Chapter 26 – Like Magic
“Lich? No, no. I didn’t sense any undead magic at all. If that’s the case -…”
The room, now filled to the brim with books and texts, looked more like a library than a laboratory.
‘Where did all these books even come from?’
I dodged the stack of books like doing a magic trick and made it over to Mia. After setting down a sandwich and a cool glass of water next to her, Mia instinctively grabbed the sandwich and took a big bite.
“Thanks! I’m sure there’s more in the historical records…”
“I’ll come back to collect these soon.”
Mia reflexively thanked me, then continued flipping through the books while munching on her sandwich. I hurriedly slipped out of the room.
Gurgle.
My stomach growled, signaling it was dinner time! Rubbing my belly, I moved quickly toward the dining hall. Thanks to my speed, I could see the entrance from a distance.
“Hmm?”
I spotted a familiar figure standing blank-faced next to the dining hall door.
“Pia, what are you doing there?”
“…!”
As soon as I called her name, Pia jolted and turned around, looking pale and covered in cold sweat.
“What’s wrong? Did you see something scary? Don’t tell me it’s a ghost?”
“Ah… yeah.”
Pia seemed to want to explain but just nodded when I guessed correctly. If she really saw a scary ghost, speaking would be difficult.
‘Is there a ghost here too, just like Julianna said? Some cursed mansion thing?’
Thinking that, I said to Pia with a serious expression.
“Pia, if you run into such a ghost, just say, ‘How are you fixing your geospatial coordinates?’”
“What?”
Pia tilted her head, totally lost. I felt sorry for her, so I grabbed her arms.
“Okay, repeat after me. ‘How are you fixing your geospatial coordinates?’”
“…how do you fix your geo…”
“Geospatial coordinates.”
“How are you fixing your geospatial coordinates?”
“Right! Just saying that will scare the ghost away! If you forget, just do a handstand and clap your feet while making monkey noises.”
If you did that, any ghost would probably think, “What the heck?!” and run away.
“Pfft, haha!”
Apparently, my explanation was hilarious because Pia burst out laughing, relaxing a bit. But I was serious!
“Don’t forget—geospatial coordinates and standing on your head -…”
“Pfffhh… stop, that’s too funny, my stomach hurts…”
“This is serious talk… -”
Just as I tried to make my point to a giggling Pia, Noah came out of the dining hall.
“What are you doing out here? Get inside!”
“Oh, we were just talking about something very important.”
“Pfffhaha…”
Noah’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Pia laughing. Usually, she smiles, but now she was doubled over with laughter, which must have been a shock!
“If you’re talking about something fun, come inside. I want to hear it too.”
Now a bit more relaxed from training with Julianna, Noah smiled and invited us. I nodded in agreement.
“Definitely! This shouldn’t just be for Pia.”
I let go of Pia’s shoulders and headed into the dining hall, taking two sandwiches from a plate, and made my way to where Nero and Lily were seated.
“Hey, Lian.”
“Yeah?”
Noah quietly approached me, looking serious. I halted and leaned in to hear what he was saying.
“Do you know why the master suddenly screamed and ran away?”
“What? Ran away all of a sudden?”
“Yeah, just a moment ago.”
“Is there something dangerous around… ah.”
I suddenly remembered the “ghost exorcism method” I had earnestly explained to Pia outside the dining hall. Perhaps she had sensed the dangerous vibe or overheard us by chance.
“Well, she should be back soon.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
We kept the conversation light and took our assigned seats. Not long after, Pia walked into the dining hall.
“Huh? Did something happen?”
Pia’s face was as pale as a ghost. Given our earlier ghost chat, I was worried.
Pia always sat with Lily, quietly munching on her sandwich while waiting. As expected, she approached our table.
“…Is it good, Lily?”
“Sister, are you feeling okay?”
“No?”
Pia shook her head, insisting she was fine, but I quickly finished the sandwich in my hand and stood up.
“It’s all because of a ghost.”
“A ghost?”
“Yikes?! A ghost?!”
My announcement made everyone in the dining hall stop eating and turn to stare at me. I put on my serious face.
“There could be ghosts anywhere! So I’m going to teach you how to deal with them!”
“Is there a way to do that?”
I explained the serious method of geospatial coordinates and doing monkey noises while standing on your head. A few of the more energetic kids began attempting handstands, clapping their feet.
“That’s it! Exactly!”
The kids loved my words of praise. Meanwhile, Pia was bent over the table, trembling.
“Pia, no need to be scared! Let’s practice. We can scare off any ghost!”
