Chapter 35 – Ghost

Яẽád̀& ;on̂ K​aṫRe&a;dіngC‍ａｆe

After finishing the meal, Sister Andreina brewed some tea and began to speak.

“Ulrika brought you here.”

“Ulrika did…?”

“Yes. From what Ulrika saw, your condition seemed quite serious. He even banged on the cathedral door hard enough to break it.”

Did I really look that bad? Of course, I couldn’t remember how I was after leaving the house, so I wasn’t sure.

“In the end, it was just sleep deprivation, but if it weren’t for Ulrika, you might have fallen asleep on the street. Make sure to thank him later. Here, have some tea too.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As a steaming cup of tea was placed in front of me, I quickly expressed my gratitude. Watching Sister Andreina pour her own cup with a soft smile, I cautiously took a sip.

“Ah…”

The citrus aroma spread through my mouth, and a warm sensation enveloped my body. As I exhaled a drowsy breath and savored the aftertaste, Sister Andreina, sitting across from me, smiled and spoke.

“Do you like the tea?”

“Ah, yes. Especially how the citrus scent spreads in my mouth—it feels really nice…”

“I’m glad.”

Sister Andreina said this and then sipped her own tea. After savoring it for a moment with her eyes closed, she quietly opened them and continued.

“So, what happened?”

“Well… um…”

I had been full of thoughts about asking Sister Andreina for help before leaving the house, but now that I had rested enough, I felt hesitant.

Moreover, bringing up the topic of ghosts felt particularly awkward.

After all, it’s common for people to think ghosts don’t exist. If you say you believe in ghosts, people often think you’re eccentric or still a child.

Sister Andreina probably thought similarly. I imagined her smiling happily, saying, “You still believe in ghosts? You’re such a child.” But before I could dwell on it, Sister Andreina spoke first.

“You seem hesitant. Is it something difficult to talk about?”

“Well… it’s both yes and no…”

“What do you mean…?”

Seeing Sister Andreina’s puzzled expression, I hesitated before finally exhaling deeply and cautiously continuing.

“Please… don’t think I’m being ridiculous…”

“No matter how absurd the story Mari tells, I would never think that. Don’t worry and speak freely.”

“Ah, yes.”

Her unusually confident tone made me straighten my back instinctively.

If Sister Andreina, of all people, was speaking so firmly, it would be rude to hesitate further. I sipped the warm tea, relaxed my body as much as possible, and slowly began to explain.

“Sister Andreina… do you believe ghosts exist?”

“Ghosts? Do you mean evil spirits?”

“Yes, including those.”

“Of course they exist.”

“Of course”? What do you mean, “of course”? I stared at Sister Andreina in shock, but she continued as if it were nothing.

“In the world I lived in, we often purified places like cemeteries or areas filled with dark energy by bestowing blessings to prevent evil spirits from appearing.”

“Did you do that kind of work too?”

“Yes, as a clergy member following the Lord’s will.”

Well, the reason I came to Sister Andreina in the first place was because clergy members are the first profession that comes to mind when dealing with ghosts. It made sense.

As I nodded internally, Sister Andreina furrowed her brow slightly and continued.

“By the way, you wouldn’t bring up ghosts out of nowhere… Did you come to the central district because of a ghost? To ask for my help?”

“Ah, yes. I thought you could definitely help me…”

“That’s impossible…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

As I flinched at her sudden denial, Sister Andreina tapped her teacup and explained.

“This village is protected by a blessing. A divine blessing from the Lord himself, ensuring absolute protection. So monsters can’t enter the village. The same goes for ghosts.”

“But… but…”

What I experienced was undoubtedly the work of a ghost. But Sister Andreina’s unwavering demeanor made my certainty waver. As I shrunk back and hesitated, Sister Andreina asked again.

“Mari, can you tell me exactly what happened?”

“Huh? Well, it’s—”

“If it’s truly related to a ghost, as you say, then it’s an extremely serious matter. It would mean that a monster has entered the village despite the Lord’s divine blessing—rendering the blessing useless. Not only would it endanger others, but it would also mean an incredibly powerful monster has appeared, one capable of nullifying the Lord’s blessing.”

Was it really that serious? Sweating profusely under Sister Andreina’s grave expression, I nervously glanced around.

It didn’t seem like I could just brush it off as a misunderstanding or a mistake. In the end, I slowly recounted what had happened the previous night.

The sudden knocking in the middle of the night. The lack of response when I asked who it was. And how the knocking stopped abruptly without any trace of the visitor.

As I spoke, Sister Andreina’s expression grew increasingly perplexed. By the time I finished, her face was completely blank.

