GHOSTBUSTER AIZ AND HER RABBIT COMPANION
The rumor spread through the Labyrinth City like wildfire:
The Sword Princess failed a quest.
It was astonishing and unprecedented in equal measure. Loki Familia’s first-tier adventurers enjoyed pretty much a hundred-percent success rate when it came to quests, and of course that included Aiz. Whenever a quest came in that was otherwise deemed impossible, it was common practice for the Guild to delegate it either to Loki Familia or their equally powerful peers over in Freya Familia. Whether it was an enhanced species responsible for slaying dozens of upper-class adventurers or a great horde gathering in the depths of the Dungeon, Loki Familia was known for getting things done and keeping the city safe.
And so news of the Sword Princess’s defeat came as a shock. Nobody knew who started the rumor, but the city taverns were soon abuzz with debate into what exactly could have stumped Aiz Wallenstein. For several days, the prevailing theory was that some greedy merchant had asked the impossible, like bringing back an exorbitant quantity of gathered goods from the deepest floors of the Dungeon.
The whole city was swept away on a wave of speculation, and I was no exception.
“G-Goddess! Did you hear?! Everyone’s talking about how Aiz failed a quest!”
“Mrmr…What’s so difficult even Wallensomething can’t do it? And more importantly, if she can’t, who can?”
Goddess folds her arms and adopts a puzzled look. The rumor hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but it’s earth-shattering that even our tiny familia isn’t immune to the gossip. My worries are 30 percent this city’s future, and 70 percent Aiz, so this news hits me harder than most, and I suspect Lilly and Welf are starting to grow tired of my panicking.
“Well…maybe we should just go ask her about it,” Goddess suggests, “but I doubt they’d let us through the front door. And if it turns out to be just a rumor, I’d look a fool!”
I can’t stop thinking about Aiz, but I have work to do, so I gather my things and head out. Lilly and Welf are both busy today, so for the first time in a while, I’ll be tackling the Dungeon solo. Just as I round a corner, however, I bump into somebody.
“Bell.”
“Hwah?!”
It’s Aiz. I’m so shocked to see her that I let out an unseemly yelp. After I calm down, however, I notice she seems downcast. After a pause in which I wonder if I should ask, she speaks up.
“I…need your help with something,” she says.
That gives me my second shock. Does this mean the rumors were true?!
“Erm…people around town are saying you failed a quest, Ms. Aiz…”
“Yeah, I did.”
She gives an embarrassed nod. I don’t know what to say. I never even knew there was a job too big for someone like Aiz. But if that’s the case, then how am I ever going to be of use?
“I’m honored you’d ask, Ms. Aiz, but your Loki Familia friends are way more powerful than me…”
“I…can’t ask them,” she says simply. “If they find out, they’ll make fun of me. Especially Loki.”
I can only guess from the serious tone of Aiz’s voice what nature of mischief she’d have to endure at Loki’s hands. The worry on her face is making me sweat, too.
“But I thought…Bell would keep it secret.”
Aiz drops her gaze to her feet. I’ve never seen her so forlorn. Instead of an impenetrable warrior, standing before me is a helpless young girl. She twists her fingers nervously and looks at me with an upturned glance that steals my heart a second time.
“You wouldn’t tell anyone…would you?”
“Forget what I said! I’d be honored to help in any way I can!!”
She’s so adorable that it stirs my protective instincts, and though I can feel my cheeks getting hot, I thump my hand to my chest like a knight swearing a solemn vow. If Goddess could see me, she’d tell me I’m too soft for this world, but I don’t care! The person I look up to came to me for help! How could I say no?!
Of course, I can’t look too happy since Aiz is so upset about it. I do my best to conceal my excitement, but it’s a hopeless endeavor.
“So, Ms. Aiz, what’s the quest you need help with?!” I ask, bright-eyed.
Aiz’s expression turns even gloomier.
“A haunted mansion…” she says, her voice trembling. “I’ve been asked to clear out a ghost.”
“I-is this the place…?”
In the dead of night, an impenetrable gloom blots out the sky. Cracked, blackened exterior walls and broken upstairs windows paint a picture of a house long devoid of human habitation. The garden is lined with withered, blasted trees that resemble a witch’s fingers. It looks like it might rain at any moment, and at the center of it all, there it stands.
The most mansion-y mansion I’ve ever seen.
“Is this where the little girl told you about?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Aiz replies. “That’s the place I have to clear out.”
I was surprised to hear that the person who asked Aiz for help was a little human girl she met by chance on the streets.
“Ms. Adventurer, there’s a ghost in that mansion. Can you make it go away?”
