CH 184

“I guess…”

The question is, what do I do now?

That ghost, Melina, made me discover this, which probably means she wants me to tell Lucille about it… I still have to tell her…

Lucille was a secret child of the aristocrat, but fortunately, it seems to be the secret child of the former Duke, and considering the description in the diary of the former Duke, women do not have the right to inherit the family in this country. So even if Lucille appears on her face, she’s unlikely to be at least a succession dispute.

Well, it can be a hassle other than that.

But what am I going to tell her? “Your mother’s ghost appeared, so I broke into the duke’s mansion and stole the former duke’s diary. You are the daughter of the former duke!” Would I tell her that? Hmmm…

So, should I leave the diary somewhere in this archive and wait for Lucille to find it herself? What if Lucille starts investigating the diary’s authenticity and source? The situation may become even more complicated. It’s possible that I’ve been looking conspicuous after asking people for information about Duke Schumer.

“Should I explain it to Lucille properly then…”

“What about me?” (Lucille)

I am called from behind and unintentionally exclaim, “Whoa!”.

The most important thing to remember is that you can’t just take a look at the information in the book and expect it to be correct.

This is a library, so it’s not surprising that Lucille is here… I was so focused that I didn’t notice Lucille approaching.

“Ah! Well… I want Lucille to see this.”

I thought about how I should tell Lucille, but I didn’t have a good answer. I felt like it was fate that Lucille approached me at that moment… and so I decided to be as honest as possible with Lucille.

Since I was so involved with that ghost and was entrusted with this, I felt that I had to do it properly until the end.

…If I don’t do it properly now, it feels like, that ghost will come out again tomorrow and I won’t be able to sleep again…

Taking the former duke’s diary out of my bag, I open it to the page to the day the former duke met Melina-san and offer it to her.

“This is……” (Lucille)

Lucille took the book, glanced at it, and then looked at me.

I said to her, “Read it until the end,” and when I urged her with my eyes, she seemed a little puzzled, but sat down in front of me and looked down at the former duke’s diary, reading it slowly and carefully, letting each word sink into her mind.

The sun rose and the room became a little brighter, and with it, the room temperature gradually rose as well.

The other adventurers were getting up, and I could hear the sounds of people walking in the corridors outside and talking in the distance.

I rest my elbows on the desk and cross my fingers. I put my hands on my elbows and interlace my fingers and wait for her to finish reading in a pose like “A commander who tells a boy and a girl to enter a robot and fight against mysterious creatures.”

After a few or more minutes.

“……I see.” (Lucille)

Lucille flipped through the blank pages, staring at the signature “Elk Schumer” at the end.

Lucille’s moist eyes were forever capturing the signature.

I thought it wasn’t a good gesture to stare at her, and as I turned my eyes away, I felt that “she” had disappeared into the light of the morning sun with a smile behind Lucille.

Maybe it’s in my mind, but I feel like the weight on my shoulders vanish, and I exhale a small sigh.

Did I convince her—Melina? Has she left? I don’t know what’s going to happen yet, but I’m glad I did it.

“With this… I wish Lucille’s mother could leave the world with peace in her mind…”

I muttered unconsciously.

I was a little annoyed at some of the things that had disturbed my restful sleep over the past few days, but these were words from the heart.

I think it was regrettable that she died without being able to tell her about her father. I don’t blame her.

And I think I enjoyed finding the hidden passageway, too.

“…? Don’t kill my mom of your own volition.” (Lucille)

“Oh, pardon me… Hmm?”

…What does it mean? Don’t kill my mom of your own volition… is she… alive? Eh? What?

“Lucille’s mother is named Melina… Right?”

“Yes, she’s named Melina. She injured her back a while ago and went back to the country, but she’s still very alive.” (Melina)

“Well, then, who is the Melina written in this diary?”

“I think this is… about my mom. My birthday, the description of my mom… What’s more, what’s wrong with this diary? What is the former duke’s diary?” (Lucille)

“Wait a minute! Then what is this? It was dropped by Lucille, wasn’t it?”

I think the conversation is going in a direction I don’t understand.

I hurriedly pulled out the gold ring from my pocket and showed it to her. Lucille held it in her hand and observed it for a moment, then looked at me and said, “I don’t wear rings.

“I don’t wear rings.” (Lucille)

“It’s not Melina-san’s keepsake… Eh?”

