HDBMTD 61

~Chapter 61~

“Jason, good job.”

I lightly patted Jason’s shoulder as he came closer, and he blushed.

“It’s an honor. Honestly, I thought you didn’t even remember my name…”

“Of course I remember. I’m sorry for using my power to control you before. I should have apologized sooner.”

“Oh, no! That was because I was too weak back then, haha.”

Hearing his generous words, I apologized again in my heart.

‘Sorry, I actually didn’t remember your name.’

I only recalled it because I had peeked into Jason’s mind a little when I used empathy to figure out the situation. Lucky for me.

“Your Highness, let’s go in quickly.”

“Alright, let’s.”

As people supported me back toward the hospital, I suddenly sensed a chilling energy coming from the forest.

I turned toward the darkness and shouted.

“Jason, there’s another phantom ghost in the forest!”

“Damn, another one?!”

Jason grabbed his sword and ran back into the forest.

To catch a phantom ghost, a mental-type Eshape was needed, so I chased after Jason.

The second phantom ghost we saw in the forest moved more smoothly and quickly than the first. That meant it had devoured many human souls.

Once we entered the forest, Jason carried me in his arms to move.

The speed slowed a little, but since I kept tracking the ghost’s location with empathy, the chase was fine.

“Your Highness, we’re going too deep. If we keep going, your safety will—”

“If you’re worried, then let’s deal with it quickly and go back.”

While chasing, I remembered a conversation that had been bothering me.

‘Two miracles in a row. It must be that the Princess’s energy is spreading!’

The stories of the Regent’s son, who was said to have died and come back to life, and the boy from the slums.

‘Could they have turned into phantom ghosts?’

If a phantom ghost steals someone’s soul, nine times out of ten the person will remain like they’re asleep until their heart slowly stops. One out of ten turns into a phantom ghost and wakes again.

If those two “miraculously” revived people became phantom ghosts, that would make four ghosts in this city. That means ten times more victims.

That’s forty dead.

“This isn’t just some A~B-class monster appearance…”

Dealing with phantom ghosts required speed. Once they fully digested a soul, the victim truly died.

“I’ll go faster, so tap my shoulder if it’s too much.”

“Okay.”

Jason, an A-class combat type, was fast. Even carrying me and slowing down, he would catch up soon.

After about an hour of chasing, I suddenly felt another wave of dread.

“Jason, stop.”

“Are you unwell? Is your stomach—”

“Up ahead, the ghost group split into two and is closing in.”

Jason’s eyes widened.

“H-how many?”

“Eight.”

“Eight?!”

I clicked my tongue.

“This must be a trap. They wanted us to chase one deep inside, so the rest could surround us. If we had fallen for it, it would’ve been bad.”

Even if they were all B-class, eight against one wouldn’t be easy. And phantom ghosts got stronger the more souls they consumed… this could have been dangerous.

“They’re trying to use tactics on me? How amusing.”

Jason flinched at my muttering. I looked up at him and smiled.

“Don’t chase anymore. Let’s loop left and hit them from behind.”

About 30 minutes later, one of the fleeing ghosts stopped and looked around.

The others had vagabond or beast shapes, but this one was a young man with a large build.

We locked eyes. The ghost smiled strangely.

“You’re like rats in a trap.”

From his smooth speech, I could tell how many victims there had been. He looked at us confidently, waiting for something to happen.

“….”

“…?”

But nothing happened.

When no backup came, he turned his head nervously.

“Looking for your friends?”

I held up the cores I had taken from the ghosts we already killed.

“Kiii…!”

Realizing the situation, he hesitated and stepped back.

He glared at us and pulled a strange black blade from his belt. The blade had a round groove inside with hooks. I frowned as soon as I saw it.

“That’s a weapon made by the Cambiata…”

“Are you saying these ghosts are connected to Cambiata?”

“Probably.”

Jason immediately took a battle stance. I kept my empathy active, ready to respond to the ghost’s moves.

Then, instead of attacking us, the ghost stabbed the blade into his own palm.

“Ugh…!”

Since I was connected to his senses, sharp pain ran through me. My empathy faltered, and the ghost used his power to melt into the mist.

Not just hiding in the mist—he literally melted into it. Normal ghosts couldn’t do that.

“Damn it!”

We chased again.

But soon, we stopped.

“What is this place?”

“So there’s a slum here.”

Through the thick mist, an old slum appeared.

‘From outside the mist, I sensed nothing…’

This mist wasn’t natural.

As I looked around uneasily, chills ran through me.

“This whole slum is a phantom ghost nest.”

“…What?”

I had thought killing nine ghosts meant the problem was nearly over—but this was just the start.

Jason looked at me seriously.

“We should stop here and go back. This is too dangerous.”

“…True. My condition isn’t great either.”

When I agreed, Jason’s face brightened. I continued slowly.

“We can go back to the hospital, wait until tomorrow for Nocturne to return, report the situation, and let him prepare fully to handle it…”

“Yes, then—!”

“By that time, half the victims will be dead. And Nocturne won’t even give me a chance to step in.”

“That’s… huh?”

Jason, who had been agreeing, stumbled.

“Your Highness, you really can’t in your current state! If you collapse—”

“They said walking is fine now.”

“This is walking?”

Jason ran a hand through his messy orange hair, looking troubled.

“And if the Duke hears about this—”

I glanced around.

“Yeah… what would Nocturne do if he found out?”

Nocturne had asked me to pair up with him to wipe out the Cambiata Club. He must have been watching them ever since—especially because of Ari’s last wish.

But when Ari left a will like, ‘Avenge me, continue my cause,’ I’m sure she didn’t think there’d be much to do. The war was over, Cambiata was destroyed; what was left was paperwork and cleanup.

I thought that if he spent his days doing that and mingling with people, the grief from losing his lover would soften, and he’d regain the will to live.

‘And then the Cambiata Club came back.’

It turned into real revenge.

But was it good for Nocturne’s mental health to keep throwing himself into things that reminded him of Ari’s death?

Still, we couldn’t just let it be. Cambiata would definitely cause more trouble, and Nocturne was the most suited to stop them.

The best scenario was for me and Nocturne to quickly end Cambiata together, and in that process, help him step out of Ari’s shadow.

So that when the case was over and I disappeared, he could live on his own.

‘…But can that happen?’

I didn’t want to doubt someone I loved, but… what if Nocturne’s reason for pairing with me was just to keep me near him?

If he only protected me in safe places and avoided letting me do dangerous work, then things would go in the opposite direction of my best plan.

Maybe it would be better if we started getting used to working separately from now on.