Chapter 03
Just then—
The woman, whose eyes had been darting around, slowly leaned her head forward.
More specifically, she stretched her neck until her face was so close that I could feel her breath.
She opened and closed her mouth as if trying to say something.
Rotting chunks of flesh fell from her lips.
Plop. Plop.
Watching the black blood and decaying flesh drop to the floor made my heart pound so hard I thought I was going to die.
What if this tiny, fragile heart burst from beating so fast?
She kept moving her mouth, but I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.
“Uuuuuuh…”
A ghost…
…that was trying to communicate.
[Quest]
Can’t understand what the ghost is saying?
Think of a way to communicate with the ghost.
[Required Items]
Collect:
- Doll
- Holy Water
- Sword
- Fingernails
[Progress]
Doll: 0/1
Holy Water: 0/1
Sword: 0/1
Fingernails: 0/5
Hair (excluding your own): 0/3
“Huh?”
I stared blankly at the quest window.
Liam tilted his head.
“Saint?”
“…Mister.”
I looked up at him cautiously.
“Does the temple… have dolls?”
“Pfft!”
I had no idea what misunderstanding he came to, but Liam struggled to suppress his laughter.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
“I’ll get one for you.”
“…Okay.”
“What kind of doll do you like?”
“Something soft… and cute.”
I lowered my gaze, trying my best not to make eye contact with the ghost.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t block out the sounds.
“Grrrk…”
“…”
Crack.
Twisting her neck, the woman quietly muttered,
“Uuuuh…”
“…”
Then she started shaking her neck up and down.
A moment later, she began spinning her head in circles.
Whirl. Whirl. Whirl.
Her neck bones cracked loudly with every rotation.
Crack. Crack.
Craaack.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!”
“Seriously!”
I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
Covering my ears, I shouted tearfully,
“You’re so noisy!”
“I-I’m… I’m sorry!”
Unfortunately, Liam had chosen that exact moment to cough.
His face turned completely pale.
Ah…
That’s not what I meant.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Mister!”
Liam lowered his head, looking completely dejected.
Meanwhile, the carriage gradually slowed down.
The forests and fields outside had given way to city streets.
People passed by the carriage, buying and selling goods or chatting noisily as they walked.
Unable to take my eyes off the unfamiliar sight, I kept staring outside.
After thinking for a moment, Liam stopped the carriage.
“Please wait here for just a moment!”
Watching him hurry out, I almost called for him not to leave.
Then I stopped.
The woman, who had been staring at me, suddenly turned her head and followed Liam out of the carriage.
She no longer looked like the horrifying creature from moments ago.
Instead, she had returned to the appearance of a noble young lady.
At least I wasn’t trapped alone with her anymore.
I sighed in relief and let my exhausted body relax.
Just her presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavy.
I never want to see her again.
But if I wanted to fill the Good Deeds Gauge…
I’d have to listen to her story eventually.
“But she’s so scary…! Why does she keep shaking her neck like that?!”
I buried my face in my hands and quietly cried.
Then I suddenly worried about Liam.
“I think she’s attached herself to Liam, doesn’t it seem that way?”
Judging by how she acted so shy around him, it didn’t seem like she held a grudge against him.
Still…
A ghost keychain?
Not long afterward, Liam climbed back into the carriage, slightly out of breath.
As the carriage started moving again, I looked at him.
“Sorry for taking so long.”
He smiled shyly and handed me a doll.
“I spent some time looking for one with eyes the same color as yours, Saint.”
“…Wow…”
The rabbit doll had purple button eyes.
Its white fur was incredibly fluffy.
As I stroked it, I couldn’t help smiling.
“I… I’ve never received a gift before.”
“Really?”
“Yes! This is my first present ever. Thank you!”
Liam nodded, his ears turning red.
“I thought you’d like it.”
His smile froze both me…
…and the ghost.
He’s handsome.
I glanced at the woman.
She silently stared at Liam.
Then she slowly dissolved into smoke and disappeared.
“Wow… she finally disappeared.”
“Hm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just really happy.”
“Haha…”
[Quest: Can’t Understand the Ghost?]
Progress
Doll: 1/1 (New!)
Holy Water: 0/1
Sword: 0/1
Fingernails: 0/5
Hair (excluding your own): 0/3
The status window sparkled, congratulating me for obtaining the doll.
I glared at it in annoyance.
Then Liam hesitantly spoke.
“Um… Saint.”
“Yes?”
“I’m actually still unmarried… so could you call me by my name instead of ‘mister’?”
“…Ah!”
Come to think of it…
Why had I been calling him “mister” without even realizing it?
