Chapter 151 - Episode 4: The Ghostly Fortress
As we proceeded along the highway, we arrived at a village surrounded by stone walls.
Because we entered the village by heading north, we ended up coming in through the south gate.
Passing through the gate, we went through a circular plaza where buildings that looked like a church and a town hall were located.
The church was surprisingly large compared to the size of the village, and a long building was attached to the north side. It was likely the priests' residential area or something.
The original lord might have been very devout.
Exiting north from the plaza, we came out onto a straight road. After crossing a bridge along the way, we arrived at our destination, the fortress.
The rumored ghost fortress was located on a small cape jutting out into the sea.
The ground seemed to have been mounded up, making it like a small hill.
It was made of stone, and the outer walls were high.
A moat was dug at the base of the cape, and from there, grasslands spread out, separating the settlement from the fortress. As expected of the former lord's base, it was a fairly large village, with a population of over three hundred in the central part alone. Nearly double that of a normal village.
To the north was the sea.
On the way, we flew from the Royal Capital along the mountains for a while, and from a village we reached after crossing a river, we took a carriage and headed north by land.
I thought they were taking a very troublesome method, but apparently, they used the coastal hills and woods to arrange things so that the sea wouldn't be visible until the very last moment.
As we were being guided, we climbed the tower at the edge, and the sea spread out before our eyes.
I saw the sea for the first time in my life.
"It's huge!"
"What an incredible amount of water."
Beatrix and I stared at the sea for a while.
We exposed ourselves to something called a sea breeze.
Just this might have made coming here worthwhile.
Since the tower is attached to the outer wall on top of the cliff, right beneath our feet was also the sea.
Looking down, the waves were crashing against the cliff with a loud zabuun, zabuun sound.
Beyond the cliff, several rocks were peeking out, and every time a wave came, white, foam-like waves would hit the rocks and shatter.
Even in a storm, a pond or a lake wouldn't become like this.
"How is it? It's amazing, isn't it?"
Henry-sama boasted to us.
I don't know why he was boasting, but I somehow understood the feeling of wanting to brag to someone seeing it for the first time.
To the west of the cape, a fairly wide river was flowing, and its mouth was right next to the castle. The village was apparently a town for trade using ships and for fishermen, and the east side of the river served as a boat pool.
There was a sandy beach on the east side of the cape, and we were immediately taken to the water's edge.
It's completely different from a lake.
There are no stones at the water's edge. Only yellow sand.
And the height of the waves, and that foaming whiteness, were incredible.
"Lick the water as a souvenir. Don't drink it. Just a lick."
Since Flora had retreated and wouldn't come out, Beatrix and I held hands and timidly approached, and the waves receded, the sea water escaping with great force. When we chased after it, it came back with a roar.
Beatrix and I ran back, screaming and shouting.
Everyone was laughing.
"What are you doing? You won't drown at this level. Go in up to your ankles."
"Okaay."
Being told that by a laughing Paul-san, I decided that it would be fine even if I got wet, and when I went in with determination, the water came up to my ankles. As I worked hard to endure it, my feet got soaking wet. Moreover, when the waves receded, the sand under my feet was being dug away more and more.
In a hurry, I ran back.
"What happened this time?"
"The sand under my feet was being dug out..."
I was given a sigh.
"Will. Go with them."
"Understood."
Will is experienced. Apparently, she has even swum before.
"No need to worry. Follow behind me."
She kept going further and further.
Even when the waves came, she kept walking through the sea just like that, and finally, she was submerged up to her waist.
"See, it's fine even if you come this far. It's nothing as long as your feet can touch the bottom."
She turned toward us, spreading her arms and laughing.
As expected of an experienced person. Then it must be safe...
Just as I thought that, an especially large wave came, and Will was covered from the head down and swallowed by the wave.
She came floating back in a face-down state.
"Kyaa! Will!"
In a panic, we pulled her up and returned to the sandy beach, and Henry-sama and the others were laughing loudly.
Eleanor-sama gathered driftwood lying on the beach and started a bonfire.
"I've ended up drinking a ton of water."
She was going geh-geh and vomiting.
She was being a bit ill-mannered.
"How was it? Did you try licking the water?"
Come to think of it, that was the purpose.
I heard that salt is made from sea water. It should be salty.
I was so focused on rescuing Will that I had forgotten.
