"Well... it seems so..."
"But what's wrong? Did ghosts follow us all the way here?"
"Um... I think they're gathering nearby. Rumi, we need to be extra careful tonight. Don't do anything risky. Of course, I'll stop any ghosts that come, but... still, just in case."
"Yes..."
Rumi forced an awkward smile.
Damn park... or rather cemetery ghosts - who knew they'd chase us all the way here.
"But Rumi, were you... okay there?"
Mr. Fellman wrinkled his nose as he stumbled over his words.
"Well... nothing too serious happened. Though I almost couldn't get out of there."
"Ah... I guess you really are immune to curses."
"But Mr. Fellman, do you know what happened at that cemetery?"
"Uh... no. I don't really know. Hehe. I just heard something bad happened there..."
"..."
The way everyone gave such vague answers was practically advertising that something truly awful had happened at the cemetery.
But it didn't seem like she'd be hearing that story today.
"I see... Well, I'll head upstairs now. Thanks for dinner."
"Ah, alright."
Rumi quickly got up and gathered her shopping bags. As she was about to climb the stairs to her second-floor room, Mrs. Fellman's ghost's voice called from below.
"Rumi, if anything happens, call either of us."
"Okay!"
Once in her second-floor room, Rumi first checked the list of school supplies.
'Saint angelicus' School of Exorcism Admission Requirements:
- Personal Scripture
- 6 Y-shaped crosses. 2 lanterns with Y-shaped crosses.
- Emergency possession medium (a personal item purified with prayer and holy water.)
- 10 bottles of holy water.
- Two sets of sacred gray raincoats.
- One Grade 2 sacred relic.
- Medicinal ingredients storage kit with 24+ compartments.
*Sacred swords will be provided in the second year curriculum, so please DO NOT bring one.
- Protective curse potion...'
The list went on.
Rumi felt she had gathered most of the supplies she could buy.
The only thing missing was a Grade 2 sacred relic.
Sacred relics were objects imbued with beneficial spirits or energy that could ward off curses and evil spirits.
Which meant sacred relics were completely unnecessary for Rumi, who was naturally immune to curses.
Still, Rumi wanted to try making a sacred relic herself.
She could have asked for Mr. Fellman's help to make a Grade 2 relic, but Rumi knew powerful spirit summoning and sealing ritual that Bertin had taught her.
By practicing spirit summoning ritual to call forth a beneficial spirit and sealing ritual to bind it to an object, she could create a sacred relic.
In other words, it was possible for her to make one herself.
Rumi carefully closed the door and windows, then sprinkled dusty water around the room to create a barrier.
She placed a round chair in the center of the barrier and put a mirror and candle on top.
Bertin had definitely done some other preparations when teaching the ritual... but Rumi didn't care to remember such minor details.
Rumi lit the candle with a match.
Then, looking at the candlelight reflected in the mirror, she alternately recited two scripture passages she had memorized.
"Kill. Kill, for here are the weak ones. They are my enemies.
Gouge out their eyes, tear off their limbs, kill both mother and child until their bloodline ends.
Let hatred drive them mad until they lose themselves slaughtering their enemies..."
"Do not gaze at yourself in the water. For you outside always longs for you within, and thus shall fall into the depths..."
Rumi repeated the two passages several times.
"Ughk!"
Rumi started to retch.
She had expected this reaction since these scripture passages always made her feel sick.
'Tremble tremble tremble'
And indeed, the mirror began to shake.
Sensing her chance, Rumi clasped her hands together and recited the final scripture passage.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"You are cursed to live even in death, so live on even as a parasite of the dead..."
Finally, Rumi blew out the candle.
But even after the candle went out, its light briefly remained reflected in the mirror.
Then the smoke from the extinguished candle was suddenly sucked into the mirror.
Rumi held her breath and stared intently at the mirror.
She thought she caught a glimpse of an old woman's face in the reflection.
"Huh? Grandmother?"
Rumi moved back and forth around the mirror, trying to find the angle where the ghost was visible.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"I am not your grandmother."
Just then, a very elderly woman's voice came from the mirror.
And in the mirror, Rumi could see an elderly ghost behind her.
"Who... who said you were my grandmother?"
Rumi checked the mirror where the old woman was and turned around just in case.
However, the ghost must have been sealed in the mirror, as it wasn't visible in the room itself.
Rumi stared curiously at the old woman's ghost in the mirror as she spoke to it.
"So... what kind of ghost are you? Are you a beneficial spirit?"
"No, I am a very wicked evil spirit."
"What? Then how did you get into this house?"
"Obviously because you summoned me. I easily entered using your powerful dark magic."
"...?"
"I was trying to make a sacred relic. If you're not a beneficial spirit, would you please leave?"
"Hehehe, such rudeness - it really must be you. The one who couldn't be possessed at the cemetery."
"Ugh... were you one of the ones that tried to possess me back then?"
"No, I don't do such amateur possessions."
"...Then are you here to try to possess me now?"
"No, you're impossible to possess. I merely wanted to confirm who you were."
"Why? Why do you need to confirm who I am?"
The old ghost made an inscrutable expression and stalled for time.
"I am a prophet's spirit. I have come because I have a prophecy to deliver to you."
"Uh... But you just said I summoned you."
"I was simply the fastest to enter when you did that ritual."
Suddenly the old ghost moved closer to the mirror from within.
And as she approached, her face filled the entire mirror.
"Place your hand on the mirror for a moment."
"What... what are you going to do?"
"..."
Despite her misgivings, Rumi felt pressured by the ghost's silence and placed her hand on the mirror.
