In his dream, Basileon recalled her voice.
“It doesn’t mean it hurts just because it’s hot. I don’t hate it. So, so…. Just hold me.”
He loved those words. Never in his wildest dreams had Basileon imagined such words would come from her lips. In his sleep, he smiled. Even a single sentence like that made him feel as though he might lose his mind. He didn’t care if she wasn’t human.
“Basileon, I like you too.”
In the dream, Evien gave him her answer to his confession.
“I like you.”
For a moment, his breath stopped.
‘Truly… she feels that way about me.’
He had never expected an answer, and that made it all the harder to believe. As he dreamed, Basileon realized something. He was hopelessly, utterly infatuated with Evien Montrose. Before he knew it, moonlight seeped in and brushed against him.
“Ah.”
Basileon frowned deeply. The moonlight had interrupted his blissful moment. Irritated, he gripped the blanket as though crushing it in his fist.
“As I thought, it was a dream.”
If he wasn’t going to see Evien, there was no need to wake up at all. Any desire to hunt humans had long since vanished. Perhaps it was because his mind was so full of thoughts of Evien. No other thoughts would come to him.
“If I’m going to see her…”
Basileon murmured lowly.
“I could simply go see her every day.”
If there was no reason to wake because he couldn’t see Evien, then he would just see her. He walked to the dressing room. Just before reaching for the dark clothes he usually wore, he paused.
“…Ah.”
Basileon searched the dressing room for something else to wear, but finding nothing suitable, he put on the clothes he always wore. When he brushed his hair back, his masculine brows were revealed. There was no mirror in Basileon’s dressing room. Thus, he could not see his own reflection.
“….”
Basileon started to do something on his own, then gave up and stepped outside. He called over a passing ghost servant.
“Could you assist me with grooming?”
“…Pardon?”
Ever since the servants had all been cursed into ghosts, self-care had become Basileon’s sole responsibility. Since ghosts could not touch the human Basileon, they couldn’t wash him or dress him.
Thus, he had naturally come to do such things alone. The black clothes he wore every day were chosen because bloodstains did not show easily on them. But now, he had no intention of hunting humans, and he had somewhat broken free from that indoctrination. There was no longer any need to wear black.
“It grows tiresome, wearing the same clothes every time.”
“My Lord. Shall I select an outfit for you?”
“It would be nice if you could also choose something for my hair and perhaps a fragrance.”
“Understood.”
With a faint smile, Basileon led the ghost away. Completely unaware of what was happening inside the castle.
* * *
Thud— thud— thud—.
Only the sound of Havel’s footsteps echoed inside the passage. Since Krius and I were ghosts and were flying, there was no reason for us to make noise.
“Hey. Can’t you walk a bit more quietly?”
“Ooh… It’s hard. Me, heavy.”
“I know you’re heavy, but at least control your steps when you put your foot down!”
“Uu…. Evil spirit mean. Always picking on me.”
Havel reacted like a hurt child.
“That’s right. Making noise is unwise! We have no idea what dreadful things might be lurking here.”
Hearing Krius’s words made me think of Evan from earlier. His body, covered in wounds. Since Evan had come out from this corridor, that meant something dangerous was inside.
“There’s definitely something here. Before you arrived, I saw another survivor. He burst out of the corridor, completely battered.”
“Good heavens!”
Krius was genuinely terrified. He kept turning his head this way and that as if looking for an exit.
“Krius. We’re ghosts. If it comes to it, we can just pass straight through and leave.”
“Uwah! Evil spirit bad! You’re trying to leave me behind!”
[Havel Akron]
◇ Fear Level: 10%
Havel was characterized by rarely feeling fear, but for some reason, his fear level was rising.
“My Lady. It seems you are mistaken about something….”
“Mistaken about what?”
“Even as ghosts, we cannot pass through walls inside this corridor.”
Krius revealed this new fact.
“That’s ridiculous.”
I shoved myself against the wall as I normally would.
Thump—.
But something blocked me. I simply could not go through.
“The fact that you are only now realizing this is what truly surprises me.”
“This makes no sense…. Ghosts can’t pass through walls? Why?”
“This Ravenwood ducal castle has been under its dominion for centuries. In truth, it is far too vast for its power to permeate every corner.”
“Does that mean… this is a space where that power reaches?”
“Correct. Mostly in deep, dark places. In locations where human footprints have ceased or places that aren’t frequently visited, its influence grows stronger.”
After hearing Krius’s explanation, I felt I understood a bit of why this situation had occurred.
The current Basileon had partially broken free from the brainwashing and no longer carried out the Evil God’s commands. The Evil God would not remain idle. It would surely struggle by some means. Was that why it had altered the castle like this and placed the heirloom in a deep, hard-to-find place?
“…There’s an heirloom in here. If what you’re saying is true, then it may have intended to seize control of the entire castle using the corridor and the heirloom.”
“That seems plausible. Still, I had my suspicions when I heard we could not pass through, but I did not expect an heirloom.”
To think it could prevent even ghosts from passing through walls. Since all the curses here originated from the Evil God, perhaps it was not so impossible. And since I, too, was essentially failing to carry out its commands, this might very well have been planned with me in mind.
“….”
Krius and I maintained a silence as if focusing on our own thoughts. As the damp corridor stretched on, everyone seemed tense. The path would run straight, then suddenly twist into winding curves. At times it split into two or even three directions, making it a true headache. A hidden space never seen in the game.
I was familiar with the ducal castle and territory maps, but this hidden place was new to me, and I felt a twinge of fear. After advancing further, we encountered stairs. Two sets—one to the left and one to the right.
Woooo—.
An eerie sound drifted down from above the stairs. As I shrank back slightly in unease, Krius glanced over his shoulder.
“You carry a weapon, yet what is there to fear?”
It felt like he was mocking me, which didn’t feel great.
“W-who said I’m scared?”
“Do you know why I was so skeptical? It hasn’t even been a day since the castle turned strange, but apparently, a few members of the knight order went into the passage to patrol.”
“And?”
“They never returned. If they were ghosts, they should have simply passed through the walls and come out, yet they did not. It was quite strange. Afterward, our members investigated the corridor’s entrance and discovered that its walls could not be penetrated.”
I swallowed hard. To think that even ghosts could be trapped.
“From then on, I suspected it was an heirloom. It has long sought to imbue heirlooms with its power in order to control everything.”
“This damned Ravenwood family. Why would they hand over such important objects to that thing?”
As my language grew harsher, Krius flinched in surprise.
“Ahem. I heard from Adolf that you are the elegant and beautiful lady of the Montrose County.”
“That’s how I appear in Adolf’s eyes.”
“Right. Evil spirit beautiful.”
Havel suddenly cut in. Krius gave Havel a somewhat dissatisfied look.
“How is it that he can see your true form, yet to me you appear only as a fearsome evil spirit?”
“If I had to guess, it seems only those who trust me or have grown close to me can see me that way.”
“Then I am not yet at that level?”
“I don’t know. But you might regret seeing my true form.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a confident expression, I flew ahead of Crios.
“What will you do if you fall for me?”
Hi! Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Please continue to support this novel by giving it a good rating on Novel Updates. Thank you! ^^ ❤︎
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