The Ghost Incident
Once it was past midnight, I headed towards my room.
Grulf followed after me as if it were the most obvious thing.
Goran, Serulis, and Shia also decided to stay in my guest rooms tonight.
“Let me know if you want your own room, Grulf. There are plenty to spare.”
“Grrooff.”
I got into my bed, and Grulf came inside too.
Grulf was big and completely in the way.
I was about to tell him to get off when,
“Grrrr…”
“Oh, fine then.”
He had purred cutely, so I forgave it.
By the way, my room was next to Luchila and Gerberga’s room.
This was so I could rush to the room if anything happened.
“Alright, listen, Grulf.”
“Grr?”
“Lord Gerberga is the God Fowl. He is like a god. And so bad people might try and attack him.”
“Grrr.”
“So, can you tell me if any suspicious people get close? You have sharp ears and nose, don’t you?”
“Grrooff!”
Grulf’s tail wagged vigorously. It was as if he was saying, ‘leave it to me.’
“It will be a lot safer with you here!”
“Grrooff!”
I did have a barrier created around the mansion.
A barrier that barred any of the weaker dark ones from entering.
The strong ones were barred by the barrier that surrounded the city.
After a while, Grulf and I fell asleep.
Several hours later.
“Mister Lock. Mister Lock.”
“Cluck-cluck!”
Luchila and Gerberga woke me up.
“…What is it?”
“I woke up in the night to use the bathroom…but there was a suspicious sound.”
Luchila whispered quietly.
Goran and the other guests were still sleeping. He was being careful so they did not wake up.
“A suspicious sound?”
“Cluck!”
Gerberga flew out of Luchila’s hold and jumped onto me.
“Cluck.”
Gerberga was quivering with fear.
He was much more scared than Luchila was.
“Don’t worry, Lord Gerberga. You’re safe.”
“Cluck.”
“Luchila. Lead me to where this suspicious noise was coming from.”
“Yes.”
I got out of my bed and looked down at Grulf.
“Gfffff…”
“He’s in a deep sleep…”
“…fffff….gffff…”
He looked so peaceful and it seemed unlikely that he would wake up.
“I don’t think he will be very useful now. Let’s leave him.”
“Yes.”
“Cluck.”
We walked ahead quietly.
Down the stairs to the first floor and towards the bathroom.
“So you went down to the bathroom on the first floor.”
“Yes. I went to the bathroom with Lord Gerberga, and then a sound came from over there.”
Luchila was pointing to the study. It was filled with many books that the previous occupant, a baron, had left.
Luchila and I entered the study.
For a while, we stood there silently. Even Gerberga was quiet as I held him.
–Creakkkkkkk.
“That is a strange sound.”
“It is.”
Gerberga began to shake violently again.
“I better check to see where it’s coming from.”
“Yes.”
I tried to listen without making any noises.
This was the kind of work that I wished that Grulf would do.
However, he was sleeping so soundly, so it couldn’t be helped.
—ohh….it hurtsss…the pain….helppp…
“There was a voice.”
“Cl-clu-clu-clu-ckk.”
Gerberga was practically vibrating now.
He was really scared. I guess he was strong against vampires but weak to ghosts.
I held onto him tighter.
“Could it be an undead?”
“Perhaps.”
As an illusionist, Luchila was calm, as most Sorcerers would be in this situation.
Ghosts were a good trick for illusionists to use.
It was usually Luchila who used such images to scare other people.
And so he was not afraid.
“It’s over here.”
“Yes.”
I continued to hold Gerberga as Luchila and I went over in the direction that the voice was coming from.
“But there is nothing here…but this was where the voice was coming from.”
“There may be a hidden door.”
Just as I said this, Luchila’s eyes shone.
I understood the excitement that a hidden door aroused.
I was a seasoned Adventurer. And I was also the scout in our old party.
And finding hidden doors was easy for me.
It only took a little searching before I found it.
“Mister Locke, that’s amazing. I couldn’t see it at all.”
“This isn’t the typical kind of hidden door you might find in mansions. It’s a medium dungeon class.”
“Maybe there will be a treasure.”
Luchila was as excited as ever. He had completely forgotten about the ghost now.
I checked for traps before carefully opening the door.
There were stairs that led to the underground.
“Clu-clu-ck-cluck.”
Gerberga was still frightened, and he pressed against me and stretched his neck over my shoulder.
I held Gerberga and slowly climbed down the stairs.
It seemed like there was a room at the bottom.
There were no windows, and it was completely dark. Even with my night eyes, I could not see anything.
“It is very dark down here. Can I create some light?”
“Do it.”
Luchila used the Magic Light spell.
In an instant, the room was filled with light.
And there was a human figure right in front of us.
Its back was turned towards us, and it was floating in the air upside-down.
The long, shaggy hair was hanging below it.
“Ccccccluckk-cccluckkk!”
Geberga shuddered.
“It-it is a ghost! Does it have some kind of grudge!”
Even Luchila was shocked by this.
Upon hearing Luchila’s voice, a woman’s face rotated to look at us.
