Chapter 40

Once upon a time, there was a café here.

The owner's brewed tea was delicious, and the cakes were exquisite, making it very popular. Among the affordable eateries in this area, the restaurant 'Rocinante,' the dining bar 'Red Eyebrow,' and the former café 'Andromarius' were the most famous, and they fiercely competed with each other.

'Rocinante' and 'Red Eyebrow' continue to operate, but 'Andromarius' is no longer in business. Those who remember it say, "The taste was excellent," but there were issues with the management beyond the taste.

The trigger was when the owner's younger brother, who was a member of the knights, was arrested for embezzlement.

This was not an incident involving the knights of Shelland. The owner's brother was a member of the 'Gray Wing Knights,' a prestigious knight order that monitored and guarded the border. The owner was proud of his brother for joining such a distinguished order.

The family of the café 'Andromarius' had noble blood up to three generations ago, but they fell from grace and became commoners after a scandal. The owner often said, "Thanks to my brother, the restoration of our noble status and honor might not be a dream."

The owner's brother was diligent and honest, with no mistakes in paperwork or calculations, and he was skilled in both swordsmanship and magic. However, he was somewhat inflexible. When the owner heard that his brother had been embezzling, he thought, "It must be a mistake. He must have been framed for trying to expose corruption."

The owner worked tirelessly to protect his brother. He hired lawyers without regard for cost, and he bribed people who could influence the case, pouring the café's profits and his inherited wealth into the effort.

As a result, his brother avoided official punishment and dishonorable discharge. However, he could not remain in the Gray Wing Knights and was transferred to another knight order. His subsequent career is not well known, but it seems he was loaned out to other knight orders, and then loaned out again from there.

During this time, a war broke out with a neighboring country.

The news of his brother's death in battle reached the owner.

This finally broke the owner's spirit. His wealth was depleted, and he fell ill and passed away. The owner's wife had already passed away before the incident, and they had no children. There were no direct relatives to inherit the café. The collateral relatives, who had a strained relationship with the owner due to his financial efforts for his brother, were left with the building as a "troublesome inheritance."

After hearing this story, Jill hesitantly raised her hand.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"

"Yes, anything at all!"

Carol, sweating coldly, managed a smile.

"Will we be doing this kind of story on-site?"

"......I'm sorry."

Everyone at the counter table had an indescribable expression.

The heavy silence was palpable.

"It's a truly tragic story... Even without the ghost, it's so sad that it hurts my heart..."

"I'm sorry, Jill. I didn't realize it would be this serious."

Seeing Jill genuinely upset, Carol and Matthew shrank back. Carol, who was already small, looked even smaller, as if she were being scolded for mischief.

"Um, can I continue with the rest of the story... specifically, the details about the ghost?"

"Sure, please go ahead."

Jill, though reluctant, nodded, thinking, "I don't really want to hear it anymore."

"The owner died an untimely death, and there was a dispute over what to do with the building. The relatives argued over who would inherit it, or rather, who would be stuck with it. The incident with the owner and his brother was very sad, but there was another significant issue..."

"Is it because of the ghost?"

"Yes..."

Carol nodded, looking dejected.

"When someone tries to renovate or make changes to the café, the ghost appears in their dreams at night, saying in a dark voice, 'Do not touch it.' People who tried to resell the building or renovate it gave up. No one wanted to inherit it."

"Were there no other people interested in running the café, outside of the family?"

"There was no one who could serve as good tea and food as the owner... and everyone seemed to think it was unlucky. In the end, it was pushed onto me."

Carol laughed dryly.

"What is your relationship to the owner?"

"I am the grandson of the owner's cousin."

"......That's quite distant."

"It seems that when I was very young, I was taken care of by the owner and his wife... I don't remember it well, but my relatives and family decided, 'Carol is just right! Everyone is fine with it!' and I couldn't refuse..."

"Didn't your parents say anything?"

"My parents were on the side of pushing it onto me, and no one stood up for me..."

"I see..."

Carol's gloomy face grew even darker.

"I tried to get help from a detailed person at the notary office, but they sided with my relatives because they didn't want to deal with a troublesome case. I was so distracted that I broke the boss's important cup and made a mistake with the documents, and I was fired... Ha ha... I've always been clumsy, so clumsy..."

"Um, Carol?"

"There's no one to rent it, and no one to buy it, and I can't run a café..."

Jill, worried, tried to speak, but Carol exuded a damp, mushroom-like atmosphere.

"Anyway! Let's talk positively!"

"Wait, you'll rent it!?"

"Before that. We need to investigate more. Does the ghost speak? Is that all it does?"

"Um..."

Carol, confused, put her hand to her chin as if searching her memory.

"No, there are other things. When a thief tried to steal this counter table at night..."

"Were they killed?"

"No, no, it wasn't that violent! They were hit with some kind of magic and thrown out. The thieves panicked and ran to the knight order for help, but they ended up being caught and put in jail. The knight order should have records of this."

"I see. There were injuries, but no deaths."

"It turned out they were hit with water magic or something. The only real damage was that they caught a cold from the night air."

"Has anyone seen the ghost? Either at the scene or in their dreams, either way is fine."

