TEST 28

Chapter 28

Cecilia turned with a light twirl and faced her husband.

Edward looked much more tired than the last time she had seen him, and the frown he was wearing made his condition seem even worse.

“Don’t frown. It makes you look ugly.”

“Is that really what you have to say in this situation?”

The words Of course—it’s important, your face is precious rose right up to her throat.

But Cecilia at least had the sense not to say such things out loud in front of others.

“I missed you, Edward.”

Silence fell. Edward stared at her as though he had just heard something he wasn’t supposed to, and Cecilia hesitated.

Maybe I should’ve just asked him to help me? Or told him to come back? All I did was play the role of a loving wife because of the eyes watching us, and yet…

At last, Edward spoke.

“Escort the Empress to headquarters.”

“Yes, sir!”

Cecilia obediently followed the soldiers who guided her toward the headquarters building. All the while, she opened her senses wide and searched for information.

Things here don’t look good either. So that’s why he couldn’t come.

The soldiers’ resentment toward Edward was sky-high.

Until now, they had lazed around, living off their pay without much to do—suddenly they were being forced through high-intensity training. Of course they were dissatisfied.

But Edward seemed not to take it too seriously.

The situation is more serious than he thinks…

No matter how disorganized, soldiers were still soldiers.

If someone stirred them up, a rebellion could happen again.

And when that happened, the one to be executed would be Edward.

Cecilia might save him out of old affection, but he would never regain power.

I came here asking for his help, but does that mean I need to help Edward first?

She swallowed a sigh. One way or another, she and Edward were in the same boat now.

If she had remained ignorant, she could pretend not to know. But knowing, she couldn’t turn a blind eye.

Cecilia stretched out her hand and summoned paper and a pen.

“Y-Your Majesty, the Empress!?”

The soldier guiding her went pale. Cecilia smiled faintly.

“You’d better get used to it. I’m an Archmage.”

“Th-That so…” the soldier stammered.

“T-Then, could it be… an Archmage can stop earthquakes and hold back floods, they say…”

Not entirely wrong.

Archmages who stopped earthquakes or held back floods usually traded away their lifespan and strength, dying young.

Or sometimes, they died on the spot.

But Cecilia knew that wasn’t the important part.

“If it’s a problem I can solve, I’ll solve it. What’s troubling you?”

“……”

The soldier swallowed hard. Now that she looked closer, he had some insignia—he seemed to be an officer.

Cecilia’s expression grew serious.

Maybe what she had just overheard were only complaints, and the real reason Edward hadn’t returned was because there was an even bigger problem.

“G-Ghosts are appearing!”

“What?”

Cecilia doubted her ears.

Ghosts?

She studied the soldier carefully.

Is he sick…?

As though he had read her thoughts, the soldier rushed to explain.

“Ghosts appear, and no one can sleep. They can’t focus on training! But His Majesty the Emperor doesn’t believe in such nonsense—that’s the problem.”

“Have you thought of moving the training grounds?”

“We don’t have that kind of authority!”

The soldier’s shoulders drooped.

“And besides, we know we don’t have the resources. If we build a new camp, where are we supposed to live in the meantime? Most of us are men who had nowhere else to go.”

Cecilia’s mind whirred.

Ghosts… or deformed phenomena.

Aberrant phenomena—homunculi of pure mana in human form—were a topic that fascinated the mages of Megina.

That was the definition.

But the problem was—no one had ever actually proven such a thing existed.

Yes, they were described as “mana bodies shaped like humans,” but once you added “thought” and “self-directed movement,” they became indistinguishable from the ghosts spoken of in Rinec.

So naturally, mages were deeply interested in them too.

Whenever there was news of such a phenomenon, mages would rush to investigate.

And the results?

Every time, a disappointment.

Half of the cases were fraud, another portion mere magical byproducts, and still others turned out to be actual humans.

That accounted for 99% of them.

The last 1%?

Cases where the truth couldn’t be determined.

But “unverifiable” was not the same as proof of existence.

Cecilia herself had always believed they were fakes.

But ghosts… here?

Then I’ll just have to expose it.

If she solved the problem and credited Edward with the victory, the soldiers’ resentment would fade and rally to him.

And once he owed her such a debt, surely Edward would help her in return.

“Tell me in detail. Where do the ghosts appear?”

“They aren’t consistent. Sometimes in the recruits’ quarters, sometimes in the officers’ barracks… sometimes in the kitchens, even often on the parade grounds.”

Once they reached headquarters, Cecilia propped her chin in her hand and listened.

The man turned out to be Warrant Officer Hoff, fresh out of the officer academy and newly commissioned.

He had applied to this post because it was close to home, unaware of its bad reputation, and now he was stuck—unable to leave until he had completed his first three years.

The ghost’s patterns seemed impossible to predict, but at least its timing was regular.

Every night, between 1 and 2 a.m.

Or between 6 and 7 a.m.

It always appeared once during one of those two hours.

The shape was always the same: a vague, pale, human-like silhouette, wailing in a woman’s voice.

Someone’s prank.

Cecilia immediately decided.

If it were a magical byproduct, at least the location would be fixed.

But if the time was consistent while the place varied?

That meant someone was deliberately creating the phenomenon.

But why?

Too much trouble for a prank.

And with the soldiers already so on edge, whoever was behind it wouldn’t escape their wrath if caught.

If the goal was to weaken the military, it was too small-scale.

Well, I’ll find out soon enough.

Cecilia asked Warrant Officer Hoff:

“Can we know in advance where it will appear? I want to be notified the moment it shows.”

“I’ll station messengers at the likely spots.”

“Good. No need to come running to me—just blow a whistle where you stand.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Some time later—

After Cecilia and Hoff had finished laying out their plan, Edward finally returned to headquarters where she waited.

He still looked displeased, but his voice toward her was gentle.

“Did you come because of some problem?”

“It’s quite an important problem… but yours looks even bigger, doesn’t it?”

Edward’s eyes flickered in surprise.

“It’s not a matter for you to worry about.”

Cecilia chuckled.

“Ghosts fall into the mages’ domain. Leave it to me. I’ll settle it tonight.”

Edward let out a long breath.

“You actually believe such tales?”

“I don’t.” Cecilia answered calmly.

“But we can’t just leave a problem that’s undermining the soldiers’ morale.”

“Their bodies and minds are weak, so they see illusions. Training will solve it.”

“Do you really believe that, Edward?”

Cecilia laughed out loud.

“In my eyes, someone is deliberately staging these ghostly events.”