After speaking to her, Aiz learned that the girl used to play in the grounds of the mansion often, but then an unsettling presence began to appear, which the girl described as a specter dressed in black rags.
Aiz felt sorry for the girl, but as a first-tier adventurer, she knew she couldn’t go around making promises she couldn’t keep. Instead, she agreed to take on the request as a personal favor, without going through the Guild. Aiz then came here to investigate the case…and the rest is history. Not only did Aiz fail to uncover the true nature of the ghostly sighting, but she also fled the mansion, screaming in terror. That was what gave rise to the rumors around town of a quest so terrible that even the great Aiz Wallenstein couldn’t handle it.
We are in northwest Orario, far from the city center, in an old residential area populated mostly by ruins. It’s near the old church where Goddess and I used to live, and I can understand how it would be appealing to a young child eager to explore.
What I don’t understand, however, is…
“…Why did we come here at night? Couldn’t our investigation wait until it’s a bit brighter…?”
“The client said the ghost only comes out at night…”
The client? Does she mean the little girl? I turn to Aiz, and she already looks tense. Even she has a ditzy side, I think a little rudely.
“…So did you see it?” I ask, turning my eyes back to the building’s facade.
“…Yeah. When I went through the door, there was something standing at the top of the stairs dressed in black…”
But just as she points, we both see it. In one of the third-floor windows, there’s a ragged figure.
““…!!””
It was only for a moment, but we saw it come into view before passing by the window and out of sight.
The rain begins to soak our shoulders, but neither of us moves a muscle. Aiz has gone white as a sheet, and I can barely blink.
W-was that really a g-g-g-g…?
“…Let’s go.”
“Erm…Ms. Aiz, are you sure? You’re looking a little pale…No, you’re right. Let’s go…”
Looking at the mixture of resignation and terror on Aiz’s face, I steel my nerves and accompany her into the mansion. We open the door, and I poke my head through.
“Hello? Anybody home?” I ask.
The inside, too…It’s so…mansion-y…
Immediately after passing through the front doors, we find ourselves in a large entrance hall. Cobwebs coat the ceiling, and glassy-eyed goat heads line the walls. There’s also what looks like it might once have been a rather splendid statue, but half of its face has been broken off, as has one of its arms. Now it only contributes to the eerie atmosphere.
I cast my lantern light around the place, imagining how scary it would be to come here by myself. Aiz, meanwhile, has already drawn her sword and advances warily, constantly turning—swish, fwip—to keep a sharp eye on every angle.
“Erm…Ms. Aiz? Could it be…you’re scared of ghosts?”
“………”
She doesn’t answer. I guess that’s a yes.
“…N-not that that’s strange of course, but…aren’t monsters way more scary?”
Aiz gulps and answers.
“Ghosts are worse. I can’t hit them with my sword.”
Really…?
From the beads of sweat on her face, I guess that wasn’t a joke. I still feel like fainting though, and we haven’t even properly seen the ghost yet.
“Are you not scared of ghosts, Bell…?” she asks me, turning one terrified eye in my direction. How do I even describe the look on her face…?
The truth is, I wouldn’t say I’m not scared, but I find monsters much scarier. At least they’re usually trying to kill you. I hate it when you just turn a corner in the Dungeon and they leap out at you with a Graaah!
I’m not sure how to feel, to be honest. I’ve finally won the acknowledgment of the girl I’m trying to impress, and it’s over something as silly as this…
“…Well, we saw the figure on the third floor. Should we go up and take a look?” I suggest.
“W-wait,” says Aiz. “Shouldn’t we make sure the rest of the house is clear first? Riveria says you always leave the boss room for last.”
I wonder if this is the first time I’ve ever seen Aiz so desperate. Normally, she cuts down monsters without breaking a sweat. Now she’s practically drenched. Still, she’s got a point, so we head to the second floor instead, which, according to Aiz, she left unexplored the last time she came.
Meanwhile, I think about the figure we saw earlier. Could it really be a ghost? It could just be a person dressed in rags, but I swear I saw it appear out of thin air, and so did Aiz.
As I pass a window, I note that it’s pouring rain outside, which doesn’t help settle my nerves. What’s even worse, though, is the sudden tug I feel on my arm.
“What was—?! Oh, Ms. Aiz?”
“I-I don’t want us to get separated…” comes her meek reply. Her cheeks are flushed, and my heart begins to race.
I know it’s awful of me to think this when she’s so terrified, but I can’t help feeling that taking this job was the best thing to ever happen to me. I get to be strong and brave for Aiz and see her cute side to boot.
