Chapter 58: I See Ghosts

In a very dark room.

The leader tapped the chessboard anxiously.

The Spider was facing its greatest crisis since its inception.

Originally possessing eight legs and a head, the spider now only had six legs left. Still, it was manageable. Three legs on the left, three on the right - it maintained balance.

This meant that the spider now had limited moves it could make. Therefore, every single move was precious for the leader.

“Witch. Why didn’t you help the Holy Kingdom?”

The spider had been secretly aiding the Holy Kingdom from behind the scenes.

They had been collecting the Empire’s corruption and passing the information to the Holy Kingdom, even having a hand in the potions and miracles they created.

They shared a common goal: to bring down the Empire.

However, due to the Empire’s propaganda, the Holy Kingdom fell into ruin. Worse still, the scandals the Holy Kingdom had been hiding were exposed to the world.

The rumor that the Holy Kingdom’s pope indulged in debauchery turned out to be true.

Many lost their faith, and the national religion of the Empire was no longer the Star religion.

“You could have prevented this disaster.”

The witch bent the brim of her hat with her finger.

“You’re overestimating my abilities. Even I can’t undo what’s already been done.”

“You could have prevented it, witch. Don’t tell me you’ve developed a conscience now? You are...”

The witch snapped her fingers. Flames flickered from her fingertips, illuminating her face. Her eyes were filled with regret and hatred.

“Enough.”

“I overstepped. My apologies. But, witch, you need to prove your worth to us now. You did fail your mission, after all.”

“Alright. What do you need? Tell me.”

The leader looked down at the chessboard and said,

“Kill the Emperor.”

The witch’s face subtly changed.

“Why? He’s incompetent. It would be more harmful to the Empire to let him live as long as possible.”

“That’s an old story now. The real power in the Empire lies with the Crown Prince. The Emperor is now useless. It’s a bit early, but we need to move our plan forward.”

The leader tilted his vial.

“You’ve been supplying Ascal with medicine. This works well for us. Change the contents of that medicine to poison. And Count Erindale will be the one accused of poisoning the Emperor.”

Even someone like Ascal would find it hard to escape the accusation of poisoning the Emperor. The Empire would lose both their Emperor and their dragon.

“Forger. Prepare a plausible story. We know that sometimes the pen is mightier than the sword.”

“Alright. Last time was my defeat. But this time, even he won’t be able to escape.”

The spider weaves its web.

And the target of this trap was none other than Ascal.

This web will be inescapable.

****

“Minister-nim, I see a ghost!”

Sushia burst into the office.

Ascal, who was about to scold her, paused at the sight of Sushia. After her saint training, she had lost weight and her skin had brightened, making her, well...

It was like when a friend, who is just a friend of the opposite gender, suddenly dresses up and you think, ‘Was she always this pretty?’

But it was still Sushia, after all.

“Have you finally lost your mind?”

“It’s real. Look, there! There’s a ghost behind you, Minister-nim!”

“Ghost... this is too much. But then again, in a world where magic exists, ghosts might as well. So, what does the ghost look like?”

Sushia looked behind Ascal’s back in silence, then suddenly jumped in shock.

“It has no neck. And it’s cursing you, Minister-nim!”

“…?”

“It keeps mumbling, ’That’s my seat... give me back my seat...’”

Ascal considered ignoring Sushia’s ridiculous joke, but then decided to play along since he had nothing better to do.

“A seat? Of course, I can step aside.”

Ascal stood up.

“The ghost sat in your seat, Minister-nim.”

“And?”

“It’s not doing anything. But it looks satisfied.”

'A ghost sitting in this chair? Not a bad joke for killing time.'

“What is the ghost doing now?”

“It’s lying on the desk. Looks like it’s taking a nap.”

What kind of ghost is this?

“‘The Almost Saintess’ Sushia. Why not use your divine power to help the ghost pass on?”

“Now that you mention it, I did learn something at the church. Shall I try it?”

Ascal nodded.

His legs were starting to hurt.

It was the perfect time to end the joke.

Sushia approached the chair where the ghost was said to be sitting and placed her palm above it, as if hovering it over someone’s head.

“State your name.”

It was a convincing performance.

Ascal crossed his arms, curious to see how far the joke would go.

-Oh, oh, oh. My, my name is...

“Uh?”

