Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 9

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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 9. Ticket Inspection by Cudgel
As I left the Imperial Palace, I hummed a cheerful tune to myself.
My pockets were heavy with a generous stipend certificate, the Emperor’s dagger hung at my waist, and beside me walked Demian, his expression suggesting his soul had half-abandoned his body.
“Come now, partner—brighten that face. We just saved the nation. Why do you look like you’re at death’s door?”
“We did save the nation, but… I feel as though my lifespan has been shortened.”
Demian shook his head at me.
“I never imagined you’d pull out a three-section staff before the Emperor himself. Truly… how far does your unpredictability extend?”
“Just wait. Things will get even more spectacular from here on.”
I grinned and asked him a question.
“By the way, did you hear what Archbishop Cassius said as they dragged him away?”
“The gap in the Northern Region… is that what you mean?”
“Yes. And that man—The Master.”
My intuition was tingling sharply. A signal that the true mastermind controlling the Archbishop lay in the Northern Region.
“I think we need to take a business trip.”
“A business trip? Where to?”
“The Northern Region. Beyond the Eberhardt Territory—the border lands where monsters swarm.”
Demian’s expression hardened.
“The Northern Region is dangerous. The miasma is so thick that even holy knights avoid it. And with winter upon us, the blizzards….”
“Which is exactly why we have to go. Thick miasma just means my cudgel has plenty of work to do.”
I tapped Demian’s shoulder.
“Besides, you’re here. My personal human furnace and walking holy relic.”
“…I’d prefer not to be treated as a holy relic.”
He grumbled, but didn’t refuse.
Because he already knew.
That without uncovering who stood behind Archbishop Cassius, the Empire’s peace would be nothing but temporary.
“Start packing, Commander. We leave tomorrow.”
At the Inquisition’s weapons supply depot, my eyes gleamed like a child’s as I gazed at the vicious weapons hanging on the walls.
“What about this one? Should I go with the spike-studded version or the silver-plated one?”
The supply officer broke into a cold sweat and glanced at Demian.
His eyes seemed to ask: ‘Commander, who exactly is this person?’
But Demian simply nodded with a resigned expression.
“…Give her whatever she wants. Put it on my tab.”
“Oh, you’re truly capable! I love it!”
I hefted a massive silver-plated sledgehammer designed for greater demons.
The satisfying weight settled perfectly in my grip.
The three-section staff was portable, but lacked the impact I craved. With this, I could crack even a greater demon’s skull like a watermelon.
“This one. I’ll call it… ‘Elegant Conversation Number Two.'”
I slung the hammer over my shoulder and smiled. A new identity, generous funds, and a reliable partner.
Now everything was ready for revenge and demon-slaying.
“Wait for me, Northern Region.”
* * *
Aboard the Snow Piercer, a magitech locomotive bound for the Northern Region, I sat in the first-class cabin and popped a peeled egg into my mouth, savoring it contentedly.
Across from me, Demian gazed out at the snow-covered landscape, sipping his black tea with a furrowed brow.
“Mmm… boiled eggs are truly the perfect companion for train travel.”
“Miss Violetta, can you afford to be so carefree? We have no idea what dangers await us on the road to the Northern Region.”
“Which is precisely why I need to eat. Carbohydrates are essential before a fight.”
I gulped down a glass of carbonated water.
Thanks to the generous gold coins bestowed upon us by the Emperor, we had rented an entire train car to ourselves.
Premium velvet seats, a warm stove, and unlimited refreshments—this is the true power of financial therapy.
But my peace was short-lived.
Click.
The cabin door opened, and a uniformed Train Conductor stepped inside.
“I’ll be checking tickets. May I see yours, please?”
Demian reached into his coat to retrieve the ticket bearing the Imperial seal.
But I set down my egg and narrowed my eyes.
‘Something smells off about this.’
A pale wisp of smoke curled up from the Train Conductor’s shoulder.
It wasn’t the smell of tobacco. This was the musty, acrid stench of an ancient tomb.
My gaze shifted to his hands.
The knuckles of his outstretched fingers were grotesquely twisted, and beneath his rolled sleeves, the skin at his wrists hung loose and peeling, revealing dark fur underneath.
“Excuse me, Train Conductor.”
I wiped the egg yolk from my lips as I addressed him.
“Yes, miss?”
“Is your work environment really so poor? You’re not taking care of your skin at all. Your hide is completely flaking off.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
The Train Conductor lifted his head.
Beneath the shadow of his cap, his eyes held no whites—the entire socket was hollow and dark as spilled ink.
Demian sensed the shift in my demeanor and placed his hand on his sword hilt.
“Miss Violetta?”
I casually retrieved my silver-plated sledgehammer—my second instrument of conversation—from beside my seat.
“Demian, get down.”
“What?”
“We’ve got a stowaway.”
I sprang to my feet and swung the hammer with all my might.
“I paid good money for this ticket—you’re not freeloading on my dime!”
Crack—!
My hammer struck the Train Conductor’s temple with perfect precision.
The impact would have killed an ordinary person instantly, but the Train Conductor merely staggered, emitting a grotesque sound as he straightened his head.
Or rather, his neck twisted a full 180 degrees as he stared at us.
[Kekeke… caught me? I smelled fresh meat and thought I’d take a bite.]
The Train Conductor’s mouth split open to his ears, revealing sharp fangs.
His body swelled grotesquely as his uniform tore to shreds. What emerged from beneath the human skin was a hideous cannibal demon with exposed crimson muscle.
