Raising the Elf’s Genius Slayer

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Chapter

Time passed, and the red sunset fell as the night sky turned a deep shade of blue.

The first plan was to wander around the mansion searching for traces of the ghost, and once we got a rough idea of its location, Enok would use his Ki Eye to communicate with the Idalian.

The two challenges we faced were determining the location of the Idalian and, of course, ensuring smooth communication.

“Should we go look for it?”

It was a situation where even Enok couldn’t sense the ghost. As soon as our party seriously opened the door and stepped out,

*Snap-!*

“Take me with you!”

“You said you wouldn’t follow.”

“…Now that I think about it, being alone might be scarier.”

Tsukiyo, grabbing onto Enok’s sleeve, trailed behind him.

“Enok, last time you definitely heard shoe sounds, right?”

“Yeah. If that wasn’t the case, it might have been hard to find.”

“Maybe there’s another hint like that this time too.”

Zikfrein’s demeanor was unusually grave. However, Enok shook his head in response to his words.

“I don’t know. Honestly, that shoe sound is the biggest mystery. It didn’t seem powerful enough for that.”

If it had enough strength to make any noise, wouldn’t it have attempted to communicate long ago?

And just then, it happened.

*Tap-*

The distinct sound of shoes echoed out. All of us turned our heads toward the source of the sound.

“…What the heck is that?”

Unable to shake the uneasy feeling, Enok took a step toward the direction of the sound.

*Tap-*

Even while moving, the sound of footsteps regularly rang out, as if to remind us not to lose our bearings.

In the creepy atmosphere, we all held our breath and moved mechanically.

That was when the strange sound arrived.

*Sniff…*

Zikfrein, frozen in place, rolled his eyes to look at Enok.

“…Did you hear that? A sobbing sound. Could it be…”

“No way. That’s Choco sobbing.”

When I turned my gaze, just as Enok said, the pale Tsukiyo was sniffling.

“I thought my heart would drop.”

Muttering, Zikfrein continued walking.

In the end, Tsukiyo ended up piggybacking on Enok, and after following the regularly heard shoe sounds down the corridor, we arrived at the source of the noise.

[No big deal, huh.]

“Isn’t it odd for an Idalian not to be some sort of malevolent spirit or something? Wouldn’t it be weirder if something actually happened?”

[Now that you mention it, that makes sense.]

While Eri was convinced, Enok focused his mind intently.

Viewing a ghost consumes significant mental energy. Not only that, but it also places a considerable burden on the eyes.

The time in which one can perceive a ghost is limited, and even then, it presents itself as a hazy figure, making it slow to read their lips.

‘Should I study some soul manipulation techniques or something?’

As the rings in his eyes started to overheat and he began to glimpse the spirit’s essence, a faint figure of a woman appeared before him.

Once he viewed her portrait, he could tell. This ghost was indeed an Idalian.

But why was she stuck in the Middle Realm instead of moving on to the afterlife?

Could it be that she was murdered, and her grudge lingered? Or perhaps it was an attachment? But what kind of significant attachment could exist?

Setting aside his complicated thoughts, he locked eyes with the Idalian.

– Hello.

Focusing his eyes, he began to read her lips.

– It’s nice to…

She seemed to understand too, as her lips slowly moved.

– Meet…

– You.

“Nice to meet you? No, we don’t have time for this small talk!”

“Ah, yes, so do you have something you want to say? We’re kind of in a hurry here.”

The hazy expression of the Idalian slightly distorted. It looked like she was a bit sad.

– My

The strain on his eyes was beginning. Peering into the spirit’s essence was exhausting even for someone like Enok, who had ascended to Grandmaster.

Noticing that she understood his struggle, the Idalian began to move her lips faster.

– Son.

My son. A short word that followed.

[Zikfrein.]

Clearly, he couldn’t hear her voice, but it somehow felt like a warm tone brushed against his ears.

As Enok absentmindedly touched his ears, Zikfrein, who had been holding his breath, shot him a piercing look.

“Speak, dammit.”

“Is, is it over?”

“Yeah. Keeping my Ki Eye active any longer would be impossible.”

It felt like his eyes might break if he maintained it just a bit longer. Enok pressed down on his eyelids firmly.

“Mom is here…”

Zikfrein was still confused. He even thought for a moment that this entire situation might be some elaborate act planned by everyone without him knowing.

A ghost, huh? Why on earth would our mother be here?

Still, there was this strange feeling that the emptiness right before his eyes was filled with something, and he pulled out the words he had been thinking over and over in his head.

“…I missed you, Mom.”

The moment those words escaped his lips, everyone except Zikfrein vanished from the corridor.

Without realizing what was happening, Zikfrein poured out the words that had been trapped in his chest all alone in the short night.

