130 – Side Story 4. Farewell (2)
‘A ghost roaming the mansion.’
Bianca’s agitated words struck strongly in Reyna’s mind.
If someone saw her, they might say, ‘You’re trembling over a mere ghost after dealing with zombies?’ But the truth was, this was no trivial issue.
It might have been different if it happened on a regular day, but it was on the eve of Letizia, Ian’s mother’s ritual.
What is a memorial service? It is when people visit the mansion to pay their respects to the deceased and exchange greetings.
Since it is a nobleman’s memorial service, many people will come to the mansion to offer their condolences.
It should be a solemn atmosphere for the memorial, but to the nobles who wish to form connections, it is an excellent opportunity, no less than an event.
But how can one not worry when facing such a situation before the event?
It might give a strange impression to those who have come for the memorial.
“We must resolve this before the anniversary. Although the level of the spirits is strong.”
If Bianca, known as the Divine Palace, and the Black Tower Mistress, Reina, join forces, it should not be difficult to defeat the spirits.
However, the place to engage in a struggle with him lies right here, at the Volkanov mansion, which troubles both Reina and Bianca.
“If it were just an ordinary person, I would have dealt with it myself without involving you.”
“If he came to me, the situation must be somewhat serious, right?”
“Yeah… roughly equivalent to an expert of the highest level. And the fact that we haven’t uncovered his true identity yet…”
“An expert of the highest level…”
If he is of that caliber, during the process of subduing or expelling him, the mansion will inevitably be turned into chaos.
Reina’s forehead creased for a moment.
Thinking of the deceased who were working tirelessly day and night to prepare for the memorial made her head ache.
“It would be best to avoid a fight as much as possible. If it were just a simple memorial among ourselves, it would be one thing. But all the giants of the Empire will come. We can’t show them a mansion that has become a mess.”
“The same goes for me. I can’t tarnish my husband’s face.”
It won’t end with just tarnishing Ian’s reputation.
As Reia moves as if she were in charge of preparing the memorial, it is akin to giving water to a drowning person. Furthermore, it is a similar action to sticking a thorn in the side of Empress Erzebet, who leads the Empire.
They must somehow cautiously navigate this issue without causing any harm.
This was the new task assigned to Bianca and Reina.
“Sigh… How about trying this?”
“Huh? Is there some good way?”
Having caught on, Reina immediately turned her gaze to Bianca.
“Instead of thinking about subduing him, how about sealing him?”
“Sealing… Indeed, if it can be done that way, we might be able to resolve it. But you know too, right? Sealing is not something that can be done so easily.”
“I know. Capturing beings that move freely outside the laws of physics is no easy task.”
Even for a skilled sealing sorcerer, sealing spirits is a difficult task.
Not only because they have to cast a spell on invisible beings, but more importantly, if the spirit chooses to escape before all the seals are in place, all efforts will be in vain.
If sealing an expert-level spirit, one might need to bring the price of sealing magic to have a chance.
Is there a specialist who can seize the moment when the spirit stops moving and seal him?
Even if such a person exists, would anyone dare to speak out that there are spirits roaming the Volkanov?
Bianca suddenly began to think of certain individuals in her mind.
And a few minutes later, something happened.
“Such a person… Ah.”
“There is. Someone we are well acquainted with.”
As Bianca continued her contemplation, Reyna, who had been sneering, uttered a woman’s name.
“Instructor… No, you stopped being an instructor. Let’s go meet Haley. Unni.”
“Phew. Finally, I can take a breather.”
After tossing his coat haphazardly over a chair, Ian stretched out and lit a cigarette.
His eyes felt like they could shut any moment, and his head throbbed as if exhaustion had piled up considerably.
“It’s not strange that it’s piling up. Ever since Eri became the empress, she has been working non-stop.”
Ersabeth, who had risen from the status of a princess to govern the Callos Empire.
With the power to sway the empire back and forth, her first act was to keep Ian by her side like a cherished doll.
Of course, she wasn’t just idly resting by his side.
Occasionally assisting her with work or handling family matters when needed.
One might think it’s time to rest after returning home exhausted, but unfortunately, there were many waiting for Ian.
