Episode 1100
After successfully completing their first day at the Ghost Palace, Simon and Merida returned to their accommodation called the ‘Villa Palace’.
Simon trudged up the stairs with a tired face, unpacked his luggage in his room, and stretched out.
I thought I would take a break, even if only for a moment.
“huh?”
A note on the desk caught my eye.
<Tonight, I will be waiting for you at the White Octopus Bar in Sofria.>
Elegant handwriting. This handwriting, with its combination of delicate curves and smooth straight lines, was clearly Cernet’s.
When I looked at the back page, there was even Cernet’s feather attached.
‘Sopriara, you should go there at least once.’
There are several subsidiary cities ruled by Tenerife near the Ghost Palace.
Of course, it is all the territory of the Ghost Princess, the commander of the 4th Corps, and is not the territory of the Dark Alliance, but a place with independent laws and administration. Among them, the most well-known city to the outside world is ‘Sophia’.
This Sofria city is formed in a circle with the Ghost Palace in the center, and
has a strong buffer zone between the Ghost Palace and other areas within the
Dark Alliance. It is said that ghosts that occasionally escape from the Ghost Palace are unable to escape the boundaries of Sophria City and are hunted.
Simon moved right away. He prepared to take Merida, who was still in a daze
because she had used a lot of energy in the ghost palace, and go out together.
When I asked Mulia in the lobby of the hotel how to get out of the city, she happily called me a carriage, so Simon and Merida got into the carriage and went.
Rattle, rattle!
For a while while traveling in the carriage, I could only see the black garden outside the window.
Then, the moment I entered the city, the scenery changed drastically.
“and!”
The entire city of Sofria was made up of pure white bricks and white roofs, contrasting with the dark forest.
Even people walking on the streets mostly wore white clothes.
A feast of pure whiteness.
When I asked the driver why the city was so white, the answer was that it was
to help distinguish ghosts.
-The ghost’s body is made of spirit and jet black, so it has a black or reddish
color. In this all-white city, ghosts are quick to spot.
It seemed like there was a good reason.
The carriage stopped and Simon and Merida got off and walked. I walked a little in the direction the coachman told me and was able to quickly find my destination.
The outside of the bar looked like it had been painted white, but once inside,
it was a plain wooden color. Simon and Merida walked with long strides and entered a small underground bar.
‘The pub is no different anywhere on the continent.’
When I opened the door and went inside, I saw several people sitting on small
seats talking under the dim orange lighting.
The people living here were the same as other people on the continent. The only thing that is a little unusual is that many of the coats hanging on the chairs
are white.
“welcome.”
A welcome greeting was heard. Simon turned his head, thinking it was a bar employee, and was surprised.
A neatly dressed bartender was in front of me. His ivory hair was tied up into
a ponytail, and he wore a bartender’s uniform with a black vest. Although she
was not dressed as a man, Cernet, who had an androgynous look, wiped her glass and smiled brightly.
“Do you want to take a break for a while? “A handsome young man.”
Simon’s face heated up slightly at the unexpected sight. Cerne chuckled and spread her palms.
“Everything else is full, so I’ll take you here.”
Sernet pointed to a bar seat where he could talk to the bartender.
As Simon was about to walk towards him, Merida, who was next to him, nudged Simon in a mean manner and passed by.
“Merida?”
“… … .”
Merida sat down on one side and gestured toward the seat next to her with a
nonchalant expression. Simon smiled bitterly and walked over and sat down.
“What would you like to order? alcohol? Or something sweet?”
Simon quickly lowered his voice.
“… … Cernet. Was this what the intelligence investigation was like? “Who is the original business person here?”
“It gave the busy head of the family time to focus on his family. “I’m on a trip
nearby with her family.”
Click click.
Cernet continued speaking, lightly shaking the shaker in his hand.
“And the side where I’m sitting right now has a soundproof barrier. “You can
raise your voice loudly.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
Simon finally raised his voice to its original tone. Merida raised her hand.
“I’m sweet and sleep well.”
“I’ll give you something stronger. “What about Simon?”
“I’m on a mission, so please take something with almost no alcohol in it.”
Cernet immediately started making cocktails. He added pre-cut fruit pieces, added various other ingredients, and shook the shaker as if dancing.
