I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game Chapter 92

Flashback: Carol and Jack O'Lantern

"Hey~ Carol! Want to see the aweso poem I wrote?"

Jack O'Lantern, one of the entities I was managing.

For so reason, it's been talking to ever since we first t.

Well, the more information I have about the entity I'm managing, the better, so I humored him.

Since there's nothing to do before Alice's birth, which phistopheles predicted, it's okay to use him as a way to kill ti.

It's okay, but...

"Haa... Jack O'Lantern? Please don't forget that our relationship is that of a containnt entity and a manager?"

No matter what, this pumpkin guy, calling 7 tis a day is a bit much!

And he refuses the other employees because he says it's no fun if I don't co in person... My head hurts.

"Okay, okay, okay! So don't be shy and read it~!"

Jack O'Lantern shoved the paper at as he said that.

As we talked, I naturally started sharing my hobbies and past, and when I told him that I had written poetry before, he started showing his poems out of the blue.

Most of them were just crude jokes, but so of them were actually decent poems.

Of course, they were really hard to understand.

I realized later that they weren't ant to be understood in the first place, but were just ant to tease the person who was struggling by saying, "Actually, it didn't an anything~" at the end.

'...That part was pretty funny. To be honest.'

I read the poem, hiding my expectations with a blank face.

"Hmm... Uh? This ti, it's not a pun right from the start...?"

My face hardened as I read the sentences.

Because this wasn't just poetry.

A list of words that taphorically expressed love.

This... Is no different from a love letter.

I held back my shock and asked Jack O'Lantern.

"Mr. Jack O'Lantern... Is this a love confession...?"

This crazy pumpkin head spread his arms wide and spoke like a passionate minstrel.

He's already bigger than , a woman, so it makes him even more intimidating.

"This body! This is the first confession this body made since I was born! I think I've been very affectionate with you all this ti, but what do you think?! How about having a serious relationship with this body?!"

I got goosebumps and took a small step back.

Then I spoke to Jack O'Lantern bluntly.

"I told you I had Alice. And more than anything, I originally..."

"Originally?"

...Oh no. This is honestly not sothing I should tell anyone.

Yes. It was a secret that only I and phistopheles knew.

It's one of those things that becos harder to talk about the more you think about it.

But sohow I felt like I could tell this pumpkin.

Is it because we talked the most and shared the most hobbies in this branch?

Anyway, I started to wonder how Jack O'Lantern would react if he heard this secret.

I raised my voice ominously.

"I was a man."

There was silence for a mont.

For about 20 seconds.

I couldn't even hear a breath.

Jack O'Lantern was the first to speak.

"...? Ah... Hahahaha! That was the funniest joke ever, Carol! You really got good this ti! This is definitely your charming point!"

"..."

As I continued to stay silent, Jack O'Lantern asked again.

"Was it real?"

"Yes."

"Damn it!!!!"

Jack threw the lantern he had been so fond of to the ground in anger.

Then, realizing what he'd done, he imdiately dove to retrieve it, managing to grab it just in ti.

But since he didn't execute a proper landing, his pumpkin head smashed directly into the hard floor.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Jack O'Lantern scread and rolled on the ground...

A true slapstick codian if I ever saw one.

"...Pfft!"

"You bitch!! You've never laughed at any of my jokes before, but you're laughing at this!"

I couldn't hold it in any longer, regardless of whether Jack O'Lantern was talking or not, and burst out laughing.

"Ahahahaha! Jack O'Lantern! That's the funniest thing you've ever done! Puhahahahaha!"

Jack O'Lantern's prank was strangely violent and cruel, so it wasn't all that funny from my perspective.

There's an old saying in a foreign country that says "No tree can withstand being struck ten tis", and it seems like that's true, because I couldn't help but burst out laughing this ti.1

As I continued to laugh, Jack O'Lantern trembled and let out a sigh.

"Urgh..."

As I looked at him curiously, Jack O'Lantern suddenly reached out his hand as if asking for a handshake.

