The Girl Ghost "Sylvia. I'm Scared."
Sylvia glanced toward me from a distance, pretending not to care while keeping a watchful eye. Good. No matter how much of a protagonist and overpowered character Julia might be, she couldn't possibly stand against Silvia right now with her mana fully replenished. At least I didn't have to worry about getting my throat slit and dying on the spot.
My groin tingled and a chill ran down my spine—I wanted nothing more than to bolt. Still, I forced the most dignified expression I could muster and took one step forward.
"You are..."
"Greetings, Count Vermont. We met at the academy not long ago, and here we are again. Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Julia Brussels. It is an immense honor to be given the opportunity to serve under you, my lord."
"..."
She bowed. It was a little clumsy, but she was clearly trying to show proper respect. Julia, my ass. Had she been cross-dressing so much that she'd finally developed the delusion she was actually a girl? And this was the protagonist?
My head started spinning.
"A pleasure. I heard about you through Silvia's recommendation, but I didn't expect you to be this young. How old are you?"
"Thirteen this year. I'll do my best to learn so I don't hold the team back."
"..."
Julia slowly raised her head as she spoke. The moment our eyes met, I nearly shuddered. Hey, you little shit, tone down that killing intent. If I stayed here any longer, I was going to piss myself.
Just as I was about to turn away—
"Very well. Work hard."
"My lord!"
Julia called me back. What now?
"I heard a rumor that your future wives are living in the mansion."
"Who on earth told you that?"
"Pardon?"
"You actually believe that yellow journalism nonsense?"
Future wives? They couldn't become my fiancées without your permission. Those girls were only under my temporary protection. ...At least for now.
"M-my apologies. I meant your slaves. The ones who awakened talents in swordsmanship and necromancy..."
"What about them?"
"I would like to apply for the position of their bodyguard."
"..."
Was she already planning to run off with Charlotte and Julia? In the past, I might have gladly let them escape. But without Silvia as their mentor, and with the protagonist still unawakened, letting them flee on their own was no different from abandoning them to die.
'Even if I were to let them go, it can't be until they've gained the strength to protect themselves.'
Not until the protagonist proved he could protect both Charlotte and Julia. I wouldn't hand them over even if dirt got in my eyes. This was one thing I couldn't compromise on, even if Julia threatened my life.
"Since we're the same age, I thought I might be the most suitable. A bodyguard who's like a friend would provide emotional stability, and..."
"Unnecessary. Those children are being raised with love and affection."
"...!"
Julia's eyes widened at my answer. Ah, what now? I told her I was raising them with care—why was she making a fuss again? I was too scared to say anything.
"I refuse."
"Then how about becoming your bodyguard...!"
"You're underestimating the role of a bodyguard. Why should I entrust my safety to a greenhorn like you?"
"Eek..."
"You have no ability, no skill, no experience—where does all that confidence come from?"
"Then... does that mean if I develop ability, skill, and experience, it would be possible?"
"..."
"I'll master all of them to a high level. I've always wanted the honor of serving at your side!"
"...We'll talk about it when the time comes."
"I will become the top trainee in this training program without fail! Please watch me, my lord!!!"
Leaving behind that half-hearted reply and Julia's spirited shout, I returned to the carriage. If I kept meeting those eyes burning with passion and vengeance, my sphincter was going to give out.
'Agh, just study hard already...'
This was driving me insane. What if she actually became the top trainee, perfectly completed every mission afterward, and grew into a bodyguard worthy of being my close escort? Then I'd have no excuse left to refuse.
My head was starting to throb. Still, she was currently in a position where she had to balance academics and the training program. On top of that, she'd signed up for a ridiculous number of lectures, so her workload would be double everyone else's. If she focused on training, her grades would suffer and she'd fail to keep her promise to her sponsor.
'Please, just study hard. Don't do anything stupid.'
Anyway, if she started falling behind on assignments, she'd naturally shift her focus back to academics. There was no way she'd juggle a double major and bodyguard training while maintaining excellent grades in everything, right?
