Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 26
>Chapter Title: Like Magic
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“A lich? No, no. I didn't sense any undead-type demonic energy at all. In that case…”
Unlike before, the room, now piled high with books and documents, looked more like a study than a laboratory.
‘Where did all these books come from?’
I glanced at the stacks of books, navigating around them as if performing a trick, until I reached Mia. As I placed a sandwich and a cool glass of water beside her, Mia instinctively grabbed the sandwich and took a bite.
“Thanks. I'm sure in the older records…”
>“I'll be back to collect them in a bit.”
Mia reflexively offered her thanks, then continued to flip through the books while munching on her sandwich. I quickly left the room.
*Grrrrowl.*
My stomach rumbled as if to announce it was dinnertime. I rubbed my belly and hurried toward the dining hall. Thanks to my quick pace, the entrance soon came into view.
“Huh?”
I saw a familiar person standing by the dining hall door with a dazed expression.
“Pia, what are you doing there?”
>“...!”
At the sound of her name, Pia flinched and turned around. She was cowering, covered in a cold sweat.
“What's wrong? Did you see something scary? A ghost, maybe?”
>“Ah... yeah.”
Pia opened and closed her mouth as if wanting to explain something, but then just nodded in agreement with my words. It must be hard to speak properly after seeing a scary ghost.
‘First Juliana, and now this. Are there a lot of ghosts here? Is this some kind of cursed mansion?’
With that thought, I turned to Pia with a serious expression.
“Pia, if a ghost like that appears, just say this: 'How are you maintaining your position in the horizontal coordinate system?'”
>“What?”
Pia tilted her head, not understanding what I meant. To help my poor friend, I grabbed both her arms and said.
“Here, repeat after me. 'How are you maintaining your position in the horizontal coordinate system?'”
>“...How are you maintaining…”
>“The horizontal coordinate system.”
>“How are you maintaining your position... in the horizontal coordinate system?”
>“Yes! Just say that, and any ghost will run away! If you can't remember it, do a handstand, clap with your feet, and make monkey noises.”
If you do that, the ghost will surely think, "What the hell is that?" and flee.
“Pfft, hahaha!”
My words must have been funny, because Pia burst out laughing, her expression much more relaxed. But I was serious.
“Don't forget, the horizontal coordinate system and the handstand—”
>“Phh... Pfft, st-stop it, you're making my stomach hurt...”
>“This is serious—”
Just as I was about to press my point on Pia, who was just trying to laugh it off, Noah opened the door from inside the dining hall.
“What are you two doing out here?”
>“Ah, we were having a very important discussion.”
>“Puhaha...”
Noah's eyes widened at the sight of Pia laughing. Pia usually smiled but rarely burst out laughing, so seeing her clutching her stomach was surprising.
“If you're talking about something fun, come inside and tell me. I want to hear it too.”
Noah, who had found some peace of mind while training with Juliana, said with a smile. I nodded and replied.
“You're right. This isn't something only Pia should know.”
I let go of Pia's shoulders and headed into the dining hall. I grabbed two sandwiches on a plate and went to where Nero and Lilly were sitting.
“Hey, Rian.”
>“Yeah?”
Noah quietly approached and spoke to me. I stopped walking toward the table and listened.
“Do you know why Master suddenly screamed and ran away?”
>“What? She just ran off?”
>“Yeah, just a moment ago.”
>“Is there something dangerous nearby... ah.”
Suddenly, I remembered the 'ghost-repelling method' I had been so earnestly explaining to Pia in front of the dining hall. She must have instinctively sensed I was talking about something dangerous, or perhaps she overheard a snippet.
“Um, she'll probably be back soon.”
>“You think so?”
>“Yeah.”
After our brief chat, I sat down in my intended seat. Not long after, Pia entered the dining hall.
“Huh? Did something happen in that short time?”
Pia's complexion had turned pale again. Since we had just been talking about ghosts, her expression concerned me.
Pia always sat next to Lilly, so I quietly ate my sandwich and waited. As expected, she approached our table.
“...Lilly, is it good?”
>“Big sis, are you sick?”
>“No?”
Pia shook her head as if she was really fine. I gobbled up the rest of my sandwich, then shot up from my seat and declared.
“This is all because of the ghost.”
>“A ghost?”
>“Eek?! A ghost?!”
At my words, all the children who had been eating and chatting turned their attention to me. I said with a grim expression.
“You never know where a ghost might pop up, so I'll teach you how to deal with them.”
>“There's a way?”
With a serious face, I told them about the horizontal coordinate system and the handstand-foot-clapping-monkey-noise method. Then, some of the more recovered children started doing handstands and clapping with their feet.
“Yes! That's it!”
The kids loved it when I clapped and praised them. Meanwhile, Pia had buried her face on the table, her body trembling.
