A specter that had been stealing mories died on its own.
I pondered why, but nothing specific ca to mind.
Was my spirit protected due to the effects of dinsional travel and reincarnation?
Perhaps the specter simply had a weak mind.
"I'm not sure what it was, but it's a relief."
It was a specter that intended to harm people.
I was glad I could send it to peace before it hurt any innocents.
I felt a bit proud of myself.
Holding a red mana stone that emitted an ominous aura, I approached Master Chae Juyeon.
Even then, she wore a puzzled expression.
"A ghost dropped this."
"Uh, yes. That's..."
Chae Juyeon stopped mid-sentence and clamped her mouth shut.
She hesitated, then took the red mana stone from .
"...This was captured by Gyeoul, so I'll return it after performing a purification ritual."
"Purification ritual?"
"Yes. Specter mana stones are usually cursed."
"Ah..."
Right.
Each mana stone had its own way of being processed.
I knew this thanks to what I learned in the guild's mana stone storage underground.
"I'll make sure to return it to Gyeoul after the ritual."
"Thank you."
"Don't ntion it."
Chae Juyeon tucked the mana stone away and then placed her hand on my cheek.
She was checking my condition by pinching my cheek and moving my limbs up and down.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No. The ghost died on its own."
"That's the first ti I've seen sothing like that."
Chae Juyeon glanced at while examining the mana stone.
She didn't even try to hide her astonishnt.
It was only natural to find it strange that the specter died on its own.
Honestly, I was the most bewildered one there.
"How did the specter die?"
"Hmm..."
In response to my question, Chae Juyeon only offered an awkward smile.
It felt like she knew sothing but chose not to say.
What could it be that made her act like this?
As I looked up at Chae Juyeon, our Master approached us, pulling a cart.
"Is anyone hurt?"
His tone suggested he knew sothing had happened.
Chae Juyeon showed her palm to the Master.
"We're fine."
"That's good then."
Inside the cart the Master pulled, Saebyeok and Levinas were sleeping.
I stuck close to the cart, watching the sleeping children.
Just looking at them made my tail wag happily.
Kids are so adorable.
I used to be like that too.
I reached out and gently stroked the children's heads.
All the while, I listened to the two Masters' conversation.
"Master?"
Chae Juyeon approached Kang Jinho, holding the mana stone.
As Kang Jinho looked down at the mana stone, his brow furrowed.
"That is..."
"Can we have a conversation privately?"
"...Sure."
Both Masters turned their gaze towards .
My ears and tail reacted first, perking up before I could.
"Gyeoul, shall we go back now?"
"Yes. Let's go back."
We had collected a lot of bottles, and I had defeated a specter and obtained its mana stone.
We didn't need to wander any longer.
---
---
In the eting room of the Yeomyeong Guild, the two Masters sat across from each other, with a single red mana stone between them.
"Master, I've never seen anything like that in my life as an adventurer."
Tap, tap—
Chae Juyeon touched the red mana stone. The venom emanating from it furrowed the brows of both Masters.
"What did you see?"
"...The specter vanished just by reading Gyeoul's mories."
"I see."
Kang Jinho's indifferent deanor made Chae Juyeon's eyebrows rise.
It was as if he already knew how horrific the child's past was.
"Is it sothing that's already been resolved?"
"No, it hasn't been resolved yet."
"...So you do know sothing?"
"I know, but not in detail."
He had seen a video of the child being bullied, but he knew it was only a fraction of the suffering the child had endured.
Only Gyeoul knew the full extent of how miserable her past had been.
"This isn't sothing we should let go."
The pain of the past can fester and explode if not addressed.
Especially given that a specter died from reading her past.
Having grown affectionate towards Gyeoul, Chae Juyeon couldn't help but worry.
"What can we do? We can't just ask the person involved."
There was no need to dredge up the child's trauma. That was Kang Jinho's stance.
"It's okay. We have this."
"The mana stone?"
"Yes."
Chae Juyeon picked up the mana stone.
It was a mana stone that still emitted an ominous aura despite the purification.
"What can you do with the mana stone?"
"The specter vanished while reading Gyeoul's past. Thanks to that, the mories are left here."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
" neither. This is the first ti I've seen it."
