Chapter 154 - Episode 5: Fiona
What the ghost told us was that there was a secret at the base of a tree near her grandfather's grave. Her grandfather's grave was apparently in Uminohara.
"What should we do?"
"Let's go. The ghost went to the trouble of telling us. If we don't go, she won't be able to pass on in the way she desires."
Marcelo-san also nodded.
"Will we be able to find the location?"
Family registers would be at the town hall, and the exact date of death would be at the church. But we don't know the location of the grave. In the countryside, everyone just buries people on their own land as they please. If it's next to a house or a field, that's one thing, but if it's in the mountains, we'll never know. It would be different if there were someone who knew about it back then, but it's the grave of someone who already passed away over fifty years ago. Prospects are slim.
"Let's have her guide us."
Marcelo-san said matter-of-factly.
"Who?"
"Her, of course."
"Can she go with us?"
I've heard that ordinary ghosts are bound to the vicinity of where they died. If that's the case, she shouldn't be able to go far from the fort.
"If there's a memento, we'll have her possess it. Once she possesses something, she'll be fine as long as she's near it. It's a temporary measure, so the problem will be solved if she passes on after everything is finished."
According to Marcelo-san, whether a ghost possesses an object depends on the ghost themselves. As long as the ghost is willing, anything with a connection to them will do. However, would there be such a thing as a memento in a fallen fort?
"If we unearth the grave, we might find something, but..."
When I explained the situation to the ghost, she made a visibly displeased face. Well, that's natural. No one wants their own grave to be dug up.
"However, in that case, she won't be able to go far from here. The problem will remain unsolved."
"Let's limit the number of people. How about this? Only women... let's see. Me, Beatrix, and Will. The three of us will do it. How does that sound?"
I made a proposal since the ghost had turned toward the sea. If it's only women, we might be able to manage.
"I shall join as well. If I use my magic, it won't be any trouble to neatly unearth the coffin. Putting it back will also be easy."
Eleanor-sama volunteered. How about this?
Sure enough, the ghost reluctantly nodded and agreed.
The women gathered at the grave. My role was to chant the purification prayer. The men and the spirits seemed to be having a banquet at the manor, as their lighthearted voices echoed over.
The men seem quite carefree, don't they?
Beatrix was exasperated as she floated fire magic in the air for illumination.
"With these sorts of things, your sense of guilt won't fade unless you do them while listening to those kinds of silly voices."
I see. Eleanor-sama might be right.
When Eleanor-sama held one hand over the gravestone, the earth was dug up more and more, and the lined-up stones appeared.
"Will. If you please."
"Leave it to me."
As Will took the stones Eleanor-sama floated in the air and piled them on the ground, the remains became visible. After fifty years, as expected, it was only bones. I thought it would be better if she didn't see it, so I had her look away.
No funerary goods were found. They might have been put in, but too much time had passed. They might have returned to the earth.
"What about hair? Everyone cuts hair to give as a memento, right?"
When I asked the ghost about Will's suggestion, she nodded. Since it seemed okay, I took about three strands of hair attached to the skull and put them in a small leather pouch.
"Um, what should we do now?"
After returning the grave to its original state, I showed the small pouch containing the hair to the ghost. She had to possess it.
When the ghost softly touched the pouch with her right index finger, she was drawn into it as if being sucked in.
Returning to the manor, I asked Marcelo-san, and he told me to call her out once.
"Fiona. Come out."
I didn't know what to do, so I just called her name, and she drifted out.
"It seems to be fine. Now, Jeanne. We will move to Uminohara starting tomorrow. I'll call you when we reach the area where your father lived, so please come out then—tell that to Fiona."
When I repeated it, Fiona nodded.
"Also, one more thing. As you saw in the records at the orphanage, over fifty years have passed since you died. Your house might be gone, so please be prepared for that."
When I repeated it, her expression stiffened.
"Fiona. Even if your house is gone, don't worry about it. Houses are things made by people, so their shapes change all the time, right? They break and such. But the scenery you grew up looking at shouldn't have changed. So rest easy."
When I said that, she smiled brightly.
"As expected. I'm far too businesslike, it seems."
Marcelo-san bowed to me.
"Didn't you say it in a businesslike way on purpose, knowing I would follow up?"
In these cases, lowering then raising is the basics of conversation. The opposite leaves a bad aftertaste. Marcelo-san, a former priest, should know that.
Unusually, Marcelo-san was looking away. He must have done it to improve Fiona's impression of me.
"Jeanne. Since Marcelo-san went to the trouble of being considerate, you should just boast about it proudly."
Beatrix. You really are a mage, aren't you?
I attached a string to the leather pouch Fiona was possessing and hung it around my neck so I wouldn't lose it.
"You've become quite flashy, haven't you?"
"Don't you think you should organize things a bit more?"
Beatrix and Will both told me.
The Priest's Ring, the Water Ring, the Wind Bracelet. Around my neck were the stones of the Wood Spirit and Flower Spirit, the shell pendant, and the ghost's hair.
