Chapter 633: Familiarity
Walking to my destination—it’s a bit far, so I used [Teleportation] to the hill overlooking the Port Town.
Naturally, the black ghosts are not treated as people, so they’re present where I teleported. They’re there, but when they try to approach, they’re gently pushed away by the light of the lantern, like something small and light trying to catch something in the water.
“Wow, there are so many here too!”
This time, Dean pulls back, leaning closer to Chris and Retze.
“Isn’t there a bit too many? They won’t fit into the town, right?”
Retze frowns slightly.
I wonder if the discomfort comes from not having a clear reason for being scared rather than fear itself?
“I often heard that when the black ghosts make companions, the first thing they do is ‘Rend into Eight.’ It’s a classic line to scare children,” Chris says.
“Yeah. If you touch and get caught by these black ghosts, you become one of them. The first thing that happens when you join them is being surrounded, grabbed, and torn apart. The torn pieces take on the same form and wander off in different directions,” Haulon explains calmly.
“Ugh. Great Sage, that sounds terrifying, like you’ve seen it before!”
“Considering your travels, it’s not impossible that you’ve witnessed it firsthand,” Dean and the Butler respond.
“By the way, why did Haulon come here in the past?” I heard he came to change the direction of the weather vane.
“Long ago, there was a time when the black ghosts, who were supposed to be unable to leave this island, appeared over the invisible sea. It’s a common story that they did that to keep them contained within the island, and he said as much himself,” Dinoss informs us.
“At that time, it seems that Naruadeid and Shulm’s ships suffered quite a bit,” the Butler adds.
Shulm is simply nearby, and I wonder if Naruadeid passes through for trade with the northern people? I picture a map in my mind.
“In the island where I lived, there was a saying: ‘Do not set sail during the red of sunset.’ Even though there were only small boats, I heard there was hardly any damage,” Chris reminisces, his gaze distant as if recalling his childhood.
Ash listens with a solemn expression, but remains unchanged. He holds the lantern-topped staff at a steady height, not moving an inch.
I thought it might be tiring to keep the lantern down for so long, so I attached a thin metal rod to it. He can carry it or use it like a staff, thrusting it into the ground.
But with the way Ash is holding it, I wonder if it’s actually tiring him out. He looks like someone at the front of a line holding a flag.
Retze is using it as I expected, leaning on the staff like a cane, while Vine-chan wraps around it, cautiously surveying the surroundings.
Of course, the staff can also be used to knock!
“Chris, is it ‘Rend into Eight’ and not ‘Rend into Eightfold’?”
Retze asks.
“Yeah, it’s ‘Rend into Eightfold,'” Chris nods.
“I wonder if the nuance changed somewhere? Local dialects can either remain unchanged or be significantly influenced by something along the way, which is quite interesting,” Haulon says, resting his cheek in thought.
“When the ‘King’s Branch’ was completely stained black, many large and small orbs of light floated around. Those orbs created eightfold shadows of a single person, and the black shadows formed from those eightfolds fled in different directions,” he continues.
“I learned that at the Spirit Library!”
“Where on earth… No, I won’t ask. I won’t ask,” Haulon says, tightly closing his eyes and extending his hand toward us.
“That said, I don’t know much about the ‘Land of Ruin’ either.”
What I learned at the Spirit Library was mostly about the time before it became known as the ‘Land of Ruin,’ when it was still called Chrisdrum.
There are few records about the time after it became the ‘Land of Ruin.’ The name and appearance of the ‘Land of Ruin’ come up often, but the details are completely lacking. Perhaps most who went there never returned?
I feel a bit embarrassed to touch upon Haulon and Dinoss’s stories. If I read them, would I understand more about the ‘Weather Vane’?
The fact that Haulon specifically went to deal with the ‘Weather Vane’ means he must have known something about it beforehand, so it wouldn’t be strange if it was written in other books, but I haven’t found anything.
“If we reach a place where we can see the ‘Weather Vane,’ I’d like to hear about those times from Lord Haulon while enjoying Gene’s cooking,” Ash says.
“You’re completely ignoring the surrounding black ghosts…” Haulon gives Ash a sidelong glance.
“Should I have been more scared?”
“No, that’s not necessary. It would be troublesome if you panicked,” Ash replies, looking puzzled.
I remember when I first came here; I nearly screamed and ran away.
Dean looks a bit startled, as he usually has a big reaction, which is normal. Everyone else seems calm.
“I’m trying to keep my sense of danger, but I’ve gotten used to it…” Retze murmurs.
Is it just familiarity with the ghosts?