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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Due to the light flowing from the candle, the shadows of Elena and I were cast long on the expansive walls of the castle.
The castle, full of vitality during the day, felt eerie at night.
Especially at 4 o’clock in the morning, like now, the castle was as quiet as if it were dead.
I was used to this scene to the point of being familiar with it, so I was unfazed.
I only blamed myself for not bringing something to cover myself, as it was still chilly in the early morning.
However, Elena was a bit different.
She clung tightly to me, not letting go of my sleeve.
The sight of her fearlessly rushing at men several times larger than her earlier in the night had disappeared.
‘She’s cute, but…’
It was a bit uncomfortable to walk with her clinging so closely.
“Are you scared?”
When I asked, Elena flinched and shook her head.
“I- I’m not scared! Did I say I was scared?”
“Doesn’t the doctrine of Nephthys teach that lying is a sin?”
At my words, conflict arose in Elena’s eyes.
“Ugh… that’s true, but..”
She had already practically said it.
“What is there to be afraid of?”
Elena hesitated for a moment while answering my question.
At first, I thought it was because I had hit the nail on the head, but I quickly realized something was strange.
It was the same expression she had shown before answering why she was wandering around at night.
That confused and uncertain face.
“…Well..”
Elena trailed off.
She looked at me with a slightly furrowed brow as if she was troubled.
Receiving that pitiful gaze as if she wanted to pour out her frustration, I tried to help her.
Wait a moment, could it be…?
Something suddenly came to mind.
I focused on that thought and expanded my reasoning.
‘Perhaps…?’
I recalled what I had seen in my original world and the settings I had learned from reading books since coming here.
And, like making a deduction, I combined them and connected the lines to create the most plausible hypothesis.
It probably wasn’t the darkness that scared her.
I was holding a candle, and the corridor was sufficiently illuminated.
Was she afraid of being alone?
That could be the case.
Elena didn’t go to the bathroom alone to find it.
But I was here with her, and in the first place, when I first met Elena, she was wandering around the village alone.
Therefore, it was unlikely to be a common fear one could easily harbor.
Among them, there was only one that fit this situation the most.
I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.
This was a proof of hypothesis.
However, if it turned out as hypothesized, it would be hazardous.
I glanced at Elena.
The silver-haired girl.
And I made up my mind.
Whatever happened, I would take responsibility for the consequences.
“Have you seen ghosts before?”
Having decided, I spoke as if trying to persuade Elena.
“Pardon…?”
Elena stared at me perplexed, as if she was hearing it for the first time.
Still, I waited a moment without paying attention.
But the reaction I was waiting for didn’t come.
It was as expected.
‘There’s not enough evidence. Elena is a devout saintess candidate. She’s brave and strong. There’s no way she would be afraid of ghosts for no reason.’
Proving the hypothesis started from here.
Once I uttered the first words, the words began to come out surprisingly quickly.
“Listen. I’ve heard that even among priests, it’s not common for spiritual perception to develop. But very rarely, those who are extremely devout and talented can develop spiritual sight and become able to see ghosts. I think they said it was about one in a hundred people.”
Elena tilted her head.
However,
The perplexity disappeared from her silver eyes.
Instead, she was blankly listening to my words as if I had enchanted her.
I looked at Elena’s silver eyes, reflecting the red light of the candle.
And I wove the settings I had connected in this world into a proper setting and conveyed it to Elena.
In fact, while speaking to Elena, I was simultaneously speaking to the world.
“And you have that spiritual sight. That’s why you sometimes see ghosts, right? The current atmosphere of the castle gives off the perfect vibe for ghosts to appear, so you’re scared.”
After I finished speaking, Elena blinked her eyelids blankly without answering.
I watched her with tension.
It felt like a long time passing by very slowly, but it was a short moment, just enough for the candle to flicker once.
And soon, as if waking up from a dream after wandering in a long fog, she spoke slightly dazedly.
“That’s right. I definitely… had that. I can see ghosts, so… I was startled. There were many nights when the priest would hug me and comfort me, saying it was okay and that Lord Nephthys would protect me.”
Those words from Elena made it feel like she was retracing a truth she had initially known.
While seeming a bit amazed, a hint of joy arose on Elena’s face.
“…That’s amazing! How did you even know that? You wouldn’t know if you weren’t interested!”
Elena asked curiously.
The sight of Elena, who had been suffering because she couldn’t recall something about herself, had already disappeared.
“I just read a few books I could get my hands on. Ghosts, spiritual perception, those things are interesting.”