It's true there's no cohesion at all. It can't be helped since I'm just wearing the things I've received.
"The rings and bracelet are fine as they are, but let's do something about the things hanging from your neck in the Royal Capital."
Even Eleanor-sama told me. Apparently, there's a good jeweler there.
"But once this matter is over, I'll properly organize the shell and the hair, so this is fine for now."
I'll probably be able to take off the shell when I leave the village, and the hair must be returned to the grave with a prayer once the ghost passes on.
Well, if that's the case, everyone settled down, and we joined the banquet.
"How many days will it take to get to Uminohara?"
When Beatrix asked Henry-sama, he said it would take one day.
"Teleport?"
"No, we're going in Eleanor's bowl."
Apparently, Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san are researching high-speed movement for cases where Teleport cannot be used. After all, both are ultra-high-level mages. They must be able to do various things.
"We'll attach Wilson's Wind Barrier to Eleanor's bowl and blow it along at high speed. It's fun."
Eleanor-sama's boat-shaped bowl would be for ascent only. Wilson-san's bowl would be attached to the stern for propulsion only. They would specialize both to advance all at once. It's like an aerial version of the sled we used when going up to Nakanohara Lake.
Beatrix and I both felt weary. Apparently, the other members love that sort of thing. Will doesn't particularly love it, but she doesn't hate it either. When she first rode it, she just said, "It's convenient and good," without changing her expression, leaving Paul-san, who was expecting a cry of surprise, stunned.
"Don't worry. It's slow at first. We'll gradually increase the speed, so those on board shouldn't feel the speed much."
Apparently, the three of them researched it. If they felt like it, both of them could carry thirty people alone. Moreover, a distance that takes four hours to walk can be flown in a little over half an hour. If they specialized in speed, it would apparently be many times faster than that.
"For now, even flying with safety in mind, we've advanced five post stations' distance in one hour. (T/N: 'Ekitei' refers to the post station system used for travel and communication, often used as a measure of distance.) It should take about three hours to reach Uminohara, and from there we'll head out to sea, reaching the island where Fiona lived in about two hours."
Wilson-san explained while looking at a map. Lately, the three of them have been flying all over the place in the bowls and making detailed maps.
Uminohara has a terrain like a large bay. He said they would fly in a straight line across the sky over that bay.
While I was impressed along with Paul-san...
"Are we going to fly through the sky?"
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Fiona spoke up.
"Can you hear everyone's voices?"
When I looked at Fiona, she just smiled silently.
"This might mean that a relationship of trust has been established between us."
According to Marcelo-san, by confirming the safety of the orphanage, everyone involved might have been trusted. Apparently, conversation with a ghost is only possible for those the ghost has acknowledged. The exception is priests.
"In that case, can you converse with me?"
She nodded at Henry-sama's words.
Henry-sama, his face showing joy along with Eleanor-sama, apologized for the fact that he had ended up fighting the former lord whom Fiona's father served due to the difference in regimes. He then conveyed that the orphans had been evacuated beforehand and were all safe, and that the Kingdom had been providing operating expenses in the form of donations to the orphanage, following the former lord's wishes.
"My father was against fighting Sertoria. He said Sertoria was a good country. However, since the one to whom my father had sworn his loyalty as a knight had decided to fight alongside the lord here, he said he would fulfill his duty as a knight."
The person he swore loyalty to was likely the noble who was driven from the island. Fiona's father must have followed him.
"Is that so? Actually, the former lord here fled to the continent with his followers, received some land, and passed away as a noble, just as he wished. Most likely, your family also spent their time safely in the new land."
To my surprise, he had properly investigated it.
"I urged the successors of those who followed him to come here, but I was refused. This is the list."
On the parchment he pulled from his breast pocket, many names were written. It seemed he had prepared it to show the ghost.
The ghost was looking at the list, but suddenly, she pointed to one name.
"This is my younger brother. He was safe, then."
She clung to me and began to cry, so I held her. She didn't feel as cold as when she first touched me.
After waiting for Fiona to calm down, I offered her a bowl of wine and let her drink. She really seemed to be able to hold her liquor, as she drank it easily.
"King of Sertoria-sama."
"No, I am the former King. Now I am just Henry."
The ghost bowed properly and apologized. As expected of someone from a noble family, she was well-mannered.
"Then, Henry-sama. Thank you for all your efforts. Actually, if I may be so bold, I have two more requests."
"What is it? You may say anything."
"Thank you. Well then..."
Fiona conveyed that since this fort was like a symbol for the people of the village, she wanted it to remain, even if only in form.
" I understand what you are saying. However, this castle is a bit too narrow to protect the villagers. There is also little water. In times of emergency, it cannot protect the people of the village."
According to the current plan, they intend to build a new fort south of the village, large enough to evacuate the villagers if necessary. In any case, it's no good if fresh water cannot be obtained. Apparently, they will move south to a point where the river water doesn't mix with sea water during high tide.
