IRFVA 12

Chapter : 12

—Why did you do it?

“Guhk….”

At the clear voice ringing in my ears, I could no longer escape into tinnitus or denial of reality. I just inhaled sharply.

While keeping my gaze forward, I slowly stepped backward. Then once again, the voice echoed in my ear.

—Why did you do it?

—……

—Why did you do it—!

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

Suddenly, a semi-transparent figure dropped down in front of me like it had fallen.

Startled, I let out a loud scream completely unrelated to any romantic fantasy heroine image, and in front of me, “it” landed.

“It” looked like a half-melted human form, like a muddy clay doll.

“It” gradually began dripping an unknown black liquid from its eyes as it approached me.

As its mouth opened, it made a screeching, eerie sound—kiiiiiiik, kyaaaah—and the black liquid pouring from its mouth came toward me… wait, what is this!

“Eeeek! Huuuaaaah!”

Shhh, sssshk!

I screamed while completely forgetting even the presence of Bam-dori in my arms, grabbed a frying pan hanging nearby, and swung it wildly.

When the frying pan brushed against “it”’s abdomen, its organs seemed to crumple, and it spewed out an ominous black fluid that wasn’t even transparent.

……Huh? Can you even touch ghosts?

Is this actually Excalibur?

Completely flustered, I still found myself staring at the frying pan in my hand.

It even looked like it was shining gold.

—It hurts—! Kyaa, aaaaah—!

“Gr-graaaandmaaa!”

All those absurd thoughts were blown away by that scream.

I cried out desperately, calling for Grandma.

Grandma! If you were going to tell me ghost stories, you should’ve also told me how to deal with them! I teared up a little.

I wanted to live.

I had fallen into this trash romantic fantasy novel, trying to fix cliché disasters and survive as an extra, and I couldn’t die for something this non-extra-like.

—It hurts… it hurts… my friends… they’re gone.

Clutching my stomach, I looked at “it,” trembling as black unknown substance dripped from it.

Even while shaking in fear, I gripped the frying pan tightly and shouted.

Who knows, maybe this will become Excalibur and perform a miracle. I will be the hero who pulled out the frying pan.

“G-go away! This is my inn!”

—……

Well, technically speaking, it wasn’t entirely mine legally!

The ghost-like “it” stayed silent for a moment, staring at me with hollow eyes, then opened its mouth impossibly wide.

No—“opened” wasn’t the right word. Its jaw split apart.

—Aaaaaaaah—!!!

A high-pitched scream that felt like it was tearing my ears apart pierced through me.

I reflexively hugged Bam-dori tightly while still holding the frying pan.

“If this is an exorcism story, I’d at least understand it!”

Why am I holding a frying pan and doing this in a Romance Fantasy♡ inn?!

Fear began creeping into my mind.

The only reason I could still stand was the small life in my arms.

“If I’m not here, what will happen to Bam-dori?!”

Fueled by the determination of a provider, I stood trembling but firm.

Then “it” came closer.

As its melting form approached, I screamed again and swung the frying pan once more.

CLANG—!

It hit what seemed to be its face.

It didn’t even look like it had bones, but the sound echoed sharply as if I had struck a skull.

“It” screamed again.

Yes! If I keep this up, I might survive!

……But wait, can ghosts even be touched?

I realized something I should not have realized.

The meaning of the fact that I could hit it…

……was that it could also touch me.

“…I need to run right now!”

Panic struck instantly. I threw the frying pan away, hugged Bam-dori tightly, and ran toward the door.

But right in front of me as I tried to escape, “it” fell from the ceiling again, as if melting downward.

—Where are you going? Where are you going? Where are you going?

“Eeeeeeek! Seriously scary! Grandma!”

To avoid its grasping, flailing arms, I quickly stepped backward again.

My back hit the wall.

There was no escape route. I was cornered.

But I still had one last hope.

If I die and become a ghost… it’ll be awkward if we keep meeting eye-to-eye as fellow ghosts, right?

This thing should understand that much.

Let’s not make things awkward. Let’s just stay at this level. Right? You don’t want to be awkward with someone you killed, do you?

“W-wanna talk this out for a moment…?”

I was betting everything on this!

—It hurts… hey… my friends… are gone.

You have friends too? I never want to see you again.

—……So I guess I’ll just take you instead.

Hehehe… hehehe… hahahaha!

With a half-melted face, “it” grinned grotesquely and approached me.

I was doomed.

My plan was completely ruined. Gambling was not something one should do.

My final plan, “maybe trusting you♡,” had failed. This thing didn’t care if things became awkward after death.

So I’m your replacement for your friends? That seems like a very overqualified decision, buddy.

God, Buddha, Romance Fantasy God. Nameless gods. Please save me.

“It” reached out toward me.

—Hahaha! You’ll become my friend in death…!

“……Hic!”

I took a deep breath and sat down, hugging Bam-dori tightly and lowering my body.

No matter what happens, I will protect Bam-dori.

I had resolved myself to death.

The thing that had been slowly approaching until now suddenly rushed at me at high speed.

As if aiming for my neck, black liquid poured toward it, entering my vision in slow motion.

A whooshing sound cut through the air, mixed with its screeching and the wind tearing apart.

At that dramatic moment,

As my heart pounded fast while the world seemed to slow down, I closed my eyes and tightly hugged the family in my arms.

My only family must not be harmed.

Even as fear consumed me, I could only hold my precious snake tightly.

If I were to die, I would die protecting my family.

—CRACK!

The moment I squeezed my eyes shut, a sound like a lightbulb shattering rang out.

Startled, I opened my eyes.

A burst of blue light leaked from my arms and filled my vision.

The brightness made me wince, and I shielded my eyes with one hand.

Between my fingers, I saw it—the blue light so bright it looked almost white.

It appeared with a mist-like haze, shining as if a new dawn was breaking.

Because of that light, the shadow of “it” grew even darker.

“What… what is—”

—Taking you… I’m taking you!

Its voice sounded like it was throwing a tantrum, horrifyingly sharp and scraping against my ears.

“It” was resisting something.

Whether it resisted or not, the mist covering my vision grew thicker, beginning to take shape.

The bright blue light did not fade. It flowed like a waterfall, like a river spreading across the surroundings.

Because of the brightness—or the mist—my vision became hazy.

Within the mystical fog and blue light,

I faintly saw a large shadow.

Through the mist, beyond the dim light, someone stood there—backlit by the moon, stepping over the glowing light.

Black hair fluttered in the blue glow.

“……”

It was like a painting.

But my brain couldn’t process what was happening, and I just sat there stunned.

Behind that strange figure, “it” was frozen, screaming continuously.

That was everything up until a moment ago.

Okay. I had now adapted enough to explain this situation.

But the black-haired figure in front of me was incomprehensible.

How did they even get in?

This was a sealed room. No matter where you ran, that ghost would not allow anyone in or out.

So how?

“…Ghost…”

Is this also a ghost?

Before I could say it out loud, the black-haired figure slowly turned their head toward me.

Sitting on the floor and looking up, what appeared before me was a strikingly handsome man with sharp, refined features.