I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living by Exorcising Them! - Chapter 19

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

I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living Through Exorcism! Episode 019

“Bella, do you think being Lady Siena’s personal maid makes you something special?”

“You seem to be mistaken, but here Baron Alderton’s word is law and truth.”

“Lady Siena is nothing more than Baron Alderton’s property too.”

So that’s why. Bella’s expression has been gloomy lately.

I stopped in my tracks at the sound coming from beyond the corner of the corridor.

“What the hell are you crazy bastards saying right now?”

“L-Lady Siena!”

…I did rush out immediately, but it means I held back for about one second.

That day too, Bella grabbed my arm and worried about me, saying ‘Miss, if you keep this up, the Viscount will scold you!’

“…”

A bit clueless, but our kind Bella.

I shook my head.

The past is just the past.

It was already over.

After sleeping in so much. I can’t act pathetic in front of the food Bella made for me.

I opened the food cover.

Crispy well-toasted toast, yolk that looked ready to flow if popped. Clear soup with carrots.

As if meant to be drunk after the meal, the teapot even contained brewed tea.

I spread Bella’s homemade strawberry jam on the toast and took a bite.

‘Mm.’

I wiped the corner of my mouth and this time broke the yolk on top. The food filling both cheeks gave me a sense of satisfaction.

After leisurely finishing my meal, I reheated the cooled tea and poured it into a teacup.

‘Nice aroma.’

I swirled the teacup, recalling the tea time in the greenhouse garden.

I was imitating the elegant posture Harman used to do.

‘The greenhouse garden.’

Should we also start decorating the garden in front of our manor?

Even if not a greenhouse garden, it would be possible to create a modest garden that would make both of us proud.

The interior cleaning of the manor was almost finished.

I had casually asked Bella before about how she’d feel about decorating a garden.

It seems like we could slowly start preparing now.

I slowly brought the teacup to my lips…

“Miss!”

Pfft!

…Bella, I just took a sip.

I roughly brushed off my damp dress and approached the window.

“Lady Siena!”

In the distance, Bella had crossed the main gate and was waving both arms wildly, then shouted even louder when our eyes met.

It was fortunate that the manor was on a hill with nothing around it.

If other estates had been nearby, it would have been loud enough for servants to come complaining.

What on earth could be so urgent that she was making such a commotion before even entering the manor?

I hurriedly opened the window.

“Bella, what’s wrong?”

“Miss, huff. Hah…”

Bella tried to say something but stopped and put her hands on her knees.

After panting for a while, Bella lifted her head. She grinned mischievously.

“Miss, I heard the most amazing rumor! You’ll be shocked when you hear it too!”

“…A rumor?”

The provinces were quite peaceful, but the capital is the capital after all.

Rumors must be constantly circulating.

* * *

“I thought I had to tell you, Miss, so I came back quickly! Even though my friends tried to stop me, I rushed back!”

“What kind of rumor is it?”

Exactly! What is it?

Making me curious since outside the manor. Bella was drawing it out as much as possible.

Despite her neat personality, she didn’t even change clothes and was fanning her sweat-soaked shirt back and forth.

When I brought her cold water, she gulped it down.

Thunk! She set down the teacup forcefully.

“Well, they say a young lady who exorcises ghosts has appeared in the capital!”

“Huh?”

I raised one eyebrow.

There’s someone else like that besides me?

Even among noble young ladies?

“It’s true! There’s a maid who witnessed it directly!”

“Where did she see it?”

“I don’t know which noble residence it happened at. Someone probably silenced people before the rumor could spread completely.”

Bella whispered quietly even though she knew perfectly well that only the two of us were in the manor.

“But there are quite a few clues. They say she exorcised a ghost that was in a greenhouse garden. There aren’t many noble residences in the capital with greenhouse gardens, right?”

A greenhouse garden.

As I mentioned before, estates with greenhouse gardens in the Empire could be counted on one hand.

If it was a glass greenhouse in the capital, there were only the Imperial Palace, Monteville Ducal Estate, and Count Helkene’s Estate.

‘If it were the Imperial Palace’s glass greenhouse, the identity would have already spread everywhere.’

Rudian never had tea time with anyone, so it wasn’t Count Helkene’s Estate either.

By natural process of elimination…

‘Did she go to Harman’s manor?’

That doesn’t make sense.

…Don’t tell me he called another young lady because he didn’t trust me?

While I was lost in thought, Bella excitedly added more details.

“A maid preparing tea time in the greenhouse garden had her ankle grabbed by a ghost!”

Perhaps to build tension, she even raised her voice.

Bella’s tightly clenched hands trembled.

“My goodness! That young lady apparently crushed the ghost’s wrist!”

Bella covered her mouth in feigned surprise and blinked her eyes.

What?

‘Crushed the ghost’s wrist?’

Has another young lady who exorcises ghosts (mansion cleaning) really appeared in the capital besides me?

No. Such people can’t be that common.

‘Could it be… the original Female Lead?’

It’s about time for her to appear.

I was completely wrong before, but this time it’s really, really time for her to appear!

Soon, cheap ghost-infested manors would be put up at the auction house, and the only person who could be behind these rumors was the Female Lead.

But there was something puzzling.

In the early part of the original story, rather than the Female Lead meeting someone in earnest.

‘She should be busy purchasing manors.’

Buy old, cheap ghost-infested manors ▶ Demolish them completely ▶ Transform them into new manors ▶ Sell them at high prices

That was all the Female Lead did in the early part. She repeated those actions for at least 50 episodes.

Of course they sold for high prices. Thanks to remodeling the old manors, all the ghost rumors would have disappeared.

After that, she aimed to become a landlord, eventually renting out dozens of manors.

Her goal was so terrifyingly ambitious that there were even comments saying the Female Lead was too simple-minded and brutish.

Moreover, there was no mention of her having noble friends close enough for tea time.

‘It can only be the Female Lead, but if it’s not her, then who could it be?’

I tilted my head in confusion. Bella noticed I was pondering and paused for a moment before speaking.

“The maid said she saw it before fainting. The ghost stared blankly at its crushed wrist and then disappeared.”

Hmm, that’s quite specific.

Suspiciously specific, even.

“I wonder how she exorcised the ghost with pure strength, how fascinating. Don’t you think? That’s why she’s being called the Strong Young Lady.”

Wait a minute, this is something.

Bella, who had been catching her breath earlier, didn’t give me time to think as she spoke without pause, as if to avoid stopping.

“Oh, and there’s more. Yesterday the Strong Young Lady exorcised a ghost that was clinging to a grandfather clock in another manor.”

“…”

“But nobody knows which manor it was or who that young lady is!”

You know what, Bella.

I think I know who that is.

“Isn’t it really amazing? Miss, you also beat up the ghost in our manor, so there must be another young lady like that in the capital!”

No, Bella.

Bella chattered away excitedly, completely oblivious to everything.

She even said something strange about how we could become friends with the Strong Young Lady since we shared the common hobby of beating up ghosts.

Seeing Bella so excited made it hard for me to face her, so I turned my gaze to the table.

“Bella.”

“Yes, Miss!”

“That’s me.”

“As expected, Miss also wants to become friends with the Strong Young Lady… Huh?!”

Bella’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

She jumped up so suddenly that the chair she had been sitting on toppled backward.

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