“…”

  “…”

  “You didn’t know…?”

  “…”

  Well, the smoky ghost only clung to the Duke’s back, so it might as well have been in his blind spot. Since he couldn’t see it, he might not know…

  I picked up all the documents that the Duke had missed and placed them on his desk. He seemed to be trying to calm himself.

  “Thank you.”

  He took the documents I handed him with both hands.

  “Anyway, you’re saying it’s dangerous for you to leave them be?” 

  “Yes. Yes! That’s right.”

  I nodded vigorously.

  “Is there any other way?”

  “I tried sprinkling salt, but it didn’t work!”

  “Salt?”

  “Yes… ghosts don’t like salt…”

  I wasn’t sure if it was because roasted salt was less effective, but that’s what happened. In my past life, it was customary to sprinkle salt in such cases, but the idea seemed unfamiliar to this world.

  “…Then I’ll call the temple. Yes, we have to call the priest.”

  After a moment of silence, I spoke again.

  “What? Why the priest?”

  “Because you might not be able to push the soul out.”

  A priest to push the soul out… It seemed he was thinking of calling the exorcist again. However, that would be awkward.

  “But the high priest told me not to get possessed again. Won’t that be awkward?”

  “He won’t say much if I call him.”

  Was he going to use his authority?

  I looked at him with an inquiring expression, but the Duke didn’t offer any explanation.

  The next evening, a priest visited the mansion. It was the same high priest I had seen when Theo set the closet on fire. However, he had a very stern expression when he entered the study and would only look forward.

  “Your Grace, I apologize for the intrusion, but I must remind you that I said I wouldn’t do it again. How on earth did you manage to coerce the Cardinal?”

  “So, are you not going to do it?”

  “…I will.”

  I didn’t know what the Duke had done at the temple, but it seemed it must have been more of a threat than persuasion. The grim-faced priest turned to me.

  “I told you it was dangerous…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I replied as I looked at his potato-like face.

  At that moment, the Duke interjected.

 “Can someone else do this possession thing in her place? Can I do it?”

  No. This guy… He said it was dangerous for me, but…

  “You can’t. The ability to be possessed is innate. And Your Grace has divine power, don’t you?”

  “Divine power?”

  “Divine power inherently has the power to repel spirits, and it works internally. So if a spirit tries to enter a person’s body that has divine power, it’s automatically pushed out.  On the other hand, your aide doesn’t have divine power, so it seems that she’s easily possessed.”

  “…”

  After the high priest’s explanation, the Duke seemed to be lost in thought. After a moment, he opened his mouth again.

  “…I suppose we could just banish the spirit?”

  Huh? What? Huh? No, wait. Hold on, what did he just say?

  I looked at his face once again. The Duke clearly felt my gaze but pretended not to notice.

  That maid hasn’t even started to become a malicious spirit yet…

  I felt uneasy. Of course, banishing the spirit would be a simple and clean solution. However, I hoped for something different. Wouldn’t it be best to help the soul ascend?

  “Doctrinally, we are not allowed to exorcise souls that are not clearly evil. As a follower of the gods, I can not do anything that is not allowed by doctrine, no matter how much the Duke might insist… I mean, even if you request it, I will not.”

  The priest emphasized his words strongly. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he would yield any further. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  “I see.”

  The Duke replied in a subdued voice. At first glance, his expression was impassive.

  I didn’t know what he was thinking, but whatever it was, it was fine. At this point, he would probably believe that having me get possessed was the only way.

  After that, we waited until late in the afternoon when the ghost would appear. I sat at the table in the study, watching the sunlight streaming in through the window. 

  As the day passed, the moment finally arrived when the ghostly maid appeared beside me.

  “…Hello.”

  I awkwardly greeted the ghost, and she slowly nodded in response.

  “Um… Can you come to me and show me your memories? I want to help you ascend.”

  She tilted her head in confusion.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “…”

  I asked, but, of course, she didn’t answer.

  The priest, who was sitting across from me, remarked.

  “It seems like she doesn’t understand.”

  Really? Then maybe the ghost lost her hearing in addition to her speech in some accident during her lifetime.

  I pointed between myself and the maid, gesturing for her to come to me, but she still didn’t seem to understand my intention. 

