A haunting voice reverberated through the cavern, causing uneasio grip all three spirits. Chara, the most uled and inexperienced of the three, began to direct her gaze at the source of the sound, only for the curiosity spirit to swiftly intervene, blog her line of sight.

  “Don’t look in its dire—it will notice you! Quickly, hide within the flowers!” she instructed in an urgent voice.

  Startled, the little spirit flinched before instinctively averting her gaze. Although her omnidireal vision allowed her to see everything arou once, she had a really hard time trating on more thahing at a time. Regardless, once she found herself a pce to hide among the foliage, her mind began to swirl.

  Thinking back, she recalled several ret instances when she’d felt like she was being watched. Until now, she had dismissed this feeling as nothing more than her own self-sciousness. However, the curiosity spirit’s words now made her wonder if there might’ve been more to it than she first thought.

  Wait… if I sehe gaze of other spirits, the that mean that other spirits do the same?

  After a brief sideration, Chara surmised that this was likely the case. Returning back to reality, she suppressed her anxiousness and worriedly asked about their situation.

  “Umm, what are we hiding from?”

  Stuhe two greater spirits stared at her in utter disbelief.

  “Did—did you not sehat horrid impression? It’s the enemy of all spirits, a [Ghost]!” Music excimed frightfully.

  A Ghost!?

  “Little Spirit, [Ghosts] are super dangerous! If you ever e across one, you must flee immediately! If it notices you, it will defiry to catd eat you!” Curiosity expined urgently.

  Eat me?!

  Chara nearly fell into a panic. How could a person from the modern era, aced to living a life more affluent than most, far removed from war and hunger, possibly ehe sheer horror of being hunted by an unknow? Practically the only reason she hadn’t lost her posure yet was because she hadn’t actually seeerrible monster. Perhaps if she were to e face-to-face with it, the overwhelming terrht cause her to faint instantly.

  Overe in dread, the little spirit trembled in fear. Just whehought the situation couldn’t possibly be more dire, she remembered Curiosity’s earlier warning about not looking directly in the ghost’s dire, along with her subsequent realization.

  W—wait… does this mean that if I look at the ghost it will immediately find and catch me?

  Uo resist her fear, she finally burst into tears.

  “Uuu… Uuuuu… Uuuuu…”

  Watg the little spirit g so pitifully, the two greater spirits felt a strong urge to sole her. Although they felt guilty for sg her in the first pce, they also uood that it was a far preferable oute to losing her life because she was unafraid of ghosts.

  “Little Spirit, there’s nothing to fear. With this smart and capable curiosity spirit here to protect you, that [Ghost] doesn’t stand a ce~!”

  “Yeah, didn’t you hear how bad that [Ghost]’s pying was? This music spirit is a much better musi~!”

  Caught off guard by Music’s absurd statement, Chara momentarily stopped g.

  “Dummy wind spirit, who asked you about your useless music skills? Is your mind so empty that you hear the eg of your own swirling?”

  “Nosey water spirit, is all yood at asking questions? In that case, why don’t you go ask that ugly [Ghost] to go away for us!”

  “What?! ’t you see hhtened my little student is? I o stay right here to reassure her and keep her safe!”

  “Using your student as a shield? Shameless!”

  As the two greater spirits tinued bickering bad forth childishly, Chara’s mind ulled away from her fear and she gradually stopped g. Amused by their ridiculous squabble, she let out a soft giggle.

  Upon hearing her ugh, the two spirits paused mid-argument, their gazes snapping toward her. They exged a quick look before promptly looking away again.

  ““Hmph!””

  Whether or not they truly disliked each other, or if it was an act to distract the little spirit—was something only they were aware of.

  As the three spirits fell silent and focused on their surroundings, they noticed that the ghostly melody had grown louder. The sound, noer and more distinct, had the unmistakable timbre of a stringed instrument. A series of notes rose and fell without a clear dire, like an orchestra being led by an insane ductor. Each chord seemed to crash against the , creating a jarring dissohat g the listeners’ sense of hearing, and bore into their minds.

  It wasn’t just the harmony that was awful, it was also the way it resohrough the surroundings. The higher notes, sharp and shrill, pierced through the winds, their echoes leaving behind a faint ringing sound, akin to gss shards scraping against corroded metal. The lower ones, oppressive and suffog, reverberated through the earth, their sound uneven, like the thick burbling of a viscous liquid.

  “So, about that [Ghost]…” Curiosity began.

  “What about it? Obviously, we o seal it!” Music decred vehemently.

  “I know—! But do you holy think that evil [Ghost] will just obediently float in pce while one of us casts the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]?” Curiosity objected reasonably.

  The music spirit recoiled backwards, as if physically struck by the inveruths.

  “Judging by that loud and obnoxious music, I think it’s safe to assume that the [Ghost] has either a music or sound bond, essences of wind,” Curiosity murmured ptively befazing ily at Music.

  Ideally, the best ter against any kind of bond is a bond of the opposite element. Unfortunately, they didn’t know of any spirits with such a ve bond nearby. However, they did have something equally, if not more useful: a spirit with the same bond. This was because ghosts had an iendency to seek out objects, beings, and pces that resonated with their bonds. Of course, for the beings iion, this was nothing but a siightmare!

  Music, quickly guessing what the curiosity spirit was thinking, swirled nervously. Then, her mana expanded and tracted frustratedly for several long seds. Finally, as though she had reached a decision, she fixed the curiosity spirit with a determined gaze and swirled fearlessly.

  “Fine, scaredy water spirit! This brave music spirit will distract the ugly [Ghost], while you prepare the [Ghost Sealing Ritual]!” she finally answered.

  “…Uood,” Curiosity replied betedly.

  As the two greater spirits mentally prepared themselves for the oning fight, the long fotten little spirit merely listened quietly. Though, even if she had participated in the discussion, she wouldn’t have had much to tribute. After all, she barely even knew what a ghost was. From what she could interpret, the whost” seemed to vey ideas such as spirit, aberration, evil, and insanity. If she had to guess, then ghosts were existences remi of evil spirits.

  Just as she was beginning to grow nervous again, the curiosity spirit approached her first. Lamentably, her words were far from reassuring.

  “Hey, um Little Spirit. Musid I are going to deal with that scary [Ghost]. Although most of the danger will fall on Music, it’s still going to be very dangerous. So, um… could you, quietly sneak back to the cloister on your own?”

  The little spirit g the underground cloister. Then, she goward the giant crystal tree, her intended destination, a a twinge ret. She hesitated, but soon made her decision.

  “Okay.”

  Refusing to so much as gn the dire of ghostly melody, she slipped away quietly, moving discreetly toward the cloister. Yet, just as she began her retreat, the ghost let out a deafening roar.

  “A????????h??h????????h????????!?????? ????????????A????????????????H???????????????H???!??????????????????????!?????????? ?????I?????t?????? ??w????????a??????s???? ?????y?????o???????u???????!??????? ??????Y????o?????u????? ?????????d???????i??????d????????? ???????i?????????t???????!??? ?????Y??????????o??????u??????? ???????s???????t????????o??????l???????e??????? ??????m?????????y??????? ??????????a???????u????????d????i??e?????n??????c????e?????!???”

  Its erratic melody grew even more frantic, like a frenzied child banging on a guitar. The mana in the air—particurly the wind element mana—swirled even more chaotically! For some reason, the ghost had started freaking out!

  “Little Spirit, Ruuuuuuun!!” Curiosity screamed, her words infused with feelings of worry, panid ay.

  Without thinking, Chara gnced behind her in the dire of the voice.

  maury