Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 37. The Second Calamity Arrives with Sweet Sleep
The transfer of ownership for the Mana Stone Mine proceeded at lightning speed.
Of course, that was because my calculator never stopped clicking. I handed a stack of documents to Adjutant Ban, who had been appointed as the site supervisor, and issued my instructions.
“Adjutant Ban, enforce security exactly as written here. Not a single ant must escape, and not one Mana Stone must leave this place under anyone’s watch.”
Ban received the documents and saluted respectfully.
“Yes! Count—I mean, Boss! I shall keep it in mind!”
The mine entrance was sealed with a holy barrier that Demian had installed, and the Fenris Knights agreed to maintain twenty-four-hour surveillance. Now all that remained was to watch the money roll in. Yet a corner of my heart still felt uneasy.
It was because of the crumpled parchment fragment in my pocket.
Upon returning to the castle, I unfolded the parchment on my desk and spoke to the two men before me.
“Look at this. It says ‘The First is Greed,’ doesn’t it? And the Shadow of Mammon actually appeared.”
Kairik von Herzen gazed down at the parchment with his arms crossed and asked.
“So the text that was cut off after this—that’s the ‘Second Calamity’?”
I nodded and replied.
“Yes, based on the context. It mentioned ‘five calamities,’ so that means four more are still waiting.”
Demian Lyart examined the parchment’s markings with a grave expression and spoke.
“These characters are in ancient Northern language. It’s a dead tongue that’s barely used anymore. Even I find it difficult to decipher.”
I sighed and muttered to myself.
“Sigh… one mountain after another. Just when I thought I’d make some money, calamities line up waiting for me.”
Then Kairik snapped his fingers as if remembering something and spoke.
“Wait. If it’s ancient Northern language, there’s one old man who can read it.”
My eyes widened. I pushed myself up from the desk and asked.
“Who? Where does this person live?”
Kairik von Herzen pointed toward the snow-covered mountains visible through the window and answered.
“The Witch of the Snowy Field who lives in the Silent Forest. She’s been an eccentric living in that forest since I was young, but there’s nothing she doesn’t know.”
The Witch of the Snowy Field.
The name alone sounded suspicious, but this was no time to be choosy. I immediately grabbed my coat and shouted.
“Let’s go at once. We need to commission that old woman to translate this.”
The Silent Forest lived up to its name.
Not a single bird’s cry could be heard—only the eerie whistle of wind. The trees stood bare and twisted, and thick fog obscured the view ahead.
As I rode through the forest path on horseback, I shuddered at the unsettling atmosphere and spoke.
“Why does this place feel like this? It feels like ghosts might appear.”
Kairik von Herzen held my horse’s reins steady and chuckled before answering.
“There are no ghosts. Because of the witch’s barrier, even beasts can’t come near.”
Demian Lyart remained alert, watching his surroundings carefully as he spoke.
“I don’t sense any malevolent energy… but strangely, one’s vitality seems to drain away.”
Deep within the forest, a dilapidated cottage came into view. Purple smoke rose from its chimney. We dismounted and knocked on the cottage door.
Knock, knock.
“Are you home? We’ve brought what you ordered!”
I deliberately called out in a bright voice.
After a moment, the door creaked open. An old woman with wrinkled skin and a hunched back emerged from within. She surveyed us with clouded eyes, then asked abruptly in a hoarse voice.
“Did you come empty-handed?”
I remained unflappable, withdrawing a premium tea set from my bag and offering it with a composed reply.
“Hardly. This is black tea supplied to the Imperial Court itself. A bribe and a gift, if you will.”
The Witch of the Snowy Field accepted the tea, inhaled its fragrance, then smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.
“Heh heh, it smells exquisite. As expected of Eberhardt’s bloodline—quick-witted indeed. Come inside.”
The cottage interior was crammed with medicinal herbs and suspicious animal bones. We settled around a weathered table. I extended a parchment fragment before the old woman and made my request.
“Could you decipher this for me? I’ll compensate you generously.”
The Witch of the Snowy Field donned her magnifying spectacles and studied the parchment for a considerable time. Her expression gradually hardened, and she finally set it down on the table, speaking with grave solemnity.