Embarrassed, I hurriedly corrected myself.
“I’m sorry, Liam.”
“It’s perfectly fine! Hahaha!”
Maybe I had simply been overwhelmed because he was the first real adult who had ever treated me kindly.
Watching him smile so brightly…
I found myself wanting to get that ghost away from him as soon as possible.
Before long, we arrived at the temple.
“Wow…”
A scene I had only ever read about in books unfolded before my eyes.
A grand white building stood proudly ahead.
A beautiful garden spread out before it.
At its center, a fountain sent graceful arcs of water into the air.
It felt as though no darkness could exist in a place like this.
So this is… the temple!
My heart raced.
“What do you think?”
Liam smiled as he lifted me out of the carriage.
“This is where you’ll be living from now on.”
“No one will ever mistreat you again, Saint.”
“…!”
“And I, too, will gladly give my life for your sake.”
He knelt before me…
…and gently kissed the back of my dirty hand.
The warmth lingered on my skin.
Feeling embarrassed, I hugged the rabbit doll tightly.
Then I heard several people gasp behind me.
Startled, I turned around.
The knights who had dismounted were all avoiding my gaze while clearing their throats awkwardly.
I must look ridiculous…
Someone as dirty and shabby as me just had the back of her hand kissed.
Feeling self-conscious, I pouted.
Even so…
There was something I had to do.
I bowed deeply to the knights.
A full ninety degrees.
“Thank you for bringing me here safely!”
“…!”
The knights’ eyes widened.
One covered his mouth while quietly sobbing.
The knight standing at the front even staggered backward.
They really don’t want anything to do with me.
Fine.
I’ll ignore them too!
I spun around and hurried after Liam on my short little legs.
Then—
“So cute…”
Did I hear that right?
Tilting my head, I looked back.
What the—
The ghost had somehow followed us.
She had passed straight through the knights and was smiling while twisting her neck.
“Liam, carry me! Hurry!”
I immediately threw myself at him and squeezed my eyes shut.
Thankfully…
She couldn’t enter the temple.
Her face overlapped perfectly with one of the knights’ faces as she grinned with her mouth split open.
It was horrifying.
“Uuuuh…”
Okay, I get it.
Just go away already!
You’re terrifying!
Fortunately, ghosts apparently couldn’t enter the temple itself.
Still sniffling, I let Liam carry me inside.
Several priestesses were already waiting near the entrance.
They seemed to be there to welcome me.
“We greet the Saint.”
“Sir Liam, you may leave her with us now.”
The priestess who took me into her arms smiled warmly and gently patted me.
“You’ve had a long journey.”
“Would you like to come with us?”
“Okay…”
I looked over the priestess’s shoulder toward Liam.
Only after seeing him secretly wave at me did I finally relax.
“Let’s start with a bath.”
The priestesses moved with perfect coordination, as though they had worked together countless times.
They immediately carried me into the bathhouse and busied themselves.
I was so captivated by the marble interior and the statues of the goddess that I didn’t even notice them taking off my clothes.
After carefully lowering me into a tub filled with warm water, they began washing my hair.
I sat there absentmindedly.
Only then did I realize I was naked.
Embarrassed, I tried to curl up.
But the warmth made my eyelids grow heavy.
My head nodded sleepily.
Someone behind me stifled a laugh.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I forced my eyes open and splashed the water.
This is the most luxurious bath I’ve ever had.
The water smelled wonderful.
One of the priestesses gasped while rinsing away the filthy water washing off my body.
“Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen such beautiful silver hair!”
“Really!”
The priestesses giggled as they gently stroked my hair.
I slowly blinked.
“…S-Silver hair?”
“It’s pure white and absolutely beautiful.”
All my life, I had believed my hair was ash gray.
It turned out I’d simply never been properly washed.
Honestly, I had never cared much about my appearance.
Still…
This came as quite a shock.
If the orphanage director had known I had silver hair…
She probably would have sold me for a fortune.
Silver hair was incredibly rare.
After my luxurious bath, they dressed me in silk clothes.
I no longer looked like the orphan Diane.
“Wow… is this really me?”
I never thought I’d actually say something like that out loud.
The priestesses smiled happily as they applied lip balm to my cracked lips.
“You’re truly adorable, Saint.”
“…Me?”
“Of course! Once you eat lots of delicious food and grow up healthy, you’ll become the cutest beauty in the entire Empire. Right?”
“Absolutely!”
[Sudden: Sub Mission]
Eat well, grow up healthy, and become a proper child.
Progress: 13%
What was that awkward percentage supposed to mean?
With a completely unimpressed expression, I ignored the status window.
