[Anya’s PoV?!]
The Sunday school at the church ended in the morning.
In the afternoon, I went to the chapel and sang with the saint. We sang various songs, such as hymns, children’s songs, and requiems.
I, Anastasia, love singing, so it was a lot of fun.
“Anastasia-san.” (Saint)
Saint-sama, dressed in a white habit1, called out to me.
She’s a beautiful, kind woman with long hair and she’s about the same age as Wil-sama.
“Thanks to the medicine you gave me, my throat is feeling much better. I’m really grateful for it so thank you very much.” (Saint)
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad Saint-sama’s singing voice has returned.” (Anya)
“Well, I tend to sing a lot during this time of the year so it really helped.” (Saint)
“There are indeed many singing events around this time. If Saint-sama couldn’t sing, everyone would be troubled.” (Anya)
“That’s true, I don’t want to trouble them just because of this.” (Saint)
While talking to Saint-sama, Clara-chan approached us. She looks very cute in her black gothic lolita dress.
“Oh-ho-ho-ho! Please excuse me for interrupting your conversation. Anastasia, may I have a moment of your time?” (Clara)
“Sure, what is it?” (Anya)
“After this, you’re going to visit the graves, right? If you really insist, I wouldn’t mind accompanying you desu wa. How does that sound?” (Clara)
Clara-chan asked while fiddling with her vertically rolled hair.
It’s a rare invitation coming from Clara-chan, who usually keeps a tsundere attitude. She’s not the type to suggest something so straightforwardly.
Before I could answer, children came running to us from behind Clara-chan.
“Anya, Anya, let’s play together!” (Child)
It was Daniel-kun, the always energetic boy with brown skin, who invited me.
There are many other children too, five in total including boys and girls. They range from seven to nine years old, a little younger than me.
“Hey, I was the one who invited Anastasia first!” (Clara)
“Huh, was that an invitation…?” (Daniel)
“I didn’t invite her, but I was planning to have Anastasia invite me. Isn’t that obvious?” (Clara)
“I don’t really get what Clara is saying…” (Daniel)
It seems Daniel-kun still doesn’t quite understand Clara-chan.
From Clara-chan’s perspective, her earlier words were practically saying, “Let’s go together.” I understand this well because I’ve known her for a long time.
“Clara-chan, let’s go visit the graves together.” (Anya)
“W-Well, I suppose it can’t be helped desu wa. If Anastasia insists, then I wouldn’t mind accompanying you desu wa. Oh-ho-ho-ho!” (Saint)
Clara-chan seems happy.
“After visiting the graves, let’s play together, everyone. I have some work, so it’ll only be for a short while.” (Anya)
“Okay!” (Children)
The children happily agreed.
“Saint-sama, we’ll take our leave now.” (Anya)
“Yes, be sure to play nicely together. Oh, that’s right. Near the graves, there’s a sealed sword, never pull it out under any circumstances. Daniel-san, David-san, John-san, this isn’t a joke, okay? The seal is weakening. Until the adults take measures, even touching the sword is prohibited, okay?” (Saint)
“Why are you only telling the boys…” (Daniel)
Daniel-kun and the others seemed disgruntled. Looks like Saint-sama is particularly worried about the boys causing trouble.
◇
Ahhhhh!
Unfortunately, Saint-sama’s concerns became an inevitable flag.
In other words, someone pulled out the sealed sword near the graves.
But it wasn’t the boys who did it. It was seven-year-old Scarlett-chan, a cute girl with a red ponytail.
I should have properly warned the girls too.
Scarlett-chan may be small, but she’s from a demon race, so she’s quite strong. She effortlessly pulled out the sealed sword.
“What are you doingggggg!” (Clara)
“Huh? But, the sword told me to pull it out.” (Scarlett)
“I didn’t hear any such incomprehensible voice!” (Clara)
Perhaps it was because Scarlett-chan possessed strong magic power that she was the only one who heard it.
Clara-chan hurriedly put the sealed sword back into its hole. But it seems that it was too late.
Something black and large flew out from the sword.
“Ahahaha. Ahahahahaha. Thank you very much for releasing me from the long seal!” (?)
Despite the cheerful tone, there’s something terrifyingly filled with hatred in the voice.
Before we knew it, dark clouds had appeared in the sky.
In that gloomy sky, something released from the seal is floating.
It’s something with a completely black body clad in knight armor…
Is that thing wearing a skull mask? Or is that its actual face?
Its blood-red eyes looked down on us.
“So, you’re the ones who set me free! Such adorable little ones. A-ha-ha-ha-ha!” (?)
With its enormous mouth, it gave us a smile.