“Cough Okay…”
Pia made a sound that sounded like she was about to cry. It seemed she was really touched.
“Hey, look!”
“Wow! Jess, you’re amazing!”
“Amazing!”
Jess was dashing around, following my instructions in her own unique way. When the kids were so engaged they forgot to eat their dinner, Noah gently reminded them, “Can we eat first and then play?”
The once chaotic dinner atmosphere bounced back to normal, like nothing ever happened.
*
‘…Why pretend to cry alone and act fine afterwards? Is it on purpose?’
Pia thought about Lian’s face from earlier. The tear stains on his cheeks, the tears pooling in his eyes, and his swollen red eyes—such signs of crying!
Seeing him act like nothing happened ticked Pia off. She bit her lip.
‘It’s an act… It has to be. He’s trying to get sympathy by playing the victim.’
Even though she thought that, a long-held stereotype cracked, allowing other thoughts to slip in. Could it be? Is it really? But Pia shook her head.
Lian’s a bad guy; he’s acting. He’s deceiving us. Blaming someone else is way too easy.
Pia sighed quietly, thinking to herself.
“Huff… I can’t act or think stupidly. To protect my sister, I have to be more suspicious, more cautious!”
Until now, Pia had mostly ignored everyone else, but the creeping peace made her a little more aware of her surroundings.
With this new calm, she could pay attention to things more easily. But in a cruel world, being naïve could lead to death.
Again and again, she tried to steel her heart and boost her vigilance. Yet, Pia was still just a kid. No matter how hard she tried to guard against it, she couldn’t help but blend into an atmosphere that felt like a fairy tale.
Thanks to that, she let go of all thoughts of killing someone to protect Lily.
If only days like today kept coming, she would gradually find peace. There would be no need for violent thoughts or to be consumed by trauma.
…if only someone hadn’t messed with her mind.
“Huhu…uhuhuh…”
Pia muffled her cries under the blanket.
‘Pia, you must protect your sister.’
‘As her sister, it’s your duty to protect her!’
An oppressive voice echoed in her ears. Pia squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears, trying to escape the trauma, but it only pulled her down deeper.
With her eyes and ears blocked, ‘that scene’ unfolded before her.
‘Sister… I’m cold…’
Eyes unfocused, unable to make direct contact, the body growing limp and cold in her embrace.
‘Sis…’
Her sister’s tears flowed uncontrollably. Pia held her with trembling arms. The cold body felt that way against the sticky warmth of blood covering her hands.
It felt like worms crawling in her head. Dizzying, nauseating, tears felt like they were boiling over, ready to spill and melt away.
‘Sister, don’t leave me. Sister…’
Her sister clung tight to Pia’s arm. The face getting close bore no warmth anymore. All that was reflected in those eyes was blame, hatred, and disgust.
‘You said you’d protect me! You promised—remember? You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised! You promised!’
The voice thundered in her head like a desperate echo.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
‘Why did you do that? Why did you leave me? You never protected me! I’m so cold, sister! I’m freezing! Help me! Save me!’
The desperate cries reverberated as her sister gripped Pia’s hair tightly. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt!
‘Sis…-’
“Sister!”
“Ugh…!”
Pia jolted back into reality, shaken by the sudden voice.
“C-Come to the… dining room!”
The child seemed unfamiliar with the term “dining room,” stumbling over the words.
“Yeah, thanks.”
After the child hurried away, Pia, now alone, touched her wet face. Tear-streaked, trembling, she struggled to catch her breath.
“Haah, ha…”
Breath ragged, she wiped her tears with the blanket and crawled out of bed.
‘I can’t skip meals. Lily would get worried.’
Lucky for her, it looked like she had sweated more than cried, and when she checked her face in the window, it looked just fine. Pia wobbled toward the dining room.
‘Sister, why are you ignoring me?’
She flinched.
Even after leaving the bed, her sister’s voice echoed in her thoughts.
‘Why did you abandon me? Why did you let me die?’
Pia’s face turned pale as a ghost. Her lips felt dry and her breath hitched in her throat.
‘How can you still be alive when I died like that? You should have been the one to die, not me!’
Pia halted in front of the dining hall, frozen, unable to move. Was it really right for her, who took her sister’s place in life, to enjoy a meal and breathe with ease?
Should someone like me even be alive?
In that moment, those thoughts swirled around her mind.
“Pia, what are you doing?”
A gentle voice drifted toward her, and like magic, the voices disappeared without a trace.
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