Feeling like I wanted to bite my tongue, I hung my head low. After a moment of silence, Sister Andreina spoke carefully.

“…Mari, don’t take this the wrong way.”

“Yes… go ahead…”

“Couldn’t it have just been someone playing a prank?”

That wasn’t an unreasonable assumption. Objectively speaking, it was just three knocks in the middle of the night. Given that it was late at night and knowing how easily frightened I was, it wasn’t strange to think I might have misunderstood.

But I had something to say too. Struggling to lift my head, I argued.

“But… why me? Why in the middle of the night…?”

“Hmm… I can’t say for sure, but…”

“And ghosts like to scare people…! If you think about it that way—”

“Ah, that’s not the case. In your world, ghosts might be like that, but the Floating Island is based on the world I come from—the world created by the Lord. The ghosts I know wouldn’t bother with such elaborate tricks. They’d just pass through the door and attack you directly.”

“Huh?”

I stared at Sister Andreina in disbelief. While there were malevolent spirits in my world that attacked people, not all ghosts were like that.

But in Sister Andreina’s world, it seemed all ghosts were inherently hostile. The way she spoke so definitively made that clear.

I guess that’s why she often went to cemeteries to perform purification rituals. If a ghost appeared, it usually meant something dangerous.

As I slowly processed this, Sister Andreina sipped her tea and continued.

“And most importantly, the village is located on the 1st floor. Aside from rabbits, no monsters would wander near the village. I don’t know everything about the dungeon, but I can say with certainty that monsters don’t cross floors.”

“So… it was really just a prank?”

“Most likely.”

“But why me…? There are so many other people…”

The population of the Floating Island is around 300. While that might seem small, it’s not exactly a tiny number. Out of all those people, why would someone prank me? Even malice has its limits.

Or maybe I had unknowingly upset someone. As I slumped my shoulders and pondered, Sister Andreina spoke.

“Don’t think too hard about it. It was just a knock and run, right? I’ve been pranked like that a few times myself.”

“Though that was back in my world, not here. It was always children who played those pranks.”

As if reminiscing, Sister Andreina closed her eyes and smiled faintly before continuing.

“Those children did it to get my attention. Maybe the person who knocked on your door was trying to get your attention too.”

“…In the middle of the night?”

“Ah.”

Realizing her mistake, Sister Andreina quickly corrected herself.

“Or maybe it wasn’t a prank. Perhaps they thought you needed help and knocked on your door.”

“Help…?”

“Did anything unusual happen before the knocking?”

“Unusual? Well—”

I was about to say “no”, but my mouth clamped shut.

Now that I thought about it, there had been something. Something big enough to make me shout, yes.

As I broke into a cold sweat and fell silent, Sister Andreina looked at me curiously.

“Mari?”

“Ah, no. I did raise my voice at one point.”

It was when I was arguing with Doll 505. Of course, I didn’t mention that part, as I didn’t want to be seen as a pitiful child talking to a doll.

Hearing this, Sister Andreina clapped her hands as if she had found the answer.

“That might be it. Maybe someone passing by heard the sudden loud noise and thought you needed help.”

“But… why didn’t they answer when I asked who it was…?”

“I can’t say for sure, but it definitely wasn’t a ghost. It was probably someone kind trying to help, but it led to a misunderstanding.”

“Is that so…?”

If that were the case, it was somewhat reassuring. At least it meant there was no malice behind it.

As I fidgeted with my teacup, Sister Andreina chuckled and said,

“So, your sleep deprivation was because you thought the knocking was from a ghost?”

“Yes… It’s embarrassing, but I stayed awake in the bathroom until sunrise. Ghosts usually disappear in the morning, after all.”

“That’s very much like you, Mari.”

“Ahaha…”

I laughed awkwardly, having nothing else to say. Sister Andreina looked at me with a smile before adding,

“By the way, after Ulrika left, Yuika came to the cathedral with someone named Hanna, looking for you.”

“Huh? For me?”

“They seemed quite certain you’d be here. Does that ring any bells?”

“No, not really…”

I shook my head, completely clueless. Sister Andreina nodded and said,

“Well, they said they’d come back tomorrow morning, so we can hear the details then… Mari?”

“Yes?”

“You’re not tired now, are you?”

“Well… no?”

My sleep schedule had been completely flipped, so I was wide awake.

At my answer, Sister Andreina smiled and continued.

“Then we can talk for a long time, unlike last time.”

“But aren’t you tired…?”

“It’s fine. I can go days without sleep using divine energy.”

Going days without sleep? That’s amazing.

The conversation with Sister Andreina lasted a long time. Until the sun rose and I dozed off in her arms, nodding off.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Ghosts love to eat children.

But ghosts love to eat girlfailures even more!