“This is… a fragment of the ‘Prophecy of Ruin.’ It scattered when the seal stone shattered.”
Kairik von Herzen pressed for answers.
“So, what does the rest say?”
The Witch of the Snowy Field traced the broken sentences with her finger and read slowly onward.
“The first was greed… and the second is ‘sloth.'”
“Sloth?”
“Indeed. A power that halts all things. It stops movement, stops thought, and ultimately stops even the heart itself… eternal sleep.”
A chill ran down my spine as I pressed further.
“Sleep? You mean people simply fall asleep and die?”
The Witch of the Snowy Field nodded gravely in warning.
“The sweetest and most inescapable calamity. It may have already begun.”
Before her words could fully settle, a heavy thud echoed from outside. We bolted from the cottage in alarm.
The horses we’d ridden lay collapsed on the ground. They weren’t dead—they snored softly, lost in profound slumber. No amount of shaking could rouse them.
“Shadow! Wake up! It’s feeding time!”
Kairik von Herzen struck the black horse’s cheek, but it merely smacked its lips and sank deeper into sleep. Demian Lyart surveyed the surroundings and cried out urgently.
“Your Majesty! Look at that village below!”
The small village visible below the cottage’s hillside. At this hour, smoke should have risen from chimneys and people should have been moving about, yet the entire settlement lay deathly silent.
People lay sleeping by the roadside; farmers sprawled in their fields mid-labor. The entire village slumbered as though it had inhaled some soporific gas.
“Is this… the curse of sloth?”
I murmured in bewilderment.
Then, suddenly, my eyelids grew impossibly heavy. A yawn burst forth unbidden from my lips.
“Yawn… why am I so drowsy?”
As my legs weakened and I stumbled, Kairik von Herzen caught me, his voice sharp with urgency.
“Violetta! Stay with me! You cannot sleep now!”
“No… just a moment… let me close my eyes for just five minutes…”
I nestled into Kairik von Herzen’s embrace, my eyes beginning to drift shut. It was so warm, so wonderfully sweet. Everything in the world seemed tedious, and I was consumed by the desire to sleep eternally in this moment.
This was the true power of the curse.
Demian Lyart placed his hand upon my forehead, channeling holy power into me as he cried out.
“Purification! Regain your senses, Violetta!”
The sharp sting of holy power struck my mind, and consciousness snapped back into focus.
“Gasp!”
My eyes flew open as I gasped for breath. I had nearly succumbed to the sweetest of dreams on the brink of oblivion. I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and cried out.
“This is insane—is drowsiness contagious? Does it spread through the air like a plague?”
The Witch of the Snowy Field emerged behind me, leaning heavily on her staff.
“The ‘Fog of Sloth’ is spreading. Those with weak wills fall asleep first. And those who sleep will freeze to death.”
In the bitter cold of the Northern Region, falling asleep meant certain death. At this rate, the entire Fenris Territory would become one massive frozen tomb.
I slapped my cheeks sharply, forcing myself to focus.
“So what’s the solution? How do we destroy this drowsiness shelter?”
The Witch of the Snowy Field pointed toward the deepest part of the forest, toward the Ice Lake.
“The ‘Spirit of Sleep’ that spreads the curse lies at the bottom of that lake. You must awaken it. With something very loud and very powerful.”
Loud and powerful—my specialty. I rubbed my drowsy eyes and drew out my hammer.
“So you need an alarm clock. I’ll become a human alarm clock.”
Kairik von Herzen clicked his tongue and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“You can barely stand right now. Should I carry you?”
I shook my head and pulled out my calculator. Nothing chased away drowsiness quite like calculating money.
“No. Listen carefully. Anyone who falls asleep from this moment on will be fined 10 billion gold. Understood?”
At the mention of fines, both Kairik von Herzen and Demian Lyart’s eyes snapped into sharp focus. Financial therapy truly is a cure-all.
We left our sleeping horses at the cottage and ventured into the snow-whipped forest. With each step came a battle against the encroaching drowsiness—a struggle against myself far more grueling than any monster hunt.

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