I couldn’t help but feel instinctual fear at that large mouth.
“Now, how about you guys play with me?” (?)
It spreads its arms out joyfully.
“After we’ve played to our hearts’ content, then I’ll devour each and every one of you slowly―” (?)
Lightning flashed and thunder roared.
In the evil entity’s red eyes, there was a strong color of hatred.
◇
[Wilhelm’s PoV]
The sky had an unnervingly orange shade, almost red. It was eerie.
Honestly, I didn’t want to come to the abandoned castle at this time of dusk, but it’s for work, so there’s no helping it.
We have to clear the quest “Investigate the mysterious sounds and voices coming from the abandoned castle”, requested by Liliana.
By the way, the quest difficulty is set at D. Since the castle is in the city, the risk of dangerous monsters appearing is low, or so they judged.
That’s why the reward is a bit disappointing.
It’s only 3000 gold for the investigation, and 6000 gold if we solve the mystery. I wish we could get a bit more for our work.
Oh, and Sofia-san is also here with me. She decided to tag along because it sounded interesting.
“Wow, Wil-kun, the evening atmosphere in the castle is kind of intense, isn’t it?” (Sofia)
“Yeah, it certainly feels like something is about to happen.” (Wilhelm)
“I know right? Oh, there are lots of bats here!” (Sofia)
Indeed. There are unusually large bats hanging around all over the place.
They’re staring at us and grinning. It really feels like there’s something here.
By the way, this abandoned castle used to be owned by relatives of the royal family. But now, with no heirs, nobody lives here.
It’s small for a castle, and the design isn’t great either. That’s why it’s scheduled for demolition eventually.
Apparently, eerie voices and noises are heard from this abandoned castle at night. It’s our job to figure out the cause of these mysterious sounds.
It could be ghosts, or maybe spirits. Perhaps thieves have taken up residence, or it could just be the sound of the wind.
In any case, the nearby residents are probably uneasy.
This place is close to the church, and there’s quite a bit of foot traffic too.
Let’s investigate thoroughly to ensure that nothing dangerous is lurking around.
Oh? Something cold just dropped onto my nose out of nowhere. Looking up, I see dark clouds looming closer in the sky.
Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder.
“Uwah! Lightning! That was pretty nearby, wasn’t it?” (Wilhelm)
But more importantly, I feel like I saw a figure at the abandoned castle.
“Sofia-san, didn’t you see someone behind the window on the fourth floor just now?” (Wilhelm)
“Huh, no way. There’s no one there.” (Sofia)
“They’re not there anymore… Oh no, it looks like it’s going to rain. Let’s run to the castle.” (Wilhelm)
I didn’t bring an umbrella because I didn’t expect it to rain today.
Sofia-san and I hurriedly dashed towards the castle.
We opened the tall door and stepped inside.
It was dim. And I could feel the stale and damp surroundings. There was no sign of anyone living here. It felt exactly like how a place should be after being abandoned for years.
“We’re coming in~. Looks like the door wasn’t locked.” (Wilhelm)
“It seems the lock was broken by mischief-makers decades ago.” (Sofia)
“Uwah, how careless.” (Wilhelm)
A cold draft passed through my clothes. I shivered involuntarily.
“It sure is cold in here.” (Sofia)
As I was about to say, “Yes, it is”, a dull sound echoed, and the door closed by itself. The outside light was blocked, and it became quite dark.
“Sofia-san, did you close the door?” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? Wasn’t it you, Wil-kun?” (Sofia)
“No, it wasn’t. I thought it was you…” (Wilhelm)
Well then, it must be some kind of ghost.
I made eye contact with Sofia-san.
She smiled. Sofia-san reached out to me. She grabbed my arm firmly.
“Alright, Wil-kun, lead the way.” (Sofia)
“Hey, Sofia-san? Are you, by any chance, scared of ghosts?” (Wilhelm)
“Mmm, I’m not scared at all! Could it be that you’re the one who’s scared, Wil-kun? Is that why you’re asking?” (Sofia)
Aha, so Sofia-san is scared. And not just scared, she’s really scared. I guess she’s not good with ghosts or anything spooky.
And yet, she still decided to accompany me on this job. Must be one of those “curiosity killed the cat” types.
