Chapter 152 - Episode 4: The Ghostly Fortress (2)
The ghost appears at midnight.
Since that's what's said, we decided to gather in the hall and wait until the right time.
"Is the place where it appears fixed?"
"It is fixed. There is a tower near the sea. It's the one we climbed during the day."
When Beatrix asked, Henry-sama pointed to the tower visible from the window.
Apparently, if you look at the tower from the turret above the main gate at midnight, it's standing on top of the tower looking this way. When people climb up, it invariably moves toward the sea and gazes at it.
Strangely enough, it can supposedly only be seen from the turret above the main gate.
It appears in a single white garment regardless of the season. It must be cold being hit by the chilly wind of the rough winter sea.
"Does it always appear?"
"It invariably appears on moonless nights. It doesn't appear on full moons or half moons, not even on a thin crescent moon."
That means there's a chance to see it once a month. Today is the new moon.
That's the reason we stayed two nights in the Royal Capital.
Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy plays, sightseeing, banquets, and various other things.
But it's quite regular.
"Was the night it was captured a moonless night?"
As expected of a specialist. He seemed to understand immediately, and Henry-sama nodded.
"Indeed. We launched the general assault on a moonless night specifically so the opponent could easily escape. Since then, it started appearing from the night of the new moon one month later."
Since then, even without a priest calling it forth, it has faithfully shown itself every month.
Apparently, it's a methodical ghost.
It will surely appear tonight as well.
"If you like, we could wait here and have the sentries confirm when it appears, but..."
"That would be a waste. Since we've come all this way, please let us see it from the beginning."
I don't really know what would be a waste, but as Marcelo-san said, we decided to move to the turret above the main gate near midnight.
The turret was made of stone and was wide enough for people to be stationed above the gate. The second floor above the gate was a room. Underfoot, there was a section with a fine iron grate, so that the figures of enemies attacking the gate could be seen.
Climbing the ladder to the top, it was one level higher than the outer wall, about three stories high. Since the outside was a breastwork, archers or mages would likely be stationed there if a battle occurred.
Peeking through the window on the fortress side, the tower was visible across the central building. Since we had set up torches at key points, it seemed to be floating in the dark night. It was full of atmosphere. The turret was three stories high at the roof, and the tower was four stories high. We would be looked down upon by the ghost.
"First, it's about what it's looking at."
Marcelo-san says that a ghost's stay in this world has a purpose. Once that purpose is achieved, it ascends in peace.
When a priest is present at someone's death, one of their duties is to remove the mental pain of the dying person.
After death, resolving the purpose for which they remain in this world—that is, their lingering regret—is also included.
When my mother was pregnant with me, she was seriously injured due to the war and gave her life to give birth to me at the orphanage where she had taken refuge.
At that time, she supposedly made a vow with the Headmistress and Jennifer-sensei to have me raised and safely reach adulthood. She died believing those words. That might be why my mother didn't become a ghost.
"At first, is it impossible to see it from anywhere but here?"
This kind of role is originally something I, as a priest, should be doing, but since Marcelo-san is a great senior with far more years of experience, I'll leave it to him.
"It seems so. It's not there if you go straight to the tower. Even if it can't be seen from other places, it can be seen here. Looking through this window and then climbing the tower is the established order."
If you have to look from above the main gate, is there something here?
"I wonder if it would be no good if we closed this place first, had someone climb the tower beforehand, and then opened this place?"
The fearless mage said something terrifying.
You'll be cursed and I won't know anything about it.
"We tried that, but the result was the same. It seems it wasn't visible to the person who had climbed the tower beforehand."
You actually tried it?!
"Even if we didn't open this window and just peeked secretly through a gap, it was no good. We persisted until near dawn, but it wasn't visible until we opened it."
I had forgotten that Eleanor-sama was of the same ilk.
"Is the royalty of this country out of their minds?"
"That's why I was able to get a job."
I decided to pretend I didn't hear the secret exchange between Mel and Wilson-san.
"Is this window always kept open?"
Setting aside the words and actions of the three who seemed unlikely to be bothered by a ghost's curse, Marcelo-san's investigation continued.
"It should be open as long as it doesn't rain. You can't monitor otherwise, and mold would grow."
