Chapter 47 : Duke of the North (5)

“Panties are visible.”

I immediately found the ghost girl’s weakness.

“Heeek! Can you see me?!”

Misty, who had stopped in mid-air, blushed and pressed both hands tightly to her skirt.

“What should I do… Can you really see me? No, I mean…”

Her translucent body moved this way and that. For a moment, she had a form, then it disappeared, reappeared, and vanished again.

Then she suddenly stopped and stared at me.

“By any chance… can you see ghosts?”

“I guess so. Since it’s just you and me here, we can talk.”

“Wow! Finally… finally, I have someone to talk to!”

Misty smiled brightly. Despite her cheerful expression, there was a slight moisture around her eyes.

“How long… how long I’ve waited…”

Her voice trembled for a moment, but she quickly regained her bright expression.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have dressed up pretty! Ah, I always wear the same clothes, huh…? I want to wear something different, but I guess I can’t since I’m a ghost! I used to have a lot of pretty clothes!”

“Your clothes look fine now. They suit you.”

“Really? Hehe, still, I’m a bit shy…”

Misty floated around, moving here and there.

“But who are you? I’ve never seen anyone like you at this graveyard?”

She suddenly came close to my face and asked. Her translucent face was so close I could see it clearly.

“My name is Haru.”

“Haru…? Hmm, nice name! I’m Misty! I’m a ghost of this graveyard, and I’ve been here for a very long time…”

“How long exactly?”

“Well… that’s hard to say…”

Misty tilted her head. The way she scratched her head was cute.

“I can’t remember well. It just… feels like a really long time.”

A brief silence passed. But soon, she smiled brightly again.

“Ah! Right. I should show you around the graveyard since you’re new here!”

Misty circled around me.

“This place is… the tomb of the King of the Dead! Scary, right? Terrifying, isn’t it? But what is a King of the Dead?”

She spread her arms wide and pointed around. The black marble tombs glowed faintly.

“It’s not that scary.”

“Eh, that’s disappointing… I was trying so hard to make a scary atmosphere.”

Misty puffed up her cheeks.

“But these tombs are all my friends! Ah, that skull over there is Rosetta. Pretty name, right? I named her!”

She cheerfully pointed to a skull.

“That one is Frederick. He looks a bit gruff, but he’s a kind skull. And over there…”

Misty flew all over the place and lost her balance, crashing into a tombstone.

“Ouch…! No, wait. I’m fine. I’m a ghost…”

She mumbled and pretended to shake off the dust.

“I’ll… show you more!”

She quickly flew to another tombstone.

“You’re quite an interesting ghost. Harmless.”

It meant she was pathetic.

“R-really? Hehe, thanks.”

Misty shyly smiled. Her translucent cheeks turned pink. The graveyard, which should have been scary, seemed brighter because of her.

“Normally, ghosts are scary and eerie, right? I don’t like that. I just… like talking to someone like this.”

“You must have been lonely for a long time.”

“Yeah… no, it’s fine! I play with the skeletons… and have fun alone…”

She tried to speak brightly, but her voice grew softer. Her translucent eyes were glistening with moisture.

“I’m sorry… I’m fine, but… my tears keep coming…”

She curled her body into a little ball in the air. Her small shoulders trembled.

Suddenly, my hand moved on its own. Just as I was about to pat Misty’s head.

Whoosh—

My hand passed right through her. A cold sensation brushed across my palm.

“Ah…”

Misty looked up, startled.

“I’m sorry… I can’t touch you. I’m a ghost…”

Her voice was lonely, but then she quickly smiled brightly.

“Wait….”

I recalled the times I fought ghost-like monsters. I could inflict damage with an ashen aura. And it was quite deadly.

Suddenly, I looked at my palm. A faint ashen aura was rising.

“If I control the strength of the aura…”

It was worth trying.

I reached out again, this time gathering only a small amount of aura.

“Uh?”

I gathered the ashen aura at my fingertips and extended my hand to Misty.

“Do you want to hold my hand?”

“Huh? But I’m a ghost…”

Misty hesitated. But soon, she cautiously extended her hand.

And then it happened.

“Uh?”

As expected, Misty’s small hand touched my palm. It was cold, but there was a definite sensation.

“Eek!”

Misty jumped up in surprise. Well, she tried to jump up, but was caught by me and struggled.

“Now, what… how…?”

She looked at her hand with a trembling voice.

“All this time… no one could touch me…”

Tears gathered in Misty’s eyes. Her small shoulders trembled.

I reached out again. This time, Misty held my hand without hesitation.

“It’s warm…”

Her voice trembled. The cold, but soft sensation, was felt in my palm.

“It’s really amazing. It’s been so long since I’ve felt someone’s warmth…”

We stood like that for a moment.

In the graveyard, where moonlight seeped through, the hands of the living and the dead touched each other.

“…Pervert! How long are you going to hold my hand?!”

Suddenly, Misty shouted. She quickly pulled her hand away and fled into the air.

“Holding a girl’s hand like this… You were definitely thinking something lewd!”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Lie! All men are like that. I’ve heard it from the skeletons a lot!”

What kind of stories did she hear from the skeletons, this innocent ghost?

“By the way…”

Misty came closer again. She shyly tapped her toes in the air.

“Are you coming tomorrow…?”

Her eyes were full of expectation as they looked at me. Her pupils were clearer than the moonlight.

