I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living by Exorcising Them! - Chapter 18

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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 018

‘Ahh, so refreshing!’

They say tea tastes sweeter after hard work, and it’s true.

The tea I hadn’t touched since arriving at the reception room went down smoothly.

I cheerfully set down the perfectly emptied teacup on the table.

Rudian glanced at the grandfather clock and flinched in surprise.

It was a completely opposite posture from a few hours ago when I had just entered the reception room.

I bent my upper body slightly and clasped my hands together.

Perhaps anticipating serious talk, everyone quietly listened.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Record this.”

“Yes, Count!”

As soon as I said a word, Rudian snapped her fingers and called the butler.

The butler hurriedly took out a report and quill pen, finishing preparations to listen attentively.

I lowered my voice with gravity to meet their expectations.

“I have exorcised the ghost that had been dwelling in the grandfather clock for a long time.”

As soon as I finished speaking, sighs of relief could be heard from here and there.

“However!”

Bang! I struck the table for dramatic tension.

…I probably shouldn’t have done that. My hand hurt.

“It’s a very old and worn object, so it’s a good environment for ghosts to inhabit.”

“Then… do we need to throw it away?”

“That would be best.”

Worry appeared on Rudian’s face.

The butler’s quill pen, which had been diligently writing the report, also hesitated.

‘Looking at their reaction, that grandfather clock must have quite a story.’

What if I said firmly to throw it away and then they started reciting some long story?

I would be the only one feeling awkward.

I quietly stared at Rudian.

Then she took the bait and spoke with a heavy expression.

“That grandfather clock was brought in when this manor was built. It has been guarding this place for hundreds of years.”

See, I knew there would be a story behind it.

I almost put myself in a difficult position by speaking too firmly.

I never really thought they would be able to throw it away anyway.

“You don’t have to throw it away. But I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“You haven’t been properly oiling the pendulum all this time, have you?”

Eek! The butler who had been quickly moving his quill pen made a startled sound and covered his mouth.

His face showed how did you know that.

It was exactly the reaction I wanted.

I struggled to suppress the corners of my mouth that were trying to curl up on their own.

“From now on, it would be good to oil it well. Ghosts hate the smell of oil, you see.”

“The smell of oil…!”

The butler muttered with a surprised face.

Sorry.

‘Actually, I don’t know.’

I just said that so the pendulum won’t make any more noise, so take good care of it with oil.

The grandfather clock had only a very simple and trivial problem.

‘The chain with the pendulum was just tangled, wasn’t it?’

Of course the pendulum would rattle if the chain was tangled.

The older an object is, the more you need to take good care of it.

Especially things made of wood tend to creak if not properly maintained.

I carefully, very carefully untangled the chain, worried the grandfather clock might break.

But there was a slight problem when the work was almost finished.

Strange sounds kept coming from inside the clock!

‘Usually that kind of sound happens when something breaks!’

I panicked and screamed, which made Rudian and her guard knight burst through the door.

It was so difficult trying to smooth things over, saying it was nothing.

I glanced at the grandfather clock briefly, then looked away.

‘If it was broken, it wouldn’t be standing there so perfectly fine right now. Yeah, nothing happened.’

I don’t know.

“Are there any other precautions?”

“Ah, it’s good to wipe it down thoroughly every day so dust doesn’t accumulate.”

“I’ll make sure that’s done.”

Rudian answered readily, but the servants looked at each other with gloomy faces.

They still seem reluctant.

‘I told you I performed an exorcism (cleaning).’

Why can’t you believe it yet?

Fortunately, Rudian seemed to believe it.

Though she might just be pretending because there are too many people around.

“Fine, I’ll trust you.”

“Thank you.”

The suspicion in Rudian’s eyes washed away a little.

That alone accomplished today’s goal.

Rudian stared at my face intently for a moment, then handed me a note with something scribbled on it.

“Next week. I won’t set a specific date, so come to this place on a day that works for you. Just send a letter in advance.”

“Yes, understood.”

I answered faithfully, then scanned the note.

Judging by how far the location is from here, it’s probably the previous Count couple’s estate.

I had passed Rudian’s test.

“But Count.”

“What.”

Her tone was prickly yet noticeably softer.

“By any chance, are you afraid of ghosts…”

“Well then, see you next week!”

Rudian hastily issued an order to leave before I could even finish my sentence.

She even jumped up with a flushed face and left first.

‘I thought she’d get angry like usual.’

When I looked around, the servants were pretending they hadn’t heard anything. Good heavens. They all seemed to already know.

With this, I had learned Rudian’s secret that no other noble in the Empire would know.

Namely… the fact that she was afraid of ghosts.

‘Don’t worry.’

I won’t tell anyone.

Between Rudian and me, a small secret had formed that we’d take to our graves.

Though Rudian herself probably doesn’t know that a secret has formed between us.