The ghost came even closer and pressed her cheek against Rumi's fingers on the other side of the mirror.
Rumi could feel the mirror becoming instantly cold.
"Ugh..."
"Mmm, I can read it, I can read. Your...!!"
The old ghost paused briefly before speaking again.
"How terrible, absolutely terrible."
"What's terrible?"
"Your fate..."
"What a terrible fate."
"What?"
"You’ve met with the most terrible fate."
"No... what terrible fate? Grandmother!"
"Your friend gave you a mission, didn't she? To uncover the secrets of Saint angelicus' School of Exorcism and defeat the witches."
"How... how do you know that?!"
Rumi burst out angrily.
"But I'll tell you the outcome in advance. Whether you kill the witches or not, you will face the most painful and terrible immortality of any living being could face."
"...!"
Even Rumi, who considers herself very calm, was too shocked by the sudden curse to speak.
"What... what kind of curse is that all of a sudden!"
"Oh terrible fate! Terrible fate!"
The old ghost ignored Rumi and continued shouting.
"Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I only came to deliver this message. Wheeheeheehee."
"No, what is this... Grandmother, you're seriously the worst kind of evil spirit! You came all the way from that cemetery just to say this?"
"Heehee, poor girl!"
At that moment, as the old ghost started to smile, the mirror frame suddenly began to shake violently.
Rumi ducked her head in surprise and tried to dodge.
'CRASH!'
The mirror suddenly exploded into fragments.
Rumi shook off the mirror shards that had fallen on her head and looked up again.
"What the! Until the very end..."
Just then, Mrs. Fellman's ghost's voice came from outside the door.
"Rumi, is everything alright?"
"Ah! It's nothing. I just broke something. Nothing serious."
Rumi tried to act normal, not wanting to get lectured by Mrs. Fellman, but her heart was pounding.
This was the most unpleasant experience she'd had in her life.
To think some old hag evil spirit would say such things and just leave.
"Ugh...!"
Rumi grumbled as she gathered the mirror fragments with her foot.
At this point, it was suspicious how every ritual Bertin had taught her only led to crazy incidents.
Rumi calmed herself down and cleaned up the mirror shards. Then she sprinkled holy water and salt water around the house.
When it was time for bed, Rumi lay on her bed, noticing there were unusually many ghosts gathered outside the window today.
If all those out there had come from that cursed cemetery, this might have been the last day for a normal person.
To think that the shadow ghost she'd chased had led her into such a severely cursed place...
But right now, more annoying than anything was the old grandmother ghost still peering in from a corner of the window.
She woke up from sleep with a particularly nasty feeling, without having any dreams.
The old ghost's face reflexively came to mind as soon as she woke up.
But perhaps because the sun was up, all the ghosts that had crowded outside the window seemed to have disappeared.
"..."
Today was finally the day she would enter Saint angelicus' School of Exorcism.
School started at noon, when the sun was highest.
There was also a bus that went earlier at 9 AM, but Rumi couldn't miss this last chance to sleep in.
As Rumi rolled around in bed as long as possible, she suddenly thought of Bertin.
"Ahem, I would have liked to uncover the secrets of Saint angelicus' School together with you myself... but you must discover the secrets in my place and save this world."
Rumi remembered Bertin's arrogant face, maintaining a smile even as she was being consumed by the Blue Witch.
"Damn that Bertin..."
But then, she remembered how yesterday's evil grandmother ghost had known about Bertin's last words.
"Damn..."
Rumi got up in a very bad mood and headed to the kitchen.
Mr. Fellman had already left for work, and only Mrs. Fellman remained.
Despite being a ghost, she looked much more tired than usual.
"Rumi... were you really okay last night?"
"Yes... Did something happen last night? You look tired..."
"Oh, I spent all night chasing away ghosts. I'm so tired I feel like I might become an evil spirit."
"Ah... I see."
Rumi awkwardly moved to the electric range and heated up leftover stew, dipping bread in it for lunch.
Throughout the meal, Mrs. Fellman floated around listlessly, which was concerning, but Rumi didn't try to start a conversation.
After finishing lunch, Rumi gathered her school supplies and stood at the front door.
Before heading to school, she said goodbye to Mrs. Fellman.
"I'm going to school now."
At Rumi's final farewell, Mrs. Fellman flew to the door in an instant.
"Oh, right... see you later."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Rumi, try not to cause too much trouble."
"Yes! But how could I possibly cause trouble? Take care."
Rumi closed the door and walked out the gate.
She could strangely feel the Mrs. Fellman's gaze from behind, but Rumi kept walking forward.
Thick fog hung over the residential area despite it being noon.
With thunder clouds rumbling too, it was terrible weather for the first day of school.
Anyway, Rumi headed to the nearest school bus stop.
The bus stop she quickly reached hadn't left the residential area, so it looked pretty much the same as around Mr. Fellman's house.
Though it definitely looked creepier than usual, perhaps because of the fog.
The bus stop sign was old and the surroundings were so desolate it looked like an abandoned neighborhood.
Although it felt slightly unsettling, Rumi zoned out while waiting for the bus.
After waiting for some time, a surprisingly normal-looking yellow school bus rolled up from the distance.
The bus that finally arrived stopped in front of Rumi.
'Screech... clank'
The bus door opened, revealing an expressionless driver staring straight ahead.
"..."
Rumi gave the bus driver a quick once-over and was about to step onto the bus.
'Thump'
But at that moment, a hand suddenly appeared and blocked Rumi's forehead as she tried to board.
"You must not get on."