I spoke as if making an excuse.
And,
*Ding!*
The system window popped up, and the hypothesis was proven.
Perhaps these keywords were something the world had designated as essential questions about each character.
The things Elena had been evasive about were probably the empty spaces Elena designated by the world.
Elena doesn’t appear in the novel but is a character necessary for development.
What she had were only the bare minimum settings.
Those bare minimum settings were insufficient to constitute a ‘person.’
I could fill in the settings, fitting the exact shape of the block into the empty holes that were lacking.
The same went for the Red Snake.
It existed in the setting but needed to be more specific.
I had supplemented the setting of the Red Snake.
Was it limited to just that?
The keywords for filling in the settings could extend to characters, organizations, objects, and perhaps even past historical events.
If only I could find them.
This was something I had never thought about before.
In reality, I, myself, could fill in the empty spaces of this world.
It was the most powerful yet the most terrifying power.
However, that meant…
I had committed an irreversible sin.
“Scary…”
At that moment, Elena gripped my sleeve even more tightly.
I looked down and saw Elena’s white hand trembling more than before.
As she slowly raised her head, Elena only stared at her pale white hand, grasping my sleeve.
“Did you see it?”
At my question, Elena nodded.
Transparent moisture was welling up in Elena’s moistened eyes.
Elena cautiously looked at one side of the corridor.
“It’s there. Bleeding… and glaring at me.”
Of course, I couldn’t see anything.
Just an empty corridor with darkness draped over it.
‘It’s not surprising.’
An old castle is a place where various things have happened.
Plenty of ghosts with enough resentment could remain in this world.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. If we pass by quickly…”
As I tried to quicken my pace, Elena pulled my sleeve hard.
“…Still, I.”
Elena, pulling me like that, looked as precarious as a beautiful flower on a cliff.
“I’m scared.”
I felt a piercing pang of guilt in my heart.
Fear is a big problem that can dictate a person’s life.
It was such a big thing, so it was an empty space for Elena.
From now on, who knows what terrifying things Elena will see with the setting of being able to see ghosts or spirits?
Each time, will she be able to grasp someone’s hand with this pale face?
I was the one who made her like this.
In other words, I was the one who had to hold her hand each time.
Elena was pure white snow. Moreover, even whiter snow is revealed when you turn the snow over.
And I had taken a greedy step into that pure white snow.
Elena, who had shone brightly as if she could face any fear, was no longer like that.
I had to take responsibility.
For my footsteps.
“It’s okay.”
With that thought, I firmly grasped Elena’s hand, holding my sleeve.
Elena looked at me in surprise.
“I’ll be by your side. So that thing can’t touch you.”
And as if to tell her to rely on me, I walked down the corridor with the flickering candle.
Elena, who had resisted at first, took a step to follow me.
After overcoming that resistance, it was easy.
Elena began to walk with me.
After walking for a while, Elena exhaled a small breath.
Mixed with relief, comfort, and moisture.
“…It was the first time I could overcome a ghost.”
Elena whispered, receiving the tilting moonlight coming through the window.
I looked at Elena, bathed in the faint moonlight, with a mixture of apology and admiration.
“Yeah.”
I slowly nodded.
Elena looked at me and smiled, turning her eyes into crescents.
“Thank you.”
Saying it with kindness and gratitude, without knowing what I had done.
My conscience was pricking me.
I couldn’t turn it back.
Through her, I felt the responsibility of adding settings.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, Elena flinched and looked at me again with moist eyes.
Thinking another ghost had appeared, I asked urgently.
“Do you see it again?”
Elena quickly shook her head.
Then why…?!
“Shhh, shh… it’s about to come out!”
Elena’s voice was more desperate and urgent than before.
Her restlessness seemed like it would really come out at any moment.
I held Elena’s hand tightly and rushed out.
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Fortunately, the bathroom was nearby.
In the first place, it ought to be close to my room.
So, just before something serious happened, Elena could safely enter the bathroom.
I was spacing out, waiting for Elena to come out.
At that moment.
A tingling sensation of murderous intent was felt throughout my body.
I looked at the other end of the corridor.
Tap tap.
The sound of someone walking quickly was heard.
It wasn’t murderous intent towards me.
This was definitely murderous intent related to Elena.
And soon, a person’s figure appeared under the moonlight.
It was Elin.
Elin was walking with her silver eyes, identical to Elena’s, darkened with murderous intent.
She wasn’t holding any weapons, but I intuitively felt it.
Elin was about to do something.
And if I didn’t stop it, it would be dangerous.
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