"This side as well, then."
When he pointed to the window on the outside of the fortress and asked, the answer came back that it was so. From this window, the houses of the village could be seen. Since it was a moonless midnight, nothing could be seen. It was pitch black.
After several such exchanges, he also interviewed the soldiers at the gate. Everyone has seen it, but since it's just looking this way, they don't seem to care much. As expected of Kingdom Army soldiers who deal with the Demon Lord's army daily; they have strong nerves. However, on the night of the new moon, they apparently only go halfway on the tower patrol.
So, we decided to wait, and everyone waited while drinking wine.
"Is there anyone other than Eleanor and me who has seen a ghost?"
Marcelo-san, Paul-san, Mel, and Flora raised their hands.
Marcelo-san and the two spirits aside, Paul-san was a surprise.
He apparently saw one at a battlefield site.
Most ghosts of those who died on a battlefield cause harm to people. The ones the three of them saw were also of that kind and were apparently exterminated by a dispatched priest.
"In my experience, there was only one that was harmless. It was someone who died in a sudden accident while sleeping, but they didn't seem to realize they were dead."
"How did you handle it?"
"I dug up the grave with the family, and when I showed it to the person, they seemed convinced and ascended."
That must be a shocking conclusion for the person themselves. If possible, I don't want to see my own rotting corpse. When I die, I have to make sure I die properly.
"It's about time for it to appear."
When about two bottles of wine were empty, one candle went out. It was midnight.
While lighting a new candle, I heard Beatrix's voice.
"It's out! That must be it."
Everyone peeked through the window at once.
There it was!
It's wearing white clothes. Since the hair is long, it's a woman.
In the pitch blackness, she's floating with a faint white glow.
But, as expected of night, her expression isn't very clear.
"Flora. How is it? Is she looking this way?"
Flora has good night vision. Since she's a spirit, her long-distance vision is also extraordinary. You could call her a secret weapon that Church priests don't have.
"No, that's not it. She's looking slightly upward."
In that case, we went up to the roof.
"It's definitely here. She's looking here."
Flora moved left and right to pinpoint the location. Directly behind was the embrasure of the breastwork.
The ghost is looking at the town through the embrasure of the breastwork above the main gate from the tower.
After marking the embrasure the ghost seemed to be looking at, we finally went to meet her.
When we climbed the tower, the ghost had already moved and was gazing at the sea.
From the white clothes, wrists and ankles as white as the clothes themselves were peeking out.
She's barefoot in this cold.
The fingers and toes are also beautiful. She might be a noble.
"Flora, please."
"Understood."
I asked Flora to pinpoint the location the ghost was looking at.
At this rate, the ghost will disappear with the dawn even if we do nothing. We have to gather as much information as possible before the next new moon.
We waited for Flora for a while. During that time, the ghost just gazed at the sea.
Where in the sea was she looking? Marcelo-san said he wanted to investigate that.
Apparently, if someone speaks to her, she turns toward the owner of the voice, so everyone was silent.
As for the vertical angle of her gaze, Marcelo-san, standing at a distance, was measuring the angle of her profile with a stone suspended from a string attached to a board.
It's based on the assumption that the ghost's eyes are looking straight ahead, but if she's looking at something out of the corner of her eye, there's nothing to be done.
According to Henry-sama's story, they've already searched the sea by having people dive, but there's no problem with searching again.
When Marcelo-san was able to confirm the angle, Mel gave the OK. She must have discerned the scenery at the end of the gaze.
From here, it's my turn.
"Um, excuse me, do you have a moment?"
When I spoke from the side, the ghost changed her body's direction and looked at me. Since the ghost is taller, I was being looked down upon.
She has a pale face, but she's a beautiful girl with well-defined features.
Her hair also looks white, but it was probably blonde when she was alive.
I somehow thought so. I feel something like refinement. Definitely a noble.
"I want you to help me."
The ghost whispered. It was a thin voice, as if she were wary of her surroundings.
In the cold, her exhaled breath isn't white.
"Who do you want me to help?"
I asked the ghost, who was staring into my eyes.
"If you help me, I'll tell you."
This is what's called the secret.
