When the fear level rises, judgment worsens—and it doesn’t help with escaping, either. Still, it’s a relief that possession is possible at this level. Since the fear had passed 50 percent, I attempted to possess Mary.
You used 〈Possession〉 on 〈Mary Crow〉.
However…
! Unable to use 〈Possession〉 due to the target’s abnormal status.
Ah. I’ve experienced this before in a previous game. Sometimes, possession would be rejected depending on the target’s personality or mental state. But of all times… did it really have to happen now?!
‘Stay calm. First, I need to keep Mary’s fear level below fifty percent.’
I decided to calm Mary down first.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. Take a deep breath. Come on, follow me. Hoo, hoo—.”
“Evil spirit! You’re trying to hand me over to the Duke, aren’t you? And now you’re mocking me by imitating Havel Acron’s breathing, aren’t you?! I know exactly what you’re doing!”
Ah. I started mimicking his damn breathing again without even realizing it.
“N, no! Wait!”
Mary grabbed her trembling legs and forced herself to stand, ready to run at any moment.
“Havel said you were a nice ghost—that he even gave you food. But I don’t believe it!”
“Did he say that?”
Wait, why is Lilith ‘Miss Lilith,’ but Havel’s just plain Havel?
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
Before I could stop her, Mary bolted again—straight toward the staircase where Basileon was coming down.
“Hey! The Duke’s that way! Would you please just listen to me for once—and take off that damn armor!”
“No! I can’t give up my precious disguise skills!”
I blocked Mary’s path again.
“Kyaaa!”
“Waaah! So scary, right?! Don’t act all tough when you’re not even faster than Lilith, Mary Crow! Hurry up and get out of that armor!”
Crash—!
Startled by my shout, Mary flinched in panic and ended up tripping over herself. Damn it. I just wanted to scare her into running the other way, but it completely backfired!
“No, don’t fall—run the other way. Please.”
At that moment—
Clank—!
“Mhm?”
A chilling sound made me turn around—Basileon was walking toward us, his flamberge drawn.
Whoosh—
To make matters worse, I realized then that his blade was on fire.
‘Crazy.’
Basileon could conjure flames with his flamberge—but it was a technique he never once used in front of me.
‘Something’s off… Has he lost his mind? To the point where he’s forgotten that I’m even watching?’
“Kyaaak!”
[Mary Crow]
◇ Fear level: 56%
◇ Fear level: 62%
◇ Fear level: 69%
Mary was on the verge of losing her mind.
‘Run!’
I silently mouthed the words toward Mary, trying to warn her—but she seemed frozen, her legs trembling too much to move. Glancing between Basilion and Mary, I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped in front of her.
“Basileon! W, wait!”
Maybe it was because his hair hung over his eyes, but I couldn’t see his expression at all. Still, one thing was certain—an ominous darkness clung to him like a shadow.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Intimacy: ???
◇ Anger: ???
‘What is that?’
Not even in the game had I seen anything like this before. There had been times when his rage meter spiked out of control, sure—but never anything like that strange question mark.
“Basileon…?”
But Basileon didn’t answer my question. He simply turned around, staggering as he disappeared down the corridor. Mary, meanwhile, had already fled into the distance—leaving behind nothing but the empty shell of her armor.
“See? You should’ve just taken it off earlier. Why are you so obsessed with disguise techniques?”
No, this isn’t the time for that. If Basileon’s on the verge of losing control—? You know how the sky clears up right before a storm hits. This might just be the warning sign…!
‘Let’s follow along!’
I kept my distance and quietly followed him. Basileon’s figure looked weighed down, his back slouched low. He staggered along the dim corridors of the gloomy castle, heading somewhere unknown. Even from afar, I could feel a heavy, somber aura radiating from him.
‘…Was the nightmare he had last night too much for him? Or is it because I possessed Havel’s body? …No, that can’t be it. It’s not like it was Evan. It was Havel, after all.’
Basileon climbed the secret staircase hidden within the ducal castle—a stairway leading to the rooftop garden nestled between two towers. His long black cloak brushed against the steps, and with every footfall, it felt as though traces of melancholy were being left behind.
Creak—creak—.
‘This is… where the ghost gardener resides.’
As I climbed the final steps leading to the rooftop garden, the night sky came into view. Basileon paused for a moment, catching his breath as he looked at the sky.