"Here, stick your finger in this and lick it."
When I licked what Paul-san had scooped into a bowl, it was salty.
Beatrix, who took a gulp, was going geh-geh.
He told you just to lick it.
"This is the sea. How is it? It's amazing, isn't it?"
"Yes! It's amazing!"
"Wow, it's bigger than I thought. Thank you for bringing us."
After saying our thanks and looking at the sea, it was saying zabuun zabuun endlessly.
There was a story in a fairy tale about a person who spent all day gazing at the sea, and I finally understood the feeling.
Somehow, it makes everything feel like it doesn't matter anymore.
Since we decided to eat lunch on the sandy beach, we decided to call Dune and Mel.
Spirits are varied, and Mel was overjoyed, flying over the sea toward the wind and not returning for a while. She knew about the sea itself, but it had been a long time.
Dune was moved by the sea she saw for the first time, and she hugged me and thanked me for calling her. Unfortunately, she couldn't manipulate the sea water. Apparently, there are sea spirits in the sea. She didn't seem to like the sea breeze very much and had Eleanor-sama's cloak pulled completely over her head.
Flora wanted to see the sea, but she seemed to hate the salt, so only her face was peeking out from the flower.
"Wind mixed with salt is bad for the skin."
"Forget being bad, if I were to accidentally be doused in salt water, I might wither."
Even as she said that, seeing how she frequently looked at the sea with a smile, she seemed to have taken a liking to the scenery itself.
By the way, we started a bonfire, but we had no ingredients.
"Wait a moment."
Henry-sama, holding a spear, took Will and walked toward the sea with Eleanor-sama.
I was wondering what they were going to do when they suddenly started dropping several bolts of lightning into the sea.
After that, Will went into the sea and thrust her spear into the waves several times, and a huge fish was skewered on it.
"Those people are a former King and a former Queen, right? They're quite different from the ones in Medioland."
Mel's eyes were wide with surprise.
By the way, the one letting out a war cry with a fish skewered on her spearhead is a former noble lady from the continent.
"The First King was much the same."
Dune laughed merrily.
We bit into the roasted fish.
Since they were cleaning it while sprinkling salt made by boiling down sea water collected from the rocky shore, it wasn't a salty taste, but a 'tide' taste.
A natural seasoning is a light flavor, but this was quite good in its own way.
Perhaps because they live in a wide area, sea fish aren't as muddy-smelling compared to river fish. Until now, I thought it was because of the spices, but it seems they are originally different.
"Are we staying in that fortress tonight?"
The direction Beatrix was pointing with a skewered fish in her hand was the fortress with the high tower standing at the end of the cape. Since there was a stone building in the center, that must be the main hall.
The side jutting out into the sea was a complete cliff.
The stone tower seemed like it would be a good place for gazing at the sea.
"Indeed."
"I wonder if we can drink decent water?"
I feel like the well water would be like sea water.
"Once we enter the castle, we must first take a bath. Besides, just being exposed to the sea breeze here would be bad for the skin, wouldn't it? No need to worry. Eleanor will fill the bathtub with fresh water in no time."
When Eleanor-sama held her hand over the sandy beach with a smile, water came pouring down from her palm with a dobo-dobo sound.
Dune immediately reached out and washed her face with the water she scooped in her palms.
"Fresh water is nice. It brings me back to life."
At those words, which seemed to speak for all land-dwelling creatures, everyone laughed loudly.
Since the fortress was supposedly captured by the Third King, I thought the ghost would surely be the former lord, but apparently, that wasn't the case.
"Didn't you kill the former lord when you attacked?"
Beatrix is merciless.
The fortress is on the east side of the Royal Capital region, not so far from the Northeastern Forest. The former lord was apparently one of those who could be called 'monster watchers,' and he was said to be quite high-spirited.
They tried to bring him in and make him a landowner, but since he demanded the status of a noble, they apparently attacked.
The First King, who originally raised his flag in Nakanohara, became the lord of the entire Nakanohara area. In an army like an uprising that didn't recognize nobles, first the farmers and mine workers of the Western Plains took their side and drove out the lords. After that, they easily conquered Uminohara, which has only mountains and a narrow coastal strip. With that momentum, they supposedly conquered up to half of the Royal Capital region.
