The Houseguest
Lucia's voice calmly sliced through the air in the room.
It was level and unadorned, yet if I had been someone capable of wielding dark magic, I was certain she would have drawn the sword at her waist without a second's hesitation.
The transparent crystal orb resting beneath my palm trembled with an eerie vibration, casting a blue radiance.
I clenched my teeth, trusted the power of the Susimeonhonbu, and answered in the most ordinary tone I could manage.
"No. I don't know how to use anything like dark magic."
Wooooong—
Lucia's gaze shifted to the crystal orb.
The magic tool set into the transparent stone tablet was designed to glow red for a lie and blue for the truth.
Wooong—
The tablet quivered faintly, and then a pure, clear blue light bloomed from the crystal, softly illuminating the room.
The Susimeonhonbu's performance was flawless. In that moment, the fifteen thousand Merit it had cost felt like a bargain.
"…It's the truth."
The rigid set of Lucia's shoulders eased by a fraction.
Then a sudden question flickered through my mind.
Wait. Dark magic? I used dark magic?
The final battle in the underground temple.
I had definitely burned five thousand Merit to use the 'Random Fate's Spirit Medium' as a vessel and activate [Spirit Possession].
A colossal pillar of pure white light had poured down from the heavens, my consciousness had been shoved aside, and I had surrendered control of my body to someone else.
After that, the film cut out completely.
What kind of god had descended for them to be talking about dark magic?
I carefully asked back in a voice of perfect ignorance.
"Um… Your Highness? I'm truly sorry to interrupt the interrogation, but… did I really take care of that terrifying dark mage…?"
Lucia looked down at me with a complicated gaze.
"We suspected as much at first…. But it is now reasonable to conclude otherwise. It has been proven true that you cannot use dark magic."
"Then… was that Preacher killed by dark magic?"
"Yes. That is precisely why confirmation was required. Examination of the site detected abnormal dark magic of a scale that only an Apostle-level dark mage of the Demon Cult—or the Pope or a Greater Demon themselves manifesting in person—could possibly release."
"…Apostle-level dark magic?"
"A troublesome development. Someone wielding Apostle-level dark magic has appeared in the North…."
Whether Lucia continued to worry or not, a realization struck me like lightning.
Ah—!! So that was it?!
The dark magic these otherworld dark mages wield is an ominous power borrowed from demons—dark, damp, a deathly aura that gnaws at life force itself.
Fundamentally, their dark magic is extremely similar in texture to the energy that flows from the underworld, the nether energy of the afterlife.
To the eyes of ordinary people of this world, the two energies inevitably appear as the same sinister magic power.
I thought back to the Random Fate's Spirit Medium at that final moment.
A god capable of wielding underworld energy of that magnitude, and one who shared a connection with me…!
Ba, Bari Gongju! Bari Gongju herself descended into my body?!
I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping open.
Bari Gongju—also called Baridegi—was the supreme ancestral deity and founder god worshipped by shamans, an absolute existence.
Even if she was not the sovereign of the underworld kingdom itself, she ranked among the highest deities, on par with the Seven Star Gods who guided and soothed the souls of the dead.
With Bari Gongju descending into my body and thoroughly schooling that dark mage, it was only natural that the dense underworld energy remaining at the scene had been mistaken for Apostle-level dark magic.
These Western fantasy types simply could not comprehend Eastern underworld divine power, so they had misidentified it as the immeasurable dark magic of a top-tier demon.
My mouth itched with the urge to speak, but of course I could not.
"Well then. Second question."
Lucia lowered her voice once more and laid her hand over the back of mine, pressing down firmly.
This woman… why are her hands so soft?
"Is it true that you have truly lost all of your memories?"
Here it comes.
Trusting the talisman's power, I nodded with sorrowful eyes.
"…Yes. I remember nothing."
Paaat—
The crystal orb shone blue without the slightest hesitation once again.
"Haa……."
Only then did Lucia seem fully relieved. She let out a deep sigh and set the lie detector down on the bedside table.
"Further interrogation would be meaningless. I apologize for the discourtesy. You are no heretic, but a pitiful survivor who alone escaped a terrible den of heretics… and the benefactor who saved the people of our territory. You have endured much."
The interrogation-room atmosphere melted away as if it had never been.
"I'm so glad the misunderstanding is cleared. Then… may I leave now?"
I needed to get out quickly and take the measure of how this world actually worked.
But at my words, Lucia tilted her head.
It was the expression of someone who had just heard utter nonsense.
"Leave? Where, exactly?"
"Huh? Well…… I need to be discharged—no, I need to leave. This is the Duke's mansion."
Lucia crossed her arms and shook her head with absolute finality.
"Nonsense. Absolutely not."
"…What?"
"You are someone who was exposed to the dark mages. If you walk out without protection, you will be found tomorrow night as a cold corpse in some corner of the marketplace—are you speaking in your right mind? And that face of yours. Even without dark mages, the nights of this world are not safe for a beauty like you."
"B-but for me to keep imposing on a great noble's household is hardly proper etiquette……."
"Do you mean to insult the honor of Arthea?"
A noble's sense of duty settled into Lucia's eyes.
"Our house is the shield of the North. If word spread that we cast out into the northern dirt a benefactor who rescued our people from heretics—a frail woman with nowhere to go and no memories, autumn or not—what would become of my honor?"
Ah… damn it. Noblesse oblige.
I recalled the personality written in the setting book.
She was inflexible to a fault, yet her sense of duty as a noble and her responsibility toward the people weighed heavier than her own life—a true knight through and through.
"From this day forward, I shall treat you as a guest of the Arthea Ducal Family."
Lucia extended her hand as if making a formal declaration.
