chapter_0533

533 – The Ghost Doll

533 – The Ghost Doll

Those working in the Dawn Guild’s office inevitably came across various news about adventurers, whether they wanted to or not.

From the accidents adventurers caused to the items they acquired.

Even trivial family news, including marriages.

The office was a place where one could hear all sorts of stories.

Sophia, being part of the office, was no exception and was exposed to a variety of news.

Most of the matters that had no direct connection to her were brushed off by Sophia, but this time was different.

“Yesterday, Mr. Sangrok brought back a doll from the dungeon, and they say it’s a haunted doll?”

“A haunted…?”

“Yeah. They say the doll moves on its own? And that its hair grows? It’s currently in the guild’s hazardous materials storage; do you want to go see it?”

“Ugh… no way…”

A moving doll.

In a world where spirits existed, this was not a story to be taken lightly.

Should she go and help with the exorcism?

As Sophia listened to the office staff’s conversation, she suddenly thought of the children.

‘The children were particularly good at dealing with evil spirits…’

Perhaps the children’s innocence suppressed the spirits’ malice.

This time, she would have to confirm it properly.

At the end of her workday, Sophia headed to the guild’s hazardous materials storage.

**

At home, the children waited for Sophia while watching television.

Sophia returned just as the highlight scene of the animation was about to play.

“Wow!”

“Ugh!”

Even though it was the most important scene of the animation, the children chose to run towards Sophia.

They knew that family was the most important thing.

“Sophia, you’re back?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But what’s with the doll?”

A cotton doll resembling a girl.

Levinas approached Sophia, shaking his shoulders excitedly.

“Is this a gift from Levinas?! A pretty doll gift?!”

Just as Levinas reached out both hands towards the doll, Sophia wore a serious expression.

“This is… a haunted doll!”

“……!”

Levinas turned halfway around and, shaking his shoulders, returned to hide behind me.

“Sophia, why do you have such a dangerous doll…?”

“I thought it might be good practice for exorcism.”

“Oh, I see.”

So there was such a meaningful purpose.

Since exorcism was also part of an adventurer’s duties, it was worth a try.

“What will you do?”

“Yes.”

I received the haunted doll from Sophia.

It looked like an ordinary doll with no apparent issues.

“But how do we exorcise it?”

“How about sprinkling salt on it?”

At Saebyeok’s suggestion, my ears perked up.

Salt has been described as having purifying powers since ancient times.

For now, we decided to start with salt.

“Juin Gaeulrik.”

“Should Gaeul try it?”

“Ugh!”

Gaeul picked up the haunted doll and twirled around as she moved to the kitchen.

We followed Gaeul but soon got distracted by the animation.

“Juin! Juin!”

As the animation was nearing its end, a scream from Gaeul echoed from the kitchen.

Oh right, the haunted doll.

We hurriedly ran towards the kitchen.

What we saw was the evil spirit doll trapped inside a salt container.

“Oh…”

Did she put the doll in a pot and dump a whole container of salt on it?

The haunted doll, soaked in salt, looked somewhat pitiful.

“Gaeul is trying to make a salted haunted doll!”

Hehe.

Bomi laughed playfully.

Gaeul quickly shook her head.

“No! This is Ee-keh! Ee-keh!”

Pointing at the haunted doll, Gaeul shot us a sidelong glance.

It seemed to mean that the haunted doll was looking at her sideways.

“Gaeul, did the doll look at you like that?”

“Ugh…!”

Gaeul nodded and stared intently at the haunted doll for a long time.

However, unfortunately, the haunted doll did not move.

“…Move! Move!”

Was Gaeul frustrated that the haunted doll wasn’t moving?

She pointed her finger at the haunted doll, urging it to move.

“Gaeul, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

“Woof…! Woof…!”

Gaeul pounded her chest in frustration.

Her scrunched-up face proved it.

“Levinas, I think the spirit is trying to trick us.”

“Whoa! Is that so?!”

“Yeah. Let’s be careful, just in case.”

So it was a creature that only showed movement when alone.

It might be quite dangerous.

Perhaps sensing the danger, Gaeul grabbed its legs and started spinning it around.

“Move!”

Round and round-!

The haunted doll spun like a centrifuge.

Thanks to that, the salt fragments stuck to the doll flew everywhere, which Haneul cleaned up.

“Move! Move!”

Perhaps bothered by Gaeul’s continuous shouts, Sophia entered the kitchen.

Sophia looked at the spinning haunted doll and spoke.

“Be careful. It seems that it has a curse that returns the damage it receives.”

“……!”

Gaeul’s arm, which was outstretched, froze in place.

The children and I, even Haneul who was cleaning, were startled and looked at the doll.

“Sophia, what is the standard for the doll to return damage…?”

“The standard?”

“Yes. I thought maybe we could attack from a distance where the spirit’s power doesn’t reach…?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Sophia’s mana swept over the doll.

