Chapter 135

Chapter 135

“Listen. Edan. No matter what happened, we have to send you out of here. You know the Madam who brought you to this place, don’t you?”

At my words, he swayed his body forward and back, as if signaling agreement. So I explained that the Madam was bound to the land of the living because she’d left ghosts behind at Covershallen. The headless man listened silently, then slowly reached out his hand and began to form a sentence.

〈I see… so I must… leave this place.〉

“Yes. We want the Madam to… ascend. No matter what.”

Yet all he wanted was to remain in the land of the living. For him, the life he lived as a soul after death had been his happiest. That might lead him to judge that it would be better for the Madam not to ascend, either. So I decided to lay my honest feelings bare once more. It seemed the only way to reach a true understanding.

“I hope our bonds will carry on into the next life. Of course, I won’t remember every life as you do. But still. I still wish that the ties with the people I treasure will continue on.”

The Duke felt the same; so did I. If there were no great attachments left in this world, one would ascend to the afterlife right after death. And then, with complete naturalness, they would be reincarnated and live once more… I wished to go carrying the hope of meeting my family, friends, and lover again at that time.

But speaking of such things to him—a man for whom every life had been nothing but misery—required a careful touch. He likely had no bond he wished to carry into the next existence. His unhappiness with life loomed so large that he probably wanted nothing more than to simply fade away. Perhaps my words even sounded insulting to him.

〈He is kind… and a good person… so I think he… would want to meet again.〉

He touched the Book of Souls again before replying. Thankfully, unlike I feared, he didn’t react with much passion. I watched his demeanor carefully, then stammered, opening my mouth.

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why. We just wanted you to leave this place. …After learning you were a murderer, the only thought was to drive you out somehow. And besides, the Madam didn’t have much time left. She might have been about to dissipate at any moment… I was anxious. Anyway, as I said earlier, I can’t exorcise you. I’m sorry. That was a lie.”

〈But if I remember everything… like this… ascension… I could not wish for it… The next life… might be just as unhappy.〉

That line felt like it spoke for his own life. And well, he was a man who had even committed murder because he didn’t want to repeat unhappiness. Setting aside his crime, I could understand that feeling inside. So I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘no’ right away.

“I once talked with my mother using this too.”

As he said that, the Duke traced the Book of Souls with his fingertip, then spoke. He added, as if he held no interest—or even sympathy—for the headless ghost.

“I’m sorry for your misfortune, but my mother wished to ascend on her own. If it’s because she doesn’t remember her past life, well, maybe that’s the case. But that doesn’t matter. As a son, I want to honor her wishes. So you have to leave Cuvershaiden.”

His tone felt utterly cold. Yet the headless man showed no great agitation. He simply stalled, as if lost in thought, before combining the letters again.

〈I see… I… understand. You and… her are… different. Naturally, what you wish for… is different too. But I am… bound to this place… so I cannot leave on my own. However… if there is a way… I will try somehow. …I’m sorry… It seems I’ve caused trouble here. This… is sincere.〉

And an unexpectedly favorable answer came back. But unfortunately, there was no way for him to leave as he spoke of. Even worse, the plan to threaten him out had already become completely useless.

What should I do? Is there really no other way besides attaching him to a human body to leave?

No matter how much I thought, no suitable answer came. And even if I worried more here, I couldn’t be sure if I would find a proper solution.

As I was lost in such thoughts, Edan fidgeted nervously, only fiddling with his own fingers. His demeanor seemed tinged with guilt. I let out a small sigh and abruptly changed the subject to lighten the mood.

“That aside—if we do get out of here, we’ll need somewhere to stay. Edan, what kind of place would you like? It’d help if we knew what you wanted.”

At my words, he seemed to steal a glance at me, then slowly extended an arm.

〈I… it’s fine… anywhere is… fine.〉

The reply was just as I’d expected. But I knew it wasn’t his true feeling. So I tossed out another question to test him.