He had to have meals and stroll with Ria, then listen to Bianca’s complaints as she worked hard to rebuild the Tower of Shadows.
There was no moment of solitude to relax and unwind.
“I’m already swamped as it is. And now, overlapping with the ceremony period, it’s a real nightmare.”
A crazy schedule that left him gaping. Looking back, he still couldn’t understand how he managed it all.
“Phew. But I’ve almost sorted out urgent matters. Now, I can relax. Should I catch some sleep first?”
Given the hard-earned time for rest, every minute was precious. With that thought in mind, he lay down on the bed, ready to close his eyes slowly.
Thud!
“Ian! Ian! Something terrible has happened!”
As Natalion rushed in, panting, and her face turned pale as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
Swiftly opening the door, he lifted her up as she struggled to climb onto the bed with her short legs, trembling in his arms.
Reacting so dramatically… What could have happened?
Seeing how terrified she was, it seemed like she had done something worthy of scolding.
“Why the rush, Natalion? Did you cause an accident or something?”
Ian vividly remembered the time when he secretly ate Reyna’s birthday cake, caught a cold from leaving the fridge open, and suffered.
As much as he thought it was a serious matter… Surely she didn’t do something like that again this time.
Natalion, as if knowing what Ian was thinking, lowered her head.
“It’s not that! I didn’t cause an accident this time!”
“Really? You didn’t eat anything, did you?”
“Uh? Well, I did eat a little bit but…”
Struggling to continue speaking, Natalion.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed like she had eaten something.
Or rather, it was evident from the slight greasiness around her mouth that she had.
“Hmm… Did you eat meat?”
Even though she might deny it and claim she didn’t touch anything. Her lips were slightly glistening with grease, after all.
‘Hmm… Did she eat meat?’
Still, having witnessed Bianca scold someone sharply last time, she wouldn’t have stolen it and must have received it from the kitchen staff.
Unless it was during the negligent dawn when the guards were lax, sneaking food from the fridge in broad daylight was not an easy task.
“Don’t worry, it’s okay to eat. I’m fine, really.”
“But… I don’t want to get scolded…”
“It’s fine. I’ll handle Bianca. You can do whatever you want.”
This was genuine.
Neltalion had suffered so much all this time. Who would dare say anything just because he ate a little food?
If you give your child something to eat, you should give it wholeheartedly. It’s not a parent’s attitude to say they can’t eat it.
Although their relationship was formed not by blood but by contract, the bond between Ian and Neltalion was stronger than blood, so giving a little cake or meat was not a big deal.
“Oh, really? hehehehe.”
Was she happy because she could finally eat without worry? Ian gently stroked her head as she smiled as if she had everything in the world.
While Neltalion happily moved her body around, as if feeling good, she suddenly raised her voice as if something had come to mind.
“Oh! Not now. Ian, I have something to tell you!”
“Huh? What’s wrong? Is there a food you want to eat?”
“No, it’s not that! Ghosts! There are ghosts, Ian!”
“Ghosts?”
“Yes! They’re wandering around the mansion! And they’re very strong!”
“Strong ghosts wandering around…”
Although Neltalion trembled as if something terrible had happened, Ian remained calm.
No need to remain calm. There was no reason to worry in the first place.
“It’s a memorial service. It’s natural for spirits to get involved.”
Isn’t the reason for holding a memorial service to commemorate the deceased and prepare the foods they loved in life?
If the existence of ghosts is nothing but fiction in the world of Gaia, where demons, zombies, and even warlocks exist, it wouldn’t be strange to talk about spirits.
“So, there’s no need to be afraid of ghosts. Of course, if there’s some lunatic trying to cause trouble, you should pay a little attention.”
It’s no secret that using mana, even living people can harm spirits.
Unless one is insane, no one would engage in such extraordinary acts, and the meaning was simple.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Got it, Neltalion?”
“Yes! Ian.”
Ghosts wandering around the mansion were beings that didn’t need any attention at all.
“Rather, you came quickly before the anniversary.”
Ian was well aware of the existence of ghosts.
At the long-awaited reunion, Ian smiled subtly.