There was a sense of refined elegance in the elaborate hand techniques. Even
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
his movements were full of confidence.
‘… … There’s really nothing I can’t do.’
After a while, a drink topped with lemon was served to Simon, and a red drink
with whole cherry pieces was served to Merida.
After drinking her drink, Merida immediately lay down on the bar and began to doze off. She seemed so desperate for sleep that she didn’t even bother to stop Simon. Cernet said after seeing that.
“I guess the first day at the Ghost Palace was difficult?”
“You had a hard time.”
Simon touched his neck.
“But it was worth it. Tenerife also told us well about the Ghost Palace, and except for the red room, which is a dangerous area, there were no places that were that difficult.”
Cernet’s eyes lit up.
“What kind of system was it specifically? “Tell me more about it.”
“Give and take.”
Simon smiled slightly and put his palms together.
“I’ll tell you once you tell me the information you gathered here.”
“You’re being mischievous. “I also got free alcohol.”
Cernet placed his palm on his cheek and looked at him with moist eyes, but Simon was no longer the type to be treated like this.
“Because I’m still not sure if you’re friend or foe. “I want to listen to the story
carefully and make a judgment.”
“there’s nothing we can do.”
In the end, Cerne told me about what he had learned about the Ghost Palace
and the nearby city of Sofria after being active for two weeks.
Simon sipped his drink and listened to the story comfortably.
“The atmosphere of the people of Sofria is unusual.”
Cerne said.
“The reason is the forced selection of a princess candidate. The famous Ghost
Princess seems to be recruiting all girls of the appropriate age who have not yet unlocked their cores, forcibly turning them into necromancers and training them as princess candidates. Of course, the horse is a candidate for princess, but
in fact, she is a substitute for molting.”
“… … hmm.”
Cernet shrugged his shoulders.
“She got injured a lot during the training, and especially since the person who
was originally a princess candidate and was in charge of shedding every year died for unknown reasons, suspicions about this incident are increasing.”
“The sound of being full.”
Merida, who was thought to be sleeping, was still lying face down and talking
in her sleep.
“Trying to avoid obligations while enjoying rights… … “Hmmnya mmnya.”
“Some people say that.”
Cities within the territory of Tenerife do not pay taxes to the ruling Ghost Palace.
In fact, it is said that the Ghost Palace does not need taxes because it receives
a huge contribution from the Dark Alliance, and rather provides support to various parts of the city, including Sofria, with the remaining contribution.
It is truly a paradise-like place, with no monster attacks, no criminal gangs or
threats of war in the name of Tenerife. Continentals envy the people who live
here, but immigration is impossible. Only people born and raised here can continue to stay in Sofria.
However, there were some drawbacks, such as being plagued by ghosts coming out of the palace, and being selected as a candidate for the princess of Tenerife.
“Look, everyone looks dissatisfied, right?”
Simon listened carefully. If you listen to the stories of people drinking, you will hear things like ‘princess’ and ‘chachul’ being talked about.
“To address the claims of residents opposing the removal, originally, there was no system called ‘exchange’ in the Ghost Palace. It is a concept that arose after the reign of Tenerife. “I don’t understand why they are pushing ahead with citizen recruitment, which wasn’t supposed to happen before, and causing harm to people.”
“It’s a bit of a shock.”
Simon traced his eyebrows with his fingertips.
“There was no molting season before Tenerife?”
“I investigated and found that similar cases clearly existed, but they were not
at the level of such large-scale borrowing every year.”
Cerne clasped her hands.
“I guess it’s true that the Ghost Palace is viewed with suspicion throughout the Union for that reason. Tenerife is not giving birth to her children, but in fact,
she has that tendency and uses women as playthings. She is raising necromancers to create her army. “Maybe the ‘betrayal issue’ we heard about is also based on this rumor.”
“… … .”
“But this is Tenerife’s territory, which is recognized as extraterritorial, and its
residents are the property of Tenerife, and they cannot be punished for actually doing such things.”
Simon was lost in thought. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t
find that kind of impression in the sight of Tenerife from the Ghost Palace.
“Tenerife is more human than you can imagine.”
At that time, a third person’s voice suddenly entered the conversation. Before
I knew it, one of the bar customers, a woman, was walking towards me.
It was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair that was too shiny to be burdensome and wearing long clothes.