Nodding, Sophia pretended to cover her eyes with her hand.

“This creature can only curse those who are visible to it.”

“So, if we attack with our eyes covered…?”

“That would work, but its eyes are all over its body.”

“Oh… then…!”

Haneul’s tail perked up.

They had clearly found a way to deal with the spirit.

**

The children went to the park and tightly bound the haunted doll with a rope.

They placed the immobilized doll inside a paper box with all sides sealed.

“Isn’t this how we deal with it…?”

They would block the haunted doll’s line of sight and tear it apart without leaving a trace.

It was Haneul’s groundbreaking exorcism method.

‘As expected of Haneul.’

Could it be because she was the strongest among the feline family, a tiger?

She knew exactly how to handle the opponent.

Gyeoul felt an inexplicable sense of awe towards Haneul.

“Just in case, I’ll do the attacking.”

Saebyeok brought a rock that was about her size.

Perhaps delighted at the thought of physically exorcising the spirit, Saebyeok’s tail was wagging rapidly.

“Are you going to do it?”

“Yes!”

The children’s eyes were fixed on Saebyeok.

It was the moment when Saebyeok, without hesitation, brought the rock down.

Swish-!

The box containing the haunted doll moved a step to the side.

“Whoa!”

“It moved!”

Levinas hid behind me, and Bomi clapped joyfully.

And Gaeul…

Gaeul was staring down at the box with raised eyebrows.

“Move!”

Gaeul jumped on top of the box.

Just as she was about to stomp on it with her weight.

Swish-!

The box moved aside again, dodging Gaeul’s attack.

“Whoa?!”

To dodge both Saebyeok’s and Gaeul’s attacks.

At that moment, the children felt that this was going to be a tough fight.

Swish, swish, swish-!

The box began to flee at high speed.

“Stop right there!”

Leading the charge, Bomi and the children chased after the box.

Saebyeok ran after it with the huge rock, while Gyeoul held onto an arrow and sprinted.

“This creature.”

Gyeoul nocked an arrow onto her bow and shot straight at the box.

As the fire arrow hit the box, the entire box began to ignite.

“Oh! Did Gyeoul catch it?!”

“Did you catch it?!”

People gathered around the flames rising from the park.

Among them was a little girl holding a doll.

Swoosh-

A sinister energy spread to the chick doll the girl was holding.

With her keen senses, Gyeoul realized that the evil spirit was switching to the doll.

“The chick doll! The evil spirit is clinging to the chick doll!”

“Get it!”

Gaeul ran towards the chick doll with her Wooden Caliber.

Then the chick doll jumped from the girl’s arms and began to run around the park on its tiny feet.

“Oh! My doll!”

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter-

Gyeoul thought the fleeing doll looked somewhat terrified.

Oh no.

Surely, the spirit wouldn’t be scared.

Shaking her head, Gyeoul noticed Gaeul bringing down her Wooden Caliber on the haunted doll.

Smack-!

With a light sound, the chick doll fell over.

At that point, Gyeoul realized that Gaeul’s Wooden Caliber had a sacred aura.

“Is it dead?”

“Ugh…”

It ended up being less dramatic than expected.

Just in case, Gyeoul decided to take the chick doll with her.

Of course, since it was the girl’s doll, she decided to exchange it for Levinas’s Horned Rabbit doll.

“Levinas, is it okay if I take the Horned Rabbit doll?”

“Yeah. If you like the Horned Rabbit doll, that’s even better!”

“I see.”

While Gyeoul and the children were chatting, Gaeul entered the bedroom holding the chick doll.

Gaeul placed the chick doll on the bed and pointed at it with her Wooden Caliber.

Then she pointed at the ant doll beside it.

“Ee-keh.”

-……

Glance.

The chick doll looked up at Gaeul.

She wanted to see the ant doll come to life.

Gaeul’s desire suppressed the Wooden Caliber’s power.

-……

The doll, glancing at Gaeul, turned to look at the ant doll beside it.

Then Gaeul began to swing the Wooden Caliber wildly.

“Ggaemmi! Ggaemmi ggaemmi!”

-……

The chick doll’s shoulders drooped.

It seemed to be moving in a resigned manner.

Swoosh-

The evil spirit that had come out of the chick doll entered the ant doll, just as Gyeoul entered the room.

“Gaeul. Is there no evil spirit in the chick doll?”

“Ugh…”

Gaeul nodded at Gyeoul.

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

There was no longer an evil spirit in the chick doll.

“Ggaemmi.”

Only the moving ant doll and Gaeul’s rapidly wagging tail remained.

A word from the author (Author’s note)

Thank you so much for reading today, PIA1747014585384!

Thank you for the comments and recommendations! They always give me strength!

I’m really sorry for the delay…!

Instead, I hope to bring you a moving Ggaemmi doll…!

───

Thank you for the 50 coins, Rosen Beetle!