“Pia, don't be scared. Let's practice. I'm sure we can drive away any ghost.”
>“*Sniffle*, yeah...”
Pia's shoulders hitched as she made a sound like she was crying. It seemed she was deeply moved.
“Jjuinnim, look at this!”
>“Oh! Jess, that's amazing!”
>“Amazing!”
Jess copied me, walking around on her hands. Seeing the children attempting handstands instead of eating, Noah soothed them, saying, "Let's eat first, then we can play."
The chaotic mealtime atmosphere settled down, and the cheerful dinner continued as if nothing had happened.
***
‘...Why was he crying alone, then pretending to be fine? Was it on purpose?’
Pia recalled Rian's face from a moment ago. The tear tracks on his cheeks, the wetness gathered in his eyes, the red, swollen rims. It was covered in traces of crying.
She didn't like how he had approached her with a smile the moment he saw her, despite being in such a state. Pia bit her lip.
‘An act... it must be an act. Trying to get sympathy by looking pitiful.’
Even as she thought this, a long-held preconception began to crack. *What if? Could it be true?* The words floated in her mind. But Pia shook her head.
Rian was a bad guy, and he was acting. He was deceiving them. Nothing was easier than blaming someone.
Pia sighed quietly and thought.
‘Haa... I can't afford to be stupid. To protect my sister, I have to be more, more, more... suspicious. I have to doubt everything.’
Pia, who had never cared about much besides her sister, had started paying attention to her surroundings entirely because she was beginning to get used to the peace.
As her heart found some respite, she found the room to look around. But in this cruel world, a complacent mind was as good as death.
Time and again, Pia tried to harden her softening heart and raise her guard. But she was still young. No matter how much she tried to be wary, she couldn't help but be swayed by the peaceful atmosphere, which seemed straight out of a fairy tale.
Thanks to that, she no longer felt the need to harbor murderous intent toward anyone to protect Lilly.
If things just stayed like this, if every day could be like today, Pia would gradually find stability. She wouldn't have to dredge up violent thoughts or be consumed by her trauma.
...That would have been the case, had someone not tampered with her mind.
“Hngh... uhuhuk...”
Pia pulled the covers over her head, letting out stifled sobs.
{ Pia, you must protect your sister. }
>{ As the older sister, you have to protect her! }
A coercive voice echoed in her ears. Pia squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears. It was an attempt to escape her trauma, but it only dragged her deeper into the abyss.
With her ears and eyes closed, 'that scene' began to unfold before her.
{ Big sis... Big sis... I'm cold... }
The unfocused eyes that couldn't look straight at her, the limp body in her arms, its warmth beginning to fade.
{ Big... sis... }
A tear welled up in her sister's eye and trickled down. With trembling hands, Pia held her sister close. In contrast to the cold body, hot blood stuck clammily to her hands.
It felt like insects were crawling inside her head. Her head spun. Her stomach churned. The corners of her eyes grew so hot they felt like they were melting.
{ Big sis... don't... don't leave me. Big sis... }
Her sister gripped Pia's arm tightly and pulled. The face right in front of hers held no warmth. The eyes she met conveyed only 'resentment,' 'hatred,' and 'loathing.'
{ You... you said you'd protect me. You said— You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! }
The thunderous words pounded in her head.
“I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”
{ Why did you do it? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you protect me? You said you would! I'm cold, big sis, I'm so cold. Save me, big sis, please save me. Save me! I said, save me! }
With a tearing sound, her sister grabbed Pia's hair and pulled. *It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.*
{ Big sis— }
“Big sis!”
>“Gasp...!”
The sudden voice snapped Pia back to her senses.
“D-din... dining hall! They said to come to the dining hall!”
The child stammered, as if unfamiliar with the word 'dining hall'.
“O-Okay, thank you.”
After the child left, Pia, now alone, touched her face. It was soaked with tears. Her body trembled, and she felt suffocated.
“Haa, haa...”
She wiped her tears on the blanket, her breathing ragged, and got out of bed.
‘If I skip the meal, Lilly will... worry.’
Fortunately, it seemed she had sweated more than she had cried, as her reflection in the window looked clean. Pia staggered toward the dining hall.
{ Big sis, big sis, why are you ignoring me? }
*Flinch.*
Even though she was out of bed, her sister's voice followed her.
{ Why did you abandon me? Why did you let me die? }
Pia's face turned deathly pale. Her lips felt dry, and her breath caught in her throat.
{ I died like this, so how can you keep on living? You should have died, not me! }
Pia stopped in front of the dining hall, unable to go any further. Was it right for her, who had survived instead of her sister, to dare to eat comfortably and breathe?
Was it okay for someone like her to even be alive?
Just as that thought consumed her.
“Pia, what are you doing there?”
With that gentle voice, the auditory hallucinations vanished in an instant. Like magic.