Ch.272EP.61 – The Knight Fear People More Than Ghosts 2(2)

Ghost-type magical beasts.

To put it more simply, ghost magical beasts that had materialized enough to be visible to the human eye were already well-known in academic circles.

Well, even if they were known, they weren’t exactly a common type to encounter.

Ghosts alone were hard to believe, but materialized ghosts…

Doesn’t that immediately give you the sense of how rare they are?

However, encountering ghost-type magical beasts, despite their rarity, was by no means fortunate.

After all, they were ghosts—vengeful spirits.

The fact that ghosts, beings that shouldn’t be visible to human eyes, could be seen was itself evidence that they harbored powerful grudges or hatred. Naturally, magical beasts formed from such concentrated resentment possessed formidable power.

Additionally, true to their ghostly nature, physical attacks didn’t affect them, making them known as magical beasts that couldn’t be handled without holy power or magic. Meeting a ghost, or rather a [Wraith], was proof of extraordinarily bad luck—like being struck by lightning.

Knights’ symbols—swords, spears, bows, and shields—were all useless against them.

…And yet.

THWACK!

[!!?!!]

“How dare you stare at me like that. Squatters illegally occupying buildings.”

[Guh… guh… gack…]

SMACK!

“Speak clearly if you have something to say, you things!”

[!?]

How was that even possible?

Simon expressed his bewilderment as he watched the knight pummeling a dangerous-grade Wraith with just left jabs.

What was going on?

‘Can those things actually be hit?’

Simon tentatively reached out to touch the Wraith that was trembling after being struck by the knight.

Wondering if he could touch it.

Swoosh-

“…It doesn’t work?”

His hand passed through like touching steam, and Simon realized that the common knowledge from academia wasn’t wrong after all.

So that meant simply…

‘Could that guy actually be a monk?’

Holy warriors, also known as Guardians of Light.

It was said that among these guardians, some concealed their true identities while training—perhaps that man was such a monk?

‘Hmm, that’s… possible!’

As Simon nodded vigorously, satisfied with his reasonable deduction, Ihan, sensing his gaze:

“I can guess what you’re thinking… but that’s not it.”

He decided to clear up the misunderstanding first.

* * *

Ihan hadn’t used any special means to hit the Wraith.

Simply put:

‘I’m just hitting where it can be hit.’

While Wraiths were often described as invincible magical beasts, that was a misconception.

If any knight believed such tales, they were either inexperienced rookies or third-rate fools.

‘Well, I can understand the confusion since physical attacks don’t work.’

But the thing is:

‘If you face one directly, you’d know it’s not really a ghost.’

This floating entity was just another type of magical beast, one that had materialized enough to be clearly visible to ordinary people—that’s what a Wraith was.

What did materialization mean?

It meant it could exert physical force on the world, and conversely, humans could exert physical force on it.

The issue was:

‘It’s just tricky to time the physical attack correctly.’

Whoosh!

Another Wraith flew at him, suddenly intensifying its aura.

It was trying to avenge its comrades who had been struck by Ihan, and its presence became distinctly clearer.

“Begging to be hit, aren’t you.”

Whump!

Ihan threw his punch precisely the moment before the creature attacked him.

A counter. Ihan’s fist struck the Wraith’s forehead, moving a beat faster than the Wraith’s attack timing.

THWACK!

[!!!]

With a sound like a watermelon splitting, the Wraith went down.

It must have been hit so squarely that it lost consciousness immediately.

“See? Easy to defeat, right? It tried to exert physical force on me but got a physical education lesson instead. This is how you subdue them from now on.”

“…”

“What?”

“How is that easy in any way?”

“Huh?”

“…This is maddening.”

Simon felt his blood pressure rising.

* * *

The Wraiths that had suddenly appeared inside the building were pathetically subdued.

There had been exactly thirty-six Wraiths, but all of them proved the equality of beings before physical education by being knocked out.

“Killing them…”

“You want to kill something that’s already dead? That’s an evil thought even a demon would hesitate to have.”

“…That’s not what I meant…”

“I’m joking.”

“…”

Ironically, while it was possible to knock out or subdue Wraiths, eliminating them was another matter entirely.

In the Southern Continent, some people even regarded Wraiths as a type of deceased ancestor.

Despite the infinitesimally small possibility of that being true.

But isn’t that how the human heart works?

The longing that ancestors are watching over us even after death is universal.

So, at least in the Southern Continent, the culture was not to eliminate Wraiths but to perform [spirit pacification].

‘Of course, if they were [evil spirits] harming people, that would be different.’

Even so, eliminating ghost-type magical beasts like Wraiths required complicated procedures.

At minimum, help from a temple, or alternatively a shaman. The least reliable option would be an alchemist.

…However.

‘I wonder if it would work with mental energy?’