"Henry-sama, if I may?"
Paul-san offered his opinion.
"It would be a waste to simply abolish such a stronghold. Looking at it, there is grassland between the fort and the village that isn't being used for anything. Why not surround the entire peninsula with a city wall, build several large reservoirs, and turn it into a garden?"
"Turn the entire peninsula into a fort? It's true that it was originally surrounded by a wooden fence, with watchtowers here and there where soldiers were stationed."
Paul-san nodded vigorously.
"Indeed. It has likely been decaying for fifty years, but in that time, the technology for building walls has also advanced. If you intend to take another ten years, it shouldn't be a great burden on the national budget. Why, if a garden is impossible, you could just turn it into a pasture. If you build ponds, create a forest so the salt spray doesn't fly in, and make that the villagers' labor tax, it can certainly be done."
"Hmm," Henry-sama said, crossing his arms, and told us he would consult with the current King.
At the very least, the possibility was left open for consideration. Fiona seemed satisfied.
Fiona's other wish was that she wanted to fly through the sky. Since she grew up on the island as a child, her grandfather used to take her on boats often. In her childish heart, she wondered what was beyond the horizon and had always wanted to go there someday.
"Is that why you were looking at the sea?"
She looked bashful. Although her skin remained pale, I could tell she was blushing.
"When I was on the island, the local children and I played together freely. But after moving here and serving the Okugata-sama, I ended up living in the fort, and I could hardly go outside except when going to the orphanage."
She didn't resent the Okugata-sama, but it seems she would sometimes climb this tower to gaze at the sea and look at the horizon.
Apparently, we can't go all the way beyond the horizon. So, it was decided that she would travel with us on Eleanor-sama's bowl over the sea.
"But can you come out during the day too?"
"Yes. It's fine. But it seems I'm not visible to living people."
When I asked, she answered energetically. I wonder where she usually is.
"I'm always in the fort. Though I've decided on the times and procedures for becoming visible to living people."
At this, Marcelo-san suddenly became very interested. He asked various questions and told us what he had learned about ghosts from his and Fiona's experiences so far. Apparently, if we can strongly recognize their existence, they become visible even during the day, and conversation becomes possible. Of course, for that to happen, a relationship of trust acknowledged by the ghost is necessary.
"Then, when we go to Uminohara together tomorrow, can we go while chatting with each other?"
Mel immediately chimed in.
"If you can hear my voice, it'll be fine. More importantly, weren't you flying through the sky?"
"That's right," Mel said, and when she took her spirit form, Fiona was startled. It was a bit late for that.
"How wonderful. I only knew about spirits from fairy tales. They really do exist."
She seemed to be delighted. She exchanged greetings while hugging the three spirits.
"Since we're at it, I'll introduce everyone here."
Since everyone knew about Fiona, I introduced them starting with Henry-sama. Seven humans, three spirits, and one Revenant.
"Wasn't a Revenant a monster?"
"You're one to talk."
Wilson-san gave a wry smile. Well, that's true.
"Come to think of it, what an incredible assortment."
Will said, and everyone burst into laughter.
"Don't you get drunk even if you drink alcohol?"
Beatrix was asking Fiona, who had had several drinks.
"I don't know. Since becoming a ghost, I've never had alcohol until now. But compared to when I was alive, I don't feel drunk."
"I mean, is it delicious?"
"Yes!"
It's a royal warrant, after all. There's no way it's bad.
Hearing this exchange, the Queen finally moved. When Dune handed over a wine barrel she had half-drained, Fiona finished the rest. She looked perfectly fine.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm not okay. This is the first time I've ever done something so ill-mannered."
She was laughing as if it were amusing.
That's the part you're worried about?
"I like you. Shall we drink together?"
"Yes!"
It must be her first time having an equal drinking partner. Dune looked happy. After that, as usual, it was a boisterous party. The manager who woke up from the noise and the Kingdom soldiers who came running also joined the banquet. The manager and the soldiers couldn't hear Fiona's voice very well, but she was harmless to begin with. While drinking together, they eventually began to hear her.
According to Fiona, there are other ancient spirits in this fort. But since the gatekeepers, the managers, and the villagers all cherish the fort, they remain quiet. When I asked if we should perform an exorcism, she told me that they would come out when they felt like it, so to leave them alone until then.
When I told Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama, they looked quite solemn and said they would tell the current King to leave the fort as it is. If it were to be demolished, accidents might occur.
As a later story, it ended up exactly as Paul-san had said. Moreover, the grassland on the peninsula was newly developed as a village with a complete sewage system. Unfortunately, a water supply system couldn't be built since there was no water source, but several stone reservoirs with lids were built, surrounded by forest, and began to be used to store rainwater. The villagers, who were keen on preserving the fort, were cooperative with the labor tax and reportedly took turns participating even on their days off. They might have known about the ghost living there.