"Okay, okay. Let's just be friends. Please take care of in the future."

"What is this all of a sudden... We're in a relationship between a containnt entity and a manager."

Awkward.

But still... I couldn't refuse that handshake.

I clasped his hand.

...

POV Switch - Alice

"Alice! It's heading your way!"

As soon as Kyeong-min spoke to , a giant bat-shaped demon appeared across the trees.

I ca here after hearing a ghost story that said, "Giant animals appearing behind military bases" but I never thought there would be a demon here.

"Yeah. I know. But this ti, you catch it."

"But it's too fast?!"

This bat demon was definitely fast.

It was dodging all the chains summoned by Kyeong-min's artifact.

From my perspective, it wasn't so fast that I couldn't hit it, but from Kyeong-min's perspective, the target was too fast.

Kyeong-min's chains had always been used for restraint and control.

How should he deal with an opponent who runs away in an instant at high speed?

"Chains aren't just for control or restraint. Try thinking outside the box. Solving riddles is how we get through challenges, right?"

Kyeong-min seed to think for a mont, then suddenly summoned a chain from a tree.

While I held the bat demon in place, Kyeong-min tied the book to his stomach and grabbed the summoned chain.

And then...

"...Ahhhhh!"

He unsummoned the chain!

The chains pop out very quickly when they are summoned.

It's enough to briefly stun an opponent who gets hit in the head with it!

What if it's unsummoned while he held it?

The chains would pull him.

"That's it!"

"Are you sure this is safe?!"

Kyeong-min soared through the air from the recoil.

And once again, he summoned and unsummoned the chains and chased the demon like a spider hero from a comic book and movie.

However, Kyeong-min was shaking because he was not good at controlling his speed.

Well, it was like bungee jumping without safety equipnt, so it was bound to be scary...

Ah, this needs to be made "fun".

It's my job to make children happy.

I gently hugged Kyeong-min from behind.

Kyeong-min was surprised and flinched.

I had to make him relax.

"Hmm? You don't trust ? Kyeong-min is such a scaredy-cat~!"

Kyeong-min's face turned red with anger as he heard whisper "Scared~ Scared~" in his ear.

"Why do you always provoke !"

"Oh."

'The speed at which the Chain Magic was summoned has noticeably decreased. So is that even possible?'

A faster casting ti ant he could use the chains more frequently and maintain a stable stance.

Though, the movent speed increases, so it becos more dangerous!

With the increased speed, he almost caught up with the bat demon.

But then, he slowed down abruptly.

"Urgh!"

This is because there was a large tree right in front of the bat demon, and he almost collided with it.

"Good job. You have to distinguish between crisis and opportunity. You will have to handle various anomalies so that you can respond to more diverse situations later. However, you have to master at least one skill properly to prevent unnecessary mistakes."

Kyeong-min grabbed the chain.

"Let's try again. Don't be discouraged because your goal is far away. Now, slow down."

Kyeong-min catches his breath and flies again.

"Relax your body... Like you're on an amusent park ride.... You can control yourself. Trust ."

It seed like Kyeong-min's body was glowing for a mont, but was it just my imagination?

Anyway, Kyeong-min controlled his speed and fear and caught up with the bat demon.

"Gy... Aaa!!!"

He restrained the bat demon with chains.

I was worried about Kyeong-min who fell from the air, so I went to see him beating the restrained bat demon.

"Stay still!"

-Crack!

The bat's neck snapped back.

Was Kyeong-min always this strong?

Setting aside my curiosity, I approached him. Kyeong-min smiled proudly.

"Haa... How did it go? Did I pass?"

"Yeah. Pass!"

Since I decided to go on an adventure with the kids.

The kids needed to get stronger.

To deal with real monsters that don't have gimmicks, they need to be able to respond to various situations.

Not to ntion the Rulers.

Well, it's not like brute force is the only way to win.

"Okay, now let's go see what happened to the deer demon on Ha-rim's side."

Just then, Ha-rim called at the perfect ti.