‘Cernet deployed a soundproof barrier, how?’
“I’m sorry if I interrupted you. I happened to look at you and saw that a different sound was coming out of your mouth than the shape of your mouth, so I did something. After all, the reason you hide your voice is because of Tenerife, right?”
Simon raised his head, alert.
“Who are you?”
“It sounds right now. Would you believe me if I told you that I was a necromancer who once belonged to the Ghost Palace? not now but.”
She let out a long sigh.
“Tenerife is a vicious woman. “She is a woman who will sacrifice and throw a
way anything for her own benefit.”
She lifted the glass in her hand and quickly put it down her throat.
He soon frowned and opened his mouth in an alcohol-soaked voice.
“Things like molting only prolong Tenerife’s malicious reign at the expense of
the people. She needs to be ousted.”
“Do you have any evidence that Tenerife is a malicious person?”
Tsk tsk.
She let out a small laugh.
“There is no evidence, but I have a witness… … Is this nonsense? and.”
She let out a long snort and brought her fingertips to the back of my neck, then plucked out Cernet’s feather and placed it on the table along with the money
for the drinks.
“Even if you don’t have to use this, I’ve expressed my true feelings, so don’t worry.”
“… … .”
A strange look appeared in Serne’s eyes.
That woman was a necromancer strong enough to resist Cerne’s mental control.
“See you later, if you can.”
Jump and jump.
She left the bar, shaking her blonde hair. Cerne rested her chin.
“Hmm, I’m curious who it is? “I guess I’ll have to keep track of it.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“sure. I just put a trace on it. “Now let’s get to the point.”
She looked at Simon.
“The same goes for what that woman said and the information I got. There are no unfounded suspicions. Doesn’t Simon also have doubts? “If you let me into the ghost palace, I might be able to gather proper evidence.”
“… … .”
Simon closed his eyes for a moment and remembered what Kazan had told him.
-Information is not ‘fact’, and it is even less ‘truth’. Any tangible or intangible
information is processed and distorted through human perception, prejudice, and thinking.
-Simon. Your intuition is much better than mine. Go to the Ghost Palace yourself and make your own decisions. That’s best.
“Promise me one thing. “Serne.”
“yes?”
“I will cooperate in getting you into the Ghost Palace. Instead, only reach out
to Tenerife when there is solid ‘evidence’. got it?”
Cernet nodded.
“I promise. “In the name of me, Cerne Eindarc.”
“Would you like to give Meylin’s name too?”
Oops.
She clicked her tongue and laughed bitterly.
“I heard he became more mischievous while I didn’t see him. all right. In Meyrin’s name, I will attack Tenerife after we have solid evidence from her ghost palace.”
“good.”
Simon stood up.
“Let’s get ready.”
* * *
The morning before work the next day.
Simon and Merida began their operation. Because the process of entering and
exiting the Ghost Palace was quite complicated, a detailed plan had to be made.
“Please present your ID.”
“Yes, this way.”
Simon, who entered the Ghost Palace first, secured the entrance ledger and handed it to Serne, who gave one person the illusion that he had gone to work today and then captured that person’s jet black and spirit in an artifact.
Afterwards, Sernet’s mind control gave people widespread illusions. Only after
sticking feathers into the nape of several people’s necks at the same time did Cernet move.
In this way, one person forgot to sign in the entry ledger, and Sernet held Simone’s hand and entered the ghost palace, and Simon, who had memorized the
handwriting, completed the entry in the entry ledger.
-If we catch you sneaking in, we’ll be finished.
-Sure, I’ll do it right.
I don’t know how on earth they found out that the 1st and 4th corps were in a
cooperative relationship, but Sernet went straight into the danger zone room without a compass.
It seemed like I had no choice but to wait and see for the time being.
“Junior Polentia! Student Hugh Eckel!”
Tenerife came down the stairs at a fast pace and approached the two.
“Today we will be holding classes on the second floor and higher! Are you ready?”
No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like a person who would betray or play with people.
But the outside and inside may be different.
Simon nodded with a smile.
“i look forward to.”
For the time being, I had to focus on the work at the Ghost Palace.
Of course, both.
‘Isn’t there likely to be at least one ghost unit in the 7th Legion?’
I was thinking of doing something personal as well.