“Yeah, I promise. I have something to look for in the graveyard anyway.”

“Really? It’s a promise? You can’t break it!”

Misty shouted in a high-pitched voice.

“If I break it… if I break it… hmmm…”

She seemed to be thinking, then suddenly grinned.

“I’ll become a ghost and stick to you forever!”

“That’s the same as now.”

“Ah, that’s true…”

Misty puffed her cheeks in embarrassment.

“Well… still! Next time, I’ll tell you even more fun stories. I know some scary ones…”

She suddenly became translucent and then reappeared. Her playful voice echoed here and there.

“Can you see me from over there? How about here? Ah, can’t see me now?”

Her pure playfulness made me laugh. This was the first time I met such a ghost.

“Alright, I should go now.”

“Ugh… Do I really have to come tomorrow?”

Misty’s gaze wavered uneasily. She looked like a scared child, as if being left alone was frightening.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely come.”

“Okay.”

“Hehe, good!”

Her figure gradually faded, and she disappeared into the moonlight. But her clear laughter still lingered in the graveyard.

I left the graveyard. Behind me, Misty’s bright voice echoed.

“See you tomorrow, Haru!”

I stopped and looked back. A faint silhouette was waving its hand in the moonlight.

I met a strange ghost. But it wasn’t bad. It seemed like it might be helpful in the future.

“Should I look over there today?”

It had become a daily routine to wander around the graveyard like this. To save Kiara’s sister, I needed an artifact the King of the Dead possessed. That artifact could only be found in a resting tomb.

Misty pointed between the black marble tombs.

“There’s a secret passage underground here! Could it lead to the King of the Dead’s tomb…?”

The graveyard was enormous, and all the restless souls killed by the King of the Dead were said to rest here.

Moreover, all the black tombs seemed to connect to each other. Misty seemed to be able to tell the difference between them.

“Hey…”

Misty suddenly stopped walking. She pointed at one tomb.

“That… I think that’s my tomb.”

It was a small voice.

Misty stopped in front of a tombstone with a faintly engraved name.

“I used to be just an ordinary girl.”

Her voice became as blurry as her form.

“My father was the village apothecary. Every morning, he would trim herbs…”

Misty’s gaze wandered off to the distance. It seemed like she was searching for memories from centuries ago.

“Then one day… the King of the Dead appeared. My father… he tried to protect the villagers until the end. He treated the sick…”

But that… was the end of it.

Her words flowed out like a sigh. No further explanation was needed.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s just a memory now.”

She tried to smile brightly, but I could see her eyes redden.

“Still, I’m less lonely now.”

Misty smiled brightly at me.

“Because you can see me, Haru.”

For a moment, something from my bag came to mind.

“Wait a second.”

I rummaged through my bag and took out some necromancy materials.

“What’s that…?”

“Here, take it. It’s the essence of a restless spirit.”

“Uh… why are you giving this to me…?”

Misty looked at the glass bottle with surprise. The black liquid swirled ominously.

“I heard it’s good for your body. Well, you don’t have a body since you’re a ghost.”

“Hmm… well, I’m a ghost so I can’t eat it… Aah!”

I brought the bottle to her lips.

“Ugh! Ugh…!”

The black liquid stained her translucent lips. For a moment, darkness surrounded her body.

“Ugh… huh?”

Misty blinked in surprise. Then, she smacked her lips.

“It’s sweet… very sweet?”

“Well, you’re a ghost.”

“What?! I was scared! I thought you were giving me something weird!”

Her expression, full of pure joy, was adorable.

I then took out some rare necromancy materials. Pieces of hatred glowing red, crystals of despair, the sighs of the dead…

“Oh! It’s like chocolate! It’s hard on the outside, but soft inside… and a little spicy! This is like cotton candy! It melts in your mouth…”

For an ordinary human, these were full of deathly energy, enough to drive anyone crazy. But for Misty, they were highly nutritious snacks.

“By the way…”

Misty suddenly made a serious face.

“What if I get fat from eating this? Oh, wait! I’m a ghost, right?”

A moment of silence passed. Then, we both burst into laughter.

“Hah… Haru… over there…”

The usually noisy ghost suddenly grew quiet. Misty fidgeted with her translucent fingers.

“I… Misty… I…”

She tapped her toes nervously in the air.

I suddenly had a feeling about what she was about to say. Ah, I was familiar with this kind of situation.

“I love you!”

Misty suddenly appeared right in front of me. Her usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by a serious expression.

“You saw me. You touched me… and you listened to me…”

Her translucent eyes reddened.

“For hundreds of years… no one has seen me…”

Her voice trembled. Every word carried the weight of long loneliness.

“I’m sorry.”

“That…”

I said softly. But there was a definite rejection in my tone.

“Hehe… no, you can’t refuse a ghost…”

Misty’s expression suddenly turned scary.

“I’ll… I’ll curse you! I’ll make you mine!!”

She extended both hands forward, as if she were about to chant a scary spell.

A moment of silence passed.

“Ah…”

Misty’s shoulders slumped.

“Hee… why can’t I even curse someone?”

“That’s one harmless ghost.”

I handed her more necromancy materials, noticing her downcast mood.

Misty began devouring the materials as if she were trying to gain strength. Or perhaps she just wanted to vent her heartbreak with some dessert.