Chapter 121: The Ghost Story... That Was (3)
Chapter 121: The Ghost Story... That Was (3)
As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I dove straight onto the bed.
I lay face down on the plush mattress, letting out zombie-like groans for a moment, even though I wasn't particularly tired.
Elisha let out a sigh and gently poked my cheek with her index finger.
Poke, poke.
"Yandel? I’m grateful for the mana shower thanks to you, but don't you still have something to tell us?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. Carla? You come over here too."
"Ah! Yes, Master! Just a moment!"
Carla, who had been neatly organizing the luggage I’d tossed aside into a corner, scurried over and sat down beside me.
Her hips were perched on the edge of the bed, but her upper body was twisted toward me, her eyes fixed on my face.
I watched her for a moment before shifting my gaze toward Elisha.
"Elisha? Aren't you going to help organize? Are you just pushing it all onto Carla? That’s a bit... don't you think that's mean?"
"Eh? Wh-what?! No, it’s not! It’s Carla’s turn this week, so I was just watching! Besides, we both know basic lifestyle magic, so there’s no need for two people to focus on menial chores anyway!"
I’d only said it half-jokingly, but Elisha jumped to deny it.
Then, she pointed a finger sharply at Carla and continued.
"Besides, you could have easily organized everything with telekinesis magic just now, but you chose to do it by hand, Carla!"
"Ah! You caught me? Hehe..."
"Why on earth would you do that?!"
"Well, because Master likes seeing me work hard for him. I could use magic, but if I do it myself, he always gives me a big hug afterward and tells me I did a good job!"
"...Wait, really?"
Elisha’s aggressive, cat-like momentum instantly deflated.
While pretending not to care, she stole a glance at me, clearly intrigued by the idea.
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight.
I flipped over from my stomach to lie flat on my back, then patted the spots on either side of me.
"Just lie down for now."
"Okay!"
"Ahem. Well, if you insist."
Carla immediately snuggled into one side of my chest, while Elisha cleared her throat awkwardly a couple of times before finally lying down.
As I pulled them both close by their shoulders, I felt two distinct sensations against my sides.
Though there were slight differences, both were soft and squishy, which felt great.
"I’ll be doing this often from now on, so you don't need to go out of your way to suffer, Carla."
"Gasp! Then does that mean there won't be any more surprise events, like you sneaking up behind me while I'm cleaning?"
"...Well, if you like it, I don't necessarily have to stop."
"Then I'll keep doing it occasionally, Master!"
Carla laughed brightly and rubbed her nose against my neck.
Is it just my imagination, or have I been the one getting 'eaten' by Carla lately?
With a strange feeling, I lowered the hand that was wrapped around her shoulder and began idly kneading Carla’s breast as I continued.
"Elisha, you don't need to overthink how to get me to dote on you either. Just be honest and ask me to hold you."
"Th-that! That’s a bit embarrassing, isn't it? For a woman to ask to be held... it seems so unladylike."
"Ah."
Unlike Carla, who had received slave education, Elisha still possessed the sensibilities of a normal girl.
The social norms of this era were certainly a bit old-fashioned. Elves, in particular, were an exceptionally conservative race. However...
"What does that matter? Did you forget? You're my slave, Elisha."
"That's right, that's right! The only person you need to look good for is Master, Elisha!"
"Ugh...!"
Elisha looked frustrated for a moment at Carla’s giggling commentary.
Soon, however, her face flushed deep red, and she answered by pulling my hand toward her own chest.
Squish.
Holding them both like this while playing with their breasts, a sense of pure happiness welled up inside me.
If Fay had been here too, I might have actually died of happiness right then and there.
As I was grinning to myself, Elisha poked my cheek again and asked.
"We got sidetracked, but hurry up and tell us why the last ghost story is a book."
"Oh, right. I completely forgot."
It’s all because of these wicked breasts tempting me. Anyway, it’s definitely not my fault!
I slipped my hand inside her clothes and slowly organized my thoughts.
"Let's see. How should I explain this... First of all, the last ghost story isn't one you shouldn't know, it's one you shouldn't spread. That's why I'm only telling you now."
