Chapter 34 : I’m sleeping in the middle

Hmm, it was something that happened when I was young.

It wasn’t a big deal, I just got lost in a haunted house.

It might be different for a grown adult, but back then I was only 5 years old.

It was more than enough to become trauma.

Think about the ghost lady jumping out of the wardrobe to soothe a crying child.

It’s embarrassing, but I think I probably fainted back then.

[Treah, calm down!]

Teperi seemed quite flustered seeing me suddenly act like a child.

Well, if I saw myself from a third person’s perspective, I wouldn’t know what to do either.

Several floating ragtag figures drifted around us, making strange noises.

Showing only their pale hands and napes, they overlapped each other, puffing up their size as if showing off their bulk.

I think I roughly know what those are.

Screameaters.

They are undead-type monsters that feed on the negative emotions of living beings.

In their normal state, they neither attack nor can be attacked, but when they consume negative emotions like fear or despair, they grow larger

and stronger.

As the consumed emotions accumulate one by one, once they exceed a certain size, they finally gain a physical body and become powerful

monsters.

They were monsters with great potential, to the extent that there were countries destroyed by a single Screameater in the distant past.

‘Damn it!’

The book I read had such unfriendly explanations.

A monster that touches others and feeds on trauma?

I thought it was a sentimental description fit for a poetry collection.

Due to the inherent characteristic of the undead being weak to divine power, it was something I never paid attention to in the Academy,

which was full of priests…!

[Watch out!]

The largest among them instantly rushed towards Amiter.

Ah, the one who screamed was me.

She didn’t even let out a battle cry.

It happened in the blink of an eye, but true to her superhuman athletic ability, she dodged the charge by doing a backward somersault in the

air.

[Are you okay?]

Teperi, surprised, hurriedly approached her.

Amiter glanced over her body and replied.

“It seems like it grazed me a little, but there’s nothing particularly wrong.”

She couldn’t completely avoid it and was grazed slightly on her side, but perhaps because it hadn’t formed a physical body capable of exerting

physical force yet, there were no visible external injuries.

Teperi fussed over her, asking if she was hurt, but Amiter just said she felt slightly uncomfortable.

Was it because the attack didn’t work?

They stopped attacking and were now bickering among themselves.

“Quickly, let’s get out of here.”

I don’t want to be with things like that for even a second longer.

Perhaps sensing a bad premonition, Amiter also got up.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Hey, what are you doing!”

We could just leave, but she lifted me onto her back, preparing to run.

“Look at the state of your own legs before talking. You don’t look like you can even walk like that.”

What’s wrong with me?

I briefly looked down at my feet, and my legs were trembling uncontrollably as if all strength had drained out.

It seems the sudden tension was the reason.

“…Alright. Let’s go. Preferably quickly.”

Normally, I would have freaked out asking why I had to be carried by her and insisted on walking, but now I obediently got on her back

without complaint.

It’s a relief that I wasn’t slung over like a sack of rice.

[What is that?]

While we were briefly arguing, Teperi was looking at the spot where the Screameaters had gathered.

Clumped together like a round ball of yarn, they were gradually taking the shape of a person.

From within, an unpleasant sound, like a crackling broken radio, flowed out.

“What sound is that?”

The sparsely broken voice belonged to a young boy, unfitting for its grotesque appearance.

However, the difference from a human was that it was a hoarse voice on the verge of suffocation, like the scream of a drowning person.

“Let’s go, I have a bad feeling.”

For some reason, we seem to back off more often than our strength would suggest.

I nudged Amiter’s thigh with my foot, but she was strangely hesitant.

“What did it just say…”

“It’s just the sound a monster makes. Ignore it.”

Just as the hesitating Amiter was about to take a step, the mass, which had now taken a form closer to a human, spoke again.

Amiter’s steps finally stopped.

Teperi tried pulling her wrist from the front, but her body didn’t budge.

“…Henry?”

She staggered, clutching her forehead with her hand as if her head hurt.

Thanks to that, I also fell to the ground, landing on my butt.

The monster beckoned.

—That’s right. This way, come quickly.

“Yes…”

“Caught you, you f*cking bastard.”

Thwack!

The thing, which had almost formed a complete human shape, was crushed by my magic.

Gaining a physical body means it’s no longer just a spiritual entity.

It’s true they become stronger after gaining a physical form, but even so, it’s just a slightly stronger monster.