It could only be better if she suddenly got frightened and hugged me, but that’s never going to—
And just as that wicked thought surfaces in my brain, like a trick played by cruel fate, a thunderbolt strikes!
“—?!”
Keeping her sword raised, Aiz wraps her other arm around mine. Her skin is soft, her breastplate is touching my elbow, and I can even make out the soft fragrance of her hair. I-I-I-I can’t believe my dream actually came—
“W-wait, Aiz, you’re hurting me! Gaaaaaaagh!!”
Immediately, my dreams are shattered by the overwhelming might of a Level 6! Her first-tier strength is going to grind my arm to dust!!
I should have known.
I’m a hundred years too early—or should I say, three levels too low—to enjoy a hug from Aiz!!
Our continued investigation exacts quite a toll—primarily on my arm.
Every time a mouse scampers across the carpet, Aiz shrieks. Every time she spots a shadow or hears a noise, she points her sword in its direction. Worse still is the constant rolling thunder, which elicits the same reaction every single time. I’m slowly succumbing, not to the mansion itself but to Aiz’s nerves.
Ghostly sightings are an unexplained mystery, but first-tier adventurers are famed for their ability to remain resolute in the face of the unknown. Despite this, however, even the mere thought of seeing a ghost is causing Aiz so much distress that she’s expending around 90 percent of her energy flailing around. I, meanwhile, am performing no better and I’m growing keenly aware that I won’t be fit to be Aiz’s supporter at this rate, let alone a valued partner.
The whole affair steadily chips away at both my physical and mental health, but eventually, we reach the final room at the far end of the third floor.
“Th-this is the only place we haven’t investigated yet…” I say, my voice quivering due to the serious beating I’ve taken.
Aiz’s expression is tense. “Yeah…let’s do it.”
She reaches out and gently pushes the thick wooden door. It slowly creaks open, revealing a truly horrifying sight.
“…!!”
At first I think we’ve discovered a secret witch’s coven. There are no windows in the room, but the walls are lit up with an eerie red glow. That’s because of the huge cauldron in the center of the room. The fire below it is still burning, and inside the cauldron, a mysterious crimson liquid gently bubbles away. There’s a magic circle I’ve never seen before drawn on the ground, with candles set at various points, and around the edge of the room are strange flasks and bottles filled with bones and bits of flesh, like sacrifices…
It’s enough to make me forget how much my body aches. All I can do is stare, same as Aiz.
Wh-what kind of dark ritual have we stumbled upon? Is some cult attempting to summon a demon? That’s the plot of a horror story, not real life!
It’s obvious Aiz is thinking the same thing as me. Her entire face has gone pale.
And then we see it.
At the far end of the room, swaddled in darkness…something moves.
““………””
It appears out of thin air, just as we saw before. Neither a human nor a monster. Before our terrified eyes, the darkness coalesces into a bleached white skull.
“Wh…Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!!”
That scream, for me, is the last straw. I turn and follow Aiz out of the room as fast as I can, trying not to look back at the horrifying apparition.
“Tempest!!”
“Huh?! W-wait, Aiz! My arm! AAAAAAAAAGHHH!!”
Aiz activates her magic spell, clamping a hand around my limb. And so I have a maddened Aiz and her furious winds to contend with as I frantically make my way to the exit.
“Phew…”
“What is the matter, Fels?”
“Do you recall how I said I was in need of a bigger workshop? Well, unfortunately, the one I set up was discovered, so I shall have to move…”
Beneath the Pantheon, the Guild’s chief god Ouranos sat in his Chamber of Prayers, speaking to Fels, a mage dressed in a tattered black cloak one might be tempted to describe as “rags.”
The old god cast a glance at the bony arm of his assistant before looking back at the parchment in his hands.
“Hmm? It is strange to see you reading a report, Master Ouranos. Did something happen in my absence?”
“…It seems the Sword Princess has failed one of her quests.”
“Oh? Now that is a matter of concern. But I suppose the girl is only human.”
Then Fels seemed to recall something.
“Now that you mention it,” they said, “she and Bell Cranell were the ones who discovered my workshop. Unfortunately, the pair of them ran away so fast that I missed the chance to ask what they were doing. Were they on a dare or perhaps a midnight rendezvous? Ha-ha-ha, he’s a smooth one, that Bell Cranell…Hmm? Master Ouranos? What’s the matter? You look like you’re in pain…”
The next day, the little girl approached two brave but highly confused adventurers to tell them that the ghost had stopped appearing ever since their intervention.
And the day after that, the story of the Sword Princess’s failure faded into the stuff of urban legend without anyone ever discovering the quest’s true nature.
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