now, it is clear that I was the narrow-minded one.”
Krius bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. His face flushed as if it might burst.
“I am deeply ashamed. Of myself…”
It didn’t seem like an act, at least. Admitting one’s past mistakes—even in death—couldn’t be easy. But still…
“Just because you apologize doesn’t mean I have any intention of forgiving you.”
“I believe that is only natural. I have no intention of begging for forgiveness, either.”
Even as he said that, Krius looked faintly bitter.
“Forgiveness aside, I sincerely wish to be of help to you, my lady.”
“And how exactly would you help me?”
Krius pointed to Adolf’s weapons hovering overhead. They were arms used by the Crimson Ghost Knight Order—transparent weapons effective against both humans and ghosts.
“That’s the weaponry your knight order uses.”
“That is correct. Weapons our order modified to be used on both ghosts and humans.”
Krius turned cautiously to Adolf.
“Adolf. Since you’ve brought them all this way, might you lend me those?”
He gestured at the armada of floating weapons.
“What happened to that fake flamberge you modified yourself?”
“I left it behind, as I was sure the lady would dislike it.”
“Last time you said you wouldn’t even associate with us—now you’re pretending to have a conscience?”
“That’s not it—!”
Krius bristled, clearly offended, but held back after sneaking a glance at me.
“At the time, I was a thoroughly narrow-minded ghost. I have no excuse.”
Krius lowered his head deeply.
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