Chapter 295 - Tenth Story: Southern Finis
After the mountain investigation ended, I was told I had to go to Northern Gram before the New Year holidays. In short, it's because Henry-sama and the others have to spend time at the royal palace, and it has nothing to do with me. Thanks to that, everything became a rush. At worst, I might have to work as a servant to an evil spirit for half a year. Days of single-mindedly imbuing magic into scrolls continued. At any rate, I couldn't afford a shortage of [Thought Communication] and [Anti-Sepsis]. Even with the triple-use of intermediate Black Stones, it was tough. It was good that I had the Black Stones; without them, it wouldn't have been possible at all.
"The rest is up to you on the way. I've already contacted Aira, so she can send everything for you."
I was told by Eleanor-sama, who came as reinforcements for scroll creation.
In the end, despite having learned [Refresh], I was told that the time spent traveling by ship was a waste, so I ended up going in the bowl. Mary was already on the ship and we would catch up with her midway.
"I'll take on any evil spirits for you."
Violet, who learned of the circumstances at the farewell party, offered to accompany me.
"That's right. I don't take any damage from ghosts or anything, so I don't mind. I could even send a clone."
"If Sister is doing that, I shall cooperate as well. Let's see. How about in exchange for a barrel of mead?"
Renata, whose short hair had turned completely green, and Serena, with her long hair fluttering, also expressed their support. Powerful allies have appeared. This is promising.
"No. It's meaningless unless Jeanne defeats them. It's okay. If it gets really dangerous, we'll help you. We won't let anyone monopolize Jeanne for half a year."
"That's right. We need her to come back here at least once a month. If they won't accept that, we'll just have to tighten up that thing called the Royal Family a bit."
Dune and Mel cut in, and then everyone quieted down. I started to feel sorry for the evil spirit.
I looked at Eleanor-sama, asking what she thought.
She hummed and thought with her arms crossed, but then she said, "It's decided," and proposed a strategy.
We arrived in Finis. Since the land of ghosts we're aiming for is west of the Royal Capital, we'll head to the Royal Capital first.
Even though it's a secret visit, the talk between the royal families has been settled. The day after participating in the usual unofficial dinner party, we immediately began arrangements involving Aira and the Priestess. Since this matter originally started with the strengthening of the anti-mold water, it seems Aira is in charge.
(About the ghost you asked for, he's been found, but he won't come out of his dwelling.)
I had asked them to look for the old man who picked up the evil spirit's stone. I thought such a fellow would have become a ghost, and as expected, he had.
"Is he not reflecting on his actions?"
(It seems he is reflecting, but apparently, he absolutely hates the idea of bowing his head to a woman.)
Ho-ho. He's got some nerve.
(The Priestess says that since he was originally a selfish ghost, he didn't even enter a jewel. To be precise, the other ghosts didn't choose him.)
"We'll have to teach him a lesson once. He must have lived in the distant past when women were looked down upon. Could you tell me the location? Let's thoroughly beat him down until he cries for mercy."
Eleanor-sama was cracking her knuckles.
When I looked at Henry-sama, he gave a slight bow with a grim face. It seems Eleanor-sama's blood has completely rushed to her head.
She's a person who was called 'Eleanor of Tactics' and concurrently served as the Magic Corps Commander. Even though she has left final decisions to Henry-sama since her active days, she's said to be someone who could have commanded the country as Queen. I have to get her to calm down somehow.
Just in case, I asked the ghosts, and they said it would be difficult.
"That fellow is truly a strong one. He was already a ghost when we were alive. He is likely one of the strongest in the north. His tenure is old; a thousand or two thousand years wouldn't be enough. Because he was there, not a single person from that land has become a ghost. Apparently, everyone ascended as if fleeing after they died."
"Can you lot not keep him in check?"
"It's no good. If we were to do it, it would become a battle of ghosts destroying each other. We've been forbidden from such conflicts by the Priestess as well. It's said that a ghost who destroys another ghost develops a flaw in their character."
That won't do. Everyone is playing the ghost as a hobby to protect the north. If their characters were to become twisted, we might have to force them to ascend.
"Is it okay if we rough him up?"
"Will you destroy him?"
"We'd like to make him reform if possible."
"Ask the Priestess. It's a matter that doesn't concern us."
That means we can do as we please.
When I asked the Priestess, she said we should just destroy him. The Priestess can also perform the prayer for ascension. Despite that, she told us to destroy him using white silver weapons.
When she went to see him, she was showered with verbal abuse and driven away by stones being thrown at her. She has given up, saying that while he isn't an evil spirit, his nature is too wicked.
"I'd like to make him bow his head if possible..."
"If you tell the evil spirit after destroying him that he had reflected, it's the same thing. He knows himself that he's in the wrong; he's just clinging to the customs of that time."
