Ghost Turmoil (2)

JustSomebody13 – Fujo

Sometimes Julia thought like that. I think it’s right to live happily doing what I want as much as I’m given a new life, she had that kind of thought before. Julia was always devoted to living an independent life. Not to be swayed by others.

But why did this man make her ignore her own rules?

“Sit down. Your legs will hurt.”

Julia hesitated for a moment, looking at his relaxed manner of speaking, and soon approached him, then sat down. In the meantime, the teacups were set up, and the warm tea filled it up. The light, plain tea, lacking the sweetness to its taste, was superior to its fragrance.

“What are you thinking?”

“…No. You said you were here to hear today’s progress, right? I’ll tell you.”

Rio nodded. Julia touched the warm side of the teacup and opened her mouth.

“I looked around all three places today. They are huge and clean, and many bereaved families visited the tombs.”

“It’s important to take care of them too.”

“To be honest, I thought it wouldn’t be taken care of much because it was a place where many tombs were gathered, but I thought it was a surprise that it was being managed very meticulously and most carefully.”

“…It’s because they are graves of those who died protecting the country sincerely. We can’t ignore it.”

Julia nodded to his gentle reply.

“I didn’t feel any dreary or seditious energy. I haven’t seen the changes in the night, but there was no problem for now.”

“Is that so?”

“But what the people around the place said was unexpected. Many people were pointing directly to the grave and said they saw something or said bad things about it. In particular, according to them, dawn seems to be the primary time for the ghosts to appear.”

“Dawn? Before the daylight?”

“Yes. It’s darker than the night when the sun and the moon are gone, right before daylight starts to appear. That’s when it’s the darkest. But on the other hand, it’s also the time when the yin energy is weaker, but they see the ghosts at that time? Don’t you think something’s strange?”

“I’m starting to think so after hearing what you just said.”

The cup of tea in her hand went up to her mouth and the warm liquid went to her throat. Julia, who smiled because of the warm feeling, looked at Rio again and continued to speak.

“This is my assumption. It’s either one of the two. If they see ghosts, it’s either someone is doing bad things that force the ghosts not to be able to go to sleep eternally, and gather them in the surroundings… or.”

“Or?”

Julia spoke plainly to Rio, who cut her pause and asked back.

“It’s a human’s doing.”

“Human?”

“Yes. Even if it seemed to be a ghost’s doing, more than half of them were schemed by human beings. That’s what people usually do. They do strange things secretly to get what they want, even if it’s very vicious.”

She looked very determined in her definition of a human. When Rio smirked, Julia opened her mouth while staring at him.

“So, I’ll be back at dawn tomorrow.”

“Dawn?”

“Yes.”

Rio looked at Julia with a dissatisfied look. Julia gathered her lips slightly and frowned.

“What’s with your expression? We need to solve this fast.”

“That’s true, but isn’t it a little dangerous at dawn?”

“Why? Is the duchy here that dangerous?”

“Not at all. It’s better than the entire Proren Kingdom, and I can boast that it’s safer than anywhere else on this continent.”

“Then there won’t be any problem.”

“But the dawn is another thing. And no matter how stable the security is, it doesn’t mean there won’t be a crime. Moreover, it’s disordered before daylight. It’s dangerous because it’s time for the shift workers to change. So avoid that time frame…”

“But I have to see it in person to be able to know something. If I go and see ghosts at that time, because it’s something I can solve, I will solve it.”

Rio shut his mouth when she said a reasoned judgment. His eyes seemed very dissatisfied, but soon he nodded as he understood.

“Alright. Do as you please.”

“I’ll give you the progress report the day after tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to.”

“…Why?”

“You will be tired.”

After he stood up from his seat while smiling, Rio left the room after saying good night. Julia, who looked over his back without a chance to say goodbye, smiled absurdly.

And the next dawn, Julia, who was sleeping soundly, and Patrick, who was floundering in his sleep, were arranging their horses with tired eyes.

“I don’t know why ghosts always show up at dawn. How nice it will be for the ghosts to come out in the morning.”

“There are also those in the morning. But it’s scarier if they show up at dawn. Don’t you think so?”

Julia laughed. Patrick shook his head with a look of hate.

“Sometimes ghosts who don’t know that I can see them come to play with me. Ordinary people can’t see them, but I can see them. Many ghosts showed bizarre behavior such as taking off their necks and sticking it on again or twisting their arms and turning them around. They like to play like that.”

“They’re a pervert, a pervert.”