‘What are you doing?’
After taking a few steadying breaths, he began to walk through the garden. The night sky framed between the arched entrance and the stone balustrade was breathtakingly beautiful.
‘Oh! This is the place I thought was beautiful when I played the game.’
Basileon placed his hand on the railing and looked up at the sky.
“Lord, are you here?”
“…Simon.”
“The night air is nice. Let’s take a short rest.”
The quick-witted ghost gardener quietly stepped aside for him. Even in death, the ghosts all diligently continued the work they had done in life. That gardener, Simon—though now a ghost—must have tended to this garden with the same dedication as before.
‘The other ghosts can handle the tools they need for their work, but why can’t I touch anything without skill?’
While I was lost in thought, Basileon plopped down onto a bench installed in the garden. Judging by the ghost gardener’s demeanor, it seemed Basileon visited this place fairly often.
“Evien.”
A cold voice was heard.
“I knew you were following me.”
“….!”
So his unusually sharp senses really can’t be fooled. But it doesn’t matter if he notices! Right now, I need to take control of Basileon’s state.
“B, Basileon. It’s been a while! Hehe!”
Basileon didn’t respond to my greeting.
“Um… Basileon?”
“….”
“Uhm. …What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”
“….”
‘What is it? What’s going on? Please, just tell me.’
I stared at Basileon in frustration.
Gloomy…A melancholy so heavy it felt like hundreds of comic-style hatch marks could be drawn across the scene.
“Could it be… is it because of that last time? That…”
“The red hair you possessed?”
I was about to speak, but Basileon struck first. The red head refers to Havel.
“Ah, as expected, you knew it was me.”
“…I don’t know. I just thought it was one of your new pranks. You’re always playing tricks, after all.”
“What? Then, because of what…”
Basileon turned his head to the other side, giving off the clear impression that he didn’t want to continue the conversation.
“….”
It seemed that Basileon had come here to spend some time alone. Even when we were out hunting the survivors together, he occasionally took moments for himself.
[Basileon Ravenwood]
◇ Intimacy: ???
◇ Anger: ???
The mysterious question mark on the status screen remained unchanged. One thing was certain—at least Basileon didn’t seem on the verge of losing his sanity. That was a small relief. I left him be, quietly stepping aside like the ghost gardener had done. Seeing Basileon looking so gloomy brought back memories of him, tormented by nightmares just last night.
“Don’t go.”
“Don’t go, Eve.”
At that moment, Basileon called out to me unconsciously. He let out a pained groan, as if he had been brutally beaten in a nightmare.
‘….’
I left Basileon alone and turned away. When he wants to be by himself like that, it’s better just to give him space—it might be his way of relieving stress. And when he’s in such a gloomy state, he doesn’t seem like he’d be out hunting survivors. It’s a good thing, but the question marks representing his rage and intimacy levels still feel a bit unsettling.
‘Hmm…’
After some thought, I left. Since the map shows locations in real time anyway, I figured I’d go elsewhere and look for a way to calm Basileon’s rage and stress.
* * *
The four survivors took advantage of this night, when Basileon didn’t appear. They were able to gather clues and collect items much faster than usual.
‘In a situation like tonight, I probably don’t need to help. So… what else should I try?’
In the game, there had been places I couldn’t access because the map wasn’t implemented. One such place caught my eye—the underground area. However, I couldn’t see any stairs leading down, so it seemed only accessible via an unofficial route. But I was an evil spirit. All I had to do was pass straight down from the first floor.
Whoosh!
I flew and arrived in the basement in an instant.
“This is….”
I flew through the basement, exploring, and before I knew it, I had entered an enormous chamber. Inside the spacious room, weapons gleamed, neatly displayed. I hadn’t realized the Ravenwood Castle had a place like this. It looked as if someone had meticulously maintained the room—each weapon shone brilliantly. I spent quite a while just admiring the weapons, when suddenly…
“Hey.”
Huh? What are you talking about? Is there anyone here?
“Hey!”
I heard a voice calling me again, so I looked around intently. But nothing was seen.
“Here, here! I mean the place where all the trash is piled up!”
Trash? Looking more closely, I saw that in one corner, heavy piles of rubbish were stacked like a tower.
“Yes! Hey, get me out of here!”
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