A ghost's thoughts remain as they were when they were alive. Without interaction with their surroundings, they cannot understand new things.
He must have been so disliked that he had almost no friends. He surely lived selfishly, being flattered by his subordinates every day. Even now, he's apparently holed up in a ruined fortress and won't let anyone near.
"First, let's have him see reality."
If he actually sees the changes in the world, he'll understand.
We decided to actually go and see him.
Seen off by the King and Gwyn-sama, we fly off in the bowl. It's Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Will, Bonnie, and me, being guided by Aira. The Priestess would have exceeded the capacity, and she herself said she didn't really want to see that ghost, so she declined. She must have had a truly unpleasant experience.
"White silver arrows don't hit ghosts, do they?"
Bonnie is terrified. She's originally scared of ghosts. Paul-san told her that anyone who refuses Eleanor-sama's nomination could never become a Kingdom Army scout for life, so she was forced to come out.
"What do you think, Jeanne?"
"With Harris-sama's help, I might be able to stall him. If you can somehow land an attack during that time..."
"I heard Jeanne can make something like a wall or a board with light magic."
I have indeed become able to make them. However, while there are methods like making boards to surround or sandwich him, he disappears. It's meaningless if he appears in another location. As expected, we should do it the same way as the rehearsal.
"Jeanne. This time, you are the one to rough him up and beat him down."
Um, I didn't hear about this. You're saying that completely out of personal spite, aren't you?
The ruins of the fortress where the ghost resides were one mountain range west of the plains. It's on a ridge, in a perfect spot to monitor those entering the valley. There was a small settlement in the valley where the river flows.
The problem is upstream of that river; the source is further south, and the canyon further south from there is the dwelling of the evil spirit... the place where the former Queen's mound is located. In other words, the valley is also a passage connecting the north and south of the mountainous region through the canyon.
In other words, wasn't there interaction between the north and south through the canyon?
I wanted to ask about various other things too, so we decided to actually go to that village.
Aira seems to have visited this village several times to recruit children for the machine shop.
In fact, since one girl is working in the Royal Capital, we decided to go to that girl's house after finishing greetings at the house of the village head who also serves as the lord.
"Aira-sama! Welcome. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter."
The couple was waiting in front of the house. To be precise, the villagers were surrounding the house.
It's not a very large village. About fifty people would be everyone. Everyone is smiling. Half of the commoners in Finis are serfs, but there are no people who look like they're groveling. This area is different from other countries.
(I've brought a letter for you. And some souvenirs. Please eat them together.)
It's a Highway Cookies Assortment Deluxe. There are ten boxes, so they should reach everyone.
Aira looked over here and winked.
She seems to be distributing them everywhere as souvenirs, and they're apparently gaining a good reputation.
It's surely Mary's idea.
Adults and children alike. While everyone was gathered in the square eating, drinking, and making a fuss together, the parents of the girl from the machine shop approached.
"Did you come this time about the ghost in the fortress?"
They went straight to the heart of the matter. That was quick.
(Yes. Actually, we're going to fight the evil spirit in the mound in the canyon ahead, but since I think the ghost in the fortress is the one at fault, I'm thinking of making him apologize before we fight.)
"Is that possible? He's a quite ill-natured ghost. Wouldn't it be better to just leave him alone?"
Apparently, he goes beyond mere pranks, like dropping stones on people walking below or trying to drag them into the depths. Thanks to that, no one goes through the canyon anymore except those who challenge the evil spirit, and the management of the water source is also neglected.
"Though, thanks to that, no one invades from the south either."
Finis and Northern Gram were in conflict almost every year. Despite that, it seems this village at the exit of the shortcut across the border has never once been exposed to the flames of war. I can't really say it's because the evil spirit in the south and the ill-natured ghost in the north were working hard, can I?
From what I've heard, there are people who have been injured by the ghosts of the north and south, but no one has been killed.
I've become a little interested, so I'll try asking various things.
"Is there any story about the evil spirit?"
Everyone is tilting their heads.
There's no way that's the case.
"Um, do you know this person? She looks like a mere farmer at first glance, but she's the former hero and former Sertorian Queen, the renowned ultra-high-level mage Eleanor-sama."
"I am not a mere farmer. No matter how you look at me, I am just a traveling merchant."
It'll get complicated, so please stop that.
In the end, Aira-sama affirmed my words, and the villagers, realizing that lies wouldn't work, all looked down at once, starting with the village head.
As a result of the interrogation... I mean, the interview conducted by Eleanor-sama, something unexpected was discovered.
The canyon was a secret passage.
It was a passage for smuggling involving the village, no, even the lord who held the village as territory. The royal families of both countries... actually, the Finis side had a hunch.