Suddenly, light emanated from Sushia’s palm, and it seemed to reveal the ghost’s form to Ascal too.

A shape appeared, resembling an overweight, headless man.

-Charis Solem.

“Director?”

He was the former Evaluation Department Director who had been beheaded for a single remark during an audience with the Emperor.

Was there really a ghost?

“Thou do not belong here. Let go of thy attachments and proceed to where thou must go.”

-No, no. I want to be, be the minister. Not like this.

Ascal walked over.

He gathered the minister’s appointment letter, medals, seals, and handed them all to the ghost.

“Take them all.”

It was a sincere offer. Ascal was always ready to relinquish his ministerial position.

-Oh, oh, oh. Dance, dance.

“Dance?”

-Dance, dance for me.

The temporarily appointed ghost minister started to abuse his power right away.

Sushia looked at Ascal incredulously.

“Just do as it asks.”

“It’s hard though...”

Sushia began to dance the dance she learned at the Star church.

Swaying, swaying.

-Oh, oh, terrible, terrible.

“?”

-Terribly bad at dancing.

And then, as if satisfied, the ghost emitted a bright light and dispersed, vanishing into thin air.

“Looks like it’s been liberated. But was my dancing really that bad?”

“Mm.”

Sometimes, it’s best to keep words to a minimum. Ascal sat back down in his executive chair.

“Living life sure brings a variety of experiences.”

“Now you believe me, right?”

Considering he had conversed with starlight not long ago, being startled by a ghost seemed unnecessary.

“But this is serious. Seeing ghosts makes life impossible.”

“I know, right. What should I do now?”

It seemed like a side effect of Sushia’s training as a saint candidate, enhancing her spiritual sensitivity.

‘Does this mean if one becomes a saint, they have to see tormented spirits every day?’

That was a close call. He was right to decline the offer.

“I can’t help you there. Maybe an occult expert could. Wait a minute.”

An idea struck him. The Witch’s Forest. Maybe there they could solve Sushia’s problem.

“But seeing ghosts might not be entirely bad. At least you’ll never be bored, Sushia.”

“You say that because it’s not your problem. Minister-nim, from the Star’s Holy Scripture, Chapter 22, Verse 2!”

“Do not ignore those in distress. Treat them as you would another living being. Ugh.”

The scripture came out automatically. That’s the problem with rote learning.

“Please, don’t ignore a sheep in trouble, Priest.”

“How did you memorize the scripture?”

“I only memorized that part. Thought it might come in handy someday. It feels rewarding now.”

Thus, Sushia, the almost-saintess, and Ascal, an official priest of the soon-to-be-disbanded Star’s church, headed for the Witch’s Forest.

It was an hour later when Lia finished her work and returned to the empty office.

****

“Wow. Of all the horses I’ve ridden, this one is the best!”

“Fer is no joke.”

Fer, donning wing covers, carried Ascal and Sushia swiftly towards the Witch’s Forest.

Attentive to its riders, it slowed down on rough terrain and smoothly navigated obstacles, offering a top-notch riding experience.

Ascal had another reason for heading to the Witch’s Forest, aside from Sushia’s issue.

‘Time to start gathering the herbs needed for the crystal tea.’

Even while working at the Evaluation Office, Ascal had always presented the Emperor with crystal tea he made personally. Thanks to this, the Emperor’s health improved to the extent that he could go hunting.

The death of the Emperor would bring a major upheaval to the Empire.

Escaping the Empire before that happened was the best course of action. Although various attempts had failed so far, the human spirit does not easily give up.

“Minister-nim, there’s something I must tell you right now.”

Sushia placed her hand on Ascal’s waist. Her voice trembled slightly. When Ascal glanced back, he saw Sushia’s face flushed red.

“Does it have to be right now?”

“Yes. I can’t hold it in any longer.”

“Go ahead.”

The wind blew, fluttering Sushia’s white hair. Her flushed face moved her lips coyly, as if to say, ‘I am still a girl, after all.’

“I need to pee.”

“It’s about time.”

Ascal stopped Fer.

“Go and come back.”

The Witch’s Forest was just ahead. The area, thick with trees, was ideal for privacy.

Sushia hurried off.

And then.

“Aaaah!”

“What’s the matter!”

Startled by Sushia’s scream, Ascal rushed towards her.

“Ghosts! There are so many of them! They’re all looking at me!”

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