Demian Lyart drew his sword in shock.
“A monster?!”
“Don’t be alarmed. We’re heading toward the Northern Region, so it seems these creatures are offering complimentary service.”
I adjusted my grip on the hammer. The silver-plated surface sizzled against the creature’s skin, charring and burning where it made contact.
[Grrr… I’ll kill you!]
The cannibal demon lunged forward with claws extended, but it had overlooked one critical detail.
Standing beside me was the Empire’s strongest holy knight.
A sharp metallic whisper.
A flash of azure light erupted, and both of the creature’s arms fell to the floor with a dull thud. It was Demian Lyart. He’d positioned himself in front of me, his eyes cold as ice as he leveled his blade. His voice came low and venomous.
“Don’t lay a hand on my partner, you filthy thing.”
Oh, he’s got lines too? I didn’t waste a moment admiring his words—I drove my hammer straight into the creature’s face. Crack!
[Screech!]
The cannibal demon’s head exploded, spraying black blood as it collapsed. I flicked the blood from my hammer and clicked my tongue.
“Tsk, now there’s blood all over the expensive velvet chairs. I’ll have to send them a cleaning bill.”
“Miss Violetta, don’t let your guard down.”
Demian Lyart pointed toward the corridor, his voice taut with tension.
“There’s more than one.”
Thud. Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.
And beyond the cabin windows, dozens of crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.
[Hungry… give meat…]
[Open door… open door…]
The train’s passengers—or rather, the creatures wearing the passengers’ skins—were swarming toward us in droves.
It was like a scene straight out of a zombie film.
I couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.
Any other passenger would have fainted, but my adrenaline was surging.
This narrow corridor. Enemies lined up single file. What was this? Bowling pins.
“Hey, you know something?”
“What is it?”
“In tight spaces like this, a hammer is far more efficient than a sword.”
I slung the hammer over my shoulder and linked my arm through Demian Lyart’s.
Of course, not out of fear—but for rapid charging.
“I’m going to borrow some energy. I need to sweep them all away.”
Zzzt—! Demian Lyart’s holy power flowed into me. Azure sacred flames ignited brilliantly across the hammer’s silver plating.
“Ready?”
“You… are truly something, woman.”
Demian Lyart sighed as if resigned to his fate, but a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. He unlatched the bolt barring the door.
“Let’s go. Time to clean house.”
Creak—! The moment the door swung open, a wave of cannibal demons surged through like a tidal flood.
[Roooaaarrr!]
“Welcome aboard! This is the express train to Hell!”
I swung the hammer in a full baseball swing.
Crack—!
The head of the creature leading the charge flew like a home run ball, toppling those behind it like dominoes. The impact was exquisite. Bone fragments scattered, and black blood erupted in a fountain.
“Strike!”
I laughed like a madwoman as I bolted down the corridor.
The narrow hallway was my stage alone.
With nowhere to flee and nowhere to hide, the creatures had no choice but to endure the merciless baptism of my hammer. Behind me, Demian Lyart provided perfect support, his sword cleaving through any that dared approach from the sides.
We moved through the blood-soaked train corridor like dancers who had rehearsed together for years, advancing relentlessly.
Thud! Clang! Crack!
“Miss Violetta! Twelve o’clock! The ceiling!”
“Got it!”
I stepped off Demian Lyart’s shoulders and leaped upward, driving my hammer down through the spine of the creature crawling across the ceiling. Then the train lurched, and everything went dark. We’d entered a tunnel.
When we plunged into a long, lightless tunnel, Demian Lyart cried out in alarm.
“Damn it, I can’t see—!”
Even as a holy knight, Demian Lyart was at a disadvantage in complete darkness.
These creatures were nocturnal—faster and more vicious in the shadows.
[Kekekek… the light’s gone. Hunting time!]
The creatures’ foul breathing echoed from all directions in the darkness.
“Can you see me?”
“No, I can’t see anything! Stay close behind me!”
“No, you’re the one who should be staying close.”
Even in the darkness, my spirit sight let me see their glowing red eyes with perfect clarity.
“Hold me tight.”
“What?! Now of all times—!”
“Hurry! I’ll be your eyes, so you be my power!”
I grabbed Demian Lyart by the collar and pulled him against my back in the darkness. We stood spine to spine, feeling each other’s warmth.
“Cut on my signal. Understand?”
“…Understood. I trust you.”
Trust resonated in Demian Lyart’s voice.
I gripped my hammer and focused on the dozens of presences converging through the darkness.
“Three o’clock, low!”
Slash!
Demian Lyart’s blade cut through empty air with perfect precision, and something shrieked as it was severed.
“Nine o’clock, jump and crush!”
Boom!
My hammer found its mark in the darkness, connecting perfectly with the creature’s skull.
We moved as one perfect entity in the darkness. The reassurance of our spines touching, the heat of his holy power flowing through my veins.
This was no horror film.
It was an intense, blood-soaked action film—just the two of us.
At the end of the Tunnel, a sliver of light began to appear.
And with that light, our figures were revealed standing in the middle of a corridor where corpses of flesh-eaters had formed mountains. I turned to look at Demian, breathing heavily.
His silver hair was drenched in blood and sweat, yet to my eyes, he looked sexier than ever.
“…Are you alive, partner?”
“Of course. Thanks to you.”
I dropped my blood-stained hammer to the ground with a heavy thud and grinned wickedly.
“What’s the next stop? I’m so hungry I’m getting dizzy.”

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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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