It was possible because the specter killed itself while reading the mories. An extrely rare case, bordering on impossible.
"So, we use this to examine the child's past?"
"Yes. We need to know what happened to help resolve it."
A child with a past so traumatic it caused a specter to perish.
Behind her always cheerful smile was hidden sorrow.
To Chae Juyeon, Gyeoul felt like a ticking ti bomb that could go off at any mont.
Of course, it was a bomb that would only harm herself. The kind child would never hurt others.
"The problem is exposing Gyeoul's past."
"We'll have to make a vow."
"Yes."
It was a vow with no consequences for breaking it, just for the sake of an adventurer's honor.
Of course, both Masters knew well that neither would use Gyeoul's past for personal gain.
"Then..."
Hmm.
Kang Jinho stroked his chin, exchanging glances with Chae Juyeon.
The most important thing was deciding who would be tasked with delving into the child's past.
'The person needs to have strong ntal fortitude.'
But our kids are ntally fragile, what to do?
Kang Jinho found himself deep in thought for a long ti.
---
---
After returning ho, I drew pictures with the children.
Wondering what to draw, I decided to sketch zombies.
It was a drawing of a person being bitten by a zombie.
'Why do I always think of zombies?'
What connection do I have with zombies?
As I turned the paper this way and that, examining the drawing, Levinas, who was sitting opposite , tapped the table lightly.
"King! King!"
Levinas's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Why?"
"Did you really see a ghost earlier?!"
"Yes, I really did."
Oooh.
I raised my hands like a ghost.
Levinas was quite startled by my playful scare, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Ohh...! Did you see what it looked like?! What did it look like?!"
"Um... Its body was translucent, but its face was pale and..."
I described to Levinas the appearance of the ghost I had seen earlier.
Scared by the description, Levinas shivered.
"Lucky Levinas was asleep..."
Goosebumps covered Levinas's arms.
It was clear how terrified she was.
"Sorry, that was probably too scary."
"Uh, yes. Levinas is very scared."
Levinas got up and ran to sit next to .
She clung to so closely that our thighs and shoulders touched.
Her warmth was comforting.
"Hehe."
My tail wagged gently at Levinas's warmth.
I liked that she felt reassured through .
Wouldn't it be nicer if Saebyeok joined us too?
As I thought this, Saebyeok got up and ran out of the room.
"Dark King must have been really scared."
"Yeah..."
Did I make it too scary?
Feeling guilty, I could only stare at the door Saebyeok had entered without moving.
Levinas took action in my stead.
"Levinas will go check."
"Uh, okay..."
Levinas cautiously peeked into the room.
Then suddenly, she suddenly leaped high.
"Eek!"
Levinas, who had jumped almost to the ceiling, ran towards .
She pulled on my clothes so hard they stretched and then hid her face inside.
"What's wrong?"
"Ghost, there's a ghost!"
Levinas pointed at the door with her fingertip.
It was the room Saebyeok had entered.
'A ghost?'
A specter in the room Saebyeok entered?
As I looked towards the room, Saebyeok appeared from inside, covered in a blanket.
"Wooooo hooooo."
Saebyeok approached us, making ghost noises.
It wasn't the trembling voice typical of ghosts, but Saebyeok's blunt voice.
'Oh.'
Saebyeok was playing a prank.
Turns out, Saebyeok has quite a mischievous side.
I scratched my cheek and patted the frightened Levinas on the back.
"It's okay. Saebyeok was just playing a prank."
"Dark King?"
"Yes."
"Really...?"
"Yes, really."
Levinas cautiously erged from the clothes.
Even then, Saebyeok was coming towards us, making "woohoo" sounds.
"It looks like a ghost...?"
Levinas eyed Saebyeok warily.
At that mont, Saebyeok, still making noises, stepped on the blanket and tumbled forward.
Thump-
A light sound echoed.
The soft blanket seed to have prevented any pain.
"The ghost fell over...!"
"It's Saebyeok."
I had to reassure Levinas.
I approached the fallen Saebyeok and pulled back the blanket.
"Look, inside here is Saebyeok... ?"
It was definitely Saebyeok's voice.
Why is there no one inside?
Surprised, my ears and tail stood on end.
---
4/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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