As if to drown out my screams, Rico is coughing violently.
"Rico! Rico!"
"Haaagh! Haaah! Hah!"
Rico's shoulders are moving up and down violently with his back to me. I rub her back. Then I hear a voice I don't recognize.
It's ....... Who is bothering me, Mr. Yul? ....... Suffer.......
"Who the hell are you! Come out! If you kill him!
"Master!"
I was so angry that I lost control and screamed out, and at the same time, someone hugged me from behind. When I turned around, I saw May's face. The moment I saw her face, I unconsciously opened my mouth.
"Rico! Rico! Rico!"
"Calm down! Master, please calm down!"
May still won't let go of me. I was about to say, "May, I don't need Riko ......," when Matkal was already standing by Riko's side. She looked me in the eye and nodded once, then gently took Riko in her arms and left the room.
"Rico, Rico, RICOH!"
"Master, it's okay. It's all right."
I sobbed on the bed for a while, while May kept hugging me.
After a while, I calmed down and looked around the bedroom carefully with May holding my hand. I increase my presence detection and magic detection to the maximum, and extend the range not only to this room but also to the entire premises of the house, but nothing suspicious is detected.
...... is strange. Last time when my body was injured, I thought I scratched myself unconsciously while I was sleeping, but it seems I was wrong. But why? I'm sure I heard voices. Someone has entered this house, that's for sure. But the grounds of this house are warded. No one who has hostile intent against my family will pass. You dare to break my bounds? And if so, how did you break it? I think frantically in my confused head.
"Master!"
May's voice brings me back to myself again.
"Let's go to Rico-sama."
May's calm and gentle tone of voice left me no choice but to nod.
May led me to Matkal's room. When I opened the door, Riko was lying on the bed and Matkal was standing beside her with Eryl in his arms.
"He was in pain until a few minutes ago, but now he is sleeping peacefully.
Hearing these words, May took Rico's pulse and checked his breathing. Eryl remains still in Matkal's arms. He seems to be sleeping. When May nods slowly, Matkal opens his mouth in a small voice so as not to wake Eryl.
"I'd like to let Eryl sleep beside you, but ......".
May nodded again. Matkal lifted the blanket end of the bed a little and laid Eryl down in the gap. The moment she got into bed, she turned over and snuggled up to Rico.
I stroked Eril's head and talked to May.
"May...... is Rico OK?"
His breathing and pulse are stable. His color is good, and I don't think there's anything wrong with him. What happened to you when you suddenly screamed so loud?"
"...... I had a dream. I held Alyria in my arms and she was a monster. ....... She tried to bite me and I strangled her with my right hand. And the next thing I knew, I was strangling Rico. ......"
"......"
Both May and Matkal looked as if they did not know what to say in reply. I looked at them and continued to speak.
"So I was frantically shouting Rico's name when I heard a voice. I heard voices telling me that they would never forgive me and that I should suffer. ....... And the day before that, ......"
"Oh, hello, it's been a long time."
"Shi-...... Shenlong-sama?"
Suddenly a white child appears in the room. Why in the world would the god of dragons appear? Everyone was in a daze.
"Um, ...... Sidie told me to call you, so I did."
Soleil stood at the door of the room with an apologetic look on her face.
"Why would Sadie let Soleil summon Master Shenlong?"
"I don't know. I heard a loud voice and was about to leave the room when I saw Sadie at the door. He told me to call Master Shenlong immediately.
"What's that? So where did Sidi go?"
I don't know. Go downstairs and go to ...... Hyah!"
Soleil came jumping into the room. Then Sidie, wearing a ghostly air, came in after her.
"Sidie ......?"
Upon closer inspection, one can see that he is holding a dagger in a scabbard in his left hand. This is probably a self-defense dagger that he carries with him at all times. In his right hand, he was holding a small jar.
"Sadie ...... what are you holding? Is that jar ......?"
"It's the powder of gariah."
"Gariah?"
"Master, it is a mixture of the dust from grinding orichalcone and the dust from grinding mithril.
May explains in a whisper. Sidhi, who had been watching us with a dazed expression on his face, opens his mouth in a hushed voice.
"...... you're here too, Master Shenlong. Thank you, Soleil. Now, please lend us your help, Mr. Shenlong, Mr. Linos.
With these words, Sidhi started walking slowly down the hallway.
We hurriedly followed behind her. Sadie slowly entered my bedroom.