If anything, the spiritual form, with limited ways to attack it, is more troublesome.

Teperi scurried over to Amiter, who was breathing heavily.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Her body was soaked just like mine had been earlier.

This girl rarely broke a sweat.

“…For now.”

Fortunately, there were no visible wounds.

I pushed her towards Teperi and approached the spot where the Screameater had died.

The thing that had taken a human form had become a pile of finely minced meat due to me.

Unfortunately, its appearance made it unappetizing to consider grilling.

The corpse of the Screameater, which reeked of decay, slowly turned into powder and scattered, just like other undead monsters do.

Its appearance and smell are disgusting, resembling the ashes left after performing a ritual.

“Someone you know?”

The human form the Screameater had taken was closer to a beastman than a human.

The corpse, now leaving no trace, dissipated into the air as mana.

“…Someone I knew well.”

Amiter didn’t speak again for a while after those words.

Wind blew from somewhere, scattering the dust.

Until we found a new campsite, the mood of the group was down.

Not just me, who had shown an embarrassing side, but Amiter also had her tail and ears drooping low.

Honestly, her tail swaying limply side to side was cute.

At least the meal was delicious, so the atmosphere revived a little.

I offered to prepare it, but the two of them teamed up to stop me, so I had no choice but to squat in a corner.

It being delicious makes me even more annoyed.

Fortunately, there was no need for a night watch today.

Because I saw that f*cking scary group of ghosts during the day, I made a fuss and spread barriers all around.

It was an excessive investment for a place we’d leave after sleeping one night.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with being safe.

However, there was one problem.

[Treah, what are you doing outside?]

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just checking if they’re working properly.”

I was circling the campsite several times, looking around.

Of course, checking the barrier was an excuse.

I had already done it dozens, hundreds of times.

“Ah, really…”

I just couldn’t muster the courage to go to the bathroom.

It had already gotten dark outside, and the area around the campsite was so dark you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

As a Duke’s daughter, I have my pride; I couldn’t possibly say I was scared to go to the bathroom alone in the middle of the night and ask

someone to come with me.

What kind of humiliation is this?

“Fuuuuuck…”

My pacing continued until my toes involuntarily curled.

[You’re back?]

“…Yeah.”

When I returned, everything was ready for sleep.

Amiter, who had suffered for two consecutive days, seemed tired and had already closed her eyes.

Teperi was lying face down, waiting for me.

Is this the first time the three of us are sleeping together?

It was strange that, time-wise, it hadn’t even been that long.

“I’m sleeping in the middle.”

This was a sort of declaration.

Because I was still scared.

I’m a coward, so I sleep squeezed between women.

I forcefully burrowed between the two who were already lying down and buried myself in the sleeping bag.

[Ah.]

…Now that I did it, it feels a bit embarrassing.

Perhaps because the two were pressed tightly against me, it felt incredibly warm.

Unlike yesterday, even though we were on high ground exposed on all sides, it was much warmer.

[Y-You’re too close…]

Teperi fidgeted inside the sleeping bag.

Come to think of it, I’m angry now?

My anger towards Teperi got buried because of the suddenly appearing ghosts.

You need to be taught a lesson.

Feeling spiteful for no reason, I squeezed her tightly with my arm.

It was half-playful, so she didn’t seem to be in pain.

During this, my movements became increasingly rough, leading to awkward situations where my leg went between her thighs .

As our skin touched, Teperi’s face turned red.

“Ah.”

Feeling somewhat awkward, I cleared my throat and quietly returned my body to its original position.

An awkward tension flowed between us.

In the strange silence, Teperi spoke up to change the mood.

[T-Treah, don’t you wear skirts? I think you’d look pretty in a skirt too, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear one!]

Ah, the academy uniform did include skirts.

Well, putting aside casual wear, maybe it looks strange to always wear pants even with the uniform?

I waved my hand as if it was nothing and told her.

“Ah, well, it’s nothing really. If you wear a skirt, you might accidentally… show… your underwear, you know.”

…It definitely wasn’t a big deal, but I think the atmosphere became even more awkward.

Teperi was emitting strange emotions like crazy.

What is this feeling? My body feels all tingly.

[I-I need to go to the bathroom for a sec!]

With a reddened face, she scrambled out of the sleeping bag and dashed outside.

I blinked, looking clueless.

Before she came back, I forcefully pulled out the sleeping Amiter’s arm, used it as a pillow, and fell asleep.