NOVEL NEXT chapter 3- kidney opening
kidney opening
Episode 3
“O souls consumed by wickedness. I shall slay you!”
I must kill him! He violated me… that bastard!!!
As expected in a fantasy world, the three knights who came to this haunted house were holy knights.
In this life, I was treated as a nuisance because I was an illegitimate child, but I had heard some things from eavesdropping. I had seen priests who visited the count’s castle from afar.
So, as soon as I saw the holy symbols, I immediately hid in the most secluded corner of the mansion, the very spot where I used to hide when I felt I was about to die from the abuse I suffered in this life (more like a crevice).
And my choice turned out to be the right one. The holy knights began to slaughter all the ghosts remaining in the mansion.
… Yes, they slaughtered them. They “sliced” them!
“It was terrifying.”
I know how painful it is to be stabbed. It hurts. And I ended up dead, so… well, I think I developed PTSD from it.
Moreover, in this world, exorcists don’t pacify ghosts to let them ascend like in Korea, seal them away like in Japan, or drive them out like in the West. They simply say, “Evil spirits shall be obliterated!”
In other words, if I were caught by the holy knights, I wouldn’t just die for the third time; I would be completely obliterated, soul and all.
Anyway, I held my breath and hid in the corner for several days. The holy knights roamed the mansion for about a day, slaughtering ghosts, but honestly, I was so scared that I couldn’t bring myself to leave the spot for days… maybe even over a month.
After crying for so long in hiding, when I finally came out… I found that I was truly the only one left in this mansion.
An 18-year-old girl with a large mansion? That’s precious, you know?
Until that point, I thought I had no hope, suffering from long ghostly days, half-crazy from boredom, and enduring the holy knights’ raid that turned the “haunted house” into “haunted house version 2.0.”
I even thought that maybe it would be better to be exorcised when the holy knights came.
Slowly… very slowly, I was sinking into loneliness when one day I discovered strange energy masses rolling around in this dilapidated house.
Some took the shape of hands, some were eyes, and some were parts of transparent bodies resembling feet. All of them were pieces of the bodies of vengeful spirits that had been slaughtered by the holy knights.
I can’t remember exactly what I was thinking at that moment. I just know that I picked one up…
Wuuuuuuuung!
The ghostly body fragment, shortened to a ghost fragment, was instantly absorbed into me.
– Oh?! Strength… I feel so powerful!
And my soul, which should have been weak enough to not even become a minor spirit, was slightly strengthened. It felt like I gained experience points.
It was then that I realized this was an opportunity. I could do something with this.
Immediately, I began to search the mansion for soul fragments, and after absorbing about 100 fragments, I felt that my soul had leveled up by one tier.
In simpler terms, I had leveled up.
Yes, only then could I confidently shout, “I am a minor spirit!”
… Something felt off, but anyway, I was very happy at that time.
And then…
* * *
What are you thinking, miss?
“Nothing… I just suddenly felt a sense of doubt about my ghostly life.”
As I gazed into the campfire, I unexpectedly became sentimental, and my dark—no, my past—came rushing back.
Feeling embarrassed, I fidgeted with a twig in the fire.
Miria emerged from the miniature mansion and stood beside me.
Are you troubled?
“I have many worries… I’m always worried about something.”
For instance, where to find food next, how to avoid the priests and holy knights, what will happen to my ghostly life in the future, and how to take responsibility for Sebastian, Miria, and Philip…
“Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
– Yes.
At my words, Miria quietly lowered her head.
As I absentmindedly poked the campfire, I looked up at the sky.
Unlike Earth, there was a giant full moon tinged with red. Next to it was a small crescent moon.
It was truly a classic fantasy trope—“two moons.” These days, it’s rare, but back in my day, it was a given that if you went to another world, there would be two moons!
– Miss!
“Oh, Philip.”
At that moment, Philip, who had gone on reconnaissance, returned.
I found a suitable location over there.
“Great job. Let’s go.”
I stirred the campfire with the kindling to extinguish it. Then I left the garbage dump and started walking between the alleys of the slums.
As I passed by the corpses of the starving dead, rats gnawing on them, and the wandering ghosts above,
Philip pointed to a ruin ahead.
Here it is.
“Oh.”
Between the shabby shanties of the slums, there was a spacious area filled with debris as if a building had collapsed.
There are almost no living humans around, and if there are, they’re all on the verge of death.
“Good job, Philip. You’re indeed competent.”
Thank you, miss.
Leaving behind Philip, who playfully winked, I walked to the center of the area filled with debris and placed the miniature mansion there.
“Shall we start the business?”
Of course, it’s not the kind of business everyone knows about.
It’s a grand opening. Welcome!
Generally, how do those who reincarnate into fantasy worlds become stronger?
It depends on the author’s setting, but… In the case of typical Korean web novels, most use mana to cast spells or aura to fight.
There might also be psychic powers, or like the holy knights who previously slaughtered ghosts, they might use holy power.
So! What does a ghost like me need to become stronger?
Mana? Holy power? Psychic abilities?
I’ve never had psychic abilities in my past or present life, so that’s impossible.
Holy power? I saw ghosts being slaughtered by that sacred power, didn’t I??
Mana? I’ve never even seen a wizard, let alone have mana.
Unlike innate abilities that you are born with or holy powers that you must adhere to, mana is the only possibility I have, as it’s something I can learn to use.
Unfortunately, I was treated as a nuisance at home, so I never received any education about mana.
Moreover, I heard from the countess that I had no aptitude for mana. Of course, she didn’t say that kindly; she was more likely mocking me.
Why was that mocking? Because my brother, the countess’s son, had the potential to become a wizard.
“I must have been ignored by the count because I had no talent, huh?”
In the country I was born in, unless in special cases, women cannot inherit the head of the family.
Plus, since my mother was a maid, I was an illegitimate child, so I never had any inheritance rights.
If the count had cared about me, I wouldn’t have suffered so much at the hands of the countess, nor would my mother have passed away.
Well, I didn’t think about it much now.
It was all in the past. My anger, regret, and fear… have all blurred together with my past life memories.
It would be a lie to say I don’t care at all, but that doesn’t mean I’m swept away by those memories. I’m no longer the Charlotte Tricia of the past.
“NEW Charlotte! Ahem!”
Anyway, I got a bit sidetracked, but the reality is that I have an absurdly small number of elements left to become stronger.
Even if I were alive, I would have worked out to build physical strength, but I don’t have a living body, so that’s impossible. Well, even if I were alive, there would have been limits due to being a young girl who didn’t grow properly.
Thus, the only path left for me was one:
– Sebastian.