Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“At first, I loved the stories my sister would tell after reading its memories. I was even happier because she seemed to enjoy experiencing things through another’s memories.”

From time to time, I would steal glimpses of that thing’s memories and then relay what I saw to Ren.

True to Ren’s words, it was a captivating affair. In her memories, she had traveled often, following her adventurer parents. Through her eyes, I journeyed to lands where magic held sway, soared through the sky on an airship, and one day, walked a submerged path to watch schools of fish dart beneath me.

Every bit of it was a first for me. I felt that swelling wonder right along with her, and as if caught by an addiction, I found myself stealing more and more of her memories with each passing day.

“Then, on one ordinary day, it just wouldn’t come out of my sister. No matter how many times I tried… even then… it wouldn’t.”

On the day it happened, I saw her memory too. But it was starkly different from all the others. Instead of waking in a glittering party hall or a scenic travel spot, that day she opened her eyes atop a rustling pile of hay.

[Huh? What’s this?]

A sharp, stabbing pain clawed its way up from her gut. That agony, the one she was feeling, passed straight into me. She pushed herself up slowly on shaky legs. Looking around, she found herself inside an old house that looked ready to crumble at any moment.

Where am I? Was I kidnapped?

She shuffled forward like that and stepped outside. The rusted hinges of the door groaned as it swung open, and the sharp smell of rain-soaked earth hit her nostrils. Looked like it had poured the night before.

Strangely, a weakness had settled into every limb, as if she hadn’t eaten in ten days. Even so, she kept walking until she reached a puddle of standing water, then sat down with a heavy, defeated slump. Her face soon reflected on the water’s surface. But the familiar, ever-bright expression wasn’t there. Instead, the face in the puddle belonged to a woman burdened by every kind of misfortune, her features steeped in misery.

She blinked slowly once. A festival of fireworks and flag decorations bloomed before her eyes. Another blink, and a table laden with luxurious food appeared. But at the third blink, the dark puddle filled her vision once more.

[…I’ve been dreaming all this time.]

The woman in the puddle spoke.

[I was seeing illusions for just a little while.]

She finally understood. And I came to know it too. Those memories of traveling the world, every single one, were nothing but fakes she had made up herself.

“I should have noticed something strange when my sister passed me those memories, but I was too young back then to know.”

Ren lowered his gaze and fidgeted with his own fingertips as he spoke.

I was the same way. The Skyline, the Sea Road—things still impossible by this world’s technology, yet I’d been so lost in the fantasy I hadn’t noticed. The truth was that her reality lay beyond that gaunt face on the verge of starving to death.

Blood gushed from her nose, sending ripples across the face reflected in the puddle. My head throbbed like it was splitting open. At the same time, my mind went distant, darkness closing in from the edges of my vision. Splash. She dropped her face into the puddle.

That was it. I couldn’t read any more of her memories. And so I understood. That was how she died.

After that, my vision flickered and stayed dark. I tried to move, to break free of the possession, but it was no use. Something held my consciousness tight and wouldn’t let go.

‘Let me go.’

I screamed it inside my head.

‘I said let me go.’

‘…’

No answer came back. I thrashed in the blind dark for what felt like forever. I couldn’t see any way out. I even started to think I might never wake up again. But then, absurdly sudden, my eyes snapped open. A white ceiling blurred into view. My room. I was free of the possession.

“My sister doesn’t know what happened while she was possessed that day. Not even that she bled so much her nightgown was soaked through with it. But I saw it with my own eyes, and it’s still vivid right in front of me. It was horrible enough that I was sure she was going to die.”

Anyway, I didn’t die. When I woke up, I felt a little drowsy, but my body wasn’t in bad shape either.

[You’re awake, Laura!]

So I couldn’t understand why our parents had dropped everything to rush over.

[Noona!]

Behind them, Ren was sobbing, looking at me with tears I’d never seen him cry except when I’d hit him a few times. Yeah. That was the problem. Whatever the cause, I’d planted something like a trauma in Ren. That’s why I’d always gone soft on my younger brother. Because I understood why he overreacted to everything about me.

[Letting the dead into your body… this is a first for me. It’s an extremely dangerous act. Do not do it again.]

A stranger standing by my bedside spoke. He wore white robes with an X-shaped pattern—a priest, by the look of it.

[And, young lady, you seem to have a constitution that makes possession easy for you. Try not to encounter the dead as much as possible.]

