#38
Adolf, colliding with the wall, lost his balance and collapsed weakly.
“Your Majesty…!”
He raised his hand toward Isabelle, who tried to support him. It was a clear gesture to stop, and Isabelle hesitated before stopping a short distance away. Exhaling heavily, Adolf braced himself on the bookshelf, barely managing to rise, and opened his mouth.
“…Find a way to get out of here immediately.”
“There’s no way to leave right now. But… what’s going on? Are you having a seizure? Or… could it be that you’re unwell, or… a ghost inside you…?”
“Damn it. Just shut your mouth!”
Suddenly, Adolf shouted. He clenched his trembling hands tightly and tried to steady his uneven breathing. Occasionally, he kept glancing sideways over Isabelle’s shoulder.
Why is he like this? He’s been acting so anxious, like someone being chased, ever since…
Following his unstable gaze, Isabelle, before she could even fully realize it, grabbed Adolf’s hand without permission.
Adolf grimaced, but Isabelle ignored it and voiced a suspicion she had kept to herself for a long time.
“Your Majesty… do you see ghosts?”
“……”
Adolf’s face slowly filled with embarrassment. Even without a word, his expression said it all.
Isabelle furrowed her brow slightly in disbelief, a wry thought flickering through her mind.
No way… Adolf, of all people…
But if her suspicion was correct, all of his strange behaviors until now could be explained. Summoning her courage, she asked a question she herself found almost ridiculous.
“Your Majesty… are you afraid of ghosts?”
“……!”
He flinched.
Through her palm, Isabelle felt a subtle tremor. She glanced at Adolf, who had lowered his head as if ashamed to have been caught, and then let go of his hand to clear her increasingly tangled thoughts.
Is it true? Adolf is… afraid of ghosts?
She had assumed that, like many children who had been haunted, he would dislike ghosts, but thinking that all his previous actions stemmed from fear of ghosts left her at a loss for words.
Is it really something to be this terrified of?
Having run a ghost-specialized detective agency, Isabelle had met many people who feared spirits—but Adolf’s state was extreme. She could feel him tensing his body to hide being caught, yet he continued to tremble slightly.
Though there were many things to discuss with Adolf, escaping the place came first. Isabelle cautiously placed her hand on his shoulder to reassure him.
“Your Majesty, don’t worry. Ghosts can’t harm you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“……”
Adolf slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers.
Isabelle smiled, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“That’s why you hired me, isn’t it?”
“……”
He seemed about to speak but closed his mouth instead. Gradually, his trembling subsided.
“Stay here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Isabelle waited by his side until he fully regained his composure, then turned to leave. But she felt as if someone tugged at the hem of her dress.
“Your Majesty?”
When she looked back at him, Adolf quickly removed his hand and avoided her gaze, speaking bluntly.
“Consider it a breach of contract if it’s not handled properly.”
Despite the cold tone, the earlobe peeking through his neatly arranged blond hair was slightly reddened.
“You might even feel like giving me a bigger reward.”
With a teasing reply, Isabelle erased the smile from her face and turned to the ghost.
Up close, the ghost raised even more questions. First, no matter what she said, it kept repeating the same words:
「Ah… no. No… no.」
How are you supposed to have a conversation if it won’t even respond?
No matter what she asked—what it wasn’t, or what had happened—the answer remained the same, only increasing her frustration.
Secondly, the longer a ghost had been dead, the more likely it would become a malevolent spirit. But…
Isabelle’s sharp eyes shifted to a faint violet glow. Around the ghost, a soft green flame flickered.
She stared intently at the ghost, hovering in the air and repeating the same words like a broken clockwork mechanism.
“No matter how you look at it, this doesn’t seem like the type of ghost that could produce hallucinations.”
Judging by the clear color of its soul, the ghost had not been dead long. Perhaps it was even the owner of this luxurious bedroom. She couldn’t know why the soul had been wandering here.
After confirming there were no other spirits nearby, Isabelle tapped the ghost’s forehead lightly with her index finger. Normally, she might have waited more patiently, but the situation was urgent.
Moreover, Adolf’s condition was worsening with time. Seeing him lean against the wall, barely able to control his body, breathing more heavily, Isabelle hurriedly addressed the ghost with a hint of apology on her face.
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to stay here. Let’s end this here. I don’t know why you summoned me, but I’ll free you from this place.”
Just as she was about to remove her hand from its forehead and place it back again—
「Kyaaaah!」
The ghost suddenly screamed, radiating a red light around its body. Its head, previously staring blankly in one direction, twisted 180˚ to meet Isabelle’s eyes directly. Then, as if it could no longer see her, it whirled around the room.
“…This is insane.”
Isabelle pressed her palm to her forehead as she observed the ghost, now a malevolent spirit.
What had happened? Hidden beneath its long bangs, she had not noticed before, but its eyes were hollowed out.
Furthermore, both ears had only sharp cuts remaining.