When we entered the room, Sidhi was staring at the wall of the room. Then she called out to us in her same hushed voice.
We follow her directions and move on. Then we were in such a position that Mr. Shenlong and I were on the left and right of Sidhi.
"Oh, what is it? What's this?"
Shenlong-sama is tilting his head. I can't see him at all, but he is staring at the wall, just like Sadie.
"Excuse me, but could you please help me see this?"
"Hm? Oh, is this a telepathic spirit? Hmmm. Doh!
Shinryu-sama lifts his chin and raises it with a snap. Then I saw what looked like a stain floating up in front of the wall.
"Master Linos! Please put a ward on this stain. Please make it strong enough that no air can pass through.
"Oh, oh."
I do as Siddee tells me, and I put up a powerful ward against that wall. Not even a particle of air can get through. As I watched, Sidhi, holding the dagger in his left hand under his arm, took out a silver powder from a jar in his right hand and sprinkled it on the stain, chanting some kind of incantation.
"Whoa! What the hell is this?
A voice leaked out unintentionally. To my surprise, a mature man with a square face and a squat chin appeared in the ward. Around him, the powder I had just sprinkled on him floated like a cloud.
"Who are you, ......?"
"......"
The man who has floated up in the ward stands there with his eyes closed.
"Well, that was close. We were so close.
Master Shenlong is opening his mouth in a noiseless tone.
"Sh...... Master Shenlong, what do you mean by 'too close'?"
"This one's true identity is one step before becoming a spirit."
According to Shenlong-sama, when a person with high skills dies, his body may perish, but his magical powers and thoughts may remain in this world. Such things are called "nenryo.
It's too bad. If you had a good heart, you could have become a spirit. This one still has hatred in him, no, pure hatred. That is why he could not become a genie. But it is rare. Evil spirits are quickly destroyed. ...... And this one?"
Master Shenryu is looking at the man trapped in the ward very intently.
"Yes, I can manipulate thoughts.
It was Sidi who opened his mouth.
"This is a rare case. An evil spirit, but I suppose his hatred is so strong that he has remained in this world. Moreover, he has become half a spirit and is able to manipulate people by directing his thoughts at them. He is quite a troublesome opponent.
Sidi speaks plainly. Shenlong-sama nodded his head as he watched the scene with satisfaction.
"I've never seen this before either. I've never seen anything like it before.
"Siddy?"
"Mr. Linos, this telekinesis does not respond to magic detection and presence detection. Besides, your wards cannot prevent this presence. In other words, it is a mass of human thoughts, so it has no substance.
"Well, what are you going to do? I'm going to keep going to ......."
We'll contain it.
What?
Sidhi pulled the dagger out of its sheath, pointed the blade at the spirit and began to chant some kind of incantation.
"Gah ...... onore ...... ware wa ...... yurusanu ...... yuru ......"
The man whose eyes had been closed suddenly snapped open and was resisting in some way. However, his figure gradually fades away. Suddenly, Sidhi's dagger glows purple. She sprinkles the blade with powder from the jar.
"Master Shenlong, may I ask for your help?"
"Ooh. Can you contain it?"
As Shenlong-sama stared at the purple sword, it turned into a white light. Sadie slowly points the blade at me.
"Linos-sama, please put a powerful ward on this sword."
"Ah, ah."
I do as I'm told and apply the warding I've just applied. The dazzling luminescence of the sword's blade is gone, and Sidhi slowly sheathes the sword.
"Thank you very much. I have safely sealed it in this dagger.
"What do you mean, Sidney?"
"This dagger has the blessing of the deer god. The power of the divine dragon and the power of Rinos-sama... And I have added my own power to seal in the spirit of the deer. The more you try to use your power, the more powerful the boundary will be, so you can no longer manipulate people with your thoughts.
"Who the hell was that? Who is this guy?"
It looks like it has something to do with King Maintia.
"King Maintia?"
"Yes. Originally, this spirit possessed King Maintia. It was so evil and deadly that I tried to subdue it, but failed because it was more powerful than I expected. But it's all right now.
"What are you doing in that stupid palace? Don't tell me you're a ...... water boy spirit or something!"
"No. No, it's not that simple. This is quite ...... quite ......."
Sadie, what's wrong?
"Quite a bit of hate ...... weeeeeeee~"
Sadie vomited up her stomach again, making a loud mess on the bedroom floor.