At that time, there was apparently one noble per village, and they seemed to have formed a coalition to resist, but the swollen peasant army, using their numbers, seemed to have won their way through.
After that, the Second King, who was the grandson of the very long-lived First King, conspired with Medioland to conquer the Eastern Plains, and then the remaining half of the Western Plains. The Third King conquered the islands belonging to Uminohara and the eastern side of the Royal Capital region where we are now, as I learned in national history.
"We didn't kill the lord. He fled to the continent."
"Fled? He didn't surrender?"
"Indeed. He ruled half of this Royal Capital region, but his pride was high. He said if he wasn't welcomed as a noble, he wouldn't surrender, and he was working hard at it. Since it couldn't be helped, we attacked, and when we left the sea open, he took a ship and fled."
He apparently fled just like that to a certain country on the continent where his wife's family home was.
The reason Sertoria grew large was largely because the First King revered the King of Medioland as the leader of the island. It was the result of crushing one by one the small lords who were seduced by the people of the south and stopped listening to the King of Medioland, who could be called the leader of the island, so Medioland is behind Sertoria. He probably couldn't stay on the island.
"You left it open on purpose, didn't you?"
Beatrix was grinning.
"Well, yes. It was my father's tactical victory. The opponent also probably wanted to show his determination by fighting for a while. After surrounding it for nearly a month, once we broke through the outer wall, he fled quite easily."
He looked proud, as if to say, "Isn't it amazing?"
"Henry-sama was there too."
"Oh yes. I may not look it, but I was the deputy commander of the siege. It was my first battle, so I didn't really understand what a siege was like."
Even if I asked him now, I suspect he'd only say he still doesn't really understand.
"Did you charge?"
"Well, yes. When I charged alone toward the main gate, I was showered with arrows and almost died."
He was laughing loudly.
"You charged alone at the main gate of an enemy under siege in your first battle? It's a wonder you're safe."
Wilson-san was dumbfounded, but Henry-sama laughed, saying he just wanted to give a greeting.
"Could it be because Eleanor-sama was watching?"
When Beatrix poked his shoulder, he looked away and stared at the sea. Apparently, she hit the bullseye.
"He boasted about it after returning to camp, so I gave him a thorough scolding."
Honestly, he's such a child.
"Since then, I decided to put a mage behind a cavalryman and charge while using Wind Barrier. We organized several such pairs and charged in safely, then struck with attack magic. Since I had Eleanor on the back, we could attack with various spells."
"How is it? Isn't it amazing?"
Even Eleanor-sama was boasting.
Wilson-san was shaking his head.
Um, something seems to be wrong here.
For a month, day after day, just a few pairs of cavalry would launch night raids to break the main gate or the outer walls.
The allies apparently just watched.
Even if they deployed magic defense, it's impossible to keep it up all night. Besides, they must have attacked with physical force, like launching stones.
The opponent would naturally want to flee.
However, if that's the case, the ghost isn't the lord or his family.
Since it's harmless, it probably doesn't hold a grudge against the Royal Family, but...
"Well, we'll see after we actually look at it."
Henry-sama said meaningfully.
When we moved to the fortress and went to the building in the middle, we were assigned rooms.
After all, it's the Royal Family's villa.
I thought I'd be able to sleep in a fluffy bed with a canopy, but that wasn't the case. It was a very ordinary bed, not much different from the one I usually use. The room was large, but the furnishings were simple, and the window was small and dim. It had an atmosphere where a ghost would surely appear.
I wonder if they're doing it on purpose to match the ghost.
Dinner wasn't the usual banquet style either, but something simple.
Bread and cheese, roasted sea fish, and roast mutton.
The only differences from our usual dinner were that there were two types of dishes, the fish was sea fish, and the wine was of high quality.
If you call it a luxury, it is a luxury, but I could clearly tell they were being modest.
I had been told beforehand, but I was still curious.
"Um, for a Royal Family villa, things seem quite simple; are you matching it to the ghost?"
When I asked Henry-sama, he nodded.
"Indeed. Originally, this fortress was scheduled to be demolished. However, because there is a ghost, we decided to leave it until it safely ascends. The furnishings and decor of the rooms were simple, weren't they? Since we intended to demolish it anyway, there was no need to spend money. The people managing it are just a pair of elderly people, a pair of middle-aged people, and two young women."