"Hello? How's it going there?"

"It was a bit hard, but we caught him for now! Suho was complaining about not knowing how to deal with the type that just charges and runs away."

They caught it!

But since Suho had a hard ti, I could guess what happened.

Suho had a natural talent as a tanker.

Blocking attacks that can be blocked, and deflecting attacks that can be deflected.

And if that doesn't work, the ability to sohow withstand the enemy by avoiding them is what makes him a true tank.

If Suho was an enemy, he would be a very annoying type.

But against a demon like the deer, which flees the mont you try to deflect, or charges head-on with brute force, his usual tactics wouldn't work.

Or maybe he tried to leap with his shield and failed to catch it.

"I see... Hmm. I'll have to give him so advice later."

I went towards the children while thinking about what advice to give to Suho.

"Yay! It's Alice!"

Eun-jeong ran over and hugged .

As I patted Eun-jeong, several people in military uniforms appeared and collected the deer and bat demon.

"Who are those people?"

"They're the retrieval team. We have to hand the demons over to the Institution anyway."

The Institution gave convenience in exchange for my favor.

Before, they didn't give this much freedom, but now they give freedom to act like I'm a worker going to and from work.

Of course, they don't really impose any restrictions on the children either.

When I asked one of the staff, they said the kids are no longer treated as ordinary civilians.

"Looks like you're not treated as ordinary people anymore. The proof is this temporary agent ID."

I handed out temporary agent IDs to the children.

But why is the Institution treating so well?

Honestly, this kind of preferential treatnt is unheard of.

Carol has been very considerate to , but there must be so hidden agenda from the higher-ups...

Could it be that I'm essential to their goals?

"Aweso!"

Each of the IDs had the children's nas written on it, and there was a small sentence underneath that said, "Don't touch Alice's children".

"So, we're in charge of Alice now?"

"Huh?"

"Alice. Following containnt procedures, you should give a piggyback ride right now."

I gave Eun-jeong a piggyback ride and headed down the mountain with the kids.

While we were going down, Ha-rim asked .

"By the way, Alice. Last ti, you told us there were many monsters."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Aside from those guys, aren't there any who bother Alice?"

The ones who bother ...

"Bothers... Well, aside from the Rulers, maybe the guys from the Cathedral."

"The Cathedral?"

"A group of priests who use divine power. Since divine power works on both demons and anomalous monsters, they work with the Institution to hunt them."

"Such a thing really exists."

At that ti, Kyeong-min asked .

"...I understand that it works on demons, but why does it work on anomalous monsters?"

That's right.

It was strange when I heard it.

Why does it work?

Given the clear code distinction between demons and anomalous monsters, there seems to be a definitive criterion for separating them...

I gave my opinion.

"It may be a prejudice that divine power only works on demons. Even now, flas are used as a symbol of purification, but just because fire is divine doesn't an we won't burn."

Though it's definitely more lethal to monsters than to humans!

"I see... Or maybe there's sothing in common between demons and anomalous monsters?"

"Wait a minute."

Suho interrupted Kyeong-min and in the middle of our conversation and asked a question.

"Wait a minute, does Sister Maria belong to the Cathedral too?"

"According to what I heard from the Institution, yes."

"So she's an enemy? The nun?"

Even if she knows I'm a devil, I doubt Maria would be hostile toward .

Maria is a pure-hearted woman.

Her prejudice against demons has diminished a lot since she spent ti with , and she even said she wanted to reconcile with her friend, the Red Devil.

I wonder if they reconciled well.

"I don't know. But you have to ask the person in question. I haven't been able to contact Jas, who has contact with Maria, recently, so it's really hard to know."

I'd like to et her again, but she's still busy...

"But isn't there a devil you need to et first, Alice?"

"Whoa?!"

Suddenly, a boy in green clothes jumped out and blocked our path.

I've t this kid before.

This guy is...

"It's ! Jack!!!"

Jack ca up to , saying that he was happy to see and that I did a good job last ti.

The kids started to take interest because it was their first ti seeing Jack.

