I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living by Exorcising Them! - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living Through Exorcism! Episode 010

Harman had been in a bad mood since morning.

He frowned as he looked up and down at the massive object that had arrived in front of the estate.

Siena’s letter from last evening, which he had dismissed as trivial, came to mind.

[Duke Monteville!

I’ve prepared a gift for you.

I was going to bring it when I visit next week, but it turned out bigger than expected, so I’ll send it ahead.

I hope you’ll like it!]

So this was what she meant.

“Your Grace, shall we put it away?”

“…Yes.”

The butler who had approached cautiously ran off in a hurry as soon as he got permission.

Harman sighed. The object was so large that even three strong men seemed to struggle lifting it.

Well, even if it was scrap metal, it was still a magic stone, so it was bound to be heavy.

Harman watched the magic stone being moved with great difficulty, feeling troubled.

A Rundane Magic Stone.

This magic stone, which had been cutting-edge technology when the Monteville Ducal Estate was built, had long since become an old-style magic stone that even commoner estates wouldn’t use.

In other words, it was nothing but trash to Harman.

‘How on earth did she get hold of this relic.’

The magic stone glowed softly with white light as if it knew nothing. That sight reminded him exactly of Siena.

‘I did mention magic stones.’

But that was just a roundabout way of saying he wouldn’t fix the wall.

Yet Siena had suddenly procured one and given it to him as a gift.

Trash that was now hard to even find.

…Was she mocking him?

* * *

I massaged my heavy shoulders and stretched out fully.

Normally I would have had tea time, but I didn’t even have the strength to hold a teacup. I collapsed straight onto the bed.

So soft and fluffy. Comfortable enough to fall asleep immediately.

This bed was the first thing I bought with the thick bundle of money that came into my hands.

I’d been lacking sleep lately from cleaning the estate and investigating Harman’s estate, among other things.

‘Harman…’

As soon as I thought of that name, I felt troubled. I hugged my pillow and said,

“Bella, Duke Monteville will like it, right?”

“Of course! Didn’t he say he needed a Rundane Magic Stone?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Even the Duke of the Empire couldn’t obtain one, so imagine how delighted he must be that Miss sent it. And it was the largest size too!”

“But why hasn’t a reply come?”

I had only mentioned it was a gift, wanting to surprise him. Should I not have done that?

Actually, when I was writing the letter, I didn’t have time to think much about it.

The Rundane Magic Stone that Rudian sent had suddenly arrived at my estate as well.

Rudian was someone who handled business incredibly fast.

[If it’s not enough, let me know.

I can send more.]

The day after we finished the contract, she immediately sent an enormous Rundane Magic Stone.

I’d heard she was good at execution, but to send payment before I’d even done any work.

Anyway, as soon as dawn broke, I rented the fastest and sturdiest cargo carriage available for immediate dispatch.

Loading the Rundane Magic Stone into the cargo compartment was such a struggle that both my shoulders still ached.

Watching the carriage rattle away filled me with satisfaction, and I even waved to the coachman.

But no reply had come from Harman at all.

Even though enough time had passed for the Rundane Magic Stone sent to the Monteville Ducal Estate to arrive and then some.

Whenever I sent letters, replies would always come back shortly after, as if he’d been waiting.

When such a person had no contact for so long, I was starting to worry.

“Maybe he’s so happy he’s thinking about what to write?”

“That must be it, right?”

I idly doodled on the blanket with my finger and pouted. Exchanging trivial talk with Bella gradually made my eyes close.

I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

Tap tap-

I opened my eyes wide at the sound of light tapping on the window.

Huh, how long did I sleep?

When I pressed the bed sheet to get up, I felt hair. Bella was sleeping deeply with just her face leaning against the bed.

I carefully got up and drew back the curtains.

When I opened the window, as always, a white bird had flown over with a letter envelope in its beak.

A blue envelope sealed with a stag emblem.

Finally…

Harman had sent a letter!

“Fly safely.”

I waved goodbye to the bird as it flapped its wings and flew away. There was no time to use a paper knife.

I hastily tore off the seal and opened the envelope, revealing neat letter paper just like Harman’s style.

[Lady Siena.

This is Harman Monteville.

Thanks to you, repair work has begun.

I am extremely grateful.]

It was a very short and concise letter.

‘He’s grateful!’

I wanted to share this joy, but Bella was completely exhausted and showed no signs of waking up.

Covering my mouth so I wouldn’t wake Bella, I carefully read each letter again.

But was it just my imagination that his tone seemed unusually stiff today?

Even though he clearly said he was grateful, somehow a heavy feeling could be sensed faintly through the ink.

Ah, right. The ink was very dark, as if each letter had been pressed down hard.

The period at the end seemed to have been pressed down firmly with force. The ink had even seeped through to the back of the thick letter paper.

That slightly smudged mark looked like a tear stain…

‘Wait a minute.’

Both hands holding the letter paper trembled slightly.

Usually, the reason for pressing down letters like this was simple.

To prevent shaking hands. That was all.

Could it be…

‘Did he really cry?’

Because he could renovate the estate?

The late letter would make sense if he had forgotten to send a reply as soon as he received the Rundane Magic Stone and proceeded with the renovation work.

I covered my mouth even though no one was watching.

‘In the original story, he really did go crazy because of the estate…’

I don’t know why he had such affection for the estate.

However, considering that he became a duke at a young age and there’s no information about the previous Duke and Duchess at all.

He might be remembering warm times with his parents at the estate.

Didn’t Rudian’s parents also seem to have tremendous affection for the estate?

‘Right, that’s it.’

Each time I read the letter, I felt sorry for Harman’s emotions that I sensed anew.

I pulled a chair in front of the window and sat down. I stroked the letter gently and read it over and over again.

That’s when it happened.

Flutter!

‘Huh?’

I heard the sound of loud wing flapping and checked outside the window.

The white bird that had left a little while ago was flying toward me again like crazy.

With a letter in its beak.

I instinctively reached my hand toward the window.

Chirp! The bird made a strange sound and dropped the letter envelope onto my palm.

Then it flapped its wings so fast they were invisible and flew away.

‘It seemed angry just now.’

Feeling puzzled, I watched the white bird’s flight to the end while holding the envelope.

When the bird became as small as a dot and completely disappeared from view, something came to mind.

Come to think of it, when I tried to put the picture frame back in its original place, didn’t something white come flying?

‘That wasn’t that bird, was it?’

It’s not like it suddenly got angry after seeing my face or anything like that, right?

‘….’

No, it can’t be.

That bird just now was big enough that I’d need both hands spread out to barely catch it.

But when I swung the Picture Frame, I didn’t even feel like I hit anything. To the point where I wondered if I had imagined it.

‘What bird? It was probably just a large bug.’

All that was scattered around were Wood Fragments from the shattered Picture Frame. There was nothing that had collided with the Picture Frame.

I shook my head and tore open the envelope. Then, once again, the same Letter Paper as the one I had received earlier came out.

[Lady Siena.

There has been a problem during the renovation work.]

The construction started today, didn’t it?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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