* * *

‘It’s over!’

I collapsed onto the soft cushion of the carriage.

When the carriage started moving with a rattle, I opened the window.

Just like at the Monteville Ducal Estate, I was thinking of waving my hand out the window.

However, Rudian coldly turned around without even looking at the departing carriage.

Rather than ignoring me.

“The grandfather clock. Check it quickly!”

She seemed desperate to confirm whether the exorcism had really worked.

Even though it should have been drowned out by the sound of wheels hitting stones, Rudian’s voice came through clearly.

She pretended to fully believe me earlier, but I guess she was a bit worried.

“I will check it.”

The guard knight’s voice was equally solemn, as if he were going off to war.

‘But it’s not something I need to worry about.’

The grandfather clock had already left my hands.

‘Check it all you want.’

It’s just an old, worn grandfather clock – what could possibly happen.

I stretched lazily and leaned my head against the window again.

I had definitely leaned there thinking I’d clear all idle thoughts from my mind.

But instead, all sorts of random thoughts floated around in my head.

Uncomfortable facts like how nobles leave all sorts of old, corroded things just as they are.

‘If it’s old, just throw it away or something.’

At first, I thought it was just pride and dignity about the old manor.

But as I continued to observe, there was another reason.

‘This is all because they rely too much on magic stones.’

Magic stones were literally stones imbued with magic power.

Originally, it referred to unprocessed stones, but at some point, stones embedded with spell formulas created by mages came to be called ‘magic stones.’

There were so many different types, and the prices varied wildly.

They were also items used in all aspects of noble life.

But magic stones don’t solve everything for a lifetime.

Once all the magic power is consumed, they’re no different from stones rolling around on the street.

The magic power in magic stones used for hundreds of years couldn’t remain the same forever.

‘They must have thought there would be no problems just because they put a magic stone in the grandfather clock—’

Ah, that’s right!

The magic stone!

I smacked my forehead with a loud thwack.

I finally remembered that I had put the magic stone I removed from the grandfather clock in my pocket!

I hurriedly pulled out the smooth magic stone from my pocket.

It was perfectly round in shape.

I was afraid it would roll away if I put it on the floor, so I temporarily put it in my pocket, then completely forgot about it and ended up bringing it with me.

‘Sigh.’

But why on earth did they put a magic stone in the grandfather clock?

A clock just needs to function as a clock.

Anyway, I had instantly become someone who stole a useless magic stone.

I frowned deeply as I turned the magic stone this way and that.

‘Looking at it again, it’s incredibly round.’

It was definitely pure white, but it also seemed to have a slight golden tint.

‘Why was only this magic stone kept so clean?’

Inside a grandfather clock that looked dirty on the outside, smelled musty as soon as you opened the glass door, and was covered in dust.

‘Look how clean it is all by itself.’

The grandfather clock was so dirty it was unpleasant to even touch!

…Next time, I’ll confess honestly that I accidentally brought it with me.

I put the magic stone back in my pocket.

I really couldn’t feel anything from the magic stone.

* * *

It was a leisurely day for once.

For the first time in a while, I had no schedule at all.

The morning sunlight couldn’t wake me up.

I stayed drunk on sleep with the blanket pulled up to the top of my head, then slowly got up.

After stretching, my body felt refreshed instead of the usual daily stiffness.

It definitely wasn’t morning anymore.

The sunlight from outside the window was completely pouring into my room.

Even after washing my face lightly, my eyes wouldn’t open properly. In a drowsy state, I gently rubbed my eyelids.

When I came down to the first floor, there was a cloth food cover and a note placed on the dining table.

[Miss, I’m going to meet my friends!

I’ll make a simple meal before I go, so please make sure to eat it.

Oh, right. You didn’t wake up at twelve in the afternoon, did you?]

“Sorry.”

An apology slipped out first, even though Bella wasn’t there to see it.

It wasn’t twelve o’clock.

It was two o’clock.

It was a time that far exceeded the deadline Bella had imagined.

“Right, she said she had plans today.”

For some reason, I had no memory of saying “just five more minutes…” but I was puzzled after sleeping so deeply and waking up.

Bella was a diligent maid who always said that even on her days off, she had to wake up at seven in the morning to feel refreshed for the day.

“Sometimes there should be days like this where I spend time alone leisurely.”

I should pretend to be generous and tell her to go meet friends a few times a month.

Bella had many friends in the capital.

Before becoming a maid at House Alderton, she said she worked at a noble residence in the capital.

She was talkative and had good social skills, so she tended to become close with people quickly.

But at Baron Alderton’s Estate, she was an outsider.

Because after being designated as my personal maid, she always took my side.

Although when I left the family house, I shook off everything and completely broke away, thinking about the humiliation Bella endured made my teeth clench.

I found out that Bella was being bullied by the other servants… only much later.

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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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