As Patrick rubbed his arms, Julia smiled and climbed onto her horse. Patrick also got on his horse, and as they were about to depart, someone came up to Julia and talked to her.

“May I accompany you?”

Julia and Patrick’s head slightly turned back.

“Duke?”

When Julia opened her mouth with surprised eyes, Rio was approaching her while pulling his horse. Rio grinned at Julia’s question while she looked at him with a curious look. It was a refreshing smile that he always showed.

“How did you get here?”

“I came here because I was worried.”

“Worried? There won’t be a problem. I’m not going to overdo it; I’m just going to take a look and come back.”

“But I’m still worried.”

“You don’t have to… Patrick’s coming with me. Right?”

“Of course! Trust me, Miss!”

Julia smiled while patting Patrick’s sturdy forearm, who was wearing short sleeves despite the chilly weather. Then Patrick took a confident pose and nodded. The way they looked at each other and smiled at each other seemed very friendly.

Rio’s eyebrows furrowed. Riding on his horse, Rio looked at Julia and spoke.

“I’m just worried that you’ll get hurt like before, and then you will be in pain while sobbing.”

“Like before? Sobbing? What do you mean?”

Julia, who was smiling at Patrick, tilted her head and looked at Rio, and he smiled then spoke.

“Look at this. You don’t even remember that…”

“What does that mean…?”

“Let’s go. It’s almost dawn. Dawn is just around the corner.”

Julia looked at his back, who was leading the way while driving his horse after finishing his speech.

“Have we met before?”

No matter how hard she thought about it, she had never done it, but his words and actions, which he sometimes referred to, stimulated her concern.

The deep, dark streets were silent. From time to time, security guards on patrol stopped Rio and asked him who he was, then they looked at his face and greeted him hurriedly, which showed that the security of the early morning streets was quite strong.

Lanterns were lit all over the place, illuminating the streets with subtle lights instead of pitch-black darkness.

Thanks to the lights, there was a quiet and cozy atmosphere far from a gloomy one. But on the contrary, the fallen soldiers’ grave was spewing dreary energy. No matter how well organized and tidy it was, it was where the dead were enshrined, so it was bound to have intense yin energy.

Julia, who got off the horse, looked around and plucked the nearby grass and sprinkled it on the sky. It was strange what she did amid the wind, but Rio still watched her.

Julia looked at the scattered grass, and this time she glanced over the grave then shook her head once.

Several times. Soon Julia came back and stood by Rio’s side, glanced through the cemetery, and opened her mouth.

“This is weird.”

“What?”

“According to local people’s testimony, many people saw ghosts around the time of dawn. But there’s nothing now. No ghost or anything like it.”

“…Are they lying?”

“I don’t know. However, since it had been managed well and there have been many people who took care of the fallen soldiers, we should look around more places to ensure that none of them has lingering attachments and left the place where they should be.”

Julia finished talking and got on her horse, then soon she departed first. Patrick and Rio, who followed her, tilted their heads.

They went around two more places after that, but they couldn’t see a rat, let alone a ghost. Julia looked around while sitting on a chair nearby. As Rio approached and sat in her opposite, Julia opened her mouth.

“What could it be? People insisted that the ghosts come out every day, but what day is it today? Is there a festival somewhere? I can’t see them.”

“I guess ghosts love festivals too?”

“Of course. Because they were human too.”

Julia giggled.

“They’re just dead, and they want to relive what they used to enjoy when they were alive. That’s why they have lingering attachments and don’t admit that they’re dead. As time goes by, they can’t go where they need to go, and as a result, they become a poltergeist and cause damage to the world. That’s a bad sign.”

“But they’re not here, right?”

“Yes. It’s tranquil for a lot of people to testify about. To the point of suspicion.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Usually, dying in a war isn’t the death that they want. There’s no death more miserable and unfair than death at the hands of others. That’s why those who died in a battle can’t always leave easily. Some tombs are well managed, but some of them have not been visited by their families.”

Julia looked around the grave. Her eyes were filled with tombstones, full of overgrown weeds. Rio also followed her, looking over the gravestones.

“It’s one of the two; it’s that even with those graves, there was no spirit of the dead.”

Julia paused her speech. Rio waited for her words.

“Someone intentionally sent the dead to the underworld. Or.”

Julia’s eyes turned fierce.

“Or there’s someone who’s been spreading vicious rumors and using the dead who are peacefully asleep to take care of their own self-interest.”

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