Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 24
>Chapter Title: The Forgotten Protagonist
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I could feel my entire body getting drenched.
The ghost’s expression shifted into something indescribable. At my urging, the ghost, looking bewildered, slowly began to recount her name and story. And before long, the kitchen was filled with the sound of the ghost’s—no, Juliana’s—sobs.
[Waaaaah, I… hic, I loved him so much…!]
“What a terrible guy.”
[Hic, and he even said… he’d marry me!]
A ghost's classic move: once the anger fades, the venting begins. Give them an audience, and they'll pour their hearts out. After they get it all out of their system, they tend to calm down.
[Waaaaaaah…!]
“Here, here. Eat this and calm down.”
[Sniff, sniff….]
I popped a cookie into her mouth—one I’d finally managed to get after opening and closing the drawer several times while she vented. She started nibbling on the tear-soaked treat.
“You need to forget about a piece of trash like him and make a fresh start. How long are you going to live your life just resenting and hating someone else?”
[Mmmph, buh…]
“That wasn't your original dream, was it? Right?”
[Gulp. You're right… I… I wanted to be someone who could protect the people I cared about… *sniff*, but that bastard…!]
The moment Juliana's eyes flashed and she was about to get trapped in her hateful memories again, I waved my hand.
“Hey now, that man isn't someone you care about anymore, and he's not even alive.”
[Sniffle, you're right…]
“So forget about that trash and find a better goal.”
[Should… should I? Can I do it?]
“Come on, what's there to be afraid of? The strongest mercenary, Juliana, is right here, isn't she?”
I said it with a tone that basically meant, ‘You chicken?’ At that, the deflated Juliana shot her head up.
[That's right… I was once a mercenary called the strongest!]
“Right? So stop with the defeatist talk and start going after what you want from now on!”
[...Okay!]
“Here, here. Eat this, and from now on, no more bad deeds. Live a good life, okay?”
She nodded and accepted the cookie. I smiled as I watched Juliana devour it in an instant.
‘That settles it.’
Promises are very important to the dead.
If someone dies after making a promise that hints at their death, like, "I have something I want to tell you when this is all over. I'll be sure to tell you later," there's a high chance they'll become a ghost with lingering regrets.
Living humans can easily break promises, but for ghosts, it's nearly impossible. Therefore, from the moment Juliana accepted and ate the cookie I gave her, she became unable to harm others.
[What I wanted… what I truly…]
She began muttering to herself, lost in thought. I left her to it and stood up from my seat.
It was polite to give her some space in times like these.
‘I should take the leftover cookies to Mia.’
Thinking of Mia, who hadn't seemed well, I placed the remaining cookies on a plate and left the kitchen.
***
[Right, I—… huh?]
Juliana had finally realized what she truly wanted and was about to tell Rian. But what awaited her was a silent kitchen.
[Ah…]
Having spent such a long time as a ghost, it seemed she hadn't realized how much time had passed.
Juliana looked at the teacup in front of her, her lips sealed.
[...What a strange person.]
She was a vengeful spirit, a curse bound to a book by a Black Mage. It was all thanks to Rian that she, a being closer to a monster than a human, was able to maintain her sanity and 'think'.
[At first, I thought I was going to die…]
The moment she heard the strange question, ‘How are you fixing your horizontal coordinate system?’, her vision spun at an incomprehensible speed, and her body was tossed about like a leaf in a typhoon.
As the thought ‘Ah, I'm going to be annihilated like this’ crossed her mind, she found herself able to look down upon her own existence clearly.
Just like how a human sees their life flash before their eyes before death.
Escaping her bloodlust and being able to see her own existence clearly didn't change anything. Something zipped past her eyes at an imperceptible speed, and she felt herself growing distant from the world.
A dizzying sensation, as if her very existence was being rejected by the world, going beyond mere annihilation.
Just as her barely-recovered sanity was about to be consumed by terror, her flying body, like one tied to a rope and dropped from a great height, came to a sudden halt.
[Huh? Kyaaaaah!]
As if the rope were being rewound, she began to return just as she had flown.
*Thud!*
When she came to her senses, she was back in the library. The book she was sealed in was sliding down the wall, as if someone had thrown it.
[Ugh…]
Juliana, having returned from a dizzying adventure thanks to the Gag Filter, felt extreme rage. But it wasn't the same blind fury as before.