Without a single reply coming back, yet he felt no loneliness.

*

“What is this…?”

Suddenly, the space before him changed without his notice. He had just been in the corridor a moment ago, yet now he stood inside his own room.

“Gee…!”

With a huffing sound, Tsukiyo fainted, while Eri looked at the door with a serious expression.

[Zikfrein is gone.]

“Hmmm…”

What was going on? Was it possible that someone possessed such high-level spatial movement that I couldn’t even sense it?

Enok, with a face brimming with curiosity, fiddled with the door.

If that person was watching him right now, could he resist? If it was impossible to contend, could he run? No way would they be able to easily beat him if Tsukiyo joined in, right?

Anyway, he first needed to wake Tsukiyo up.

*Tap-tap-*

As he patted Tsukiyo’s soft cheek, she jolted awake with a start.

“Yahhh!?”

“Get a grip.”

“W-what, what was that!? T-There was definitely a ghost…!”

She seemed to have seen something, darting her eyes around nervously.

“Eri, did you see anything?”

[No….]

So Tsukiyo was the only one who saw it? If so, what was the reason I didn’t see it?

Was it because I was too tired from using my Ki Eye? Was it because of the difference in levels? Or did she have some special quality?

“Oh, right! By the way, Choco, didn’t you say you saw a ghost when you were little?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Is it because you’re a cat?”

You know, people say that cats can see ghosts.

When he asked seriously, Tsukiyo perked up her cat ears.

“That’s nonsense! No one in my tribe has ever been able to see ghosts!”

“You might just be special.”

“I-I’ve only seen one when I was little, okay!?”

Tsukiyo, appearing stiff, began to squawk as if something was wrong. After a moment’s consideration, Enok slipped his hands under her armpits and lifted her up.

“Meow?”

“A ghost detector.”

“……”

Ah, she’s fainted.

*

Proceeding cautiously down the corridor, Enok retraced the steps he had taken earlier.

Straight ahead, then to the left, straight again, then two rights.

Having arrived at the spot where he had seen the Idalian, he found nothing there.

“No, this isn’t it.”

Enok’s eyes shimmered in a gentle purple hue. He deployed his Ki Eye at a manageable rate and sensed an intent.

‘A barrier? Or is it an illusion?’

He playfully tapped Tsukiyo’s shoulder, who was nervously glancing around.

“Uhh…!”

“…It’s me.”

“W-what is it?”

Tsukiyo was clearly more knowledgeable in this field than him, so he asked her, but she shook her head in reply.

“I-I don’t really know. I don’t sense any traces of an illusion.”

“Hmmm.”

What should he do? As Enok pondered, he let out a short breath through his nose.

“Then let’s just rest in the room.”

[What about Zikfrein?]

“I don’t think anything will happen.”

There were no negative feelings evident in the hazy emotions he perceived through his Ki Eye. Therefore, his instincts told him it was almost certain that nothing would be wrong.

And he had a vague idea of who might be behind it.

“It seems like there’s more than just the Idalian as a ghost.”

I mean, didn’t Jatum mention that a ghost from two thousand years ago was roaming around? Perhaps this ghost was that one.

“Considering that it’s the one making the shoe sounds, it doesn’t seem like a bad ghost.”

“A good ghost is one that has been set free.”

“That narrow-minded way of thinking isn’t good, Choco. That’s species discrimination.”

What happened could be heard from Zikfrein tomorrow.

Emitting a small yawn, Enok returned to his room and threw himself onto the bed.

Must be a fancy bed; it felt surprisingly nice.

*

As dawn broke faintly, Enok, awakened by a slight movement, squinted at the door.

“Oh, you woke me up?”

“Yeah.”

Enok sat up drowsily. Zikfrein, cautiously opening the door, had eyes that were red and swollen.

“Was nothing wrong?”

“Huh? Not particularly. Thanks for clearing the space. Afterward, I realize I might have talked about some embarrassing stuff.”

It wasn’t like he had cleared the space for him or anything… Well, a good thing is a good thing, right?

When Enok nodded vaguely, Zikfrein asked.

“By the way…, I forgot to ask earlier, but did your mom say anything this time?”

“She said, ‘Nice to meet you.’”

“And?”

“My son, Zikfrein.”

Zikfrein rested his chin in his hand and fell into silence.

Several minutes later, he raised his head, sniffing.

“Why would she say such things? If her attachment is strong enough to hold her back from moving on, wouldn’t she have many other things to say?”

“Who knows.”

Perhaps her mental acuity wasn’t all there after becoming a ghost.

As he rubbed his eyes absentmindedly, Enok settled back onto the bed.

“Go get some rest. You must be tired.”

“…Thanks.”

Creak-, the sound of the door slowly shutting echoed.

“Really, thank you…”