She's staring intently at me.
"Please let me assist you. Who are you trying to help?"
A slight silence followed.
"I want you to help me."
I nodded for her.
"If you help me, I'll tell you."
I see, I see. She might not trust me yet.
"Please tell me the name of the person you want to help."
If I know the target of the help, I might be able to do something.
"I want you to help me."
I see.
"If you help me, I'll tell you."
"Isn't this enough already? Let's just pray and make her ascend."
After repeating it about twenty times, the short-tempered mage grew impatient. Surely, the Headmistress also grew impatient in the same way.
I decided to step away from the ghost for a moment and consult with Marcelo-san.
"At this rate, we're getting nowhere."
It's just a repetition. I don't think it will be settled in one or two nights.
"I want you to help me."
"Uwaa!"
Before I knew it, she was standing directly behind me.
When I reflexively backed away, she followed.
"If you help me, I'll tell you."
She smiled brightly.
Because she has a beautiful face, it's a bit scary.
"It seems you've been taken a liking to."
Without knowing how I felt, Marcelo-san was smiling.
Could it be that I've been cursed by a ghost I just met?
As a test, when I walked to change locations, she followed. She was smiling brightly.
"Um, why are you following me? Are you hungry?"
"I want you to help me. If you help me, I'll tell you."
That's all she says. She just keeps following behind me.
When I ran, the other side started running too.
"I want you to help me. If you help me, I'll tell you."
When I dashed down the tower stairs, she dashed down soundlessly too.
There's no need to look back. Because I can hear her voice right nearby.
"Hey, weren't you supposed to disappear after saying a few things?"
"I want you to help me. If you help me, I'll tell you."
"Jeanne~! Hang in there~!"
"Don't trip~! Run~!"
From above my head, strange cheers could be heard from the tower. I wondered what exactly I was supposed to be hanging in there for.
Mel came flying over.
"Jeanne. Hang in there. Marcelo-san says to go to the turret of the main gate."
The main gate. Did he figure something out...
While being cheered on by Mel with "Hang in there, hang in there," I ran toward the main gate while lighting my feet with Light, listening to the ghost's voice repeated behind me.
I was tempted many times to point the light at the ghost, but I managed to endure it and ran.
When I reached the main gate, the Kingdom soldiers at the gate were surprised and looking this way. Well, of course they would be.
A priest with a pale face was desperately running away from a ghost while being cheered on by a spirit.
Together, they drew their silver swords.
"It's okay. Please leave it as it is. Don't lay a hand on the ghost."
When I shouted for them to just clear the way for now, they moved aside. During that time, the ghost's voice could be heard from right behind me.
She sounded very clear, and for some reason, happy.
I dashed up the stairs, scrambled up the ladder, and reached the embrasure where we had put the mark. This should be the place the ghost was looking at.
When I looked back, the ghost was looking this way with a bright smile.
I was grateful just that she stopped her repetitions.
I was completely out of breath and breathing hard, but the ghost hadn't changed at all. Even though she had run here barefoot, her feet seemed fine.
"Jeanne. Shine the light out from the mark. As far as it will reach."
Being told by Mel, who was floating in front of me facing my way, I released light toward the village as I was told.
"A little more up. Okay, a bit to the left. You're in the way. Move aside a bit."
Mel gave me instructions while making a gesture with both hands as if chasing away a dog. As expected of a wind spirit, she doesn't hold back for a ghost. When I looked back, the ghost had moved to a distant location, perhaps having understood.
A flame was lit around where the ghost had been on the tower. It didn't look like a torch. Is it Beatrix? Mel seemed to be adjusting the light here while watching that flame move up, down, left, and right.
"A bit up. Yes, yes, right there. Make it stronger."
I used both hands to make it as strong as possible. I narrowed it so it would reach far.
I wonder what is at the end of the light...
"Keep it shining just like that."
Mel flew off along the light.
"Hey, what's there?"
Since I had to maintain the light, I couldn't look back.
Since she was silent, I didn't even know if she was there.
"Hey, say something."
At this point, her being silent became scarier.
"I want you to help me. If you help me, I'll tell you."
Well, I guess so. I'll have her stay silent after all.