The priest added. But ghosts were everywhere; I didn’t think that was possible.

[What happened to her?]

Instead of answering, I asked him about the ghost.

[It was an evil spirit. So I exorcised it.]

The priest answered. She had become an evil spirit. It seemed she had turned into one in the end. And of all times, right when she was possessing my body.

[Exorcism? That girl wasn’t bad… She was my friend…]

I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. So I dragged my words out, stammering.

[Young Lady. Friend, you say? The living must not draw close to death.]

[But…]

[…I heard from the Young Master that you let a ghost into that body for quite a long time. Isn’t that how this trouble came about? Young Lady, you must understand—they are dangerous beings. See that it doesn’t happen again.]

He replied in a firm tone. Then, beside him, at the bedside, the young Ren in my memory burst into tears.

[I’ll keep her safe. I’ll never let my sister go where ghosts are.]

“…And so, I cannot send my sister to the ducal house, where ghosts dwell.”

Now, Ren—grown and taller than I remembered—grabbed my arm tight.

“Look, I get where you’re coming from, but aren’t you meddling a bit too much with my job? Do you even know who’s putting food on your table?”

“It’s fine. Really… there hasn’t been a single problem so far.”

I hurriedly cut him off. I had four younger siblings under me alone. I wanted to send them all to the Academy, and for that, this job was everything. A ghost haunting the Cuvershaiden manor? In the face of reality, that was a trivial issue. Sure, it was frightening—but fear was just something you got through, wasn’t it?

“Noona doesn’t take this seriously. Of course—you don’t know the situation. But I saw it firsthand. I know that if you’re careless, you could die.”

Come on… it can’t be that bad.

But whether he took my brother’s words to heart, the Duke’s expression turned heavy. I started to worry I might actually lose my job over this.

“Um… Your Excellency the Duke.”

I shot a glance at the duke, testing for his reaction as I called out to him.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I said no.”

He gave me a brief look, then turned to Ren.

“I need Laura.”

By the heavens! The duke was on my side!

Surprised by his unexpected answer, I snapped my gaze up to the duke. But Ren looked rather irritated.

“What do you mean by that?”

Ren’s grip on my arm tightened. He’d clearly aimed for the duke as his target since talking with me was fruitless, but things weren’t going the way he’d expected, and he seemed visibly thrown off.

Heh heh heh. Let go, you little punk.

I jerked my arm forward, shaking off Ren’s hand. The duke turned his attention back to me.

“I want you to stay at Cuvershaiden.”

Taken literally, that’s just what it meant, but if I had to read between the lines, he was saying he had no intention of cutting me loose.

“I have no intention of leaving Cuvershaiden either.”

I nodded quickly. A flicker of a grin crossed the duke’s face, there and gone like a shadow. But he smoothed his expression just as fast and opened his mouth again.

“But your life from here on can’t be the same as before. Please, be careful.”

* * *

The rain that had started at dusk showed no sign of letting up. The night was already far gone, the world so dark it was hard to make out shapes. And by now the road to Cuvershaiden would be a mess of sticky mud, like watery dough. A carriage wheel could easily get stuck, so I had no choice but to urge the duke to stay the night. He readily agreed.

“If there’s anything you need, please tell me.”

I gave him one of the guest rooms. It had been neglected for so long that it was nothing special, but I’d put in the best quilt and a clean pillow, so it shouldn’t be too bad for resting.

Even after I showed him into the room, my feet wouldn’t move. I just lingered by the door, hovering awkwardly.

“Is there something you want to say?”

He was unbuttoning his shirt sleeves when he noticed me and asked.

“Um… Your Grace. I’m sorry you got caught up in our sibling quarrel today. And thank you for taking my side.”

“Did I?”

“You said you wouldn’t send me away.”

“No. That’s only because I’m selfish and can’t let you go.”

Well… I was a little surprised, honestly. Hadn’t the duke tried to stop me several times, saying it was dangerous for me to be possessed by ghosts? So when Ren went on about how risky I was, I thought he’d be really shaken. I even thought he might cut me loose right then and there. But he didn’t.

On the contrary, he said he needed me.

Well, that made sense. How common were people who could see a ghost’s memories? Thanks to me, he’d already been able to send two ghosts from Cuvershaiden into ascension.

“Which is why I’m a bit regretful now. What should I do with you?”

The duke continued.

What? Wait. That’s not right.