[That damn brat…!]
It was just anger toward Rian for putting her through such a terrible experience, not the pure bloodlust to kill someone.
[I won't let you get away with this!]
Excessive fear had twisted into anger, making her see red. Juliana floated her main body, the book, into the air and left the library.
She activated the built-in invisibility function to avoid being seen by ordinary people and flew toward where she could feel Rian's presence.
The only thought in her mind was revenge.
[Actually, I was born in the back alleys—…]
She had absolutely no intention of drinking tea and venting. But strangely, in front of the boy named Rian, her emotions ran wild, and she ended up crying like a fool.
On top of that, Rian treated her as if she were a 'living person' as a matter of course. That fact gently thawed her frozen heart.
The soul, which had been bound by curses and resentment, regained its freedom and, at the same time, found clear-headed reason.
It felt as if she had woken from a long dream.
Juliana broke free from her reverie and remembered what she truly wanted.
[‘I can't atone to those who are already dead… but at the very least, I want to help those who have resolved to protect the people they care about.’]
Once she reached her conclusion, her course of action became clear. She entered the book and floated it into the air.
[‘Rian… that girl who said she wanted to protect him. I'll help her.’]
It was the best choice she could make. The book floating in the air turned invisible and flew toward Noah's presence.
Noah, who had followed Jess, was sitting in her room.
“I! Can! Do it!”
Every time Noah tried to help even a little, Jess would stiffen her tail and push her away, so she had no choice but to entrust Pia with looking after things and leave the dining hall.
Back in her room, Noah was lost in thought.
‘…It'll be hard to go back to the library today.’
It wasn't that getting back in was difficult, but not even half a day had passed since Rian had dragged her out, telling her not to go in.
If Rian found out she had snuck into the library less than half a day after their talk, he would surely be disappointed in her. The thought made her hesitant to move.
‘…I don't want him to hate me.’
Noah buried her face in her knees, deep in thought.
‘What do I have to do to get stronger? Are… are such cruel methods really the only way?’
Cruel and terrible, yet certain methods of gaining power flickered before her eyes. Noah didn't want to covet power in that way.
‘…Am I just being naive?’
She wanted to save him. She wanted to protect Nero. That feeling was genuine. She thought she could endure any pain, but she didn't want to take another life so easily for that reason.
‘I'm so stupid.’
She felt like an idiot for being so indecisive. Her once-sparkling eyes grew dull with melancholy.
*Thump.*
“…?”
Just then, something landed lightly on the top of Noah's foot. She lifted her head from her knees to see what had fallen.
“…!?”
A pure white book had fallen in front of her.
*Fwip.*
Even though Noah hadn't opened the book, it flipped open on its own. In an instant, it turned past the halfway mark, and the pure white ghost, Juliana, popped out.
“Ah…”
Noah stared at the dreamlike scene, completely captivated.
[You said you wanted power, didn't you?]
Juliana spoke with a slightly mischievous smile, different from before.
[I can help you gain the power to protect those you care about. Won't you make a contract with me?]
It wasn't the enchanting smile meant to bewitch the one who opened the book, but a relaxed tone and smile filled with sincerity. Noah nodded without thinking. At that, Juliana furrowed her brow and said.
[What are you doing, nodding without even hearing the terms of the contract? *Sigh*... It looks like I have a lot to teach you.]
And so, Noah gained a master.
***
Mia's mansion was once used by nobles, so there were quite a few places she didn't use. One of them was the indoor training hall.
Mia had said she didn't care whether the training hall was used or not, so Noah had been using it without any reservations.
“*Pant, pant…*”
[If you're done resting, hurry up and run another lap.]
“Nngh…!”
In the spacious training hall, Noah was running, dripping with sweat.
‘She's working hard.’
I smiled with satisfaction as I watched Noah, who trained diligently with unwavering determination, and Juliana, who stuck by her side, endlessly giving her pointers for her training.
‘Just as you'd expect from a character in the original story—…’
Suddenly, a cold sweat started to trickle down my back.
‘In the original story…’
I could feel my entire body getting drenched.
‘Ah….’
I had forgotten.
*Thud.* My legs gave out, and I fell to my knees.
“I forgot about the protagonist…!”