24 Hearts

82====================

Calypso’s Nightmare

“Save Cherryu Village.”

[According to the man’s words, the village of Cherryu is in a dangerous situation due to the attacks of ghosts.]

[However, it is also reckless to head to a village without knowing how many ghosts are in it.]

[While it is a wise option to go back to the castle, ask for assistance, and go together, it might waste too much time and risk the lives of those in need.]

[The choice you make is up to you.]

Judah reassured the anxious man with a nod, “Of course, I’ll help. But it’s definitely difficult for us to do this alone.”

“What do we do then?”

“You go straight to Kaora Castle and ask for help. Oh, but I don’t know if they will come through this rain and help.”

“I hope they help us. Wait, does that mean you’re going to town?”

“Yes. I can’t help it. We don’t know if the village can survive if we go to Kaora together. It’s best if we split up.”

As Judah spoke, he took out the bronze plaques he kept in his pockets and handed them to the man.

“What is this?”

“It’s the plaques I found on the bodies of the adventurers who died in this house.”

The man held the plaques as he studied the house. Ropes hung from the ceiling, and in the corner was an unknown pile covered with a cloth and wooden planks. Of course, he didn’t have the courage to check nor question what was inside of it.

“What should I do with these…?”

“Please give it to the Adventurers Guild of Kaora Castle. If you show it, they may be willing to come and help. If they asked who gave it to you, give the name ‘Judah Arche’. Hopefully, they will remember my name.”

“That’s great, but… Could there be ghosts on the way to the castle? I think that would be dangerous…”

Judah shrugged. “If you think so, it doesn’t matter if you go to the village with us. It’s just difficult for all of us to go back to Kaora Castle because it will be a risk for those in your village.”

The man thought of it for a moment before nodding.

“Okay… I’ll go to the castle and ask for help. Please, please, please just help my—Ah! I chewed my tongue… Ah… Okay, I should go. Be careful!” He packed the plate in his pocket and ran through the rain.

“Are we leaving as well?”

“No.” Judah shook his head as he watched the man running away, being chased by another ghost.

“But didn’t you just say you were helping his village?” Jeanne tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing.

“I’ll help. But let’s have breakfast first and leave after some time. Take it easy. If we rushed in without preparing, it wouldn’t do any good.”

His answer didn’t satisfy Jeanne, but it made sense to her nonetheless. It would take them hours to reach the village, and as soon as they arrive, they would need to jump into combat immediately. They could enjoy a leisure meal after saving the villagers.

“That makes sense. All right, let’s get ready.”

She replied, and the two of them ate their breakfast as fast as they could.

Two hours into their departure from the old house, Judah and Jeanne were ambushed by the ghosts. Judah attacked them the same way he had always done, with Jeanne coming to his aid with her shield, allowing Judah to end their enemies fast. And as time passed, the raids of the ghosts became more frequent.

Jeanne sighed as she dealt with the last ghost. The surprise attacks of the spirit didn’t tire her as much as they should. Her defense mixed with Judah’s melee showed how much in sync they were. Being able to fight and trust each other was a gratifying moment. After the battle was over, Jeanne took a rough breath before summoning the rest of her weapons, which was her lancer.

“It looks like we’re getting closer to the village. The ghosts are appearing more often and in bigger groups too.”

“Yeah. There will be more of them in town.”

“Do you want to turn away?”

“Why would you want to do that?” Judah laughed at Jeanne’s remark.

“That’s not what I meant. I believe in us. It’s going to be a tough battle, but if we keep on fighting against these ghosts, I think we can do it.”

Jeanne didn’t express it in naive confidence. During the battle, she missed a ghost and got hit by it. However, because of her high magic resistance, she didn’t sustain too much damage. More surprisingly, she was able to bear it even though she had no armor on.

“Thank you for trusting me. We should go. I’ve gathered my breath.”

They nodded in agreement and pushed through the rain. The village of Cherryu was closer to the old house than they thought. The ghosts that ambushed them may have delayed their arrival, but the town sat just down the hill. The dark sky obscured their vision, but it didn’t hide the village ahead.

“Look. The priest is holding up well.”

Hundreds of ghosts crowded around a lone building in the center of the village. The structure, covered with green curtains, blocked every ghost there were, even those who could pass through walls or windows. In a vain attempt, the spirits gnawed on the curtains aggressively.

「Save the Cherryu village 2.」

[You and your companion arrived at the village of Cherryu, where people are under attack by numerous ghosts.]

[Fortunately, it’s not too late.]

[The priest staying over the village hall is skillful, protecting the town for a long period of nearly ten days.]

[But he is now reaching his limit. The protective veil defending the hall will soon be broken.]

[As it weakens, the ghosts who are waiting for the moment the veil will crumble will enter the hall and devour the villagers who are trembling in fear.]

[Hurry, it is not long until the veil is broken.]

While Judah read the message, Jeanne prepared for battle. She took off her raincoat and summoned her silver armor for better protection. Following Judah’s instructions, Jeanne wore the raincoat over her armor.

“Judah, I’m ready. I’ll take the lead.” She said as she took the lead, bringing down her faceplate.

The Blue Lancer looked very much dignified as they came down to the village, ready for combat. Judah was calm and collected, but Jeanne had her game face on, face heavy and serious as she stared ahead.

“It’ll be over sooner than you think, so don’t worry about it, Jeanne.”

“I hope so.”

“Let’s go.”

Judah patted her shoulder to calm her down, which worked as she softened under his touch. And from inside her helmet, Judah heard her laugh.

The rain continued to rage, but it didn’t hide the clanking of Jeanne’s armor as they approached. One of the ghosts saw them and screamed as the two of them came, with Jeanne leading the charge.

Its shrieking attracted the ghosts that wandered away from the hall, and all their eyes snapped in one place. In the darkness, the hovering shadows began to fly towards Judah and Jeanne.

“Incoming.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be over really soon.”

Soon? The thought of his carefree response made Jeanne laugh. She tugged down her faceplate and assessed the area. So far, it took them about ten minutes to defeat ten ghosts. And looking at the dozen enemies ahead, it would be a dream to finish them sooner than expected. It might be a joke, but she continued to hope.

“Well then, let’s send them to a good place.”

Altemia appeared in Judah’s grasp. Coming this far, using Altemia had somehow drained his energy. Even though he fought ghosts without any physical bodies, using Altemia consumed his stamina.

──────!

The clamoring of ghosts sent shivers down Judah’s spine. He threw the Altemia, feeling his sweat build upon his palm.

Pak!

The Altemia missed the ghosts, falling to a muddy puddle dug by the pouring rain. Judah’s attack was light, but Altemia stuck on the mud it landed on because of the soft ground.

“?”

Jeanne, holding her spear and shield tight, stared in shock at Judah’s attack. Although her shield narrowed her vision, Jeanne knew something was wrong. Judah’s dagger, which never missed, had fallen to the ground.

‘Was that a mistake? Is he nervous?’

The moment she questioned it, her eyes widened at what came next. The rainwater Altemia fell in turned red. In a blink, dozens of thorns erupted like an awl from the gooey blood, piercing every ghost within its reach. Even Jeanne had no time to react.

The ghosts scratched and crawled, wailing as the blood began to devour their shadowed bodies.

“Ju- Judah…? What is this?”

Jeanne thought Judah’s attack had missed, but whatever it unleashed brought a newfound hope at the perfect moment.