“…Then how about a rowdy party hall that’s noisy every night?”

For someone as timid as him, a party hall was surely the last thing he’d want. At my question, he only shifted his shoulders in bewilderment. Well, I was just giving a mischievous example anyway. I shook my head at once and continued.

“I’m not promising to meet every condition you name. But say it anyway. I can at least keep it in mind.”

〈…I’d like… a place where… people come and go. Even indirectly… feeling their warmth… is good. But… I’d prefer it not to be… too loud at night. I wish… the area I could roam… was wide. And… I’d like to meet… other souls. Staying with souls… in this mansion… was quite… nice. And… a space just for me… somewhere quiet… where no one comes or goes… I’d like that too.〉

“That’s more specific than I thought.”

〈No… just… a quiet place is… fine.〉

“I see.”

A quiet place… I should start looking for one…

It wasn’t out of any great care for him. I just thought it’d be trouble if I let him go somewhere and he turned into an evil spirit. He said he was happy at Cuvershaiden. So couldn’t he be unhappy elsewhere? Unhappiness piled up, and becoming an evil spirit was only a matter of time. So I needed to find him a comfortable place if possible. Well… for now, finding a way to get him out came first.

Anyway… a quiet place… I’ll remember that.

After that, we exchanged a few more words with the headless ghost before rising from our seats. The Duke and I left him behind and stepped out into the corridor. Then we began walking side by side down the long hallway. At some point, I turned to look at the Duke. He must have hoped we could help Madam ascend—but that hope had crumbled, and his heart worried me.

“Your Grace, there has to be a way. Let’s think again. Maybe we missed something.”

I caught the Duke’s sleeve as I spoke. He halted mid-step and looked down at me. His black hair naturally tumbled down over his forehead. I was about to reach out and sweep it aside for him—when something caught the corner of my eye.

My gaze flicked sideways before I could stop it — and there was Shion, holding Edan’s head up by the hair, watching us both like we were a show.

“……Shion?”

“Hm? Don’t stop on my account.”

“No—why are you still carrying that head?”

“Huh?!”

The child jolted, lifting Edan’s head right up to her own face. Then she yelped.

“Aaah! I forgot! I tried to give it back but he wouldn’t take it, so I was just holding on to it, planning to return it later!”

At that same moment, the headless ghost came sprinting toward us. Apparently he’d forgotten to retrieve his own head too. He stomped his feet in a panic, snatched the head from her hands, glanced around nervously, and started to bolt back the way he’d come.

“Wait.”

But then—the Duke suddenly stopped him.

“Shion, you didn’t come attached to your mother, did you? You just followed along. That means you could also leave Cuvershaiden in reverse. Can you carry that head out?”

He looked down at the golden-haired child. I turned to look at her too.

Ah. That’s right.

Now that I thought about it — the headless man had only expanded his territory here by chasing the child who’d run off with his head. So if Shion helped us, we might actually be able to expel him.

It was such a stunningly simple answer that I wondered why I’d never thought of it before. Maybe I’d been so fixated on the idea of ‘driving him out’ that I’d tunnel-visioned myself into a corner.

“Huh? You want him to leave?”

Shion stared at us, eyes round with confusion. Those golden irises brimmed with questions. I bent my knees to meet her gaze. This child had always listened to me. I was sure that if I asked her politely, she’d help us with this without any trouble.

* * *

The Duke and I put off all non-urgent matters and left Cuvershaiden. We needed to find a proper place to send the headless man off. First, we headed to the National Library nearby — I figured a quiet place like that would be perfect for someone like him.

As we stepped inside, the library opened before us: people studying, reading, all turning pages in serene silence.

“Your Grace, what about here? It’s quiet — the headless ghost should like it. Though it being a public space does give me pause.”

“Well, it’s quiet, but——”

His voice dropped to a low murmur as he replied. At the same time, his breath brushed the edge of my cheek before dissipating.