Night deepened in Ryugukyo.
Cecil stood up and extended a hand to Cordelia. “Well, enough talk. The night’s still young. How about we enjoy ourselves?”
“Sure. I’ve waited too long to have a night with you... Oh?” She was about to take his hand when she paused, frowning. Wind blew in from somewhere and snuffed out one of the candles in the room without a sound. “A draft? That’s why I don’t like staying at cheap lodgings.”
Cecil furrowed his brows suspiciously and walked over to the windows. “It can’t be... All the windows should be closed.” Every one of them were locked securely, and all the doors were closed too. He inspected the walls and ceiling, but he couldn’t find any gap that might let in air. “That’s odd. Where did it come from—hm?”
There was another gust of wind. This time, it blew out most of the candles and even the fire in the hearth. The warm glow that had filled the room vanished at once, plunging them into a chilly darkness.
Even Cordelia was startled by this. With a little scream, she dashed to Cecil’s side. “Wh-What is this?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just wind. Nothing to be frightened of—oh, actually...” He paused and sneered teasingly. “Maybe...it’s that girl’s curse. She might have died in some ditch, and now she’s come back to haunt us.”
She clung to him in fear. “D-Don’t be silly. You think she has what it takes to haunt anyone?”
The prince chortled. “Even if this was a ghost’s trick, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll protect you.” Clearly, he only saw the wind as something to spice up their rendezvous. He called to the guards outside the door. “Hey, the fire’s gone out. Come light a new one. Chop chop.”
The mercenary should have been standing right outside. But no one answered him. He waited for some time, but only silence filled the air. Cecil clicked his tongue and banged open the door.
“Seriously, what do I have to do to get—huh?!” He stopped short, speechless.
“What is it—eek!” Cordelia peeked around him and let out a shriek.
Unlike their room, the corridor was ice-cold. A row of small candles lit up the path, illuminating the men slumped down on the floor. All the warriors Cecil had hired were lying motionless. They didn’t have any conspicuous wounds, but they didn’t move an inch.
Color drained from Cordelia’s face even more. “Wh-What’s happening?! Are they dead?!”
“How should I know?! Guards! Is anyone there?!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. There were shouts and footsteps from the room next door and above. Apparently, some of them were safe. He relaxed a little, but his face was still tense. With Cordelia behind him, he pulled out his short sword from the hilt on his waist. “Is it an ambush...? But how did they find us—?”
“C-Cecil...! L-Look...there!” Cordelia whimpered, pointing at the end of the corridor.
Something was moving in the deep shadow where the candles lighting the hall didn’t reach. The darkness swayed to and fro, and it slowly took the shape of a humanlike figure, creeping forward with faltering steps. Finally, it stepped into the candlelight.
A scream pierced the air. Whether it came from Cecil or Cordelia, no one could tell. In the same moment, the whole cottage creaked threateningly. The pair froze in horror.
The shadow slowly advanced toward them, taking one step at a time. “I...hate...you...” it murmured in a low voice.
Now they could see that the thing had the shape of a young girl. Her head hung low, her eyes on the floor. Her face, partly covered by a curtain of long, golden locks, looked dreadfully gaunt. A ragged dress hung over her frame, and her whole body was smeared in dark red blood. She was half transparent, but they recognized her immediately—she was unmistakably Charlotte.
Every time this shadowy girl uttered a sound, chilly wind swept through the corridor.
Cordelia shrieked again. “It can’t be...is it really her ghost...?! Wh-Why here?!”
“Hmph, did she want to catch us together...?” Cecil scoffed. In contrast to Cordelia, he was completely calm. With a mocking sneer, he shouted at the ghost slowly drawing closer to them. “So, you’re here! Saves me the trouble of hunting you down. Men, come forward! It’s time for an exorcism!”
“Yes, sir!” Burly men leaped out from the other rooms and down the stairs in response. Unfazed by the sight of the ghost, they held their weapons at the ready. “They can follow you to a remote place like this, huh?” one of them remarked.
Ghosts were almost like natural phenomena. It was understood that ghosts came into being when lingering traces of thought that belonged to humans and other such creatures became entwined, by chance, with mana that abounded in the natural world. Physical attacks didn’t work on ghosts, but for those who had a bit of skill in magic, ghosts were easy prey, which was why Cecil’s men didn’t seem concerned at all.
But in rare cases, ghosts weren’t so easy to handle.
“All right, let’s wipe you out—” One of the men tried to cast a bit of exorcism magic, but in that instant, the ghost girl pointed a finger at him.
“I...hate...”
The man’s body flew across the room and slammed against the wall. He slid to the floor, where he remained motionless.
“Wha—?!”
Everyone, including Cecil, stared at the man in shock. But these men had lived through many battles and were quick to recover and react.
“Ugh, you sneaky ghost...!”
“I’ll put an end to you!”
Some of the men wielded enchanted swords; others began muttering incantations. They all flung themselves at the ghost.
“Please stay out of my way...”
“Ack?!” A light wave of the girl’s hand sent some of them flying. Some froze in place, and some were struck by lightning. A variety of attacks knocked them down. Heaps of limp bodies filled the corridor. The ghost girl kept advancing slowly through the bodies as if she was walking up the aisle of a church for her wedding.
Cordelia clung to Cecil in a panic. “How can a ghost be so strong...?!”
“Her grudge against us must be intense...” Cecil replied.
Normally, ghosts were paltry enemies. But once in a while, someone who died with profound regret or bitter grudges could return as a vengeful spirit wielding astonishing powers. There were records in history of such ghosts wreaking havoc, even to the point of destroying a whole nation.
Cecil and Cordelia shuddered in terror. However...this particular case was yet another kind of rarity.
All right, great acting, Charlotte! You’re outdoing the best of the best! Allen, who was crouched in his hiding place in the corridor, gave her a thumbs-up.
Charlotte noticed his encouragement and brightened up for a second, but she slipped back into character immediately. She seemed a little too lively for a ghost, but Cecil and Cordelia didn’t notice in their distress.
“I...hate...you...”
“Eeek!”
The ghost’s mutters were monotonous simply because Charlotte wasn’t used to acting, but it had excellent dramatic effect anyway.
Natalia, squatting next to Allen, was more than satisfied too. “Heh heh heh, I wondered how my sister would lead a ‘fight’...but this was a clever idea, Dark Overlord. Borrowing Dorothea’s enchanted cloak,” she whispered.
“My motto is: Use anyone and anything to my advantage, even an elf,” Allen replied under his breath.
Charlotte was wearing the enchanted object that Dorothea had used to become a voyeur on their holiday. It could erase the wearer’s presence completely, and depending on how it was set, it could make one’s body slightly transparent, like Charlotte was doing now. Allen had borrowed enough cloaks for all of them to stay undercover.
The strategy for their surprise attack was simple; they each had a clear task. Charlotte would appear as a ghost to scare them out of their wits, while Allen and the others in hiding took care of the guards.
“Just like I taught you back at the academy—a battle doesn’t have to be physical,” Allen whispered to Natalia. “It’s always worth learning about all kinds of strategies.”
“Hmph, you don’t have to tell me that. I’m already learning everyday— Hey! Leave some for me, Lydie!”
“Mwa ha ha, they’re all mine! They’re not even good enough for a warm-up!” One of the mercenaries had whipped out a hidden weapon, but Lydie flicked him away mercilessly with her wind magic. Even Allen was impressed by her efficient, deft use of magic.