Ihan had a feeling—no, almost a certainty—that if he infused his fists with mental energy, these creatures would pop like balloons.

Since they’d be more troublesome once they woke up, he was considering trying it when…

“Santa, what are you doing?”

“Young lady?”

The child who had once worn rags and barely any clothes was now dressed in a frilly dress befitting her age and status, smiling brightly.

It was Louise, looking slightly sweaty as if she had been out for a walk with the maids. The maids who had been chasing after the girl turned pale upon seeing Ihan.

“S-Santa sir…”

“We’re s-sorry. We were playing tag with the young lady when…”

“We’ve committed a terrible sin!”

“…”

The maids trembled as if they’d seen the grim reaper, making Ihan feel awkward.

That day, he had done some serious “clay molding” with people to establish discipline in the mansion, and those who witnessed it seemed to have developed significant PTSD.

‘Was I too harsh?’

Ihan didn’t regret his actions that day, but he felt slightly apologetic for perhaps being excessive in establishing discipline.

Meanwhile:

“Wow, this feels strange. Like a blanket made of ice. Hmm? But why is it soft?”

“Young lady?”

“Yes?”

“How are you touching that?”

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Hehe, that’s a relief.”

“…Still, please stop touching it, it’s dangerous.”

“Okay!”

Indeed, our youngest Margrave.

A good child who listens better than most adults, more precious than gold.

Ihan patted her back approvingly, and Louise smiled brightly.

“…”

“Santa?”

“…Hmm.”

“?”

But Ihan’s expression was complicated.

And he wasn’t the only one confused.

“I can’t touch it?”

Seeing Simon trying futilely again, Ihan let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the smiling child before him.

…A child who supposedly had no abilities was touching a ghost?

“I wouldn’t believe that even if a passing dog told me.”

*

*

*

…Today had been unusually hectic.

Several incidents had already occurred in succession.

“What day is it today?”

“I was wondering the same. As if we weren’t busy enough already, what’s with all this commotion…”

The Wraiths discovered in broad daylight hadn’t appeared only at the lord’s castle.

They had appeared throughout the territory, literally at all times and places in succession.

It was a bewildering situation that required sweating bullets to resolve.

The fortunate aspect was that the Wraiths didn’t harm civilians.

Only:

“They attack outsiders, it seems.”

Several guild association members suffered minor fractures or strained ligaments. While there were no serious injuries, the problem was the disruption to work.

Simon didn’t get excited about this situation and after some thought:

“…It’s just speculation, but perhaps these Wraiths were tamed by Modred’s mystery to attack outsiders…”

“By that logic, shouldn’t they have attacked me the moment I appeared?”

“That’s…”

Though he offered a hypothesis, it lacked credibility and was dismissed. Simon frowned with a complicated expression.

He too found the current situation frustrating.

The guild had wanted to proceed quickly with their work, but the sudden appearance of Wraiths and the resulting disruptions were unpleasant and frustrating in many ways.

“They say haste makes waste. You, or rather, as the head of an organization, you should maintain composure. You shouldn’t show such an expression to the people who follow you.”

“…”

“Well, you probably know that without me telling you.”

“…Thank you, that’s eye-opening.”

It was Ihan’s respectful and weighty advice reminding Simon of his position, and Simon felt a tremor in his chest as he bowed his head with equal respect.

If they were merely using each other in a cold relationship, such advice wouldn’t have been given.

The fact that he offered such advice was proof that he believed in Simon’s abilities.

Simon decided to regain his composure.

“For now, we should investigate by questioning the local residents. They might know something.”

“How can I help?”

“…Please arrange for me to meet the servants who worked at the castle, especially the head maid. The longer they’ve worked, the more they’re likely to know.”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t worry. Though incomparable to Santa Rihan, the guild has many ‘technicians’ too.”

“Good, since I offered to help, I should do it properly.”

“I won’t disappoint you.”

“Hey, business partners shouldn’t talk like that.”

“…If I were a woman, I would have fallen for that line.”

“Good grief…”

Ihan genuinely shuddered, saying it gave him goosebumps, while Simon bowed his head again and quickly left to find his tasks.

Some might see him as frail, but his confident stride somehow inspired trust.

“…Yes, that’s how a guild master should be.”

Ihan felt inwardly proud, thinking he finally looked the part, but he quickly erased the smile from his face and became serious.

Because:

“Did you find it?”

“Yes, we found it.”

“…It was difficult.”

They had finally obtained an important ‘clue’.

“I’m sorry for making you work so hard. I’ll reward you with whatever you want later.”

“Then wine!”

“It looked delicious!”

“Tsk! You’re not even old enough to drink and yet…!”

“…Such a boomer.”

“That’s mean…”

The twins made sad faces, and Ihan clicked his tongue.

Kids these days…