"No... they only saw a blurry shadow. It's not clear if it had feet or not."

"Did it have any weapons?"

"No. It was just a vague shape..."

"It doesn't seem too dangerous."

Jill's words made Carol's face brighten.

"Right! I'll really lower the rent... I'll take 30,000 dinars for the building..."

Carol held up three fingers, pressing them towards Jill.

But Matthew cleared his throat and interrupted.

"Carol, you can't just say 'I'll rent it' based on this story."

"I can't, can I..."

"Let's start over for today. Thank you for the tour."

Matthew stood up from the table, intending to end the conversation.

But then, Jill muttered softly.

"This isn't a ghost. It's triggered by touching a specific object, causing it to appear at the bedside. Or it might cause low-level magic or poltergeist phenomena. It's a minor spell, but not particularly difficult."

"‘What?’"

Matthew and Carol both exclaimed in surprise.

"It's the work of a 'demon.'"

◆

A few nights later.

The sun had set, and the light from candlesticks in the surrounding houses was visible.

However, the area around the vacant house was not bright enough to see clearly.

Jill, Matthew, and Carol gathered in front of the vacant house, just as they had a few days ago.

"Um... Jill?"

Carol, worried, called out to Jill.

"Are you really going to do this? Meet the ghost?"

"No, it's not a ghost. I've investigated and am certain it's not a ghost."

After inspecting the building, Jill continued to research the 'ghost' rumors. She gathered information from the knight order through Matthew and Maureen, and thoroughly questioned Carol. She also collected various occult rumors and organized the information, leading to two conclusions.

First, it is the work of a 'demon.'

Second, it is not particularly dangerous and can be easily resolved.

"But the exorcism by the priest didn't work..."

"Priests are not specialists in demons or magic. If it were a real ghost, a priest might be necessary, but I've never seen a ghost, so I can't say for sure."

In contrast to Carol, Jill showed no signs of fear.

She had a casual attitude, as if she were just taking a walk.

"Matthew, have you ever seen a ghost?"

"No, I haven't... but just because I haven't seen one doesn't mean they don't exist."

Matthew seemed a bit uneasy.

"True, that's a good point."

"Are you not afraid, Jill?"

"Well, I've lived in places where ghosts should appear for many years... The maids would spread rumors about ghosts in the underground dungeon or the graveyard in the back garden, but none of them were true."

Jill had spent most of her teenage years in the royal castle.

There were countless people who had met untimely deaths there, but Jill had never seen a ghost.

"Your confidence is so high, I don't know what to say."

"So, it's most likely the work of a demon. The remaining one or two percent could be the work of a human."

"Isn't a demon even more terrifying? We don't know what it is, and the owner might have been cursed by a demon or something..."

"Hmm? Demons don't do that... Oh."

Jill paused, as if she had just thought of something.

"Sorry, I didn't explain it well. When I say 'demon,' I'm not referring to the terrifying monsters from myths and legends. I mean the magical term 'demon.' They are 'intelligent beings without souls.'"

"Huh?"

Matthew looked puzzled.

"Carol, did the ghost say anything other than 'Do not touch it'?"

"No, everyone just heard 'Do not touch it.'"

"Anything else? Did it say anything malicious like 'I'll curse you' or 'I'll kill you'?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever heard it say anything like that."

"Demons cannot directly kill people or make malicious statements. They are allowed to prevent rule violations or take physical action for security, but that's it."

Matthew nodded in understanding.

"The statement 'Do not touch it' and the use of magic on the thief are within the demon's capabilities?"

"Yes. They are also forbidden from coercing contracts or casting curses."

"Then, is the demon in this vacant house a kind, gentle one!?"

Carol exclaimed in surprise.

But Matthew interjected.

"Maybe not. A demon can use sweet words to manipulate people without lying or using violence. There might be a hidden agenda."

"That's correct. When dealing with a demon, you need to be clear about your own intentions. However, they are not common... I've only seen a handful in my life."

"Where did you learn about this 'demon'?"

"Well... I tried to create one with my uncle when I was young, but it didn't work. It's quite difficult."

Conrad, who raised Jill as a child, was exploring magic that Jill could use. Knowledge about demons was one of the topics. However, at the time, there were no real demons nearby, and the procedure books in the royal library were not detailed. In the end, Jill gave up on the concept of demons.

"Can they be created?"

"The technology to create demons as skilled as humans was lost with ancient civilizations, but modern mages can create simple ones that can respond to commands. For example, a door that only opens with a password, or a warning that repeats 'Go away.'"

"I see. They don't have their own will."

"Exactly. They are like excellent tools. So..."

Jill looked at Carol and gestured for her to proceed.

"Huh?"

"Can you open it?"

"Do I have to?"

"Well, if I can just turn around and leave, that's fine too..."

"Ugh... I guess so..."

"Don't worry. If anything happens, we can just run."

Carol hesitantly unlocked the door.

The sound of the chain clinking echoed through the night, creating an eerie atmosphere. Only Jill remained calm, while Matthew was tense.

"It's open..."

"Thank you. I'll go in now."

Jill sidestepped Matthew, who was standing like a wall, and walked in. Matthew and Carol hurriedly followed her