No Consultation for Romance Fantasy Horror
CHAPTER 63………………………………………………………..
“During the time of the Marquis Karen, the family heirlooms played a major role.”
Perhaps there might be some item this time that could serve as a clue in the same way.
“To think I’d voluntarily end up looking into something like this.”
When Rasiel was young, the class he dozed off in the most was, naturally, Imperial History.
He always had to attend the class with Yujire because she got bored otherwise.
Not that being with someone else made it less boring, though.
As a result, Rasiel didn’t retain much from those lessons.
“Just remembering the family names is a miracle.”
Rasiel skimmed through the book lost in thought.
These were items Yujire had brought down with her when she came to the estate.
“The House of Count Gielea… ah, here.”
Soon, he found a detailed description of the House of Count Gielea.
The history wasn’t very long, but they had consistently produced skilled knights over generations.
They didn’t pass down titles to unmarried members, though it didn’t matter if someone received a title and later divorced.
There had been one scandal a few decades ago…
“A scandal?”
Rasiel hurriedly read the following lines.
…There had been suspicion of demonic possession, though the details were unclear.
The count’s house ranked second in occurrences of issues involving ghosts or demons.
“That reaction makes sense.”
He roughly guessed why they were so convinced it was a ghost.
They must have been extremely anxious, worried something had actually happened.
Reading on sparked yet another question in his mind.
“Where did you get this information, milady?”
He was, of course, well aware of the Lesean Duke family’s intelligence network.
But this was information Yujire had personally recorded.
It included details the House of Count Gielea would have desperately tried to hide.
“I still don’t quite understand.”
Regardless, it was clear she was the person most suited to be head of the Lesean Duke family.
Quickly reaching a conclusion, Rasiel rose from his seat.
It seemed he had looked up enough information about the House of Count Gielea.
“Then it’s time to prepare.”
Unlike the Marquis Karen, this seemed slightly more likely to be the work of a ghost.
In that case, there was only one thing to do.
“How much?”
Purchasing exorcism supplies at the estate.
Since paranormal activity was overflowing, exorcism goods were equally abundant.
Even asking for herbs at any ordinary shop would get you what you needed immediately.
“Rodi?”
Of course, there were also stores selling specialized exorcism tools.
The shop Rasiel had come to now was one of those.
“Do you have exorcism tools?”
“Of course!”
Rodi hurriedly appeared, pointing to each shelf and explaining.
“As you probably know, these are made using herbs to… drive out spirits.”
“I need something to check whether a ghost has possessed someone or not.”
“That’s perfect for that!”
Rodi handed over another item.
On the surface, it looked like a small, ordinary music box.
“A music box?”
“They say it plays a song imbued with holy power.”
“How old is it?”
“Probably over a hundred years.”
If it was that old, it was likely an effective item.
After all, the paranormal activity in the estate had lasted that long.
“It should work on either a demon or a ghost.”
“Any other items?”
“Just arrived recently! Bought from a pawnshop.”
Rodi quickly answered.
“It’s over a hundred years old. They say it reflects the true soul of a possessed person.”
“It looks like an ordinary mirror, though?”
Rasiel turned the mirror in his hands, examining it.
It really did look like a normal mirror.
“It’s certainly antique, though.”
Delicate vine-like decorations caught the eye, but that was all.
Nothing unusual appeared in the mirror.
“That’s because a ghost wouldn’t possess a knight, of course.”
Rodi answered clearly, continuing to describe the items.
Some seemed quite useful, while others seemed completely pointless.
“What would I even use a heart-shaped brooch for?”
“Perhaps to lure a spirit?”
“I’d rather not. How much did you say it was?”
“Just a moment, I’ll ring it up for you now!”
After a brief exchange, Rasiel left the shop, holding the music box and mirror he had just purchased.
“I wonder if this will be enough…”
If it really was a ghost, these preparations would likely suffice.
But if the countess’s mind had simply changed, persuasion might be needed instead.
“By the way, the count accepted the proposal quite readily.”
Considering that he had originally come to request Yujire’s help, it was odd.
Especially thinking of how dismissive he was of lower nobility.
Rasiel’s curiosity was answered in a later conversation with Irenes.
“They say I’m… well-versed in demons and ghosts? Me?”
“Yes, there were rumors before, but it seems the incident with Marquis Karen sparked them further.”
“Aren’t those incidents unrelated to ghosts?”
Rasiel fell silent for a moment upon hearing that.
The Marquis Karen case had only begun as a ghostly commotion; the situation was entirely different.
“Who started those rumors?”
“Various people. There were knights who trained with Sir Jaen, and others who had visited the Lesean Duke family.”
“That makes sense—if they visited the Duke’s estate, they might have thought that.”
The Lesean Duke estate was one of the places most haunted by ghosts.
Because of that, it was always Rasiel’s duty to guide lost guests and discreetly deal with the spirits inside.
“They’re not bad people… just far too playful.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
It sounded like a rumor that didn’t really need correction.
Whether it was even possible to correct a rumor was another question.
“Anyway, until I meet the countess in person, I won’t reach any conclusions.”
Unfortunately, that was the best conclusion Rasiel could make for now.
He decided to wait until the countess herself arrived.
“Nice to meet you, Countess of Gielea. I am Rasiel Jaen.”
“I’m Ortega Gielea. Please just call me Ortega.”
The countess’s first impression was not bad.
It was a little surprising that she allowed using her first name immediately, rather than her family name.
“Yes, Ms. Ortega.”
Rasiel quickly found an appropriate way to address her.
He then quietly observed her.
“She doesn’t seem strange.”
Neatly tied light green hair, golden eyes, a kind appearance.
She didn’t seem like someone in whom something bizarre would dwell.
“Best to start with a conversation.”
Ortega likely didn’t even know why she had come to the estate.
Rasiel quickly guided her to the parlor.
“Please, come in.”
Tea and teacups had been prepared by the head maid.
“If there’s an issue, she’s likely to show strange behavior at this point.”
Ghosts always feared spirits stronger than themselves, unless they had cooperated with them in life, like the spirits in this mansion.
“Is black tea okay?”
“Of course! It’s one of my favorite teas.”
The countess answered brightly.
Her smile made the room seem slightly brighter.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Even after taking a sip, there was no unusual reaction.
So she was not a ghost.
“Then it’s either a demon, or she’s not possessed.”
For now, the former seemed more likely.
“We also have some snacks; please have some.”
Cookies made with a generous amount of herbs.
The finest refreshments the estate could produce.
Ortega ate the cookies without hesitation.
“Not a demon, either.”
Only one possibility remained.
This whole commotion had occurred because the Count of Gielea was completely unaware of Ortega.
“If I were to consider even the most extreme possibility…”
Perhaps a demon had possessed her that could withstand even these herbs.
But that was a rather excessive guess.