  Frustration built up and I began making larger gestures. Eventually, I flapped my arms with all my might.

  “Pfft.”

  The priest chuckled. I turned to him with a sharp look, and he quickly covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

  I heard your laugh. I heard it all…

  The Duke, who was sitting next to the priest, had turned his face away. From the way his shoulders were shaking slightly, it was clear that he was laughing at me too.

  Darn it. I’ve become a clown… I thought my life was a tragedy, but it’s a comedy.

  I looked at the ghost maid again. Instead of finding my actions amusing, she seemed more fascinated than anything else.

  Sigh…

  Once again, I gestured for her to come to me, but she just tilted her head again.

  {──── ─── ──── ──}

  At that moment, the Duke’s voice interrupted, saying something. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but the ghost maid responded with a slight smile. 

  Then, she leaned toward me, and our foreheads touched. I could feel a chilling sensation.

  My vision darkened like smoke. 

  When I opened my eyes again, a middle-aged man with red hair was pushing me down into a dimly lit space. I… or rather, the ghost maid from her past life, shouted at him with a trembling voice.

  {─── ────}

  …It was a foreign language.

  She was a foreigner! That’s why she couldn’t understand a word I said!

  From her pronunciation, it seemed to be Crenticean. Thinking back, the Duke had also spoken Crenticean words before I got possessed. Considering the circumstances, he must have explained to the ghost maid that she had to possess me.

  Well, he should have translated before making fun of me… I don’t know Crenticean!

  Confused, I looked at the man in front of me. He raised his index finger to his lips as if telling me to be quiet.

  Shh. Be quiet.

  It seemed like he was telling me to hide.

  The man closed the trapdoor with a loud slam. The ghost maid was trapped in the small space, crouched and unable to move. She tried to pound on the trapdoor and scratch it with her hands, but it was as solid as a wall and didn’t budge.

  She finally let her arms drop in defeat. It seemed like she had given up trying to get out. I could sense tears welling up under her eyes.

  Click-Clack—

  Then, she heard footsteps. It was the sound of metal armor clanging against the floor. She squinted through the small crack in the door that let in light. She could see several people in armor stomping towards her, their feet in polished shoes. 

  The owners of the feet stood in front of each other, discussing something. A heated voice rose sharply, seeming to attack the other.

  One of the armored figures took a step back. Then there was a gust of wind, as if the air were splitting, and the middle-aged man who had hidden her fell to the ground with a thud. His pale face came into her field of vision, his unfocused eyes unable to close.

  Sticky blood flowed and pooled around the man. The other armored man kicked his head with his toes as if to confirm that he was definitely dead. 

  When the man still didn’t move, he lowered the sword he held. She could see a diagonal groove in the blade, and blood dripped down it.

  Thump, thump, thump. 

  The sound of her heart pounding was loud.

  The ghost maid flinched and leaned back. She turned and crawled across the floor of the small space, her body trembling. 

  After a few moments, she found a space large enough to stand up in, and after another few more moments, found a staircase leading upwards.

  She staggered up the stairs, opened the small door at the end, and climbed out. The night was black and deep, and she could smell waterlogged grass. 

  She looked around and saw a large clearing.  In the distance, a huge mansion was engulfed in flames. Perhaps she had escaped from there.

  The ghost maid stared at the burning mansion in confusion, then turned and ran. But in her haste, the hem of her long dress tripped her several times. Each time, she choked back a sob and got back to her feet.

  In the vision, her attire looked quite cumbersome. It was gaudy and heavily decorated, suggesting that she had not originally been a maid. 

  Maybe she was the lady of that burning mansion…

  She blinked once, and the location changed. This time, she was sitting at a worn table, sewing. Her hands, which had probably never labored before, were covered with scars of all kinds.

  Suddenly, she heard a bang. The ghost maid turned her head to look in the direction of the noise. 

  Two rugged-looking men smashed through the door and entered the room. The ghost maid scrambled backward but they paid no attention and grabbed her by the hair.

  “Aaah!”

  Despite her piercing cries, the men continued to drag her outside. Once again, they showed no mercy as they pushed her into a carriage waiting outside. 

  Without any explanation, the carriage started moving.

Like my translations?
Buy me a Milktea!