The Northern Gram side didn't know. It seems it was cleverly concealed. The village on the south side called the trade 'maintenance of the ancestors' mound.' They stuck to that name and claimed that the village's peace was maintained because of the mound of the ancient Queen who repelled the invasion of Finis. In fact, they have repelled them many times. In that way, they brought the local lord onto their side and even built a temple.
Now they have formed an alliance and the Crown Princes are drinking together as friends, but in the past, they were in a relationship that could be called mortal enemies. If it became public that they were secretly connected to an enemy country, what would have happened to the village...
Well, in reality, they seem to be doing the same thing at borders everywhere. War is war, life is life. The north must be generous.
I thought it was suspicious from the start. On a road along a valley river that crosses a border, hunters from both countries go in and out, and they do simple smuggling on the side. Even if the countries are at war, it has nothing to do with the commoners. Even over here, I've learned various things from the bandits while frequently having Boar Club meetings. I can understand that much immediately.
The villagers, who had been making a fuss until just a moment ago, all turned pale at once.
After all, there's a Princess here. They must have thought the Royal Family had come to personally crack down on them.
(The Royal Family understands that you are making various efforts in the border village. That said, it's troublesome if you do it too blatantly. But... it's a good thing to get along with your neighbors, isn't it?)
As expected of a Princess. It's a full-powered smile.
Everyone let out a great sigh of relief.
"Th-Thank you very much."
After everyone prostrated themselves, they honestly told the story passed down in the village.
Even if he's an ill-natured lord, he wants to make money. So what he thought of was trade using the canyon. He made a secret pact with the village ruled by the Queen across the canyon. The Queen provides wheat, and the ill-natured lord provides mountain produce. It was conducted exclusively. To avoid being found by other lords, they sent people who weren't blue-painted for the trade, and if blue-painted people came, the Queen drove them away. Apparently, the people of the north back then were all blue-painted, regardless of whether it was official or not. They had those who traded carry tally sticks. In that way, the honeymoon state continued. Eventually, while they were exchanging gifts, they secretly set up a meeting place, and while they were meeting frequently, at some point the two became close... and entered a relationship between a man and a woman.
If Mary were here, she would surely have been squealing.
However, the culture is different between the people of the plains and the people of the mountains. Backlash from those around them was predictable.
Without being united, the Queen died first.
The ill-natured ghost, who couldn't attend the funeral, went to the mound many times late at night while still blue-painted, drinking desperately and lamenting. And one night, trying to see his beloved just once, he lifted the tombstone... and was scolded by the Queen's ghost.
Well, that's only natural. No one wants their own grave to be desecrated.
Even though she was a ghost, the ill-natured lord was thrilled to be able to meet her. He promised to continue the trade as before. Thus, the trysts between the human and the ghost continued, and the time came for the ill-natured lord to die. Since then, trying to protect their own sacred ground, they both became ghosts at the north and south of the canyon.
That story was embellished by the lords of the next generation and beyond... apparently, they both remained single and younger siblings succeeded them... and before anyone knew it, one was passed down as an exclusive ill-natured lord, and the other as an evil spirit who would go on a rampage if blue-painted people came, and the canyon was passed down as a defiled land, and the secret of the trade route was protected.
And then, people came from the continent to the southern plains and founded Northern Gram.
The Northern Gram Royal Family is of continental lineage. There was also backlash, so the secret was kept on the south side as well. It was passed down as a legend, and the Queen's ghost and the ill-natured lord's ghost also became monitors of the border.
It could be called a tragic love story, but...
At this point, it's nothing but a nuisance. Thanks to that, I've been brought all the way to a place like this.
Um, Eleanor-sama? Aira too. This is no time for crying.
"I understand the story. As you all know, Finis and Northern Gram are now allied nations. There is no need to keep the trade route a secret anymore."
(It is as Eleanor-sama says. From now on, to ensure such a tragedy never happens again, the Royal Family also promises to support this place as a location symbolizing the friendship between the two countries. Of course, the trade can remain exclusive to this village.)
The lord, who received the Royal Family's endorsement, was overjoyed and once again pledged loyalty to the Royal Family. The villagers are also happy. An opinion even came up that they should just bury the two ghosts in the same place and let them enjoy their nightly trysts at least. Apparently, the ill-natured lord's ghost is bound to the fortress and cannot move. Trying to protect the secret, he even refuses to enter a jewel.
"Why don't we just tell them everything and move the ghost's grave next to the Queen's mound?"
I said it out of pure goodwill, but.
"How about that? It won't serve as Jeanne's training."
Eleanor-sama, who had been crying saying it was a tragic love story until just a moment ago, was now trying to tear the two ghosts apart.
"Leave this to me. I won't do anything bad."
That smile is scary.