"Remain here, recover your strength, and devote yourself solely to reclaiming your lost memories. When you yourself decide where you will go and can stand safely on your own, then we shall formally see you off."
The stated reasons were my perfect safety and the repayment of a debt of gratitude, but a shaman's intuition whispered otherwise.
That woman had not completely extinguished the spark of suspicion toward me.
She also intended to attach someone to my side and watch from close range whether I was truly a harmless existence.
But…… there was nothing bad about that at all, was there?
No—on the contrary, it was an excellent opportunity.
Think about it carefully.
With this frail body of physical stats eight, if I walked outside bare-handed and tried to tough it out, what exactly could I accomplish?
Dark mages I could handle through exorcism if vengeful spirits clung to them, but physical stats of eight meant I could not even beat a street thug.
Moreover, Lucia's remark about beauty was entirely valid. Beauty always walked hand in hand with danger.
Even if I somehow overcame all of that, I would still end up spreading a mat on the roadside and scraping by with fake astrology for pocket change.
But if the starting point was the Arthea Ducal Family—the 'King of the North'—the story flipped one hundred and eighty degrees.
In this fantasy world, a ducal house was the equivalent of a colossal multinational conglomerate back on Earth.
Top-tier room and board as a given, free access to the territory's vast infrastructure and information network.
And the most critical point of all.
To rake in Merit, I have to play in the big leagues no matter what.
Before long, this world would see a great war in which the Seven Deadly Sins Greater Demons and the dark mages united to dye the entire continent in blood.
Living as a powerless, ignorant commoner, I would die a miserable death for certain.
I have to grow stronger.
Until I raised my combat power as high as possible, freeloading inside this sturdy fence was the optimal survival strategy.
"…I can only be deeply grateful for Your Highness's generous consideration."
I clasped both hands together and accepted the proposal with a beautiful smile.
And right at that moment—
Jiiiiing——!!
"Kuk…!?"
The trait [Spiritual Eyes] activated of its own accord, stabbing my brain with a sharp, piercing pain.
In an instant my vision inverted and flipped.
I nearly screamed and tumbled off the bed, but I bit down hard and forced myself to endure.
When I looked straight ahead, an impossible sight filled my eyes.
Wh-what is that……?! Crazy—why is that thing there?!
Lucia Arthea. Behind her back.
From within Lucia's own shadow, dozens of blood-soaked corpses had crawled forth and fused into a single house-sized mass of vicious vengeful spirits, wrapping her slender frame like black snakes.
The torn pupils of the vengeful spirits slowly rotated toward me.
……Can…… you…… see…… me……?
I can't see it—turn off Spiritual Eyes! Turn Spiritual Eyes off!!!
I frantically recited a spirit-banishing sutra in my mind and hurriedly fixed my gaze on the buttons of Lucia's uniform.
Goosebumps raced over my entire body; I trembled.
Wh-what is that thing! A vengeful spirit I can't possibly handle…!
Lucia, who had caught the sudden stiffening of my expression, narrowed her brows.
"What is it? Your face has gone pale all of a sudden."
"Ah, it's nothing……!"
"A lie. Just now you looked behind me and were shocked. What exactly did you see?"
Sharp woman. A knight's intuition was damnably hard to deceive.
I spun my thoughts desperately and looked up at Lucia with moist eyes.
"That's… I'm so grateful to Your Highness… I was simply speechless for a moment while I tried to find the words for how I could ever repay such a great kindness."
Lucia's eyes narrowed. She casually set my hand back onto the Judgment Stone of Truth on the table and pressed the button.
Paaat—
"……."
Of course it was true. My gratitude had been one hundred percent genuine.
Confirming the blue light of truth, the corners of Lucia's mouth softened.
She gave a dry cough and subtly turned her head.
Oddly enough, the tips of her ears had flushed red.
"…Ahem!! How bland. There is no need to be so excessively grateful. Arthea is a house that always repays any favor received with more besides."
Lucia adjusted the collar of her uniform and stepped toward the door.
"Rest well for today. If your body is better by tomorrow, you may look around the ducal residence. I have assigned one exclusive maid to attend you; if you require anything at all, simply command her."
"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your consideration."
Click—
Lucia left the room, and at last silence settled over the guest chamber.
"Haaaaaaaa…… I really thought I was going to lose years off my life."
Only then did I release the breath I had been holding and sprawl out on the highest-grade silk bedding.
My H-cup breasts softly spilled to either side.
I need to get used to this sensation quickly too….
By the way, what the hell is that insane mass of vengeful spirits stuck to Lucia's body? That level isn't ordinary bad luck…?
A vengeful spirit I could not handle right now.
A monstrosity I might only have a chance of contending with once my spiritual power stats rose far higher.
Then—
Knock knock—
Click—
"Nice to meet you!? Guest?!"
A bright, bouncy, utterly refreshing voice—completely at odds with the heavy solemnity of this northern ducal residence—opened the guest-room door and entered.
"Huh?"
I turned my head toward the doorway.
And the moment I saw the maid who stepped inside, I could not tear my eyes away.
A neatly worn maid uniform.
Yet atop her glossy short red hair, fluffy cat ears twitched, and behind her skirt a long, soft tail swayed gently to and fro.
"…Huh?"
Meeting my frozen stare, she beamed, lightly pinched the hem of her skirt, and offered a polite bow.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Guest! Starting today I've been ordered to serve as your exclusive attendant—I'm the maid called 'Miya' nyang! Hehe, but you're really an incredible beauty just like the rumors said nyang!"
I blankly stared at those twitching cat ears.
……Beastkin?
The light and salt of fantasy web novels, the ultimate moe element that kept readers' dopamine flowing, was wagging its tail right before my eyes.