"Aha? It sounds similar, but it's a bit different. But is it really life-threatening to spread it? If it's a curse that powerful, the other ghost stories we met should have been quite strong too."
I shook my head at Carla’s tilted head.
"You're right. You won't die. However..."
"However?"
"We would become part of the ghost story and get trapped in the Inner World. We probably wouldn't be able to get out until the professors' next stabilization cycle."
"If we're trapped without any preparation... I suppose we would starve to death."
"Oh, we wouldn't die. I always keep several years' worth of food stocked in my subspace. But there's no reason to waste time like that. It wouldn't just be a day or two."
For reference, the maintenance of the magic cast on the Academy is performed every three months.
If we were unlucky, it meant we could be stuck for three months.
At least, that’s how it was in the game.
I didn't have the courage to test if reality was the same, but it likely wouldn't be much different.
"Anyway, that's why I couldn't say anything. Now, about the identity of the last ghost story... Why do you think stagnant mana dregs take on the guise of a ghost story in the first place?"
"Isn't it because of the first observer? You said it was originally just a formless mass of power, right?"
"Exactly. It's like residual mana accumulated in the gaps of spatial distortion magic."
"A senior named Adams Gilbert... no, Gilbert Adams, who accidentally entered the gap space, subconsciously thought of the 13th Step ghost story, and that created the framework for the ghost story, right?"
Mana is something that moves and changes according to will.
Mana that hasn't been influenced by anyone is bound to be heavily affected by the first observer.
Therefore, if there is only one observer, the mana will be heavily distorted according to that person's perception, even if it isn't their own mana.
It didn't appear in the game, but I remembered it clearly from the Academy lectures.
Elisha likely answered without hesitation for the same reason.
"Actually, that's not it. We were the first ones to ever go in there."
"...What?"
"You both experienced it yourselves, so you know. It's a bit bizarre, but there are no strong enemies. As long as you're not from the Production Department, anyone could probably break through it with a bit of effort, right?"
Elisha looked as bewildered as a European zoologist seeing a taxidermied platypus for the first time.
"Then what was that book you found in the corner of the bookshelf, Yandel? Who could have written such a thing?"
"Actually, at first, I was certain it was written by that senior named Gilbert Adams, just like the signature said."
It wasn't just me. Many early players, including the one who first discovered the hidden piece, thought so.
But a fact was revealed much later.
"But did you know? In all the records of this Academy, there has never been a person named Gilbert Adams."
"...What?"
Current students, graduates, staff, even outside merchants.
The Academy has been running for 300 years, and because it operates under strict planning with the eyes of the entire continent upon it, all sorts of records are perfectly preserved.
Later, when I entered the records room for another quest, many people were puzzled to see such an unnecessarily detailed directory implemented...
Someone eventually read through it all and discovered that the name Gilbert Adams was nowhere to be found.
Of course, I couldn't explain that in detail, but currently, I was being mistaken for the last descendant of a mysterious secret society.
They probably assumed that an organization dedicated to exterminating cultists would naturally have informants planted within the Academy.
Instead of being suspicious, Carla and Elisha were simply shocked.
"Then who on earth wrote that book, Master?!"
"You said the book itself was the last ghost story, right? Then could it be...?"
I chuckled and nodded at the two stunned girls.
"Exactly. Anyone interested in ghost stories would vaguely know."
The old man who suddenly hands over a suspicious talisman, the friend who tells an interesting rumor, the eerie but eye-catching curio.
In ghost stories, there is always an entity that heralds the existence of the ghost and its grim conclusion.
"An entity that piques the victim's curiosity and eventually drags them into the story. That is the book On Strange Phenomena Indescribable by Magic, and it is the true identity of the last ghost story."
"Th-then why was the lost mana taking the form of ghost stories?!"
"Who knows. Maybe the will of something non-human intervened? ...For example, the actual ghosts from the stories."
"......"
"......"
The two were speechless.
Well, I was pretty stunned myself when I first heard that.
I was convinced the library's hidden piece was just some meta-commentary mocking fantasy world ghost stories.
To think it was actually a bone-chillingly real ghost story all along.
Enjoying the sensation of Carla and Elisha shivering and snuggling deeper into my arms, I pulled out the alarm I had set aside.
Ding!