“I’m not scared of ghosts at all.” (Wilhelm)
“Really? Can onee-san trust you?” (Sofia)
“If push comes to shove, I’ll break through the window and make a run for it.” (Wilhelm)
“Can you really do it without being scared?” (Sofia)
“After I run away, Sofia-san will bravely fight the ghosts and hold them off on her own!” (Wilhelm)
“Hey, Wil-kun. Don’t you dare leave me behind. I mean it.” (Sofia)
“I know, I know. I was just kidding. You’re really brave, Sofia-san.” (Wilhelm)
“It’s not a joke! I’m serious about this!” (Sofia)
Sofia-san smiled and then joked—
“If you leave me behind in a place like this, I’ll come back and haunt you.” (Sofia)
…Or so she says but I couldn’t help but think she’d make a cute ghost.
Anyway, it’s dark. Can’t see where I’m going.
We brought a lamp, so I might as well light it up.
I ignited the lamp with a fire spell.
Then, it felt like something faintly fluorescent and transparent drifted away from around us. I followed its path with my eyes, but there was nothing there after it was gone.
Well, must’ve been my imagination. Let’s move forward.
We proceeded slowly, relying on the warm light of the lamp. And then, suddenly…
“Kekekeke… Kekekekeke… Kekekekekekeke…” (?)
From somewhere, an eerie laughter echoed.
“W-Wait Wait Wait, Wil-kun, what was that just now? There’s definitely something here, right? Right?” (Sofia)
I lowered the lamp to my face. With the interplay of light and shadow, I must have looked pretty scary.
“Oh, but I didn’t hear anything, you know?” (Wilhelm)
“AAAHHHHHHH! Quit joking around!” (Sofia)
Huh? Even though there was no wind, the lamp’s flame went out.
“No, no, no, noooo! Why, why did the fire go out?” (Sofia)
“Sofia-san, shall we continue like this?” (Wilhelm)
“What kind of joke is thaaaat! Wil-kun, you’re definitely doing this on purpose to tease me, aren’t youu?!” (Sofia)
“That’s not true at all. Come on, let’s go.” (Wilhelm)
“W-Wait!” (Sofia)
There’s a reason why I didn’t relight the fire.
There’s probably a ghost or something living here. I want to find it and drive it away, but if there’s light, the ghost might hide and never show itself. So, I thought it would be better to search in the dark.
“Oh Ghost~ Come on out wherever you are!” (Wilhelm)
“W-Why are you calling it to come out?” (Sofia)
“Well, of course, because we’re going to exorcise it ourselves.” (Wilhelm)
“That’s not just investigating anymore. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get greedy. Ahhh! Something cold just passed around my ankles!” (Sofia)
“Oh, that seemed ghostly.” (Wilhelm)
“Don’t say unnecessary things like thaaaaaat!” (Sofia)
Sofia-san is as lively as ever. With all this noise, even if there was a ghost, it probably wouldn’t dare to come close.
We climbed up a large staircase.
A mouse scurried away.
“Ah, the portrait is facing this way.” (Wilhelm)
“Not looking. Absolutely not looking at it!” (Sofia)
“Look, it’s even smiling now.” (Wilhelm)
“I said I’m not looking at it!” (Sofia)
“It’s even waving at us.” (Wilhelm)
“I really won’t look! L-Let’s just go ahead!” (Sofia)
“Kekekeke! Kekekekekekeke!” (?)
“And also, what’s with that eerie laughter? It’s like some sort of witch…” (Sofia)
The old vase rattled. Something cold passed over my body as if stroking it. I hear the sound of blades being sharpened from somewhere.
It all seemed like ghostly mischief.
Sofia’s grip on me was surprisingly strong as if she was determined not to let go. We were in the middle of the staircase on the third floor. Feeling like someone was watching us, I stopped halfway up the stairs.
“Wil-kun?” (Sofia)
“Sofia-san, please let go.” (Wilhelm)
“No. I won’t let go no matter what.” (Sofia)
“Are we passionate lovers or something?” (Wilhelm)
“Are you going to protect me like one?” (Sofia)
“That depends. Do you think a shut-in like me is good enough as a boyfriend?” (Wilhelm)
“In this situation, anyone could be my boyfriend.” (Sofia)
“Sofia-san, they’re coming.” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? Who’s coming? Hey, don’t let go. Promise me you won’t let go.” (Sofia)
I scooped up Sofia-san’s waist and jumped down to the bottom of the stairs. A heavy sword swung down right where we had been.
“Whoa, armor? Did the armor displayed at the top of the stairs just attack us?” (Sofia)
“It seems so! Incoming magic!” (Wilhelm)
“Could it be thieves wearing that armor?” (Sofia)
As I put down Sofia-san, the armor shot a fire spell towards me, but it was nothing serious so I caught it with my right hand and crushed it.
Then, I dashed up the stairs
There’s no way that the bulky armor would be able to keep up with my speed. My muscles were screaming, but I ignored them for now.