There are six people in the management staff. One pair of elderly man and woman, one pair of middle-aged man and woman, and two young women.
They are local people, and they are all very friendly.
There were five gatekeepers. Apparently, Kingdom Army soldiers take turns serving.
The local people seem to want to preserve this ghost fortress, and they are taking care of various things even beyond the management fees paid to the village.
After all, the Northeastern Forest is close. There are apparently other fortresses, but it's better to be close to the village.
I suspect 'villa' is just a pretext for keeping the building.
"But, Henry-sama. If that's the case, won't the local people be disappointed if the ghost ascends?"
Marcelo-san, perhaps sensing an atmosphere different from usual, had lost the smile from his face since entering the fortress.
"Mmu. The villagers all think it's better for this fortress to remain. However, this castle is cramped, and furthermore, the only water is a small reservoir that collects rainwater. We cannot protect all the villagers here."
"Then, why is it under the management of the Royal Family?"
"Because there is a ghost. Once we have it safely ascend, we plan to build a new fortress."
When someone tries to demolish a building where a ghost has taken up residence, accidents happen and people die. If it's a harmless ghost, it seems like it would be fine to leave it under the village's management and ignore it, but...
"In other words, the ghost started appearing after this fortress became Sertoria's property, right?"
"Indeed. I was also involved in the siege. I want to let it ascend somehow."
He and Eleanor-sama were both looking somber.
It's the duty of the one who conquered it, apparently. It's likely a personal obsession, but I wonder if it will work on a ghost.
"Speaking of which, how do ghosts and Revenants end up going different ways?"
Beatrix changed the subject.
Marcelo-san gave a smiling explanation.
"It's not clearly understood, but other than becoming a Revenant through Forbidden Magic, it's currently said to depend on the nature of the lingering regret."
"The nature of the lingering regret?"
"Yes."
According to what Marcelo-san said, human worries—that is, regrets—are divided into three types.
Those based on thought, those based on emotion, and those based on instincts like living or eating.
"Among those, it's said that regrets based on thought or emotion lead to becoming a ghost, while regrets based on instinct lead to becoming a Revenant."
It's all very difficult.
Henry-sama was also tilting his head.
"In other words, those who strongly wish to simply keep living become Revenants, while those who accept death itself but have something left undone become ghosts, right?"
Eleanor-sama broke it down for us, but I still didn't quite get it.
"Hmm. It's complicated, isn't it?"
Beatrix also seemed to give up.
While we were deep in ghost talk, before we knew it, several children were playing on the sandy beach.
There was a female priest who seemed to be their guide, so when I went to greet her, they seemed to be orphans.
Since it's a small village, I didn't think there would be an orphanage, but the former lord must have built it through a donation. The church was large, too, so he really was a person of deep faith.
I went over to a child who was making a sand mountain alone.
"Shall we make it together?"
"Yeah!"
As we were making it, she asked where I came from. When I said Nakanohara, she was surprised.
She's a child who came recently and hasn't quite fit in yet. Seeing as there were only children of the same age around, they probably came on an excursion to the sea to help this child make friends.
I called out to the children around us, and we all started making a mountain.
In the meantime, while consulting with the children around us, we started making various things.
After playing for a while, Paul-san came flying in on his bowl.
"Whoa! He's flying in the sky!"
"So cool!"
While everyone's eyes were wide with surprise, he was striking a pose.
"Paul. You mustn't get ahead of us."
Eleanor-sama and even Wilson-san came flying in.
Now that it's come to this, it can't be helped.
A one-day-only event began. As Beatrix and Will started taking care of the children, Henry-sama and Marcelo-san started helping them get into the bowls.
Since Dune can't handle sea water, unfortunately there was no 'fluffy,' but three bowls were enough.
When I put the girl I just met into a bowl along with a child who was nearby, they both raised their voices in joy.
"Um, excuse me, but who exactly are you..."
"I am someone who grew up in the orphanage in Nakanohara."
"Ah, Catherine-sama's..."
Her suspicious expression turned into a smile.
For some reason, she seemed convinced. The Headmistress is famous everywhere, isn't she?
When we parted, the girl I first spoke to gave me a pendant with a seashell on a string. She had just made it with her teacher.
When I said thank you and put it around my neck, she was happy.
She waved her left hand at me, saying goodbye.
Her right hand was holding hands with the child she had become friends with.