"Who's this kid? He looks like he's our age?"

"Jack. He's Jack, the devil from Jack and the Beanstalk. He's like ."

"Wow, is this kid a devil too? Where are his wings?"

Ha-rim turned around behind Jack and touched his shoulder, and Jack yelped in surprise and leapt nearly three ters into the air.

"Oh, what is this kid! Do you want to see the wings of this body?"

Jack was flustered, but he didn't seem to hate it, so he tried hard to fly with both arms.

He floated for a mont and then fell to the ground.

Jack said with a sullen expression.

"Urgh. I don't have wings... Not all devils have wings."

"So Jack. Why are you here?"

"Why else? Alice, I ca to invite you to a tea party."

Jack took out an invitation.

If you tear it, you can go to where the Little rmaid is.

It was about ti to et her again anyway.

"Hmm... Okay. I've got things to discuss too."

"Okay, then~"

"Wait, can these kids co too?"

"I don't know! But it probably doesn't matter!"

Jack tore the invitation.

The sea foam enveloped us and we fell into the deep, dark sea.

I felt a little bit of a sense of loss, sadness, and paradoxical love on my skin.

We passed through the void and entered Ariel's domain, where idol music played softly in the background.

For so reason, Ariel was wrapped in bandages.

She seed to be badly injured.

"...Oh my. Alice. You ca. I have a lot to talk to you about..."

Ariel looked at with a relaxed expression.

However, she didn't seem to be able to look at the children behind with ease.

Ariel asked.

"Who are they?"

"They're my kids. And my friends."

"...That's not what I ant."

Ariel gestured to Jack.

And then whispered to him.

"Jack, please, when you bring soone, can't you tell before you bring them? Why do you keep changing the plan...!"

"When have I ever stuck to a plan? Why don't you get used to it? And it's not like they're going to cause any trouble."

"Haa... You have to be moderate in being shaless! Plans have to be delicate. No matter how simple or unimportant they are. Do you know how many tis I almost got caught by the Institution because of you?! If it weren't for , you would've died!"

"Yet you always help ~ So what's the big deal?"

"This guy!"

Watching their bickering, I thought these two really get along well.

As I watched the scene happily, the kids started muttering.

"They kinda remind of Alice."

"Maybe their personalities are similar?"

Where on earth are we similar?

"Ahem! Ahem!"

When I coughed, Ariel finally looked at .

Ariel said to with a displeased expression.

"Ah... Yeah. Anyway, welco back, Alice. But your kids are an exception. This is a place where only the devils of stories can co."

No way, kicking us out already?

At that mont, Ha-rim took out so snacks from her bag and handed them to Ariel.

"We brought treats. Would that help?"

"Then just this once."

It worked.

"Jack? Please arrange so chairs for the kids to sit on. There are only 7 there."

"Yay~"

Jack grabbed so chairs and went off sowhere.

Probably the tea party room.

We followed Jack and Ariel to the tea room.

Ariel said before opening the door and going in.

"Okay. Alice, We got a lot to talk about. Before that, I have soone to show you."

The door opened and a guest was sitting on the chair.

Most of the chanical parts were missing, but I could tell who she was right away.

"Pinocchio...?"

"I told you we'd see each other soon, Alice."

"Whoohoohoo~ That's right! I was surprised when the person who never cooperated suddenly decided to join the tea party."

She looked much more human now and seed at peace.

She must have found sothing after eting Cassie.

"It seems like you're not hostile anymore?"

"I owe you a debt."

"Hahaha, that's good. Did Peter Pan co?"

"Well, I'm not sure. He's so free-spirited. Like , he might be creating sothing sowhere for his own goals."

It would be nice if Peter Pan beca an ally, though he's unpredictable.

We'll probably et him again soday.

"Okay. It's good that there are more people. Then I'll explain why I called you all this ti."

After the kids and I sat down and Jack started eating his snacks, Ariel sat in the center seat and started talking.

"..."

"I got so information about phistopheles."