“I told you mom is still alive.” (Lucille)

Lucille looks quite peeved.

…Then this is. I was so confused about where and what I was mistaken about.

I picked up the ring in the courtyard. That night, a female ghost appeared. I followed the ghost to the duke’s mansion. I found a handkerchief with Lucille’s name sewn on it in a hidden passage. In the Pavilion of the duke’s mansion, I found the former duke’s diary… Before that, Lucille expressed her mother’s departure, and when I think back, I don’t think I heard “dead” clearly. I think she might have said it as “when my mother was healthy” or something like that…

I was connecting these dots to form a single line. But what with the disjointed lines?

“Sorry. Actually, since I picked up this ring, a female ghost has been appearing in my room. I followed her and found this diary and handkerchief. …… I thought the ghost was Lucille’s mother…”

I didn’t understand everything, so I put the handkerchief on the desk, explaining the situation honestly, and Lucille looked like she was in deep thought.

Then, after comparing the ring and the handkerchief alternately, she opened her mouth.

“How did you know that the woman was a ghost?” (Lucille)

“Well. I could see pass through her clothes and face…”

Although she was translucent, I could clearly see her clothes which looked like a maid’s uniform, and I clearly see her facial expressions.

Lucille twists her neck, thinks a little, and then looks at me.

“I don’t think that’s possible.” (Lucille)

“Eh?”

“A ghost that can retain its human form so clearly is a high-ranking monster, you know?” (Lucille)

“How is that… what?”

“It has to be at least a B or A rank to retain its full human form. If there were such a monster, someone here would sense it.” (Lucille)

This is a Clan House. A place where high-ranking adventurers gather. If a monster springs up in such a place, someone will notice right…? It seems obvious when you put it that way… but it feels somewhat strange.

I thought about it for a while and came up with a somewhat reasonable answer.

I had unconsciously thought of ghosts as supernatural beings, but in this world, they are simply a type of monster, and I think there is a gap there.

But if so, what does that mean? What was that ghost? Was that really a ghost in the first place?

My mind is a jumbled mess, going round and round in circles.

In the midst of my confusion, I noticed Lucille was walking somewhere and came back with a book. She opened the book, and flipped through the pages, that said,

“People with high magical ability sometimes see things that other people don’t see. It says here that some alchemists and other people can see magic power. Perhaps the thing you saw is one such being.” (Lucille)

“So that might be it…”

I noticed that I could see magic power when I was in Grandma Ulke’s store before. The most important thing to remember is that the person I saw is not a ghost or a similar being at all… I remember taking some abilities like that in that white space, and if that’s the case, it might be apt…

But then why did that woman start to appear at that point in time? If my abilities allowed me to see her, then it should have been possible for me to see her a long while ago.

Suddenly, my eyes fell on the ring on the desk.

The ring here…

What if this ring had some special effect and is not cursed? For example, the effect of increasing magical ability, the effect of making it possible to see things that cannot be seen normally… There are items that have such unusual and special effects, and that should be a possibility.

“Well, it’s possible that Rook is lying—” (Lucille)

“No, I would never!”

No, I don’t! I wanted to argue, but when I think objectively, I don’t think it’s almost natural to think that I’m lying, and the words would not leave my throat.

“—It doesn’t seem like it though. It doesn’t seem to make sense to lie about it. Besides, this diary is probably genuine. The leather cover and the quality of the paper inside are first-rate. It is reasonable to assume that it is genuine, given the contents.” (Lucille)

Lucille concluded herself as she observed the former duke’s diary, then turned to me and continued.

“But I can’t reveal this. I understand why my mom didn’t tell me anything about my father.” (Lucille)

“…I see.”

I think it’s the right choice to not expose this diary. Probably a really bad choice to put it out there. It would also be a problem for the Duke’s side to change her name now.

If Lucille wanted to publish the former duke’s diary, she was going to convince others first, but if that doesn’t work, she might have to leave the clan. It could be troublesome especially if she is questioned about where she got the diary.

But what did I do this time? I was supposed to have been entrusted with a wish by a ghost and told the truth to his daughter… Isn’t this a complete failure for a quest?

I’m about to sigh in regret…

“Thank you, Rook. I was happy to now know who my father is.” (Lucille)

Well, it’s not so bad sometimes, is it? I thought so when I saw Lucille’s smile.