“Ha!” (Wilhelm)
As it followed me, I waited at the top and delivered a powerful kick to the armor’s abdomen, sending it flying several steps down the stairs and causing it to topple over backwards, producing a loud metallic clang.
“Sofia-san, what should we do?” (Wilhelm)
“Wil-kun, I told you not to leave me!” (Sofia)
Whoa, that startled me. Sofia-san came up behind me at lightning speed. Her legs were fast!
“So, what’s going on?” (Sofia)
“That armor… It was empty inside.” (Wilhelm)
“And that means?” (Sofia)
“There was no one inside the armor. It was moving on its own.” (Wilhelm)
“So, essentially?” (Sofia)
“There might be a ghost or a specter inside.” (Wilhelm)
“I don’t like this at all! I want to go home!” (Sofia)
Sofia-san tried to turn away and leave, but I firmly grabbed her hand, determined not to let her go.
I held onto her as if she were my beloved.
“Please wait. I’m brilliant, so I’ll find a way. There’s a powerful spell of the Demon Lord that can materialize ghosts or spirits. I’ll try it now, so please watch carefully.” (Wilhelm)
“No, wouldn’t it be scarier if I saw it?” (Sofia)
I heightened my magic. My eyes probably glowed red with the excessive magic power.
The armor stood up cautiously, wary of me.
Now, let’s see who you really are.
“Invisible beings, reveal yourselves in the tangible world! Materialization Magic, [Foresight Illusion]!” (Wilhelm)
A brilliant white light spread out from me.
The invisible being, affected by the magic’s light, was forced into materialization.
It had taken the light. Now, let’s see who you really are.
Inside the armor was… a ghost. Its body was pure white, and its lower half was squiggly. Its eyes were pitch-black orbs, and its mouth was large. It was the quintessential definition of a ghost.
“Kyaaaa! It’s a ghoooost!” (Sofia)
“If you react like that, it’s very pitiful, you know?” (Wilhelm)
“That’s not true! Ghosts are meant to scare humans!” (Sofia)
“Wow, you’re really scaredddd! I’m soooo happyyyyy!” (Ghost)
“Look, it’s happy!” (Sofia)
“That’s good, Sofia-san. Maybe you two can become friends?” (Wilhelm)
“As if! Wil-kun, stop saying weird things!” (Sofia)
However, it seemed like the ghost took it seriously.
“Yaaayyyyy! Friendsss, friendsss!” (Ghost)
It happily leaped out, slipping through the armor.
I swiftly dodged to the side, not wanting to interfere with its joy. It was time for the confrontation.
“No, why did you dodge, Wil-kun? That’s mean! Ugh, fine! Purification magic, [Saint Flare]! [Saint Flare]! [Saint Flare]!” (Sofia)
Ah, with the holy flames of the magic, the ghost was purified.
The ghost gave a cheerful thumbs up with a smile and vanished. Goodbye.
Sofia-san gripped my clothes tightly, showing no signs of letting go.
“Haa, haa, haa. Yeah, no more of that. This isn’t the place to fool around, you know? (Sofia)
“Well, setting that aside, Sofia-san, you could use purification magic.” (Wilhelm)
“That’s right. Because pure-hearted maidens like me learn it at the church.” (Sofia)
True, purification magic isn’t taught to boys. Boys get taught swordsmanship and spear techniques by the church knights. It’s a bit frustrating. You can learn swordsmanship and spear techniques elsewhere, but if they taught purification magic to kids, I would’ve mastered it quickly.
“Hey, Wil-kun, let’s go home now. We’ve vanquished the suspicious ghost, after all.” (Sofia)
The armor that the ghost inhabited lies scattered on the staircase. It seems challenging to put it back together in its original place.
I carefully avoided the scattered armor parts at the edges. It wouldn’t be good to trip over them on the way back.
“Heh, heh, heh! Kekekekeke! Kekekekekekeke!” (?)
Once again, a suspicious voice echoed. It seems to be coming from further up, maybe the fourth floor.
“It seems like our investigation isn’t over yet.” (Wilhelm)
“Haa… I shouldn’t have come along so lightly.” (Sofia)
“Thanks to you, it’s been fun.” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? Are you having fun teasing me?” (Sofia)
“There’s no way that’s true. Come on, let’s continue.” (Wilhelm)
“I told you, don’t leave me behind!” (Sofia)
We dashed up to the fourth floor.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Wow, this is the first time we got someone else’s PoV. Looks like the two events are happening at the same time, but I would assume that MC’s events happened a littler earlier.
Man, I wonder where have we heard that same laughter before. If it isn’t that girl, then I’m a peanut.