...Right? That was impossible.
"Now I really need some healing."
I was already exhausted. I quickly boarded the carriage and returned to the mansion. I didn't want to stay in Ariente Territory any longer, surrounded by muscle-brained idiots and terrifying brats.
"Kaaah! Massage rights! Let me use my massage rights! Where's Charlotte—!"
The moment I stepped out of the carriage, I came face to face with Julia, sitting primly in the garden flowerbed and staring at me like I was some kind of weirdo.
"Looking for Charlotte? ...Yo?"
"No. It's fine now. What were you doing here?"
Was she playing with flowers? I carefully stepped into the flowerbed, making sure not to crush any blooms. As I drew closer, a fragrant scent wafted over me. I couldn't tell if it was the flowers or Julia's natural scent.
"I was talking with a spirit. It's rare to find one with intelligence. ...Yo."
Low-ranking spirits had intelligence on the level of insects, so communication beyond simple expressions was impossible. They were more like expressive pet bugs. As Muddy demonstrated, the higher the rank, the greater the intelligence—and the higher the level of conversation.
The spirit in front of Julia was invisible to me, but it seemed to be mid-rank or higher.
"What does it look like?"
"It's a girl wearing a white robe. She's really cute! She looks about my age. ...Yo."
"...?"
Was that really a spirit? Normally, spirits didn't take human form. Unless a powerful high-ranking spirit was playing a prank by disguising itself as a human, this shouldn't be possible.
"Julia. Check the spirit's rank."
"Huh? Why the rank? ...Yo?"
"Just do it."
"Ugh... She doesn't like this. I'm sorry? This grumpy-looking human is just really picky..."
Julia concentrated mana at her fingertips and cast an investigative spell.
"It's low-rank. So why the rank? ...Yo?"
"Julia. Did that thing introduce itself as a spirit?"
"Yeah. It said it was a low-ranking spirit. ...Yo."
"Step back behind me. That's not a spirit."
"...!?"
I grabbed Julia's wrist and pulled her behind me. Her hair fluttered, releasing a pleasant scent.
'A dangerous type of vengeful spirit.'
It was low-rank, yet it had taken human form. That meant it wasn't a spirit—it was a vengeful ghost. The most suspicious part was that it had hidden its true nature and claimed to be a spirit. What could a vengeful spirit possibly want by lying to Julia and approaching her?
One thing was certain: it hadn't approached with good intentions.
"H-huh!? Its appearance suddenly distorted!"
"How?"
"Blood's pouring out of its face! Huaaah! Its voice is getting creepy too! Kyaaah! It's charging at us!!!"
Julia clung to me, tears welling in her eyes. She even wrapped her legs around my waist like a koala. A single Spirit Language command would have driven it away, but she seemed too panicked to use it.
I gently pulled Julia closer to keep her from slipping. She was soft. Then, inwardly, I chanted:
'Skill, Touch of Death.'
A cold aura spread outward, and the flowers around us instantly withered.
Was it gone? The only way to confirm was to check Julia's reaction.
"Julia. Did the girl disappear?"
"I don't know..."
"You have to look up to check."
"I don't know, I don't knooow. Huuugh..."
Julia kept hiccuping, burying her face in my chest as she sobbed. She must have been really frightened. After staying still for a while with nothing happening, it seemed the vengeful spirit had been completely destroyed.
Once her crying subsided, I decided it was time to put her down.
"Uuuugh!"
"..."
When I tried to pry her off my waist, Julia shook her head vigorously in resistance. I had no choice but to take drastic measures.
"Hgyak!?"
I poked her armpit, and she jumped. Seizing the moment, I pulled her off my waist and set her on the ground.
"Your face is a mess. Go wash up."
"..."
Julia hesitated, taking a step away before stopping again.
"I-I'm scared..."
"Don't worry and go. I already took care of it."
"There might be more... I'm scared..."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"...Come with me."
Her face flushed slightly with embarrassment as she muttered in a voice barely above a whisper, then grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along.
